The trending topic had appeared half an hour earlier.
The cause was a travel blogger who had taken a set of photos of Pei Shangyue and Song Fuxue, then posted them onto social media with the caption:
【Came to Beijing for vacation and unexpectedly photographed such an unbelievably attractive couple! They look exactly like a romance novel love story!】
Soon afterward, the post exploded in popularity, and the comments multiplied rapidly.
【I saw them too! Wasn’t it at the royal garden? The two of them matched each other so perfectly in looks! Especially the girlfriend—she was so beautiful I couldn’t look away. Such a delicate and fairy-like beauty!】
【What a coincidence, I saw them too! That god-tier couple stayed in the garden the entire afternoon. I was too embarrassed to take pictures, but Fairy’s appearance definitely looked like a southern girl!】
【I ran into them too. I wonder which big shot from Beijing’s elite circle the man is? The car was a customized luxury vehicle, and even the license plate had repeating numbers!】
【Holy crap! Isn’t that President Pei’s car? Blogger, I advise you to delete this quickly!】
…
Topics like #GodTierCouple #ShippingThem #BeijingEliteBigShotPresidentPei continued climbing the trending charts.
Pei Shangyue glanced at it and sent a message to his subordinates.
Very quickly, the trending topic disappeared.
When Xie Junyan refreshed the page again, even the comments had vanished completely.
“Tsk, your people work pretty efficiently.”
“It’s understandable not wanting your girlfriend exposed online, but why not introduce her to people within the circle?”
Xie Junyan kept feeling that something was off.
“Come on, tell me. Which Hong Kong Island family is this girl from? How old is she? How did you two get together?”
“Are you checking household registration records?” Pei Shangyue looked at him impatiently.
“I’m not even allowed to be curious?”
Xie Junyan selected a bottle of alcohol from the wall, uncorked it, poured two glasses, and handed one over.
Pei Shangyue pushed it away. “Not drinking.”
Xie Junyan was surprised. “What? Got a girlfriend and quit drinking too?”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
Pei Shangyue looked downstairs. Song Fuxue had just finished taking pictures and was hopping twice from the cold, the bunny ears on her hat swaying along with her movements.
“Then what is she?”
Xie Junyan drank a mouthful of wine. “Don’t tell me she’s just the Younger Sister you brought back from Hong Kong Island?”
He laughed lightly. “But President Pei, the way you look at this Younger Sister isn’t innocent at all.”
Pei Shangyue fell silent.
“Fine. If you won’t tell me, I’ll ask Assistant Xu later!”
Xie Junyan set down the glass and turned around just as a sweet and soft female voice sounded.
“Older Brother, Older Brother—”
Xie Junyan froze in shock. “No way… she really is a Younger Sister?”
“What Younger Sister?”
Song Fuxue ran upstairs and suddenly noticed there was another person in the private room.
The two looked at each other.
Song Fuxue exclaimed in delight, “You must be the friend Older Brother mentioned, right?”
Xie Junyan snapped back to his senses and hurriedly replied, “That’s right. So President Pei mentioned me before. My surname is Xie, Xie Junyan. I’m also the owner of this restaurant.”
“So you’re the owner! The dishes your chefs make are so delicious! Except I really can’t get used to douzhi…”
“Actually, many southerners can’t get used to it. But the desserts here are excellent. A lot of the recipes were passed down from the imperial palace…”
“Wow! Then I’ll definitely come here often in the future! Oh right, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My surname is Song, my name is Fuxue, and I came from Hong Kong Island!”
“So it’s Younger Sister Fuxue. Your surname is Song? There are quite a few Song families in Hong Kong Island. I wonder which family Younger Sister belongs to? I go to Hong Kong Island often too. How come I’ve never seen such a beautiful Younger Sister before?”
“Uh…”
Song Fuxue could not answer. Her head started hurting slightly.
“Sorry, I had an accident about a month ago and lost my memory. I don’t remember anything…”
“Amnesia?”
Xie Junyan was somewhat surprised.
Song Fuxue continued explaining, “Yeah. I even forgot my own age. The only thing I remember is that I have an Older Brother…”
“You mean President Pei is your brother?”
“Of course!”
Hearing this, Xie Junyan became even more confused. He had known Pei Shangyue since childhood. Since when did he ever have a Younger Sister in Hong Kong Island?
The beautiful Younger Sister before him looked more like she had been abducted from Hong Kong Island to Beijing by Pei Shangyue.
Xie Junyan was about to say more when Pei Shangyue shot him a warning glance, making him immediately change his words.
“Sorry, Younger Sister. I asked too much.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Brother Junyan, you’re actually the first friend I’ve made since coming to Beijing. Why don’t we exchange contact information? I’ll come eat here often in the future, so can you give me discounts?”
“Why would you need discounts? As long as Younger Sister comes here, everything’s free. I’m the boss, so I make the rules!”
Xie Junyan had already become so delighted from being called “Brother” by Song Fuxue that he practically lost his bearings and immediately made the promise.
Song Fuxue smiled and took out her phone. Just as she scanned his WeChat—
Pei Shangyue finally could not endure it any longer and walked over.
“That’s enough. It’s time to go home.”
