He Ming looked at the girl in his embrace, a trace of a smile appearing in his eyes as he spoke gently, “Of course I don’t mind. Zhiyi and I haven’t seen each other for a long time.”
Liang Zhiyi met his gaze and smiled, “He Ming, I haven’t formally introduced you yet—Pei Chen, my boyfriend.”
He Ming glanced at Pei Chen, the corners of his lips curling up. “When I saw you yesterday, I was curious if Mr. Pei was as handsome in high school as he is now, making Zhiyi miss him so much after going to An’nan High School.”
Liang Zhiyi caught the implication in his words, looked up at Pei Chen, and smiled, “It wasn’t just because of his looks; it was mainly his charisma.”
She then turned to He Ming and added, “Actually, Pei Chen was just joking earlier. We both want to treat you to dinner since you’ve come to Lincheng, and we should be good hosts.”
Pei Chen gestured toward He Ming, “Mr. He, please have a seat.”
“Since it’s just a meal among friends, you can call me He Ming,” the young man smiled. “Otherwise, if Zhiyi keeps calling me ‘Mr. He,’ it would feel quite strange.”
Pei Chen smiled, “Alright.”
The three of them sat down at the round table. Liang Zhiyi naturally sat close to Pei Chen, still holding his hand, while He Ming took a seat slightly farther away.
He Ming looked at the two of them, sipping his tea, and teased, “It’s clear that you two have a great relationship. No wonder you’ve been together since high school.”
The girl smiled, her dimples showing. “Yes, it’s been great. All that effort I put into chasing him was worth it.”
“You chased him?” He Ming was a bit surprised.
She nodded, not hiding her affection for Pei Chen at all. “Yes, Pei Chen was so aloof back then. I chased him for a long time, but he didn’t feel anything for me.”
Pei Chen met her mischievous gaze and smiled indulgently. “Did I?”
“That’s what I thought back then…”
As the two of them bantered, He Ming averted his eyes, silently picking up his teacup to drink.
The server came into the private room to take their order. Pei Chen handed the menu to He Ming, who casually flipped through it and said, “Why don’t the hosts order? I’m not too familiar with the dishes here.”
So, Liang Zhiyi ordered a few of Lincheng’s local specialties. When she turned to the dessert page, she asked He Ming, “Is there anything you want to try?”
He Ming smiled, “I’m a guy, so I’m not really into desserts. But you can see if there’s anything you’d like.”
He glanced at the menu and pointed to one of the items, asking Liang Zhiyi, “This peach mousse seems pretty good. It’s one of their signature desserts. Want to give it a try?”
Just as Liang Zhiyi was about to decline, Pei Chen spoke up, “She’s allergic to peaches, so she can’t have it.”
A long time ago, Pei Chen had once curiously asked why her online name was “ZhiZhi Doesn’t Eat Peaches,” and she had told him it was because she was allergic. She hadn’t mentioned it since, but he had remembered this small detail all along.
The girl smiled warmly, “Yes, I’m allergic. I’ll have this… Japanese-style cheesecake instead.”
He Ming heard this, lowered his gaze, and remained silent.
After a while, the dishes were gradually served. The couple invited He Ming to start eating. He Ming noticed how Pei Chen was thoughtfully serving food to Liang Zhiyi, taking good care of her.
Pei Chen placed a bowl of fish in front of Liang Zhiyi. She pouted and softly protested, “I don’t want it…”
“I already removed the bones for you. It won’t taste fishy.”
He cut her off before she could finish her sentence.
She actually liked eating fish but disliked the hassle of dealing with too many bones. Seeing this, she curved her eyes into a smile, gave a small “Oh,” and obediently began to eat.
He Ming had never seen this side of Liang Zhiyi before. Back in high school, she had always maintained a polite distance from all the boys, never showing the kind of cute, childlike demeanor she was displaying now. It was obvious that she was now immersed in the sweetness of love.
Even the way she looked at Pei Chen was filled with affection.
Seeing this, He Ming really felt like a third wheel.
After a while, Pei Chen and He Ming started talking about work. As they chatted, something came to He Ming’s mind, so he asked Pei Chen, “I’m quite curious, what made you decide to go into the field of rehabilitation robotics? I didn’t expect you to be interested in intelligent healthcare.”
“We conducted market research before. Currently, there are over 8,000 rehabilitation institutions in the country, but less than one-third of them provide rehabilitation training. The potential for intelligent rehabilitation in our country is huge,” Pei Chen explained. “Moreover, my father was paralyzed over ten years ago, so I deeply understand how difficult it is to care for a paralyzed patient. Having rehabilitation robots could significantly ease the burden on both human and material resources, and also help patients recover in a scientific manner.”
Hearing this, He Ming’s eyes showed a hint of surprise. “Your father was paralyzed?”
“Yes, but he’s slowly recovering now.”
He Ming fell silent for a moment before speaking, “Actually, my mother is also in a wheelchair. She has a spinal cord injury and there’s no hope for recovery. That’s why I’ve also been paying attention to the rehabilitation field.”
Liang Zhiyi asked, “How is your mother’s health now?”
“She’s living abroad, being cared for by professionals. She’s doing quite well now,” He Ming replied with a sigh, then looked at Pei Chen and said, “It’s rare to find someone who can turn their ideals into reality. After all, it takes a lot of courage. I once thought about going into medical research because of my mother, but I eventually gave it up.”
“But you’re helping many medical institutions develop through your investments. That’s also a way of realizing your ideals,” Pei Chen said.
He Ming was moved by these words, and his heart stirred as he met Pei Chen’s gaze.
…
The meal turned out to be fairly harmonious.
