◎Peck? (Part 2)◎
Brother Jiang was horrified to discover that Le Qing didn’t blush only when facing him. The progress bar that had just inched forward suddenly reset to zero, making him wish he could shove the driver aside, take the wheel, and speed back home.
Meanwhile, Le Qing in the supermarket remained unaware that her "ally" had abandoned her. After days of getting along, she had forgotten how flustered Annie had made her during their first encounter in the elevator.
At this point, expecting Annie to help was hopeless.
If she didn’t intervene now, Ji Zhou might genuinely believe their next plan was to buy groceries and cook at his place.
Le Qing sighed helplessly. "Mr. Ji, my sister just returned from abroad today. It’s rare for our family to reunite, and having outsiders around wouldn’t be appropriate."
Then she added deliberately, "I’m sure my sister hasn’t had my cooking in a long time."
Annie, who had switched to spectator mode, immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.
If she kept teasing, she might lose her chance to be the first to taste Le Qing’s cooking. This man reeking of cologne wasn’t worthy of sharing Le Qing’s first meal.
So Annie, with her shaky loyalty, said, "You’re right. Let’s go—no point wasting time."
Seeing this, Ji Zhou knew better than to push further. Overdoing it would backfire, and he didn’t want to annoy her. He retreated gracefully. "Then I’ll go ahead with my shopping. We’ll catch up another time."
Le Qing nodded. "Goodbye."
Only after confirming he was gone did Le Qing relax, pushing the cart beside Annie while keeping the two kids in sight. She grumbled, "Having fun?"
"Absolutely," Annie grinned. "Too bad I can’t see your expression right now—it must be adorable."
"I’m in my twenties. ‘Adorable’ doesn’t apply."
"You can be adorable at a hundred," Annie chuckled, pinching her cheek. "Before you learn to be a bratty child, don’t rush into being a grown-up. The world has no shortage of sensible adults."
She flicked Le Qing’s cheek playfully, her lips curving. "If you’re unhappy, you can always throw a tantrum at me and tell me to stop."
Someone had once said the same to Le Qing—Jiang Suizhi, from the past.
Unconsciously, she pressed her lips together and averted her gaze, though she knew Annie couldn’t see the emotion in her eyes.
Driven by some inexplicable urge, Le Qing ended up buying an absurd amount of groceries. If not for her limited carrying capacity, she would’ve emptied the entire supermarket of its delicious offerings to cook everything for Annie at once.
But today, she hadn’t expected to lose control like this. In a rare oversight, she’d forgotten to drive, leaving even Annie to abandon holding the kids’ hands—one hand gripping her cane, the other helping carry bags.
The two little ones’ backpacks were stuffed to the brim.
To ensure their mom could taste their aunt’s cooking, they’d even sacrificed their toy-buying opportunity, using their backpacks to haul groceries home.
Just as they stepped out of the supermarket, Ji Zhou’s voice called out again.
This time, though, he genuinely wasn’t trying to invite them over.
Ji Zhou had indeed just returned from abroad and had many things to buy. In his earlier haste, he’d only later thought to have his family’s driver bring the car around.
Spotting Le Qing’s group struggling with their heavy bags, he offered, "Let me give you a ride back. My driver will take a while to unload my things anyway."
Anticipating another refusal, he added smoothly, "I’d feel better seeing you home safely. Consider it thanks for giving me directions earlier. I won’t intrude on your family time—it’s just a short trip."
His words struck the right balance. Besides, Le Qing’s earlier fervor had cooled, and she was now worried about Annie and the kids navigating the streets with heavy bags, especially when crossing roads.
Ji Zhou had a point—this way, they’d be even, and he’d have no excuse to invite her to meals later. As for future favors, she could always decline and cut ties.
Le Qing habitually kept interpersonal debts neatly balanced, so she nodded. "Then we’ll trouble you."
From the supermarket to their apartment’s garage, the drive took just minutes.
The moment they parked, Le Qing hurried to the trunk. "Thank you. We can manage from here—you should head back."
"It’s no trouble. A few more minutes won’t hurt. Let me help carry these up," Ji Zhou insisted, eager to prove himself. "You don’t need to lift a finger—I can handle it alone."
