After finishing his shower, Qiao Nan couldn’t hold it in any longer.
He glanced at the time.
It was 5:35 in the morning.
Tomorrow was the weekend, so there was no need to go to school.
But now that Pei Xu had moved back into Binjiang Villa, he didn’t want to go home either.
He couldn’t just keep staying at a hotel forever.
Qiao Nan paced restlessly around the room a few times, then left and hailed a cab to find Qian Chuan.
After university, Qian Chuan had bought a big flat near the campus for himself.
When the doorbell started ringing like crazy and woke him up, he was completely confused.
“Damn, which bastard is making a racket so early in the morning—”
Grumbling, he went to open the door.
The moment he saw Qiao Nan standing outside, he fell silent.
He lit up his phone screen, held the time up to Qiao Nan’s face, and said speechlessly, “It’s 6:25 in the morning. Did you get into a fight with your brother and run away from home this early?”
“I’m staying at your place for a while.”
Qiao Nan squeezed through the door and headed straight for the guest room like he owned the place.
With that, Qian Chuan’s sleep was ruined.
He followed behind, nagging, “What did you two fight about this time? You’re both adults now, why are you still running away from home after arguing with your brother? He’s not going to storm over to my place, is he?”
He wore a look of wary concern, as if to say, “Don’t drag me into your family drama.”
“There wasn’t a fight.”
First he’d had a hangover, then he’d been scared awake by a terrifying spring dream.
Qiao Nan flopped onto the bed, listless and dead-eyed.
Qian Chuan climbed onto the bed after him, waving his hand in front of Qiao Nan’s face.
“How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Quit bothering me.”
Qiao Nan slapped his hand away.
“So you’re not delirious.”
Qian Chuan said, “If you didn’t argue, why are you running away from home?”
Qiao Nan hesitated for a moment, then muttered awkwardly, “Just treat it like we argued.”
Qian Chuan gave him a look that said, “You’re so dramatic, your brother’s definitely spoiled you.”
Qiao Nan couldn’t explain, so he just wrapped himself in the blanket, buried his face, and mumbled, “Don’t bother me, I’m going to sleep.”
Qiao Nan stayed at Qian Chuan’s place for half a month.
During that time, except for sending a message to Wang Shu to let him know he’d be staying out so his parents wouldn’t worry, he ignored all other calls and messages.
“It wasn’t easy for Da Shao to move back, and now Xiao Shaoye won’t come home.”
Wang Shu mumbled as he watched the call go unanswered and automatically hang up.
“He won’t answer the phone either. Who knows if he’s eating well out there, or taking care of himself.”
Wang Shu had been with the Qiao Family for many years, watching Qiao Nan grow up.
His feelings were more than just that of a servant—they were like family.
After hesitating for a while, he went to the study on the second floor to talk to Pei Xu about his worries.
There were plenty of young masters in the second-generation circles who lived wild and messy lives.
Wang Shu was worried Qiao Nan had fallen in with the wrong crowd and that was why he wasn’t coming home.
Pei Xu knew exactly where Qiao Nan was and why he wasn’t coming home.
“He’s probably at Qian Chuan’s place.”
Qiao Nan and Qian Chuan had been friends since childhood, close enough to wear the same pair of pants.
Of course Wang Shu knew this.
“But Xiao Shaoye has never been away from home for this long before.”
He probed, “Did Xiao Shaoye get into another fight with you?”
Thinking it over, that seemed the only possible reason.
“You could say that. There are some things he can’t accept right away, but he’ll be fine after a while.”
Pei Xu didn’t explain further.
His gaze behind the glasses was calm and certain.
“Let him clear his head outside. He’ll come home once he’s sorted things out.”
After going downstairs, Wang Shu called Qian Chuan to confirm that Qiao Nan was indeed there and taking good care of himself.
Only then did he finally relax.
Qian Chuan immediately told Qiao Nan about the call.
“Wang Shu just called me. Your brother is probably worried sick. Are you really not planning to go back? You gonna hide out at my place forever?”
“Of course not…”
Qiao Nan replied slowly.
He figured Wang Shu’s call was definitely prompted by Pei Xu, since he’d already blocked Pei Xu’s number and WeChat.
After cooling down for half a month, he’d calmed down a lot.
But just thinking about seeing Pei Xu after going back made him instinctively want to retreat.
But Qian Chuan was right—he couldn’t hide forever.
After giving himself a pep talk, he said, “I’ll go back in a bit.”
After lunch, Qiao Nan returned to Binjiang Villa.
When he got inside and saw that Pei Xu wasn’t home, he let out a sigh of relief.
After catching up with Qiao Qi, whom he hadn’t seen in half a month, he slipped upstairs.
At dinner, Chen Yi set out two pairs of bowls and chopsticks.
Qiao Nan said, “Pei Xu probably has to work late. You don’t need to set his.”
Chen Yi noticed he’d called him by his full name, and thought to herself that Wang Shu was right—the Xiao Shaoye was sulking again.
“Da Shao has been coming home early lately, eating dinner here every night.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Xu walked in through the front door.
Qiao Nan saw him too.
His hand tightened around his chopsticks, his body tensing up instinctively like a small animal sensing danger, warily watching Pei Xu.
Pei Xu met his gaze, his eyes deepening as he smiled, his tone and manner unchanged, “Nan Nan, you’re back?”
He naturally sat down across from Qiao Nan.
After Chen Yi served him rice, she quietly left, leaving the two of them alone.
Qiao Nan didn’t say a word, keeping his head down and focusing on his food, only picking at the dishes in front of him.
“Don’t you like Chen Yi’s crispy pork the most?”
Pei Xu picked up a piece and put it in Qiao Nan’s bowl.
Qiao Nan guarded his bowl, but he was a step too slow.
