In the rental apartment, Wen Huan hadn’t been exhausted the previous night, so she woke up refreshed long before noon the next day.
But as soon as she opened her eyes, she found Pei Jingyi’s pajamas in her arms.
Wen Huan shook her head and sighed, “This guy, he doesn’t even bother putting his clothes away properly after taking them off. It seems that when men become poor, even their good qualities gradually disappear.”
Having decided to scold Pei Jingyi when he returned home in the afternoon, Wen Huan finally sat up and neatly folded his pajamas, placing them on the bed.
After washing her face and brushing her teeth, Wen Huan comfortably finished her breakfast.
But just as she was relaxing, Wang Ma upstairs started wailing and howling. From the commotion, it sounded like this time, not only was her daughter-in-law refusing to let her see her grandson, but her son was also keeping her away.
Although Wen Huan didn’t know what kind of miraculous medicine Wang Ma’s cowardly son had taken to suddenly change his ways, it was indeed a good thing for the child to have less contact with the nasty old woman.
So Wen Huan chuckled gleefully, picked up her phone, and even thought about recording a clip.
Unexpectedly, while trying to press the recording button, she accidentally tapped on Little Pink Book. Without meaning to, Wen Huan saw her dismal data.
Her makeup tutorial had been posted for a full night, but both videos had only garnered two to three thousand views, with a total of fifteen new followers.
And most of those fifteen were haters, a few were creepy men, and the remaining handful were just asking for “mutual follows.”
Wen Huan had thought her beauty would be her greatest weapon. Even though she had never done social media before, with her journalism major and her face, she assumed she’d easily gain hundreds of thousands of followers who would adore and praise her every day.
But now, Wen Huan felt her face had been metaphorically slapped!
Forget it, she wasn’t going to put in all that effort anymore.
Wen Huan completely abandoned the meticulously crafted professional script and stopped spending fifty-eight yuan to film in the elegant ambiance of a café.
High-end cosmetics, dreamy beauty filters… Wen Huan gave up on all of it.
She simply sat in the ordinary, simple rental apartment with its yellowish walls, propped up her phone facing the natural light from the window, and used her cheapest makeup products. As if chatting casually, she applied her makeup while rambling on, finishing an everyday commuter look before sunset.
After editing the video, she even gave it a perfectly fitting title:
“Budget-Friendly Makeup Haul for Under 4 Yuan!”
Wen Huan let go of all inhibitions and posted it online without caring what anyone thought.
But just as she instinctively wanted to check the data, footsteps approached from outside, and the door opened. It was Pei Jingyi returning from work, bringing Pei Chen with him.
Pei Chen immediately ran over to Wen Huan, holding a string of milk-skin strawberry tanghulu. “Mom, this is for you.”
“Wow, thank you! This looks so delicious!” Wen Huan immediately praised him with overflowing enthusiasm, casually setting her phone aside as she took the tanghulu.
It had to be said, with the times progressing, people’s taste in food was getting more sophisticated.
Milk-skin tanghulu was this year’s wildly popular innovative combination, but Wen Huan seemed to recall seeing online that it was quite expensive. “Chenchen, is this twenty-five yuan per stick?”
Pei Chen looked at her. “Mom, we only bought this one, for you to eat.”
Wen Huan was touched and felt less heartbroken about the price. She leaned down and kissed her son. “Chenchen didn’t want to eat it himself and saved it for Mom, but Mom wants to share it with Chenchen.”
After speaking, Wen Huan took a bite of the milk-skin strawberry and also offered Pei Chen a bite of the milk-skin strawberry.
Pei Chen’s ears flushed red, feeling it was a little sweet.
But it wasn’t the sweetness of the candied hawthorn—it was because his mother had kissed him for the first time.
Indeed, he was in his mother’s heart.
Standing behind them, Pei Jingyi narrowed his eyes at the sight and walked over the next moment. “I bought this candied hawthorn.”
“Then do you want a bite too?” Wen Huan, looked up at Pei Jingyi towering over her, tentatively offering the candied hawthorn in his direction.
But Pei Jingyi didn’t take it. Instead, his dark gaze remained fixed on Wen Huan’s lips, which were redder than the strawberries.
Wen Huan seemed to sense something and couldn’t help but lick the fragrant sugar residue from her lips. Just then, a soft cough was heard.
“Sister-in-law, long time no see.” Standing at the very back, Duan Yuanzhou, noticing the atmosphere turning awkward, quickly spoke up and entered the room.
Wen Huan was slightly taken aback. Then, looking at Duan Yuanzhou’s seemingly amused expression, her eyes widened in surprise.
Duan Yuanzhou was a typical scheming, smiling tiger.
Although he had always been Pei Jingyi’s friend, Wen Huan had never gotten along well with him. On the contrary, in the book, Duan Yuanzhou and the female lead, Zuo Rouya, had a very good relationship later on. It was described more than once: Duan Yuanzhou believed that the kind, virtuous, and beautiful Zuo Rouya was the only one worthy of Brother Pei.
Thus, when Zuo Rouya and Pei Jingyi met and grew close, Duan Yuanzhou often played the role of a matchmaker.
Later, when the two had triplets, Duan Yuanzhou even helped take care of the children several times, becoming their godfather who showered them with money and resources.
Regarding this, Wen Huan suspected that Duan Yuanzhou probably had feelings for Zuo Rouya. After all, what normal man would have nothing better to do than take care of someone else’s children?
But for now, none of that was the most important. What mattered was why Duan Yuanzhou had come to her home in the evening.
Wen Huan blinked and asked, “Don’t you have your own home?”
“Of course I do, Sister-in-law! I came over tonight because there were some work matters I hadn’t finished discussing with Brother Pei. Actually, if Brother Pei hadn’t come home early yesterday afternoon and found someone missing, then spent time searching for them and delaying work, I wouldn’t have had to trouble myself like this today!”
Duan Yuanzhou said sarcastically.
But in truth, Duan Yuanzhou had come to the rented apartment intentionally in the evening to see Wen Huan.
After all, both Pei Jingyi and Pei Chen, father and son, seemed bewitched. He felt he had to come over and help keep an eye on things.
Thinking this, Duan Yuanzhou also secretly observed Wen Huan with the most critical eye. But after a while, he realized this woman was truly beautiful.
Even in the simple rented apartment, Wen Huan’s beauty still shone like a radiant pearl. And whether it was intentional or a calculated move, she was wearing delicate makeup at home—her face as fair as jade, her eyes tender as water, and her cherry lips seemingly glossed with a shiny lip tint. Paired with her creamy yellow pajamas, she looked just like a doll.
But the next moment, Pei Jingyi stepped in front of Wen Huan, looking calmly at Duan Yuanzhou. “My work has nothing to do with Wen Huan.”
Duan Yuanzhou was slightly displeased. “Brother Pei, she clearly affected you.”
Wen Huan felt no guilt.
After all, who said women shouldn’t affect men’s work?
She looked at Duan Yuanzhou with an expression that could infuriate without consequence, spreading her hands. “Brother Pei wanted to look for me himself. What could I do?” Then she turned to Pei Jingyi, leaning close. “Husband, maybe next time you should focus on your work and not come looking for me.”
Pei Jingyi grasped Wen Huan’s slender waist. Though he gave no verbal reply, his sharp, cold gaze had already turned toward Duan Yuanzhou, silencing him.
Wen Huan truly did not need Pei Jingyi to come looking for her.
It was he himself who insisted on finding her.