Chapter 9

Pei Mingshu hesitated for a moment, then quickly regained a gentle expression, and patted Mo Yin’s head, “If you don’t want to, that’s okay.”

Mo Yin lowered his head.

Pei Mingshu asked, “Are you tired? I’ll walk you back.” Mo Yin said, “Thank you.”

Pei Mingshu pushed Mo Yin to the door, then suddenly smiled, “On your first day here, I was the one who carried you up.”

Mo Yin looked at the steps; now there was a wheelchair ramp beside them, making it easy for him to come and go.

Just as Mo Yin was about to say something, Pei Mingshu’s hand fell.

Just like the day Mo Yin arrived at the Pei household, Pei Mingshu lifted Mo Yin up. Mo Yin caught a faint scent from his chest, and today there was also a hint of the fragrance of alcohol on Pei Mingshu.

Mo Yin grabbed his collar, and Pei Mingshu smiled down at him. His usual seriousness was replaced with a hint of drunkenness. “Didn’t I teach you to hold on to me?”

Mo Yin still held onto his collar, feeling the stiff collar of Pei Mingshu’s shirt scraping against his palms. After Pei Mingshu climbed the steps, Mo Yin seemed to gather courage and wrap his arms around Pei Mingshu’s neck.

Pei Mingshu tilted his head, and Mo Yin’s face buried in his chest was obscured. All he could see was Mo Yin’s dark hair hanging down. “Should I take you back to your room?”

“Mm,” Mo Yin obediently replied.

Pei Mingshu lifted his knee to push the door open.

Then he noticed that there was already someone in Mo Yin’s room.

“Pei Qing?”

Mo Yin immediately peeked his head out of Pei Mingshu’s embrace.

Pei Qing had already stood up from the sofa, holding a harmonica in his hand—the one Mo Yin had just given him.

“Haven’t you finished your private chat?” Pei Mingshu smiled as he placed Mo Yin on the edge of the bed. “Continue then.”

Pei Mingshu patted Mo Yin’s head and turned to leave, closing the door behind him.

Pei Qing silently stared at Mo Yin, watching as Mo Yin’s face turned from red to pale.

His gaze was chilling, devoid of any emotion.

Mo Yin gripped the bedsheet, silent, avoiding Pei Qing’s gaze as if afraid to meet it.

Pei Qing turned away, carrying the harmonica as he left.

After a while, a servant brought the wheelchair back to the door and said to Mo Yin, “Young Master, something seems to be wrong with Second Young Master. He looks terrifying.”

“Really?”

Mo Yin sat on the edge of the bed with the help of the wheelchair. “Someone must have provoked him.”

“Who would dare provoke Second Young Master?”

“Maybe someone did.”

Mo Yin exchanged a few jokes with the servant, who asked if he was hungry and wanted some supper.

In occasions like this banquet, where people were busy socializing, it was common for them not to eat enough. Pei Mingshu had instructed the kitchen to prepare some porridge in advance.

“Alright, I’ll have a little.”

The servant playfully stuck out her tongue. “I dare not ask Second Young Master if he wants to eat.”

“Then don’t ask,” Mo Yin blinked. “Maybe he’s full of anger.”

The servant chuckled at his remark and went to fetch the porridge.

*

Pei Qing resumed his cold war with Mo Yin. Initially, he used to drop Mo Yin off at school before going to the company for his internship. But for several days now, he had been driving straight to the company in the morning, completely ignoring Mo Yin. Even when they occasionally crossed paths at home, he would just walk past without acknowledging Mo Yin.

Mo Yin could only sit in the wheelchair and watch him leave without looking back.

Pei Mingshu came downstairs. With the weather getting warmer, he was dressed lightly. The cuffs of his navy blue vertical striped shirt peeked out from his black jacket. As he passed by, he casually ran his fingers through Mo Yin’s hair. “Having a fight?”

Mo Yin frowned slightly. “No.”

