Pei Jin let out a slow breath. He read the first few lines and quickly closed the book.
I'm a little afraid to watch.
Because Qin Feng would like him, in his mind, this would always be a paradox.
Pei Jin's weekend wasn't as relaxing and enjoyable as he had imagined. He suffered from insomnia for two consecutive nights, so he was gloriously late for work on Monday.
Pei Jin, the big boss, didn't arrive at work until 10:30, even though the work started at 9:00.
As soon as I entered the company and exited the elevator...
The two young ladies at the front desk were both staring at him.
How should I put that gaze?
Pei Jin paused for a moment, his first reaction being to check his attire for the day.
Although I wasn't wearing a suit, my sweater and sweatpants were both fine.
He picked up his foot again and went into the company.
Several employees cast mocking glances at him.
Pei Jin: "..."
As he entered the office, the general assistant hurriedly came out of the secretary's office and reported, " President Pei, someone has delivered flowers."
Pei Jin paused for a moment, then strode into the office, opened the door, and was greeted by the fragrance of roses.
As far as the eye can see, roses are everywhere.
Delicate and luscious.
Pei Jin slowly turned his head and looked at the chief assistant. "Who sent it?"
Assistant General: "There are greeting cards on the table."
Pei Jin walked into the office and picked up the greeting card from the desk.
There was a short sentence written on it.
--May you be more delicate than a rose, and may these 999 roses represent my heartfelt wishes.
Yours truly, Qin Liu.
Pei Jin: "..."
He instantly got goosebumps all over his body, so embarrassed he could hardly breathe.
He braced himself against the edge of the table with one hand and held the card in the other.
He took a deep breath and turned to look at the chief assistant again.
When was it delivered?
The assistant general replied, "It was delivered as soon as we arrived at work."
Pei Jin waved his hand. "Okay, you can go ahead and get busy."
Assistant: "Yes, President Pei."
Pei Jin remained silent for two seconds, looking at the roses scattered on the ground, before finally picking up his phone and finding Qin Feng's phone number.
He called.
Qin Feng answered the call quickly.
"What do you mean?" Pei Jin asked bluntly.
Qin Feng asked cautiously, "Don't you like it?"
Pei Jin has been handsome since childhood, and his personality is also quite easygoing. He has many admirers and people who send him flowers.
This was the first time he had ever received 999 roses.
Moreover, the person who sent the flowers was the most important person in his heart.
He swallowed several times, but his heart was still beating very fast.
"Well enough."
In Pei Jin's view, this was a very practiced answer.
Qin Feng happily replied, "Okay, I'll continue delivering tomorrow."
"No, let's not," Pei Jin said. "There are too many flowers; it'll be difficult to manage."
Qin Feng a little unhappy. "But only nine hundred and ninety-nine flowers can represent my feelings."
Pei Jin said, "Pursuing someone doesn't necessarily mean just sending flowers; you can also invite them to dinner."
Qin Feng was taken aback for a moment. "Then can you come have dinner with me this afternoon?"
Pei Jin leaned on the edge of the table and asked to confirm, "Are you inviting me?"
Qin Feng: "A very sincere invitation."
Pei Jin replied casually, "Alright then, I'll get off work at six."
Qin Feng: "Okay."
After hanging up the phone, Pei Jin looked at the back of his hand.
He muttered a curse under his breath.
You're really hopeless.
He should have refused, but the room full of roses caught his eye.
He couldn't refuse.
-
Six o'clock in the afternoon.
Pei Jin left the company and immediately saw Qin Feng standing in front of the car, arms crossed.
He wasn't using his phone; he was simply staring at the pattern on the bricks on the ground.
Pei Jin paused for a moment.
He suddenly remembered that the afternoon after the college entrance examination, Qin Feng to his door to ask for his school uniform jacket, and he had been standing like this.
He was standing in front of his bicycle, staring at the bricks on the ground. Pei Jin couldn't understand why the bricks on the ground were so beautiful.
So many years have passed, but Qin Feng doesn't seem to have changed much.
Pei Jin fell into deep thought. Qin Feng looked up and saw him. "What's wrong?"
Pei Jin snapped out of his reverie and said, "It's nothing."
Upon hearing this, Qin Feng quickly replied, "That's good, it's good that you're alright."
After he finished speaking, silence fell between them again.
Qin Feng thought for a moment and said, "Get in the car, let's go get some chicken wing rice."
Pei Jin sat in the passenger seat. Qin Feng was excited, but he tried his best to appear calm.
Halfway through the drive, Pei Jin stared at the heavy traffic ahead and said, "This is the second time."
Qin Feng was taken aback. "What, a second time?"
Pei Jin said calmly, "This is our second time going out alone."
