Warming Up

Since it was the last day of the team-building trip, Ye Qingpu planned to relax one last time before throwing himself wholeheartedly into work.

He deliberately avoided crowded places and troublesome people, carrying a folding chair and fishing rod to the river nearby.

He had assumed he was the only one old enough to enjoy activities that did not drain his energy—until he saw Jiang Wenke, who had apparently been sitting there for quite some time.

"Boss!"

Jiang Wenke instinctively stood up.

Ye Qingpu glanced at his bucket. Several fish had already taken the bait.

He waved for him to sit, then unfolded his chair beside him.

"You don't mind if I fish here?"

Ye Qingpu asked with a smile.

"Not at all."

Jiang Wenke answered promptly.

Ye Qingpu leaned back in the folding chair, baited his hook, and cast his line.

What could dispel sorrow? Besides Du Kang, there were activities that cultivated one's state of mind.

Ye Qingpu did not drink tea, meditate, or sit in quiet contemplation. He mostly slept. But when he was in a good mood, he would occasionally invite a business partner—or come alone—to find a quiet spot to fish, sitting there for hours at a time.

During those hours, he did nothing but focus on fishing. By the time he reeled in his final cast, he would realize he had successfully wasted several more hours.

Ye Qingpu thoroughly enjoyed that feeling of doing nothing.

"Boss, you don't look very well."

Jiang Wenke stared at the water, the tips of his ears unexpectedly red.

"Oh, I caught a bit of a cold recently."

Ye Qingpu replied.

Jiang Wenke was not surprised. He had heard of Ye Qingpu long ago and had even met him once before. Though Ye Qingpu had long forgotten it, Jiang Wenke remembered it clearly.

"By the way, did you just graduate from university?"

Ye Qingpu suddenly asked. If he remembered correctly, all the interns hired this year had only just graduated.

"More or less. I was in the military before."

Jiang Wenke explained.

He had been a soldier? Ye Qingpu could not help growing curious.

"Perhaps this is a little presumptuous... but are you a beta?"

Unexpectedly, Jiang Wenke nodded.

No wonder, Ye Qingpu thought.

In this world where the strong preyed on the weak, alphas were born with tremendous advantages in survival. Even omegas, however poorly off, could rely on alphas to survive. The relationship between the two was somewhat like that of a parasitic vine and its host.

But betas suffered relatively more unfair treatment, so many betas without the ability to go into business chose to enlist, then sought secure government jobs after leaving the military.

With that thought, Ye Qingpu's gaze held a touch of appreciation. To earn an internship at his company among so many well-off alphas and omegas, this beta clearly had some ability.

"How is it? The internship, I mean?"

Ye Qingpu asked.

"I'm busy every day, but it feels fulfilling."

Jiang Wenke answered.

Ye Qingpu chuckled. He was unexpectedly honest, but someone with that temperament would likely find it difficult to gain a foothold in society.

Honest people were easily taken advantage of. Those who suffered more losses took more detours. Once a person took too many detours, their mindset changed. Society's coldness had robbed many young people of intangible things—such as optimism and a positive outlook on life.

A sudden splash forcibly yanked Ye Qingpu from his thoughts. He looked speechlessly at the bare-chested man who had jumped into the water.

"Wow... it's so cold~"

Pei Jiaqian wiped the water off his face, moved close to Ye Qingpu, and deliberately shook droplets from his hair.

"My. Fish."

Ye Qingpu gave him a smile that did not reach his eyes, practically gritting the words out.

"Brother... I just wanted to play in the water beside you... Sorry..."

Pei Jiaqian looked somewhat apologetic.

"Did you have to get into the water here?"

Ye Qingpu gave the rod an exploratory tug. It would not budge, as if something had snagged the hook.

"Sorry, Brother."

Pei Jiaqian crouched beside Ye Qingpu, placing both hands over his crossed knees. His hair was wet, and so were his eyes.

Feeling that the hands on his legs were rather cold, Ye Qingpu raised an eyebrow and asked,

"Aren't you cold?"

"No."