Pei Mingshu turned around. “Do you want me to help you make peace?”

Mo Yin’s expression stiffened. “We didn’t fight.”

Pei Mingshu smiled and shook his head. He wasn’t very interested in childish quarrels between kids. His energy was focused on the affairs of the company. Over the past few years, he had lived as he pleased, but now it was time for him to take responsibility and plug the holes in the company one by one.

Meetings followed one after another. Pei Mingshu had taken off his jacket, and his sleeves were rolled up to his forearms. He leaned in to talk to Ding Mohai when his phone, placed on the table, vibrated. Pei Mingshu glanced at it, looking slightly surprised, then gestured for Ding Mohai to be silent and answered the call.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Yin?”

Ding Mohai glanced at Pei Mingshu discreetly.

Pei Mingshu also found it quite surprising. Mo Yin rarely contacted him, if at all.

“I have a question…” Mo Yin’s voice hesitated over the phone. “Is Pei Qing at the company?”

Pei Mingshu raised an eyebrow, holding the phone to his ear as he asked Ding Mohai, “Is Pei Qing in the office right now?”

Ding Mohai replied, “Hold on a moment.”

Pei Mingshu relayed the same to Mo Yin.

Ding Mohai made a call, then after getting the exact information, said, “Yes, he’s in, right in his office.”

“He’s here,” Pei Mingshu replied.

“Okay, thank you, sorry for bothering, you can carry on with your work.”

Mo Yin hung up, and Pei Mingshu chuckled as he looked at his phone, then glanced at Ding Mohai, amusement in his eyes. “The kids had a tiff, and I’ve become the messenger.”

Ding Mohai smiled, “Second Young Master and Xiao Yin get along well.”

“Yeah, but it seems they’ve been quarreling these past few days, ignoring each other,” Pei Mingshu put down his phone and picked up some documents from the table, his fingers flipping through the papers. “It’s oddly amusing. After all, having a big family does make things lively.”

After finishing business with Ding Mohai, Pei Mingshu stood up, picked up a pen, and said, “Let’s go downstairs.”

The Youcheng Building had a total of forty-six floors and had been standing for quite some time. While it wasn’t considered top-tier among the city’s skyscrapers, looking up from the ground still felt like peering into infinity. The building’s mirrored surface was dazzlingly bright, creating a strong sense of oppression.

Mo Yin declined the driver’s offer to assist him upstairs, opting instead to push his wheelchair up the ramp himself.

The receptionist recognized Mo Yin’s face; no Youcheng employee would forget the significant impact of the 829 incident on the company. Seeing him in person for the first time, she was momentarily stunned, as if the distant “person involved in the incident” suddenly appeared before her.

“Can I go up?” Mo Yin asked softly. “I’m here to see Pei Qing.”

After recovering from her surprise, the receptionist quickly replied, “Of course.”

She wanted to offer help, but Mo Yin said, “Thank you, I can manage,” with a smile. “I know which floor he’s on.”

After Mo Yin wheeled himself away, the receptionist swiftly spread the news of his visit throughout the company’s private chat groups.

“He looks exactly like his ID photo!”

Then, she remembered Mo Yin’s smile as he sat in the wheelchair and couldn’t help but add, “So handsome, such a pity.”

Pei Qing was interning at the company, with a decent position and his own office. However, compared to Pei Mingshu, who held a position of authority as the Deputy General Manager, there was still a considerable gap. Pei Qing was working in his office when he heard some commotion outside.

Initially ignoring it, he couldn’t help but notice as the sounds drew closer. He frowned slightly, looking towards the office door.

“Knock, knock—”

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Pei Qing saw someone completely unexpected.

Every time Mo Yin appeared in an unfamiliar place, he attracted a lot of attention.

Firstly, the wheelchair was quite conspicuous, and coupled with the fact that a handsome young man like him was sitting in it, it naturally drew even more attention.

