Chapter 33
“Have you run into some good fortune recently?”
With a thud, the 16 neatly arranged billiard balls scattered in all directions. The number three striped ball, struck by the cue ball, rolled a few times across the table and landed squarely in the pocket.
In the CEO’s lounge, Qin Chudong whistled triumphantly and raised an eyebrow, switching to a different cue stick and searching for a good angle along the table.
Pei Tingyu took a small sip of his whiskey and glanced at him coolly. “Why do you ask?”
The man stood casually, his suit jacket draped over a rolling rack, his upper body clad in a silk waistcoat.
Amidst the neat collar of his shirt, a dark green collar pin gleamed.
“Hah, do you even need to ask?” Qin Chudong aimed, took a shot, and hit the ball.
He said with an exaggerated tone, “The famous Assistant Song is actually not here. Doesn’t that mean you’re in a good mood?”
Song Jian had worked at the Pei Corporation for eight years. If you had to say who among all the employees of the Pei Corporation best understood Mr. Pei’s unpredictable temper, there was no one else besides this “imperial favorite.”
But this favorite had actually dared to take a vacation and skip work. Besides Mr. Pei’s authorization, who would have such audacity?
Even the usually oblivious Kiana could feel that the CEO’s office had been filled with an unclear but obviously relaxed and cheerful atmosphere recently.
Even the managers and directors who had been reprimanded had much less of a miserable look on their faces.
The cue ball, feeling the force of the cue stick, shot forward and hit another ball, but unfortunately, the angle was a little off. The striped ball hit the rail and stopped after a couple of turns.
Qin Chudong shrugged regretfully and stepped aside.
Pei Tingyu put down his wine glass, picked up his usual cue stick, and said coolly, “I didn’t know you were so concerned about my assistant.”
Qin Chudong had just picked up a wine glass. Hearing this, he almost spat out the whiskey in his mouth.
He was horrified. Like a chaste martyr, he clutched his chest in terror. “You can’t say such things! Don’t you know what style is popular now? It’s the overbearing CEO and the cold, aloof assistant!”
“I, Qin Chudong, am a married man! If my wife heard this, it would be a disaster!”
Pei Tingyu was speechless.
Overbearing CEO, cold, aloof assistant.
Sorry, I don’t see it.
Qin Chudong patted his chest with lingering fear. When he looked up, he suddenly said in a low voice, “Hmph, don’t think I don’t know.”
“The collar pin you’re wearing today was bought for you by that little beauty at home, wasn’t it?”
With a thud, a solid-colored ball smoothly went into the pocket.
Pei Tingyu stood up, raising an eyebrow in surprise at his words, and gave him a “I’m all ears” look.
Qin Chudong was immediately triumphant. He put down his wine glass, leaned back against the pool table, cleared his throat, and began.
“I have a bunch of ties from this brand. I was young and foolish and bought them for fun, but unfortunately, I can’t use them now. They’re all at the bottom of a box.”
“Their main focus is on designer custom pieces, but unfortunately, their positioning is not clear.”
“Their high-end luxury line has been in a slump since several top designers left. They tried to go the affordable route, but the prices can’t be lowered, so they can only rely on their reputation to barely survive.”
Thud, thud. Two solid-colored balls went into the pocket in succession.
Qin Chudong narrowed his eyes in thought, analyzing with great authority. “Their style is not your style. This collar pin is also not a top luxury item. Ten thousand at most.”
“Besides the one at your home, any stylist who bought this would probably be fired.”
The Alpha was pleased with himself, about to proclaim himself a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.
But when he turned around, he found that the last black eight-ball had circled the hole and also smoothly fallen in.
The Alpha wailed, “No, how did you finish again? No, no, Old Pei, one more game!”
“No, I have to go pick someone up.”
Pei Tingyu raised his hand and touched the collar pin at his throat. The gemstone and metal were cool to the touch, but his heart was filled with a warm feeling.
He had given his precious a few supplementary cards to use as he wished, but he had never received a single deduction notice.
The price of this collar pin was definitely not something his precious could afford casually.
He had bought it with his own savings. Who knew how long he had saved to have enough money?
What an expensive gift.
The man’s heart instantly softened, as if a light feather had slowly fallen into the lake of his heart, creating ripples.
The Alpha’s gaze lingered on the collar pin with cherish. He took his suit jacket from the rolling rack and casually glanced at his Patek Philippe.
“I’m leaving. You can stay as long as you like.”
“Hey, hey!” Qin Chudong shouted after him. “Don’t forget my parents’ wedding anniversary next week. Remember to bring A-Yan!”
“Mm.”
The Alpha didn’t look back, striding out of the lounge and straight to the private elevator.
Qin Chudong watched him leave and mimicked his tone, saying sarcastically, “No, I have to go pick someone up.”
The secretary waiting by the side finally couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
The Alpha snorted and muttered with disdain, “Showing off your affection in front of me. Who doesn’t have a wife?”
“Da Jin, let’s go! I’m going to pick up my wife now too, hmph.”
“Have you run into some good fortune recently?”
With a whirring sound, the ice crusher blended the strawberries and avocados into a smooth sorbet, the sweet fruity scent filling the milk tea shop.
The manager leaned against the counter, raising an eyebrow at the young man working behind it.
