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The night had deepened to its fullest, and stepping on the ground felt as if one might float away.
Chen Shuoyin had no idea how Pei Yu came up with the word “hide.” If she were to bring up the topic of past lives, given that they had been married once before, he would surely think this was just another ploy to win his heart.
A shiver ran down her spine. She licked her lips lightly and played dumb. “Then promise me, no matter what I say, you won’t do anything to me.”
Suspicion flickered in Pei Yu’s eyes. He narrowed them slightly, as if confirming whether she would be honest. “I promise.”
“When we took our graduation photos in our senior year, I secretly wrote ‘I am a puppy’ on the back of your bachelor’s gown.” Chen Shuoyin lowered her head deeply, afraid she couldn’t act convincingly.
There was already a notable height difference between them, and now her face was nearly buried under the table, revealing only the two whorls of hair on her crown.
Since most graduation photos were taken from the front, Pei Yu had discovered it afterward but hadn’t thought much of it. He hadn’t pursued the matter.
If she was capable of feeling shame or guilt over something like this, then by that logic, all the ink stains she had splattered on his clothes when they sat next to each other should have her compensating him for a lifetime.
Running out of patience, he grasped her chin and lifted her face, forcing her to look at him. “Are you sure that’s it? I already knew about that.”
Afraid he was too clever, Chen Shuoyin huffed and retorted angrily, “Then what else could there be? Given our relationship, if I really wanted to mess with you, I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of being sneaky—I’d have just stabbed you outright!”
The repeated high fevers had left faint traces of redness on her cheeks, making her look even angrier in her glare.
Pei Yu’s hand was smacked away, a burning pain flaring where her fingers had struck.
Chen Shuoyin turned her back on him, as if he had hit a nerve and she was truly furious.
He curled his fingers and withdrew his hand, his Adam’s apple shifting slightly as he let out a self-deprecating smile.
Right. Why had he even entertained such wishful thinking?
The only time Chen Shuoyin had ever truly acknowledged him was when they were competing against each other for the same goal—as rivals.
Now that they had walked down separate career paths, they were no longer connected.
She was probably eager to find her old love, the one he had ruined for her. What was he supposed to do? Pleasure himself over it? Fantasize about sleeping with her? Utter nonsense.
“…Sorry,” Pei Yu conceded, backing down. “You need sleep now. Go lie down—I’ll make you some medicine.”
Chen Shuoyin hadn’t expected the topic to end with him apologizing. It felt like she had accidentally opened someone else’s mystery box and wasn’t sure how to react. “No need… You should rest too. I can do it myself.”
“I still want to take a shower.” After spending hours in the hospital, her clothes were tainted with the faint smell of medicine.
Pei Yu wanted to warn her that she might get sick again, but knowing she probably wouldn’t listen, he simply nodded in silent approval.
Once she received the homeowner’s permission, Chen Shuoyin hastily took off his coat.
Earning money was hard, and so was eating shit—who could really understand Pei Yu’s thoughts?
Afraid of arousing further suspicion, she dashed into the bathroom and locked herself in.
When she came out wrapped in a bathrobe, Pei Yu was sitting on the sofa in a bathrobe of his own, reading a script. Seeing her shuffle out in slippers, he got up to fetch her medicine.
She instinctively started toward the master bedroom but stopped in her tracks at the last second. Stiffening slightly, she pretended it was her first time here and asked, “Where am I sleeping?”
Pei Yu pointed to the master bedroom. “There.”
Once she finally escaped the clutches of this sham of a marriage, someone else would be the mistress of this house. Sleeping in the master bedroom wouldn’t be appropriate. Chen Shuoyin waved her hands. “No need. I’m a guest—I’ll sleep in the guest room.”
Yet she seemed a little too familiar with the layout of the house.
Pei Yu studied her thoughtfully. “How do you know that’s not the guest room?”
A chill ran down Chen Shuoyin’s spine. Her limbs stiffened, and she fumbled for an excuse. “I just guessed. That room looks the biggest, so it must be the master bedroom.”
Handing her the medicine, Pei Yu took hold of her wrist and led her to the master bedroom. He returned her fake smile with a perfect one of his own. “Then you’ll sleep here. How could my savior sleep in the side room?”
Saving a life was said to be more virtuous than building a seven-story pagoda, but Chen Shuoyin suspected Pei Yu would be using this “savior” title against her for the rest of his life.
From another perspective, at least she had saved him. If he had saved her, she’d probably be stuck under his thumb forever.
That thought alone made her feel justified in accepting his hospitality. “Thanks…?”
“What are you thanking me for?” Pei Yu had always been irritated by expressions of gratitude. He leaned in, cupping her face and resting his forehead against hers to check her temperature. After two seconds, he pulled away. “Just don’t get sick again—that’s the best way to thank me.”
Outside, the rain created a soft white noise. Under the spell of the medicine, Chen Shuoyin drifted into a deep sleep.
If not for hearing Pei Yu’s voice beyond the door, she might have slept even longer.
“Slow down. No need to panic,” Pei Yu stood in the living room, answering an urgent call from Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi sounded flustered and lost. “The reporter we contacted suddenly turned on us. He’s refusing to sell the photos at the agreed price. Now he’s threatening to expose you, saying the whole thing was staged!”
Pei Yu responded indifferently, “Well, it was staged. If he won’t cooperate, we’ll switch PR strategies and attack his weak spot.”
Calm as ever, he reminded Zhou Qi logically, “First, I didn’t cause the fire. If anyone spreads rumors, gather evidence and report them. I’m happy to cooperate with an investigation. Second, contract or not, Zhu Xi and I are colleagues. Whether it was her or another team member who got hurt, I would have visited them. He’s just a shortcut, saving us time and effort.”
“Tell him what I said. Give him time to reconsider.”
Hearing this, Zhou Qi felt enlightened and hurried off to handle negotiations.
As Pei Yu prepared to make another call, the door to the master bedroom creaked open. He turned around to see Chen Shuoyin.
Walking toward her, he placed the back of his hand on her forehead. “Not hot anymore. What do you want to eat? I’ll make it.”
Chen Shuoyin barely heard his call. Assuming he had just been updating Zhu Xi’s boyfriend, she lost interest in asking. Instead, she wiped the spot he touched with the back of her hand. “Anything’s fine. I’ll be heading home later.”
“I already called Grandma. She agreed you can stay here,” Pei Yu informed her as he pulled out some of his shirts for her to choose from. “Change into something else first.”
She bristled at his words. “I’m an adult. I don’t need her approval!”
“You think I want to keep you here against your will?” Pei Yu raised a brow, amused.
She glared at him. “Because you are a bad person.”
Pei Yu smirked. “And you just realized?”