Chapter 58: I Think I'm Qualified to Pursue Mr. Pei, and now, that...

Pei Jiqing's breath hitched for a moment, and he stared at Xu Ze in disbelief.

His intuition clearly told him that the restrained warmth in Xu Ze's eyes lately wasn't the expression he'd show to someone with a former boss's family member.

During their first dinner together, Pei Jiqing had a sudden thought: Could this man be interested in him?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was amiss.

Who was Xu Ze? Once Chen Huixing's silent confidant, now this cold-faced secretary, he'd been hanging around him lately.

He hadn't expected Xu Ze to be so bold. Chen Huixing was standing outside the car, and yet Xu Ze laid his hidden thoughts bare before him.

Xu Ze's gaze behind his glasses didn't waver, a gesture that, in Shen Huixing's eyes, was tantamount to a declaration of war.

Chen Huixing slammed his palm against the car window, the muffled "bang" and "bang" piercing the cabin.

Xu Ze's voice was surprisingly steady. "I thought I could keep it a secret, but the day Mr. Shen removed his bio-inhibition ring, you were the first person I worried about, and Mr. Shen noticed."

Pei Jiqing only now understood the hesitation in Xu Ze's face when he was fired that year.

Behind the words, "Leave Chen Huixing," lay a half-spoken "Follow me."

It was just that too much stood between them at the time.

Xu Ze had deliberately concealed his Alpha identity for career planning. As Shen Huixing's secretary, he should have been a perfect tool, genderless and without desires.

Chen Huixing had asked him gravely when it all started.

Xu Ze was standing in Shen Huixing's office, his straight back reflected against the glass. He couldn't pinpoint the exact time, just as it's hard to say which patch of land gets wet first after rain.

A person naturally afraid of trouble, Xu Ze had trained himself to near-perfection over the years. He once idolized Chen Huixing, meticulously controlling his pheromone levels and always wearing a neat three-piece suit. He should have been an emotionless work machine, like a well-programmed computer, and there shouldn't be any accidents.

Pei Jiqing always liked to call him "Big Secretary" in a light tone, and he would "flirt" towards him. Xu Ze knew that he was teasing him, but he still felt a little numb.

At first, Xu Ze just helped him deal with various emergencies step by step: work conflicts, dealing with media inquiries, and even remembering to prepare their various birthday and anniversary gifts.

At some point, these trivial matters suddenly became less annoying.

Before Chen Huixing got married, the task of accompanying Pei Jiqing to choose a dress fell on VIVI. When Xu Ze received the text message for help from VIVI, he was waiting at the door, and his fingers paused on the keyboard for a few seconds.

The lights in the dress shop were very bright. Xu Ze stood outside the door and saw Pei Jiqing standing in front of the fitting mirror through the glass. The man was wearing a brand new white suit, but he looked like a lost deer, staring blankly at himself in the mirror.

Xu Ze's fingertips hovered over the phone screen for a moment, and finally sent a message to VIVI: "Choose the third suit on the left."

VIVI said: "Boss, our tastes are exactly the same. Mr. Pei has a thin waist, so it suits him very well."

When Pei Jiqing changed into the suit and walked out, Xu Ze subconsciously raised his phone. Pei Jiqing in the camera was wearing a well-cut suit that made his waist look slim. The silver pattern on the collar was faintly visible under the light. The suit was white as a whole, which was very suitable for the sacred wedding.

Xu Ze sent the photo to Chen Huixing. The message showed that he had read it, but there was no reply.

Xu Ze stared at the prompt "The other party is typing" above the dialog box, which appeared and disappeared repeatedly. It was not until two hours later that Chen Huixing replied, "Don't use internal software to send these."

There was a cold and hard official tone between the lines.

Xu Ze put away his phone. The background music of the dress shop was still playing. It was a lingering piano piece. He suddenly felt that Pei Jiqing was a little pitiful.

At first, Xu Ze, like everyone else, thought that Pei Jiqing was just that superficial, a pretty vase who only knew how to squander and have fun all day long, with an empty head.

Every year when choosing birthday gifts for Pei Jiqing, Chen Huixing would only approve a budget figure, and Xu Ze would buy them step by step.

He would always quietly put an inconspicuous accessory next to those expensive jewelry, or add a matching tie to the order for a custom-made suit, which he paid for himself. These extras didn't cost much, so Chen Huixing never paid attention to them.

One time, Chen Huixing suddenly had a susceptible period outside Ling City, and Pei Jiqing came across the province to comfort him. Xu Ze drove to pick him up late at night, and he saw Pei Jiqing staring out the window in a daze, his eyes indescribably lonely.

