Chapter 9

After the friction occurred, Pei Huai did not go home for the entire weekend.

In fact, he was as worried about this as the landlord.

It was hard to imagine how messed up the rental house would be with only Xiang Mingqi in it. Dust, stains, hair, and dishes that were probably never washed—just the thought of that combination of words was enough to drive him crazy.

A week. He thought, this is the most terrible torture he can inflict on himself.

On Monday morning, he arrived at the office at his usual time, walking, taking the bus, and then walking again. His arrival time was no more than three minutes off his usual schedule. After clocking in, he inspected his cuffs from top to bottom, making sure they were free of stains and wrinkles before entering the office.

Pei Huai's seat was in the third row by the window. There were no other personal items on the desk except a calendar, newspapers organized by time, a lead-gray pen holder, sticky notes, and a stapler.

He took out a wet wipe, opened the drawer, and cleaned the corners a little.

The lower two layers are mostly used to store copies of contracts and draft reports, while the top layer is used to store keys and a memorandum.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Zhiyang pushed the door open and walked in, glancing at a seat by the window. He was wearing a loose denim-patterned shirt, high-waisted straight-leg pants, and a round-buckled belt. The buckles sat perfectly on the inward-facing sides of his waist.

This trendy outfit is even more suitable for Pei Huai, who already has a model-like figure, and he has a kind of handsomeness that is not inconsistent with his facial features.

He sat upright, one hand unfolding the newspaper and carefully reading it, the other holding a mug and sipping instant coffee. He didn't look up, didn't speak, and chose a line of text to block out external distractions.

To be honest, Pei Huai rarely completely ignored others. He always prioritized courtesy over everything he did. So when his superior walked up to the desk and cleared his throat before receiving a reluctant look, he was certain his proud and outstanding employee was furious.

"You don't look well." Zhu Zhiyang leaned closer to his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Pei Huai, how was your weekend? He didn't cause you too much trouble, did he?"

"No."

"I think this 'no' is exactly the opposite of what your eyes mean."

After answering the previous question, Pei Huai remained silent and flipped to the social news section. There was a new regulation regarding juvenile delinquency. Zhu Zhiyang knew very well that when Pei Huai wasn't enthusiastic about answering a certain person or question, he would often remain silent.

"I just want to tell you. Maybe I understand you better than anyone here."

——No answer.

"It's a boss's responsibility to care about their employees' mental health. I have no other intentions. I've already reported Xiang Mingqi's situation to the head office. They'll arrange housing for him as soon as possible." She placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping for some positive feedback. "I hope this news makes you feel better."

Pei Huai raised his hand and dispelled his relief.

"Thanks."

"There's no need to say these things to me that are not true. It sounds to me that you still feel resentful about this."

"...So what do you want to hear?"

"The truth. But you always keep your thoughts to yourself. Pei Huai, why do you always push me so far?" He lowered his head, looked at the bulging blue veins on the back of his hand, and swallowed his Adam's apple. "Ever since you joined Bangkok Hotel - in the past ten years, whether in work or life, I have been your most solid partner. Why can't we trust each other more?"

"I only follow orders from my superiors." This was the first time Pei Huai looked up today. His gaze swept over, then froze, the muscles in his eyes contracting. Every blink was filled with a cold and heartless sense of expulsion. "And please stop prying into my personal privacy."

Zhu Zhiyang let out a long sigh.

——After nine o'clock, with a deviation of seven to ten minutes, Xiang Mingqi arrived late.

Fortunately, his personal information had not yet been entered into the clock-in system, so his "lateness" would not be recorded. Upon arriving at the office, he waved his arm and greeted everyone, then slowly made his way to Pei Huai's side.

Seeing that he was not driven away even when he was close, he simply took a big step forward.

The soles of his shoes squeaked against the wooden boards, and in a blink of an eye, he slid to Pei Huai's side. "Good morning, brother! The air is so fresh today. I had fried eggs, lettuce, bacon, and toast with ketchup this morning. How about you?"

No response.

"Didn't you have breakfast? That's perfect! I saw a breakfast shop on the way here that sells pancakes. How about just saying 'good morning' to me and I'll run down and buy you breakfast right away? It's a great deal! The running fee and the food fee combined are nothing."

Of course, it was ignored again.

"Why aren't you talking to me? Brother, Brother Pei Huai? Are you angry? Are you unhappy today? Do you need help with any difficulties at work?"

Pei Huai folded his arms, leaned back in his chair, and tossed over a task plan.

"No."

"Wow, that's great. You're not angry." Xiang Mingqi clasped his hands together and took it—but he just took it. He didn't even glance at it and put it back on the table. "Because I haven't seen you all night, I thought you were really mad at me. Do you want to go home with me today? As a compensation, I'll treat you to curry."

The more he spoke, the more excited he became. "While strolling around yesterday, I discovered a famous curry shop nearby. I'd call their curry beef brisket omelet rice the best in the world. Just imagine it. The beef falls apart in your mouth, the smoothness of the egg, and the super-rich, super-fragrant curry sauce. Wow, I really want to go there today!"

