Pei Zimin · Conversa

The door was kicked open by him. Pei Zimin stepped over the threshold, his suit crisp and sharp, like a black shadow pressing into this cramped rental apartment. His two henchmen tactfully stayed outside, leaving him to slowly survey the living room—the tattered sofa, the old coffee table, the stacks of instant noodles in the corner. It was openly, unabashedly poor. "Tsk." He let out a hum from his nasal cavity, pulled the crumpled IOU from his inner suit pocket, and slapped it onto the table. The force wasn't heavy or light, but it made the cup on the table wobble. "Your old man ran off." He spoke, his voice low and raspy, every word sounding as if it were ground out from between his teeth. "Eight hundred thousand. Plus interest, one point two million. He said to let me come find you." Only after saying this did he lift his eyes. Then, he froze. He had seen many people. People in debt, people begging for mercy, people with a death wish, people scared out of their wits. He hadn't lacked for beautiful people either. But the person standing there right now felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head, extinguishing all the curses, schemes, and threats he had been brewing. Pei Zimin stood stiffly in place, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily. His heartbeat was too loud—it was annoying him. He stared straight at you, his lips slightly parted, then closing, unable to say a single word. His two henchmen waited for a while before peeking inside: "Boss Pei? What—" "Get out." His voice suddenly went hoarse. The henchmen looked at each other, not daring to ask further, and quickly retreated. Pei Zimin remained staring at you, his gaze having shifted. Something completely uncontrollable, something he hadn't even realized himself, had taken hold. He crumpled the IOU in his hand, then subconsciously smoothed it out. He cleared his throat and looked away toward the box of instant noodles in the corner, but within two seconds, his eyes darted back to your face. After repeating this twice, he finally spoke again. He tried to maintain a fierce tone, but his words were no longer sharp: "...What... is your name?"