After sitting at Pei Chen’s place for a while, Liang Zhiyi decided it was time to head home, and Pei Chen drove her back to her villa.
At the front door, while still in the car, Pei Chen pulled her close for a kiss.
The atmosphere was sweet and warm. When the kiss finally ended, Liang Zhiyi opened her eyes and looked at him, dimples showing as she teased, “You can’t bear to let me go, huh?”
He gazed at her with deep affection. “No.”
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m going inside now.”
He gently ruffled her hair. “Go ahead.”
The girl stepped out of the car, holding a bouquet of flowers. As she reached the door, she turned back to glance at him, a smile spreading across her face.
Returning to her bedroom, she threw herself onto the bed, rolling around a couple of times. Finally, she rested her chin in her hand, thinking about everything that had happened over the past two days. A sweet blush spread across her cheeks.
She recalled the night before last, when everything had come to an end, and she was drifting in and out of consciousness. She distinctly remembered Pei Chen whispering in her ear, “Zhizhi, I will definitely marry you.”
Even though she had always known his unwavering feelings for her, every time he made such a firm declaration, it sent a wave of warmth through her heart.
She remembered how Pei Chen used to be very resistant to marriage because of his parents’ divorce. He had no desire for it at all. But now, he was willing to make her a lifelong promise.
Liang Zhiyi was overjoyed that she had been able to heal him, allowing him to once again look forward to love with hope and happiness.
—
On Monday morning, Pei Chen first drove over to pick up Liang Zhiyi.
Since their workplaces were in the same direction, they could now commute together.
After parking the car, they walked hand in hand through the underground parking lot, exchanging sweet words. After this weekend, their relationship was even sweeter than during their honeymoon phase.
Before they entered the elevator, she playfully tried to pull her hand away, smiling as she said to him:
“President Pei, remember to keep things professional.”
He caught her by the nape of her neck, pulling her into his arms for a kiss, his voice low and husky: “Don’t get distracted during the meeting today.”
Once, she had been so mesmerized by him that she got caught daydreaming and was dragged to his office.
She pushed him away in mock annoyance.
When they arrived at the studio, an employee approached them. “Mr. Pei, we’ve made some new progress on the ProStep project. We need you to come take a look.”
Pei Chen quickly switched into work mode, following the employee inside, his expression turning serious. “What’s the current status? And how’s the motor drive for the FirstStep coming along…?”
Liang Zhiyi returned to her desk and started handling various documents, quickly diving into her work.
After a while, Ji Fei’er approached her. “The meeting is about to start.”
Liang Zhiyi grabbed her notebook and stood up. “Let’s go.”
Ji Fei’er gave her a once-over and grinned mischievously. “You’re walking without a wobble today, huh?”
“…”
“You’re glowing! I guess a little ‘love nourishment’ really does wonders.”
Love nourishment…
Why did that sound so suggestive…
Liang Zhiyi’s face flushed slightly as she pinched Ji Fei’er’s cheek. “Don’t think I don’t know about you and my brother…”
Raising an eyebrow, Ji Fei’er defensively swatted her hand away. “I didn’t!”
Liang Zhiyi rolled her eyes. “Sure, keep pretending.”
She started walking ahead, with Ji Fei’er blushing as she hurried to catch up. “You’re so annoying, Zhizhi…”
—
Monday’s workload was especially hectic.
After work, Pei Chen and Liang Zhiyi walked to the parking lot together. Pei Chen contacted Gong Qinxin, and they decided to go out for dinner first before checking out Gong Qinxin’s apartment.
That evening, the four of them sat down for dinner together, like a family. The atmosphere was harmonious—a rare contrast to the past.
After dinner, they arrived at Gong Qinxin’s residential area. While it wasn’t in the most bustling part of the city, it was peaceful, and Gong Qinxin mentioned that in the future, Pei Yongxia could take the elevator down, walk just a few steps with her support, and reach the riverside for a pleasant stroll in an improved environment.
The inside of the apartment was clean and spacious, with large windows offering a wide view of the river—a significant upgrade from their old, rundown neighborhood.
Every part of the apartment had been fitted with safety handrails, including a bathroom equipped with a safety system, and there was even a dedicated room for rehabilitation equipment, all thoughtfully prepared for Pei Yongxia.
In addition, Pei Chen’s room was quite large as well. Gong Qinxin smiled and said, “I mainly considered that when you two kids get married, you can bring Zhiyi here to live, and it won’t feel cramped.”
