Chapter 7: Not Familiar Enough to Give Me Your First Kiss?

Jian Ruo Ci’s back ached so badly that she couldn’t speak. A layer of fine sweat beaded on her forehead, and the pain made her unable to struggle. She could only obediently be held by Pei Yan Zhou as he walked out of the banquet hall.

Outside the banquet hall, a Maybach was parked at the entrance. A man in a suit stood beside the car. Jian Ruo Ci found him vaguely familiar. She guessed he was the one she had seen the night she got drunk.

He was Pei Yan Zhou’s assistant, named Qin Huai, who had been by Pei Yan Zhou’s side for many years.

Seeing Pei Yan Zhou approaching, Qin Huai respectfully opened the car door.

Pei Yan Zhou placed Jian Ruo Ci in the back seat. Jian Ruo Ci could clearly feel his gentle movements, as if he was afraid of touching the wound on her back.

As soon as he put her down, Jian Ruo Ci frowned and struggled to get out of the car.

She had seen many luxury cars, but after her grandfather passed away, she hadn’t ridden in one again. Pei Yan Zhou’s car was incredibly expensive, and she was covered in wine and blood stains. She was afraid of dirtying the car.

Pei Yan Zhou pressed down on her shoulder, forcing her to sit down. His voice was laced with pressure. “Don’t move.”

Feeling the warmth of his fingertips on her shoulder, her heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath and said, “I’m dirty. Besides, we’re not familiar enough for you to personally take me to the hospital. Thank you. I’ll just take a taxi. Don’t dirty your car.”

She was grateful to him. She was grateful that he had taken her to a nearby hotel when she was drunk, and she was grateful that he had helped her when she was injured. But Pei Yan Zhou was a dangerous figure. At only twenty-eight years old, he had just listed Jing Che Group, and in just a few days in the capital, he had become a powerful force. And he, Pei Yan Zhou, was the object of everyone in the business circle’s desire to curry favor with.

She couldn’t handle a figure like Pei Yan Zhou. She just wanted to live her own simple life and didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

Pei Yan Zhou: “Not familiar?”

His jawline was taut. Jian Ruo Ci looked up. “How familiar are we?”

Pei Yan Zhou leaned in, his voice close to her ear. “Not familiar enough to give me your first kiss?”

His warm breath sprayed against her neck, and the words that came out of his mouth made Jian Ruo Ci’s cheeks instantly burn.

Her face, which had been pale from pain, gradually turned a faint red. Her eyes were filled with surprise and suspicion. “I… that night… I assaulted you?”

Pei Yan Zhou’s brows were cold. “What else could it be?”

Jian Ruo Ci: “…”

Pei Yan Zhou walked around to the other side, opened the car door, and got in. He glanced at Qin Huai, who was driving. “To the hospital.”

She sat beside Pei Yan Zhou, her heart beating even faster.

She lowered her head, feeling restrained. She took a deep breath and finally mustered the courage to speak, stammering, “Then we… at the hotel…”

She was too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

He asked knowingly, “What happened at the hotel?”

The next words were difficult for Jian Ruo Ci to say. She stammered, “I woke up… I wasn’t wearing any clothes…”

Pei Yan Zhou’s lips curled into an imperceptible smile. He looked out the window casually. “Nothing happened. You took off your clothes yourself.”

Jian Ruo Ci breathed a sigh of relief, secretly thankful that nothing had happened.

“But…”

Pei Yan Zhou turned his head, looking her up and down. A clear smile curved his lips. “I saw what I should have seen, and what I shouldn’t have seen.”

Pei Yan Zhou’s lighthearted words were like a bolt from the blue for her. Jian Ruo Ci’s mind buzzed.

Her innocence was gone…

Gone…

She was heartbroken.

Alcohol had done her no favors.

Just as she was lost in thought, her body suddenly swayed, and a piercing pain shot through her wound.

A gasp~” The car screeched to a halt at the intersection, the brakes a bit abrupt. Jian Ruo Ci’s back slammed against the car seat.

