Chapter 7 This never involves Chen Huixing to set up the stage...

Pei Jiqing just stepped into the inner door of the TV station and was dazzled by the corridor ceiling light.

He wore a light casual suit today, dark green, well-cut, and the dark pattern on the cuffs shone finely under the spotlight. His left hand was casually playing with the legs of his sunglasses.

Entering the elevator, Pei Jiqing lowered his head to adjust the mother-of-pearl cufflinks. The cold metallic light of the elevator made the redness at the end of his eyes even more charming.

He didn't sleep well last night and tossed and turned in his dreams.

Sometimes it was the Pei family, sometimes it was something else, a mess.

Pei Jiqing was dressed more stylishly than a celebrity, and even the corridor ceiling light dazzled him.

It's no secret that Pei Jiqing loves beauty, is particular about beauty.

The bracelet is three inches from the wrist bone, and the belt is tightened to an excellent proportion. His whole body reveals the pride engraved in his bones.

Anyone at the station could gossip about someone for days and nights, but no one dared to discuss him.

Whether he was outspoken or reserved, no one generally wanted to cross his path.

He remembered someone had once irritated Pei Jiqing. An intern for the financial channel anchor was stirring coffee with a silver spoon in the tea room, gossiping about Pei Jiqing being a canary.

"Why are you pretending to be so noble? It's all thanks to having a good husband..."

"I heard he was an amateur and was eliminated in the first round of the host selection process. If it weren't for Chen Huixing, would he have gotten his current position?"

Pei Jiqing's only connection with the financial channel anchor was that they had both competed in a competition, and Pei Jiqing had placed higher than him.

This didn't really anger Pei Jiqing; he simply mentioned the strong wind on the 37th floor, and warned him to be careful with his tongue. The intern's face paled, and Pei Jiqing immediately returned to his office.

The next day, the anchor was exposed for a romantic affair and was dismissed, along with the intern.

Everyone said Pei Jiqing wasn't a canary, but a poisoned peacock feather beneath his suit. He wouldn't even flutter an eyelash when he wanted to crush someone, so offending him meant thinking about the consequences.

Pei Jiqing himself had no idea why the scandal surrounding that financial channel anchor had suddenly surfaced.

He could only think of Chen Huixing.

But Chen Huixing was far away across the ocean at the time, so Pei Jiqing dismissed it as a mere coincidence.

"Teacher Pei!" Hua Cai launched herself from behind the security screen, folder in hand. Her ponytail bounced joyfully as she trotted, her almond-shaped eyes gleaming brightly enough to serve as studio lighting. Pei Jiqing

asked, "What brings you to me so early in the morning?"

"How did you and Executive Shen come to terms with the promise you made me? Can we have you two on the anniversary special episode of 'Honey Talk Star Chefs'?"

Pei Jiqing paused mid-air, the metal temples of his temples arcing beautifully around his index finger before he grasped them.

In reality, he had completely forgotten about it.

Yesterday, he was so preoccupied with figuring out how to make money that Chen Huixing kept him up all night. When he woke up this morning, Sister Zhang told him that Chen Huixing had left early, leaving him in a daze all morning.

Promising Huacai's words was probably a casual plea he'd made to get rid of them.

"Ahem." He tilted his head and coughed lightly, his long neck curved in an arc. "The Commander said

it's not going to work..." Huacai pulled out his phone and shoved the forum page in front of Pei Jiqing's eyes. "But...but the number one vote in the forum wants to see you two together live...The Commander likes you so much, can't you please give me some face? That's real viewership."

Pei Jiqing had noticed since yesterday that this kid was incredibly excited whenever he visited his house. Touching his chin, he suddenly remembered the dazed look on his face as he huddled on his leather sofa, staring at his wedding photo with Shen Huixing.

With that strange green-lit look in his eyes, it's hard to tell whether he's one of those people on the forum who's obsessed with the "Xing Ji CP" romance, or

one of the netizens who's madly posting comments under the hashtag #Pei Jiqing is not worthy of Commander Shen#. Pei Jiqing is also a public figure. To the outside world, he's Shen Huixing's "little darling wife," but there are a lot of people who like Shen Huixing and are her ardent fans who think Pei Jiqing is not worthy of her.

When Pei Jiqing announced his marriage to Shen Huixing, it was just after the Battle of Hasa, when Shen Huixing returned victorious. As a high-spirited young officer, his topic was simply overwhelming.

Pei Jiqing looked at the online comments about people hating to marry Shen Huixing, and a few days later, under the spotlight, he casually rolled up his sleeves to reveal the diamond ring on his finger, and said slowly, "To conclude this episode, I want to congratulate my husband on his safe return. Huixing, I'll always be proud of you."

Then he kissed the ring devoutly.

The next day, Ling City's entertainment section celebrated the Lunar New Year, with headlines each more shocking than the last:

"Uncovering the Mastermind Who Made a Famous Host Willingly Wear a Ring" and

"Why the Sudden, High-Profile Announcement After Two Years of Secret Marriage."

His actions, unannounced by Chen Huixing's secretary, nearly led to a violent outburst, as she said, "Could you please let me know before you show off your affection?"

