Chapter 30 – The First Signs of Trouble
“Kind of feel like crying, but I don’t want you to see it.”

---

The consequence of going to bed with her emotions in a whirl was that Zhong Yang had another night full of chaotic dreams.

In one dream, she was at a movie press conference where He Muya made veiled jabs at her, and they ended up in a hair-pulling fight. She was furious.

In another, she stumbled upon an affair between a certain married director and a married actress while on set—she was scared out of her wits.

Later, she found herself in the luxurious villa of Xiangming Residence, being harshly thrown out by Pei Yunzhe. No matter how hard she knocked, the door stayed shut—her heart shattered.

…What the hell was all that? Could she just have one peaceful night of sleep?

Zhong Yang turned off her alarm, groggily got up, washed up, changed clothes, and set off for the stables.

The routine was the same as usual—except today, she walked with a somewhat complicated state of mind and a slightly faster pace.

As she neared the stables, she saw a tall figure in a black jacket up ahead and suddenly slowed her steps.

Her fingers curled into her long sleeves as she subconsciously rubbed at them.

She wondered, What’s a natural opening line I could use…

“You’re five minutes late.”

Pei Yunzhe beat her to it, giving her no chance to play out any intro.

Zhong Yang glanced at her watch—7:35 AM. Still 25 minutes to go until her usual training time at 8:00.

She retorted, “We never agreed on a time. How is this ‘late’?”

Pei Yunzhe replied, “The trainer said you come every day at 7:30.”

He wasn’t wrong. She did like to arrive half an hour early.

She asked, “Then what time did you get here?”

“Seven o’clock sharp.”

She frowned. “Why so early? Standing in the cold to watch the sunrise?”

Pei Yunzhe didn’t answer directly. He simply walked toward the stables. “To prep the horses.”

“Oh.”

At a reddish-brown horse, Zhong Yang skillfully picked up the reins and asked, “Which one are you riding?”

The stable manager chimed in helpfully: “If you’re a beginner, I recommend the white one—it’s very gentle. If you’re more experienced and want to gallop across the grassland, try the brown one—it was the champion in our last race.”

Pei Yunzhe pointed with his chin. “The white one.”

Zhong Yang thought, Ah, so he’s a rookie…

Out on the field, suited up with gear, she easily mounted her horse. Looking down at him, she said, “Hey, want to race? First one to that red flag over there wins.”

Pei Yunzhe looked toward the tiny red speck she pointed at. “Sure. What’s the prize?”

“Don’t know. Let’s race first and decide later.”

Before he could respond, Zhong Yang shouted, “Three, two, one—GO!”

Pei Yunzhe laughed as he watched her gallop off. “Cheater.”

He calmly mounted his horse. The tension in his waist curved like a drawn bowstring.

The morning sun crept over the ridge; the withered grass turned from rust-red to golden-brown under the trampling of two sets of hooves.

Zhong Yang glanced at Pei Yunzhe overtaking her on the left. She panicked, tightening her knees against the horse’s sides. Wind howled past her ears. The breath from her lips hadn’t even fully formed before the wind tore it apart.

—Until they reached the red flag.

Zhong Yang pulled back her reins, her elegant shoulder blades moving with the motion.

She saw Pei Yunzhe already waiting there, calm as ever.

Grudgingly, she muttered, “Fine, fine, you win. What do you want as a prize?”

Pei Yunzhe: “No rush. Let’s talk back at the tent.”

“…”

Learning her lesson from last time, Zhong Yang threw on a brand-new thick down jacket as soon as she entered the tent. She picked up her 8999 yuan thermal flask, ready to drink some hot water.

Pei Yunzhe watched her quietly, then suddenly asked, “Are you still angry?”

Zhong Yang froze mid-sip. “What?”

He repeated, “I want to know—are you still mad at me?”

She had mostly calmed down by now, convincing herself Pei Yunzhe wasn’t exactly a jerk. Sure, she’d lost her first kiss, but they could still maintain a polite distance.

But—did he even realize how hurtful his hot-and-cold behavior was?

So she asked, “Pei Yunzhe, do you even know why I’m angry?”

He hesitated, then said, “I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you for the way I acted.”

“There you go again—compensating. You really love compensating people, don’t you?”

She set the thermos down, frustration flaring. “Do you think money fixes everything?”

Pei Yunzhe frowned. “That’s not what I meant…”

She cut him off. “Sure, stealing a kiss was my fault. I acted on impulse, and I apologize for that. But did you really need to switch faces so fast? One second confessing your feelings, the next kicking me out?”

Pei Yunzhe started again: “I didn’t—”

“Oh come on! You didn’t this, didn’t that—didn’t what exactly? You’re the one acting cold and hot, leading me on, being cryptic—mmph!”

Pei Yunzhe suddenly reached out and covered her mouth. Taking a deep breath, he quickly explained:

“First, I didn’t change my attitude suddenly.”

