After finishing up his work, Qin Mingyuan left the office later than expected. He sent Yun Pei a message with the private room number he had reserved and told him to go ahead and order if he arrived before him.

Due to his work, Yun Pei had adjusted his schedule to accommodate him, and the restaurant they chose was close to the Qin Corporation headquarters, just a 15-minute drive away. However, Yun Pei’s journey from the Yun family villa was considerably longer.

There wasn’t much Qin Mingyuan could do about it. He was leaving for a business trip abroad in two days, and he needed to finish up the work at hand. The only option was to save as much time as possible.

This time, he chose a restaurant that specialized in nourishing and medicinal food. He had picked it mainly because of what happened the last time at his house.

Yun Pei had slipped and fallen in the bathroom, and when Qin Mingyuan had helped him up, he had noticed how frail his body was. Although the warm water had given his skin a healthy glow, he was still far too light when lifted.

Even if Yun Pei couldn’t walk, he still needed to maintain a healthy body—at the very least, he should be strong enough to leave an opponent bedridden for a few days after a fight.

Qin Mingyuan drove to the restaurant and, as he stepped out of the car, glanced at his watch. He was nearly 20 minutes late, so he quickened his pace, taking long strides toward the entrance.

The private room was on the second floor. When he opened the door, he saw Yun Pei sitting in his wheelchair, looking at his phone. Upon hearing the door, Yun Pei looked up, and Qin Mingyuan stepped in, closing the door behind him. “Sorry, I got held up at work.”

“It’s fine, I haven’t been waiting long,” Yun Pei put away his phone, watching as Qin Mingyuan sat down. “I went ahead and ordered. If there’s anything you don’t like, feel free to add more.”

“No need, I’m fine with anything.” Qin Mingyuan casually handed over a small gift bag he’d brought. “Ms. Zeng has been calling me multiple times, rushing me because of this.”

Yun Pei hesitated for a moment before accepting the bag. Inside was a small velvet box, and when he opened it, he found an intricately crafted brooch that was clearly expensive. He quickly closed the box and pushed it back. “Please thank Auntie for me, but I can’t accept such an expensive gift.”

Qin Mingyuan had expected this reaction. Without trying to persuade him further, he nodded. “Alright, I’ll give her your contact info. You can tell her yourself.”

“…That won’t be necessary. You can tell Auntie on my behalf,” Yun Pei replied, recalling how enthusiastic she had been the last time they met. If he had to speak to her directly, he probably wouldn’t be able to refuse.

Qin Mingyuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze steady. “If my words carried any weight, would this gift still be in my hands?”

Knowing how difficult it must have been for Qin Mingyuan to take time out of his busy schedule to meet him, it was clear he was also under pressure from his mother. Yun Pei bit his lip. “But…”

“She originally wanted to invite you over for dinner,” Qin Mingyuan interrupted before he could finish. “I managed to turn her down. This gift is the compromise.”

Yun Pei hadn’t realized that such a thing had even happened without his knowledge. It was already uncomfortable enough dealing with Qin Mingyuan—having dinner with his parents would have been unbearably awkward.

“Take it,” Qin Mingyuan added, seeing Yun Pei was wavering. “It’s something from her own fashion brand’s collection, not something she bought.”

Even though there was still a cost involved in making it, he had already made it clear enough. Any further refusal would seem ungrateful. “Alright, I’ll thank Auntie for her kindness. I’ll cover the meal today to make up for it.”

Qin Mingyuan didn’t argue and nodded in agreement.

The food had already been ordered before he arrived, and after a few more words between them, the waiter came in to serve the dishes.

Since the restaurant specialized in nourishing cuisine, all the dishes had a faint herbal fragrance, with light, brothy flavors. The chef’s skills were excellent, and despite the medicinal undertones, the food tasted very good.

Yun Pei glanced at the man quietly eating across from him, noticing his sharp, composed features. He remembered the first time they had eaten together, when Qin Mingyuan had ordered a bowl of bright red beef noodles topped with chopped chili peppers, indicating he likely enjoyed spicy food.

However, on these last two occasions, they had eaten at places with very mild-flavored food. Yun Pei realized that Qin Mingyuan might have been accommodating his own preferences.

This realization stirred something in him, but he didn’t dwell on it or try to confirm anything. He simply returned to eating.

After the meal, Qin Mingyuan still had a lot of work to finish, along with an afternoon meeting. They didn’t talk much, both focused on their food.

Once they were about three-quarters full, Qin Mingyuan casually asked, “Are you heading home after this?”

To his surprise, Yun Pei shook his head and hesitated before saying, “I’m going to the gallery.”

“The gallery?” Qin Mingyuan looked up at him. “Are you buying a painting?”

“No…” Yun Pei paused, figuring that since Qin Mingyuan already knew about his mother, there wasn’t much reason to hide it. “It’s my mother’s gallery. Her paintings are all displayed there, along with an art studio.”

Since Yun Haowei had always restricted her hobbies and career, she had never told him about it. The gallery was managed by professionals, and she would occasionally visit. To this day, no one in the Yun family knew she had opened such a place.

Although a driver usually took him there, they all knew about his love for painting, so they didn’t think much of it. He never allowed the driver to accompany him inside.

“What about your own paintings?” Qin Mingyuan asked, noticing the puzzled look on Yun Pei’s face. He clarified, “Are your paintings displayed there as well?”

“Yeah.” Yun Pei nodded. “Most of my paintings are sent there.”

The ones he wasn’t satisfied with were stored away, while the ones he liked were hung up for sale. Some that held special meaning were just exhibited. The gallery now had quite a few of his works in it.