Though the bags were numerous, most had been on Le Qing earlier, so he assumed they couldn’t be that heavy.
Le Qing declined politely. "I’ve got it. They’re quite heavy, and I’d hate to dirty your clothes."
"It’s fine," Ji Zhou said, reaching for the bags. "I work out regularly. Don’t worr—"
???
He stared blankly at the two bags Le Qing had been carrying, then attempted to lift them again. Today, he’d dressed to impress in a fitted suit, which now restricted his movements, making it hard to exert force.
But seriously—were these bags filled with bricks?!
When Le Qing carried them, they hadn’t looked this heavy.
Of course, he didn’t know Le Qing had done all sorts of manual labor in the past, making her stronger than most. Though her strength had waned slightly after becoming a model, moving to this world—where she constantly carried kids and hauled their belongings—had built it back up.
Even now, she could manage heavier loads without much strain.
But for Ji Zhou, raised in luxury and whose "workouts" amounted to occasional gym visits for appearances, lifting this much in formalwear was a struggle.
"Too heavy, right?" Le Qing noticed his effort. "I’ll take them. No need to push yourself."
Ji Zhou: "!!"
His neck flushed crimson. "I can do it."
But honestly, Le Qing wasn’t mocking him. "If I carry them, it’ll be quicker."
She genuinely didn’t want to waste his time—or hers. The bags contained live shrimp, and she didn’t want them dead from all the jostling.
Ji Zhou: "..."
He was on the verge of tears.
Gritting his teeth for dignity, he prepared for one final heave—when suddenly, the weight vanished.
A hand reached past him, effortlessly taking the bags.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the person’s fingers had even curled slightly, as if avoiding contact with him.
Yet, they lifted the bags with one hand.
Ji Zhou followed the sight of those slender, well-defined hands upward, first noticing the man's leather jacket, then a pair of pale, thin lips, and finally the other's indifferent, slightly lowered eyes—dark and brimming with an oppressive intensity.
The two children's eyes instantly lit up. "Uncle!"
"Mn." Jiang Suizhi curved his lips slightly, not even sparing a glance at the scrawny man beside him, his gaze fixed directly on Le Qing. "All yours?"
Le Qing was momentarily stunned, not expecting Jiang Suizhi to return to the country right after her. She nodded reflexively.
Jiang Suizhi gave a hum. "Move."
This was directed at the scrawny man.
Ji Zhou felt this man looked familiar, though he couldn’t quite place him. The moment he heard the command, he instinctively stepped aside, watching helplessly as the man took the remaining items from the car.
Jiang Suizhi tilted his chin slightly. "Go press the elevator."
The two children were busy tending to Annie, so Le Qing snapped out of her daze and hurried toward the elevator.
Jiang Suizhi, carrying an armful of bags, walked leisurely at the very back.
Only when he saw the now-empty trunk did Ji Zhou realize he’d forgotten a fundamental rule of social interaction—always leave room for the next meeting.
So he prepared to speak up, searching for an excuse to create more opportunities for himself. "Le—"
He barely got the first syllable out when the man who had been walking slowly suddenly stopped, as if he’d anticipated this.
The man’s wolf-like eyes locked onto him with precision, as though he’d already sized him up from head to toe.
Ji Zhou inexplicably felt like he’d trespassed into someone else’s territory, coveting something that wasn’t his, and was now being marked by its rightful owner.
He hadn’t misheard—the children had called this man "uncle," so he must be related to Le Qing, right?
"Uh, hello," Ji Zhou said, trying his best to appear friendly. "I’m Ji Zhou. I just moved into this neighborhood."
Just moved in...
Jiang Suizhi suddenly thought of something and frowned. "You joined that group and registered your info too?"
"Ah!" Caught off guard, Ji Zhou felt awkward and scratched his head sheepishly. "My uncle’s one of the admins. He thought Le Qing and I were around the same age and pretty compatible, so... heh."
You dare heh?!
Dark energy practically radiated off Jiang Suizhi.
He should’ve just reported and shut down that entire group from the start.
And now they’d actually managed to play matchmaker.
What kind of taste did these people have? They’d mistaken him for some middle-aged wholesaler, and now this scrawny guy was "compatible" with Le Qing?
Compatible my ass!
