CH 48

Pei You understood the insinuation behind the two sentences Zhou Qingbo blurted out. He knew that Zhou Qingbo must have sensed that Liu Xin was planning something against him, which was why he got so angry and acted impulsively.

The business world was full of compromises and considerations, and since Pei You started working, he had encountered many clients with ill intentions. Gradually, he had learned how to deal with them in a battle of wits. However, no one had ever protected him like Zhou Qingbo did, so recklessly and without regard for the consequences.

His actions were immature and impulsive and shouldn’t have occurred. However, Pei You’s heart softened inexplicably, carrying a slight sour and bitter feeling, weighing heavily in his chest.

Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on Zhou Qingbo’s shoulder, feeling like something was gently prying at his heart.

Zhou Qingbo’s suit jacket had fallen to the ground, soaked in crushed fruits and alcohol, leaving only a thin shirt with the collar wide open, revealing a delicate red string inside.

Liu Xin was beaten to the ground and couldn’t get up. He moaned with a hint of resentment in his eyes as he glared at Zhou Qingbo.

He probably realized that Zhou Qingbo was about to turn hostile, so he didn’t bother pretending and simply sneered, showing his teeth, and pointed to his subordinates, hoarsely instructing them to call the police.

“No need ,” Pei You tightly hugged Zhou Qingbo and frowned. “I’ve already called the police.”

When Pei You went downstairs to buy the grape ice, it took only a few minutes. Upon returning, he heard the chaotic commotion coming from the private room. The situation was too chaotic, and security and staff members had gathered outside the room. The door was wide open, and broken bottles were scattered even in the corridor.

Hastily rushing back, Pei You’s first reaction was that Liu Xin’s people had outnumbered Zhou Qingbo, so he immediately called the police before squeezing into the crowd.

Zhou Qingbo struggled slightly, turned his head away from Pei You’s embrace, and looked coldly at Liu Xin, revealing a faintly mocking expression. “I was thinking of calling the police too.”

Zhou Qingbo also sustained some injuries in the scuffle. His retaliation had provoked Liu Xin’s subordinates, who didn’t hold back from attacking him. He licked the corner of his lips, which were scratched, and coldly pushed Pei You away, standing upright.

“take that orange juice.” Zhou Qingbo said to Pei You softly, “When the police come, hand it over to them for testing.”

Pei You followed his gaze towards the marble table in the innermost part of the private room and understood that it was the root cause of Zhou Qingbo’s outburst. He nodded lightly and said, “Understood. I’ll keep an eye on it.”

“Liu Xin probably realized that Zhou Qingbo found something, so he desperately signaled his men to knock the orange juice to the ground and destroy the evidence. However, Pei You simply assisted Zhou Qingbo to sit beside that table, holding onto the ‘evidence’ tightly, not giving them the chance to touch it.

The private room had turned into a chaotic mess, and the music had been turned off. The bright lights illuminated the scene as Zhou Qingbo and Liu Xin occupied opposite ends of a long sofa, glaring at each other like two crickets eager to bite each other.

The club was in the town center, merely three kilometers from the local police station. Within a few minutes, hurried and disordered footsteps echoed in the corridor. Then, the service staff split apart, making way for several policemen in uniforms.

Leading them was a man in his thirties, tall with sharp eyes. As he entered the room, he furrowed his brow disapprovingly, stepping over the scattered melon peels on the floor, surveying the situation.

“Was it a fight between the two of you?” the man asked.

“He attacked me first,” Liu Xin, supported by his subordinate, grumbled with a twisted expression, “I request a medical examination.”

“Alright, the ambulance is right outside the door.” The man gestured nonchalantly, signaling a colleague to come over and take Liu Xin for a medical check up. He then asked other people around about the situation.

Within moments, the room cleared out, and even the two young women who had cowered in the corner, afraid of getting hurt, were called out to give their statements. The man looked around and walked towards the innermost part of the private room.

Zhou Qingbo squinted his eyes, raising his head in response to the man’s gaze. In that instant of eye contact, the man’s surprise was evident, and his eyes softened slightly.

“It’s you,” the man said, somewhat unexpectedly. “How did you end up involved in a fight?”

The man was a complete stranger to Zhou Qingbo, but his tone held a subtle familiarity, as if they had met before.

Seeing Zhou Qingbo looking puzzled, the man couldn’t help but smile and said, “A person with many acquaintances tends to forget others easily.”

It was Pei You who recognized the man’s face first. “He’s the one we met at the bar,” Pei You lightly tapped Zhou Qingbo’s elbow and said, “The one who asked you the question on stage.”

Zhou Qingbo’s vision was blurry, but his memory was good. At the sound of Pei You’s words, he almost immediately recalled the incident from the bar, and with it, the man’s voice became more familiar.