Qin Feng was stunned again.
"I..."
He uttered only one word before falling silent.
In his memory, they didn't seem to have gone out together alone much.
Both of them were very busy, and even something as simple as going to bed required finding a suitable time.
Qin Feng rubbed his face and said, "We used to be quite busy, but things are different now..."
Pei Jin interrupted him, "I never scheduled work on weekends before."
Qin Feng stunned.
Just then, there was a 40-second red light ahead, and he looked at Pei Jin with an incredulous expression.
Pei Jin's long hair was gently tied back with a plain hair tie, and the slightly messy bangs on his forehead only accentuated his delicate and handsome features. His loose white sweater outlined his straight shoulder line, giving him a somewhat virtuous wife and loving mother vibe.
He said calmly and without emotion, "I've invited you many times, but you've refused every single time."
Qin Feng suddenly felt a little out of breath.
Upon hearing Pei Jin's words, he suddenly remembered something.
It seems like it was still summer then. He had to go on a business trip over the weekend, and when he got home on Friday, he found Pei Jin had prepared dinner and was sitting on the sofa waiting for him.
Qin Feng returned home, he had a completely new concept of "home".
He had a soft spot in his heart, but he didn't express it.
At the dinner table, Pei Jin casually asked, "There's a new comedy movie out recently. You used to love watching comedies, do you want to go see it in theaters?"
Qin Feng has a naturally low threshold for laughter and has loved watching comedy movies since he was a child.
He was very interested in the offer, but he had to go to the airport early Saturday morning.
He hesitated for a moment, then finally refused.
Pei Jin was stunned for a long while before finally saying, "You're busy."
-
The car behind him honked several times before Qin Feng snapped out of his daze, stared at the green light ahead, and started the car.
"Sorry."
When his low voice sounded in his ear, Pei Jin was still a little taken aback. He pursed his lips and said, "I don't want to hear 'I'm sorry'."
Qin Feng: "Then what do you want to hear?"
Pei Jin did not answer.
Qin Feng suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "There won't be a next time."
After saying that, he turned his head and glanced at Pei Jin's expression.
Pei Jin seemed to smile slightly, the corners of his lips curving upwards. The sunlight streaming in through the window outlined his silhouette.
Qin Feng instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
It's like a student who consistently fails exams finally getting a perfect score.
After dinner, Pei Jin wiped his mouth and looked at Qin Feng.
Qin Feng suggested, "How about we go see a movie?"
Pei Jin: "What movie?"
Qin Feng said, "A recently released foreign action film."
Actually, Pei Jin is a bit of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) at heart; he used to love watching all kinds of action movies.
He stared at Qin Feng for a moment.
Pei Jin has been reflecting on himself these past two days. In fact, Qin Feng was at fault for their eventual divorce, but he was also at fault.
He was too arbitrary, refusing to believe the possibility that Qin Feng might like him.
He was arrogant and went abroad for two years without even leaving each other any room for maneuver.
"Okay," Pei Jin said.
-
As they entered the movie theater, Qin Feng suddenly remembered the travel guide he had written the night before and stopped in his tracks, "Would you like some popcorn?"
Pei Jin glanced at the benches not far away and said, "I'll wait for you over there."
Qin Feng nodded. "Okay."
He went to queue up.
Pei Jin sat on the lounge chair, quietly watching his back.
Qin Feng always wears a suit to work, with his tie and cuffs perfectly in place.
He must have changed his clothes specifically before leaving get off work.
Wearing a hoodie and jeans, she had a slender and upright figure, making her stand out in the queue.
In front of Qin Feng was a mother with a child, and behind him was a young couple. He felt a little out of place, but this contrast also gave him a more down-to-earth and relatable air.
Pei Jin stared intently at Qin Feng's retreating figure.
In fact, when he was abroad, he often dreamed about Qin Feng.
I dreamt that they went to see the sea together, rode the Ferris wheel together, and walked home hand in hand.
Today, the dream has finally become a reality.
-
After buying the popcorn, the movie was about to start.
After getting your ticket checked, you'll be seated in the row with the best view.
Qin Feng, holding a bucket of popcorn, handed it to Pei Jin: "Eat up."
Pei Jin did not react.
Qin Feng looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
Pei Jin suddenly reached out and pinched Qin Feng's cheek.
It hurts a little.
It seemed as if he was trying to confirm whether the person in front of him was real or dreaming.
The movie had already started, and the theater was a bit dark. Qin Feng stared blankly at Pei Jin, who was so close to him.
Their features were blurred by the darkness, but their breaths mingled clearly.
For a fleeting moment, Qin Feng felt that Pei Jin was about to kiss him.
He even subconsciously pursed his lips.