“Second, I never intended to kick you out.”

“Third, I didn’t ghost you or lose interest.”

“Fourth, I think we had very different understandings of that night. We really need to clear this up.”

Then he let go of her.

Zhong Yang glared at him. “Fine. Then explain—why did you look at me like a total stranger right after turning around?”

“I turned away because…” Pei Yunzhe paused.

He’d prepared mentally before coming to Jindian, but at the moment of truth, he still couldn’t bring himself to speak out of sheer embarrassment.

Seeing him hesitate, Zhong Yang repeated his exact words from that night, imitating his cold tone: “What? Trying to think up an excuse?”

“No, I’m not—” His Adam’s apple bobbed. Shoulders sagging in surrender, he blurted, “Because… you rejected me. I felt really awful. I kinda wanted to cry but didn’t want you to see it.”

He spoke in a low voice, ears turning red. “Really—I wasn’t making it up!”

Zhong Yang: “…”

Is this… is this really Pei Yunzhe?

He frowned, continuing, “Maybe I’ve just got a cold face by default, but I swear I didn’t mean it like you thought. Please believe me.”

“…Okay,” she said reluctantly. “Then why did you tell me to go home and open the door to show your driver was waiting? Isn’t that basically kicking me out?”

Pei Yunzhe still looked stern, but his voice softened: “I just wanted you to feel safe. I wanted you to know I’d still take good care of Baiyi even if you rejected me.”

“As for the driver—he really was downstairs. I was afraid that after rejecting me, you’d also refuse a ride home.”

He confessed, “…Okay, I admit, part of me was trying to avoid hearing your excuses. I’d rather you just flat-out told me you didn’t like me.”

The words hit her like a brick. She stared at his sincere eyes, speechless.

Zhong Yang realized she’d just been sulking these past few days.

Mad that she didn’t matter as much as she’d hoped. Mad that her emotions were so easily swayed. Mad at how small and fragile she felt.

It was all her insecurity acting up.

Now, with Pei Yunzhe humbling himself in front of her, her anger dissolved.

Her tone calmed. “Then how come when I threw shade at you before leaving, you didn’t react?”

Pei Yunzhe answered honestly, “I thought it was weird, but I didn’t dare ask. You looked pissed. I figured it was because I kissed you without permission.”

She blinked. “Wait—that’s what you were apologizing for?”

“Yes. Though… it seems I may have guessed wrong.”

Zhong Yang laughed. “Then when you arrived at camp yesterday and ignored me, was it because you were heartbroken?”

He shook his head. “I was afraid of making you uncomfortable.”

She stared. “Then why ask to meet at the stables?”

“Because I saw you sneaking glances at me last night. So I figured… maybe you’re still a little interested.”

And because he was finally ready to bare himself emotionally…

Pei Yunzhe lowered his gaze, cleared his throat.
“Zhong Yang, would you let me pursue you? As my prize for winning that race.”

Thump, thump… Her heart pounded in her ears. She thought—maybe she’d just observe him a little longer and see if this was real or an act.

She gave a casual nod. “Whatever.”

Pei Yunzhe visibly relaxed. His gaze toward her grew gentler.

Watching the shift in his expression, Zhong Yang suddenly understood—maybe his “coldness” came in different flavors.

Sadness, anger, nervousness… In the face of difficult emotions, he had no outlet and no way to express them. So he masked them with indifference, pretending they didn’t exist.

Being in a high position wasn’t easy. Emotional control alone would filter out 80% of people.

Seeing him empty-handed, her heart softened. “Sit down. Did you bring a thermos?”

He shook his head.

“Then use mine for now. But next time, bring your own.”

Pei Yunzhe smiled just as someone lifted the tent flap.

“Xiao Yang, I brought you some milk tea… Oh, who’s this?”

It was Jiang Tingwan, the owner of the guesthouse.

She was only a few years older than Zhong Yang, with a gentle and graceful appearance that put people at ease. She often brought treats for the cast and crew.

Though they hadn’t spoken much before, Zhong Yang knew Jiang Tingwan was from the capital and had opened this place because she loved the grasslands.

She also loved the sea, the mountains, ancient towns… so she owned multiple guesthouses and moved around freely—a carefree, well-off heiress.

“Thanks, beautiful boss lady.” Zhong Yang accepted the thermos and introduced, “This is Pei Yunzhe—our film’s investor.”

Jiang Tingwan blinked in surprise and sized him up. “You’re the eldest son of the Pei family?”

Pei Yunzhe nodded. “Yes. And you are?”

“I’m Jiang Tingwan, daughter of Jiang Tonghai. Ring any bells?”

He thought a moment. “I’ve done business with your father before.”

“No worries if you don’t remember.” She pulled out her phone and showed a WeChat QR code. “Here—let’s add each other.”

---