New Neighbor

When he saw the message from Huo Sili, Pei Jiaqian was being scolded by his father for getting too close to Ye Qingpu during the team-building event.

With Jian Wen crying beside them until his eyes were red, Pei Jiaqian had nearly gotten beaten up. Although Pei Shuang stopped their father, he only had a good enough reason to leave indignantly after taking a slap.

He drove to the house he had recently bought, leaned back on the sofa, and called Ye Qingpu.

The first call went unanswered, so he called again.

"Just finished a meeting. What is it?"

Ye Qingpu's tone was calm.

"Brother, Huo Sili went to see you?"

Pei Jiaqian frowned unconsciously.

"Mm."

"What did he want with you...?"

"He said he wanted to submit a cooperation proposal to me in his personal capacity."

Hearing the faint pride in Ye Qingpu's voice, Pei Jiaqian gave a helpless chuckle, his tone softening considerably.

"Brother, don't have too much contact with him. He isn't a good person."

"Tsk, but he's willing to work with me."

"Ha, got it, you childish brat. I apologize for rejecting your proposal before."

"Who wants your apology?"

"I want to apologize to you."

"Tsk, who cares?"

"I care about apologizing. I care about making you happy."

"...Got it. Shut up."

"Okay~ Brother, what are you planning to eat tonight?"

"Coconut chicken? It's still early. We'll talk about it later... Why are you asking?"

"Then I'll make coconut chicken tonight. I'll pick you up this evening~"

"No... Who asked you to make it? Who said I wanted to eat with you..."

"Alright, goodbye, Brother!"

Before the other person could finish, Pei Jiaqian cut him off and swiftly hung up.

He happily checked the fridge, then happily went downstairs, got in his car, and drove to the supermarket.

Sitting in his office chair, Ye Qingpu looked helplessly at the disconnected call.

Why did this person always like making decisions on his own...

When the assistant came in with documents, he noticed a faint smile on his boss's lips. He wondered if he had seen wrong. Why was his boss smiling while reviewing a document?

But he said nothing, merely setting down the materials before quietly leaving the office.

Ye Qingpu suddenly found himself looking forward to getting off work. After finishing the last sip of medicine from his thermos, he left his office right on time.

"The boss is getting off work so enthusiastically today."

"Maybe he has something urgent."

"Don't try to guess what the boss is thinking, and don't open the boss's whiskey... Wri, that rhymed."

"Let's get off work too. The boss said that anyone who isn't eager to get off work has something wrong with their head."

Ye Qingpu only caught part of the employees' chatter. He took the private elevator downstairs, pulled out his car keys, and headed straight for the underground parking garage.

The instant he pulled open the car door, a strong hand suddenly reached out from behind him. Ye Qingpu jumped in fright, then frowned when he saw who it was.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I know now."

Pei Jiaqian looked thoughtful.

"Know what?" Ye Qingpu eyed him suspiciously.

"Brother startles easily."

As he spoke, Pei Jiaqian shut the car door Ye Qingpu had opened and took the keys from his hand.

"Give them back."

Ye Qingpu held out his hand, looking at him with some helplessness.

Pei Jiaqian shook the car keys in his hand.

"Brother, I said I'd come pick you up, so I specifically drove here."

As he spoke, he took Ye Qingpu's outstretched hand.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let go!"

Ye Qingpu shook his hand and lowered his voice.

"Don't be shy~"

Pei Jiaqian ignored him and pulled him to the passenger seat of his own car, then fastened his seat belt for him.

Ye Qingpu noticed the ring on Pei Jiaqian's left ring finger, and his gaze darkened.

"Why is that ring on your hand?"

Pei Jiaqian settled into the driver's seat, raised his hand to inspect it, and chuckled.

"I dug it out of the trash myself."

When Jiang Jifu had thrown him that box, Pei Jiaqian had known that Ye Qingpu must have originally tossed the ring away as garbage.

Ye Qingpu's expression stiffened.

He instinctively grabbed Pei Jiaqian's hand for a look. Whether because the man had gotten much thinner over the past month or because he had put it on the wrong finger, the ring looked a little loose.

Ye Qingpu's gaze fell on the ring Pei Jiaqian was using as a ring setting. He tentatively twisted it around once, then looked up and asked,

"This ring setting is the latest limited-edition fashion piece released by a famous French jewelry designer? You're using it as a ring setting?"

Pei Jiaqian nodded, looking at him with amusement.

"Are you some kind of prodigal son...?"

Ye Qingpu looked probing. Using a ring with a presale price of around eight million as the setting for a ring custom-made for two million... Even if he had money, this was no way to spend it.

"Brother, come closer and take a careful look." Pei Jiaqian's eyes curved into a lovely arc.

Half doubtful, Ye Qingpu grabbed his hand and leaned closer to inspect it.

The moment he lowered his head, Pei Jiaqian lifted his hand slightly, letting the ringed finger brush lightly across Ye Qingpu's warm lips.

"Hey..."

A faint smile slipped into Ye Qingpu's expression.

"Thank you for the hand-kiss, Brother."

Pei Jiaqian smiled gently, fastened his seat belt, and started the engine.

