Come on, What Kind of CEO Chases His Roommate Back to the Country? - Chapter 9

Shi Yancheng watched as Pei Song stumbled out the door, his brows slightly furrowed.

Pei Song wandered the streets aimlessly. The night breeze was chilly, but he didn’t feel it at all. His phone kept vibrating with notification sounds, yet he no longer had the courage to check.

The so-called friends who once associated with him because of his family background were now just waiting to see him fall.

Even on Instagram, people had started mocking him under his old food videos.

“So he was just a rich kid, huh? How’s life now? Still got money for ingredients?”

“Guess you won’t even qualify as a chef anymore, huh?”

Pei Song mechanically deleted the comments, his heart growing colder with each one. He sat on a bench in the park for a while until his phone started vibrating again. Opening WeChat, he saw Su Mi frantically tagging him in the group chat.

“Song Song! Did you see the news? Are those reports true?”

“Don’t carry this alone. If you need help, just say it.”

“I’m not in M City right now, but I can fly over anytime to be with you.”

Seeing his friend’s worried messages, Pei Song’s eyes burned slightly.

He and Su Mi had been best friends since high school. Despite Su Mi’s carefree personality, he was always observant and thoughtful.

“I’m fine,” Pei Song replied briefly. “Focus on your studies, don’t worry about me.”

After sending the message, he took a deep breath and stood up. Now was not the time to break down.

Late at night, Pei Song dragged his exhausted body back to the apartment. Surprisingly, Shi Yancheng was still in the living room. On the dining table, the pot of braised pork he had abandoned earlier had been reheated, steam rising from it.

“Eat something,” Shi Yancheng said in his usual cold tone. “Starving won’t help solve anything.”

Pei Song forced a smile. “Thanks, but I don’t really have an appetite right now…”

“I told you,” Shi Yancheng interrupted, “if there’s trouble, just say it.”

Pei Song looked up at him. Shi Yancheng still had his usual aloof expression, but there was a rare hint of warmth in his eyes. At that moment, all his defenses crumbled.

Pei Song finally let everything out, everything that had happened in the past few hours.

As he spoke, his voice began to tremble. “I really… I can’t do anything. I’m just stuck here, watching them suffer…”

Shi Yancheng listened quietly. He didn’t interrupt or offer any advice. But his silent presence alone gave Pei Song immense strength.

The next day, Pei Song forced himself to return to his normal routine.

He went to class, took notes seriously, acting as if nothing had happened. But between classes, he would immediately check his phone for updates. The news back home was getting worse. The media was fueling the scandal, twisting facts to make the situation even more chaotic.

What worried him the most was his mother.

The housekeeper said that Madam Pei hadn’t left her room in days, barely eating, crying behind closed doors. His father was overwhelmed, and the company’s senior executives were resigning one after another, afraid of being dragged into the mess.

Those so-called friends who once toasted to the Pei family’s success were now avoiding them like the plague. 

Every day, Pei Song sent reassuring messages to his parents, trying to sound cheerful. He didn’t dare let them know he was struggling too. He didn’t want them to see how much he was worrying over the family’s downfall.

But at night, when everything quieted down, the weight of it all would crash over him like a tidal wave. He started losing sleep, relying on studying and cooking to distract himself.

Shi Yancheng seemed to notice something, but he remained as distant as ever. Never prying, never avoiding. Still, at the dinner table, he spoke a little more than usual. His words were brief, but they were comforting.

And so, Pei Song forced himself to stay strong, enduring everything alone in a foreign land.

He knew that, at this moment, the only thing he could do was focus on his studies. He couldn’t let his family’s downfall derail his graduation.

Standing in front of the ATM, Pei Song stared blankly at the screen.

“Account frozen.”

He should’ve expected this. As a Pei family member, his personal account had inevitably been dragged into the scandal as well.

Taking out his phone, he checked his balance. The last of his living expenses from last month could barely last two weeks. As for next month’s rent…

Pei Song let out a bitter laugh and put away his phone.

The apartment he was renting near M University was one of the most expensive in the area. He had only agreed to it in the first place because he had to move out in a hurry.

As he stepped out of the bank, his phone buzzed with an Instagram notification. It was a collaboration offer from a local food festival. The payment was enough to cover a month’s rent. But as he looked at the list of required ingredients, Pei Song hesitated.

Right now, he had to budget every penny let alone afford high-end ingredients.

“Sorry, I might not have time for this…” He declined the offer. It was the third collaboration he had turned down this week. 

Back at the apartment, Pei Song started going over his finances. Tuition was due soon, and with his parents struggling back home, he didn’t want to ask them for help.

And this apartment’s rent…

“I need a job.” Pei Song rubbed his temples and opened a job-hunting site.

Soon, he found a part-time job at a Chinese restaurant. The pay wasn’t great, but the hours were flexible enough to fit his schedule.

The following days were brutally busy.

Morning classes.

Evening shifts at the restaurant.

Late nights doing assignments.

His once-regular food videos had to be put on hold. He simply couldn’t afford the ingredients anymore.

His Instagram followers began complaining about his lack of updates. Some even speculated that he had stopped posting because his family had fallen from grace. The comments stung, but all Pei Song could do was endure.

Shi Yancheng quickly noticed the change. The kitchen, once always filled with the aroma of cooking, now remained cold and unused. Pei Song came home later and later, sometimes smelling like oil and smoke.

One night, when he returned exhausted, he found Shi Yancheng sitting in the living room. On the coffee table was a job advertisement, one he recognized immediately.

“A part-time job at a Chinese restaurant?” Shi Yancheng asked, looking up. His tone was as indifferent as ever, but his gaze was sharp.

Pei Song froze for a moment before forcing a smile. “Yeah, just… trying to earn some extra pocket money.”

“Is this about the rent?” Shi Yancheng cut straight to the point.

Pei Song’s smile stiffened. He hadn’t expected him to be so blunt. After a long silence, Pei Song finally spoke in a low voice. “I’m sorry… but I might have to move out.”