Chapter 55

"Are you having trouble adapting to your new home? It's okay, you'll be fine after a few days."

"I'll clean the house very clean, I guarantee you'll be satisfied." Xiang Mingqi kept muttering to himself on the way back to the bedroom. He would look back at his senior from time to time, clenching his hands, his pupils trembling violently. "Tomorrow, I'll buy some bouquets of flowers and come back to decorate the house. Brother, do you have any favorites?"

"Oh yeah, it's okay if you don't like flowers. Goldfish? Tortoises? Or even furry hamsters and rabbits would be fine too. Bro, you don't have to take care of them, I'll do it. As long as you have fun playing with them, that's fine."

He was very nervous. Pei Huai thought, he was really afraid of walking out of that door.

"So, brother, how can you run around? I don't want others to stare at you so recklessly anymore. I swear, I will really dig out their eyes and cut off their tongues if they talk to you."

He leaned closer to Pei Huai's neck, sniffing the refreshing aroma emanating from his collar, his lower abdominal muscles rubbing against his thighs: "Because, I am your man."

"I can't sleep."

"What?"

"Xiang Mingqi, I have insomnia."

Just as he was about to be dragged towards the bedroom, Pei Huai finally spoke. His hand, gripping Xiang Mingqi's, froze for a moment. Xiang Mingqi turned around, looking at his face, hesitant to speak.

"Would you like some wine? There are two unopened bottles of red wine in the refrigerator." He asked in a low voice, "Brother, did I scare you just now?"

"No." Pei Huai waved his hand and walked past him.

Despite not receiving a clear answer, Xiang Mingqi went to the kitchen and opened a bottle of red wine. Pei Huai had been sleeping soundly these days, probably because the medicine in the juice was taking effect. But after just one day without the medicine, he started to suffer from insomnia. This wasn't a good thing.

What should I do to take good care of this sensitive and indifferent person?

As Xiang Mingqi returned to the living room, clutching two goblets, he happened to hear a gentle humming coming from the window, like the rustling of wind through the treetops.

His heart skipped a beat, he quickened his pace and pushed open the door.

Pei Huai was sitting by the bay window, his back against the corner pillar, his left leg curled up on a small couch piled with felt. Through the window, he gazed at the starry sky.

He leaned against the glass, his breath forming a hazy shadow on the window surface.

His Adam's apple twitched slightly, and the melody flowed with a profound, distant melody. His voice was as clean as the chords of a lute, possessing a single-note mellowness, steady enough to resonate with the touch of a tongue. Judging by his pronunciation, it must be a folk song from a minority language.

His shoulder-length white hair was gathered back, and his throat lifted slightly, adding a touch of life to his cold and unfeeling features. He was breathtakingly handsome. He leaned forward, and his heartstrings hummed into a chaotic rhythm.

She stopped humming only after noticing him coming. Xiang Mingqi handed him the square-mouthed cup and sat down beside him: "Brother, what were you humming just now? The words sound a bit like English, but not quite."

"Polish." After answering this, Pei Huai took a sip of wine and did not respond further.

Xiang Mingqi didn't give up. "The same thing happened during the last commission. You suddenly blurted out some French. Did you go to a language school or learn it on your own?"

"Interest." The wine slanted gently, wetting the mist clinging to the wall of the glass, allowing him to take a sip. It was as if he was enjoying the quiet night with the mellow aroma of red wine in silence.

Seeing him like this, Xiang Mingqi didn't say anything, sat down, and accompanied him to appreciate the night sky.

"Brother, if what happened on the mountain hadn't happened, or if you hadn't gone to save your brother, would you be better off?" He kicked his legs, his fingers rubbing the bottom of the cup nervously. "Even now, I still feel it's a pity."

"—You used to have good grades and were smart. Everyone except your parents had high hopes for you. But because he took his anger out on you, your father forced you to leave home and interrupt your studies. When you were making money, I was still completely clueless about money. If he had treated you better, wouldn't you..."

“No ifs.”

"Oh oh oh..." He thought Pei Huai wanted him to shut up, so he drank a sip of wine in an attempt to hide his emotions.

"I chose this path myself." After a while, the person in front of me slowly opened his mouth, "Now that I've embarked on this journey, there's no reason to look back. I won't waste my time on regrets. But..."

"Um?"

"Thanks."

Xiang Mingqi's heart warmed and he opened his mouth to speak, but the conversation that should have gone smoothly was interrupted because at this moment, there was a knock on the door.

He was on guard against who might come to his house so late at night, but Pei Huai got there first, grabbed his collar, walked over to him, and kissed him.

Between the slightly fluttering eyelashes, Xiang Mingqi swallowed emotionally, kept an eye on the door, and reached under the pillow.

The door was forcibly opened with a loud bang, and he only had time to see Pei Huai's wrist flip up. Silver light flashed before his eyes, and he let out a scream.

Following the sound, I saw one of the intruders nailed to the wall with a pierced shoulder, twitching violently.