After dinner, the three of them left the private room. Pei Chen went to settle the bill while Liang Zhiyi and He Ming walked alone to the restaurant’s entrance.
“Thank you for the treat today. The food was excellent,” He Ming said.
“You’re welcome.”
The girl raised her eyes to meet He Ming’s gaze and spoke calmly, “He Ming, there’s something I need to say to you. I’ve always seen you as just a regular friend. Pei Chen and I will be getting married in a year or two, so it’s better not to let certain things affect work.”
He smiled faintly, “You really do like him.”
“Of course, liking someone doesn’t need a reason.”
She looked at him and continued, “So, He Ming, if your investment in Chengzhi Tech was because of me, I hope you reconsider that decision because you won’t achieve your goal.”
He Ming lowered his gaze, his smile carrying a deeper meaning, and after a brief pause, he replied softly, “You’ll understand in the future.”
With one hand in his pocket, He Ming said to her, “I’ll be heading off now.”
He turned and left, leaving Liang Zhiyi standing there, puzzled.
What did he mean by “you’ll understand in the future”?
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with He Ming, as if he was hiding something from them…
Pei Chen finished paying and walked out of the restaurant, spotting her. “Did He Ming leave already?”
“Yes,” she smiled, “Let’s go too.”
Pei Chen wrapped his arm around her as they headed towards the car. She teased him, “Is someone not jealous today?”
His hand rested on her lower back as he asked in a low voice, “Do you want me to be jealous?”
She smiled, “What would you do if you really were jealous?”
“I’d give you a proper lesson when we get home tonight.”
She blushed slightly and let out a soft hum.
Pei Chen said calmly, “To be honest, he’s quite outstanding. If we hadn’t gotten together, he would indeed have been a real threat.”
From a professional standpoint, Pei Chen admired He Ming. After all, holding such a high position at a young age was no small feat.
“Oh, so you’re praising him?”
He looked down at her, “But now, he poses no threat to me whatsoever.”
She grinned and hugged his arm. “Of course not, I only have eyes for my Pei Chen.”
He chuckled and pulled her closer. “Want to go shopping at the supermarket?”
“Sure! You just moved into the new apartment, so we can see what household items you still need.”
So, the two of them took a trip to the supermarket. After they finished shopping, he drove her back to the apartment.
Pei Chen rented an apartment in a residential complex near the High-Tech Industrial Park, offering convenient access to the city center.
As they arrived at the apartment entrance, Pei Chen took her hand and recorded her fingerprint at the door to make it easier for her to come and go in the future.
Inside, the apartment featured a simple Scandinavian design. The space was not small, more than enough for two people. She teased him, “Why does it feel like someone rented this place not as a bachelor pad?”
Leaning against the sofa, he pulled her into his arms:
“Mm, adding you makes it just right.”
She playfully retorted, “I never said I was moving in with you.”
“Don’t want to?”
She huffed pridefully, “I’ll think about it.”
“No rush, take your time,” he said as he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. “But first, let’s take care of something important.”
Sensing his mood, she wrapped her arms around his neck, her cheeks flushing. Suddenly, she remembered something and blurted out, “Pei Chen, we forgot to buy condoms at the supermarket…”
“No worries, I’ve already stocked up.”
“???”
When they reached the bedroom, he opened the nightstand drawer, revealing several boxes inside. Her face grew even hotter. “So someone planned this all along, huh? If I hadn’t come to your apartment, wouldn’t those have been bought for nothing?”
He laid her down on the bed, leaning over her, his dark eyes locking onto hers. “Would you really have the heart not to come?”
Her heart softened. How could she resist?
Her eyes sparkled, and she murmured softly, “Just don’t be so rough this time… I was sore for days after last time.”
He gazed at her face, now so close, his voice husky. “Weren’t you the one who brought it on yourself?”
Last weekend, she had accompanied Pei Chen and Liang Tongzhou to play basketball. While watching from the sidelines, she had teased him privately about saving his strength for later that night, or else he’d be too tired. That evening, Pei Chen had made sure to prove her wrong, showing that even after a game of basketball, he could still make her beg for mercy in his arms.
…Men and their competitive streaks.
Blushing, she watched as Pei Chen’s hand slid under her dress, his gaze burning with intensity. His voice was a deep rumble, “Let me check if the swelling has gone down.”
She shyly watched him as he leaned closer, letting out a soft moan like a kitten.
“Mm…”
Clothes fell to the floor, and in the room, the orange-yellow glow on the walls flickered gently.
They entwined with each other, lost in their passion.
Sleepless for a long time.
—
Pei Chen and Liang Zhiyi were planning to move forward with the cooperation between Chengzhi Tech and Hua’an Investment. The Hua’an team notified them that they would be coming on Friday for further negotiations.
When this news spread within the studio, Xuan Xia immediately called for an urgent meeting to discuss the matter.
In the meeting room, all five partners of the studio were present, along with several key team members.
Xuan Xia began, “Pei Chen, Tongzhou told us about what’s going on between you, Zhiyi, and He Ming. I absolutely do not support our studio working with Hua’an.”
Liang Zhiyi was slightly taken aback.
Liang Tongzhou, sitting nearby, added, “I don’t support it either. Why should we collaborate with someone like him? Do we really need his money that badly?”
Ji Fei’er nodded emphatically. “Exactly! Why did you agree to this? That He Ming is clearly just here to compete with Pei Chen. I might have criticized Pei Chen in the past, but now I’m fully backing you two. Anyone trying to cause trouble should get lost.”
Pei Chen sighed, “Zhiyi and I were thinking about the team as a whole. We didn’t want our personal issues to affect the group’s interests.”
TN: We still have many extras