She retorted, "Pei Jiqing was being capricious. Why didn't you inform them in advance?

" Pei Jiqing twirled the ring slowly, "Why should I? You never said I couldn't tell."

The secretary emphasized the word "influence. "

Chen Huixing didn't say anything; he hadn't hidden his marriage from anyone, nor had he mentioned it himself. But anyone who paid attention would have surely known about his marriage.

"Little friend," Pei Jiqing suddenly leaned closer to Huacai, and a very faint bitter orange pheromone exploded at the tip of Huacai's nose, "You couldn't have... secretly joined Commander Shen's Global Fan Club without my knowledge?"

Huacai shook her head frantically: "I, I, I... No, I like both of you!"

She frantically tried to prove her innocence: "Last year on 'Honey Talk Star Chef', you said that the Commander personally cooked for you, and you also mentioned that you were thousands of miles away to spend the anniversary with the Executive... I edited it all, and it got a lot of hits! You can't wrongly accuse me."

Pei Jiqing remembered that he had indeed fabricated eighteen versions of romantic plots on the show, such as "Commander making soup late at night" and "Building a love nest during the hot period of marriage", but they were all for the show effect. At this moment, he actually felt a subtle sense of guilt for deceiving an innocent girl.

"Then why did you avoid me when you saw me?"

Huacai's face instantly turned red like a boiled shrimp, twisting the corner of her clothes: "Aren't you afraid that you will find out that I am a fan?"

Huacai begged: "Is it really not possible, Teacher Pei?"

Although Pei Jiqing said on the show that they were in love with each other, the fact is that Chen Huixing would never cooperate with him to play dumb.

Sometimes when Pei Jiqing met Chen Huixing's icy eyes, he felt that no matter how perfect the stage was, it could not deceive him, but only deceived himself.

That person was used to standing under the spotlight, and he didn't even have the interest to pretend to be nice. It was like the audience was watching Pei Jiqing perform a one-man show.

The small sandalwood temple could not afford a golden Buddha.

So Pei Jiqing regretfully said no, but at last he'd found someone who actually liked him and Shen Huixing. His eloquence, like icing on the cake, touched the girl's heart: "Little girl, military families should be more aware of sacrificing their own families for the sake of the greater good. While the program is important to me, Executive Shen is the stabilizing force of the Federation. His time belongs to the entire Asian Union, and every second of it is precious."

In short, this statement made the girl's eyes light up, as if she had truly chosen the right couple. A

half-truthful relationship wrapped in the most fake sugar coating, yet some people simply loved this glass-stained honey.

Pei Jiqing pondered for days to raise the money, finally settling on a candidate—the head of Mai's Auction House, who had flattered him three months earlier to help him connect with Shen Huixing. As soon as

he heard Pei Jiqing's voice, he flattered her by asking if the madam had any instructions.

Pei Jiqing leaned back on the sofa, his palm rubbing against a jeweled cufflink. He'd gotten quite a few goodies from Chen Huixing over the years. "Boss Mai, I'll sell a few of your things for me. You can charge whatever you're owed."

Pei Jiqing's place was piled high with similar gifts, most of which Chen Huixing had brought back from business trips. He'd bought them like wholesale cat toys at a pet store, some of which were still unopened.

Boss Mai said, "It's a small matter. It's my honor to be of service to you."

Pei Jiqing said, "Sell them as soon as possible."

The middle-aged man's smile was flattering, but he gasped. "You tell me, and I'll do it immediately."

Pei Jiqing could practically see the waxed hair glistening on the man's forehead. Three months ago, the old fox had come to him with a large sum of money, asking for an introduction to Chen Huixing. Pei Jiqing had encountered this kind of situation many times over the years. The chief secretary had told Pei Jiqing to be responsible for his words and actions, after all, some of his actions involved Chen Huixing.

Pei Jiqing knew what was important.

"I'll have someone give it to you tomorrow morning." Pei Jiqing's fingertips slid across the densely packed jewelry catalog on his tablet, ticking off a few items that Chen Huixing had casually and halfheartedly praised as "complimenting you" and selling them all.

"I'll keep my commission, and the transaction price..." Pei Jiqing said, "Boss Mai, don't let me see outrageous numbers."

"You're putting me in a difficult position," Boss Mai said. "Your stuff must be good..."

Pei Jiqing said, "It's not 'good stuff', it's just taking up space. Don't let anyone know about this."

Pei Jiqing didn't want anyone to know that he was selling the jewelry for other reasons, so he had to find a reasonable-sounding reason.

Boss Mai was silent for a moment, then said, "Madam, may I know what price you're looking for?"

Pei Jiqing paused and said, "Don't be too exaggerated."

Boss Mai said he understood.

A few days later, the account that Pei Jiqing provided to Boss Mai showed a receipt notification. The moment the number jumped onto the screen, Pei Jiqing frowned, as it seemed a little higher than he had expected.

But Boss Mai told him that this was the market price and showed him some transaction receipts.

Pei Jiqing was too lazy to argue with him. Anyway, he had already taken the things out and had not agreed to do anything for Boss Mai. This way, it would not involve Chen Huixing.