The two of them talked a bit, and the atmosphere remained fairly relaxed as they finished lunch.

Yun Pei had a small appetite, while Qin Mingyuan ate a bit more. The portions weren’t large, so they both ate just the right amount, with almost no waste.

After leaving the private room, Qin Mingyuan suddenly felt the need to visit the restroom. Before leaving, he asked, “Do you need to go? I can push you over.”

Yun Pei’s fingers, resting on the armrest, tightened slightly before he shook his head and declined. It was inconvenient for him to use the restroom in public, and he was used to holding it in.

He hadn’t drunk much of the water the man had given him earlier, knowing they’d be heading back soon after the meal. He had drunk a bit more soup earlier, but the urge wasn’t too strong yet.

Understanding Yun Pei’s pride, Qin Mingyuan didn’t insist. “Alright then, you can head to the entrance. Find a quieter spot.”

“Mm, I’ll be fine,” Yun Pei waved him off. The driver had contacted him earlier and was on his way, though he might take a little longer to arrive.

Watching as the man walked toward the restroom, Yun Pei maneuvered his wheelchair out of the restaurant. By this time, there weren’t many customers left, and no one paid him any attention.

After turning past a screen, he found himself near the kitchen corridor, just across from the main entrance. But this short stretch of the journey came with a small mishap.

Perhaps because there were fewer customers, the restaurant’s staff weren’t as cautious at blind corners. A server, moving too quickly, collided directly with Yun Pei’s wheelchair. The large cup of freshly squeezed orange juice in her hand slipped and spilled all over him, not a drop spared.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry! Are you alright? I-I didn’t mean to!” The server was startled and hurriedly apologized, looking flustered and unsure of what to do.

Drenched in orange juice, Yun Pei’s entire head and body were soaked. The orange-yellow liquid trickled down his collar, quickly soaking through his clothes. Feeling a bit helpless, he raised his hand to wipe his face with a relatively dry sleeve.

Should he be grateful that it wasn’t hot soup? Otherwise, he’d probably lose a layer of skin.

“I’m really sorry, let me wipe that for you.” The server, realizing belatedly that he was wiping himself, hastily pulled tissues from her pocket and awkwardly dabbed at the juice in his hair, though she didn’t dare touch his clothes.

The server was quite young, and she was so flustered that her eyes were red with panic. Yun Pei sighed and took the tissues from her, wiping his neck himself. “It’s fine.”

Given the situation, they had to inform the manager and sincerely apologize.

When Qin Mingyuan came out of the restroom and headed to the entrance to find Yun Pei, he saw a small group gathered around the wheelchair, talking about something.

Startled, he quickened his pace. As he got closer, he saw Yun Pei in a rather sorry state and frowned, scanning the group. “What happened?”

The restaurant owner, a slightly plump middle-aged woman, noticed his cold expression and felt a jolt of nervousness. She quickly said, “You must be this gentleman’s friend. I’m terribly sorry. One of our servers wasn’t watching where she was going and spilled juice all over this gentleman. We sincerely apologize.”

Hearing this, Qin Mingyuan glanced at Yun Pei, who looked up at him. His hair was still wet, clinging in strands to his forehead, and there was a faint smell of orange juice in the air.

Turning to the owner, he said, “How careless. If it had been hot soup, he could’ve been hurt.”

“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right. It was our mistake. To make up for it, we’ll waive the bill for this meal, and we’ll also cover the cost of cleaning the clothes. Don’t worry about it,” the owner said, bowing apologetically along with the server.

Yun Pei glanced at the server, who was holding back tears, and tugged at Qin Mingyuan’s sleeve. “It’s fine. I’m not hurt. Just take this as a lesson—be more careful next time.”

Since Yun Pei, the person involved, wasn’t bothered, Qin Mingyuan didn’t press the matter. Still, he frowned slightly, clearly not happy with the situation.

The owner and server thanked them profusely and insisted on refunding their money, accompanying them all the way to the door.

