I was startled. “What’s wrong? Don’t panic.”
“Deng Jing’er and Pei Heng are about to come to blows! Hurry over—I’ve sent you the address. Quick, quick!” Li You hung up in a rush after speaking.
My mind filled with exclamation marks. How could Deng Jing’er possibly clash with Pei Heng? Besides, no matter how bad Pei Heng’s temper was, he wouldn’t hit a woman, would he?
Without time to ponder further, I randomly changed clothes and hurried out.
When I arrived at the bar, Pei Heng and Deng Jing’er had already been persuaded to move to a private room. Given their status, this would have definitely trended online otherwise.
Seeing me arrive, Li You quickly pulled me to sit beside Deng Jing’er, who was still fuming. Her large eyes glared sideways at Pei Heng as if he were her mortal enemy.
Pei Heng was naturally even angrier. Sitting on the other side, his aura was icy. Beside him, Lu Xicheng resembled a terrified little eunuch, glancing nervously between Pei Heng and me.
“Sis… I mean, sorry about this. Your friend must have misunderstood something today. Actually, those girls were invited by me—it has nothing to do with Brother Heng…” Lu Xicheng, four years younger than Pei Heng, was calling me “sister-in-law” for the first time.
“Bullshit! That woman’s chest was practically shoved in your ‘Brother Heng’s’ face, ready to breastfeed him! You call that nothing!?” Deng Jing’er pointed at Lu Xicheng and roared.
Lu Xicheng looked ready to cry. It was his first time confronting a tigress head-on—absolutely terrifying!
Pei Heng’s sharp dark eyes swept over Deng Jing’er before settling on me, as if waiting for my reaction.
I pretended not to notice his gaze and simply comforted Deng Jing’er. “Jing’er, it’s fine. You must have overthought it. Those women were definitely invited by Lu Xicheng. Pei Heng’s standards aren’t that low—he doesn’t like busty women.”
Anyone unaware might have thought Deng Jing’er was the one suffering from a husband’s betrayal.
The private room fell into complete silence.
“Yi Yi, are you serious?” Deng Jing’er and Li You exchanged glances before staring at me in astonishment.
They obviously knew about Pei Heng and me preparing for divorce, but they never imagined I could remain calmer than anyone else.
Deng Jing’er hadn’t been able to restrain herself from confronting Pei Heng tonight, yet I—who had loved him for so many years—felt completely unruffled.
“Of course I’m serious. Alright, get up. Let’s go. We’ll have some drinks before heading back—my treat.” I pulled Deng Jing’er up with one hand and Li You with the other, not sparing Pei Heng another glance.
“Brother Heng, Brother Heng—they’re leaving! Sis—” Lu Xicheng was clearly bewildered, stammering as he alerted Pei Heng.
“What sister-in-law? Is she worthy?” Pei Heng’s icy voice, filled with rage, pierced my ears clearly just as the private room door closed.
My heart felt pricked by a needle—a bit painful, yet bearable.
I wasn’t worthy. That title of “sister-in-law” should be reserved for Wei Lan.
After finding some empty seats, Deng Jing’er, Li You, and I started drinking. Li You had just returned to City A after a commercial performance today, and Deng Jing’er had invited her for drinks. Unexpectedly, they ran into Pei Heng drinking with several women. Fueled by alcohol, Deng Jing’er charged over to defend my honor. If not for her being a woman, she might have gotten beaten up today.
Deng Jing’er kept asking me, “Yi Yi, have you really let go of Pei Heng completely?”
I nodded; this much I could confirm.
“Alright, I admire your courage, sister! Letting go of a ten-year relationship just like that!” Deng Jing’er raised her glass and downed it in one go.
“You’re a real tough one!” Li You also toasted me.
Just as the three of us were drinking happily, Li You received a check-in call from her boyfriend. Among the four of us, her love life was the smoothest. Her boyfriend was around the same age, and they had already met each other’s parents, reaching the stage of discussing marriage.
Li You, being the obedient type, immediately stood up to bid us farewell. “Girls, my puppy is waiting for me at home to be fed, so I’m heading out first!”
“Damn, are you going back to breastfeed too?” Deng Jing’er deliberately teased Li You.
“You shameless woman!” Li You laughed and cursed before quickly disappearing.
After Li You left, I settled the bill, and Deng Jing’er and I also went our separate ways.
When I returned to Feng Zhou Yuan, I caught a whiff of the alcohol on myself and decided to take another shower. As soon as I entered the bathroom, a wave of warm, steamy air mixed with the scent of shower gel enveloped me. Through the mist emerged a figure—shirtless, with a black towel wrapped around his waist, revealing a tall, well-proportioned, and muscular physique that was undeniably perfect.
I stared at Pei Heng as if I’d seen a ghost, my gaze involuntarily sweeping over his entire body.
It was pitiful to admit, but in five years of marriage, this was the first time I had seen him so exposed.
“This is my bathroom,” I reminded Pei Heng after a few seconds of silence.
After marriage, I occupied the master bedroom, while he would sleep in the guest room or study whenever he came home. This bathroom was the private ensuite of the master bedroom.
“Got a problem with that?” Pei Heng asked calmly as he dried his hair.
“I don’t mind at all. With a body like yours, I’m not losing out.” I meant every word. Even if Pei Heng were penniless, his good looks alone would make him a lady-killer.
Pei Heng gave me a deep, lingering look and suddenly took two steps forward, forcing me to retreat two steps in response.
By now, the steam in the bathroom had mostly dissipated, and I could even see the fine texture of Pei Heng’s chest muscles—firm and perfectly defined, paired with sharply outlined collarbones that made one instinctively wonder how they would feel to touch.
But I had to restrain myself.
“Alright, I need to take a shower too. You can leave now,” I said, turning sideways to make way for him.
In the next moment, a hand cupped the back of my head, and my entire body was lifted onto my tiptoes by a forceful pull. Without even blinking, Pei Heng lowered his head and kissed me, the faint taste of mint transferring from his lips to mine.
Stunned by the shock, I froze for a moment, unable to react.
Seeing my lack of response, Pei Heng deepened the kiss. His skill was unquestionable, while I was a complete novice, almost entirely at his mercy.
A man’s body temperature always runs hotter, and combined with my breathlessness, I soon broke into a sweat. The ambiguous atmosphere in the bathroom grew increasingly intense. I thought about pushing Pei Heng away, but he seized my wrists and raised them above my head, pulling our bodies even closer together.
Maybe I should just go with it? Fulfilling a lifelong wish from my past life in this one wouldn’t be a loss. After all, before Pei Heng met Wei Lan, he was never idle. Sleeping with his lawful wife was both reasonable and justified.
With a sudden impulse, I closed my eyes and tried to cooperate, while an inappropriate sensation began to stir within me.
Just as everything was about to spiral out of control, Pei Heng suddenly stopped. He released me, the desire in his eyes receding like the ebbing tide.