"You’re relatives, right?" Ji Zhou, unaware of the danger, pressed on. "Maybe we could grab a meal together sometime. I really like her, so I hope you’ll put in a good word for me."
He remembered Le Qing’s sister had seemed eager to set them up, so she must’ve approved of him. Surely the rest of the family felt the same... right?
"You like her?" Jiang Suizhi chuckled, the corner of his eyes lifting slightly. "Put in a good word?"
Ji Zhou’s spine inexplicably chilled, but he nodded hesitantly. "...Yeah."
Jiang Suizhi smiled again, then set the bags down and began rolling up his sleeves with deliberate slowness. "Did you get a number?"
Ji Zhou: "???"
What number?
Wait—are you squaring up for a fight?!
Jiang Suizhi took a step forward.
Ji Zhou instinctively retreated.
Seeing this, Jiang Suizhi let out a derisive snort.
"Funny," he said, his smile fading as his sharp gaze bore down. "I like her too."
Ji Zhou was stunned.
Shit. He’d just walked straight into a rival’s den.
And this rival looked like he could throw hands.
But for love, he’d charge ahead bravely. "Then... then shouldn’t I get a number too?"
"Wrong." Jiang Suizhi gave him a dismissive once-over. "Someone like you isn’t even qualified to get a number."
"Why not?!"
Just as Jiang Suizhi was about to raise his hand, Le Qing’s puzzled voice came from the elevator. "Jiang Suizhi, need help?"
He paused mid-motion, calmly retracting his hand before picking up the bags again. "Coming."
Then he turned back to Ji Zhou, who was still frozen in shock, and smirked. "Because I’m sick."
Ji Zhou: "?"
Jiang Suizhi’s voice dropped several degrees, but his tone was anything but light—instead, it carried a bone-chilling edge. "So no one else is allowed to get a number. Liking her isn’t allowed either."
Ji Zhou couldn’t take it anymore. "Are you insane?!"
"Yeah." Jiang Suizhi’s smirk deepened. "Didn’t I just say that?"
"..." Ji Zhou gritted his teeth. "You’re not even married. You can’t stop me from pursuing her."
"Says who?" Jiang Suizhi’s tone was mild, but his words were anything but. "You can’t beat me."
"This is a society ruled by law!"
All he got in response was Jiang Suizhi’s soft chuckle. "Try me."
A threat—a blatant threat!
But Ji Zhou took in the other man’s height and the bags he’d effortlessly lifted—bags Ji Zhou himself couldn’t even budge—and decided brute force wasn’t the only solution.
Just as he was about to speak again, Jiang Suizhi cut him off. "Ji Zhou. General Manager of Jiangshi Electronics Co., Ltd."
"What?"
The children and Annie had already gone upstairs, so Le Qing had no choice but to walk back over, confused as to why he was still standing there. "Jiang Suizhi?"
This time, Ji Zhou finally caught the name clearly, and his face paled instantly. "You’re... President Jiang?"
Jiang Suizhi repeated, tone unchanged: "Try me."
Then, without another glance at the shell-shocked man, he schooled his expression and walked toward Le Qing.
Le Qing didn’t notice anything amiss—after all, she remembered Ji Zhou mentioning he was a manager at a Jiangshi subsidiary. "Were you two talking about work?"
Jiang Suizhi’s legs were longer, but his steps always matched hers. The corners of his lips curled. "Private matters."
"You know each other?"
"Not really. Just a bit of... fate."
Le Qing blinked. "Fate?"
"Mn." His voice was laced with amusement. "Turns out we like the same person."
Le Qing: "..."
She never should’ve come back for him!
But the man had zero self-awareness and kept going. "Isn’t that a coincidence?"
"Jiang Suizhi." Le Qing held out her hand sternly. "Give me the bags. You can go home now."
Jiang Suizhi leaned against the elevator wall, raising a brow. "No can do. These are hostages."
Le Qing stepped inside but still instinctively held the door for him. "What hostages?"
Noticing her action, the amusement in Jiang Suizhi’s eyes deepened. "With these, I can threaten my way into your home."
Le Qing couldn’t help but glare at him.
Who pursued someone like this? How could he be so shameless!
But then she recalled Ji Zhou’s ashen face in the parking lot and wondered if the two had argued.
