Chapter 12

Yun Yin had a slight obsession with cleanliness and always showered immediately upon returning home. After leaving the Yun Family residence, she went straight upstairs to bathe.

By now, it was completely dark. Aunt Lin had taken leave to go home, leaving Yun Yin and Pei Yu alone in the villa.

The living room was unlit. Pei Yu sat sprawled on the sofa, casually tossing the black USB drive Yun Yin had given him.

After a few tosses, he gripped the drive in his palm. After a long moment, he made a phone call.

The call connected quickly. “Pei Yu?”

“I’ll mail you a USB drive tomorrow. Crack it as soon as possible,” Pei Yu said bluntly.

The person on the other end was silent for several seconds before erupting in exasperation. “Brother, do you know what time it is in Y Country? Three in the morning! You’re waking me up in the middle of the night to crack some stupid USB drive!”

Pei Yu remained unfazed by Sheng Yichen’s furious protest. “Can’t do it?”

“What do you think?”

Pei Yu replied calmly, “Crack it, and I’ll pay you twenty million.”

“Understood, President Pei! It would be my honor to serve you!” Hearing the offer of twenty million, Sheng Yichen suddenly found being woken up in the middle of the night much more tolerable.

Pei Yu chuckled coldly. “That’s settled. I’ll mail the drive tomorrow.” With that, he unilaterally ended the call.

The moment the phone call ended, footsteps echoed from the staircase.

Click!

The living room light flickered on.

Yun Yin, fresh from her shower, glided into the room wearing a loose silk nightgown. The fabric clung to her slender frame, accentuating her delicate figure. The light bathed her bare neck in a soft, luminous glow.

“Why didn’t you turn on the light?” Yun Yin asked, puzzled. When she had come downstairs earlier, the living room had been pitch-black, leading her to assume Pei Yu had already left.

“Forgot,” Pei Yu replied, his voice flat, leaving Yun Yin uncertain whether he was telling the truth.

Under the bright light, Pei Yu noticed a vivid red mark on Yun Yin’s neck, stark against her pale skin.

“What happened to your neck?”

“Hmm?” Yun Yin couldn’t see it herself. After a moment’s thought, she offered uncertainly, “Maybe I accidentally scratched it with my nail while showering.”

Pei Yu stared at the mark for a long moment before rising and heading upstairs. He disappeared from Yun Yin’s sight within moments.

A few minutes later, Yun Yin saw him returning with a tube of ointment in hand.

“Apply this.”

“I don’t think I need it,” Yun Yin protested. Though she hadn’t seen the mark, she guessed it wasn’t serious and would heal on its own in a couple of days.

“Come here.”

Hearing Pei Yu’s tone, which brooked no argument, Yun Yin hesitated for a few seconds before stepping forward. She glanced at the ointment and tentatively suggested, “Maybe I should do it myself?”

Pei Yu raised an eyebrow. “Can you even see?”

Yun Yin considered saying she could take it back and apply it in front of a mirror, but after a moment’s thought, she wisely kept silent.

Pei Yu opened the jar, dabbed the clear healing gel onto a cotton swab, and slowly approached Yun Yin.

The fresh, rich fragrance of gardenias filled her nostrils, and his gaze grew increasingly enigmatic.

Yun Yin tilted her head slightly to give him better access.

The next moment, a cool sensation spread across her neck.

“Is it done?” Yun Yin couldn’t help but ask. “It itches.”

Though only a few seconds had passed, the application felt agonizingly drawn out to Yun Yin.

“Mm.” Pei Yu straightened up, putting some distance between them. “All done.”

Relieved, Yun Yin blurted out, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go to bed now.”

Pei Yu watched her, his gaze lingering on her neck for a long moment before he drawled, “Go ahead.”

Yun Yin felt like she’d been granted a pardon. She tossed a hasty “Good night” over her shoulder and fled.

A low chuckle drifted from behind, making Yun Yin’s ears flush slightly.

Pei Yu watched her slightly flustered figure retreat, his gaze lingering long after she’d disappeared.

No one could guess what he was thinking.

The rain outside pattered steadily, having fallen for days. The autumn wind carried the raindrops, which dripped onto the clear glass, coalescing into slow-moving rivulets.

After an unknown amount of time, splish-splash.

The rain continued, sometimes light, sometimes heavy.

But it didn’t bother Yun Yin at all.

She sat cross-legged on her bed, wearing silver headphones, her pen moving erratically across the paper.

The world outside had grown quiet, leaving only the soft music in her headphones.

Yun Yin was completely immersed in the music, oblivious to everything around her.

When she finally removed her headphones and looked out the window, the sky was completely dark, and the rain had stopped sometime ago.

She glanced down at the paper filled with words and musical notes, a faint smile of satisfaction finally appearing on her face.

Her thoughts hadn’t flowed so smoothly in a long time.

Setting down the paper, Yun Yin blinked her slightly strained eyes and checked the time on her phone.

It was already ten o’clock at night.

Aunt Lin had called her for dinner earlier, but Yun Yin had been too absorbed in her work to notice. She’d simply said she wasn’t hungry and continued composing.

Only now did Yun Yin belatedly realize she was hungry.

Wrapped in a small blanket, she went downstairs to the refrigerator, grabbed a snack to quell her hunger, and turned to go back. As she glanced out the window, she saw the garden freshly washed by the rain.

Having been cooped up indoors for days due to the downpour, Yun Yin longed for some fresh air.

With that thought, she pushed open the door.

The night was deep and still, the world hushed.