“Hmm? What are you talking about, manager?”
The sound of the ice crusher was a little loud, completely drowning out the manager’s voice. Bai Yan looked up, a little puzzled.
The young man skillfully picked up the ice crusher and poured the sorbet inside into a milk tea cup. As he bent down, a sliver of his long, jade-like neck was revealed.
“I said,” the Omega said, admiring the fair skin with a grin, “have you had some good fortune recently?”
Before Bai Yan could answer, she exchanged a look with the staff member next to her and said teasingly, “Look at you. When you came last week, your mouth was turned down so far you didn’t even smile.”
“You scared us all. We thought something had happened to you.”
“But today, we’ve all seen that your mouth is almost grinning from ear to ear.” She glanced around and spread her hands in an exaggerated gesture.
Even though the staff were used to the manager’s unreliable personality, they couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Manager, please don’t joke with me.” Bai Yan lowered his eyes helplessly and protested in a small voice.
But because his voice was too soft and obedient, it completely lost its intended effect.
Bai Yan nonchalantly lowered his gaze and focused on his work.
Pouring fruit, adding toppings, sealing, labeling, and packing—the movements were as smooth as flowing water, and the beautiful person packing was a feast for the eyes.
In just a few minutes, all the milk tea cups on the counter were full.
Cheng Jiayan rested one hand on the counter, a motherly smile on her face as she poked the young man’s soft cheek with her fingertip.
“Full forehead, rosy complexion, eyes full of spring…”
“In my opinion, our A-Yan’s star of romance has moved—he has a partner.”
“Ooh.”
A wave of teasing sounds went through the shop.
Cheng Jiayan winked mischievously and pressed her advantage. “Good boy, tell us before you get off work. Is this person a girl or a boy?”
His jade-white earlobes uncontrollably turned red, and a light blush appeared on his cheeks.
The young man simply turned his back and continued to work, as if refusing to communicate.
But when no one was looking, he secretly used his fingers to pull the corners of his lips up.
He was just happy because Mr. Pei was home.
Was it really that exaggerated?
Cheng Jiayan coaxed him in a soft voice, “Even if you haven’t confirmed the relationship, you can still tell us. Let us give you some advice.”
The other staff members also frequently cast glances at Bai Yan, their curiosity tinged with a friendly meaning.
Bai Yan had been working at the shop since high school.
Most of the staff still remembered that it had been a snowy day.
The Omega boy, wearing only a thin jacket, had timidly knocked on the milk tea shop’s door and politely asked if they had finished hiring for their part-time positions, and if so, if he could start today.
Flurries of snow fell from the sky, covering the entire silver world.
The young man who had knocked on the glass door, however, had hair purer than the snow, as clean as an elf untouched by dust.
The tip of his nose and his chin were red from the cold, and his beautiful pink eyes were filled with apprehension. Worried that the snow on his feet would get the floor wet, he hadn’t even dared to step on the mat inside the shop.
Cheng Jiayan’s heart had ached. She had quickly welcomed the young man into the warm milk tea shop and brought him a cup of hot cocoa.
After some questioning, she learned that the cost of meals at the young man’s school had recently increased by a few hundred.
The orphanage’s expenses had been high recently, and the living expenses allocated to the children were limited, so he hadn’t told the director. He wanted to use his weekends to earn some pocket money.
Cheng Jiayan, who had grown up wealthy and had a smooth life, had never seen such a pitiful child. Hearing this, she had almost shed two lines of tears.
She had immediately patted her chest and said happily, “You’ve come at the perfect time. The shop is just missing a weekend part-time high school Omega with a high-value face!”
“Don’t worry, the salary and benefits at our shop are great. The minimum for part-time is 200 an hour.”
After that, Bai Yan had kept this weekend part-time job. As long as it wasn’t a holiday, he would come to the milk tea shop to work.
The young man had a quiet personality, was serious about his work, was sweet-tongued and polite. After getting to know him, none of the staff disliked him.
Seeing Bai Yan’s condition improve, they were also very happy for him.
“Sisters, I know you wish me well, but I’m really not in a relationship.”
“If I get into a relationship in the future, I definitely won’t hide it from you.”
Bai Yan said, untying his apron and hanging it on the wall, turning his head to explain seriously, his eyes filled with naive innocence.
Even though he’s married to Mr. Pei now, it’s just following the terms of the agreement.
Mr. Pei is so good to him, treating him like family.
If he took that as a relationship, it would be too shameless.
“Mm-hmm, whatever you say.”
Cheng Jiayan could only shrug regretfully and exchange a knowing look with the staff, clearly not believing him.
An ordinary-looking car had come over at some point and quietly parked across the street. A one-way privacy film was on the windows, making it impossible to see inside.
Bai Yan caught a glimpse of the car and knew that Uncle Zhao had come to pick him up.
He packed his things, his gaze sweeping over the Betas and Omegas in the shop, and said goodbye to them obediently. “Sisters, I’ll be going then.”
The staff said goodbye to him reluctantly. “Mm-hmm, be careful on your way back. See you next week.”
“See you next week, Yan Bao.”
“If you have a partner, you have to bring them over soon!”
“I know.” The last sentence dissipated in the wind that rushed in as the door opened.
