Chapter 31 – Men Are Easy to Fool

Pei Ziye froze in place, his entire body stiff as his hands instinctively shot up in the air. He stared blankly down at the person who had suddenly flung herself into his arms.

“This young lady…?”

The person in his arms slowly looked up. First appeared a pair of glassy, glimmering eyes, followed by snowy pale cheeks, and finally lips that curled into a high, graceful smile.

With lips like rouge and pearly white teeth, she softly called his name.

“Brother Pei, do you still remember the little fish by Little Ming Lake?”

Pei Ziye’s breath hitched. A vague and distant memory flashed through his mind.

He stared at her face, uncertainly murmuring, “You’re… the little fish?”

“Brother Pei, you remember now. It’s me, it’s really me! It’s been ten years, and we’ve finally met again!”

Su Liluo nodded emphatically, her face full of joy and excitement at the long-awaited reunion.

As she spoke, Su Liluo inched even closer to him.

Pei Ziye was nearly suffocating from the way she clung to his waist. Worse still, the curves pressing against his chest were far too full and assertive—he had never experienced such a situation before. Instinctively, his body leaned backward, and his face flushed scarlet.

“Don’t get so excited, don’t get so excited…” Pei Ziye stammered, hands awkwardly raised midair, unsure where to place them.

Su Liluo seemed to finally realize how inappropriate she had been. She quickly let go and stepped back, her face turning bright red like a boiled shrimp.

“I’m sorry, Brother Pei.”

“After being apart for ten years, Little Fish has been praying every day to meet you again. I never imagined my wish would come true today.”

“I got carried away for a moment and crossed the line. I hope Brother Pei won’t mind.”

She lowered her head, fingers twisting at her sleeve, looking embarrassed yet filled with the tender shyness unique to young maidens.

From behind, Zhi Chun watched silently, admiring the scene inwardly: Tsk tsk, Miss’s acting skills are getting better and better. So natural, so effortless.

This time, Su Liluo was going all in.

Jiang Shiyuan and Pei Ziye were already in talks for a marriage arrangement. Time was tight—she had to strike fast, hard, and cleanly take Pei Ziye for herself and sabotage Jiang Shiyuan’s engagement.

She had done her homework. After combing through the life of Pei Ziye, known for his indulgence and carefree lifestyle, she finally unearthed this “Little Fish”—a girl he had saved from drowning during a spring outing on a lake ten years ago.

Childhood acquaintance. Life-saving grace. A reunion after years apart.

Wasn’t this the perfect setup tailor-made by the heavens for her? No—this was a golden opportunity.

Men were easy to fool.

And this Pei Ziye didn’t look all that bright to begin with. The moment he saw her, he was practically dazed.

Now able to breathe again, Pei Ziye cleared his throat and finally took a good look at the woman before him.

She looked nothing like the little girl he’d pulled from the water back then. That girl had a wild mess of hair, and a body as skinny as a stick. Nothing like the woman standing before him now—

Pei Ziye’s gaze involuntarily dropped to that area. He glanced once, then hurriedly looked away, face burning even redder than before.

He turned his head and looked off to the side. “Are you really Little Fish?”

As if seeing through his doubts, Su Liluo explained on her own: “Brother Pei wouldn’t know, but I was born into a wealthy family. My mother passed early, and my father remarried. My stepmother favored her own children, and my father resented me for being a daughter and treated me harshly. That’s why I looked so miserable ten years ago…”

Her voice trailed off, as if recalling painful memories. Her eyes reddened, a single teardrop trembling at the corner of her eye, ready to fall at any moment.

No one could see that and not feel a touch of pity.

Sure enough, Pei Ziye scratched his head, no longer pressing her with questions. Instead, he shifted the topic: “Little Fish, where have you been these past ten years? I looked for you a few times but couldn’t find you.”

Hearing that he didn’t push further—and even called her “Little Fish”—Su Liluo beamed inwardly.

Told you, men are easy to fool.

A bit of admiration, a touch of initiative, and just a hint of tears—it always does the trick.

