The next day was Friday.
Qiao Nan had no classes all day, but Pei Xu still had to go to the office.
Having slept well the night before, Qiao Nan woke up at 7:30 thanks to his biological clock.
When he opened his eyes, he found Pei Xu still asleep, so he didn’t move.
The two of them lay facing each other, Qiao Nan curling his whole body into Pei Xu’s embrace, their bodies pressed close, limbs intertwined.
Even the slightest shift would brush against the other’s warm skin.
Qiao Nan carefully adjusted his position, but his knee suddenly bumped against an especially warm spot.
He froze for a moment, then blushed deeply and quickly pulled his leg back, lying down properly as if nothing had happened.
After two minutes of silence and seeing Pei Xu remained undisturbed, he grew restless again and began to squirm—but this time more cautiously.
He moved back a little, placing Pei Xu’s arm, which half embraced him, in front of his body, then started to observe the sleeping man.
Pei Xu’s body hair was much darker than his own; his eyebrows and eyelashes were intensely black, making his eyes appear sharper than most.
However, he usually wore glasses, which softened this sharpness.
His nose was high and straight, a very superior type among Asians.
His lips were thin and delicate—when pressed together without smiling, they gave off a cold, aloof impression.
Qiao Nan gently touched his lips, knowing well just how fiery they were.
His cheeks warmed a little, and he shyly curled his fingers inward.
But the other’s deep sleep gave him courage, and he reached out to touch the man’s protruding Adam’s apple.
Pei Xu’s Adam’s apple was large and prominent; as he swallowed, the veins on the side of his neck surfaced, and the skin flushed, making it incredibly alluring.
They say men with high nose bridges and large Adam’s apples tend to have particularly strong desires in certain areas.
Curiously, Qiao Nan pressed on Pei Xu’s Adam’s apple, thinking that his brother didn’t seem to have such strong needs—if anything, it seemed to be himself who wanted more.
Recalling last night, Qiao Nan felt as if a little kitten’s paws were scratching inside his body.
He bit his lip, pressed the back of his hand against his burning face, exhaled gently, and cautiously leaned closer to Pei Xu.
Pei Xu was still sound asleep, showing no signs of waking.
Qiao Nan felt his pounding heart and tentatively pressed his lips against Pei Xu’s.
Pei Xu’s lips were somewhat cool, the temperature difference making Qiao Nan’s body tremble slightly, and he immediately pulled back in embarrassment.
But before their lips fully parted, the back of Qiao Nan’s head was forcefully held down, their lips pressed together again.
The man’s eyes opened, clear and wide awake, instantly turning the tables as he held Qiao Nan’s head firmly—attacking without mercy.
Whether annoyed by being woken up or simply because males tend to be more aggressive in the morning, Pei Xu kissed fiercely.
Qiao Nan struggled, making soft “woo woo” sounds of protest, but his wrist was easily grabbed and pinned by Pei Xu.
Immediately, Qiao Nan obediently froze, a rosy flush spreading from his cheeks to his chest. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly; his eyes shimmered like water as they looked at Pei Xu.
“Nan Nan is feeling it.”
Pei Xu’s voice was still hoarse from waking up.
He slowly sat up, looking down at Qiao Nan, his thumb rubbing gently over Qiao Nan’s lips. “Too often is bad for your health.”
Qiao Nan’s face exploded with heat.
He stammered, lacking confidence to argue, “I-I didn’t!”
Pei Xu smiled, leaned down, and kissed his eyes, his hoarse voice whispering in his ear, “You’re going to be late for work, wait until tonight?”
Blood.
Qiao Nan was so embarrassed he couldn’t speak, turning his burning face into the soft pillow. His exposed ear almost dripped.
Pei Xu took the opportunity to kiss his ear again before getting up to wash.
Once he left, the pressure instantly eased.
Qiao Nan hugged his pillow, feeling unfair.
He clearly felt the same, so why did Pei Xu have to act all serious and lecture him?
It was all the fault of beauty; his mind was dizzy just now and he hadn’t even thought of rebutting.
After Pei Xu left for work, Qiao Nan went back to sleep for a while before getting up.
After washing up and slowly eating lunch, Qiao Nan opened WeChat to find Qian Chuan had sent him over a dozen messages.
He first replied with a disgusted emoji, then started reading them one by one.
Most were meaningless chatter, the main topic being gossip about Qiao Nan’s progress in “beating the fox spirit.”
Qiao Nan sent back a “crossed arms.jpg.”
[My boyfriend doesn’t like fox spirits, what does that have to do with me?]
He hesitated before sending, staring at the words “boyfriend” in blush for a long time.
Qian Chuan couldn’t help but roll his eyes after seeing the message: [Who was the one so anxious yesterday asking about Bai Rao?]
[Are you guys serious?]
[When are you bringing him for us to meet? If he doesn’t drink with us properly, we don’t acknowledge this brother-in-law.]
Qiao Nan typed quickly: [Yeah, promised last night.]
[Will introduce you all after a while.]
[Don’t run when you actually meet him.]
Qian Chuan made a bold declaration: [Whoever runs is a dog :)]
[Yep, I took screenshots.]
Thinking about how Qian Chuan’s buddies might be so scared when they finally meet Pei Xu that they hide under the table, Qiao Nan couldn’t help but smile.