“Huh? Older Brother, we’re leaving this early? Brother Junyan just got here. Aren’t you going to chat with him a little longer?”
“He has things to do.”
“I don’t have anything to do. It’s Saturday, I’m free as can be! Why don’t you head back first while Younger Sister and I chat some more?” Xie Junyan deliberately stirred trouble with a grin.
“Do you want me to find something for you to do?” Pei Shangyue glanced at him.
“Hehe…”
Xie Junyan laughed awkwardly and no longer dared to speak.
Pei Shangyue took Song Fuxue’s hand and led her away.
Xie Junyan did not forget to shout after them, “Younger Sister, feel free to come back anytime!”
…
Inside the car.
Pei Shangyue warmed Song Fuxue’s icy hands in his own. “Don’t casually call him brother in the future.”
“You mean Brother Junyan?”
Song Fuxue hugged the penguin plush in her arms. “Why can’t I call him brother?”
Pei Shangyue’s expression darkened. “How many Older Brothers do you want?”
Song Fuxue stared blankly for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.
“So that’s what it was! I was wondering why Older Brother suddenly got angry. Turns out you were jealous!”
She hugged Pei Shangyue and patted him.
“Of course I only have one Older Brother! No matter who appears in the future, you’ll always be the most important person to me!”
Pei Shangyue remained silent for a moment before tightly gripping her slender waist.
“Does that promise count?”
“Of course it counts!”
Song Fuxue smiled and pinched his ear. “A jealous Older Brother is really hard to coax.”
Pei Shangyue restrained himself and released her, then bent over to fasten her seatbelt.
The car steadily drove toward Yunqi Residence.
Today, only the two of them had gone out, so Pei Shangyue was personally driving.
Song Fuxue scrolled through her phone. She had already added Xie Junyan as a friend.
“Brother, bring me here again next time. I still haven’t eaten enough tonight.”
“Brother Junyan…”
Song Fuxue immediately corrected herself. “Xie Junyan just sent me messages recommending lots of delicious food I haven’t tried before…”
“Okay.”
Song Fuxue’s eyes shifted mischievously as she asked again, “Then Older Brother, can I drink alcohol? There was so much wine in that restaurant, and the whole place smelled like alcohol…”
“No.”
Pei Shangyue rejected her immediately. “You only recently woke up after your injury and haven’t fully recovered yet. You can’t touch alcohol.”
“What if I secretly drink it?”
“Try it.”
“Alright, alright… Since Older Brother doesn’t drink either, then I won’t drink too…”
Song Fuxue tilted her head against the seat. “A cold-faced Older Brother is really scary…”
She complained once before sleepily closing her eyes.
While stopped at a traffic light, Pei Shangyue took a blanket and covered her with it.
A message notification sounded. He opened his phone and saw several messages from Xie Junyan.
【I just had a phone call with Assistant Xu and finally found out how this Younger Sister of yours came about…】
【Younger Sister treats you like family, but your thoughts as the Older Brother aren’t exactly pure…】
【President Pei, as your brother for many years, I advise you not to sink deeper and deeper. Younger Sister will recover her memories sooner or later. Once she realizes she mistook the wrong person for her Older Brother, the first thing she’ll do is disappear from your side and run away…】
…
Xie Junyan’s messages kept pouring in.
Pei Shangyue replied with only one sentence:
【Mind your own business.】
Then he tossed the phone aside.
The traffic light turned green. Expressionless, Pei Shangyue turned the steering wheel and made the turn.
His tense, pale fingertips revealed his emotions.
Saturday night traffic was congested. What normally was not a long drive had still not reached home after an hour.
Song Fuxue opened her eyes and murmured sleepily, “Older Brother, are we home yet?”
“Soon.”
“Okay.”
Song Fuxue played a gentle song and looked out the car window.
They had already passed the traffic jam, and the scenery outside the window became clear again.
“Beijing and Hong Kong Island really are very different. In winter, Beijing’s trees are all bare.”
“But Beijing has snow in winter, and you can even eat ice cream inside heated rooms…”
Song Fuxue could not help becoming talkative again. The moment she mentioned ice cream, she suddenly started craving it.
Just then, she spotted a convenience store selling ice cream.
“Wait, Brother. Find somewhere to park. Let’s buy some ice cream to bring home!”
Pei Shangyue indulged her and turned the steering wheel again to look for a parking space.
“I’ll go buy it. Don’t come down. It’s cold outside. Wait for me in the car.”
Song Fuxue withdrew the leg she had just stretched out. “Alright then.”
Pei Shangyue rubbed her hair, closed the car door, and headed into the convenience store.
Twenty minutes later.
When he returned from shopping, Song Fuxue was nowhere to be seen inside the car.
He looked around in every direction, but there was still no trace of Song Fuxue.
Several bursts of cold wind swept past. Snow swirled through the air, blurring Pei Shangyue’s vision.
His fingertips trembled, and cold sweat continuously broke out across his body.
Xie Junyan’s words uncontrollably echoed in his mind.
【…Younger Sister will recover her memories sooner or later. Once she realizes she mistook the wrong person for her Older Brother, the first thing she’ll do is disappear from your side and run away…】
Pei Shangyue stood motionless outside the car.
His body gradually stiffened, his eyes lost focus, and his mind went completely blank…