The photo he received during the National Day holiday cracked open a gap in the emotional dam Pei Xu had always thought was unbreakable.
In the past, he only ever asked Old K for photos when his longing for Qiao Nan became unbearable.
But ever since Xie Ruanruan started appearing around Qiao Nan, Pei Xu began instructing Old K to send him a package of that day’s photos every evening.
Each day after work, he would carefully browse through every photo, searching for Xie Ruanruan, or any other person who frequently appeared by Qiao Nan’s side.
He obsessively analyzed Qiao Nan’s daily routine, speculating about his social life.
By now, his rationality had begun to tip dangerously.
Especially when he saw that Xie Ruanruan appeared in nearly every photo, he could hardly force himself to remain calm.
Jealousy and the fear of losing what was his ignited a violent kind of madness within him.
He even foolishly wanted to drag someone back and interrogate them until he got a satisfactory answer.
Pei Xu leaned back into his chair, eyes lowered, waiting for his stormy emotions to settle.
The black phone spun between his fingers.
After a long while, he finally opened WeChat and sent a message to Qiao Nan.
***
When the phone notification chimed, Qiao Nan was in the middle of playing King of Glory.
He was just about to swipe away the alert when he realized the message was actually from Pei Xu.
His finger paused. He said to Qian Chuan, “Let me reply to this,” then exited the game to check the message.
[Pei Xu: Have you been in touch with Xie Ruanruan lately?
Auntie really hopes you’ll start a relationship in college.
Xie Ruanruan is a great match for you in every way.
If things go well, the Xie Family could be a big help for you in the future.]
After so long without Pei Xu ever taking the initiative to message him, this was what he finally reached out to say?
The good mood Qiao Nan had just felt instantly vanished.
He pressed his lips together, a little angry.
So, it’s fine if you want to date, but why do you have to help my mom pressure me too?
Can’t I just not want to date, is that so hard? 🙂
He typed forcefully, [Did my mom talk to you? Are you her spokesperson now?]
Normally, he liked to add cute emojis to his messages, but this time there wasn’t even a single yellow bean emoji.
It was obvious he was angry.
Pei Xu’s eyes flickered, but he accepted the accusation, [Xie Ruanruan is really great. If you like her, don’t let the chance slip by.]
I! Do! Not! Like! Her!
Qiao Nan grew even more annoyed.
Why did everyone keep trying to pair him with Xie Ruanruan?
Even his own brother was like this now.
His fingers jabbed at the screen so hard it was a wonder he didn’t break it.
He typed a long reply, but before he could send it, he paused.
After thinking for a moment, he deleted everything and only sent a short message, [I already like someone. It’s not Xie Ruanruan, so please stop playing matchmaker, thanks ^_^]
When Pei Xu saw this message, his gaze darkened.
It felt as if icy seawater had poured into his chest, sinking all his tangled emotions to the bottom, leaving only a salty bitterness he could barely swallow.
A long time passed before he typed again, choosing his words carefully, [When did this happen? Do I know them?]
[It’s a secret.]
Qiao Nan, petty as ever, threw Pei Xu’s old words right back at him.
He let out a satisfied snort, thinking, If you won’t tell me, I won’t tell you either.
Pei Xu stared at those familiar two words, unable to tell if Qiao Nan was lying out of spite, or if he really had fallen for someone else without Pei Xu knowing.
He quickly reviewed Qiao Nan’s social circle in his mind.
Aside from the recently appeared Xie Ruanruan, there really weren’t any likely candidates.
[It’s really not Xie Ruanruan?]
Qiao Nan replied the same, [It’s a secret.]
Seeing this, Pei Xu knew he wouldn’t get an answer.
[When you’re ready to talk, remember to bring them home to meet us.]
Qiao Nan didn’t reply again.
Pei Xu put down his phone and sat in silence for a long time.
Half an hour later, he draped his suit jacket over his arm, stood up, and walked out.
Seeing him leave alone, Zhao Bo, who was working outside, quickly stood up to follow.
“President Pei, are you heading out for business?”
Pei Xu pressed his palm downward, signaling there was no need.
“I have something to take care of. You don’t need to come.”
He went down to the parking garage and drove himself to Nanjiang Art Academy.
***
Zhao Yutong was stunned when she received a call from Pei Xu.
She almost blurted out “Dad” out of habit, but thankfully her brain caught up in time and she changed it to, “Pei—Pei—President Pei, are you looking for Qiao Nan? There’s no class today, so he’s not at school.”
“I’m not looking for Qiao Nan.”
Pei Xu’s tone was gentle and easygoing as he explained, “Recently, Nan Nan seems to be upset with me and refuses to talk about anything. His mood isn’t great either. I still had your number from when we were at Ziyun Hospital, and since you and Nan Nan are close, I thought I’d chat with you. I’ve booked a table at Yueshiguang across from your school. Are you free now?”
