Pei Chuxiong let out a cold snort, slamming the ancient book onto the table. He reached out to pinch a black stone between his fingers. "Today, I'll show you exactly why the older ginger is always spicier."
Pei Shiyi offered a faint smile in response, casually placing a stone on the board. His long, slender fingers brushed against a white stone as he said with a half-smile, "Father, it might be better not to speak too soon."
The servants of the Pei family watched the two men play, all of them wearing helpless smiles.
The father and son of the Pei family both loved Go, and they both tended to take the game far too seriously. Every match eventually devolved into a bickering match, yet the two of them never grew tired of it.
Whenever Pei Shiyi won, he would intentionally leave an endgame puzzle for the old man to solve.
Every time the old man asked Shiyi to play, Shiyi would bring up the previous endgame. If Pei Chuxiong hadn't solved it yet, Shiyi would absolutely refuse to play another round.
Because of this, Pei Chuxiong felt a mix of love and exasperation toward his talented youngest son.
However, during this game, Pei Chuxiong could clearly sense that Pei Shiyi was distracted.
Pei Chuxiong placed a stone, bringing the round to a definitive end.
"You," Pei Chuxiong said, lifting his eyelids to look at his son. His face was grim as he pointed out the flaws in his son's recent performance. "You need to focus on self-cultivation lately. Your mind is cluttered."
Pei Shiyi's hand paused as he gathered the stones. He replied as if nothing were wrong, "Father is right."
As he spoke, Jing Meng's face involuntarily surfaced in his mind. His gaze turned distant for a moment, and a bitter smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Pei Chuxiong had been a titan in the business world for decades; he was an expert at reading micro-expressions, especially when it came to the son he was most proud of.
"What? Did the Jing girl reject you?" Pei Chuxiong picked up the ancient book again, flipping through it with feigned indifference, though his clouded eyes remained fixed on Pei Shiyi.
Shiyi didn't answer, keeping his head down as he continued to tidy the stones.
Once every piece was put away, he finally spoke in a quiet voice. "She agreed."
He paused for a beat before finishing the sentence. "To enter the Pei Family Laboratory."
As if emphasizing the point, he bit down hard on the word "Laboratory."
Pei Chuxiong instantly understood what was making his youngest son so anxious. Instead of the worry Shiyi expected, the old man actually found it somewhat amusing.
"I have to say," Pei Chuxiong said, his eyes crinkling with mirth as he looked at his son. "Everything seemed fine between you two at the last banquet. What kind of spat are you youngsters having now?"
Pei Shiyi remained silent.
Pei Chuxiong wasn't in a hurry. Since his son wasn't talking, he simply took his time flipping through the book.
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, after the stones were fully put away, Pei Shiyi sat on the sofa. He looked uncharacteristically restless. When he looked up at his father, his eyes held a rare sense of confusion.
"I... misunderstood her."
Having rarely seen his son so lost, Pei Chuxiong's interest in Jing Meng grew even greater.
"Oh? Tell me about it. Perhaps your father can give you some advice?" Pei Chuxiong immediately set the book aside, his gaze softening.
His son had been a single father for many years now, and Pei Chuxiong was secretly anxious. He hoped his son would find a virtuous wife to help manage the household affairs.
Yet he also understood his son. Shiyi would rather stay single forever than settle for just anyone.
Otherwise, if it were up to Old Mrs. Pei, Jenny would have become the daughter-in-law of the house long ago. Now that his son had finally found a woman he was interested in, the old man felt he should do his part as a father to help bridge the gap.
"Father, you should know that I have always been looking for Chengcheng's mother."
At the mention of that person, the atmospheric pressure around Pei Chuxiong plummeted. The expression of a kind father vanished, replaced by his usual stern and humorless mask.
"Did you find her?"
The Pei family had never given up the search for that woman, but she was like a stone dropped into the deep sea—utterly vanished without a trace.
"There are some vague clues, but nothing is confirmed yet."
Pei Chuxiong nodded slowly, his gaze deepening. "Once you find her, remember to bring her back to the Pei family!"
Pei Shiyi gave a soft acknowledgment.
"So, you two had a fight because of this?" Seeing his son's silence and connecting it to recent events, Pei Chuxiong made a rough guess.
Shiyi nodded, his expression darkening further.
Knowing his father's temperament, if Jing Meng were even slightly involved with that woman, it would only lead to more unnecessary misunderstandings. Thus, Pei Shiyi kept his previous suspicions about Jing Meng to himself.
Pei Chuxiong looked at his son's dejected state, feeling both annoyed and amused.
"I don't think the Jing girl is someone who holds a grudge. Could it be that this old man's eyes have failed him?"
Pei Chuxiong had spent decades in the business world and had seen countless people. He had long since developed a discerning eye. To suggest he had misjudged her was merely a way to tease his son.
Pei Shiyi caught the meaning behind his father's words. He curled his lip slightly and gave a faint smile. "Father, please stop mocking me. This is my own problem; I will resolve it as quickly as possible."
Seeing that his son had a plan, Pei Chuxiong leaned back into his chair and picked up the ancient book once more. "As long as you understand. Little Jing is different from the others. Don't be foolish."
Shiyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his father's teasing. He grabbed his coat from the sofa and stood up to leave.
"I know what I'm doing. You should worry more about how to solve that endgame puzzle!"
At the reminder, Pei Chuxiong narrowed his eyes at the Go board.
The stones were interlaced, and the white pieces had clearly driven the black ones into a corner. It was another incredibly difficult deadlock.
Pei Chuxiong: "..."
It seemed he didn't need to worry about his "Little Six" after all.
"Fine," Pei Chuxiong sighed deeply. Jing Meng's confident expression from the banquet suddenly flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes."
Elsewhere, at the Pei Family Laboratory.
Jing Meng, the subject of everyone's thoughts, let out several sneezes in a row. Just as she was wondering if she was getting sick, a female colleague approached her with an ambiguous smile. "It seems your boyfriend is missing you."
Jing Meng had heard the old superstition about what it meant to sneeze a certain number of times, but she hadn't expected that even with modern technology being so advanced, people would still use such things to tease others.
Smiling, Jing Meng didn't offer a reply. Instead, she picked up her phone, planning to go downstairs to buy a cup of coffee to clear her foggy mind.
The elevator slowly came to a stop on the first floor. As she stepped out, a familiar figure entered her line of sight. Jing Meng cursed her bad luck internally and moved to exit the front door as fast as possible.
It wasn't that she was overreacting; she truly just did not want to see that person.
She had set Pei Gong up last time, and given that woman's temperament, she likely wanted to tear Jing Meng apart and drink her blood. With Pei Shiyi currently absent, there was no telling how that crazy woman might act. It was better to avoid her if possible.
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