Watching Yun Pei tug at his sticky clothes, clearly uncomfortable from the half-dry juice, Qin Mingyuan commented, “You know, you didn’t have to sacrifice yourself just to save me some money.”

Yun Pei looked up at him, feeling that the joke lost half its effect with the man’s expressionless delivery.

Seeing how uncomfortable he was, Qin Mingyuan paused and then suggested, “I live nearby. How about you come over to take a shower?”

Yun Pei hesitated, instinctively declining, “It’s fine. My driver will be here soon. I can just wash up at home.”

“It takes nearly an hour to get to the Yun family villa from here. Can you really stand that long?” Qin Mingyuan countered.

Forget an hour—Yun Pei couldn’t even bear it for another minute. The sticky sensation from the juice was unbearable, and wiping it down had hardly helped.

Plus, he didn’t want to return home looking so disheveled in front of Huo Lijuan. He hesitated for a moment.

“Come on, don’t waste any more time,” Qin Mingyuan made the decision for him. “My apartment’s just five minutes away by car. Tell your driver to pick up some clothes for you on the way—he should know your size, right?”

With the offer laid out so plainly, Yun Pei no longer hesitated. After all, Qin Mingyuan didn’t mind, so why should he? “I’ll text him.”

In the end, Yun Pei got back into Qin Mingyuan’s car. The confined space made the scent of orange juice even more noticeable, to the point where Qin Mingyuan started craving some.

The Maybach smoothly returned to the upscale neighborhood where Qin Mingyuan lived, entering through the underground parking garage.

After parking the car, Qin Mingyuan helped Yun Pei out of the vehicle, and even he felt like he was starting to smell like oranges.

Since the car accident in his childhood, this was Yun Pei’s first time visiting someone else’s home. He wasn’t there as a guest, but rather to borrow a bathroom. His face remained calm, though internally, the experience felt a bit odd.

As the elevator doors closed, the reflection of the two men appeared on the metallic surface. Qin Mingyuan hadn’t expected a spontaneous outing to result in bringing a guest back to his place.

Arriving at the apartment floor, Yun Pei, still carrying the lingering scent of oranges, followed Qin Mingyuan out. They waited as Qin Mingyuan unlocked the door with his fingerprint.

The decor inside Qin Mingyuan’s apartment was minimalist, with clean, sharp lines and no excess decorations. It matched his cold personality.

Since he lived alone and rarely had guests, the cleaning lady would wear shoe covers, so there were no extra slippers for visitors.

But Yun Pei’s feet never touched the ground, and his shoes were probably cleaner than any slippers in the house.

Out of courtesy, though, Yun Pei still took off his shoes and placed them neatly by the door. After all, his feet remained on the footrest anyway.

“The bathroom’s over there. There’s a clean bathrobe you can use,” Qin Mingyuan said, gesturing toward the bathroom. “Do you need any help?”

“No, I can manage on my own,” Yun Pei responded. He didn’t want to become completely reliant on others because of his legs. At first, it had been hard to adjust, but over time, he had practiced and managed to do most things himself.

He maneuvered his wheelchair forward, and as he passed the open-concept dining area, a painting hanging on the wall caught his eye. He instinctively stopped.

Following his gaze, Qin Mingyuan glanced at the painting and explained casually, “That wall was just empty.”

The painting was dark and heavy, and Yun Pei wondered how it didn’t affect one’s appetite. Pressing his lips together, he pretended not to notice and continued forward.

Though he said he didn’t need help, Qin Mingyuan followed him into the bathroom, arranging the bath products from the shower onto the edge of the bathtub, since Yun Pei would likely only be able to use the tub.

He also took the neatly folded towels and bathrobe from the high shelf and placed them where Yun Pei could easily reach them. Before leaving, he added, “The tub’s clean—the cleaning lady comes regularly, and I rarely use this bathroom. You can use it without any worries. If you need anything, just call me.”

Yun Pei thanked him and watched as the man closed the door. He turned his gaze to the towels and bathrobe placed thoughtfully on the small stool by the bathtub, his eyes softening. Cold and distant as he seemed, Qin Mingyuan was actually quite attentive.

