Pei Jiangmu lazily lifted his eyelids, not caring at all about his elder brother's accusation.
The AI system he had been leading the development of recently, specifically designed to suppress the Yan family, had entered the final testing phase.
The prospects were extremely promising. It was estimated that it would bring huge profits to the company after its launch.
With such remarkable achievements in hand, he held his head high in the company. He simply regarded Pei Jingdu's words as the buzzing of flies.
"Brother, I haven't delayed the progress of my project, and I've processed all the documents that needed to be dealt with."
"As for my private time, I think I don't need to report to you on how I spend it, right?"
His tone was leisurely, even a bit nonchalant.
Seeing that the goading method didn't work, Pei Jingdu's face darkened, and he changed his strategy.
He softened his tone, but there was an unyielding assertiveness in it.
"Okay, I admit that you've done a great job on the project. Well then, you'll be in full charge of following up on the cooperation case with the Cui family."
"They've always been in contact with Cui Ran. It's just the right time for you two to cultivate your relationship, so as not to arouse suspicion about your relationship."
At the mention of the name "Cui Ran", Pei Jiangmu's face instantly turned cold.
He refused without hesitation.
"No, I have no feelings for her, and I don't need to cultivate any. Find someone else for this case."
"Also, don't forget what you promised me. Cancel this engagement, or else, you know, I might go crazy and do anything."
Pei Jingdu seemed to have anticipated his refusal.
But his words about going crazy still faintly angered him.
He leaned forward slightly, staring sharply at Pei Jiangmu with lowered voice, carrying a clear threat.
"Pei Jiangmu, I'm not discussing this with you."
"If you don't agree, then I'll have to find some time to visit Chaochao in person and have a good talk with her about the real identity of her boyfriend."
"I'm no longer interested in watching your act of pretending to be a student."
"Pei Jingdu!"
Pei Jiangmu suddenly stood up. The chair quickly slid backward and hit the cabinet, making a harsh sound.
He braced his hands on the desktop, his eyes sinister, and his chest rising and falling slightly due to anger. "How dare you!"
"Just watch if I dare!"
Pei Jingdu didn't back down at all.
"I'm doing this for your own good! Jiangmu, look at yourself. You're now full of her in your heart and eyes. You wish you could be tied to her side 24 hours a day."
"Such excessive attention and investment are not good for you or her!"
"Isn't it better to give her some space and leave some breathing room for yourself? Do you want to repeat the same mistake and become..."
Become as paranoid and crazy as before.
Pei Jingdu didn't finish the rest of the sentence, but both brothers knew exactly what he meant.
The atmosphere in the office was extremely tense. The two brothers were like two lions facing off against each other, neither willing to yield.
Finally, Pei Jiangmu clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white, and squeezed out a sentence through his teeth: "Fine, I'll take it."
He couldn't take any risk of losing Meng Ruochao, especially the obstacle from within the family.
Pei Jingdu had precisely stepped on his Achilles' heel.
Watching his younger brother storm out and slam the door behind him, Pei Jingdu rubbed his temples tiredly.
How could he not want to use a better method?
He just knew his younger brother too well.
His love was definitely worthy, but he didn't know the proper measure. His love was always too intense and paranoid.
As his elder brother and also as the one who had watched Meng Ruochao grow up.
He was afraid that Pei Jiangmu would once again push a healthy relationship into the abyss of destruction, and he was also afraid that Chaochao would get hurt again in this relationship.
After all, he would never have thought that Pei Jiangmu would inject Meng Ruochao with a drug to erase her memory just because she wanted to leave him.
If he continued to be so indulgent, would he do something even more out of control one day?
Meng Ruochao wasn't his possession. He not only needed to remember this but also act accordingly.
He forced him to take over the cooperation with the Cui family, not really to let him cultivate feelings with Cui Ran.
It was not only a work requirement but also an attempt to forcibly distract his attention.
He hoped that he could find a healthier and more relaxed balance point in this relationship.
However, the forced - compromised Pei Jiangmu had a deeper thorn planted in his heart.
The dissatisfaction with his elder brother's interference, the annoyance of having to deal with Cui Ran.
And the deep - seated fear of possibly losing Meng Ruochao were intertwined.
When facing his busy lover, his hidden uneasiness and desire for control seemed to be quietly growing in the dark.
His dependence on and attention to Meng Ruochao were increasing in an imperceptible way.
During the day, he tried his best to restrain himself and not disturb her work too much.
But at night when he returned to their shared home, he seemed to want to make up for the whole day's separation.
Almost every night, he would hold Meng Ruochao tightly in his arms.
His chin would rest on the top of her head, or he would gently rub against her neck. His breath was filled with her reassuring faint fragrance.
The two would chat idly from time to time, and then there would be long moments of close intimacy.
Gentle kisses would fall on her hair, forehead, and cheeks, with an almost greedy attachment.
Meng Ruochao had been extremely exhausted during this period.
Several times, in his warm and reassuring embrace, listening to his steady heartbeat, she couldn't resist the exhaustion and fell asleep deeply before she could say much.
Looking at her serene sleeping face, even though his body was tense with desire, Pei Jiangmu couldn't bear to wake her up.
He just held her tighter, as if he wanted to integrate her into his very being, and slept soundly until dawn.
Meng Ruochao, who was in the throes of a passionate love affair, although she felt that he was a bit more clingy than before, only regarded it as a natural manifestation of their deep - rooted feelings and didn't think much about it.
Moreover, because she had been extremely busy recently and had limited time and energy to spare for him, she felt a faint sense of guilt in her heart.
One weekend morning.
She got up earlier than Pei Jiangmu for a rare time.
After going to the living room and finding that he was still asleep, she entered his room and directly got on his bed.
But she didn't get under the covers. She just lay outside the covers, leaning against his chest. Her fingers unconsciously drew circles on the buttons of his pajamas. With an apologetic tone, she softly said,
"Jiangmu, after I'm done with these urgent orders and the initial preparations for the program are on the right track, I'll definitely set aside a whole day. I won't do anything but just accompany you."
"At that time, you can do anything you want."
As she said this, she looked up and kissed his chin.
Hearing this, Pei Jiangmu's body stiffened imperceptibly for a moment.
Immediately, his peach - blossom eyes, which were always filled with tenderness or grievance, suddenly brightened up, like a galaxy that had been instantly ignited.
He lowered his head, locking his intense gaze on her. His voice was a bit hoarse from just waking up, adding a bit more ambiguity.
"Are you serious? ... Anything I want?"
His eyes were too piercing, and the implication in his tone was too strong.
Meng Ruochao immediately understood what he meant, and her cheeks instantly turned red, like the most beautiful rouge had been applied to them.