Chapter 32 The Apartment Showdown: Day Twelve - The Iron Tree Blooms. ...
Assistant Li hadn't seen his boss smile like that in a very long time.
Assistant Li never dreamed that one day he would be able to utter this line, unique to domineering CEOs, in his mind.
But no matter how much Assistant Li thought about it, he didn't dare to speak up directly.
After all, Pei Zhi is his CEO.
His boss.
Assistant Li watched Pei Zhi silently.
Assistant Li noticed that Pei Zhi's smile had vanished in an instant.
Pei Zhi had sharply defined features. His aloof gaze and towering height of 192cm made it difficult for people to look up at him, even if it felt oppressive.
But in reality, only Li, Pei Zhi's assistant, knew this.
Pei Zhi's features are on the softer side. If it weren't for his overwhelming aura, so many people wouldn't be afraid of him.
Special Assistant Li.
She was also very afraid of Pei Zhi.
After all, everyone has a limit when they get angry.
Offending Pei Zhi, however, is a different matter.
A person who is too difficult to understand.
They are born with extreme fears.
Moreover, this is someone who is so unpredictable and hard to fathom.
They possess extremely powerful authority.
That's enough to make everyone feel like helpless ants.
They were crushed to death silently.
Assistant Li looked up again, seeing his boss's cold expression.
I can only tell myself silently—
The president he just saw smiled at was probably just his imagination.
Why would his CEO be smiling?
*
Assistant Li poured a cup of hand-ground black coffee and handed it to Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhi did not respond.
Assistant Li took out the documents, preparing to report on the next steps, when Pei Zhi's phone vibrated.
Assistant Li spends almost every day with Pei Zhi.
But he had never seen Pei Zhi actually associate with anyone.
Assistant Li couldn't help but be curious.
Assistant Li looked up and saw Pei Zhi, who usually ignored everyone, replying to the incessant messages on the other end of the line—a rare occurrence for him.
This card has no spending limit.
This is the second time Pei Zhi has said there is no limit.
In everyday life, Pei Zhi would not only not say it a second time, but also not say it a first time.
Pei Zhi was tired of explaining himself to anyone.
But this time, even he, with his keen senses, noticed that his reply to Xie Ruan had become a little gentler.
He also seemed to have a bit more patience with Xie Ruan.
Pei Zhi's expression remained unchanged, but his body was visibly stiff.
after.
A fleeting look of surprise appeared on Pei Zhi's usually cold face.
My gaze, however, fell silently on the screen.
On Pei Zhi's screen, Xie Ruan on the other side was constantly deleting and editing messages.
Pei Zhi only saw the prompts that the other party kept typing.
But he never received a message from Xie Ruan.
interesting.
Are you carefully choosing your words?
The idea subconsciously popped into Pei Zhi's mind.
I don't know why.
The image of Xie Ruan's tuft of hair sticking up on his head kept replaying in his mind.
Xie Ruan's ahoge (cowlick) went down, then stood up, then went down again, then stood up again.
So cute.
Pei Zhi could almost predict that Xie Ruan felt he was lying to him.
Pei Zhi didn't know why Xie Ruan acted like someone completely unlike a modern person, not knowing what a black card was.
However, he rarely showed any interest in explaining.
Pei Zhi typed the text.
This card has no credit limit, please use it.
When Pei Zhi gave Xie Ruan this card, he didn't intend to limit the credit limit.
Pei Zhi recalled Xie Ruan's faded white shirt, her orphan status, and her lack of funds to continue her studies.
He is not a philanthropist.
However, employees under the Pei Group should still receive good treatment.
This is also true of Pei Zhi's emotionless life.
The only humanity.
That is—
He didn't want his employees to go hungry, cold, or even lack basic clothing to sustain their lives.
Pei Zhi always lends a helping hand to capable but down-on-their-luck individuals.
The Pei Group's recruitment philosophy is similar.
Priority will be given to those who are financially disadvantaged.
Pei Zhi did not mind tolerating Xie Ruan's greed.
Instead of concealing the fact that Xie Ruan might not know that the card had no spending limit, he relayed the information to her.
However, Xie Ruan sent him a crying emoji.
?
Pei Zhi frowned.
I don't know why, but I have a strange feeling in my heart.
Pei Zhi ignored Assistant Li.
I was just about to type in some text.
Then Xie Ruan sent another message.
[Xie Ruan: ? You can just swipe away, really, really? ???]