Given Jiang Suizhi’s willingness to even play "stepdad," it wasn’t impossible.
"I don’t know him. The shop owner just asked me to help him find the supermarket," she explained.
Mostly because she didn’t want them clashing if they ran into each other in the building later.
But she’d underestimated Jiang Suizhi’s thought process.
Jiang Suizhi tilted his head slightly, his gaze pinning her in the confined space of the elevator. "Are you explaining yourself to me?"
"No!" Le Qing shrank further into the corner. "I was just worried you two would start arguing."
"Won’t happen." Jiang Suizhi scoffed. "It’s just a one-sided threat."
With absolute dominance.
Le Qing couldn’t shake the feeling that he was acting like some kind of domineering "main wife," and she couldn’t stand his arrogant demeanor. She wanted to knock him down a peg, to remind him of his place—stop flirting so recklessly. So she retorted, "You don’t even have the right to threaten him."
"Why not?" Jiang Suizhi leaned in slightly. "You said you were worried about me."
Le Qing pressed herself even tighter against the wall under his advance. "That counts?"
"Of course it does. Worry means you care, and care means you like me." He chuckled lowly. "Round it up, and we might as well bow to heaven and earth."
Which math teacher taught you to round numbers like that?!
Le Qing’s ears burned red as she glared at him. "Stop getting so close to me!"
"Then what should I do?" Jiang Suizhi glanced sideways. "You never pressed the elevator button."
"!!!"
Now even more flustered, Le Qing hurriedly turned and mashed the button for her floor.
But Jiang Suizhi’s unrestrained laughter rang in her ears. Fuming, she muttered, "Grandpa was right."
"What did he say?"
Not daring to turn around while he was still so close, Le Qing faced the elevator buttons like a penitent. "He said Jiang Suizhi is the best at being a rogue."
This was the first time Jiang Suizhi had heard Grandpa’s opinion of him from someone else.
Well… it wasn’t exactly slander.
Before returning to the Jiang family, he had been something of a delinquent.
But now?
Originally, he hadn’t planned to do anything. But Le Qing didn’t even realize how low her own boundaries were—the lower they were, the harder it was for him to resist testing them.
Especially now that he knew she had no ties to Jiang Yan, he saw no reason to hide his true nature around her.
The little fool claimed she’d even blushed while talking to that weakling. He couldn’t help but want to make sure every inch of her turned red for him instead.
And right now, it was working—her fair skin was tinged with a faint pink, her earlobes especially.
Taking advantage of her turned back, Jiang Suizhi’s gaze greedily traced over her, inch by inch, until his fingers itched with the urge to touch.
His throat moved. "Le Qing."
She whipped her head around irritably. "What?!"
But she hadn’t expected him to be this close. The moment she turned, her forehead lightly bumped against his as he leaned down.
Their eyes met. His gaze was restrained, yet brimming with unconcealed affection. Le Qing’s entire body tensed, and she instinctively tried to retreat.
But the moment she moved back, Jiang Suizhi stepped forward.
"It hurts," he murmured, his breath brushing her face. "Let me touch you."
Le Qing froze completely.
If she moved again, she feared Jiang Suizhi wouldn’t stop at just their foreheads touching.
Suddenly—ding—the elevator doors slid open.
"Auntie… Huh?" Two little ones stood at the entrance holding Annie’s hands, their big eyes wide with confusion as they peeked inside. "Uncle, Auntie, what are you doing?"
"Ohhh!" Little Le Jia caught on first, gasping in realization. "Kissing!"
Only people who really like each other kiss—just like how she kissed Auntie! Uncle would never hit Auntie!
Little Le'an agreed, clapping her hands in excitement. "Then keep kissing!"
Jiang Suizhi’s eyes crinkled with amusement. "Not opposed to that."
Le Qing: "?"
She bared her teeth at him. "Stop talking nonsense."
Annie perked up at the keyword. "Kissing?"
Progress this fast?
She frowned. "Louder. Let me hear it properly."
Le Qing: "..."
"Come closer, baby." Jiang Yan’s voice dripped with skepticism—no way Jiang Suizhi’s juvenile flirting skills had advanced this quickly. "Let me verify the authenticity."