Although this attention wasn’t malicious, only curious, and some even well-meaning, they would speculate why such a young person was in a wheelchair. Was it an injury? How unfortunate. For Mo Yin, these well-intentioned, curious glances were just as cruel.

So Mo Yin avoided unfamiliar places, except for the Pei residence, the old Mo family house, and the school. He hardly went anywhere else.

Pei Qing understood this the best.

Though Mo Yin never said it to him, Pei Qing could feel it.

In those silent moments they spent together, many things had become clear without words.

But today, Mo Yin appeared in the company, with many eyes following him.

Mo Yin appeared calm, his hands resting on the wheelchair, looking as usual, as if he were at home. It was just that his Adam’s apple moved slowly, his voice slightly hoarse. “Good afternoon, let’s have lunch together today, okay?”

Pei Qing got up and closed the office door, shutting out those prying eyes.

Mo Yin spun the wheelchair around. “Are you busy?”

Pei Qing looked at him, and Mo Yin’s eyes twinkled. “If you are, forget about it.”

“How did you come here?” Pei Qing asked.

“The driver brought me.”

Pei Qing remembered that Mo Yin didn’t like to trouble the Pei family’s driver.

Once, when he was about to go out, Mo Yin quietly stopped him and asked if he could give him a ride down the mountain.

“To the nearest place where I can easily get a taxi, I’ll get off there. I want to go home for a while and don’t want to bother Uncle Zhang…” Pei Qing’s hands were in his pockets, his tone indifferent. “So you came to bother me?”

Mo Yin looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

“Figure it out on your own; I’ll be waiting for you at the entrance,” Pei Qing turned and left, but as promised, he waited for Mo Yin at the corner of the road outside the Pei residence.

From that day on, whenever Mo Yin wanted to go home, he would secretly come to find Pei Qing, creating many secret moments between them.

The office felt stuffy. Pei Qing wasn’t wearing his jacket, and he had unbuttoned a few buttons of his shirt, revealing his collarbones on both sides, giving him a somewhat unruly appearance, making him even more unapproachable. He still had a furrowed brow. “You came to find me for lunch?”

Mo Yin nodded.

“I’m busy.”

Mo Yin’s expression dimmed. “Never mind then.” He tried to move his wheelchair forward to open the door, but Pei Qing leaned against it, blocking the door handle. He looked up, and Pei Qing tilted his head, his gaze calmly scrutinizing Mo Yin. “I’m busy. You’re going to see Pei Mingshu instead?”

Mo Yin’s expression instantly became a mix of embarrassment and indignation. “Why do you always have to be like this?”

“What did I do?”

Mo Yin didn’t speak, just angrily stared up at Pei Qing.

Pei Qing looked at him coldly. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Knock, knock—”

The door behind them was knocked again. The lock was opened from the outside and pushed inward. The person outside exclaimed, and Pei Qing’s expression turned impatient for a moment. Then he turned his head aside, giving way, and the door swung open. Pei Mingshu opened the door and saw Mo Yin, immediately taken aback. “Xiao Yin?”

The top floor of the Youcheng Building had a rooftop garden with a restaurant, usually used to entertain distinguished guests.

Most of the sunlight was blocked by the awning. Pei Mingshu looked at the two people in the shade opposite him who weren’t speaking and felt a bit of a headache. Despite his helplessness, he couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Pei Mingshu had never had strong feelings towards Pei Qing, his illegitimate half-brother. He wouldn’t carry the grudges of the previous generation onto the next. Ultimately, it was his father who hadn’t done things properly. A man hesitating in matters of love and hurting two women at the same time.

Pei Jingyou was his father, and he couldn’t judge him further. However, Pei Qing was innocent. After enduring years of hardship outside, when he was brought back to the Pei family, Pei Mingshu hadn’t thought about how to scheme against or retaliate against him. That wasn’t what a cultured person should do. But he also couldn’t completely ignore any grievances towards Pei Qing.

