What Exactly Did Nan Pei Invest In?

Duan Heng cast a puzzled look at Nan Pei. Staring at the leopard print jacket in Duan Heng’s hands, Nan Pei felt like time had stretched into eternity.

Duan Heng asked, “Whose is this?” His tone was filled with confusion due to the jacket’s overwhelming visual impact. He couldn’t believe such a thing would be in Nan Pei’s bag.

“Uh…” Nan Pei swallowed, resisting the urge to jump out of the car, racking his brain for an answer. Finally, a light bulb went off, and he said, “It’s for you.”

Duan Heng: “…?”

Nan Pei continued, “Isn’t the competition coming up? I wanted to give you this jacket for good luck!”

Duan Heng glanced at the jacket in his hand, then frowned at Nan Pei, his tone not very pleasant, “Are you serious?”

If this was a gift from Nan Pei, it seemed too thoughtless. It even felt like a prank gift. When did Nan Pei become so dismissive of him?

Just as Duan Heng was feeling gloomy, Nan Pei said, “Remember in the game ‘Crown of Thorns,’ your favorite hero was the Leopard. This jacket is ‘Leopard’ merch.”

Knowing the plot, Nan Pei was well aware of Duan Heng’s preferences. Duan Heng was taken aback. The game character “Leopard” was indeed one of his favorites. It was his starter hero when he first played the game, accompanying him through many victories with TKT.

However, Duan Heng hadn’t played Leopard much recently. The hero had been weak in recent versions, jokingly called a “sewer hero.” Being competitive, Duan Heng stopped playing Leopard for the sake of winning.

He didn’t expect Nan Pei to remember his favorite hero. Suddenly, the jacket seemed less detestable. Duan Heng looked at Nan Pei, awkwardly asking, “…You remember?”

“Of course I do,” Nan Pei thought, I’m well-versed in the plot, “I watch all your matches live.”

Duan Heng’s fingers tightened around the leopard print jacket. Nan Pei always comes to watch his matches. But Duan Heng had never looked at Nan Pei in the audience, even deliberately avoiding him. Nan Pei’s persistent pursuit and dedication had been a burden and annoyance.

“If you don’t like it,” Nan Pei said softly, seeing Duan Heng’s uncertain expression, “just give it back.”

The jacket was ugly, but it wasn’t cheap. Nan Pei didn’t want it taken away. Duan Heng should have thrown it away. Such an ugly jacket, given by someone he disliked, was worth burning. Yet, for some reason, the more Duan Heng looked at it, the more he found it endearing—ugly, yes, but it resembled his hero.

Compared to the branded watches, bags, and credit cards Nan Pei had given before, this jacket seemed… charmingly ugly.

“Ugly.” Duan Heng tossed the jacket aside, saying coldly, “I won’t wear it.”

Nan Pei quickly nodded, “Sorry, next time I’ll…”

“I’ll just keep it in the closet.” Duan Heng glanced at Nan Pei.

Nan Pei was stunned, “What?”

Duan Heng accepted the jacket??

The next second, Duan Heng picked up the gold necklace, raising an eyebrow, “Is this for me too?”

“No, no,” Nan Pei quickly denied, “A client gave me that.”

He didn’t dare say it was for Duan Heng. If Duan Heng took the gold chain, he’d suffer a huge loss!

“What kind of client,” Duan Heng’s eyes were full of disdain, “gives such a tacky necklace?”

“A client who loves hip-hop style,” Nan Pei answered seriously.

Duan Heng said nothing, giving Nan Pei a look, then put the necklace back in the bag, turning to the window, pursing his lips, “Drive. Back to the club.”

Nan Pei breathed a sigh of relief. Though he lost a leopard print jacket, at least he wasn’t exposed.

After dropping Duan Heng at the club and saying goodbye, Nan Pei drove away. Duan Heng returned to the club with the leopard print jacket, catching Manager Ruan’s eye.

Manager Ruan’s eyes widened, “What are you holding?”

“‘Leopard’ merch,” Duan Heng said casually, “A gift.”

Manager Ruan was astonished—how could there be such ugly merch??

After finishing the day’s tasks, Nan Pei returned to the Huo family villa in the city center. He felt a bit anxious, considering he had left Huo Yao with the spatula mid-egg fry that morning. Someone like Huo Yao, a young master and CEO, wouldn’t appreciate such behavior.

Fortunately, the butler and housekeeper’s attitude towards Nan Pei remained friendly, indicating Huo Yao hadn’t planned to kick him out yet. Upon entering, Nan Pei smelled the aroma of food. Walking from the entrance into the villa, he saw Huo Yao standing by the dining table, turning to look at him.

Their eyes met. Feeling awkward, Nan Pei scratched his head, greeting softly, “President Huo, just got off work?”

“Yes.” Huo Yao looked at Nan Pei, smiling slightly, “What a coincidence.”