Just then, the movie started, and the lights suddenly came on, the light flashing in Pei Jin's pupils.
Pei Jin suddenly straightened up and took the popcorn from Qin Feng's hand.
He pinched a piece of popcorn and put it in his mouth.
Qin Feng inexplicably embarrassed.
It turns out Pei Jin didn't intend to kiss him.
It was his imagination.
Just as he was feeling embarrassed for himself, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and popcorn was offered to his lips.
Qin Feng was taken aback, but he still opened his mouth and ate it.
-
After the movie started, Pei Jin focused on watching it, while Qin Feng initially tried to stay focused and watch with him.
But he wasn't really into action movies, and since he hadn't been sleeping well lately, he started to feel sleepy while watching.
He couldn't resist the onslaught of sleep and fell asleep as soon as his head tilted to the side.
After realizing that Qin Feng had fallen asleep, Pei Jin simply draped his coat over Qin Feng's head.
The movie lights are too bright; I can only sleep soundly when the light is blocked.
Qin Feng slept for quite a long time, right up until the movie ended.
After the movie ended, the lights in the theater came back on.
People around him slowly left. Amidst the noise, Pei Jin, holding half a popcorn, looked at Qin Feng.
His black coat was still draped over Qin Feng's head.
Pei Jin lifted his coat, preparing to wake him.
When his coat was suddenly pulled open, Qin Feng, who was already sleeping restlessly, was immediately awakened by the light shining through his thin eyelids.
Her long, dark eyelashes trembled twice, and she slowly opened her eyes, her clear, dark pupils meeting Pei Jin's gaze directly.
Pei Jin instantly reacted as if he had been burned.
He loosened his grip, and the coat was back on Qin Feng's head.
Qin Feng's vision went black.
He lifted his coat in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Pei Jin did not answer.
Qin Feng around and, seeing that no one else was around, said awkwardly, "Is the movie over?"
Pei Jin nodded calmly.
The two tidied up and left the movie theater.
Qin Feng drove Pei Jin home.
In the car, Pei Jin suddenly remembered something and asked, "How did you know my current address?"
The last time Qin Feng came to see him directly, he was so shocked by the report that he momentarily forgot that Qin Feng probably didn't know where he was living now.
Qin Feng touched his nose and whispered, "My aunt told me."
Pei Jin's face twisted slightly. "My mother?"
Qin Feng nodded honestly.
Pei Jin let out a long sigh.
Ms. Lin is really something else. She forces him to go on blind dates every day, verbally mocks him, and in the end, she even tells Qin Feng his current address.
They were afraid he would become too comfortable.
Qin Feng glanced at him sideways and saw Pei Jin leaning against the car window, looking rather unwell, so he said, "I'm sorry."
Pei Jin was taken aback, straightened up, and asked, "Why are you saying sorry?"
Qin Feng said, "You seem a little unhappy. Is it because I fell asleep during the movie?"
Pei Jin said, "No, I'm not unhappy."
He looked out the window at the traffic; the night view of the capital city was always dazzling.
A few seconds later, he turned back to him. "How long are you planning to keep pursuing me?"
Qin Feng paused for a moment, then said, "I'll keep pursuing you until you agree."
Pei Jin turned around again. "Don't chase after them."
Those three simple words sent a chill Qin Feng's spine. He immediately slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road.
"What's the meaning?"
Pei Jin looked at the streetlights outside and said, "That means I agree, you don't need to chase after me anymore."
Qin Feng was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. "Really?"
Pei Jin turned to look at him, a smile curving his lips, "Of course it's true."
Qin Feng laughed along, "The book says you shouldn't rush things when pursuing someone, but how come you agreed so quickly?"
What else could it be?
Pei Jin looked at him and suddenly thought of that scene in the movie theater.
The moment he lifted his coat was a perfect reminder of a scene from his high school days.
It was summer then, and everyone was wearing short sleeves.
The homeroom teacher rewarded everyone by letting them watch a movie during lunch break, but Pei Jin didn't like it and simply ran away.
He played outside all afternoon, and before class, he bought an ice pop, specifically for Qin Feng.
At that time, the movie was just coming to an end, the curtains were still tightly closed, and the big screen was flashing a dim light, displaying the crew's acknowledgments.
He went straight to Qin Feng's desk and saw Qin Feng asleep on the desk, wearing a black T-shirt and his school uniform jacket over his head.
Pei Jin suddenly ripped open his school uniform jacket, just as the movie ended and someone drew back the curtains.
Bright sunlight streamed in.
Just as Pei Jin lifted his school uniform jacket, Qin Feng opened his eyes.
His cheeks were flushed from being covered, much like a bride whose veil had been lifted.
(over)