"It's working hours now." Pei Huai glanced at his watch and suddenly reminded him, "I'll give you an hour to prepare for the mission."

"But I still have a lot to tell you. Is one hour not enough?"

"Then don't say it." Pei Huai turned his head away, too lazy to look at him.

——This mission is not too difficult.

To put it simply: A financial officer of a listed company borrowed some high-interest loans to cover up financial embezzlement before an audit. The loan was two months overdue.

The client hopes that they will collect the debt as soon as possible and prevent the court and relevant departments from getting involved to avoid bad debts.

Pei Huai didn't ask the new recruits to perform any particularly difficult tasks, such as the four-document mortgage contract or the money transfer. When assigning tasks, he repeatedly emphasized that the debt collectors must be driven into the alley.

It was a perfect place to do it—the surveillance system was in disrepair and there were few residents.

The younger generation seemed to understand something, nodded, waved his arms high, and shouted, "Thank you for your trust! I will definitely bring the person to you, Mua!" Then he was greeted with a nonchalant air kiss, and Pei Huai ran away while frowning.

While waiting, Pei Huai half-leaned against the wall, arms folded, and picked up his last cigarette. With a snap of his thumb, he pushed the lid of the lighter open, raised his hand, and leaned his neck forward.

This was a good opportunity to test the newcomer's ability, and he didn't want to give too many hints or put too much pressure on him.

To know what Xiang Mingqi is capable of, we just need to take action to test it.

In this way, subsequent work guidance will be more convenient.

The firelight illuminated his profile, extinguished, reignited, and extinguished again. His patience was fully capable of withstanding the passage of time—30 minutes later. First, there were footsteps, panting, and then a hurried figure running from the west.

Pei Huai no longer stood by and watched. He stood up, moved away from the wall, pinched the spark in front of his lip, took a step forward, and walked forward steadily and forcefully.

The other man knew something was wrong and took several steps back in panic. Just then, Xiang Mingqi's rear guard arrived just in time. The man's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground in fear from the double attack from both sides.

"Hehe, I told you I was a great track and field athlete in elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. Who told you to overestimate your abilities? Look, now you can't even stand up." Xiang Mingqi bent down, his hands on his knees, and looked at him with a smile. "Did you know you were going to be in big trouble soon?"

Pei Huai flicked away the cigarette butt, half-knelt in front of the man, and turned on his right toe.

His eyes swept over his shoulders, arms, and the briefcase hidden behind his back - he raised his hand and chopped the knife vertically between the man's open fingers. When he let go, the blade went straight into the handle without a buzzing sound.

He asked in a deep voice.

"What are the rules? Do I need to remind you?"

Extreme pressure. Efficient, convenient, and saving a lot of trouble. This was Pei Huai's usual tactic. He successfully obtained a signed personal mortgage contract and a letter of guarantee. With this, no matter where the target ran, the debt would eventually find him, or his family.

But that is not the main purpose of this trip.

Facing the other person's resentful gaze, he snatched the briefcase, cut it open, and examined the money hidden inside: According to insiders, the financial officer knew he was desperate and planned to flee overseas with the money. This was a foolish decision. Not only did he fail to take the money with him, but he also walked into a trap.

After Pei Huai confirmed the amount, he kicked him and signaled the sad-looking man to get out.

"Brother, how did I do?" Xiang Mingqi raised his hand to cover his brow, closed one eye in a playful manner, watched the other party flee in panic, and then turned back to take credit. "Although I don't know how long it took, I think I'm a genius in this field."

"Can."

"What do you mean by 'okay'... This is my precious first time, so just praise me!"

Pei Huai thought for a moment, then looked at him straight in the eye for the first time: "Not bad."

The latter pouted his lips a few centimeters, his voice weak with grievance: "You use two words to get rid of me again. Stingy." Before he finished speaking, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly tensed his nerves.

"There, right there!" - It was the financial officer. Judging from the sound, there were two, no, at least three people approaching here.

As for the identity of the visitor, the answer was given later.

"Patrolman, I'm not lying. There really is someone threatening me over there. Please help me, please help me!"

Xiang Mingqi couldn't believe the authenticity of the shouting. He wanted to move, but someone held his wrist down.

"Aren't we going to run now? If the police catch me, the company won't fire me, right? It's only my first day at work."

"You can't escape. Be quiet." Pei Huai looked around, then made up his mind. He grabbed the junior's collar and pushed him against the wall, then hooked his arm around his shoulders. He put his hand behind his neck and pulled down the hair tie.

Watching his junior's face gradually turn red, he raised his knee and pushed it between the other's legs as a warning.

"Time is running out." His face darkened, and his hand brushed back his white hair as it fell to his shoulders. "Answer me, is this your first kiss?"

"No, ah! No what no, wait, wait, wait. Um--brother, what did you say just now? Um..."

Maybe he heard it wrong, or maybe he just couldn't wait for an explanation. Pei Huai grabbed his collar, raised his chin, and kissed him deeply.