Pei Cizhou let her push him away with a finger against his chest. He wasn’t annoyed in the slightest, merely taking two steps back with a grin. “Really? You won’t reconsider? I’m only asking for a chance to pursue you.”
Qiuyun had a headache.
It had been a very long time since anything had caused her this much trouble.
She tested the waters. “What will you do if I say no?”
Pei Cizhou pondered for a moment, then gave her a single word: “Wait.”
“Then I refuse.” Qiuyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn’t going to recklessly terminate their partnership. “You can wait as long as you like.”
“…”
One look at her expression, and Pei Cizhou knew exactly what she was worried about. He was so exasperated that he almost laughed. “So my wanting to pursue you still doesn’t carry as much weight in your heart as the company?”
Obviously not.
But Qiuyun was a kindhearted girl. After rejecting someone, there was no need to trample all over his dignity. She should at least leave him some face.
“I’m genuinely thinking about what’s best for the company. We’re currently the company’s largest and third-largest shareholders, respectively, as well as the project’s lead planner and lead artist. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to work together in the future. Wouldn’t it be awkward if things turned sour between us?
“Honestly, I’m truly touched that you admire me so much, and I value our friendship and the understanding we’ve developed as work partners. It’s precisely because I treasure you as a partner that I don’t want a temporary romantic relationship to affect our long-term collaboration.”
Qiuyun spoke with complete sincerity.
It was a sincerity visible to the naked eye, without the slightest hint of pretense.
And it was precisely that sincerity that left Pei Cizhou more dejected than ever.
She really didn’t like him.
Thinking about the accidental kiss on the cheek the night before, Pei Cizhou felt a dull ache in his heart. “In your eyes, am I really only a friend and business partner?”
Qiuyun immediately turned on the emotional reassurance. “You’re also my most respected, most decisive, and most brilliant boss and superior.”
“…”
Pei Cizhou was helpless. “Forget it. Do you have any plans today?”
“No.” She discreetly studied President Pei’s expression. It seemed they had finally moved past the subject, so she stretched lazily. “I’m planning to go home and rest for two days. I have to go back to work the day after tomorrow.”
“When are you leaving?”
“If there’s nothing else, I can leave right now.”
Pei Cizhou set down his pen. “All right. I’ll drive you.”
“You got your license?”
“Yeah. Coach Huang mentioned that you were taking the written test before the New Year. How did it go?”
“Don’t remind me.” Qiuyun sighed. “Something happened that day, so I missed the exam.”
She would have to wait until after the New Year to take it again.
As they walked toward the parking lot, Pei Cizhou asked, “What happened?”
“It was something concerning my client’s family. It’s not convenient to tell outsiders.”
All right.
Pei Cizhou asked another question. “What about yesterday? What kept you so late?”
“It was also something involving my client’s family. Sigh, it’s a long story. In any case, everything’s been resolved.”
They reached a sports car. Looking at its understated yet striking streamlined body, Qiuyun couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it. “You went to get your license as soon as you came of age. Do you like cars?”
“Yeah.”
He didn’t just like sports cars. He liked motorcycles too.
Mostly, he liked extreme speed—the kind that left his mind blank and made him forget his troubles.
“Do you have any recommendations for a car suitable for me?”
Pei Cizhou took out his keys, and the two of them got into the car together.
After fastening his seat belt, he asked, “Any requirements?”
“Nothing special. It just needs to be safe and easy to handle.” After considering her savings, she added, “There’s no upper limit on the price.”
“A Porsche Panamera. It offers both high performance and active safety features.”
“How much?”
“That depends on the configuration. Somewhere between one and two million yuan.” Pei Cizhou started the car. “If you can’t make up your mind, you can call me when you go to look at cars and take test drives.”
“Uh, about that…”
Pei Cizhou glanced at her. “My brother is a member of the Porsche Owners Club. There’s a discount when you buy a car through them.”
Qiuyun immediately agreed. “That sounds great. I’ll trouble you, President Pei.”
She entered the address into the navigation, and after driving there, Pei Cizhou parked beneath her apartment building.
Qiuyun unfastened her seat belt. “Thank you, President Pei. See you next time.”
Pei Cizhou rested his hands on the steering wheel. “We should be seeing each other again very soon.”
He had kept her confined at home for three or four months. With the college entrance examination coming up in the second half of the year, there was no way he could continue restricting her freedom.
“I’m allowed out now?”
“Yeah.”
“What about the company?”
“That depends.”
All right.
Qiuyun waved. Pei Cizhou gestured for her to go upstairs. He started the car, but waited until she had turned around and entered the building before slowly driving away.
Tsk.
Daniel had said the game would probably officially launch at the end of August.
To give his gaming company a strong opening, and to finally put an end to the two leaders’ hopes of seeing him enter politics, he had to come up with a way to make a major splash during the summer vacation.
As the car drove out of the residential compound, the corners of Pei Cizhou’s lips gradually curved upward.
Still, Miss Qiu hadn’t started avoiding him because of that unexpected kiss.
That was excellent news.
After returning home, Qiuyun washed her hair and took a shower. Then she cut up a plate of fruit, turned on the television, and continued watching the wuxia film she had only gotten halfway through.
At the same time, she checked the delivery apps to see which nearby restaurants were still open over the New Year holiday.
While she was doing two things at once, Qiu Ze called.
She remembered that Qiu Ze had mentioned going to an island for closed-door training and having to surrender his phone, hadn’t he?
“Hello?”
Qiu Ze said, “Hey, Sis. The production crew says we have to call our families. Can you give me a few words of encouragement?”
So it was a requirement from the production crew.
Qiuyun immediately sat up straight, adopting the solemn attitude of a teacher calling a student in for a talk. “Train diligently and conduct yourself properly.”
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Qiu Ze asked cautiously, “That’s it?”
Qiuyun asked in return, “Uh… are there any special requirements?”
Qiu Ze glanced at the staff members. He had no idea why one of them kept gesturing frantically at him. “Maybe there are. While I was waiting just now, the person who was interviewed before me started crying. His family comforted him.”
Qiuyun understood.
The family phone calls were a segment arranged by the production crew. They needed something for the show.
“Then cry. If you don’t cry, how am I supposed to comfort you?”
Qiu Ze said weakly, “I can’t cry.”
“Why not?”
“The food here is better than what we get at the company.”
“…”
You really are something.
After a moment of silence, Qiuyun said, “If you can’t cry, then forget it. Just remember what your sister told you: train diligently and conduct yourself properly.”
“Okay!”
After hanging up, Qiu Ze looked up at the staff member. “PD, was that all right?”
The PD sighed. “It’s fine.”
This idiot really did have dumb luck. His very first appearance on the show, and the very first group edit, had already given him such a memorable character moment. Combined with his handsome, all-ages-heartthrob face, he had already secured a place among the popular contestants.
After the call ended, Qiuyun glanced at her phone screen.
That kid really was something.
But now that the audition reality show had begun filming, Qiuyun called CEO Liang and asked her to send over the progress reports for the several projects the company was focusing on developing.
As expected of someone determined to accomplish great things, CEO Liang hadn’t taken any time off even during the New Year holiday. She quickly sent over the reports.