Usually stern and cold, Huo Yao’s presence intimidated everyone at the company. His sharp features and nearly 1.9-meter height gave off a strong sense of pressure. Yet, he always seemed to smile subtly at Nan Pei. Though faint, the smile softened his cold demeanor.

Under the warm lights, Huo Yao’s stern face appeared gentler, momentarily dazing Nan Pei. Before he knew it, he was by the dining table. The table was set with simple yet delicious-looking dishes made by the housekeeper, and among them… a plate of fried eggs.

Nan Pei paused, looking at Huo Yao, tentatively asking, “Did you manage to fry the eggs this morning?”

“What’s so hard about it?” Huo Yao paused, nodding towards the eggs, “Though I hadn’t tried before, I thought it turned out well, so I tried again tonight.”

Hearing this, Nan Pei eagerly picked up chopsticks to taste the eggs. Huo Yao watched him intently. The eggs were crispy on the outside, tender inside, and full of flavor.

Nan Pei’s eyes lit up, exclaiming, “Wow, President Huo, you’re really talented.”

The compliment was genuine. Huo Yao’s lips curved slightly, then he casually said, “Is that so?”

Nan Pei nodded vigorously, taking more eggs, “They’re really good.”

He hadn’t expected someone like Huo Yao to make such delicious eggs, especially as a kitchen novice. Nan Pei’s admiration for Huo Yao grew.

However, after eating, when Nan Pei went to the kitchen for a drink, he found burnt eggs in the trash. Nan Pei: “…”

It seemed they had been burnt several times. For some reason, Nan Pei felt an urge to laugh. He could imagine Huo Yao’s flustered state after taking the spatula that morning. Knowing Huo Yao’s personality, he wouldn’t allow himself to fail, so he must have tried multiple times, resulting in the successful eggs on the table.

At that moment, Huo Yao’s image in Nan Pei’s mind became more vivid. Just then, Huo Yao entered the kitchen. Noticing Nan Pei’s gaze, he paused, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.

After a moment, Huo Yao lightly coughed, explaining softly, “The heat was too high the first few times.”

It seemed he was trying to save face. “President Huo, you’ve improved a lot,” Nan Pei said, looking at Huo Yao, “I left too hastily this morning, leaving you with the spatula. As compensation, I’ll make you some desserts next time.”

He remembered Huo Yao admitting to liking sweets at the café. Hearing this, Huo Yao’s mood improved. He raised an eyebrow at Nan Pei, teasing, “Don’t run off again.”

Nan Pei confidently nodded, “I won’t.”

However, reality often defies expectations. Two days later, Nan Pei got up early to make desserts for Huo Yao. Before crossing over, Nan Pei had been self-reliant, learning many skills, and making desserts was no problem. But just as he finished baking several small cakes, another unexpected task arose—the Overbearing CEO novel task needed completion.

In the Overbearing CEO storyline, Song Jingchen needed to invest in several new major projects. If the cooperation with Huo Yao opened new markets for Song Jingchen, these projects were meant to earn big money for the Song Group. The book didn’t specify the project fields, but undoubtedly, the luckless Song Jingchen needed Nan Pei’s help.

Nan Pei hadn’t finished the desserts. He could only speed up, trying to complete the decorations. Just then, Huo Yao came downstairs to the kitchen, seeing Nan Pei in a rush.

This time, Huo Yao seemed to anticipate something, asking, “Need help?”

Nan Pei looked at Huo Yao, hesitated, then said, “Could you… decorate the cream?”

Decorating required patience, especially on small cakes, and Nan Pei couldn’t finish quickly, but he didn’t want to ruin them. Huo Yao raised an eyebrow, “Rushing out again?”

The emphasis on “again” was deliberate. Feeling awkward, Nan Pei swallowed, saying cautiously, “Sorry, President Huo.”

After speaking, Nan Pei handed the piping bag to Huo Yao, saying, “You can make any shape you like, as long as it’s edible.”

Huo Yao didn’t take it, seemingly recalling yesterday’s egg-frying mishap. So, he candidly said, “I’m not good at it, could you demonstrate?”

Nan Pei was eager to do the task but felt it irresponsible to leave Huo Yao alone in the kitchen again. So, he picked up a small cake, holding the piping bag, demonstrating, “It’s like squeezing toothpaste, just control the pressure, it’s not hard…”

As he spoke, Nan Pei patiently drew a smiley face on the cake, adding a border pattern. Finally, he handed the decorated cake to Huo Yao, “Less cream makes it less greasy.”

Watching Nan Pei’s serious demeanor, Huo Yao was momentarily dazed. He seemed to have seen this scene in a dream. One morning, a young man appeared in the villa’s kitchen, making cupcakes and decorating them with cute cream designs.