As the car left the underground garage, a black figure holding a camera emerged from the dark corner.

Neither of the two in the car noticed. While waiting at a red light, Pei Jiaqian finally asked the question he had been curious about.

"Brother, why did you think of giving me a ring as a birthday present?"

Ye Qingpu looked slightly uncomfortable. He turned his head and shifted his gaze outside the window.

"If you don't tell me, Brother, I'm going to start spreading rumors."

Pei Jiaqian raised a hand and hooked a finger around the slightly reddened edge of his ear.

Ye Qingpu shot him an embarrassed, angry glare before awkwardly speaking.

"I just thought... your hands were pretty. They'd probably look even better with some accessories."

Pei Jiaqian found the answer somewhat unexpected. He had thought it was some sort of special fetish, but his eyes were filled with affection as he brushed aside the loose strands of hair by Ye Qingpu's temple.

"Thank you, Brother. I really like it, but I hope next time it won't be given to me as a birthday present."

Ye Qingpu understood what he meant, but did not respond.

Pei Jiaqian smiled and started the engine again.

As they turned past an intersection, Ye Qingpu caught sight of Jiang Wenke dressed as a waiter. He rolled down the window to confirm it, only for the person beside him to pinch his cheeks and turn his head back.

Ye Qingpu slapped away the hand pinching his chin and glared at him.

"Don't look at other people. Focus on me right now."

Pei Jiaqian's tone was unusually domineering. With one hand on the steering wheel, he provocatively pinched Ye Qingpu's lean but silky-smooth cheek.

"President Pei, you've crossed the line. At most, we're business partners."

Ye Qingpu adjusted his posture and sat properly.

"Oh~~" Pei Jiaqian dragged out the last syllable, sounding thoroughly smug.

"Brother, are you hinting that you want me to give you a proper status?"

"Bullshit."

"Then how about I give Brother a proper status?"

"Who cares?"

"Does Brother want to keep an ambiguous, undefined relationship as bed partners forever?"

"I'm not interested in an engaged Enigma, and I'm even less interested in being a mistress."

"Oh~~ Brother is hinting at me, right?"

"Who's hinting at you?! Focus on driving!"

"Okay~" Pei Jiaqian answered with a grin.

As the buildings on both sides flew backward, Ye Qingpu gradually realized something was wrong.

"To my place?"

This road clearly led to his river-view luxury apartment. Why did it feel like Pei Jiaqian knew the way so well?

Pei Jiaqian merely smiled without answering.

Not until the car pulled steadily into the underground garage.

Pei Jiaqian held Ye Qingpu's hand as they entered the elevator.

Unable to break free, Ye Qingpu let him hold his hand and tuck it into his coat pocket.

When the elevator reached its floor, Ye Qingpu became certain that this man had come specifically for his home.

Just as he was wondering how Pei Jiaqian would ask him to open the door, Pei Jiaqian entered a password into the door opposite his.

Under Ye Qingpu's stunned gaze, Pei Jiaqian stood beside the opened door and tilted his head slightly.

"You..."

Ye Qingpu was at a loss for words. This floor had two units: one was a river-view luxury apartment, the other a river-view duplex. The layout was cleverly designed so that the two households were equally matched.

If he remembered correctly, his neighbor was not Pei Jiaqian... Could the previous owner have been Pei Jiaqian's friend or relative?

"Brother really wears his thoughts on his face. You look so unreadable at work, too."

Pei Jiaqian knocked on the door, trying to draw him back from his thoughts.

Ye Qingpu's face reddened, and he let Pei Jiaqian pull him inside.

Pei Jiaqian pressed him into a chair, took off his coat, and pulled out the prepared dishes from an insulated food container while handing Ye Qingpu a bottle of juice with a straw already inserted.

Ye Qingpu looked at the appetizing dishes on the table in surprise—he had never realized Pei Jiaqian was actually quite a good cook.

"There, the coconut chicken you said you wanted."

Pei Jiaqian put a chicken drumstick into his bowl, then added a piece of fish with all the bones removed.

"That's too much. I can't eat it all."

Ye Qingpu silently pushed the bowl, nearly overflowing with food, closer to himself.

"About a month ago, I bought this place," Pei Jiaqian said proactively.

"About a month ago?"

Ye Qingpu was somewhat surprised. That meant he and Pei Jiaqian had been neighbors for quite some time?

"I bought it from the original owner at double the price~ I only moved in a few days ago after doing some renovations."

As Pei Jiaqian spoke, he did not forget to pick fish bones from the meat for Ye Qingpu. This man was so thin it made one's heart ache. He was clearly the richest man in Harbor City, yet his chin was pointed, his waist could be encircled with one hand, and his legs were even more absurdly thin—like chopsticks, without exaggeration. Someone with slightly larger hands could grasp his thigh with one hand. The only part of him with any flesh left was the root of his thighs.

When he had hugged him during the company team-building event, Pei Jiaqian had realized that even Ye Qingpu's little perky ass had nearly wasted away. He had silently begun devising a personal nutrition plan for him.

From now on, he would personally look after Ye Qingpu's three meals a day.