The Man in the Black Sweater - Chapter 9 – Giving You Basketball Tickets

Standing outside the study door, Luo Xu took a deep breath and curled her fingers to knock.

Knock, knock, knock…

Three knocks. No response.

Her hand hesitated mid-air. …Could it be that he knew it was her and didn’t even want to open the door?

That sounded bad. Really bad.

But Luo Xu did have one redeeming quality—when she made a mistake, she always apologized.

She knew herself well: greedy, stingy, sometimes even sneaky; sharp-tongued, oblivious, easily distracted by handsome faces yet unable to remember any of them for long… The list of her flaws could fill a book.

Still, she raised her hand again and knocked firmly.
After all, having the courage to apologize was one of her few strengths—and one she was rather proud of.

“Mr. Pei, I know you’re in there. If you don’t want to open the door, that’s fine—you can just listen.”

She waited for thirty seconds. Nothing.

Luo Xu wiped the sweat from her brow, pressing her ear against the door. “Mr. Pei? Are you asleep?”

“I’m really sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean any of that. It was just nonsense—please don’t take it to heart…”

She stopped, thinking for a moment.
If someone had said the same thing about her, would an apology like that work? Probably not.

“I know I can be selfish sometimes, but I’m definitely not ungrateful. Please believe me on that.”
Her tone grew serious. “I’ve had very few people who truly cared for me since I was little. So whenever someone treats me well, I always remember it—including you.”

“You don’t owe me anything, yet you still take care of me. Honestly, I’m really grateful.”

“If you’re still angry, you can hit me twice. Just not on the stomach. My skin’s thick—I can take it.”
She lowered her head, sincerity radiating from her every word.

Upstairs, Pei Yan was coming up the staircase with a cup in hand. Anyone who wasn’t deaf could hear every word of her little monologue echoing through the house.

Luo Xu sighed, hung her head, and turned around—only to nearly walk straight into a pair of men’s shoes.

“Ah!” She yelped, taking a startled step back.

For a moment, her mind conjured up every horror movie image imaginable—headless corpses, ghostly figures in the dark, you name it.

Pei Yan stood before her, expression blank. Whatever softness had been in his heart a second ago froze instantly, especially when he saw the confusion in her eyes—as if she hadn’t even recognized him at first glance.

“Ha… hahaha… you weren’t in there? I thought you were,” she said, laughing nervously, glancing up at him cautiously.

Without a word, Pei Yan walked past her and into the study.

Luo Xu’s shoulders slumped. As the door clicked shut behind him, she smacked herself on the head.

Face blindness! Damn this face blindness!
He’d just changed clothes, and she hadn’t recognized him at all.

So embarrassing—especially after she’d said she could “definitely remember him.”

Sighing heavily, she trudged back to her room, already mentally preparing herself and Ross to end up homeless together.

“The sir isn’t such a petty person. You’re worrying too much,” Uncle Cui said the next morning, adjusting his reading glasses with a kind smile.

“He doesn’t seem petty, but I still feel bad,” Luo Xu said, toying with a shy plant by her feet, watching its leaves slowly curl up.

Pei Yan was like that plant—just when she thought they were finally getting along, one wrong word would send him closing up again.

“Good girl. You’ve got a conscience,” Uncle Cui said, nodding approvingly, clearly pleased with her remorse.

Luo Xu sighed and shook her head. “Conscience won’t earn me forgiveness. I need to do something to make him happy.”

Uncle Cui smiled faintly, trimming a few leaves. “Hmm… I’ll be waiting to see that.”

“But you’ll have to help me.”

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said, “The sir likes watching sports—basketball or soccer, either one will do.”

He glanced with satisfaction at the newly pruned flowers, now full of life and color.

Luo Xu understood immediately. She stood up, rubbed her chin thoughtfully, and her eyes darted with a sudden spark of inspiration.

That afternoon, Brother Liu handed her two basketball tickets and said, “The game’s at 7:30 tonight. The seat numbers are written on them.”

“Thank you!” Luo Xu took the tickets with a smile. “I already transferred the money to your account. It should go through soon.”

Brother Liu chuckled. “No rush.”

“Debts paid make future borrowing easy,” she replied cheerfully. Though she had grown up abroad, she used Chinese sayings so fluently that if no one tested her reading and writing, they’d never guess she wasn’t raised here.