Pei Chen glanced at Liang Zhiyi, who smiled warmly at him.
After exploring the apartment, everyone was pleased with it. Another important reason for the move was that Gong Qinxin had been commuting back and forth to the old neighborhood every day to care for Pei Yongxia, which was exhausting.
Pei Chen turned to his father. “Dad, do you think living here would be okay?”
Pei Yongxia smiled. “I think it’s great.”
Seeing that his father liked the place, Pei Chen finally agreed to move. Gong Qinxin was delighted and offered to help pack their things in the coming days.
Pei Chen then added, “There’s one more thing.”
Gong Qinxin suddenly grew nervous. “What’s wrong?”
Pei Chen lowered his eyes, and after a few seconds, spoke somewhat awkwardly, “Since you’ve decided to live together again, when do you plan to… make it official?”
Gong Qinxin and Pei Yongxia froze for a couple of seconds before realizing he was talking about getting married. They both smiled and said they had time, so Pei Chen suggested they tentatively plan for this Saturday. “Zhiyi and I will go with you.”
Gong Qinxin nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “Alright.”
To avoid making Pei Yongxia go back and forth, he decided to stay and rest here. Gong Qinxin had already prepared all the necessary living supplies. However, Pei Chen still had a lot of things at the old apartment, so he would return there tonight.
Gong Qinxin accompanied Pei Chen and Liang Zhiyi downstairs. As they were about to part, she called out to Pei Chen, saying she had something to discuss with him. The girl beside him smiled knowingly. “Pei Chen, I’ll wait for you in the car.”
“Okay.”
Downstairs, it was just the two of them.
Gong Qinxin looked up at Pei Chen, her eyes reddening. “Pei Chen, I owe you an apology, one that I’ve never given you. Over the years, I’ve deeply regretted not being there for you, letting you go through so much hardship, and even causing your accident because of part-time work. I’m truly sorry…”
As she spoke of the past, she repeatedly apologized. “But there’s one thing I want you to know, even if you might not believe it—I still need to say it. I’ve always loved you, and I never once thought about abandoning you as my son.”
Pei Chen lowered his lashes, his eyes growing slightly warm.
For years, the deep-seated insecurity within him had stemmed from the pain inflicted by his broken family. Because of Gong Qinxin’s departure, he had always subconsciously felt like an abandoned, worthless person.
Gong Qinxin continued, “And on your birthday in your second year of high school, I shouldn’t have asked you to leave with me. I said things that hurt you the most. Later, your father told me that after our fight that night, you pushed Zhiyi away, and I almost ruined your relationship. I’ve made so many mistakes.”
“Now that your father and I are getting back together, I promise that nothing like that will ever happen again. I will take good care of him, and I want to make up for everything I’ve done to both of you.” Her eyes glistened with tears as she spoke.
Pei Chen looked at her tear-streaked face. After a long silence, he finally lowered his gaze and spoke in a hoarse voice, “I used to resent you because of what happened to Dad. But now that he’s forgiven you, I don’t have anything left to hold onto either. You two should live well together from now on. The past is over.”
The wounds may never fully heal, but he wasn’t going to let them deepen further. He smiled, letting go of the resentment, giving both himself and Gong Qinxin a chance to move on.
Gong Qinxin wiped her tears and smiled. “Alright…”
Afterward, Pei Chen left and walked to the parking lot, where he saw Liang Zhiyi standing by the car.
Under the streetlights, she turned to look at him, her eyes shining like stars, curved into crescent moons.
He walked over to her, and as he reached her, she immediately wrapped her arms around him.
Pei Chen raised his hand and bent down, pulling her into a tight embrace.
She looked up into his eyes, gently touching his head with her hand. A smile curved her lips as she spoke softly, “Now my Pei Chen has a home again.”
His parents would finally be there for him, together.
Her smile deepened, and she gazed at him with affection:
“Pei Chen, in the future, I’ll give you a very warm home too, okay?”
Pei Chen’s heart melted at her words, and he pulled her tightly into his arms.
“Okay.”
—
On Saturday morning, Pei Chen and Liang Zhiyi accompanied Gong Qinxin and Pei Yongxia to the civil affairs bureau, where they successfully registered their marriage.
As they left the bureau, everyone was in high spirits. Pei Chen leaned down and whispered to Liang Zhiyi, “Zhizhi, one day, I’ll bring you back here.”
The implication of his words made her heart flutter with anticipation.
