Let This Accident Last a Little Longer

Jiang Jifu asked who they were picking up, but Ye Qingpu did not say. He only looked somewhat conflicted.

It was not until the assistant parked the car outside the hospital according to the address that Pei Jiaqian, already changed into his own clothes, waved at the people in the car with a flamboyant smile.

"Who's that? Your sugar baby?"

Jiang Jifu looked at the person walking over, then at his uncle. Didn't his uncle like sweet, soft little omegas? When had he switched to a top male model? And why did this model look so familiar...

"What are you thinking?" Ye Qingpu shot him a glance.

The assistant got out to lend a hand.

Pei Jiaqian's crutch was retractable. He folded up the forearm crutch and set it beside the seat.

"Good evening, Brother."

The moment he turned his head, Pei Jiaqian flashed a bright smile.

"Mm."

Seated between them, Ye Qingpu introduced them.

"This is Jiang Jifu, my nephew, an A-rank alpha."

"This is Pei Jiaqian, the young master of CR Group."

The two tilted their heads slightly and met each other's eyes. With Jiang Jifu's barely audible scoff, the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

Sensing that something was off, Ye Qingpu hesitated to speak.

Jiang Jifu took out his phone, shifted slightly to the side, found a contact gathering dust in his address book, and quickly typed and sent a message.

Jiang: "Deputy Instructor Pei, your white moonlight has returned. The white moonlight you claimed you came back to pursue... is my uncle? /black guy question mark jpg."

puppy: "Is that a problem?"

Jiang: "Fuck, that's my uncle. I thought you were a decent guy, but you want to become my uncle's... uncle-in-law!"

puppy: "You know what should and shouldn't be said. /death smile jpg."

Jiang: "Are you threatening me?"

puppy: "A friendly reminder."

Jiang: "Fine. I won't impeach you, and you don't tell my uncle about that crap I did abroad. We'll stay out of each other's business."

As Pei Jiaqian silently put away his phone, the wordless negotiation came to an agreement.

"...You two knew each other before?"

Ye Qingpu glanced at the two men on either side of him and asked.

"Of course not. First time meeting, President Pei."

"We don't know each other. Nice to meet you."

They answered in unison.

Ye Qingpu nodded thoughtfully.

No one spoke again for the rest of the drive.

It was not until the car left the highway and drove for a while that it stopped in front of a detached villa.

The assistant was the first to breathe a sigh of relief. For some reason, the atmosphere had felt oppressive the whole way.

Jiang Jifu helped carry the groceries into the yard.

Leaning on his forearm crutch, Pei Jiaqian looked around.

The villa complex was brightly lit at the moment. Unknown flowers grew in the yard of Ye Qingpu's standalone villa, blooming lushly.

"Brother, why did you want to invite me?"

Pei Jiaqian asked. When he had been lying in his hospital bed and saw Ye Qingpu message that he had gotten off work, he had felt a powerful urge to see him.

When Ye Qingpu suddenly asked whether he wanted to barbecue together, he had practically sprung out of bed. After hurriedly replying, he washed his hair, dressed up, changed into his own clothes, and obediently waited outside the hospital.

"Didn't you say you were bored in the hospital?"

Ye Qingpu replied.

"Besides, you're hospitalized because of me."

"Oh."

Pei Jiaqian nodded. So it was because Ye Qingpu felt guilty.

Ye Qingpu glanced at him and stuffed a bag into his hands.

"What are you thinking about? Help carry the ingredients inside."

"Brother, I'm a patient."

Pei Jiaqian looked at him pitifully.

"A patient isn't dead. Hurry up and carry it."

As Ye Qingpu spoke, he carried several large bags into the yard.

Pei Jiaqian watched the man in a suit getting ready to barbecue and smiled helplessly. What was he supposed to do when the omega he liked was occasionally so heartless?

There was nothing to be done. He was adorable, so Pei Jiaqian would spoil him.

The assistant quickly set out the grill pan and barbecue rack. Jiang Jifu found a huge bag of charcoal inside the house, then the two worked together to get the charcoal burning red while preparing the ingredients as they grilled.

Ye Qingpu took off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and helped watch the heat.

Sitting to one side, Pei Jiaqian stared openly, feeling that Ye Qingpu looked sexy and captivating from every angle.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jifu, who was preparing the ingredients, watched Pei Jiaqian turn into an eager front-row fan, holding up his phone to record. Grinning mischievously, he stepped over to block the camera and shoved a bag of garlic into Pei Jiaqian's arms.

"President Pei, could you please move those precious hands of yours and peel some garlic?"

"I'm a patient."

Pei Jiaqian gave him an indifferent look and turned slightly to keep holding up his phone.

"...I'll tell my uncle you're slacking off. My uncle won't like a lazy enigma." Jiang Jifu smiled pleasantly.

"I suddenly don't feel that sick anymore. I'm so diligent I could probably peel twenty pounds of garlic in one go."

Pei Jiaqian smiled without warmth.

Ye Qingpu silently watched the commotion over there and failed to notice how hard he was fanning the coals. The strong gust made the charcoal flare into towering flames.

Startled, Ye Qingpu hurriedly threw down the fan and rapidly turned the skewered meat.

One second he was flustered, and the next he was casually drinking black sesame paste mixed in a wineglass.

When they had passed the supermarket earlier, he had suddenly wanted to drink black sesame paste, so he bought some.