He rarely showed his face, and the gallery and studio were still mostly run by the people his mother had originally hired, with only a few minor changes.

“What about that painting?” Qin Mingyuan didn’t specify which one, but he figured Yun Pei would understand.

Yun Pei instantly knew what he meant and was silent for a long time. His gaze fell on the plate in front of him, and after a while, he finally said, “That painting doesn’t deserve to be displayed in my mother’s gallery.”

His mother had been someone who loved life, and even though her marriage hadn’t been ideal, she had never been depressed. All her works were full of life, optimism, and energy.

After the car accident, there had been a period of darkness in Yun Pei’s life, and he used painting as a form of release, creating all kinds of ugly images. Even he didn’t want to look at them again, so he had destroyed them all.

At first, he had intended to destroy that painting as well, but after staring at the beam of light depicted in it, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He didn’t want to place it in his mother’s gallery, nor did he want to keep it nearby as a reminder of such a dark period in his life, so he had stored it away for a long time before eventually deciding to give it away.

He hadn’t expected it to end up in Qin Mingyuan’s hands, hung up so openly in his dining room, where it could be seen every day during meals.

When he had seen it at Qin Mingyuan’s house, his first reaction hadn’t been sadness anymore. Instead, it had been embarrassment. He couldn’t understand why Qin Mingyuan liked that painting so much.

Seeing the expression on his face, Qin Mingyuan didn’t press further and simply said, “Different works represent different stages in life. The style may change, but the meaning remains the same.”

Surprised by such a statement, Yun Pei was momentarily taken aback. He pressed his lips together and didn’t refute it.

Qin Mingyuan could tell that Yun Pei still had unresolved issues. After all, having a father who had cheated, a mother who had died, and losing the ability to walk would leave anyone with psychological scars.

Perhaps it was because of those emotions that Yun Pei had later made such extreme choices.

But now that many things had changed due to Qin Mingyuan’s presence, he had managed to connect with Yun Pei. He had started to lower his guard, and if anything went wrong in the future, it could still be dealt with in time.

However, Qin Mingyuan wasn’t in a rush. Things had to proceed slowly. Having said what he needed to, he didn’t press further. “Maybe next time, if there’s a chance, I can visit your gallery?”

Taking the cue to shift the conversation, Yun Pei nodded. “Of course.”

They continued eating, and Yun Pei glanced at the man again, feeling a bit amazed.

When they had first met, he had been highly defensive around Qin Mingyuan, and Qin had seemed cold and distant, giving the impression of being detached from everything.

It hadn’t been that long, yet now they were sitting here calmly having dinner together, chatting as if they were… friends.

Yun Pei paused, wondering, Are we friends now?

When Qin Mingyuan looked up, he saw Yun Pei biting down on his chopsticks, seemingly lost in thought. He reached out and tapped the table in front of him.

Yun Pei snapped out of it, meeting Qin Mingyuan’s gaze, and realizing he was still biting the chopsticks, quickly removed them, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Was it his imagination, or did the man’s eyes seem to hold a hint of amusement? Lowering his gaze, Yun Pei tried to change the subject. “By the way, did you talk to Yun Yuexian yesterday?”

Qin Mingyuan raised an eyebrow. “What, are you still worried I like him?”

Why did this conversation suddenly feel weird?

Caught off guard, Yun Pei quickly shook his head. “No, it’s just… I went downstairs to get some water yesterday, and I overheard him angrily shouting your name and smashing his phone.”

At the time, when Yun Yuexian had seen him, he hadn’t said anything and had stormed off with an angry look. Normally, whenever they crossed paths, Yun Yuexian would throw some jabs, though they rarely ended well for him.

Hearing this, Qin Mingyuan recalled what had likely happened. “He tried to invite me to lunch today, and I refused.”

“That’s all?” Yun Pei found it hard to believe. Although Yun Yuexian was proud and had a strong sense of self-respect, that didn’t seem like enough to anger him to that extent.

Qin Mingyuan shook his head and placed one hand on the table, resting his chin on it. “He kept messaging me, so I blocked him.”

Yun Pei was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt like laughing. He tried to hold it in, but a small smile escaped. “No wonder. If he finds out you had lunch with me, he’ll probably be furious.”

Seeing the rare smile on Yun Pei’s face, which made him look more alive than usual, Qin Mingyuan felt some of the stress from his work ease. “If you want to use me to annoy him, I don’t mind.”

This time, Yun Pei couldn’t hold it back. He laughed softly, his eyes curving into crescents. “In that case, he won’t just smash his phone. He might destroy the entire Yun family villa.”

Qin Mingyuan looked at him, his usually stern expression softening slightly. This, he thought, is probably how he’s supposed to be.

Raising a fist to his lips to stifle a smile, Yun Pei turned his head, glancing at the man whose aura seemed less imposing than usual. He even made a rare joke. “I’d better avoid messaging President Qin too much, then, or I might be the next person to get blocked.”

The young man tilted his head slightly, meeting Qin Mingyuan’s gaze with a lingering smile in his eyes. Without the usual defensive spikes, he looked soft and gentle.

Qin Mingyuan’s fingers twitched slightly. He had the sudden urge to pinch Yun Pei’s face but held back the impulse. He lowered his gaze briefly before looking back up. “I wouldn’t block you.”

Yun Pei froze, his dazed expression reflected in Qin Mingyuan’s calm eyes. Those eyes, usually cold, now gazed at him openly without avoidance.

The atmosphere between them seemed to shift slightly, and Yun Pei’s heart rate picked up as he turned his face away, breaking eye contact.

Qin Mingyuan, puzzled by Yun Pei’s sudden silence, raised an eyebrow and looked away. Had he said something wrong?