CH 93

In the end, they didn’t manage to have that dinner.

The flavorful, oil-rich takeout hung on the doorknob, gradually transitioning from hot to warm, and eventually cooling down. It remained suspended there until midnight when someone inside the room surreptitiously picked it up, turning it into a late-night snack.

The sound of water trickling from the bathroom ceased completely, and a soft ding emanated from the microwave. A slight mist drifted out from it.

With his upper body bare, Zhong Qingbo draped a towel casually around himself, carrying a reheated meal container as he walked out of the kitchen. He sat down side by side with Pei You on the carpet.

After being reheated a second time, the takeout had lost some moisture, but its flavor remained unaffected. Zhong Qingbo used chopsticks to pick up a piece of scallion chicken for Pei You and pushed a bowl of soup towards him.

“The taste is not bad.” Zhong Qingbo said, “Much better than what I cooked.”

“Cooking isn’t that difficult, just practice more.” Taking a sip of the warm broth, Pei You comforted him, “When I come back from work tomorrow, I’ll teach you.”

Pei You’s “encouraging education” seemed to suit Zhong Qingbo well—when he failed, there was “consolation”; when he succeeded, there was “reward.” Thus, even though cooking wasn’t one of Zhong Qingbo’s hobbies, he found some enjoyment in honing his cooking skills, mainly due to the “bonus” that came with it.

However, while Zhong Qingbo’s cooking skills were steadily improving, the excessive “perks” Pei You provided had left Pei You feeling a bit overwhelmed.

—After all, for half a month, every day, even though Pei You’s physical endurance was quite good, he still found it a bit challenging to keep up.

Fortunately, things quickly took a turn. Someone intervened and disrupted the situation, finally pulling Zhong Qingbo out of his “virtuous” obsession.

About a month after Zhou Qingbo’s suspension from work, Zhou Cangshan somehow got wind of his part-time job at black bar to earn extra income. After a long time, he called Zhou Qingbo, straightforwardly asking him to come to Qingshan, saying that he had something to discuss.

Zhou Qingbo could probably guess why he was being called, so he didn’t delay. He arranged a meeting time with Zhou Cangshan and took a taxi to Qingshan’s headquarters.

Zhou Qingbo had left Qingshan for some time now, and as he stood in front of the building once again, everything before him seemed to be covered in an inexplicable sense of unfamiliarity.

The receptionist at Qingshan had changed to a group of unfamiliar young women. Their gazes carried an unfamiliar wariness as they looked at Zhou Qingbo. He smiled helplessly at their scrutinizing looks, taking out his still-valid employee ID from his pocket and swiping it to open the entrance gate.

It was working hours now, and people were going up and down in the elevators. Zhou Qingbo made his way up, and halfway through, he encountered a few colleagues from his department.

Those people seemed surprised by his sudden appearance, and each of them hurriedly greeted him. Zhou Qingbo exchanged a few words with them with a smile, feeling that their gazes held a subtle trace of compassion.

What’s going on? Zhou Qingbo wondered. Did I suddenly become so popular?

This confusion reached its peak after he exited the elevator. He distinctly sensed murmured whispers from behind as he walked out. The voices were low, making it hard to hear what they were saying.

What’s wrong with them? Zhou Qingbo thought.

Zhou Cangshan knew he was coming and had postponed a meeting, sitting in his office waiting for him.

Zhou Qingbo swaggered in, opened the door wide, and casually picked up an orange from the coffee table. He then sat on the guest chair across from Zhou Cangshan’s desk.

“Big brother,” Zhou Qingbo said, “You wanted to see me?”

Zhou Cangshan looked up from his computer screen, scanned him over, and spoke straightforwardly, “Are you planning to keep up this cold war with dad?”

“… It’s not me who’s cold-shouldering him.” Zhong Qingbo already knew he was going to say that. Peeling the orange, he mumbled a response with his mouth full, “It’s just that Dad can’t accept my sexual orientation.”

“Dad has already compromised. Can’t you compromise a little too?” Zhou Cangshan had also been tormented by this matter over the past few days, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. For the first time, he softened his tone and advised, “Just secretly be in your relationship. Spare dad all the headache.”