Since he had not hired anyone to clean the house for a while, Ye Qingpu casually grabbed a wineglass, washed it, boiled some water, and mixed himself a cup.

Pei Jiaqian found it incredible.

Back when he had been abroad, he had heard rumors about Ye Qingpu's half-dead, utterly relaxed demeanor.

Now that he was seeing it firsthand, Pei Jiaqian found himself deeply drawn to that calm sort of madness.

What Ye Qingpu displayed was not the steadiness accumulated over time. On the contrary, Pei Jiaqian thought he was far too adorable. Every word and action made him seem like an indignant pufferfish, or an occasionally docile little rabbit.

But overall, he was a down-to-earth richest man with no airs in private.

"The meat's done. Who wants some?"

Wearing gloves, Ye Qingpu held two skewers of grilled pork belly. When he looked up, he met Pei Jiaqian's puppy-like eyes.

His breath caught, and he walked straight toward him with the grilled meat.

Oil dripped onto his gloves. Ye Qingpu lowered his gaze, and the next second, the barbecue in his hand was snatched away by a flash of red.

Jiang Jifu held lettuce in one hand and chewed with a satisfied smile.

"Oh my, it tastes so good~ Uncle, your cooking keeps getting better and better."

"Ah..."

Pei Jiaqian ground his back teeth.

"Oh my, I didn't see President Pei. Mianhaeyo~ I thought you were too busy peeling garlic to eat~"

Jiang Jifu looked innocent and glanced at Ye Qingpu again.

"It's fine. The ones on the grill will be ready soon."

A faint smile flickered in Ye Qingpu's eyes.

"~Barbecue without garlic makes life feel like bullshit~ President Pei, I'll leave it to you~" Jiang Jifu turned around and smiled pleasantly.

Pei Jiaqian smiled back. It was just peeling garlic. Fine, he would peel it—peel ten pounds of it and stuff him to death.

"Um... would any of you like something to drink?"

The assistant lifted two cases of soju and asked tentatively.

"There's also red wine and beer."

"Open a few bottles first. I happened to buy sea salt lychee, so I'll mix some for you later." Jiang Jifu rolled up his sleeves and started grilling meat.

Ye Qingpu rarely drank in private, but perhaps the mood was right. He drank several glasses of mixed liquor.

The four sat around a folding table. Jiang Jifu lay back contentedly on the grass and pointed at the stars scattered across the sky.

"It's been so long since I felt this good... Ah, I feel like I need to start managing my figure."

Ye Qingpu reclined in his chair with his legs crossed, revealing a section of calf beneath his suit pants, held by a sock garter.

Pei Jiaqian quietly watched him: his slightly open shirt collar, his collarbones flushed from the faint buzz of alcohol, the pronounced veins on his rolled-up arms, his narrow waist even while seated, his straight legs in suit pants, and that faint scent of pheromones...

Ah, this was bad...

"I'm going to get some air."

Pei Jiaqian stood up and made his way to the backyard on his forearm crutch. Leaning beneath the eaves, he silently lit a cigarette.

Ye Qingpu laughing so happily, Ye Qingpu with his guard down, slightly tipsy Ye Qingpu, Ye Qingpu with unfocused eyes that made Pei Jiaqian want to bully him ruthlessly... Bad. Very bad.

He exhaled a cloud of smoke, and a faint smile suddenly appeared on Pei Jiaqian's lips.

"Smoking is prohibited here."

The sudden male voice startled Pei Jiaqian. He turned his head and found himself facing Ye Qingpu's teasing gaze as he leaned against a streetlamp.

"I'm kidding."

Seeing how flustered he looked, Ye Qingpu smiled as if his scheme had succeeded.

"Brother."

Pei Jiaqian quietly watched as Ye Qingpu came to lean beside him.

"Give me a cigarette."

Ye Qingpu held out his hand.

After a brief pause, Pei Jiaqian smiled indulgently, pulled a cigarette from the pack and brought it to Ye Qingpu's lips, then turned to light it for him.

"Something on your mind?"

Ye Qingpu exhaled smoke and narrowed his reddened eyes slightly as he looked at the person beside him. This man had not said a word since earlier, so Ye Qingpu had followed him out.

"No." Pei Jiaqian shook his head, looking exactly like someone with something on his mind.

Ye Qingpu fell silent. Then he tapped the ash from his cigarette with one finger and spoke in an extremely soft voice.

"Don't burden yourself too much. Didn't you say it yourself? You never expected turning me into an omega either. And I humiliated you before, didn't I? So let's both be happy and treat it as an accident."

Pei Jiaqian quietly watched him, his gaze shifting.

"Just don't let this get out. I've lived as a beta for so long already. Why would I be afraid of continuing to live as an omega? Compared to betas, omegas seem to have more of a voice anyway."

Ye Qingpu spoke unhurriedly, smiling comfortingly through the thin smoke.

Pei Jiaqian's breath tightened. He raised his head, held Ye Qingpu's chin, and kissed him.

The kiss was restrained and gentle, carrying tentative, ingratiating affection.

Ye Qingpu's eyes widened, but the smoke in his nose made him choke. Covering his mouth, he coughed several times.

Pei Jiaqian bent slightly at the waist, his thumb gently brushing Ye Qingpu's eyelid as he felt those long lashes flutter against his fingertip.

"Brother, can we let this accident last a little longer?"

It did not sound like a negotiation. There was an overbearingness in it that he rarely revealed. His eyes were gentle, his voice husky, and Ye Qingpu's heart trembled at the sound.