Frustrated, he pushed the piece of crispy pork aside and stabbed at it with his chopsticks to vent his irritation.
Dinner passed in a strange, heavy silence.
Qiao Nan barely tasted his food, ate a couple bites at random, then went upstairs to his room.
After closing the door, he took a deep breath and pressed his hand against his pounding chest.
He felt that ever since that night when they’d crossed the line, Pei Xu hadn’t bothered to hide anything when facing him.
Even just sitting there, Pei Xu’s gaze felt like it could swallow him whole—a predatory intensity that made his scalp tingle.
Qiao Nan locked his bedroom door and hid inside playing games to avoid running into Pei Xu again.
He’d eaten so little at dinner that he got hungry in the middle of the night.
Checking the time, he saw it was past midnight.
Pei Xu should be asleep by now, so he went downstairs to the kitchen to look for a late-night snack.
But when he got downstairs, he saw the kitchen lights were still on.
Hesitating, he walked forward a couple of steps and found Pei Xu inside.
Hearing movement, Pei Xu turned around and looked at him, unsurprised.
“Hungry? I made some pasta, it’ll be ready soon.”
He turned back around and plated the pasta.
Qiao Nan stared at him in a daze.
For a split second just now, he felt like that gentle, caring older brother had come back.
Looking at the man’s steady back, Qiao Nan lowered his head, suddenly feeling a bit aggrieved.
Pei Xu brought out the plated pasta.
The portion was small but beautifully presented, and the aroma was mouth-watering.
He pulled out a chair and said warmly, “Eat while it’s hot. It won’t taste as good once it’s cold.”
Qiao Nan snapped out of it and met his gaze, hesitating without moving.
Pei Xu narrowed his eyes slightly, stepped forward, put a hand on Qiao Nan’s shoulder, and led him to sit at the dining table.
The memories from the staircase resurfaced.
Qiao Nan instinctively tried to struggle, but Pei Xu let go at that moment, pulling out the chair beside him and sitting down.
His back straight, hands folded over his stomach, his gaze seemed to envelop Qiao Nan.
Qiao Nan glanced at him, stubbornly pressed his lips together, then slowly picked up his fork and started eating.
To be fair, Pei Xu’s cooking really was excellent.
Annoyed as he was, he couldn’t neglect his own stomach.
Qiao Nan finished the plate of pasta, then delicately took a napkin to wipe his mouth and got up to go upstairs.
But as he passed by Pei Xu, his wrist was grabbed.
Losing his balance, he fell right onto Pei Xu’s lap. In that instant, he thought—Pei Xu really is up to no good!
“Nan Nan, are you avoiding me?”
Pei Xu easily restrained him, crossing Qiao Nan’s wrists with one hand while the other stroked the side of his neck, his lips brushing Qiao Nan’s earlobe as he spoke softly.
The warm breath made his ear itch, and Qiao Nan struggled even harder.
“Let go of me.”
“Shh.” Pei Xu pressed his index finger lightly to Qiao Nan’s lips.
“Don’t wake Wang Shu and Chen Yi.”
Only then did Qiao Nan realize he’d been a bit loud.
He immediately glanced toward the servants’ quarters on the first floor, and his struggling lessened.
“What the hell do you want?” he whispered, his peach blossom eyes wide.
But the more panicked the prey, the more excited the hunter.
Pei Xu’s breathing grew heavier.
He nibbled Qiao Nan’s soft earlobe, his Adam’s apple bobbing a few times before he whispered, “Can we talk? Nan Nan, don’t hide from me.”
His tone was soft, almost pleading, but the grip on Qiao Nan’s wrists never loosened.
Qiao Nan was silent for a moment, then said, “Then let go of me first, and we’ll talk.”
Pei Xu chuckled softly.
“Sorry, it’s been too long since I’ve seen Nan Nan. I can’t help myself.”
He said he was sorry, but there wasn’t an ounce of apology in his voice.
Qiao Nan ground his teeth, then deliberately sat down hard, and sure enough heard Pei Xu let out a pained grunt.
But before he could feel triumphant, he felt teeth sink into the nape of his neck.
Pei Xu’s hot breath sprayed over his sensitive skin, his voice low and hoarse, “Nan Nan, do you want to try how it felt last time?”
Qiao Nan’s body immediately went rigid, his scalp tingling.
He dared not move, and repeated in a low voice, “Let go of me!”
This time, Pei Xu actually let him go as requested.
Qiao Nan immediately sprang up like a rabbit, rubbing at the sore, itchy spot on his neck, then turned to glare at Pei Xu.
When his gaze accidentally swept over those long legs wrapped in suit pants, his face flushed red.
He blurted out in disbelief, “Are you in heat?!”
Pei Xu crossed his long legs, letting Qiao Nan look as much as he wanted, making no attempt to hide anything.
“Shameless.”
Qiao Nan muttered another insult under his breath.
Pei Xu looked at his flushed face and chuckled.
“Back at school, Nan Nan clearly liked it too.”
Recalling those wonderful moments, Pei Xu’s Adam’s apple slid up and down, his aura growing more forceful and aggressive.
Qiao Nan glared at him.
“I did not!”
But at that moment, his mind unhelpfully flashed back to the dreams he’d been having these past few days.
Seeing the certainty and teasing in Pei Xu’s eyes, Qiao Nan instantly panicked, repeating, “I did not!” before hurriedly running upstairs.
He locked his bedroom door, leaned against it, and panted softly, but couldn’t help recalling the scene just now.
The man in a suit sat on the European-style dining chair, the tailored black pants outlining every change clearly, but his dominant posture made him look like a king in control of everything.
Not only was there no awkwardness, but instead, there was a different kind of allure.
Qiao Nan gritted his teeth in anger, So what if it’s big, what’s the big deal!
Shameless bastard.