Drawing clear boundaries

Xi Jie agreed in the end.

Wu Jiangyuan added his contact information and said he would contact him ahead of time.

During the elevator ride, Pei Jinghe, who had remained silent the whole time, asked, "When's the interview?"

Wu Jiangyuan looked languid. "Depends on the company's arrangements."

He tilted his head and gave a teasing smile. "What, interested in your big brother Yuan's interview?"

At the words "big brother Yuan," something flickered in Pei Jinghe's eyes, and his lips curved slightly. "You look pretty happy being a big star."

"Of course. Did you think I'd just been playing house all these years?"

Wu Jiangyuan silently rolled his eyes at that.

"I just didn't expect it," Pei Jinghe said. "You're clearly someone whose enthusiasm never lasts, yet you've stuck with this for so long."

Feeling there was more to his words, Wu Jiangyuan turned toward him. "There are plenty of things you didn't expect. And you seriously underestimate me. When it comes to things I like, I'm even more persistent than you."

Pei Jinghe murmured, "Only things you like..."

He was talking to himself, so Wu Jiangyuan didn't quite catch it. He assumed Pei Jinghe was probably taking another jab at him.

He felt inexplicably annoyed. So in this guy's eyes, he was someone whose enthusiasm never lasted.

He felt underestimated, not just by Pei Jinghe, but by everyone.

Nobody thought much of his being a star.

But the less faith they had in him, the more Wu Jiangyuan wanted to prove every one of them wrong.

The elevator went straight to the underground parking garage. Wu Jiangyuan hadn't planned on riding back in Pei Jinghe's car.

But Pei Jinghe said, "Wu Jiangyuan, don't forget you owe me a turn as my driver."

At that, Wu Jiangyuan walked straight past him and got into the driver's seat first. After shutting the door, he rested his elbow on the window, took off his sunglasses, and raised his chin slightly.

"What are you standing around for? Get in. Your big brother Yuan will take you home."

He kept calling himself "big brother Yuan" in that teasing tone. Half of Pei Jinghe's face was hidden in shadow, his expression unreadable.

He watched Wu Jiangyuan for a long moment before leisurely opening the door and getting in.

Wu Jiangyuan said, "Address."

Pei Jinghe said nothing. Instead, he tapped the control panel twice, and a navigation route appeared before them.

Wu Jiangyuan glanced at it and clicked his tongue. The destination was Hao Garden.

That place was nearly thirty kilometers away. Even without traffic, it would take thirty minutes, never mind that it was rush hour.

So far.

He glanced at Pei Jinghe, who seemed to see right through his thoughts and smiled silently.

"Having second thoughts?"

His tone was like he was saying, "I knew you couldn't do it."

Wu Jiangyuan snorted. "Who's having second thoughts? I said I'd be your driver, so just sit tight."

He started the car.

Clearly, Wu Jiangyuan hadn't prepared himself enough. He'd known rush-hour traffic would be heavy, but he hadn't expected them to be barely able to move!

After leaving the residential complex, they hadn't even driven five kilometers before getting trapped on the road through the shopping district.

People and cars were everywhere, and the traffic lights could barely keep up.

Most importantly, there seemed to have been a rear-end collision up ahead, causing this massive traffic jam.

"Just my luck."

Looking dispirited, Wu Jiangyuan propped his face on one hand and tapped the steering wheel irritably with his index finger.

As his irritation mounted, he wanted a cigarette.

He had just slipped his hand into his pocket when he remembered the Bentley's owner was sitting beside him.

After a moment's internal struggle, he held back. He wasn't that brazen in someone else's car.

He checked the time. Before he knew it, it was almost eight.

"Pei Jinghe, I think you'd better walk home."

Wu Jiangyuan offered his sincere advice. "Or it'd be faster to call a helicopter to pick you up."

Pei Jinghe said, "If you can't sit still, let me drive."

"No." Wu Jiangyuan refused. "Then I'd owe you another free turn as your driver."

Pei Jinghe chuckled. "We're not even married yet, and you're already drawing such clear boundaries with me. Once we're married, will you divide up the territory in the house just as clearly?"

As it happened, Pei Jinghe's words reminded Wu Jiangyuan.

"You're right." His face was serious. "We'll need to divide up our territory then. Neither of us gets to cross the line."

Pei Jinghe said, "..."

He gave Wu Jiangyuan a bored glance and said nothing more.

Wu Jiangyuan, however, couldn't stay quiet anymore. He discussed it with Pei Jinghe in all seriousness.

"Actually, we don't have to live together then. As long as we work together, keeping it from our families shouldn't be a problem."

"It'll be a bit more trouble, but it'll give us both space to live our own lives."

"You don't like me anyway. If we live together, we'll only get on each other's nerves. What's the point?"

"Pei Jinghe, what do you think?"

After speaking, Wu Jiangyuan turned to look at Pei Jinghe, only to find that he had already closed his eyes for a nap.

He had no idea whether Pei Jinghe had taken in anything he'd just said.

At that moment, the congested road finally began moving. Wu Jiangyuan looked away and said no more.

The car moved in fits and starts until they finally drove out of the area packed with people.

Wu Jiangyuan glanced at the gloomy sky and had a bad feeling.

Judging by the weather, it looked like it was about to rain.

Sure enough, Wu Jiangyuan's hunch was right. It started raining while they were on the highway.

At first, it was only a drizzle, but it soon turned into a torrential downpour.

Wu Jiangyuan was so annoyed he almost laughed. Sure enough, being with Pei Jinghe brought nothing but bad luck.

Pei Jinghe had woken up and was looking down at his phone, unmoved by the downpour outside.

Wu Jiangyuan quietly pressed harder on the accelerator.

"Wu Jiangyuan."

Pei Jinghe's low voice reached his ears. "I'm not ready to be reincarnated quite so soon."

"..." Wu Jiangyuan glanced at the rearview mirror. "There aren't any cars around."

Wouldn't it be better to drive faster and get there sooner?

Pei Jinghe said flatly, "Anywhere can become an accident hotspot in heavy rain. At your speed, there probably won't even be time to try to save us."

"Fine, fine, I'll slow down. Wouldn't want to frighten our young master Pei."

Afraid he would keep nagging, Wu Jiangyuan slowed down.

Pei Jinghe said nothing more.

Thunder and rain accompanied them the whole way, and the downpour showed no sign of easing.

At last, they reached their destination-

After parking the car, Wu Jiangyuan said to Pei Jinghe, "Lend me your car. I'll drive it back to you tomorrow."

Pei Jinghe's hand paused on the door handle. He turned and asked, "You're going back now?"

Wu Jiangyuan said, "What else? If I hadn't driven you back, I'd be lying down at home by now."

Pei Jinghe said, "You can't go back."

Wu Jiangyuan said, "?"

Before he could ask, Pei Jinghe had already handed him his phone.

On the screen was a live report from Ziwu City.

The fierce downpour was developing into an extreme weather event rarely seen in Ziwu City.

Water levels on the roads were rising sharply, trees had fallen, and many cars were currently stranded on the roads, awaiting rescue.

Residents were advised not to go out unless necessary.

Wu Jiangyuan said, "..."

How could it be this bizarre?