After his parents’ remarriage, Pei Chen and Pei Yongxia moved most of their belongings into the new apartment. Pei Yongxia suggested that Pei Chen take care of selling the old apartment. Pei Chen mentioned that he planned to hire a real estate agent to sell it. Although the apartment was a bit old, it was located near a primary school, making it a desirable school district property, likely to attract buyers.
Pei Chen added that he intended to give the proceeds from the sale to his father, but Pei Yongxia refused to take the money. “Keep it for yourself. There’s no need to separate things so clearly between us. Besides, haven’t you been looking for a new home for you and Zhiyi? Consider this money as a gift from me to both of you.”
Recently, Pei Chen had been secretly preparing to buy a new house, intending to purchase a large one where they could eventually accommodate Pei Yongxia as well. Selling the old apartment would significantly ease his financial burden, reducing the pressure on his career.
At his father’s insistence, Pei Chen agreed. He also mentioned that he was planning to rent an apartment near the studio, as their new home was quite far from it, making daily commutes inconvenient. He would return home on weekends.
When he told Liang Zhiyi about his plan to find an apartment, she chuckled softly, “Is someone trying to find a better ‘crime scene’?”
Pei Chen pulled her into his arms, his voice low and filled with playful insinuation:
“What do you think?”
Her cheeks flushed slightly.
Truthfully, staying in hotels recently had been quite expensive…
In the following days, Pei Chen focused on both selling the old apartment through a real estate agent and searching for a new apartment closer to the studio.
On the business side, the studio had received several new orders, requiring more investment in production. They were also seeking additional investors.
A few days later, on another Monday morning, the studio received a call from a company called Hua’an Investment. They expressed a keen interest in the rehabilitation robots the studio was developing and offered very favorable terms for investment. They asked if they could arrange a meeting to discuss the details.
An employee brought the good news to Pei Chen, who asked, “Did they mention when they’d like to meet?”
“They have a branch in Lincheng and said they’re available anytime. We can set the time.”
Pei Chen glanced at his schedule. “Let’s make it 3 PM this afternoon. Also, have someone conduct a background check on them.”
“Got it. I’ll let them know.”
In the afternoon, while Liang Zhiyi and Ji Fei’er went to the bank to handle some business, Pei Chen, Liang Tongzhou, Xuan Xia, and a few other employees waited at the studio for the representatives from Hua’an Investment.
In the conference room, they reviewed the impressive background of Hua’an Investment. Xuan Xia marveled, “I can’t believe we’ve attracted the attention of Hua’an Investment. Our studio is really on the rise.”
Another employee added, “I heard that the one who proposed investing in our studio is their newly appointed vice president, and apparently, he’s quite young too.”
Xuan Xia clicked his tongue, “So young and already has such vision. Not bad, not bad.”
The employee responsible for liaising with Hua’an Investment added, “President Pei, I heard from someone at Hua’an that their vice president wants to invest in us specifically because of one person.”
“Who?”
“No way, someone here has connections with Hua’an Investment and got them to offer such favorable terms?”
The employee said that the person didn’t specify who it was. Xuan Xia looked at Pei Chen with a grin, “Could it be one of your impressive alumni from C University?”
Pei Chen thought about it but couldn’t recall anyone mentioning such a connection. He had no idea if it was someone he knew from the past.
Liang Tongzhou twirled a pen in his hand and smiled, “No need to rush. We’ll find out when they get here.”
Ten minutes later, an employee entered to announce, “The people from Hua’an Investment have arrived.”
Pei Chen and the others left the conference room to greet them. As they reached the entrance, they saw a young man at the forefront. He had a handsome face with distinct, well-defined features, exuding a strong and composed aura, with an air of aloofness that made him seem unapproachable.
Liang Tongzhou suddenly froze upon seeing him.
“No way, isn’t this…”
Pei Chen approached the man, extending his hand as he spoke:
“Hello, I’m Pei Chen from Chengzhi Technology.”
The man looked at Pei Chen with deep eyes, and after a few seconds, he smiled faintly.
“I know. Zhiyi has mentioned you before.”
Surprise flickered in Pei Chen’s eyes, but before he could respond, the man raised his hand to shake Pei Chen’s, his gaze now serious and devoid of any previous smile as he introduced himself formally:
“Hello, I’m He Ming from Hua’an Investment.”
Pei Chen froze for a moment at his words, staring directly at him, his dark eyes suddenly as cold as ice.