Thanks to Qian Chuan’s big mouth, news of Qiao Nan’s relationship spread quickly in their circle of friends, with everyone tagging him in the group chat to ask for a treat to celebrate him being taken.
Qiao Nan figured he had nothing to do during the day and agreed.
The small gathering was set again at Springtime.
This time, it was the fullest turnout yet from the circle—about a dozen people filled a large private room, the atmosphere lively.
As soon as Qiao Nan walked in, he said he would be driving to pick up his boyfriend in the afternoon and wouldn’t be drinking, so no one pressured him.
But curiosity about which wild man had snagged Qiao Nan the Xiao Shaoye was relentless.
Qiao Nan kept his secret, smiling silently.
Others took turns pressing him but couldn’t get a single hint, eventually resigned to drinking themselves—determined to make Qiao Nan bleed heavily tonight.
The party lasted until afternoon. When it was nearly Pei Xu’s off time, Qiao Nan paid the bill and left early to go pick him up.
Of course, he only dared call him “Xu Nan” when Pei Xu wasn’t aware of it.
He checked his hairstyle and outfit carefully in the rearview mirror, making sure nothing was out of place, before excitedly driving to Xu Nan.
Pei Xu’s office was occupied—probably in a work report.
Qiao Nan didn’t enter but waited outside.
The office was designed with three glass walls, privacy ensured by blinds.
At that moment, the blinds were raised, letting Qiao Nan see clearly inside.
The sharply dressed man sat behind a large solid wood desk, hands crossed over his abdomen, listening to a subordinate’s report.
He looked somewhat displeased, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, sharp eyes behind glasses staring directly at the other person.
Even through the glass, his presence was oppressively intense.
Qiao Nan saw the middle-aged man reporting gradually lowering his head, his expression growing more and more defeated.
Pei Xu’s reputation among company employees was always excellent: young, handsome, mild-tempered, courteous, and gentlemanly.
He had almost never lost his temper or scolded anyone, and many female employees viewed him through rose-tinted glasses.
But that was only because few employees were qualified to work directly with him.
Only a handful of high-level managers who had contact with him knew the truth.
Though he never lost his temper, Pei Xu’s cold stare and ruthless pointing out of flaws in reports, followed by relentless questioning until you couldn’t answer, were enough to break people.
He wouldn’t yell or insult, but his pressure was greater than that of an irate, shouting boss.
Better to be scolded outright with dog hair flying than face that.
When the middle-aged man finally left, his steps were weak.
He hurriedly turned a corner, making sure he was out of Pei Xu’s sight before pulling a tissue from his pocket to wipe sweat from his forehead, looking like he’d narrowly escaped death.
Qiao Nan felt a bit sorry for him, but since he wasn’t the one being scolded, it didn’t stop him from admiring Pei Xu’s commanding aura.
That overwhelming masculine hormone was about to spill over—the unique allure of a mature man.
Qiao Nan stared unblinkingly at the man behind the desk.
Pei Xu finally noticed the burning gaze and met it, his cold expression melting instantly into a smile as he waved at him.
Qiao Nan pushed open the door and entered.
Pei Xu pressed a remote, and the blinds slowly lowered.
“Why didn’t you message me when you got here?”
Qiao Nan said he just arrived, then reached out to touch his brow, “You were so fierce just now.”
Pei Xu pulled him onto his lap, pinching the back of his neck, eyes deepening slightly, “Did I scare Nan Nan?”
Qiao Nan’s gaze wandered briefly, then returned. He shook his head honestly, “A little… a bit A.”
Pei Xu didn’t understand what “A” meant, but seeing his shy expression and averted eyes, he knew it was probably a compliment.
He smiled and moved his hand from the back of Qiao Nan’s neck to his ear, massaging with a suggestive tone: “Nan Nan’s being so good today, is it for tonight’s reward?”
Qiao Nan froze, finally realizing he was talking about this morning’s business.
Embarrassed, he scrambled to push him away, “I didn’t!”
Pei Xu easily held him captive, “Mm, that was nonsense. Going to Bo Ting Mansion tonight?”
Qiao Nan blushed, looking out the window, then softly said, “Mm.”
***
The two had dinner first, then returned to Bo Ting Mansion.
It was still early, so Pei Xu went to the study to handle work emails, while Qiao Nan, with nothing to do, wandered around.
His eyes caught sight of a cabinet full of folders.
He’d been too shocked last time and had rushed away without looking closely.
Now he flipped through them carefully.
Some of the sketches were realistic, but others were clearly composed by Pei Xu from imagination.
Qiao Nan came across a fully nude sketch, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward the man sitting stiffly upright nearby, silently tagging him in his mind.
After finishing the folder, he noticed the adjacent cabinet held similar folders, but it was still locked.
“What’s in there?”
Qiao Nan couldn’t contain his curiosity.
It didn’t look like work files.
Pei Xu, replying to emails, glanced over.
When he saw Qiao Nan pointing, his brow lifted slightly.
His gaze shifted from Qiao Nan’s puzzled face to a meaningful smile. “Nan Nan wants to see?”
Qiao Nan had a gut feeling that whatever was in that cabinet wasn’t exactly innocent.
But being naturally curious, he hesitated before nodding.