Xie Ruan's obviously skeptical tone suggested that he had doubts about the unlimited quota.
Pei Zhi is also the type to be suspicious.
When he received Xie Ruan's message, his first reaction was whether Xie Ruan was faking it.
But soon I saw the photo Xie Ruan had taken of the back of the card and sent it to me.
Xie Ruan: [(Photo.jpg) Can I just use this card anywhere?]
Pei Zhi replied: 【Mm.】
Pei Zhi opened the photo Xie Ruan had sent on the screen and saw that Xie Ruan's hair was curled up in a circle. For some reason, the smile on his lips deepened.
Xie Ruan was still typing away.
Xie Ruan typed in line by line, sentence by sentence, but didn't send any of it to Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhiming clearly didn't understand Xie Ruan.
But for some reason, he always felt that even after explaining things to this extent, the other party still didn't trust him.
The president of the prestigious Pei Group, every word he utters is worth a fortune.
But when it came to Xie Ruan, it became—you're just a male model, how could you possibly have a credit card with unlimited limits that you could swipe?
Pei Zhi disliked explaining.
But this time, not explaining was what he found interesting.
Pei Zhi crossed his legs, his slender fingers supporting his cheek as he looked at the screen.
He didn't even glance at his assistant, Li, who looked flustered.
He watched Xie Ruan type away for a long time before tentatively speaking.
[Xie Ruan: Can I...can I just spend money freely?]
Pei Zhi: Hmm.
Pei Zhi replied.
She could even picture Xie Ruan on the other side, frantically trying to find the remaining balance, but unable to do so no matter what she did.
[Xie Ruan: Then I'll swipe it...?]
Pei Zhi: Hmm.
[Xie Ruan: Then I can spend as much as I want...?]
Pei Zhi: Hmm.
[Xie Ruan: Then I'll rip you off big time and make you spend a fortune! I'm a big spender...?]
Pei Zhi: Hmm.
He was really looking forward to it.
*
Assistant Li was taken aback when he saw the rarely seen expectant look in Pei Zhi's eyes.
It should be noted that every minute and every second Pei Zhi makes involves hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in revenue.
Pei Zhi's time is worth a fortune.
In all the years that Assistant Li had been Pei Zhi's assistant, he had never seen Pei Zhi truly rest. Even at night, Pei Zhi was almost always working on a diet of black coffee.
Even so, this person, who usually has no friends, is indifferent to family, and doesn't even have time to take care of pets, actually had patience for someone for the first time in his life?
Assistant Li even began to doubt whether the person in front of him was Pei Zhi.
Before I could even react, I heard Pei Zhi's phone vibrate—something that was extremely rare for him.
Hello, your VIP Black Card has been used to purchase ice cream for 2 yuan at the [Mi Mou Ice Cream] store in the VIP Mall. Please be aware of this.
Hello, your VIP Black Card has been used to purchase a fried chicken combo meal for 24 yuan at the [Happy Soda & Fried Chicken] store in the VIP Mall. Please be aware of this.
Hello, your VIP Black Card was used to purchase a small cake from the [Sweet Honey Cake Shop] store in the VIP Mall for 14 yuan. Please let us know.
...
A continuous stream of message notifications.
Pei Zhi glanced at them all.
I even noticed that Xie Ruan was buying lollipops by swiping her card, which made me inexplicably want to laugh.
So many years.
It seems that no one has ever had their eyes on him for such a small amount of money.
Even when he was in elementary school, the people he knew were all trying to curry favor with him and squeeze a lot of money out of him.
It seems that he has always been surrounded by people with strong greed.
Everyone thought he was Jinshan.
I always wanted to take his things when I passed by.
Xie Ruan also seems to have some greed.
But Xie Ruan was different.
He wasn't testing how much he could get from him.
Rather, they were testing how much of their own rightful benefit they actually deserved.
Pei Zhiming should have been able to explain it directly.
But he wanted to indulge Xie Ruan.
Xie Ruan's probing.
It felt like a kitten scratching you.
They hovered around him like they were about to open a can of food.
So cute.
Pei Zhi didn't seem to mind Xie Ruan spending money.
Even if Xie Ruan were to sign several island contracts at this moment, he didn't seem to feel any aversion.
Pei Zhi was quite surprised by this emotion.
Upon meeting Xie Ruan, he even felt that he, who had always been like a cog in the machine of life, had been given more novelty that should have been part of his life.
Instead of...