Comparatively, Pei Mingshu was more natural in showing care towards Mo Yin. Mo Yin was completely unrelated, and the Pei family indeed owed him too much.

With these two having a conflict, Pei Mingshu didn’t know whom he should help.

Pei Qing had only average feelings towards his elder brother. He also couldn’t interfere or lecture him. As for Mo Yin, honestly, Pei Mingshu didn’t want to say a harsh word to him.

“Let’s eat first.”

Pei Mingshu smiled. “We’ll talk after lunch.”

Pei Qing’s face was cold, and Mo Yin’s expression stiff. Pei Mingshu’s face seemed to be smiling but not, and he wanted to sigh but held it in. Turning his head aside, he couldn’t help but find this scene somewhat amusing.

The restaurant’s dishes were quite good. There was a dish of blanched vegetables, tender beyond imagination, sweet and delicious. Pei Mingshu used the public chopsticks to pick a piece for Mo Yin’s bowl, very naturally. Mo Yin kept his head down while eating. Whenever his bowl got fuller, he would pick it up and eat. Pei Qing watched coldly from the side. Suddenly, he put down his chopsticks.

“Are you done eating?” Pei Mingshu asked.

Pei Qing stood up. “I’m going to work.”

He left, and Mo Yin held his bowl, watching him leave. When Pei Qing’s figure completely disappeared, he slowly turned his head, his expression twisted as he looked at Pei Mingshu, his eyes seeming to seek help.

Pei Mingshu said, “What’s going on between you two?”

Mo Yin whispered, “I don’t know.”

Pei Mingshu raised an eyebrow, feeling a faint sense of strangeness again, but he couldn’t quite explain it. He comforted, “He’s always like this. It might be okay in a few days.”

Mo Yin murmured in agreement.

After they finished eating, they drank some tea to cleanse their palates. Pei Mingshu mentioned that he was going to fly to another city later. He asked if Mo Yin wanted him to send him home first.

Mo Yin shook his head. “I’ll go back with Pei Qing.”

Pei Mingshu patted his head. “Then go ask him if he’s willing to go back with you now. If he disagrees, I’ll take you home. Understand?”

Mo Yin nodded in agreement. He went back downstairs to the floor where Pei Qing worked. It was lunchtime, and there weren’t many people in the office. He knocked on Pei Qing’s office door, and after waiting for a while, when he placed his hand on the door handle, the office door opened from the inside.

Pei Qing looked down at him coldly from the half-opened door.

Mo Yin’s mouth opened slightly as if he was about to say something, but Pei Qing reached out and pulled his wheelchair inside.

The door closed, and Mo Yin was lifted up by Pei Qing.

His lower body was paralyzed, and his upper body had become thinner and weaker than before. All he could do was firmly grasp Pei Qing’s collar with both hands, looking somewhat frightened and stubbornly at Pei Qing.

Pei Mingshu waited upstairs for a few minutes, glanced at his watch, and decided to go downstairs again.

He never expected to be worried about such things one day. Pei Mingshu shook his head with a smile in the elevator, feeling like he was finally going to do something an older brother should do.

The entire floor of the office was quiet. The two people who had been lying on their desks stood up to greet Pei Mingshu. He waved his hand to indicate they should continue resting, then knocked on Pei Qing’s office door. When he didn’t get a response, he sighed lightly and opened the door.

Pei Qing’s office was similar in size to his. It had a main office, a rest area, and a bathroom. Pei Mingshu pushed the door open and didn’t see anyone inside. He turned his head and heard some faint movements from the bathroom.

Pei Mingshu hesitated for a moment but decided to go over.

It wasn’t that he wanted to eavesdrop, but he was afraid Pei Qing might go too far and bully Mo Yin.

“Don’t…”

Pei Mingshu heard Mo Yin’s soft voice, and his eyebrows immediately furrowed. He reached out to twist the doorknob to intervene when he heard Mo Yin’s low, pleading, and somewhat coquettish tone, “I really don’t need to pee right now…”