Chapter 23.2

Yun Yin turned toward the sound and saw a woman in a champagne-colored suit standing nearby, accompanied by a man.

Coincidentally, she recognized both of them.

It was Cheng Wenwen and Zhou Wenze.

Yun Yin had initially planned to pretend not to see them and quietly turn away, but Cheng Wenwen seemed to sense her intention and stubbornly called out her name again.

Now, she couldn’t feign ignorance any longer.

“What is it?” Yun Yin asked, her voice cool as she turned to face them.

“I just wanted to say hello,” Cheng Wenwen said, stepping closer.

“Oh,” Yun Yin replied, uninterested. “Now that you’ve said hello, can I leave?”

“You…” Cheng Wenwen sputtered, momentarily speechless at Yun Yin’s unyielding attitude.

“Yun Yin, Wenwen just wanted to greet you. There’s no need to be so aggressive,” Zhou Wenze said slowly after a moment.

Yun Yin frowned slightly. She had only spoken one sentence. How was that aggressive? This male lead’s eyesight must be terrible, she thought.

Too lazy to argue, Yun Yin walked to the watch counter she had been browsing earlier. “If there’s nothing else, don’t bother me.”

“Why are you still so unpleasant?” Cheng Wenwen snapped, exasperated. “I said hello, and you just brush me off!”

Yun Yin felt a flicker of confusion. “Are we close?”

As far as she remembered, the original owner of this body hadn’t been close to Cheng Wenwen, and their relationship had been strained. When they occasionally crossed paths, they would exchange veiled insults.

Yet Cheng Wenwen’s tone now implied Yun Yin had wronged her somehow.

Hearing Yun Yin’s question, Cheng Wenwen fell silent.

After a long pause, Cheng Wenwen finally blurted out, “Why isn’t Pei Yu with you?”

Yun Yin raised her eyebrows at the mention of Pei Yu, her gaze sweeping between Cheng Wenwen and Zhou Wenze. “You don’t still have feelings for him, do you?”

Zhou Wenze also turned to Cheng Wenwen, his expression darkening momentarily.

With both their eyes fixed on her, Cheng Wenwen immediately retorted, “No! I don’t have any feelings for Pei Yu.”

Pei Yu had humiliated her enough at the last banquet. She wasn’t a masochist—why would she still harbor any feelings for him?

Yun Yin gave a languid “Oh,” leaving Cheng Wenwen unsure whether she believed her or not.

Cheng Wenwen felt like she’d thrown a punch into cotton, utterly powerless. “You don’t believe me!” she snapped.

“I do,” Yun Yin replied, her tone still nonchalant.

Cheng Wenwen’s frustration grew. “You’re just humoring me! You don’t believe me at all!”

Pei Yu would be off work in just two hours. Yun Yin didn’t want to waste time on their drama. Her voice turned cold. “So what? Even if I believe you, President Zhou doesn’t seem convinced.”

“What does it matter whether he believes me or not?” Cheng Wenwen’s tone grew increasingly impatient.

…

It seemed Cheng Wenwen hadn’t yet developed feelings for the male lead at this point.

Zhou Wenze finally spoke up to clarify their relationship. “Wenwen and I are just ordinary friends.”

“My apologies,” Yun Yin said, though her face showed no hint of remorse. “I assumed you two were dating.”

Cheng Wenwen: “…”

She was certain now—Yun Yin was as detestable as ever, completely unchanged.

After a long moment, Cheng Wenwen turned to Zhou Wenze. “My brother’s upstairs. Thank you for bringing me here.”

Zhou Wenze smiled. “You’re welcome.” With that, he left, casting a lingering glance at Yun Yin as he departed.

With the unwanted guest gone, Yun Yin summoned a shop assistant to retrieve a watch for her to examine.

Cheng Wenwen watched Yun Yin engrossed in the timepiece, ignoring her. She wanted to leave, but a nagging unease kept her rooted in place. Awkwardly, she edged closer and blurted out, “I really don’t have any feelings for Pei Yu.”

Yun Yin, still focused on the watch, replied without looking up, “I know.”

Assuming Yun Yin believed her, Cheng Wenwen pressed on. “Are you and Pei Yu together now?”

“Yes.”

Cheng Wenwen lowered her head and saw Yun Yin holding a men’s wristwatch, guessing she intended to give it to Pei Yu.