Jiang Shiyuan, just wait. This time, I’m going to beat you at your own game!

“Brother Pei went looking for me?” Su Liluo said joyfully, fully stepping into her new role. Her heart was now completely devoted to Pei Ziye—any small gesture of care from him would be met with double the enthusiasm in return.

“Ten years ago, I made a mistake and was sent to my maternal relatives’ house. I only returned to the capital three years ago.”

Just a moment ago, she was thrilled that Pei Ziye remembered her. Now her face filled with regret at having missed so many years with him.

She looked like someone completely caught up in his presence—devoted and tender.

But soon enough, her expression brightened again. “But thankfully, we’ve reunited.”

“Brother Pei, are you happy to see me again?”

She stepped forward and gently took his arm, asking with sparkling eyes full of expectation.

Pei Ziye had already forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. He glanced down at the arm she held, then gave a slow, almost dazed nod—

“Happy.”

…

Jiang Shiyuan slept soundly. When she groggily opened her eyes, everything around her was still dim.

“Hong Dou, light the lamp,” she murmured without thinking.

A soft glow lit up, revealing a handsome, refined profile.

Perfect bone structure, a tall and noble nose—under the hazy light, he looked like something out of a dream.

Jiang Shiyuan’s heart fluttered as if touched by a butterfly’s antennae. She couldn’t resist reaching out to touch that face.

Pei Che, who had been rolling up the carriage curtain, paused and turned to look at her.

What had been a light touch now pressed completely against his cheek.

It had to be a dream. No way a man this good-looking would show up in real life—let alone let her touch him.

Best of all, in dreams… touching came with no consequences.

Jiang Shiyuan giggled to herself, “Hehe.”

Pei Che heard her silly laugh and couldn’t help but chuckle. He lowered his head slightly and asked, “Still drunk?”

That breathtaking face suddenly loomed closer, and his deep voice resonated in her ears—Jiang Shiyuan instantly sobered up.

Her eyes flew open, and she finally realized whose face she had in her palm.

At the same time, fragments of memory came flooding back like a torrential storm.

“Oh? Uncle, you came to the banquet too?”

“Uncle, why are you alone? Where’s Pei Ziye?”

“Ooh~ you’re here to matchmake for us, aren’t you?”

Jiang Shiyuan sat frozen, her hand still cupping his cheek, temples pounding furiously—her brain going into overdrive.

Maybe she’d embarrassed herself so many times lately that her shame tolerance had leveled up. Somehow, this didn’t feel like that big a deal anymore. So she touched his face. Big deal.

They were married anyway—was touching illegal?

And in the 1,000-item Pei family rulebook, there wasn’t a single clause about not touching your husband’s face ahead of schedule. Right?

If the law doesn’t forbid it, then it’s allowed!

See? Being around Grand Tutor Pei really made a person mature fast.

She tried every possible logic to comfort herself, but… who was she kidding?

Waaah—still so embarrassing!

Just as she was floundering in self-loathing, Pei Che’s voice came from above, and a tea bowl was brought to her lips.

“Open up.”

Jiang Shiyuan looked up, bewildered.

“Drink this. It’ll keep your head from hurting,” Pei Che said gently, saying nothing else as he helped her drink the medicine.

Jiang Shiyuan felt a wave of relief. She opened her mouth and drank. The bitter liquid slid down her throat, and she finally felt fully awake.

Only now did she notice she was in Pei Che’s carriage, wrapped in his outer robe.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“In Jishui Alley.”

Jiang Shiyuan blinked. Her family’s house was right here on Jishui Alley.

Which meant she was already home—yet Pei Che hadn’t sent her inside.

As if reading her thoughts, Pei Che said calmly, “I was waiting for you to wake up. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Jiang Shiyuan immediately sat up, hands folded in front of her, expression solemn and respectful. “Please speak, Grand Tutor.”

Pei Che gave a soft laugh, then looked at her with warm eyes and asked, “Have you thought it through?”

Jiang Shiyuan looked puzzled.

He continued, “Our marriage hasn’t been made public yet. If you regret it, there’s still time to change your mind.”