Chapter 32: It Shouldn’t Be Hard to Fall in Love with Me, Right?

Jian Ruo Ci lowered her head, a single tear falling onto the back of her hand. Thinking of that young man, her heart was filled with bitterness. After her mother passed away, the young man had given her immense encouragement and support, giving her the courage to face reality.

He had been her support for all these years.

Pei Yan Zhou gazed at her profile, his expression grave. His dark eyes held an emotion that was hard to decipher.

He reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her cheek with his thumb. “You’re not paying attention. You’re thinking about other men while you’re with me.”

Jian Ruo Ci wiped away her tears clumsily, her eyes red. “You’re not my boyfriend. Why can’t I?”

“Not now, but in the future.” Pei Yan Zhou’s expression was serious. “I’ll wait for you to clear your heart. Only when there’s only me left.”

“So, when you’re with me, don’t think about other men.”

“Especially your ex-boyfriend.”

Jian Ruo Ci stared at him. He always said ambiguous things that made her misunderstand. She didn’t know how much of what he said was true and how much was false. She turned her head away, a little upset. “Mr. Pei, don’t make jokes that make people misunderstand. They’re not funny at all.”

She closed her eyes, suppressing her emotions. “I don’t want to eat anymore. Mr. Pei, please leave.”

He always said strange things. He didn’t mean anything by it, but the listener was always affected.

“Jokes?” Pei Yan Zhou chuckled softly.

Jian Ruo Ci heard the sarcasm in his laughter. She furrowed her brows, puzzled, and turned her head to look at him. Their eyes met. “What are you laughing at? Did I say something wrong?”

“In Mr. Pei’s eyes, are feelings so casual?”

“We’ve only known each other for half a month. Don’t you find it ridiculous, Mr. Pei, to say these things?”

“Saying things that cause misunderstandings and make people think too much. Is that what Mr. Pei wants to see?”

Her emotional, cold questioning made Pei Yan Zhou curl his lips.

He laughed!?

Did he have the nerve to laugh?

Pei Yan Zhou: “My words made you think too much.”

“Then I’m sorry. I’ll say it again.”

“There wasn’t a hint of joking in what I said.”

Jian Ruo Ci’s mind went blank. She didn’t know how to react to what he said. She was more surprised than anything.

He wasn’t joking…

“Jian Ruo Ci.” Pei Yan Zhou called her name. This was the first time he had called her by her full name. “It shouldn’t be hard to fall in love with me, right?”

“Not hard…” Jian Ruo Ci blurted out her thoughts as if she were possessed.

She was right. It wasn’t hard to fall in love with Pei Yan Zhou. He was elegant and refined, sometimes cold and sometimes gentle and considerate. If they spent a long time together, it wouldn’t be difficult to fall in love with him. Or rather, it was only a matter of time.

Or maybe, a certain part of her heart had already been occupied by him.

It wasn’t so much that Pei Yan Zhou was casual, but rather that she was casual. In fifteen days, her heart had been slowly conquered by a man named Pei Yan Zhou.

But it was undeniable that the shadow of that young man played a major role.

This wasn’t fair to him. She saw villains in everyone, but she was the real villain.

“Hmm, then you should try harder. Fall in love with me sooner.” Pei Yan Zhou’s lips curled into a faint smile.

“Huh?” Jian Ruo Ci didn’t understand what was going on.

Pei Yan Zhou said again, “I’m a little busy lately.”

“When things are settled, I’ll take you somewhere.”

Jian Ruo Ci: “Oh, I don’t want to go.”

Because of his words, her heart was in turmoil. It felt like she was dreaming. She said again, “Pei Yan Zhou, you must be a player. You’ve probably said these things countless times.”

Only if he had said them countless times could he be so fluent. She was probably just a small shrimp in Pei Yan Zhou’s fish pond.

“If I were a player,” Pei Yan Zhou said, “then the whole pond would only be for you.”

“Don’t believe you, old man. You’re so bad.” Although he said those things, it didn’t stop her from teasing him.

Pei Yan Zhou chuckled and put the brown sugar ginger tea on the coffee table back into her hand. “Drink it. Otherwise, you’ll only have a vegetable feast for lunch.”

Jian Ruo Ci took a sip, hesitated for a moment, and then asked the question that had been on her mind. “Pei Yan Zhou, why is it me?”

“Wait for me to take care of some things, and I’ll take you somewhere. You’ll understand then.”

“When will you be able to take care of things?”

“You won’t have to wait too long.”

Jian Ruo Ci nodded. This was like a small interlude in her day. It didn’t stop her from being furious at Pei Yan Zhou’s words.

At noon, Pei Yan Zhou was busy in the kitchen, making all the dishes she had ordered.

After lunch, she took the initiative to wash the dishes. Not for any other reason, but because she had overeaten again.

Moving around would help her digest.

She was washing the dishes when Pei Yan Zhou raised an eyebrow at her. “Overeaten?”

Was it really okay to expose her so directly?

She didn’t deny it. This wasn’t the first time she had overeaten. She had already done more embarrassing things in front of him. What was so embarrassing about overeating?

“A little.”

“Where are the digestive tablets?” he asked.

“On my bedside table in my room.”

Pei Yan Zhou: “Can I go in?”

Jian Ruo Ci: “…”

What kind of question was that? He had already been in her room to get her clothes. He had even seen her most private closet. What else couldn’t he see?

Asking this question was simply redundant.

“You can.”

Jian Ruo Ci was washing the dishes in the kitchen. Pei Yan Zhou came downstairs with a digestive tablet in his hand. He unwrapped it, held it in his hand, and looked at her. “Open your mouth.”

“I’ll do it myself.” Jian Ruo Ci placed the plate she was washing in the sink and started washing her hands. “Wait a moment…”

Pei Yan Zhou directly put the digestive tablet in her mouth. His fingertips brushed against her lips, a fleeting touch. She was stunned. History repeating itself.

Just as she was about to lash out and scold him, Pei Yan Zhou took a towel and dried her hands. He held her wrist and led her out of the kitchen, making her sit down on the sofa. “I’ll do it.”

Jian Ruo Ci felt a tingling sensation in her heart. Casual flirting was the most deadly.

She was a mortal, after all. Who could resist, especially someone with such good looks?

When she was young, she had thought that if she didn’t meet someone she liked when she grew up, she would find a handsome man to marry. Not for any other reason, but at least he would be easy on the eyes.

Now she realized that if a handsome man was also good to you, how far away could you be from falling in love with him?

The answer was definitely not far.

Jian Ruo Ci leaned back on the sofa, her gaze fixed on the straight figure in the kitchen.

Pei Yan Zhou came out of the kitchen. Jian Ruo Ci poured him a glass of water. “Take a break.”

Pei Yan Zhou picked it up and took a sip. He sat down next to her. “Still uncomfortable?”

She was a little embarrassed. She covered her stomach with her hand. “Much better.”

“Next time I’ll cook. I don’t want to overeat again.”

Pei Yan Zhou’s dark eyes were filled with a smile. “Okay.”

Jian Ruo Ci leaned back on the sofa and sighed. She had eaten his cooking twice, and both times she had overeaten. It was so embarrassing.

But thankfully, Pei Yan Zhou didn’t show any signs of disgust. Maybe he was silently disgusted in his heart, but he didn’t show it. He was probably just giving her face.