Chapter 33

Why be angry with her?

In the end, I’m the one at fault.

What’s the point?

Pei Yu held Yun Yin tightly, his eyelids lowered. He grasped her hand with his free hand and said calmly, “There won’t be a next time.”

Though his tone was calm, Yun Yin sensed the veiled warning beneath.

She quickly replied, “I promise there won’t be another time. If there is, I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Pei Yu asked casually, kneading her fingers.

Yun Yin hesitated, unsure of what to offer as collateral. After a moment’s thought, she tentatively suggested, “If there’s a next time, you can lock me up.”

The moment the words left her lips, Pei Yu’s eyes darkened, and his grip tightened involuntarily.

He repeated her words, “Lock you up?”

“If I’m locked up, I won’t run off,” Yun Yin said innocently, completely unaware of the implications of her suggestion.

“You said it yourself.”

Yun Yin nodded. “I did.”

At times, countless dark thoughts would fester in the depths of his mind. In his angriest moments, he truly wanted to lock her away, where only he could see her.

But he knew that if he did, the pampered young lady would surely cry.

He couldn’t bear to see her cry. His heart would soften, and he would inevitably compromise.

Just like now. All it took was a little coaxing from her, and he couldn’t stay angry.

Let alone lock her away.

But she had said it herself. Did that mean he could actually do it…?

“You’re squeezing too hard,” Yun Yin’s delicate voice pulled him from his spiraling thoughts.

Pei Yu instinctively loosened his grip. Sure enough, her wrist was reddened.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his gaze fixed on the mark.

Yun Yin pursed her lips and gave a soft humph. “You always do this.”

“You’re so strong,” she said in short, choppy sentences. Pei Yu didn’t interrupt.

After a long pause, she finally finished, “…I hate you.”

Hearing this, Pei Yu gently massaged the back of her neck, his deep voice tinged with a husky edge. “Hate me again?”

“Mmm,” Yun Yin said, raising her wrist to show him. “Look, it’s all red.”

Pei Yu hadn’t actually used much force. Her skin was just too delicate, easily marked by even a light touch. And she was overly sensitive, whimpering about the pain before he’d barely touched her.

His gaze lingered on her wrist for a moment before he murmured, “Delicate.”

“That’s not true,” Yun Yin retorted, frowning. “You’re just too strong.”

Pei Yu didn’t argue. “Does your foot still hurt?”

“Yes.”

Yun Yin’s attention immediately shifted. Compared to her reddened wrist, her twisted ankle was the real source of pain.

As if remembering something, her face fell, and she grumbled, “You didn’t even help me spray the medicine.”

Clearly, she was still resentful of his earlier indifference.

“Didn’t you forget it yourself?” Pei Yu countered.

“No way,” Yun Yin snapped without hesitation. “You ignored me all day. I was in a bad mood, that’s why I forgot.”

Catching the key words in her sentence, Pei Yu paused, staring at Yun Yin for a long moment before slowly asking, “I didn’t pay attention to you? Is that why you’re upset?”

“Mhm,” Yun Yin nodded. “I didn’t sleep well at all last night. I woke up early today, but I didn’t see you.”

Pei Yu realized he had misunderstood.

She wasn’t completely clueless, nor did she understand everything.

This time, Pei Yu didn’t press her with questions. He simply said, “I wasn’t ignoring you.”

Even with his explanation, Yun Yin remained convinced he had been deliberately avoiding her. But she knew she shared the blame, so they were truly even now.

She didn’t dwell on the matter. Tipping her head back, she looked up at him with hopeful eyes. “So, does this mean we’re friends again?”

Pei Yu still remembered her earlier pout. A smile tugged at his lips as he teased, “Not angry anymore?”

“I wasn’t angry in the first place,” Yun Yin muttered, thinking she was whispering. “You’re the one who’s been angry all along.”

“If you’re going to be angry, at least don’t be so hard to appease.”

The moment she finished speaking, she felt a sharp pinch on the back of her neck.

Pei Yu had heard her.

His eyebrow twitched as he gazed at her, a half-smile playing on his lips. “Is this how you try to coax people?”

Yun Yin: “……”

What? Was her attitude not sincere enough?

No wonder he’s the main villain—he’s so hard to please!

This time, Yun Yin had learned her lesson and kept her complaints to herself, silently grumbling in her mind.

“Pei Yu, my foot hurts,” Yun Yin said, deliberately changing the subject.

When he had first heard her mention her foot pain, Pei Yu had been about to get up and fetch the spray from the room. But when he heard her use a certain form of address, he changed his mind.

“I’ll ask Aunt Lin to apply the medicine for you.”

Why Aunt Lin? Couldn’t he do it himself?

Yun Yin’s displeasure rose, her temper flaring. She tugged at his shirt and demanded, “Didn’t we make up?”

Pei Yu lowered his gaze to meet hers and nodded slightly, neither confirming nor denying it.

Emboldened, Yun Yin pressed her case. “Then why won’t you apply the medicine yourself?”