Low-hanging clouds drifted slowly across the night sky, and a cool evening breeze stirred the chaotic shadows of the trees. The moonlight, soft as cotton, hung like a celestial lantern in the deepening twilight.

Yun Yin sat on the swing in the pavilion, eyes closed, swaying gently as she softly hummed the little tune she had composed that afternoon, its melody blending with the hazy moonlight.

As the night deepened, Yun Yin wrapped her blanket tighter around herself, thinking she should head back. Before she could rise from the swing, she looked up and saw Pei Yu standing at the garden gate, watching her for who knew how long.

Realizing he might have overheard her humming, Yun Yin’s ears flushed belatedly. Trying to cover her embarrassment, she called out loudly, “Why are you back so late?”

Pei Yu slowly walked over, the clear moonlight illuminating his silhouette, making him seem to glow faintly.

Yun Yin watched him approach and stop beside her. After a moment of silence, she gave a questioning “Hmm?”

Just as she was about to give up on an answer, Pei Yu murmured, “I came back for something.”

“Oh,” Yun Yin replied, not asking what could possibly require him to return in the middle of the night.

Ever since leaving the Yun Family, Pei Yu had become increasingly busy.

No, that wasn’t quite right. He had always been busy.

It was just that when Pei Yu didn’t return home, they rarely saw each other.

Yun Yin assumed he was preoccupied with the Capital’s suburban project, with the bidding deadline less than two weeks away.

As for the USB drive, she had handed it over to Pei Yu and hadn’t given it another thought.

Zhou Wenze, however, kept messaging her about its progress, which annoyed her so much that she eventually blocked him.

Counting the days, she realized it had been nearly two weeks since they last saw each other. Seeing him suddenly now left Yun Yin momentarily stunned.

While she was still lost in thought, Pei Yu spoke again: “What about you?”

Under the moonlight, the man’s gaze was no longer as aloof as usual, but softened with a hint of tenderness.

Yun Yin glanced at him before quickly averting her eyes, inexplicably unable to meet his gaze. She unconsciously tightened her grip on the small blanket in her arms.

After a moment, she slowly said, “Moon-viewing.”

She was right.

The moon was indeed exceptionally beautiful that night.

The moonlight silently spread between them.

Pei Yu’s lips curled slightly, and he let out a brief, soft chuckle.

“Want to know the progress of the Capital’s suburban project?”

Yun Yin’s fingers, still clutching the blanket, paused. Her lips moved slightly.

After a few seconds, she tilted her head and asked, “Will you tell me?”

Pei Yu looked at her calmly. “If you want to know.”

“Is that… alright?” Yun Yin remained uncertain whether he would truly tell her, fearing he might be testing her again. She added, “It’s fine if you can’t.”

Faced with her skepticism, Pei Yu smiled. “Haven’t you always been particularly interested in the Capital’s suburban project?”

He emphasized the word “particularly,” as if hinting at something deeper.

“I want to know,” Yun Yin said, her gaze burning into Pei Yu’s eyes.

Nothing she did could truly escape his notice, nor was there any need for her to hide it.

Sooner or later, he would find out.

Pei Yu was about to speak when Yun Yin continued, “I told you, I would never betray you.”

The moment her words faded, Pei Yu’s eyes darkened. He leaned down, his hand closing around Yun Yin’s neck, squeezing with a possessive pressure. “I thought you’d forgotten.”

Yun Yin didn’t flinch. She met his gaze directly, tilting her head in mock confusion. “Is my memory really that bad?”

“Yun Yin,” Pei Yu said, his grip tightening as he felt the smooth softness of her skin, “you know exactly what I mean.”

“I do.” Facing the man’s volatile mood, Yun Yin suddenly smiled, her eyes curving like crescents, reflecting the bright moonlight. “Pei Yu…”

Hearing her speak his name stirred something deep within him.

“Can you loosen your grip a little?” Yun Yin stared at him, her tone tinged with displeasure. “It hurts.”

The word “hurts” sent a jolt through Pei Yu’s heart, as if he’d been burned. He released her neck abruptly, avoiding her gaze and muttering under his breath, “Such a delicate thing.”

Meanwhile, Yun Yin continued to complain in a spoiled tone, “I also told you to be nicer to me, but you didn’t remember that either.” Her voice carried a hint of pampered indulgence that she herself seemed unaware of.

Hearing her words, Pei Yu’s eyes darkened as he asked, “Am I not good enough to you?”

Yun Yin pursed her lips, as if considering the question, before reluctantly conceding, “I suppose you are.”

Pei Yu chuckled in exasperation, the inexplicable emotion that had surged through him moments ago now receding into the depths of his heart. His voice remained barely audible as he murmured, “Little liar.”

Yun Yin didn’t hear him. She tightened the small blanket around herself and asked, “Can you tell me now?”

Pei Yu had regained his usual composure, his face betraying no trace of the turmoil caused by her few words.

“The bid proposal has been submitted, and negotiations with Yun Cheng are underway. We’re just waiting for the final outcome.” He paused, his gaze lingering on Yun Yin. “Who do you think will win this project?”

Under normal circumstances, Pei Yu would have secured the project without question. But with the Yun Family’s involvement and that USB drive, the outcome was no longer certain.

Yun Yin pretended not to notice Pei Yu’s probing look, feigning ignorance. “I don’t know.”

Pei Yu didn’t press further. An unspoken understanding passed between them, and they fell silent.

A sudden gust of cool wind swept through, and Yun Yin huddled deeper into her blanket.

Pei Yu frowned. “It’s late. Let’s go back.”

Yun Yin glanced up at him, thinking to herself, If you hadn’t suddenly returned, I would have been back hours ago.