Zhao Yutong immediately understood what he meant.
Wasn’t this just a classic case of brothers having a falling out, and the older brother coming to check in and try to fix things?
She totally got it!
“Of course, I’m free! Absolutely free!”
Ten minutes later, Zhao Yutong arrived at the private room.
Seeing the man waiting for her, she belatedly started to feel nervous and sat a bit stiffly across from Pei Xu.
Pei Xu noticed her discomfort, so he asked the waiter to bring snacks and tea, chatting casually for a while to ease the mood.
Once the atmosphere was right, he spoke slowly, “I’ve been too busy lately and neglected Nan Nan. Maybe that’s why he’s upset with me. At home, he’s always a bit distant. How is he at school?”
What a good brother, Zhao Yutong thought with a touch of envy.
She answered honestly, “He’s actually doing pretty well at school. There’s a junior girl who often comes to see him. He doesn’t seem unhappy at all.”
“A junior?”
Pei Xu guided the topic smoothly.
“He never mentioned anyone. Is she someone he just met?”
“Yes, they met at the start of the semester. She’s a freshman in our department. She and Qiao Nan are really close, and I think their families know each other too. She often comes to our studio to hang out.”
Zhao Yutong had zero defenses and told him everything.
Pei Xu thought for a moment.
“Is her name Xie Ruanruan?”
“Yes, yes, exactly, it’s Xie Ruanruan.”
Seeing that Pei Xu already knew about Xie Ruanruan, Zhao Yutong didn’t hold back and animatedly shared her own guesses, “Maybe Qiao Nan isn’t mad at you at all. Maybe he’s just busy dating! Xie Ruanruan is the belle of our department. Even though it’s only been a month since school started, she’s already turned down a bunch of guys, saying she already likes someone.”
“But the person she’s closest to is definitely Qiao Nan.”
From the bottom of her heart, Zhao Yutong thought they made a good pair.
Even though Qiao Nan always said she was just a little sister, how could there really be pure friendship between a man and a woman?
She didn’t believe it.
She was just waiting for Qiao Nan to admit it and treat her to a meal.
Hearing this, Pei Xu’s expression changed imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his composure and said gently, “They’re in college now, so it’s normal to date. But he hasn’t mentioned anything to the family.”
Zhao Yutong noticed he seemed a little disappointed and tried to comfort him, “These days, people don’t really want to tell their families when they start dating. After all, who knows if it’ll last? You can’t tell your family about every single relationship, right?”
Pei Xu smiled.
“You’re right. We’ll just wait until he wants to talk about it. I won’t meddle.”
What a considerate brother!
Zhao Yutong sighed inwardly, then chatted a bit more about Qiao Nan’s school life before taking her leave.
After she left, Pei Xu’s smile faded.
He sat expressionless for a while before calling Zhao Bo.
“Help me make an appointment with Dr. Chen.”
***
The meeting with Dr. Chen was set for the next morning.
In the past, every visit to Dr. Chen had been filled with resistance and inner turmoil for Pei Xu.
But this time, he felt a rare sense of relief, as if he had finally set down a heavy burden he’d carried for years.
Dr. Chen quickly picked up on this emotional shift.
After a moment’s hesitation, he asked tentatively, “You’ve made a decision, haven’t you?”
Pei Xu sat on the sofa, leisurely sipping a cup of tea, the rising steam blurring his gaze.
“Yes.”
“Ever since I realized my feelings for him more than two years ago, I’ve been undergoing therapy, desperately trying to control my excessive emotions and behavior. I’ve tried following your advice these past two years, and I really thought I could do it.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “But reality has proven I can’t. Lately, he seems to be developing feelings for someone else, and I find I just can’t accept it.”
Dr. Chen asked, “So what do you want to do? If you act on those thoughts, you’ll only hurt him. You once said you’d never hurt him.”
“Of course I won’t hurt him.”
Pei Xu set down the teacup and smiled slowly.
“I just want to win him back. He was always supposed to be mine.”
Dr. Chen understood immediately.
“You’re not here for therapy today, are you?”
“I’m here to end this doctor-patient relationship.”
Pei Xu stood up.
“I don’t think I need to confide in a psychiatrist anymore. Thank you for listening and advising me for over two years. I’ll have my assistant pay an extra fee as thanks.”
Dr. Chen sighed.
“But it seems I haven’t helped you.”
Pei Xu stared at the blurry reflection behind the glass and said quietly, “That’s because I was wrong. I never should have tried to let him go from the start.”
He nodded slightly to Dr. Chen, then turned and left the consulting room.
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