Pei Jiaqian shook his head. Water slid down the perfectly defined lines of his muscles. He shot Jiang Wenke a brief glance before quietly looking back at Ye Qingpu.

...Like a large dog waiting for its owner to speak... Jiang Wenke startled himself with the thought, but he had to admit that it suited the scene before him perfectly.

"If you're not cold, go retrieve my hook."

Ye Qingpu pointed at the water.

Pei Jiaqian nodded, rose to his feet, and waded toward the middle of the river.

Ye Qingpu watched the clear water rise along Pei Jiaqian's well-proportioned, muscular legs until it reached his waist, leaving his mostly healed back exposed. At some point, the stitches in his back had been removed, and the wound had healed into nothing more than a faint scar.

Ye Qingpu suddenly found it rather funny.

What was this man, some kind of punching bag?

Why was he so obedient?

Pei Jiaqian dove into the water. Ye Qingpu saw the fishing line in his hand pull taut, then gave it an exploratory tug. It had loosened considerably.

Before long, Pei Jiaqian emerged holding the hook and slowly waded back toward the shore.

"Brother, you caught a big fish~"

Pei Jiaqian said mysteriously.

Seeing that his hands were empty, Ye Qingpu asked,

"Where's the fish? Did you let it go?"

"Me! The fish Brother caught is a handsome merman~"

Pei Jiaqian's eyes shone.

Jiang Wenke, sitting nearby, could not hold back a laugh. A handsome merman? The young masters from those prestigious circles around his boss were all quite humorous.

Pei Jiaqian's face darkened at the laughter. He cast a chilly glance at the unfamiliar man beside them who had just wrapped an arm around Ye Qingpu's waist.

Ye Qingpu took the hook back from his hand and teased,

"Are you some middle-aged man obsessed with cheesy jokes?"

"I'm not."

Pei Jiaqian refuted him with some disappointment. He had not thought much of it at first, but after Ye Qingpu put it that way, he actually felt embarrassed.

After Pei Jiaqian's interruption, Ye Qingpu no longer felt like fishing. He packed up his things and headed for the resort.

"Brother, is he from your company?"

Pei Jiaqian followed beside him, asking as he wrung the water out of his sleeveless shirt.

"Mm."

Ye Qingpu answered softly, studying him with an inquisitive look.

"Then can I intern at your company, Brother?"

Pei Jiaqian looked completely serious.

Ye Qingpu glanced at Jian Wen, who stood not far away, and smiled teasingly.

"President Pei should probably prepare to intern in marriage first—learn how to be a good husband."

With that, he picked up his pace on his own.

"Brother, wait for me."

Ignoring Jian Wen's gaze, Pei Jiaqian chased after him with an unconcerned expression.

"Stay away from me. I'm avoiding suspicion."

Ye Qingpu walked even faster.

"You touched and kissed me yesterday, but now you suddenly want to avoid suspicion? Brother, are you the kind of person who gets off and then refuses to acknowledge anyone?"

Pei Jiaqian sounded aggrieved.

"What nonsense are you saying?!" Ye Qingpu's ears reddened.

"I told him I don't like him. I'll cancel the engagement with him soon. I've told you many times that I only like you, Brother. Marking you wasn't just to prove that I belong to you—it was also to tell you that an enigma who loves you very much belongs to you."

Pei Jiaqian quickened his pace until he was walking alongside Ye Qingpu.

"Shut up."

Ye Qingpu's face grew redder and redder.

"Brother is embarrassed."

"I am not!"

"Then Brother has made me embarrassed."

"You're so noisy."

"Tch... You're obviously embarrassed~ You childish brat, refusing to admit it."

"Shut up!"

The employees resting in the shade nearby silently watched the inexplicable barrier surrounding their boss and their young master.

An employee said, "Damn... Have you noticed that the height difference and build difference between our boss and your young master are kind of... you know? Why does our beautiful boss look so... delicate in front of President Pei?"

Employee A said, "Are you Meifang? But I strongly agree with everything you just said."

Employee B said, "My eyes only see gay couples. Don't ask me."

Employee C said, "I talk dirty. I'm leaving first."