She decided to go in person to the company and invite Pei Yan—just to show her sincerity.

“I heard it might snow tonight,” Aunt Chen reminded her as she was leaving. “Wear something warm if you’re going out.”

“Got it, thank you!” Luo Xu replied, running upstairs with the tickets in hand, her steps light and lively—no one would’ve guessed she was pregnant.

The sky was overcast, and the chill in the air matched what the forecast had said: snow was coming.

Luo Xu put on a black down coat and wrapped a red scarf around her neck, matching the festive atmosphere of the upcoming New Year.

When Aunt Chen saw her come downstairs, she smiled. “You look a little fairer than when you first got here.”

Luo Xu laughed. “I won’t be back for dinner tonight, so you and Uncle Cui eat without me.”

“Be careful on your way back…” Aunt Chen called after her as she dashed toward the car.

Luo Xu poked her head out the window, waving and smiling.

“Come home early!”

If it had been Pei Yan, Aunt Chen could never have said that—but with Luo Xu, it was easy. She was still young, cheerful, and lively, just like Aunt Chen’s own daughter.

With Brother Liu leading the way, getting into Pei Group’s headquarters wasn’t an issue. Unfortunately, her timing wasn’t great—Pei Yan was in a meeting.

“It’s fine, I’ll just wait outside,” Luo Xu said.

The female secretary glanced at Brother Liu, silently asking who this woman was and why she was looking for the president.

“Let her wait inside. Too many people come and go out here,” Brother Liu told her.

The secretary, who was familiar with him, nodded and opened the office door for Luo Xu. “You can wait in here.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Would you like something to drink?” she asked politely.

“How much longer will Mr. Pei’s meeting last?”

“Hard to say—maybe half an hour, maybe an hour,” the secretary said with a small, honest smile.

Luo Xu nodded. “Then I’ll have a coffee, please. No sugar, just milk.”

“Alright. Please make yourself comfortable.”

The secretary slipped out quietly.

Luo Xu stood and looked around the office.

To be honest, it wasn’t all that different from his study at home—towering six-shelf bookcases, a wide desk, a soft sofa, and various expensive-looking decorations.

She returned to the sofa, hugging a pillow to her chest, and pulled the two basketball tickets from her bag. She kissed them with mock ceremony. “I spent good money on you, so you’d better work your magic tonight~”

Time passed. The secretary hadn’t lied—Pei Yan’s meeting ran long, lasting until 5:00 p.m. By then, Luo Xu had fallen asleep on the sofa.

When Pei Yan and his vice presidents entered the office, they immediately noticed the sleeping woman on the couch.

“Uh… maybe we should continue this discussion another day,” one of them said awkwardly.
After all, a woman sleeping in the president’s office wasn’t exactly something you saw every day—and the nature of her presence was, well… suggestive. Clearly, business wasn’t happening now.

Pei Yan simply nodded. “Discuss the results among yourselves and email me the finalized proposal tonight.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll get to work on it right away.”

“Good.”

As the door opened, a cold breeze swept in, jolting Luo Xu awake. She blinked and saw the man in front of her—then sprang to her feet like she’d been caught trespassing.

“I fell asleep waiting—sorry about that.”

Pei Yan tossed his folder onto the desk, sat down in his chair, and said flatly, “What are you here for?”

Luo Xu took a few steps closer, pulled the two tickets from her bag, and held them out earnestly.
“To show you how sorry I am… I want to take you to a basketball game.”

Pei Yan glanced at the tickets. “Who told you I like this kind of thing?”

“Let’s just say… a little bird told me,” Luo Xu replied with a wide grin, lips sealed tight.

“I already have plans tonight. You can go on your own. And stop bringing up apologies—I don’t need them.”

He opened a file and uncapped his pen, signing without looking at her again.

Luo Xu walked around the desk, crouched down beside him, and gently grabbed his arm. “Look at me.”

Pei Yan turned his head toward her. His face wasn’t cold—just indifferent, blank, without any expression.

“I really know I was wrong,” Luo Xu said earnestly. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean what I said at all. What can I do to make you believe me?” Her eyes were clear and sincere, with not a trace of pretense or evasion.

