No Ghosting Allowed

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The rain continued throughout the night and finally cleared up early the next morning. At 7:30 AM, Pei You’s pre-arranged car arrived on time at the hotel’s entrance. Pei You stood by the car, looking at his watch, hesitating whether to go up and call Zhou Qingbo again.

Half an hour ago, he had knocked on Zhou Qingbo’s door to wake him up, and Zhou Qingbo responded from behind the door that he was already awake. So, Pei You didn’t enter and instead came downstairs to wait for him.

Fortunately, Zhou Qingbo knew the plan and around ten minutes later, Pei You saw him coming down. Zhou Qingbo strolled leisurely and waved a greeting when he saw Pei You.

“Good morning,” Zhou Qingbo yawned lazily.

“Morning,” Pei You replied and glanced at his watch. It was indeed 7:45, right on time.

“Do you really never wake up early?” Pei You asked with a smile, waiting for Zhou Qingbo to come closer and then opening the car door for him.

Zhou Qingboi didn’t hold back either. He bent down and got into the backseat, then patted the seat beside him, motioning for Pei You to join him.

“Punctuality is a sign of respect for work,” Zhou Qingbo said confidently, “You workaholics wouldn’t understand.”

“…That’s some twisted reasoning,” Pei You said, getting into the car and closing the door, instructing the driver, “You can start the car; let’s head to the designated location.”

“How can it be twisted reasoning?” Zhou Qingbo raised an eyebrow and said seriously, “It’s a proper principle based on human nature.”

As Zhou Qingbo continued to explain with enthusiasm, sitting up straight and appearing mysterious, Pei You couldn’t help but interrupt, “Hey, weren’t we talking about work just now?”

“All things in the world are connected,” Zhou Qingbo shook his head, “Human interests are limited, and only things that are not easily obtained will be cherished by people.”

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Zhou Qingbo seemed to have the ability to turn nonsense into wisdom. Pei You hadn’t spoken yet, but the driver in the front seat smiled and glanced at Zhou Qingbo through the rearview mirror.

“That makes sense, young man,” the driver spoke up, “Are you studying philosophy?”

“No, it’s just some social experience,” Zhou Qingbo confidently replied.

“It makes sense, but I don’t quite agree,” Pei You said, “Love is the mutual approach of two people who have feelings for each other. That process should be pure, even if it may not be wise. You should follow your heart.”

“…Well,” Zhou Qingbo thought, “You do sound naive. In this day and age, there aren’t many gay virgins like you.”

“But love is also about competition between two people,” Zhou Qingbo interlocked his hands behind his head, turned his head to look at Pei You, and said, “There will always be winners and losers in a relationship. If you don’t assert yourself, you might end up at a disadvantage.”

“That’s not really the point,” Pei You spoke gently, “If you can reach the stage of ‘love,’ it must be between two people who genuinely like each other. In that case, there’s no need to worry about gaining or losing, as long as it’s not a matter of principle. Both sides compromise, consider each other, and life goes on.”

That idealistic view of love made Zhou Qingbo a little surprised. He thought about telling Pei You how harsh the “real world” could be, recounting the number of naive youngsters who got cheated both financially and emotionally at Black Bar every year. But as he looked into Pei You’s eyes, those words went unsaid.

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For some reason, Zhou Qingbo suddenly didn’t want to shatter Pei You’s idealism with those unpleasant realities. Perhaps pure things could evoke a sense of protectiveness in people, or maybe such idealism was so rare and worth preserving. In the end, Zhou Qingbo pursed his lips and decided not to say anything.

Well, he thought, it doesn’t really matter. I’ll watch out for him.

“That’s true,” Zhou Qingbo smiled and said, “Otherwise, how can love be sweet?”

Pei You seldom won debates with Zhou Qingbo, and he didn’t expect “Professor Zhou” to deviate from his teaching process this time. Pei You couldn’t help but wonder as he looked at him.

“What are you looking at?” Zhou Qingbo caught Pei You’s distinct gaze, raised an eyebrow, and said, “I’m quite fair. I never brainwash anyone.”

The driver in the front seat had been listening to their conversation. When he finally couldn’t resist, he burst into laughter.

“This young man is quite funny.” The driver looked at them through the rearview mirror and exclaimed with a smile, “You guys have a great relationship.”

“Of course.” Zhou Qingbo raised his chin confidently and said, “I am the one who holds the key to his life decisions.”

Pei You: “…”