“I’m sorry” Zhou Qingbo stood up and shook his hand, saying, “I have a bit of night blindness and didn’t recognize you.”

“No worries.” The man shook hands with him, smiling, “Whether you recognized me or not, I wouldn’t show you any leniency. Now, tell me, what happened? Why did you resort to violence?”

His tone was relaxed, striking a delicate balance between casual and formal, implying both a certain degree of familiarity and maintaining a professional attitude, without getting too friendly.

However, it was precisely because of this that Zhou Qingbo felt relieved. He thought that perhaps the encounter they had at the bar had played a role, allowing the man to treat them impartially.

“I found out that he planned to drug my friend,” Zhou Qingbo said, raising his chin slightly, gesturing towards the orange juice on the table, “I’m not sure what’s in it, so I hope you can help us test it.”

As Zhou Qingbo finished speaking, the man’s originally cautious eyes softened slightly. He turned to look at the glass on the table behind him and called a colleague over, asking him to take it away for examination.

Seeing this, Pei You also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Local businesses often had some connections with local authorities, and Pei You was originally worried that Zhou Qingbo might suffer. However, judging from the man’s attitude, it seemed that their encounter at the bar played a positive role, resulting in a fair treatment.

“We will verify the specific situation,” the man stood up, speaking matter-of-factly, “However, since there was a physical altercation, you both need to come to the station for further investigation. Please follow me.”

Zhou Qingbo had already anticipated this consequence when he decided to take action, so he nodded and didn’t say much, obediently standing up. Pei You accompanied him and followed the police officer out of the private room and into the police car parked outside the club.

Liu Xin was temporarily taken to the hospital for a medical examination, while Zhou Qingbo waited at the police station with Pei You for further updates.

The station’s waiting room was spacious and vacant. After drinking and then getting into a fight, Zhou Qingbo’s emotions had been on a roller coaster. Now that he quieted down, he felt tired and sore all over. His temples throbbed, causing him discomfort. Therefore, he lay diagonally on a steel recliner, planning to take a rest.

However, before he could lie down, someone supported his back from behind. Pei You moved closer, allowing him to rest his head on his knee.

“The chair is too hard,” Pei You said, “If you’re going to lie down, lie on my knee.”

Zhou Qingbo was indeed tired, and his temples were pounding. He felt uncomfortable all over, so he didn’t object, lightly humming in agreement.

The waiting room’s decor was stuck in the style of ten years ago. The aluminum alloy windows let in a draft, and Pei You noticed Zhou Qingbo’s thin shirt. Without saying anything, he took off his own coat and draped it over Zhou Qingbo.

“…Thank you,” Pei You suddenly said.

“Don’t mention it,” Zhou Qingbo half-closed his eyes, rolled over, and lay sideways on Pei You’s knee, his voice soft, “i did it willingly.”

Zhou Qingbo paused for a moment before continuing, “You’re really good, so I hope you stay that way but don’t let others bully you or take advantage of you.”

Pei You was slightly taken aback.

He lowered his head and couldn’t help but look at Zhou Qingbo—because of their recent altercation, Zhou Qingbo didn’t seem to be in good condition. There was a faint red mark on his forehead, where he had hit it somewhere, and the wound hadn’t had time to heal, with tiny beads of blood continuously seeping from it.

He looked in pain and messy, with none of the elegance he always has, but Pei You wiped the blood off his face with his hand and suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.

Before this moment, Pei You had always wanted to find a fixed partner for his life.

He had pictured the appearance of his significant other. In his mind, that person had always been a stranger, an illusion, a vague silhouette with an unclear personality and life story, making it difficult to envision their specific appearance.

But now, at this very moment, the symbol of this “companion” suddenly took on a clear form and turned into the actual figure of Zhou Qingbo himself.

In that instant, Pei You seemed to hear the sound of the ice in his heart cracking.

The subtle feeling that had lingered in front of him vanished like morning mist, leaving him suddenly enlightened.

Pei You finally understood that all his leniency and actions towards Zhou Qingbo were not due to his good personality or helpful nature, but they could all be summed up in a very simple answer.

He liked Zhou Qingbo.

From the moment Zhou Qingbo defended him at the bar, to the countless times they shared “secrets” under the watchful eyes of others, Pei You allowed Zhou Qingbo to break through the boundaries of ordinary social interactions, indulging him in his playfulness and spoiling, just to see the lively and happy side of Zhou Qingbo.

But on further thought, perhaps it was even earlier, at Black Bar when he first saw Zhou Qingbo under the spotlight, that he had already felt his heart move.

As if he was destined to be moved by his flamboyant and carefree nature, and destined to fall for this person who could disrupt the calm waters.