Pei Yan had met enough people in his life to know when someone was being genuine. Judging whether her apology was real wasn’t hard for him.

“When I said I wasn’t angry, I meant it,” he said calmly.

Luo Xu blinked, and tears fell from her eyes. “But what I said was awful—it really hurt our relationship… I’m so sorry.”

Her crying actually startled him. She didn’t seem like the type who would cry easily.

“I’ve rarely been taken care of by anyone,” Luo Xu continued softly. “I’ve never had the kind of life where food just appears on the table or clothes are handed to me. Lately, I’ve gotten too comfortable, too careless…” She looked up at him. “You’ve been really kind to me. I know that.”

“Giving you a roof and food counts as kindness?” Pei Yan asked.

“Yes,” she said, tears glistening again. “Because until now, no one’s ever done that for me—not even my parents.”

That memory cut deep. To outsiders, she was all smiles—cheerful, upbeat, and full of life despite the hardships—but who really understood her?
For people who’ve been abandoned, even the smallest kindness could stay with them for a lifetime.

Pei Yan handed her a tissue and said, “I told you before, I only believe half of what you say. So you don’t need to apologize anymore—I didn’t take it seriously.”

Wiping her tears, Luo Xu sniffled. “But this time I’m being completely sincere. You’re not gonna ‘half-believe’ me again, are you?”

Pei Yan smiled faintly, elegant and composed. “I can tell what’s real and what’s not. You don’t need to worry.”

“Good.” Luo Xu stood up, drying her tears. Instantly, she was back to her usual spirited self. “So… will you go with me?”

“To the basketball game?”

“Yeah!”

Pei Yan opened a drawer, pulled out a thick stack of tickets, and said, “Pei Heng brought these. Pick whichever seats you want.”

Luo Xu gawked, completely stunned.

So this was how rich people bought tickets? Just… in bulk? Incredible.

She sat there clutching the tickets, dazed, as a new wave of anti-rich resentment washed over her.

Just then, the secretary knocked and entered. “Miss Lin is here.”

Pei Yan glanced at Luo Xu, who was still on the sofa. “Let her in.”

Lin Ru walked in wearing a bright red coat over a black dress, with knee-high boots that perfectly showed off her long legs. The moment she entered, the entire room seemed to light up.

Luo Xu glanced down at her own black puffer jacket and silently lowered her head, continuing to pretend she was busy picking seats.

“Can we go eat now?” Lin Ru asked brightly, walking straight toward Pei Yan as if she hadn’t noticed Luo Xu at all. A faint, expensive perfume drifted through the air—so strong it made Luo Xu sneeze loudly.

Pei Yan said, “There’s been a change of plans. I might have to cancel dinner.”

“Oh? Something else came up?” Lin Ru smiled, her gaze flicking subtly toward Luo Xu.

“Yes. We’re going to a basketball game. You can join us if you’d like.”

“Sure, I don’t mind. I don’t have other plans anyway. In that case, why don’t we still go for dinner first? I already made a reservation.” Lin Ru smiled graciously, showing no trace of irritation that he’d changed plans.

Pei Yan nodded, then turned to Luo Xu. “Have you picked?”

“All done.” Luo Xu pulled out three tickets, placing the rest neatly on his desk. She smiled at Lin Ru. “I’ve heard so much about you, Miss Lin. It’s great to finally meet you.”

“Oh, thank you. And you are…?” Lin Ru replied politely, though her eyes were on Pei Yan, clearly expecting him to explain.

Pei Yan picked up his coat from the chair without offering an introduction.

Luo Xu jumped in first. “I’m Luo Xu—Tang Huang’s girlfriend, more or less.”

A subtle smile appeared on Lin Ru’s face as she extended a hand. “Really? Tang Huang… it’s been a while since I’ve seen him. How is he?”

“He’s doing fine—having a great time digging up artifacts,” Luo Xu said with a grin. With all those handsome Egyptian men around, he’s probably having the time of his life.

“Then let’s go,” Lin Ru said cheerfully, looping her arm through Luo Xu’s as if they were close friends already. “The restaurant I booked is quite popular—the food’s delicious. I hope you’ll like it.”

“Oh, sure…” Luo Xu’s eyes curved in amusement. So this is Miss Lin Ru, huh? Way more interesting than Aunt Chen described.