Remembering her brother’s warning, Cheng Wenwen hesitated for a long time before finally blurting out, “I advise you not to end up with Pei Yu.”

After a moment of silence, Cheng Wenwen looked up to find Yun Yin had quietly set down the watch. Her eyes met Cheng Wenwen’s, devoid of emotion.

Cheng Wenwen recognized that expression instantly—Yun Yin didn’t believe her again. “I’m just trying to warn you,” she insisted. “Pei Yu really isn’t a good person.”

“Thank you for your concern,” Yun Yin replied softly, her tone calm and resolute. “But whether Pei Yu is a good person and whether I choose to be with him are my own decisions.”

She wouldn’t abandon her own judgment based on someone else’s casual remark.

Why does she never believe me? Everything I’m saying is true.

After the Zhou Family banquet, her family had somehow learned of her interest in Pei Yu. The moment she returned home, they bombarded her with warnings, insisting she absolutely must not get involved with him.

Her brother had been particularly blunt, declaring that Pei Yu was not a good person and that his polished facade hid something darker.

When Yun Yin asked why, her family refused to explain. All she knew was that Pei Yu was dangerous. She couldn’t bluntly tell Yun Yin this, so she tried to warn her subtly.

But Yun Yin, oblivious to good intentions, couldn’t distinguish between good and bad.

Cheng Wenwen, exasperated, stamped her foot and stormed off, leaving only, “Don’t blame me later for not warning you.”

Yun Yin stood there, utterly bewildered.

Just then, Zhou Nanxing, who had just finished a phone call, entered the store and saw Cheng Wenwen’s angry departure. He hurried to Yun Yin’s side. “Miss Yun, are you alright?”

Yun Yin shook her head. “I’m fine.”

She could sense that Cheng Wenwen’s warning had been sincere, without malice.

Dismissing the brief encounter, Yun Yin resumed browsing the jewelry with Zhou Nanxing.

Finally, in a display case on one side, Yun Yin spotted a wristwatch.

The moment she saw it, she knew it would suit Pei Yu perfectly. His long, slender fingers and the slight prominence of his wrist bones would pair exquisitely with the metallic timepiece, creating an indescribable allure.

Yun Yin called over a sales assistant and purchased the watch without hesitation.

After paying, she took the gift bag from the assistant and immediately headed to another store.

She remembered Pei Yu’s habit of wearing glasses while working.

So she decided to buy him a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

Entering the eyewear store, she explained her request to the clerk, who led her to the display case.

She gazed at the various silver-rimmed, gold-rimmed, half-rimmed, and chained glasses, lost in thought.

Suddenly, she recalled the first time she saw Pei Yu wearing glasses…

Originally, she only intended to buy one pair, but somehow she ended up purchasing several different styles.

Zhou Nanxing, standing beside her, moved his lips as if to speak, but finally couldn’t hold back. “Miss Yun, are all of these gifts for President Pei?”

Yun Yin nodded. “Don’t you think these glasses suit Pei Yu perfectly?”

They did suit him, but did he really need so many?

After all, some of these glasses cost well over six figures.

I simply don’t understand, Zhou Nanxing thought.

After a moment, he replied, “They do suit him.”

Yun Yin looked at her purchases for the day and agreed, “I think so too.”

With the birthday gift chosen, all that remained was to purchase the items she needed.

Yun Yin led Zhou Nanxing to the music store with practiced ease.

“Miss Yun, you play the guitar?” Zhou Nanxing asked.

“Mm-hmm.” Yun Yin sat down, casually strummed the guitar, and within seconds, a cheerful, melodious tune flowed from her fingers.

“That’s beautiful!” Zhou Nanxing gazed at Yun Yin with undisguised admiration. “Miss Yun, what’s the name of that piece?”

“I just improvised it.” After testing the sound quality and feel, Yun Yin decided this guitar would do.

Next, they went to the record store next door, where Yun Yin selected a few albums before concluding their shopping trip.

Finally, Yun Yin bought a small gift for Zhou Nanxing to thank him for his company.

“Don’t tell Pei Yu about the gift I got him,” she said.

Zhou Nanxing immediately understood. “I get it! It’s a surprise!”

“Mm-hmm.” Yun Yin imagined Pei Yu wearing the watch and glasses, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. “It’s a surprise.”