“That won’t work.” Zhong Qingbo stuffed a slice of orange into his mouth and mumbled with unclear words, “Even Pei You’s mom has accepted me. Are we supposed to be secret lovers in our own home? No matter what you think about my relationship, I can’t bring myself to do that.”

After this period of time, Zhou Cangshan gradually understood Zhong Qingbo’s stance. He knew that Zhong Qingbo was particularly stubborn in this matter, so he didn’t say much about it. Naturally, the topic shifted.

“Then just ignore what I said.” Zhou Cangshan said, “Also, when are you planning to return to work?”

“Huh?” Zhong Qingbo was surprised, “Bro, you and Dad aren’t mad at me anymore?”

“I wasn’t really mad at you to begin with.” Zhou Cangshan said.

After the initial radical phase upon learning the news, Zhou Cangshan gradually calmed down, and his attitude softened. Moreover, Jiang Man had been discussing Zhong Qingbo’s issues with him these days. As Zhou Cangshan listened, he was indeed swayed a lot—anyway, what Jiang Man said was correct. Zhong Qingbo had money, so he wouldn’t have to worry about supporting himself in his old age. Even if society really couldn’t accept him, he could go abroad, change his environment and live a more content life.

“As for Dad—” Zhou Cangshan paused for a moment, then continued, “Qingshan is ultimately our company, and Dad won’t interfere too much.”

Zhou Cangshan knew that Zhou Jianguo wanted to teach Zhou Qingbo a lesson, but he couldn’t bring himself to let Zhou Qingbo rely on part-time jobs to support himself. His heart had inevitably leaned toward Zhou Qingbo due to Zhou Jianguo’s stern attitude, which also led to biased decision-making.

“During this time you were away, there were various gossips within the company,” Zhou Cangshan said, “They said I was competing with you for power and profit, finally driving you out of the family business and taking control.”

“Ha—”

It was unusual for this kind of office gossip to come out of Zhou Cangshan’s mouth, and on top of that, he was saying it so seriously, making it even more amusing.

Zhou Qingbo couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

“Should I make a statement to explain?” Zhou Qingbo managed to say through his laughter, “Explain that I voluntarily took a leave of absence?”

Zhou Cangshan didn’t catch that it was a joke. He shook his head earnestly and said it wasn’t necessary.

“No need to explain baseless rumors,” Zhou Cangshan said, “You can come back to work anytime.”

Saying that, he pulled out a reinstatement document from the stack of papers nearby and pushed it towards Zhou Qingbo, then continued, “Even if you want to be with Pei You, you should still have your own job.”

Zhou Cangshan’s seal was already stamped on the reinstatement document, so as long as Zhou Qingbo signed it, it would take effect. Seeing this, Zhou Cangshan repressed his smile, picked up the document, and used his thumb to rub it.

Before this, Zhou Qingbo had indeed been looking forward to coming back to the company as soon as possible. However, when he finally got the document in his hands, he didn’t feel as happy as he had imagined.

He realized that his first feeling wasn’t a sense of relief from returning to a normal life, but rather a deep sense of weariness from within.

Zhou Qingbo was acutely aware that he was someone who needed personal space and freedom. Compared to the precise and regular office hours of a 9-to-5 job, he preferred being able to set the boundaries between work and life himself. Once he was confined within certain strict rules, he would easily become tired, lose vitality, and become lazy and passive, finding no interest in anything.

Before, Zhou Qingbo could indulge himself through his part-time job at night, but after being with Pei You, his visits to Black Bar inevitably decreased. Without that sole outlet for relaxation, Zhou Qingbo could hardly imagine what he would become.

Originally, Zhou Qingbo wanted to come back to the company because he wanted to move forward with Pei You as equals. However, as he looked at the reinstatement document in his hand, he suddenly felt that if he signed it, he would truly be stagnating and just passing time.

He wanted to give Pei You stability, but he definitely didn’t want to become stagnant himself.

“Brother,” Zhou Qingbo fell silent for a while, then finally placed the document back on the table, returning it to Zhou Cangshan, “I want to think it over first.”