Like an extremely common cycle, it numbs daily life.
Pei Zhi seemed to understand why other people always like to spend money on their favorite animals or even people.
Pei Zhi thought it was probably because of the way Xie Ruan looked at him.
Even if the other party pays a large sum of money.
He doesn't mind at all.
Pei Zhi spoke calmly, and the oppressive atmosphere around him shifted slightly.
He turned his head to the side, looking at the small, seemingly trivial words on the screen.
Seeing that Xie Ruan had sent another message—
[Xie Ruan: Wasn't this a bit too much?]
Pei Zhi: Hmm
Pei Zhi teased him in his reply.
Xie Ruan was a little scared.
Xie Ruan typed and retyped several times before timidly sending a new message.
[Xie Ruan: Boss Jiang, how about I back out?]
Xie Ruan was terrified on the other side.
Offending Jiang Zhi would do him no good whatsoever.
But Pei Zhi raised an eyebrow in a manner that was extremely rare for him.
Pei Zhi: There are so few flowers.
Pei Zhi: You seem to look down on me?
Pei Zhi received no further messages from the other side.
He merely raised an eyebrow, a rare occurrence, and looked up at Assistant Li, who was almost petrified.
Assistant Li looks just like...
Assistant Li: His family has always hated having a CEO who is taken advantage of by others. How come at this time, he tolerates others spending his money and taking advantage of him?
Is this some new strategy?
Assistant Li even forgot to avoid suspicion.
He just stood there, stunned, staring at his CEO.
Before he could finish his thought, Pei Zhi met his gaze.
Assistant Li was sweating profusely.
Assistant Li was still thinking that his boss was quite shrewd and must have premeditated something when he saw...
Pei Zhi said calmly, "Bring over my other black cards as well."
...?
Assistant Li was completely petrified.
Wait.
There are many types of universally accepted black cards in the world, such as those that are universally accepted internationally or domestically.
But the CEO of that company actually asked him to bring them all over?
Assistant Li thought, surely it wasn't all given to that mysterious little lover?
Assistant Li couldn't understand it, but as a subordinate, he obediently did as he was told and took it.
Assistant Li tried to hand Pei Zhi his hand, but received no response.
Pei Zhi looked at him calmly and said, "You and your secretary should talk to each other and buy some things that a 19-year-old boy likes. Pack them all up and send them to No. 7 Seaview Bay."
? ? ?
Wait.
Nineteen years old.
Boy?
Is the CEO's most beloved person a nineteen-year-old boy?
Are you still in school?
This kind of naive student? Is that the type his CEO would be attracted to?
No wonder none of the men and women who tried so hard at the party succeeded.
So it turns out his CEO likes pure girls.
Assistant Li looked at Pei Zhi, uncertainly: "Seaview Bay No. 7?"
Assistant Li knew that Pei Zhi owned many properties.
Pei Zhi: "Mm."
Assistant Li: "Should we give them all to that young gentleman?"
Pei Zhi: "Mm."
Assistant Li did not ask about the amount.
He knew that hundreds of millions or even billions were nothing to Pei Zhi.
Since the president said that any amount of money is acceptable, it means there is no limit. As long as the other party is happy, they can buy as much as they want.
Assistant Li stiffly took a few more steps.
It took me a while to realize—
If his CEO spends so much money, doesn't that mean...?
Are you really addicted to spending money on people?
It's truly amazing how an iron tree can bloom...
This is a once-in-a-century event.
Assistant Li was genuinely curious about what kind of guy could change his CEO's mind.
*
Assistant Li quickly left the president's office to discuss the matter with the secretary.
In fact, assistants and secretaries have an obligation to take care of the president's daily life.
For example, other CEOs' personal needs, such as lovers, gifts for lovers, family members, or clients, are actually handled by their special assistants and secretaries.
Therefore, the two of them had undergone special learning and training on these matters before joining the company.
I just didn't expect that other CEOs had countless lovers.
Their leader, Pei, is a widow.
Not only does he lack a lover, girlfriend, boyfriend, or fiancé/fiancé, but his family relationships are also extremely strained. He can't even give gifts to his family, and during holidays, he's the only one in the entire company working overtime.
Pei Zhi is like a fully automated machine, working year-round without a break, and no one has ever seen him relax for a moment.
They even get less rest than his special assistant.
Until now.
Assistant Li finally saw the president's iron tree bloom.
But Assistant Li was also completely astonished.