He moved his wheelchair forward, turned on the bathtub faucet, and began slowly undressing.

Once outside, Qin Mingyuan could still faintly smell the orange juice. Glancing at his shirt, he realized it must have gotten some juice on it when he helped Yun Pei in and out of the car.

He returned to his room and changed into a more formal dark blue shirt, swapping out his pants as well. Since he had to head to the company later, he figured he could just throw on a jacket over it.

After changing, he went to his en-suite bathroom, tidied up his hair in front of the mirror, and, satisfied with the result, emerged once again as the composed President of Qin Corporation.

Recalling a thought that had crossed his mind earlier in the car, he headed to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and found a few oranges among the prepped fruits.

He took them out, peeled them, cut them into pieces, and placed them in the juicer. Soon, the soft hum of the juicer filled the kitchen.

After washing his hands, Qin Mingyuan walked over to the balcony and called Zhou Yang to check in on the company’s status and to inform him he might be a bit late.

Sunlight streamed over him, and as he looked up into the light, his eyes narrowed, and his dark pupils took on a slightly lighter shade of brown in the golden glow.

The phone rang for a while before Zhou Yang finally picked up, addressing him as “President Qin.” For some reason, Qin Mingyuan felt a hint of guilt in Zhou Yang’s tone, but he didn’t press the matter. “Why did you take so long to answer?”

Caught off guard by the cold question, Zhou Yang stammered a bit before explaining that he had been in the restroom and hadn’t brought his phone with him.

Qin Mingyuan wasn’t interested in his assistant’s bathroom habits and briefly inquired about the company’s status. After hearing that there were no major issues, he informed Zhou Yang that he’d be running late due to some personal matters.

Zhou Yang quickly agreed, and just before Qin Mingyuan could hang up, he asked if he was at home. Qin Mingyuan replied with a simple “mm.”

After ending the call, Qin Mingyuan couldn’t shake the feeling that his assistant was being a bit sneaky. But aside from work, Zhou Yang often seemed a bit scatterbrained, so Qin Mingyuan didn’t bother to dig deeper.

If it weren’t for Zhou Yang’s competent work and lack of any serious mistakes, Qin Mingyuan would’ve fired such an unreliable assistant long ago.

By the time the call ended, the juicer had finished its job. Qin Mingyuan washed two glasses and poured the orange juice into them. The orange-yellow liquid looked quite appealing in the glass.

He picked up one of the glasses, took a sip, and found the taste quite good—probably because of the quality of the oranges.

Just as he was taking another sip and swallowing it, there was a sudden noise at the door, as if someone was opening it. Qin Mingyuan frowned. It wasn’t supposed to be the cleaning lady’s day.

He set the glass down and walked over, just as the door opened to reveal a woman standing outside.

She had long, wavy hair and was wearing expertly tailored clothes that flattered her figure. Though Qin Mingyuan couldn’t immediately place her, she seemed oddly familiar.

“Surprise!!” The woman raised her hands excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

That familiar enthusiasm clicked something in Qin Mingyuan’s memory—she was the original owner’s mother, Zeng Lianyi.

“My darling, did you miss me?!” Zeng Lianyi stepped inside, casually tossing her bag onto the shoe cabinet in the entryway, and rushed forward to give her beloved son a hug.

Caught off guard, Qin Mingyuan stiffened as she hugged him. The unfamiliar warmth and the scent of high-end women’s perfume made him freeze, unsure of how to respond to her affection.

Even though he was startled, when she pulled back a little and leaned in for a cheek kiss, he firmly refused.

Zeng Lianyi pouted in disappointment, cupping his face in her hands. “Darling, it’s been so long since we last saw each other. Why are you still so cold toward your mom?”

Qin Mingyuan gently removed her hands from his face, opening his mouth to say something, when suddenly, there was a loud noise from the bathroom.

Zeng Lianyi’s eyes widened in confusion as she looked over his shoulder. “Darling, do you have someone else here?”

Qin Mingyuan turned around—it was Yun Pei!