Chapter Fourteen: The Knight and the Sorcerer
After passing through the intersection, both of them were momentarily stunned.
Realizing what had just happened, Yu Youchu felt as if her entire body was burning. A wave of heat rose from her neck, and without a doubt, she knew her face must be flushed red.
“You...”
“I...”
They both spoke simultaneously, then tacitly fell silent.
Pei Jiayin felt his own face flush shamefully. The temperature inside the car seemed to rise abnormally, and he tugged at his collar.
“You go first.”
Yu Youchu cleared her throat lightly.
“The heater’s pretty strong today, haha.”
With that, she rolled down the car window slightly, letting the cold air seep in bit by bit.
Both of them felt much more comfortable.
“How’s your cold?” Pei Jiayin asked cautiously, then rolled the window back up.
“Much better,” Yu Youchu sniffed. Aside from feeling a bit drowsy in the afternoon, she indeed felt a lot better now.
“That’s good.”
After the brief exchange, silence fell over the car, the awkward atmosphere lingering stubbornly.
Yu Youchu twisted her fingers nervously, silently scolding herself: Say something, Yu Youchu! Aren’t you the best at breaking the ice? Why can’t you do it now?
She pinched her fingers, recalling the sensation from just now.
It actually felt... rather nice.
“Do you catch colds often?” Pei Jiayin braced himself to continue the conversation. Every time he saw Yu Youchu, she seemed so fragile, as if a gust of wind might blow her away.
Thinking back to Yu Youchu last night, Pei Jiayin rubbed the steering wheel thoughtfully.
The work uniform from Huasheng seemed a bit too thin.
“Not really. I have mild allergic rhinitis, so even a slight cold can be troublesome.”
Pei Jiayin recalled that Yu Youchu often wore a mask.
“The air in Jing City isn’t good.”
“Right! And it’s so dry…”
Thanks to Pei Jiayin’s timely interruption, they both smoothly moved past the earlier moment.
---
Inside the Pei family’s old mansion.
“Have you asked Jiayin? The elder’s birthday is coming up soon, and he’s still out like this. What kind of behavior is that!”
A woman with delicate features sat with her hands folded in the garden, surrounded by meticulously tended flower beds and lawns. From her vantage point, the flowers inside the glass house bloomed in full splendor.
“If he doesn’t come back, I dare not imagine how angry the elder will be!”
“I called him, but couldn’t reach him,” replied a vigorous middle-aged man, sitting nearby with a lively Golden Retriever and a laid-back Border Collie at his feet. Both dogs were well-groomed, their coats glossy and shining.
“Show me the nutrition charts for Knight and Wizard.”
With a wave of his hand, a nutritionist immediately handed him a sheet.
“For the chairman of Pei Group, you can’t even get in touch with your own son.”
The woman took a sip of the red tea before her.
“I just don’t understand what’s wrong with Wen Ya. Family background, looks, character, talent... isn’t he perfect in every way? Why is this kid so unwilling?”
The man nodded in satisfaction after looking at the chart.
“Knight! Go get the ball.”
The Border Collie received the command, immediately jumping up and running back into the room. Soon, it returned with a colorful toy ball in its mouth.
The man ruffled the Border Collie’s head and tossed the ball. Both dogs shot off like arrows released from a bow.
“Don’t worry, Jiayin is filial. Even if he doesn’t move back, he’ll definitely come home for the elder’s birthday.”
After a while, the Border Collie brought the ball back, wagging its tail proudly. The Golden Retriever, after chasing around in circles, returned with its tail between its legs.
“Smart people make smart choices. He hasn’t realized it yet, but once he’s out there, he’ll know that Wen Ya is his best choice.”
The man patted the Border Collie’s head again and tossed some prepared meat treats into its mouth.
“Today Knight won again. Wizard needs to try harder.”
The Golden Retriever trotted over, eyes wide and watery, softly whining in complaint—as if tattling on Knight, trying to charm the man into leniency.
“Children who cry get candy. Here you go.”
He kindly fed the Golden Retriever a treat as the Border Collie looked on with a grimace.
The woman chuckled and reminded them,
“If you feed them both like this, how will Knight have the motivation?”
The man chuckled softly. “You don’t understand Knight. He doesn’t whine—he’s a smart, proud dog. He only seeks recognition.”
He patted the Golden Retriever’s head. “Only by taking care of Wizard too will Knight feel a sense of competition, pushing himself to run harder...”
Suddenly remembering something, the man took out his phone and dialed.
“Tell Pei Jiaxu that I’ve approved his last application.”
The woman beside him smiled wryly. “You really... leave me speechless.”
---
Time flew by until Friday.
Much like always, Mu Chuan naturally placed his tray opposite Yu Youchu.
Since their last field mission, the two had grown increasingly familiar with each other.
Their areas of expertise differed, so they often exchanged knowledge—truly a partnership of mutual growth.
For Yu Youchu, who had few friends throughout her life, she had now gained her first lunch companion.
She was poking at the fish balls in her bowl.
“You’re the only one who loves eating so much starch,” Mu Chuan teased.
“What do you know? You have no taste! Food made from such top-notch ingredients tastes absolutely delicious!” Yu Youchu retorted as she popped the last fish ball into her mouth. Though lacking nutrition, she could never give up such tasty treats.
Unfortunately, Mu Chuan was a firm believer in healthy eating.
He slid his vegetable salad over to Yu Youchu.
“Here, Chef Yu, eat some veggies. Every time you get a cold, the pile of used tissues on your desk almost takes over.”
Yu Youchu immediately frowned, scrunching her features.
“Poor hardware conditions are like this. If we swapped noses, you’d understand.”
Mu Chuan pretended to hear a curse and quickly covered his nose with his hand.
“Our bodies are gifts from our parents; I’m not trading mine.”
Yu Youchu swallowed a piece of broccoli.
“Got it, Mu the Third.”
“By the way, there’s a meeting with Section Chief Bai this afternoon. Don’t forget.”
Mu Chuan packed up his utensils and reminded her.
“Got it, got it. Every Friday it’s a meeting. Can’t a person get off work properly anymore?”
The wonderful weekend begins on Friday.
Yu Youchu angrily put down her chopsticks, took the tissue Mu Chuan handed her, and looked up to see Mu Chuan’s expressionless face.
“Mu Chuan, you’re truly a model of emotional stability—a shining example for us working folks.”