But he was, after all, a special assistant. He knew he couldn't interfere too much in his boss's affairs, and could only guess that Pei Zhi had sent it there because it was convenient for him to leave it at Xie Ruan's villa.
Assistant Li certainly hadn't expected this.
The recipient of the gift that Pei Zhi mentioned was Xie Ruan.
Assistant Li simply went out, intending to seriously handle the matter the president had instructed him to handle.
Assistant Li naturally had no idea.
Xie Ruan, at Pei Zhi's urging, angrily spent 99 yuan.
For Xie Ruan.
99 yuan is a huge sum of money.
Although Xie Ruan already had nearly a million in savings.
But the villa had everything he needed, except for the 8,888 yuan that Jiang Zhi had spent (which Jiang Zhi hadn't accepted and had returned), taxi fares, and money spent on buying odds and ends online. Xie Ruan had hardly touched his savings.
Only today.
Xie Ruan spent 99 yuan in one go.
Xie Ruan was very happy.
To his utter surprise, while he was still happy and forgot to hang up after get off work, his tablet received a new message.
Xie Ruan's first thought was that he was doomed.
Unexpectedly, the message that came from was—
Zhou Jingchi.
It seems Xie Ruan can accept Zhou Jingchi's suggestion.
Xie Ruan blinked, thinking that Zhou Jingchi had said something again, or forgot to take something and wanted him to deliver it.
However, no text messages were sent in the chat box.
Unlike usual, there were only simple red envelopes—
【Red envelope】
【Red envelope】
【Red envelope】
88,888 yuan.
88,888 yuan.
88,888 yuan.
The amount Xie Ruan received remained the same as always.
But this time, Zhou Jingchi didn't say a word.
*
Xie Ruan's confusion is the same as Zhou Jingchi's agent's.
The difference is that Xie Ruan is puzzled as to why Zhou Jingchi isn't saying anything.
Zhou Jingchi's agent was puzzled: Why was Zhou Jingchi sighing so much?
The agent had been watching Zhou Jingchi for quite a while.
Zhou Jingchi, this young master, is not as torturous as Ji Ye, but he is still an ancestor that no one dares to mess with.
The agent was always aware of this, so he was particularly careful when speaking to Zhou Jingchi.
The agent thought Zhou Jingchi was unhappy, so he poured her a Coke and prepared some snacks.
Who would have thought that Zhou Jingchi, who was usually in a good mood and could eat and drink well, would be different.
Not only that, but she also inexplicably stood at the door in the morning, waiting for him to come and pick her up.
In fact, throughout the entire morning, his two homes were alternating between red and white.
For some reason, a strange smile would appear on his lips.
Even when the makeup artist privately asked him if Zhou Jingchi was in a relationship, he maintained an attitude of "Impossible, right? How could this young master like someone else? He seems like the kind of person who will only ever like himself."
The agent naturally didn't realize that Zhou Jingchi's sighs always stemmed from—
I want to see Xie Ruan.
Seeing Zhou Jingchi's troubled expression, the agent tentatively asked, "You're not... heartbroken, are you?"
The young master is probably like this because he's heartbroken.
The entertainment industry certainly avoids the scandal of a failed relationship.
But it doesn't really matter to Zhou Jingchi, a lazy bum who hardly works and has practically become a pet blogger.
The agent felt that since Zhou Jingchi was already in a relationship...
So, heartbreak seems quite normal.
The agent looked at Zhou Jingchi with curiosity.
The atmosphere, however, became inexplicably somewhat oppressive.
The agent and Zhou Jingchi locked eyes.
The agent had a strange feeling that Zhou Jingchi seemed a bit...
Are you angry?
The agent pursed his lips, still carefully considering his words.
Zhou Jingchi's face darkened, and he said in a low voice, as if he was determined to correct him: "He is very cute, and makes people want to kiss him, but please don't insult our brotherhood."
Xie Ruan was under his protection.
His younger brother.
How could it be that kind of impure liking?
Zhou Jingchi is different from those men who covet Xie Ruan.
Even though other men approach Xie Ruan, they all want to possess him, but he is different.
He is his older brother.
His brother.
His older brother was protecting him.
Zhou Jingchi spoke each word carefully.
The earnest words, however, sounded like—
Zhou Jingchi: I want to kiss a cute guy.
Isn't this falling in love?
The agent took a deep breath: "Then tell me, who is the man you want to kiss?"
Unless the other person is underage!!
