Han Pei was so direct I genuinely didn't know what to say.
And for someone like me—who always had words for everything—that was… terrifying.
His gaze didn't move. Didn't blink. Just pinned me there like I was the only thing in the world worth looking at.
I looked away first.
So yeah. Two blunt people successfully walked our conversation into a dead end.
Han Pei, thankfully, was the one who rescued it.
He leaned back in the driver's seat and asked, half-joking, half-serious,"So. Are you hard to pursue?"
I laughed. "Not easy. Five-star difficulty."
"Then I'll pursue you until you graduate," he said, like he was talking about a business plan. "If I still can't win you over, I'll keep going."
"…You're insane."
His expression didn't change. Not even a little.
That wasn't a joke.
I forced myself to look at him again. "What do you even like about me?"
The words left my mouth so naturally that I startled myself.
Han Pei answered instantly. "You're beautiful. Sexy. Smart."
I stared.
"…That's it?"
He nodded. "That's all I know right now."
God.
A man like this, when he's honest, is genuinely dangerous.
I scoffed to cover the way my heart had jumped. "So superficial. Can't you say something more profound?"
"That would take at least three to five months," he said calmly. "Time and process. We've only known each other for two days."
Then he looked at me, voice low."If I told you right now that I love you deeply, that I'm crazy about you… would you believe it?"
I answered immediately. "No."
He nodded like he expected that. "Exactly."
I swallowed, then forced myself to be rational."You're surrounded by women who are beautiful, sexy, and smart. I'm not special."
Han Pei's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then he said, simply,"So you're different."
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I stared at my ceiling for over an hour, wide awake, like I'd drunk five cups of coffee.
His words wouldn't leave my head.
So you're different.
They weren't even sweet words.
But somehow, they were worse than sweet words.
Because they felt… real.
Fang Muhe once talked to me and Bu Yi about love.
He said love and feelings aren't the same.
Feelings grow slowly. They're complicated—habits, dependence, even survival instincts.
Love?
Love is pure.
Unconditional.
It hits you like lightning, and for one moment, you'd live for someone… or die for them.
He also said not everyone is lucky enough to meet love.
Some people date again and again and still never feel moved.
Later, Fang Muhe broke up with his first love. I asked him once if he still loved her.
He never answered.
Bu Yi said Fang Muhe's love had "run out," so he didn't believe in romantic nonsense anymore.
I rolled over, staring into the darkness.
Had Han Pei… fallen in love with me at first sight?
Ridiculous.
But then again…
If a man like Han Pei actively pursued someone, who could resist?
I wasn't special.
I was just human.
For the first time in my life, I couldn't sleep because of a man's words.
So I got up and played the piano.
But everything I touched sounded wrong.
I dug through my old sheet music, flipping pages like I was searching for a spell.
Twenty-three laps.
Page twenty-three.
Ten repeats.
My brain only got more awake.
Finally, I slammed the piano lid shut, grabbed my phone, and went out onto the terrace.
Then I called Fang Muhe.
"Do you know what time it is?" Fang Muhe's voice was hoarse, half-asleep, and full of murder.
"What's wrong with you now?"
I blurted, "Han Pei wants to pursue me."
Silence.
Then: "What?"
I repeated it.
More silence.
"…Why aren't you saying anything?" I asked.
Fang Muhe sighed like a man who had seen war."Give me a second. I need a cigarette to process this."
I frowned. "Is it that serious? What's wrong with me?"
"It has nothing to do with you," he said. "It's just… Han Pei, that cold-blooded animal, suddenly eating human food. He's not used to it."
I snorted.
Then he asked, more serious now,"What are you thinking?"
I wrapped my bathrobe tighter. The wind was cold.
"I'm not thinking anything right now," I admitted. "I'll decide tomorrow."
Fang Muhe paused."Qiqi. Are you sure you can handle a man like Han Pei?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means he's calculating," Fang Muhe said. "Like me. And he doesn't have time for romance. He can't give you the kind of dreamy dating you want."
I didn't answer.
He continued, voice steady now."And if you two get together… it's not just you and him. It involves both families. Business. Elders."
He let that sink in before adding,"You're twenty-three. You're not a kid. If you date him, you can't just do whatever you want and break up whenever you want."
I rubbed my temples. My head had been throbbing for days.
Fang Muhe's voice softened slightly."But if you calm down tomorrow, and you still want to try…"
He paused.
"…Then I support you."
My throat tightened a little.
Then, for reasons I didn't understand, I asked quietly,"Aunt Fang… how do you define first love?"
There was a strange pause.
"…Why are you asking that?" he asked, voice suddenly rough.
I panicked. "Nothing. Just random."
Fang Muhe sounded like he didn't want to touch the topic with a ten-foot pole."It's late. Go to sleep."
I hung up.
Only then did I notice an unread message.
From Han Pei.
[I've arrived. Get some sleep.]
That was it.
No "goodnight."
No emojis.