The neon lights outside the window were reflected on the side of his face, flickering.

At that moment, Xu Ze suddenly understood why Chen Huixing fell into the hands of this person - Pei Jiqing was like a book with an extravagant binding. Others were always confused by the gold-plated cover and retreated, but only Chen Huixing had the chance to open the inner pages and take a look.

Falling in love with Pei Jiqing was a matter of time, just like flowers will bloom in spring. Unfortunately, Xu Ze understood it too late.

The first banquet that Pei Jiqing needed to attend after marrying Chen Huixing, his wife stood in the center of the banquet hall, as if she was covered in gold. The eyes of the people around him followed his figure, some were envious, some were jealous, but Xu Ze's share was hidden in this ocean of sight, like a drop of water mixing into the sea, unnoticed.

Someone came to toast him, but Pei Jiqing suddenly seemed to be stuck. Xu Ze blocked it for him. Pei Jiqing gratefully whispered to him that he didn't remember the man's name.

Later, Chen Huixing arrived.

Xu Ze stood back at the edge of the crowd and saw Pei Jiqing looking up and saying something to Shen Huixing, with a smile in his eyes.

Xu Ze lowered his head and took a sip of wine, bubbles bursting on the tip of his tongue, causing a slight stinging sensation.

On Pei Jiqing's last birthday before leaving, when VIVI showed him the birthday gift options, he secretly added a cuff to the gift box.

Chen Huixing was banging on the car window outside, his knuckles hitting the glass with a dull sound.

Xu Ze's fingers had just touched the seat belt buckle, and he was about to unbuckle it when Pei Jiqing suddenly reached out and pressed his wrist: "Don't go out."

The sudden touch made Xu Ze pause. Chen Huixing punched the roof of the car, and he could hear him cursing through the glass. His eyes were fixed on Xu Ze, as if he wanted to eat him alive.

Pei Jiqing knew what would happen if he let Xu Ze get out of the car now. Chen Huixing's anger, the conflict between the two Alphas, was uncontrollable.

Chen Huixing started banging on the car window again, and every bang seemed to hit Pei Jiqing's nerves.

Pei Jiqing's temples throbbed, and the next moment he slammed on the accelerator, the tires twisting on the wet road as they sped away.

In the rearview mirror, Chen Huixing's figure grew smaller and smaller.

The car was eerily quiet. After a long moment, Xu Ze finally spoke, "Why are you taking me?"

Pei Jiqing's tone was calm, "Where's your home?"

Xu Ze gave an address.

"Xu Ze," Pei Jiqing suddenly said, "I haven't had time to tell you that I've lost my memory. Perhaps the person you like is the old me."

Silence fell again in the car, with only the mechanical female voice of the navigation system announcing the next turn.

Xu Ze seemed to be pondering this question.

The car lights pierced the night sky, illuminating the black car that had been parked downstairs of Xu Ze's house.

It lay dormant quietly in the night, like a beast ready to pounce.

When Pei Jiqing unbuckled his seat belt, the metal buckle made a crisp "click". Before getting out of the car, he turned around and said to Xu Ze, "Find a chance to leave."

He walked straight between the two cars, blocking the door on Xu Ze's side. Chen Huixing rushed out of the black car, staring at Pei Jiqing with terrifying anger in his eyes: "Why are you with him? Why did you send him back?"

Pei Jiqing: "It's none of your business."

As soon as the words fell, Chen Huixing grabbed his shoulders with such force that he almost broke his bones: "Pei Jiqing, you have to torture me, right? Do you have to let me watch you lose you?"

Pei Jiqing looked directly into Chen Huixing's red eyes and spit out a word coldly: "Yes."

Xu Ze still walked over.

Chen Huixing stared at him intently, his voice trembling: "Are you really going to choose him?"

Pei Jiqing's voice was particularly clear in the night after the rain: "He is not like you, not at all, and I am very satisfied with this."

Chen Huixing's face turned pale instantly.

Xu Ze took a half step forward, his voice very steady: "Mr. Chen, you are divorced, I think I am qualified to pursue Mr. Pei." Chen

Huixing felt dizzy, his ears were buzzing, and there was only one thought left in his mind - Pei Jiqing even told Xu Ze about the divorce? He was so anxious to be with someone else?

Pei Jiqing stood beside Xu Ze, and the two looked at him. Chen Huixing suddenly remembered the day of their wedding, when the sun shone through the stained glass of the church, casting colorful light and shadows on Pei Jiqing.

But now, those lights are out.