The agent knows perfectly well that Zhou Jingchi has never even kissed his own younger brother!
Where did this new younger brother come from who wants to kiss you, acting like he's been dumped after a one-sided crush?
Zhou Jingchi, oblivious to his manager's suppressed emotions, casually replied, "Thank you, Ruan."
broker:"……"
I'm exhausted.
I want to kiss Xie Ruan.
If I remember correctly.
Is the other person a 19-year-old adult male?
And the other party is a nanny!!
What's this?
A domineering young master falls in love with a naive nanny?
Although Zhou Jingchi is indeed quite young.
However, Xie Ruan and Zhou Jingchi are both men of the same age.
What's going on with a guy of the same age approaching another guy with the intention of getting intimate?!
This person is a closeted closet gay!
Deep closet.
The agent never expected that the straight man he had vouched for was actually a closeted gay man.
The agent chuckled and, unusually, decided to tease her: "So tell me, if you wanted to kiss Xie Ruan, where would you want to kiss her?"
Zhou Jingchi is also a simpleton, but his brain type is: "zu..."
Zhou Jingchi's answer was too frank.
Even though he braked, his cheeks flushed red, but he didn't make a sound.
But the agent was still in the extremely quiet lounge.
Hear clearly what his ancestors meant by the part of the body he wanted to kiss—
zu
zui
Mouth.
If a guy wants to kiss another guy, doesn't that mean he likes him?
The agent laughed out loud: "Mouth?"
Zhou Jingchi retorted, "No."
Agent: "What is that?"
Zhou Jingchi hugged the pillow next to him tightly: "Zu's cutest spot."
Agent: "..." This excuse...
Zhou Jingchi: "He's adorable in every way."
The agent: "..." This is what a closeted gay man does when he tries to justify kissing.
Zhou Jingchi: "His eyes are very bright."
Zhou Jingchi's mind flashed to Xie Ruan's beautiful, deer-like eyes, moist and glistening.
My Adam's apple felt a little dry.
Agent: "..." Got it, he wants to see her eyes.
Zhou Jingchi was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice his manager's subtle expression: "Her hair is very soft..."
Zhou Jingchi: "His lips...are very moist."
Zhou Jingchi had never seen anyone who was beautiful from head to toe.
Even her ankles are very thin.
It's very slippery.
Zhou Jingchi's fingers seemed to still retain Xie Ruan's warmth.
He became so engrossed in talking that his manager almost completely deemed him beyond help.
The agent didn't try to say anything to the closeted gay man, whether he was straight or not, but simply went along with it, saying, "Since you think so, how did you manage to come?"
Zhou Jingchi was naturally reluctant to part with it.
The agent noticed.
The agent immediately stopped Zhou Jingchi when he saw him open his mouth. He was really afraid that this darling would actually be persuaded to quit, terminate his contract, and retire from the industry. Who would he rely on then? All the people under his management were useless: "I mean, how can you bear not to send him messages?"
Zhou Jingchi remained silent.
But judging from his appearance, he clearly wanted to post it, but chickened out.
The agent had no idea that Zhou Jingchi had almost kissed Xie Ruan that morning, and instead indulged him: "If you don't post it, what if someone else does? How will you know if there's anyone else around him if you don't post it? For example, Teacher Ji, Teacher Wen~ They're all in that villa. Maybe they went to see him while you were away."
It was a rare sight for the agent to see Zhou Jingchi in such a distressed state.
I reported it subconsciously.
To everyone's surprise, Zhou Jingchi could justify this: "Wen Hezhou was filming with me, so there's no way he could go back."
Agent: "Well, President Pei and Teacher Ji aren't with you."
Zhou Jingchi: "Pei Zhi is impossible."
Pei Zhi is a workaholic; there's no way he could be going to the villa at this time.
but……
Ji Ye.
Zhou Jingchi's mind flashed back to Ji Ye, who had been relentlessly pursuing Xie Ruan.
"..."
His mind, which had been somewhat limited just moments before, suddenly began to work. "I can't leave, Joey."
Zhou Jingchi has never called his agent "Brother Joey" in ages.
Manager Joey was at a loss: "..."
Joey had a bad feeling.
Looking at Zhou Jingchi's unusually serious expression, Joey's brain, which had been stiff for a moment, suddenly started working, and she said, "You're not planning to ask me to help you, are you?"
Joey: "Zhou, Jing, Chi".
...
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Sunglasses]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com