No sweetness.
I typed back:[Okay. Goodnight.]
A second later, my phone rang.
Han Pei.
His voice came through immediately."Still not adjusted to the time difference?"
I turned my back to the wind. "Yeah. But it's better."
"Then don't flip your schedule," he said.
I heard faint echoes on his end.
Footsteps.
"Are you in the elevator?" I asked.
"What did you say?" he replied.
"…Are you home?"
"Mm." I heard a door open. Close.
Then footsteps again.
Wait.
He opened and closed the door twice.
I frowned. "Are you going back to the company?"
"I'm going to Grandpa's," he said. "I stay there sometimes."
The stairwell was so quiet his voice echoed slightly.
And then I realized.
"…You're taking the stairs."
Han Pei didn't deny it. "Mm."
I stared at my phone like it had betrayed me.
He lived on the nineteenth floor.
Who does that?
Han Pei's voice lowered."Aren't you having trouble sleeping? I'll chat with you."
My heart gave a stupid, embarrassing thump.
He was walking down nineteen floors.
Just to keep me company.
"Qiqi?" he called when I didn't answer.
That doting "Qiqi" hit me like poison.
I pressed my lips together, forcing myself to stay calm.
But my composure was already dead.
Han Pei reached downstairs before we ended the call.
I heard him stop. A lighter clicked.
He smoked.
Then, a few minutes later, he sent me a message.
[Go to sleep early. Goodnight.]
And then he drove away.
The next morning, Yan Yan called and basically screamed into my ear.
"QIN SHU! HAN PEI HAS A GIRLFRIEND!"
I shot upright in bed. "What?"
Yan Yan ranted for two minutes straight.
Apparently, a colleague ran into Han Pei last night while jogging and saw him with a woman.
He even tied his clothes around her waist.
He spoke gently to her.
Asked if she was cold.
My colleague was devastated.
Yan Yan sighed dramatically."If you'd started running earlier, Han Pei might've been yours."
I stared at the ceiling.
Then said, flatly,"…That woman was me."
Yan Yan choked on her breakfast.
"What?!"
I continued, like I was reporting the weather."Also, I've already been to his house and played chess with Grandpa Han all afternoon."
Yan Yan went silent for a full three seconds.
Then she said, in a trembling voice,"Tell. Me. Everything. Wait—let me plug my phone in. I refuse to die before I hear this."
Later that day, I got a call from Han Pei.
He invited me to dinner.
I didn't refuse.
I'd thought about everything Fang Muhe said.
I wanted to make things clear.
Dinner was quiet.
Then we watched a movie.
After the movie, Han Pei asked, like it was normal,"Want to go for a run?"
I stared at him.
Then laughed."Is your life just work, running, and sleep?"
He nodded. "Basically."
He added, "I go to the club when I have time."
So I went running with him.
Because honestly?
Running might be the only time Han Pei was actually relaxed.
Afterward, he drove me home.
But this time, I didn't get out of the car.
I stared at him.
Han Pei unbuckled his seatbelt."Something wrong?"
I nodded. My voice came out calm, even though my chest felt tight."I can't give you a reply about the future."
Han Pei frowned slightly. "Huh?"
I took a breath.
"A few years ago, I had a crush on my teacher. I confessed. He rejected me."
Han Pei didn't interrupt.
I continued, "I haven't seen him in four and a half years. I thought we'd never cross paths again."
My fingers curled around the strap of my bag.
"But after Christmas, I'll be reporting to work."
I looked at Han Pei."And he's my boss."
Han Pei's gaze darkened, but his voice stayed steady."You still want to pursue him?"
I answered immediately. "No."
He studied me. "Then what's the issue?"
I swallowed.
"It's not that I want him. It's just… I've never been through anything emotionally. So if I see someone I once admired again, I can't promise I'll be completely unmoved."
I exhaled slowly.
"I might need time to adjust. My feelings might be messy. And I don't want misunderstandings to affect our families."
Then, quietly, I added,"In my current state, it would be unfair to date anyone."
Han Pei stared at me for a long moment.
Then he said, "I want to confirm one thing."
I nodded. "Ask."
His voice was calm, but the question was sharp.
"Are you sure you don't want to pursue him anymore?"
I nodded hard. "I'm sure."
Han Pei's gaze softened slightly.
"Then it won't affect us."
I blinked. "What?"
He spoke like it was obvious."The person you used to like is going to work with you. It's not a big deal."
He leaned slightly closer.
"If you feel conflicted or your emotions fluctuate after meeting him…"
His voice lowered.
"I'll help you sort it out."
I stared at him, my heartbeat suddenly loud in my ears.
Help me sort it out?
That wasn't something a man said casually.
That was something a man said when he had already decided to step into your life—whether you were ready or not.
And then my phone buzzed.
A message from Bu Yi.
[Come to the bar. NOW. Fang Muhe is here and he looks like he's about to commit a crime.]
My blood went cold.