HH Chapter 90

“That’s okay.” Pei Qinghuai smiled.

Tang Jiale said, “My boyfriend has very few social interactions. He hardly communicates with anyone except me, and lately, he’s been in the lab doing experiments. I don’t know anything else.”

“But I’ve heard someone say he’s cheating. Do you know about this?” Pei Qinghuai asked.

Tang Jiale looked up, a bit displeased, and then suppressed her emotions. “I know, but my boyfriend told me that it’s just a friend. He even showed me their chat history. There’s nothing wrong.”

“Really?” Pei Qinghuai frowned. “Then why did you hide the fact that Qin Nan is living at your place? Do you want us to suspect him so we can investigate whether he’s really cheating?”

Pei Qinghuai’s tone grew colder as he continued, “So when did you start planning this? Or did you know from the beginning that Li Yixin would disappear?”

Tang Jiale was almost misled by Pei Qinghuai’s few sentences. She looked at him nervously, gripping her phone tighter and biting her lower lip as she spoke, “No, my boyfriend doesn’t stay often, just occasionally. But he doesn’t want others to know we’re living together, so I didn’t mention it.”

Tang Jiale deliberately avoided Pei Qinghuai’s questions, lowering her head. “That’s why I put things away. The misunderstanding is my fault.”

“That’s okay.” Suddenly, Pei Qinghuai relaxed his tone, as if all the previous questions vanished in an instant. He asked, “Do you like Qin Nan?”

Tang Jiale was caught off guard and responded with a hum. Pei Qinghuai then asked, “Do you think Qin Nan likes you? According to our investigation, Qin Nan has many admirers, and he’s the top student in the department, whereas you’re just average.”

Tang Jiale, about to speak, paused. She didn’t know how to respond to Pei Qinghuai’s words. After a long silence, she finally said something unclear, “He will like me.”

“Sorry for bothering you so late. Get some rest.” Pei Qinghuai said with a smile.

“It’s okay.” Tang Jiale stood up and spoke.

Cheng Ye, who had been accompanying them today, closed the door and followed Pei Qinghuai. “Tang Jiale keeps talking about Qin Nan. Love really makes people foolish.”

“No, it’s Pick-up Artist.” Pei Qinghuai responded.

“Huh?” Cheng Ye frowned, trying to understand this new term.

Pei Qinghuai smiled and explained, “It’s what we now call PUA. Originally, it referred to men who systematically learn, practice, and constantly improve their emotional intelligence. In popular terms, it means applying pressure and psychological control on someone.”

Cheng Ye nodded in partial understanding. “So, Qin Nan is controlling Tang Jiale?”

“You could say that.” Pei Qinghuai replied, “They make you their ‘prey’ or ‘pet’ and then further manipulate you. They enjoy the ‘hunt’ and derive pleasure from it.”

He continued, “When we arrived, Tang Jiale was gripping her phone tightly, as if waiting for a message. And both times we came, it took a long time for her to open the door.”