Pei Yu ignored her question. “What did you call me just now?”

“Pei Yu,” Yun Yin replied, puzzled.

Pei Yu’s eyebrow arched slightly, and he fell silent.

What’s wrong with this man now?

Yun Yin lowered her eyes, pondering for a moment.

In a flash of insight, she seemed to understand.

After a few seconds, she tentatively called out, “A Yu.”

“Hmm.” Pei Yu looked at her, his sharp features softening into a gentle expression.

Yun Yin tilted her head back, her eyes curving into crescents as she called out again, “A Yu.”

“Will you spray my foot for me?”

Pei Yu’s expression grew even softer, a faint warmth flickering in his dark eyes.

How could he ever think she didn’t understand him?

She knew exactly how to make him relent.

And for Pei Yu, that was enough.

“Do you want to go back to the room, or stay here?” he asked.

Yun Yin thought of the preparations she’d made that afternoon, her eyes darting around. “Let’s go back to the room.”

“Alright.”

Before Pei Yu could move, Yun Yin wrapped her slender arms around his neck, her tone imperious. “My foot hurts. Carry me back.”

Even without her request, Pei Yu had no intention of letting her limp upstairs. Her dependence on him was deeply gratifying.

Carefully avoiding her injured foot, he effortlessly lifted her into a princess carry, his deep voice laced with amusement.

“As you wish, Young Miss.”

Yun Yin’s ears flushed at the nickname. Her lips parted as if to say something, but she couldn’t find the words and fell silent.

Back in the bedroom, Pei Yu set Yun Yin on the sofa and went to retrieve the spray.

Yun Yin glanced down at her ankle, where a patch of red swelling stood out starkly against her pale skin, looking rather alarming. She couldn’t resist bending down and lightly touching the swollen area with her finger.

Hiss! 

Yun Yin gasped, the pain still sharp.

Pei Yu arrived with the spray and saw her touching her injured ankle. He strode over, grabbed her hand, and asked, “Doesn’t it hurt?”

Yun Yin bit her lip and mumbled, “It does.”

Pei Yu shot her a look, at a loss for words. “Then why are you touching it?”

“I was just curious,” Yun Yin admitted, feeling guilty and offering him a sheepish smile.

Pei Yu sat opposite her, took her lower leg, and placed it on his lap. He then picked up the spray and applied it to her swollen ankle.

The cool sensation spread quickly. Just as Yun Yin thought he was finished, Pei Yu suddenly lifted her skirt.

Having worn only a nightgown for convenience due to her injury, Yun Yin felt exposed and vulnerable.

She instinctively tried to pull her leg away, but Pei Yu’s hand tightened on her calf. “Don’t move,” he said firmly.

“But you’ve already sprayed it,” Yun Yin protested, her voice tinged with nervousness.

By now, Pei Yu had lifted her skirt to her knee, revealing another patch of red swelling.

Pei Yu picked up another tube of ointment. “You haven’t applied any to your knee yet.”

Yun Yin murmured an “Oh,” blinked, and then belatedly realized he was right.

The pain in her ankle had been so overwhelming that she’d completely overlooked the injury to her knee.

Pei Yu squeezed some ointment onto a cotton swab and began applying it to her knee.

When the swab touched the wound, Yun Yin’s eyelashes fluttered, and a sharp pain shot through her.

Even though Pei Yu’s movements were gentle, the pain was unbearable. She forced herself to stay still, taking a shallow breath. “It hurts so much.”

Pei Yu paused, his voice low and serious. “Have you learned your lesson this time? If that chandelier had fallen on you, it would have been far worse.”

Despite his words, he lightened his touch.

Yun Yin didn’t reply, letting out a few soft hums that made it clear she didn’t want to continue the conversation.

Finally, when the ointment had been applied, Yun Yin let out a sigh of relief.

She was about to speak when she looked up and met Pei Yu’s gaze.

His eyes were dark and heavy, like a bottomless abyss, as if they threatened to devour everything, including himself.

In that moment, Yun Yin sensed a dangerous aura emanating from Pei Yu.

Yun Yin’s voice trembled as she said, “Don’t look at me like that.”

Pei Yu’s hand still gripped her calf, his fingers sliding against her smooth skin. His voice was low, as if he were struggling to suppress something.

“Why not?” he asked.

Yun Yin didn’t know. She only sensed that this version of Pei Yu was dangerous.

A low chuckle suddenly escaped his lips.

Pei Yu laughed casually. “What are you afraid of? I’m not going to eat you.”

Yun Yin’s fingers tightened on the hem of her skirt, ignoring the strange flutter in her heart. “You never know,” she whispered in protest.

Afraid Pei Yu might say something more, she quickly changed the subject. “Pei Yu, can you hand me my guitar?”

Only then did Yun Yin remember what she had intended to do.

Even though Pei Yu was no longer angry, she still wanted to sing to soothe him. Otherwise, she would have wasted an entire afternoon building up her courage and preparing.

