CH 95

When Pei You arrived home, he surprisingly didn’t catch the scent of burnt food as soon as he stepped out of the elevator.

Lately, Zhou Qingbo had been engrossed in improving his cooking skills. When Pei You returned home each day, it was like opening a mystery box – he never knew if he would be greeted by a delicious dinner or one of Zhou Qingbo’s impromptu “specialty dishes.” He had grown used to this sense of exploration in the unknown. Now, suddenly resuming a peaceful routine felt a bit uncomfortable. He couldn’t help but glance at the apartment number to confirm he was on the right floor.

Apartment 1607 was unusually quiet that day. When Pei You entered, he noticed the kitchen and dining area were neat as if new. There was no lingering aroma of cooking oil in the air. It seemed that the “home chef” had temporarily lost interest in cooking.

Pei You wasn’t sure if he felt more disappointed or relieved. He placed his briefcase by the entrance and exchanged his shoes for slippers, calling out Zhou Qingbo’s name as he did so.

Zhou Qingbo, lying on the sofa, opened his eyes at the sound. Lazily, he turned over and met Pei You’s gaze. Without a word, he extended his hand toward Pei You.

Understanding his intention, Pei You walked over, took Zhou Qingbo’s outstretched hand, and sat down on the edge of the sofa, fingers entwined.

“What’s wrong?” Pei You asked, “Are you not feeling well today?”

Zhou Qingbo, usually lively and energetic, always managed to find ways to add zest to their lives. Pei You had never seen him looking so listless before, and he felt a bit worried.

“Didn’t your brother want you to return to work?” Pei You asked, “what happened?”

Pei You brought up the topic himself, saving Zhou Qingbo the trouble of guiding the conversation. Zhou Qingbo simply made a vague noise of acknowledgment, neither confirming nor denying anything.

His attitude was ambiguous, leaving Pei You uncertain about the outcome of their conversation. He decided to hold Zhou Qingbo’s hand and try to extract more information gently.

“So, when will you be going back to work?” Pei You asked.

Zhou Qingbo didn’t answer this question directly. He remained silent for a moment, then adjusted his position. He lay on the sofa with his arm as a pillow, looking up at Pei You’s face from bottom to top.

Pei You slightly lowered his head, locking eyes with him in a very earnest manner. From his gaze, Zhou Qingbo could clearly see his own reflection, along with the unwavering determination hidden beneath his gentle demeanor.

“Pei You,” after a moment, Zhou Qingbo gently tightened his grip on Pei You’s hand and slowly said, “Actually, I think I’m not suitable for this job.”

Pei You understood that Zhou Qingbo was referring to the job at Qingshan. Unlike himself, Zhou Qingbo didn’t like a strictly structured work environment. During his time at Qingshan, he appeared as if he was completing a predetermined main questline—neither disliking nor enjoying it, lukewarm and inconsequential.

Pei You wasn’t an “idealism-only” kind of person, but he did feel that confining Zhou Qingbo to an office day after day was wasting his energy.

“What do you want to do instead?” Pei You pondered for a moment and added, “It doesn’t necessarily have to be in Qingshan.”

Zhou Qingbo’s work was mostly confined within the family business, Pei You thought. If they didn’t consider Zhou’s family situation, he could excel in other areas as well.

“I don’t know,” Zhou Qingbo lightly tugged on Pei You’s hand, leaned to the side, and playfully kissed the back of his hand. As if he suddenly remembered something, he joked, “How about we elope?”

Pei You was momentarily stunned.

“Leave Beijing, start anew somewhere else,” Zhou Qingbo half-seriously suggested. “I’ll step out of the shelter of the Zhou family and venture out on my own.”

Pei You blinked, almost thinking he misheard.

Zhou Qingbo was the kind of person who as long as life offered him some personal space and freedom in a smooth and stable foundation, he was content. Pei You initially thought that even if Zhou Qingbo grew tired of life at Qingshan, he might invest in Black Bar at most. He never thought he would make such a significant decision, considering leaving Beijing.

“Are you serious?” Pei You was genuinely surprised and subconsciously asked, “You’re not joking, right?”

“No,” Zhou Qingbo suddenly smiled and said, “I’m serious.”

Leaving a city where one had lived for decades wasn’t an easy decision. Zhou Qingbo was both inclined and opposed to trouble. 

He had questioned himself: Was he truly prepared to start from scratch? Did he have the right mindset to face an entirely new environment? He pondered left and right on this issue, but once Pei You returned, he, like the moment the call connected, made up his mind almost instantly.

“It doesn’t matter where I am,” Zhou Qingbo thought, “Whether it’s in Beijing or Shanghai, it’s all the same. I’ll adapt in any city.”

But Pei You had the potential for greater things. He deserved what he’d earned through his hard work and excellence over the years.

And the idea of starting anew might seem hectic and complicated, but if he were with Pei You, Zhou Qingbo was more excited than worried.

“But…” Zhou Qingbo’s eyes dimmed slightly. He sat up from the sofa and snuggled his head into the crook of Pei You’s shoulder, nuzzling him affectionately. He said in a muffled voice, “But it seems like your work isn’t easy to leave behind, is it?”

Zhou Qingbo glanced at Pei You’s profile, muttering deliberately, “I don’t want a long-distance relationship, so I guess it’s better not to think about it.”

Pei You was never good at keeping things from Qingbo. He remembered Anna mentioning the job transfer a few months ago. How fortunes changed. He wished he hadn’t been so dismissive with his words.

Fortunately, there was still some time before the application deadline. So, with a slight shift in his mind, Pei You tentatively asked, “If we could relocate, where would you like to go? Would Shanghai be an option?”

Zhou Qingbo knew Pei You couldn’t keep secrets. He turned his head, hiding a smile, and cooperated with a serious tone, “Shanghai? Shanghai is great. It’s convenient for everything, and the opportunities are no less than in Beijing.”

Pei You didn’t know that Zhou Qingbo had already seen the document that afternoon. To him, these events were coincidences brought about by fate, making it possible for him to balance his career and relationship with Zhou Qingbo. He didn’t know that these were actually a small gift from his boyfriend.

Zhou Qingbo kindly kept this matter hidden. He smiled, as if forgetting the afternoon’s events.

“How are you so good?” Zhou Qingbo leaned in, hugged Pei You’s shoulder, and playfully kissed him a few times on the lips. He mumbled, “It seems like you always have a solution for whatever I want to do.”

“It’s just a coincidence.” Pei You felt a bit embarrassed taking credit, so he pursed his lips, smiled, and honestly said, “It just happened to work out.”

Pei You’s mood instantly improved, and he genuinely felt happy, delighted with his decision to “help” Zhou Qingbo live the life he wanted.

He felt grateful for the arrangement of fate, unaware that Zhou Qingbo was also relishing his satisfaction.

“I don’t care,” Zhou Qingbo said stubbornly, “Why didn’t others encounter such a fortunate thing?”

Zhou Qingbo’s persistence and stubbornness often made it difficult to resist him. Pei You had initially intended to say that this couldn’t be attributed to him, but Zhou Qingbo led him into the conversation, and any argument seemed invalid. So, he decided to surrender and gave up resisting altogether.

Seeing that he had finally stopped resisting, Zhou Qingbo smiled contentedly, leaned in close to his ear, and gently bit his earlobe.

“You’re lucky,” Zhou Qingbo said confidently, “And there’s no one more capable than you.”

Because in this world, other than Pei You, no one else could make him willingly and quietly change himself.