Until the next song started playing.
[The shy rose quietly blooms]
[Slowly unfolding the emotions she left for me]
[Spring’s hand flips through her waiting]
[I wonder if I should gently pick her]
…..
Pei Qinghuai smiled with his lips pressed together and said, “Your playlist really doesn’t match your age.”
Cheng Ye felt a bit embarrassed, his face slightly blushing. Suddenly, he looked ahead and shouted, “Red light!”
“Screech——!!!!”
In the quiet night, the sharp sound of brakes pierced the air, accompanied by the leisurely song. Pei Qinghuai’s mouth twitched a couple of times as he said, “Sorry, I didn’t react in time.”
Cheng Ye clutched the seatbelt, breathing heavily as if he had just faced a great disaster. “Pull over up ahead. I’ll drive.”
Pei Qinghuai didn’t dare to argue and obediently pulled the car to the side.
Once Cheng Ye had fastened his seatbelt, Pei Qinghuai wiped his palms on his pants and said quietly, “Sorry about that.”
Cheng Ye pursed his lips into a thin line, turned his head to check the rearview mirror, and remained silent.
The atmosphere in the car was a bit awkward. Pei Qinghuai cleared his throat and asked, “Are you mad?”
Hearing this, Cheng Ye couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into laughter, giggling uncontrollably.
Realizing something was off, Pei Qinghuai frowned and raised his voice, “Did you do that on purpose?”
Cheng Ye coughed and laughed, “Aren’t you the best at observing? How come you didn’t notice I was teasing you?”
Pei Qinghuai looked at Cheng Ye, feeling a bit exasperated. “I’m not a mind reader. How could I tell?”
“Fine,” Cheng Ye said as he stepped on the gas pedal, feeling more relaxed. “Where to?”
Pei Qinghuai’s lips curled into a smile. “Night market?”
Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go.” With that, he stepped on the gas even harder.
Pei Qinghuai had reason to believe Cheng Ye was getting back at him for his earlier driving. Now it felt like they were flying, compressing a twenty-minute drive into just ten.
As they reached their destination, Pei Qinghuai sat in his seat, still a bit shaken.
“Let’s go,” Cheng Ye said, unbuckling his seatbelt.
Pei Qinghuai responded and finally got out of the car. It wasn’t too late yet, and the cool breeze felt comfortable. The night market wasn’t fully open yet, so they found a relatively quiet spot to sit and ordered a few dishes.
Noticing Cheng Ye was silent, Pei Qinghuai poured him a glass of juice and asked, “Still thinking about the case?”
Cheng Ye blinked and nodded. “This morning, Director Zhang came to see me. He said there’s a lot of public pressure to solve the case quickly.”
Pei Qinghuai took a sip of his juice. “Do you have any leads?”
Cheng Ye looked at Pei Qinghuai and shook his head helplessly. Pei Qinghuai clinked his glass against Cheng Ye’s and said, “You can’t figure out clues by just thinking hard. They will appear when the time is right.”
“Until you’ve had Director Zhang nagging you, you don’t know what pressure is,” Cheng Ye said, downing his juice in one gulp.
Pei Qinghuai chuckled and teased, “Anyone who doesn’t know might think you’re heartbroken.” He leaned his elbow on the table and added, “With that worried look, have you come up with any conclusions?”
Before Cheng Ye could respond, Pei Qinghuai continued, “If you haven’t figured anything out, why dwell on it?”