When Pei Yu didn’t move, Yun Yin realized her mistake and corrected herself. “A-Yu, my guitar’s on the table. Can you get it for me? Please?”

She coaxed him with a touch of flattery.

Pei Yu stood up expressionlessly, pinching her cheek as a mock punishment. When she needed something, he was “A-Yu,” but when she didn’t, he reverted to “Pei Yu.”

After only a few steps, Pei Yu retrieved the guitar and handed it to her.

Watching her cradle the instrument, her eyes sparkling, he saw her whole demeanor brighten with a vibrant glow.

In a few days, the gift I ordered for her will arrive, Pei Yu thought. She’ll love it.

Yun Yin casually strummed the strings a few times, then looked up at him expectantly. “Shall I sing for you?”

“Yes.”

The room was dimly lit. Yun Yin leaned back against the sofa, her eyes lowered, wearing a green silk nightgown. She cradled the guitar and began to sing softly.

Though Pei Yu had seen her play before, he was once again captivated. Her fingers danced across the strings with nimble grace, rising and falling swiftly to create lively melodies. Her expression was calm and confident.

Her clear, pure voice filled the room with a song he had never heard before.

Unlike the first song she had sung for him, this one had a deeper, more somber tone. It lacked the lightheartedness of the first, instead unfolding like a gentle story that drew him in, urging him to quiet his mind and listen.

Her hair hung loose, cascading over her chest and guitar as she played, her eyes lowered in focused concentration.

Pei Yu watched her, his gaze unwavering for a long moment. He unconsciously softened his breathing, afraid to disturb her.

It seemed as if all the light in the room converged on her, making her the sole source of illumination.

Only when Yun Yin’s music ceased, the final note fading into the air, did Pei Yu snap back to reality.

As always, he applauded her, her most devoted fan.

“That was beautiful.”

“Not bad,” Yun Yin replied, lifting her head to meet Pei Yu’s gaze. She pressed her lips together, suppressing the upward curve of her mouth as she feigned modesty.

Unaware that her every expression had already been thoroughly observed.

Pei Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Is that a new song?”

Yun Yin nodded calmly. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s wonderful,” Pei Yu answered.

I knew you’d say that, Yun Yin thought, humming softly. “You always say it’s good.”

“But I genuinely think it’s beautiful,” Pei Yu insisted, his gaze fixed on her with unwavering sincerity. His tone was earnest, leaving no room for doubt.

Yun Yin’s heart skipped a beat, and a tingling sensation ran through her fingertips as she plucked the guitar strings.

She had intended to sing to comfort Pei Yu, but now it felt as if she was the one being soothed.

“What’s the name of this song?” Pei Yu asked.

Yun Yin paused, pondering for a moment before gently furrowing her brow. “I haven’t named it yet.”

She felt like she had a knack for struggling with names. She had considered many titles, but none seemed to quite fit the song, as if something essential was missing.

Unlike “Cong Cong,” this song was more melancholic overall, with a deeper, more subdued melody. They were two entirely different pieces.

“Am I the first person to hear this song?” Pei Yu’s tone remained unchanged, but the final syllable lingered slightly, carrying an inexplicable allure.

Yun Yin’s ears began to itch. She casually rubbed the tingling sensation, nodding softly to confirm his words. “You are.”

“You were the first to hear the previous song too.”

“So,” Pei Yu gazed at her intently, speaking slowly, “am I your first fan?”

He didn’t use the neutral term “listener,” but instead chose the subjective “fan.”

This time, Yun Yin not only felt her ears itching, but her earlobes also began to warm faintly.

“Yes,” she finally answered after a long pause.

Pei Yu recalled the day of the Winter Solstice, when Yun Yin had sat in a room with just the two of them, cradling her guitar and singing to him, hoping to cheer him up.

“Why do you want to sing for me?” he asked.

He already knew Yun Yin’s intention, but he asked anyway, feigning ignorance.

Yun Yin’s fingers began to unconsciously pluck at the guitar strings, filling the quiet room with a gentle melody.

Her eyelashes lowered, and she averted her gaze. Her voice was soft and barely audible: “I wanted to cheer you up.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Pei Yu suddenly said.

Yun Yin let out a small “Oh” and looked up at him, her expression confused.

Pei Yu leaned closer and gently patted the top of her head. “I didn’t ignore you on purpose. I was just too angry and needed to calm down.”

If he hadn’t calmed down then, Pei Yu didn’t know what he might have said or done.

“I know,” Yun Yin replied. “I was too impulsive back then.”

She tilted her head to look at him. “So, let’s put this behind us. And you’re not allowed to ignore me because of it anymore.”

What she didn’t tell Pei Yu was that his cold shoulder had made her heart ache all day.

“Okay,” Pei Yu nodded. “Let’s put it behind us. But if this happens again, I really will do as you said—lock you up.”

“And you won’t be allowed to go anywhere.”

Pei Yu’s tone remained calm as he spoke, so Yun Yin didn’t detect the hidden warning. She didn’t take his words seriously, believing the matter was truly settled.