“President Huo, try the rest,” Nan Pei set down the piping bag, smiling apologetically, “I have to go, sorry.”

By the time Huo Yao snapped out of his daze, Nan Pei had already left. He looked at the cake in his hand, fingers tightening, then loosening to avoid crushing it. The next second, he gently picked up the cake, taking a bite. It was sweet but not cloying, soft and fluffy. Just like the cake he had tasted in his dream.

At that moment, Huo Yao wondered if he was dreaming. Meanwhile, Nan Pei had changed clothes and headed to the Song Group headquarters.

Song Group Building. President’s Office. Since noticing Nan Pei’s changes, Song Jingchen couldn’t help but be curious, investigating Nan Pei’s investments in Lujin City, focusing on e-sports and entertainment. However, his subordinates reported they couldn’t find any investments by Nan Pei. This might be due to the Nan family’s protection, or perhaps… Nan Pei had a sense of self-preservation?

The more he couldn’t find, the more curious Song Jingchen became. It was the first time he felt such curiosity about someone. Ten minutes later, Nan Pei entered the company, heading straight to the president’s office without hindrance. Since Song Jingchen agreed to let Nan Pei accompany him for business talks and accepted his flowers, Secretary Candy sensed a subtle change in their relationship.

Due to Candy’s instructions, no one stopped Nan Pei in the company. They were all curious, though—why did Song Jingchen, who outwardly disliked Nan Pei, tolerate his actions? No one knew the answer.

Seeing Song Jingchen, Nan Pei presented a rose, “Jingchen Gege, here’s today’s flower for you.”

Song Jingchen glanced at Nan Pei, predictably frowning, “Why is it still such a tacky flower?”

Nan Pei felt a bit embarrassed, “Because roses represent my affection for you.”

Song Jingchen stared at Nan Pei for a while, unexpectedly refraining from harsh words, instead asking, “What brings you here today?”

His tone was somewhat cold, but his gaze remained on Nan Pei. “I heard Jingchen Gege wants to invest in new projects to make money,” Nan Pei said, “so I’m here to offer advice. I know a lot of exclusive information…”

Listening to Nan Pei’s “exclusive information,” Song Jingchen tapped his fingers on the desk, not speaking. “Jingchen Gege, by investing in these projects, whether in internet, finance, or real estate, you’ll surely gain long-term profits…”

Nan Pei spoke until his mouth was dry, yet Song Jingchen remained unresponsive. After finishing, Nan Pei looked at Song Jingchen, waiting for him to make a choice, which would significantly advance the career line.

However, after a while, Song Jingchen looked at Nan Pei, suddenly asking, “What projects have you been investing in lately?”

Nan Pei was taken aback, “My investments?”

“The e-sports and entertainment projects you’ve been busy with, according to your family,” Song Jingchen continued, “Which club, which company specifically?”

A chill ran down Nan Pei’s spine. Why was Song Jingchen interested in this?! Choosing his words carefully, he said, “Well… Jingchen Gege, I’m a novice investor, and my investments are likely to lose money, so…”

“When did you become so self-aware?” Song Jingchen raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his tone, “You know you’re not very bright?”

Nan Pei quickly said, “Jingchen Gege, I can only offer you some information from the Nan family regarding investments. As for my own projects… it’s better if you don’t know.”

Song Jingchen nodded, smirking, “Of course, I know your investments are bound to lose money.”

Nan Pei was puzzled—then why ask? To prevent further questioning, Nan Pei said, “Jingchen Gege, I’ll stop investing soon…”

Song Jingchen looked at Nan Pei, suddenly saying, “I can help you.”

His tone was serious, not joking. Nan Pei’s eyes widened in surprise, “What?!”

Song Jingchen interpreted his expression as delight. “Don’t get me wrong,” Song Jingchen crossed his legs, pursing his lips, “I’m not suddenly being kind. I just want to repay the money you gave me before. After all, I don’t want to owe you.”

Nan Pei hurriedly refused, “No need, that money was for you…”

“I can help you see if there are any issues with your e-sports club or entertainment company,” Song Jingchen continued, “If necessary, I can invest in these projects.”

Nan Pei anxiously said, “Really, there’s no need… Jingchen Gege, you’ll lose money.”

“Don’t worry about me losing money.” Song Jingchen smirked confidently, “With my ability, I can turn these projects around.”

Nan Pei firmly said, “Jingchen Gege, let’s not.”

Normally, being rejected like this would anger someone, making them retract their investment decision. But to Nan Pei’s surprise, Song Jingchen didn’t retract. He looked at Nan Pei, his expression changing, suddenly smirking, asking with interest, “Nan Pei, are you… playing hard to get?”

Nan Pei: “…”

He forgot one thing. With overbearing CEOs, the more you refuse, the more excited they get.

—

Author’s Note:

Nan Pei: May there be no overbearing CEOs in the world (except President Huo).