CH 55

Of course, Pei You wouldn’t say no.

The situation in Dongjiang had become quite clear, and all the necessary information had been collected. With this matter temporarily concluded, there was no compelling reason to stay around anymore.

Liu Xin was still under detention, and there was some time before the court hearing. After consulting with Zhou Cangshan and confirming that he would let Qingshan’s legal department take over the follow-up work, Pei You, along with Zhou Qingbo, boarded a plane back to Beijing.

From drizzling rain to clear skies spanning over a thousand kilometers, Zhou Qingbo took a short rest on the plane, and by the time they landed, his mood had mostly settled.

It seemed that Pei You was a bit concerned about his mood. From the moment they got to the baggage claim area, in that short distance, he stole several glances at Zhou Qingbo.

Zhou Qingbo seemed to sense his gaze and after a few times, he couldn’t help but smile first.

“What’s up?” Zhou Qingbo hooked his fingers around the cuff of Pei You’s sleeve, joking, “I know I look good, but there’s no need to stare at me like that. Imagine if we were in a long-term relationship. you would get tired of looking at me every second? If that happened, would you get bored and seek something new?”

“No.” Pei You answered unconsciously.

“No, what?” Zhou Qingbo moved closer with a smirk, pushing further, “You won’t get tired of looking? Or you won’t get bored and seek something new?”

Pei You was caught off guard by Zhou Qingbo’s sudden diversion. He forgot what he had intended to ask and for a moment, his question got lost in his mind. He blinked, his gaze wavering for a brief moment, and then cleared his throat uncomfortably, answering, “both.”

Zhou Qingbo got the answer he wanted, contently tapping Pei You’s sleeve with his fingertips and then releasing him.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” Zhou Qingbo smiled and shifted the topic to something serious, saying, “It’s not like I forced Liu Xin to commit a crime. What’s it got to do with me? I was just thinking, Uncle Liu and his wife are both good people. How did they end up raising such a creature?”

Liu Jiancheng had served in the army when he was young, defending the country, saving people from disasters and floods, rescuing many from turbulent waters. After his demobilization, he started his own business and donated to charity every year. Even if he wasn’t a great philanthropist, he was still a fundamentally good person.

Li Chunmei was gentle ever since she was young, although she hadn’t received much education, she was hardworking and law-abiding.

But the result was paradoxical. At the end of their lives, they gave birth to Liu Xin, someone like him. Just looking at him from the sidelines made Zhou Qingbo feel disgruntled on their behalf.

“Whether a person goes astray or not is related to upbringing, but more importantly, it’s a matter of character.” Pei You said calmly, “Some good children, under strict discipline, will only shine brighter. But some people, even if they have the best upbringing, will feel that it’s prison, like shackles. Once they have a chance to break free from the ‘cage,’ they will become even worse.”

Pei You paused briefly, then suddenly changed the topic, saying, “Like you, you are the former.”

Zhou Qingbo: “…”

Zhou Qingbo didn’t expect that in the midst of all this, he would also be praised. He was momentarily stunned, then smiled vaguely, and said, “Me? Just barely making it and just going with the flow.”

“No.” Pei You took this matter seriously, furrowing his brows slightly, and said, “it’s just that you’re not interested in business. That doesn’t mean you’re not doing a proper job. There are countless professions, and being an expert in any of them is fine.”

Pei You initially thought that Zhou Qingbo’s life was too comfortable, but the closer he got to him, the more he realized that it was a bias.

The entry threshold for bartending wasn’t high, but making a name for oneself wasn’t easy. Although Zhou Qingbo seemed at ease and lazy, he never abandoned what he enjoyed doing. He didn’t just fake it.

Pei You’s praise was so sincere and straightforward that Zhou Qingbo felt a bit embarrassed. He smiled awkwardly, scratching his face as if trying to hide his emotions.

“What’s going on, this is new?” Zhou Qingbo said with a smile, “Are you also initiating conversations to compliment people now?”

“Don’t you like it?” Pei You asked in response.

Pei You remembered that in the “Professor Zhou’s Love Lecture,” there was a lesson about this—appeal to their interests, express your feelings, say things they like to hear, thereby drawing them closer.

Pei You didn’t know what topics Zhou Qingbo liked, but he knew that he enjoyed hearing compliments, so he was not stingy with them. Whenever he got the chance, he would praise him a bit, and it was truly heartfelt and accurate.

Zhou Qingbo was caught off guard by Pei You’s straightforward compliment. He responded with a smile that was teasing on the surface but harbored a hint of genuine pleasure underneath. His slightly upturned lips couldn’t be suppressed, to the point where the composed expression he was trying to maintain seemed more like a form of bragging.

He blinked and, instead of directly answering Pei You’s question, he smiled lightly and said, “maybe.”

Pei You looked at him in confusion. Before he could judge his “on-the-spot performance” in his mind, he felt Zhou Qingbo moving closer, grabbing his hand.

“Let’s go.” Zhou Qingbo said cheerfully, “Grab your luggage and let’s go have a meal.”