Xiang Mingqi's heart raced, his hand swiping under the pillow in vain. The knife had been taken. He wasn't sure when Pei Huai had noticed, but the next second, out of the corner of his eye, he saw him pick up another folding knife and expertly flick the blade back in his palm.

Only after a group of people broke into the living room did Pei Huai bite his lower lip hard and push him away.

"Whoever moves another step." He still maintained the kissing posture. The blade jumped up with a "click" and pointed at the crowd while jerking his chin at the poor man at the door. "That's the end."

No one dared to disobey this statement.

"Brother, you are so mean." Only Xiang Mingqi smiled at him while holding his face, "You actually used a kiss to distract me."

When they parted, the junior still clutched his waist. Pei Huai shifted his gaze and saw Shan Li standing to the side and behind the bodyguard, his expression so cold it was unforgettable. He didn't know if he had seen the beginning of the kiss or only the end.

In short, when Pei Huai turned his head and looked at him from a level angle, the face finally freed from the gloom.

"Mr. Pei, long time no see." He smiled.

Xiang Mingqi quickly grabbed the senior's wrist and stopped him from answering. He gritted his teeth and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Of course, I'm trying to find a reasonable explanation for your despicable behavior. I warned you that you'd have to die to get rid of Jingshan Real Estate." Shan Li's eyes were full of mockery as he looked from the entrance to his feet. "Okay, it's time to take your hands off me. You'd better be sensible when it comes to people who don't belong to you. Thank you for your hard work during this period, brother."

"Don't even think about it." Xiang Mingqi grabbed his senior and glared at his cousin with anger. He later wanted to hug Pei Huai, but the latter pushed him away quite rationally.

The situation was very unfavorable for them. No matter how hard Xiang Mingqi tried to talk, Jingshan Real Estate had the advantage in numbers. This was understandable. Besides… Pei Huai tried to grip the folding knife several times. It didn't feel right. He wasn't sure if the knife would break when used against the Latin bodyguard, not to mention...

He looked around.

Among these people, there are definitely some who are armed with guns.

"Brother, don't leave." Seeing this, Xiang Mingqi half-pleaded, half-impatiently biting his senior's earlobe, "I can deal with these people, as long as you stay here."

"He was sure he could threaten me."

"What?"

"His presence here means he controls the Bangkok Hotel, or my second uncle. In more serious cases, it means both." Pei Huai lowered his eyebrows with a calm expression and said, "Behave yourself."

Xiang Mingqi gritted his teeth until they made a creaking sound, resting his forehead on his shoulder. After a long while, he squeezed out a word from between his teeth: "Okay."

"Mr. Pei, how did you and he get on in private?" Shan Li observed their intimate gestures, his smile unchanged. "Last time, our separation wasn't very pleasant, and I've been wanting to find a way to make amends. Do you have time?"

"Who do you have on your hands?"

Shan Li was stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly, "You're really... direct. You may not like my personal offer, but it's definitely worth hearing."

Pei Huai signaled him with his eyes to order directly.

"After my brother took you away, the Bangkok Hotel couldn't find him, so they turned their attention to me. The company isn't very large, but it's very secretive and has been rooted in Kensos for over a decade. So it was quite troublesome at first. But if we wanted to deal with them, it was easy."

He shrugged and said, "As long as the tax bureau intervenes in the investigation, the so-called result will be up to me. After all, I promoted that director, and he really wants to stay in the position for a few more years." The man looked at him with a half-smile and got straight to the point, "Mr. Pei, I'd like you to work for me."

"reason."

"To get rid of those thorns in my side." The inviter didn't hide anything. "You are very special: strong, decisive, and efficient. Your decision-making ability, sense of responsibility, and execution are unparalleled. You possess potential that everyone would want to possess. Therefore, I hope to receive your assistance."

"—You set the pay and decide the treatment. As a token of goodwill, I'll settle your family's gambling debts. What do you think?"

He said, extending his hand politely: "I look forward to your answer."

Pei Huai grabbed Xiang Mingqi's cheek and pulled him away, but the latter, with his eyes wide open, held his wrist tightly.

"Don't go." He was so anxious that he was about to cry.

"To Mingqi."

The man whose name was called began to breathe harder.

"Brother, just say the word, and I can find a way to give you what he gave you now. Bangkok hotel, money, or anything else, this is not a problem. Please don't go with him..." Pei Huai raised his hand and pinched his ear bone to stop him from continuing.

"Trust me," he said.

He let go of Xiang Mingqi and approached the crowd. Cink nervously stepped forward, but his superior waved him back. Everyone was on guard at this moment. As he approached, Pei Huai noticed that the smile on the man's face had become extremely stiff.

"I knew Mr. Pei would make a wise decision..." Before he could finish his words, the tie around his neck was suddenly pulled away. He staggered forward, bent down, and met Pei Huai's eyes at a very close distance.

"Work. Fine." The latter emphasized each word, "But forget about anything else."

As he spoke, his cool lips nearly brushed Shan Li's cheek. As his secretary watched with interest, he reached out, hooked his arm around the man's neck, and bit his earlobe, "Or, after sleeping with your younger brother, you, as his older brother, can't wait any longer?"