“Are you okay?” Pei Yan Zhou turned his head, his voice carrying an imperceptible softness.

Jian Ruo Ci shook her head, indicating she was fine.

Pei Yan Zhou’s cold eyes swept over Qin Huai, who was driving. His gaze was icy, radiating a chill. Qin Huai felt the pressure even through the rearview mirror. He swallowed hard and kept his eyes on the road.

Qin Huai: “Miss Jian, I apologize.”

Jian Ruo Ci’s face was pale as she shook her head. “It’s alright.”

Qin Huai suddenly became curious about Jian Ruo Ci’s identity. It was something beyond just being the Jian family’s eldest daughter. How did she manage to get Pei Yan Zhou to personally take her to the hospital after only meeting him twice?

He dared not speculate about his boss’s thoughts. Remembering Pei Yan Zhou’s warning gaze, he tried his best to drive smoothly.

He could tell that Pei Yan Zhou cared about this woman. From Pei Yan Zhou’s eyes, he could see that if it happened again, he would lose his job.

“Want some candy?” Pei Yan Zhou held out his hand in front of her, a piece of candy resting in his palm. Just like the night she got drunk, it was lychee flavored.

Jian Ruo Ci took it, unwrapped the candy wrapper, and put it in her mouth. She thanked him, “Thank you.”

They arrived at the hospital. The doctor cleaned and bandaged her wound, removing several shards of glass from it. Her face was pale, and the pain of the treatment almost made her faint.

Finally, the doctor gave her some instructions.

As she came out, she thought Pei Yan Zhou had already left. But when she came out, she saw him leaning against the wall, his back slightly hunched.

She was holding Pei Yan Zhou’s suit jacket. She walked in front of him. “Thank you for taking me to the hospital. I got your clothes dirty. I’ll wash them and return them to you, or I’ll pay you for them.”

Pei Yan Zhou stared at her for a few seconds. “I’ll send you to Wanjiang Mansion later.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Wanjiang Mansion was located in a bustling area in the suburbs of the capital. Even with money, it wasn’t necessarily easy to get in.

Pei Yan Zhou glanced at the prescription in her hand and took it. “Sit here and wait for me.”

His tone was不容拒絕 (不容拒绝, meaning “unquestionable”). Jian Ruo Ci obediently sat on the long bench in the corridor and waited for him.

About ten minutes later, he came back with a bag in his hand, containing medicine. Time seemed to slow down as Pei Yan Zhou’s long legs strode towards her.

It was impossible to say that her heart wasn’t touched at all. Her own father wasn’t willing to give her a bit of warmth, but this man, whom she had only met twice, had given her a sense of warmth.

He was dangerous, yet he made her feel warm.

When Pei Yan Zhou sent her home, it was already dark. Before she got out of the car, he said, “The door opens at ten tomorrow morning.”

She didn’t understand what he meant by that when she got home.

She poured herself a glass of water and drank a few sips. She went to the bathroom and took a quick shower, avoiding her back wound. She changed into dry pajamas, lay down in bed, and fell into a deep sleep after the exhausting night at the banquet.

She slept soundly that night, without dreaming.

She hadn’t slept so soundly in a long time.

The next day, she was awakened by the doorbell. She sat up in bed, her hair disheveled. She reached under her pillow for her phone and checked the time. It was ten in the morning.

Remembering what Pei Yan Zhou had said last night, she quickly got up and went to the bathroom to quickly tidy herself up.

She thought it was Pei Yan Zhou. She opened the door, and a woman stood outside, carrying a medical kit.

The woman was like a blooming rose, enthusiastic and open. She smiled. “Ruo Ci, it’s me. I’m Xie Qingyun. I’m a doctor and a friend of Pei Yan Zhou’s.”

Jian Ruo Ci was a little confused. “This is…”

Xie Qingyun chuckled and explained. “Pei Yan Zhou asked me to come and help you with your medicine.”

Jian Ruo Ci couldn’t help but be touched. Her wound was on her back, and it was inconvenient to apply medicine. Pei Yan Zhou had thought of this in advance, and a warmth spread through her heart.