After returning from Weinan, Pei You’s work in Qingshan had temporarily come to an end, and the auditing team had also withdrawn from Qingshan’s headquarters.

At first, Zhou Qingbo was a bit uncomfortable and solemn for a couple of days. Whenever he came to work, he would automatically head to the main conference room. But fortunately, even though Pei You had left Qingshan, they hadn’t lost contact. They still managed to meet four or five times a week, either for a meal or a drink.

Their chat history quickly became richer, and Zhou Qingbo got back into the routine of taking his regular route to work. He no longer habitually ran to the main conference room.

The issue with Dongjiang was a thorn in Zhou Cangshan’s heart. He was the type who didn’t hold back his thoughts. Even thinking about Dongjiang made him uncomfortable. So he decided to break up the Dongjiang matter into smaller parts and offload them, achieving a sense of clarity.

Zhou Qingbo didn’t concern himself much with these matters. He resumed his routine of commuting to work, calmly attending meetings, and occasionally chatting with Pei You via WeChat. He spent his days in his own little world, peaceful and comfortable.

And recently, Pei You somehow had become more “enthusiastic” about learning the act of pursuing. He suddenly started asking him about love experiences, and he quickly grasped the concepts and techniques. He applied them comprehensively and adeptly, often using Zhou Qingbo as his “practice partner.” This made Zhou Qingbo feel like he was floating on air, all the time.

Their chat history gradually evolved into new categories. Zhou Qingbo would send pictures of clouds and flowers to Pei You on his way to work, and Pei You quickly caught on, starting to send him various trivial topics for no reason.

These fragmented, intimate conversations lacked substance, yet they warmed their way into Zhou Qingbo’s life bit by bit. His urge to share seemed to reach its peak with Pei You, to the point that whenever he encountered something interesting, his first instinct was to share it with him.

“Based on personal experience, don’t ever order from the newly opened grilled fish takeaway. It’s terrible. The fish skin is as tough as sofa leather.” During his lunch break, Zhou Qingbo had just seen off his subordinate who had given a report. He was tapping his phone while resting his head on his desk, typing, “It’s so bad.”

“Okay noted.” Pei You replied, “Didn’t you say you wanted to try the grilled fish at Xidan last time? I won’t be working late tonight, want to go together?”

Zhou Qingbo was tempted by the suggestion for a moment, but after thinking about it, he declined.

“No, I can’t. I have plans for later tonight.” Zhou Qingbo said, “Let’s just meet at our usual spot.”

As soon as he sent this message, there was a knock on his office door. Zhou Qingbo looked up and saw Zhou Cangshan standing in the doorway. He had just retracted his knocking hand.

“What’s going on, Brother?” Zhou Qingbo asked, “Is there something you need?”

Zhou Cangshan’s expression seemed a bit odd, as if he had thought of something. He couldn’t help but look Zhou Qingbo up and down a few times.

“What’s up?” Zhou Qingbo chuckled, “Is there something on my face?”

“It’s not that.” Zhou Cangshan asked with a strange tone, “Are you perhaps in love?”

Zhou Qingbo: “…”

“No why?.” Zhou Qingbo chuckled in exasperation, and quipped, “Did someone start a rumor at the company, or did I stare at one of the receptionists too much?”

Zhou Cangshan: “…”

Zhou Cangshan had walked in just now and seen Zhou Qingbo smiling at his phone, and he thought he had finally started dating someone. However, it turned out to be a misunderstanding. He couldn’t help but sigh with a touch of regret.

“Forget it.” Zhou Cangshan said, “I just wanted to let you know that the day after tomorrow, the company will be conducting a risk assessment. Remember to prepare in advance.”

“Why again?” Zhou Qingbo grumbled, placing his phone on the table with a slap and saying vaguely, “Didn’t I already do that before my last business trip?”

“It’s been two months since you came back from your business trip.” Zhou Cangshan revealed without mercy, saying, “Moreover, after selling Dongjiang, there have been changes in the company’s structure. We need to update the information. Make sure you write a comprehensive report. No slacking off.”

Zhou Qingbo felt a headache coming on at the mention of work. He sighed in a sulky manner and responded with an “okay” to show that he understood.

“Brother, can I leave work early tonight?” Zhou Qingbo attempted to negotiate, “I have something to do.”

“What do you have to do?” Zhou Cangshan frowned, saying, “Are you going to work on your ‘side business’ again?”

“Not… not exactly!” Zhou Qingbo jolted, quickly using an excuse as a shield, “I have plans to meet Pei You tonight.”

Zhou Qingbo seemed afraid that Zhou Cangshan wouldn’t believe him. He hurriedly pulled up their chat history and showed it to him.

Zhou Cangshan was actually quite happy that Zhou Qingbo was making more friends like Pei You, a young talent. Hearing this, his expression softened a bit, and he let out a sigh.

“Go ahead then.” Zhou Cangshan said, “Leave work early. Just make sure you don’t stay out too late.”