Heart-to-Heart

Wanliu Residence.

Pei Ningxue was waiting for him downstairs. She was wearing nothing but a dark green silk slip dress with a cashmere shawl draped over her shoulders.

She stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a marble pillar, her cold gaze fixed on the main entrance.

Seeing Chen Zhi walk in, a smile tugged at the corners of Pei Ningxue's lips.

"You're here?"

Chen Zhi quickly put on a flattering smile and walked over briskly. He casually took off his down jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"Why did you come down wearing so little? What if you catch a cold?"

Pei Ningxue didn't refuse, allowing the jacket, which still carried his body heat, to wrap around her.

She reached out a hand, her slender fingers resting lightly on Chen Zhi's arm, applying a little pressure.

"Let's go, Mr. Busy."

They entered the elevator.

"How come I heard that our Boss Chen had a very busy schedule today?"

Pei Ningxue suddenly spoke up.

She turned sideways, staring at Chen Zhi beside her.

"In the morning, you accompanied your little childhood sweetheart to eat steamed buns at the Central Conservatory of Music. In the afternoon, you went to Renmin University to watch a movie with another childhood sweetheart. And tonight, you still managed to find the time to come to my place for some overtime."

"Chen Zhi, shouldn't you teach an elective course on time management at Deep Space Tech? I should have all those PhDs who complain about being tired every day go listen and learn how to stretch twenty-four hours into forty-eight."

Chen Zhi's Adam's apple bobbed.

Wasn't this woman's information a bit too well-informed?

"Look at what you're saying. It's all for work."

Chen Zhi's expression didn't change, displaying the psychological fortitude expected of a player. "Going to Renmin University was for market research. The college student demographic is very important right now. I have to go down to the grassroots to understand their preferences..."

"Oh?"

Pei Ningxue sneered, her eyes full of mockery. "Market research that led you straight to an hourly hotel room?"

Chen Zhi instantly shut his mouth.

Well, that killed the conversation.

"Why aren't you talking? Keep making things up."

Pei Ningxue took a step closer, backing Chen Zhi into the corner of the elevator.

She looked up, a dangerous glint flashing in her beautiful eyes.

"Chen Zhi, do you think I'm that easy to fool?"

"No, absolutely not." Chen Zhi raised his hands in surrender. "Aren't I here now? This proves that in my heart, Boss Pei's status is supreme."

"Stop being so glib."

Pei Ningxue suddenly reached out, grabbed Chen Zhi by the collar, and yanked him down.

Their faces were instantly so close they could feel each other's breath.

"Open your mouth," Pei Ningxue ordered.

"Huh?" Chen Zhi froze for a second. "Why?"

"I said open your mouth."

Pei Ningxue didn't give him a chance to react. The moment his mouth opened slightly, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

There was no tenderness in this kiss.

Chen Zhi was kissed until he was slightly deprived of oxygen, forcing him to reach out and hold her slender waist to prevent them from falling.

A long while later.

Pei Ningxue finally let him go.

She panted slightly, sticking out the tip of her tongue to gently lick her rosy lips, her hazy eyes carrying a hint of provocation.

"Just as I thought."

She stared into Chen Zhi's eyes, her tone faint.

"It really is tangerine flavored."

Chen Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

Damn it.

Li Zhiyi's lip balm!

She could actually taste that?

Looking at Chen Zhi's expression, which looked as if he had just seen a ghost, Pei Ningxue suddenly laughed.

With a chime, the elevator arrived at the top floor.

Pei Ningxue let go, turned, and walked out, leaving Chen Zhi with a chic view of her back.

"Aren't you coming? Are you going to spend the night in the elevator?"

Chen Zhi wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead and quickly followed.

Pei Ningxue took out her keys and opened the door.

This was a top-floor duplex, a massive apartment spanning hundreds of square meters. The decor was incredibly luxurious, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows were the myriad lights of Beijing.

But at this moment, Chen Zhi was in no mood to enjoy the night view.

As soon as the door closed, Pei Ningxue didn't even change her shoes. She turned around and hugged Chen Zhi's waist from behind.

Her face pressed against Chen Zhi's broad back.

The aggressive aura from just a moment ago vanished instantly, replaced by a deep sense of exhaustion and attachment.

"Chen Zhi."

Her voice was muffled. "Let's have a good talk tonight."

Chen Zhi sighed.

He turned around, hugged Pei Ningxue back, and gently stroked her smooth, long hair with his large hand.

"Okay, let's talk."

The two entered the bedroom.

The bedroom was ridiculously large, with a custom-made bed over two meters wide in the center.

Pei Ningxue tossed Chen Zhi's down jacket aside, kicked off her slippers, lay directly on the bed, and patted the spot next to her.

"Come here."

Chen Zhi obediently walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

But Pei Ningxue wasn't satisfied. She reached out and pulled him down onto the bed, then clung to him.

She buried her head in the crook of Chen Zhi's neck and took a deep breath.

"Did you not sleep at all today?"

Chen Zhi's body stiffened for a second.

"No, I slept for a bit in the afternoon."

"In the hourly hotel room?"

"...Yeah."

Pei Ningxue didn't press for details, only tightening her arms around him.

"Are you tired?"

"I'm alright."

"Liar."

Pei Ningxue looked up, her fingers gently tracing Chen Zhi's eyebrows and eyes. "Look at your dark circles."

She bit her lip, her eyes suddenly turning a little red.

"Chen Zhi, do you think I'm really cheap?"

Chen Zhi frowned. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Even though I know you have a girlfriend, and even though I know you just finished spending the afternoon with another girl, I still insisted on forcing you to come keep me company tonight."

