"How was I bullying him?"
Pei Jiabei calmly countered Yan Qingdu's question. "Isn't that his job? Or do you not want the results as soon as possible, President Yan? Am I not doing this for the company's good?"
Who are you trying to manipulate, Assistant Pei?
"Whatever. Let me make this clear first: if he works so much overtime that he gets sick, you're responsible."
Yan Qingdu waved a hand, dropping the subject, though he made a point of adding, "I'm not taking the blame."
"Got it. Am I that kind of person? You're guarding against me like I'm a thief!"
Pei Jiabei looked at Yan Qingdu, a little speechless.
Yan Qingdu raised his eyes to glance at Pei Jiabei and gave a cold scoff.
"Ha. You made me take the blame plenty of times in grad school."
"I was just making the best use of what I had. You were the professor's favorite student anyway. He wouldn't scold you for making a tiny mistake."
Pei Jiabei shrugged as though this were only natural, utterly unapologetic.
Yan Qingdu: ...
It was precisely Pei Jiabei's brazen confidence and openness that left Yan Qingdu unable to stay angry.
Still, it had only been little things like breaking lab test bottles or wasting reagents and consumables. Yan Qingdu hadn't considered them a big deal.
Once, though, Pei Jiabei had damaged an extremely expensive machine through a calculation error and improper operation. He had owned up to that himself.
"Not saying I did it this time?" Yan Qingdu had teased him then.
"This one's going to get a public reprimand. You've got a reputation to keep, so I won't make you take the fall."
Pei Jiabei had joked with Yan Qingdu, pretending to be relaxed.
"How very kind of you."
Yan Qingdu had given