Pei Ningxue laughed self-deprecatingly. "I used to look down on women like this the most. I never thought I'd become one of them someday."

Chen Zhi looked at her, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his heart.

Pei Ningxue usually put on a nonchalant, cynical heiress facade, as if she didn't care about anything.

But in reality, her pride was heavier than anyone's.

For her to let go of her pride and go this far, there was no other explanation but love.

"Ningxue."

Chen Zhi cupped her face and looked earnestly into her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

Pei Ningxue sniffled. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who insisted on throwing myself at you."

"No, it's because I'm too greedy."

Chen Zhi took a deep breath, deciding to lay his cards on the table.

"I don't want to lie to you. Wanwan, Zhiyi, and you, I don't want to let go of any of you."

Pei Ningxue froze for a moment.

"You really dare to say that."

She reached out and viciously pinched the soft flesh at Chen Zhi's waist. "Aren't you afraid the three of us will team up and beat you to death?"

"If you beat me to death, then so be it."

Chen Zhi put on a brazen front, acting as if he was completely shameless. "That's just how I feel anyway. I want to give each of you a home. Even though it sounds like something a bastard would say, it's my honest truth."

Pei Ningxue looked at him with complex eyes.

After a long time, she finally sighed.

"Fine, then I'll wait and see how you manage to clean up this mess."

She flipped over and sat up, looking down at Chen Zhi from above.

"But before that, you have to serve me well."

With that said, her hand reached straight for Chen Zhi's belt buckle.

Click.

Chen Zhi jumped in surprise and quickly grabbed her hand.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think?"

Pei Ningxue raised an eyebrow and spoke with absolute self-righteousness, "Doing what we're supposed to do, of course. We've bought the marital home, and we're both here. Wouldn't it be a waste of this multi-million dollar house if we didn't do something?"

"No way!"

Chen Zhi shook his head firmly, gripping his belt for dear life. "I told you, I won't touch you until we've officially established our relationship."

"Established our relationship?"

Pei Ningxue sneered. "Didn't you just make that scumbag declaration earlier? You said you want to marry all three of us and take us home. How is that not establishing a relationship?"

"That's different."

Chen Zhi braced himself and explained, his mind racing. "There has to be an order to things, a proper process. I need to settle things with Wanwan first, and then..."

"And then what?"

Pei Ningxue interrupted him, her gaze sharp. "Are you going to settle things with Li Zhiyi too? And then the three of us will sit down for a roundtable conference, and only after everyone nods in agreement will you finally touch me?"

Chen Zhi was left completely speechless.

Seeing his flustered state, Pei Ningxue suddenly leaned close to his ear, her breath warm and fragrant.

"Chen Zhi, do you know?"

"Juggling everything like this, you're going to crash and burn sooner or later."

Chen Zhi's heart tightened.

The greatest fear of a master juggler isn't just spilling the water, it's smashing the bowls completely.

"I know."

Chen Zhi sighed. He pulled her mischievous hand away from his belt and held it tightly in his palm.

"But I have no choice."

"It's your fault for all being so wonderful. Losing even one of you would break my heart."

The expression on Pei Ningxue's face softened a bit.

"Forget it. Seeing as you're about to drop dead from exhaustion, I'll let you off the hook for today."

She lay back down on the bed and pulled the blanket over the two of them.

"But as compensation, you have to sleep here with me every night from now on."

Chen Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had just been granted a royal pardon.

"Sure, keeping you company in bed is my specialty."

He took off his jacket and trousers, stripping down to his thermal underwear, and slipped under the covers.

Pei Ningxue immediately clung to him, hugging him tightly.

The lights in the room were turned off.

Only the faint moonlight filtering through the window remained.

It was so quiet that they could only hear each other's breathing.

"Chen Zhi."

"Hmm?"

"Tell me, if one day they all find out, do you think they'll really team up and castrate you?"

Chen Zhi felt a sudden chill between his legs and instinctively squeezed them together.

"They probably... would."

"Are you scared then?"

"Yes."

Chen Zhi nodded honestly. "But I'm more scared of losing you girls."

Pei Ningxue didn't say anything.

She kept her eyes open in the dark, looking at Chen Zhi's profile.

This man was such a scumbag yet so affectionate, such a bastard yet so deeply captivating.

He was truly hopeless.

"Chen Zhi."

"What is it now?"

"I love you."

Her voice was very soft, like a gentle sigh.

Chen Zhi froze.

He lowered his head, found Pei Ningxue's forehead in the darkness, and planted a gentle kiss on it.

"I love you too."

Pei Ningxue didn't speak again, and her breathing gradually became steady and drawn out.

She was truly exhausted.

Both her body and her heart had finally found a safe harbor in this moment.

Chen Zhi held her, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The person in his arms had fallen asleep, but he wasn't sleepy in the slightest.

Lin Wanwan in the morning, Li Zhiyi in the afternoon, and Pei Ningxue at night.

Three women, three different acts of a play.

He had barely managed to balance these three bowls of water today without spilling a drop.

But what about tomorrow? And the day after?

Chen Zhi suddenly remembered how Li Zicong had been deleted from someone's friend list today.

Chen Zhi felt like he was currently dancing on the edge of a knife.

If he took even a single wrong step, what awaited him might not be just one red exclamation mark indicating he had been blocked, but three red exclamation marks.

Plus a machete, a pair of scissors, and a surgical scalpel.

"Sigh..."

Chen Zhi let out a long sigh in his heart.

It wasn't easy being a scumbag.

Especially a scumbag who wanted to be responsible, accountable, and give all his girls happiness—that was harder than ascending to the heavens.

Whatever, he would just take it one step at a time.

It was too late for regrets anyway; he could only walk down this path until the very end.