Pei Huaiye shot a cold glare her way, and Han Chao wisely shut the door and slipped away. News this explosive had to be shared with the brothers right away.
Wrapped tightly in the quilt, Ning Ran stirred restlessly, trying to push the blanket off, but Pei Huaiye pinned her down with a single hand: “Don’t move!”
His voice carried a hint of hoarseness.
“Brother Huaiye, I brought the clothes…!” Xu Wei opened the door and walked in. Seeing this scene, her gaze darkened, but she managed a strained smile. “Should I help her put them on?”
“Okay!” Pei Huaiye released his grip on Ning Ran’s waist and took a few steps back, preparing to leave. But to his surprise, the hem of his shirt was tightly grasped by a small hand that refused to let go: “Brother, don’t go!”
Seeing this, Xu Wei forced a smile back onto her face and gently coaxed, “Be a good girl, little sister, let big sister help you get dressed, alright?”
Ning Ran wriggled her way out through a gap in the quilt and abruptly hid behind Pei Huaiye: “No! She pinches me!”
Xu Wei’s face drained of color: “What are you talking about?”
“It was you who pinched me, it hurt so much!” Ning Ran stretched out her fair, tender arm and held it out right in front of Pei Huaiye: “She pinches people, it hurts really bad!”
Pei Huaiye looked at the faint red marks on Ning Ran’s arm, narrowed his eyes, and gazed at Xu Wei with a renewed sense of scrutiny.
“Just now inside, she even pinched my thighs, and my waist…” Ning Ran started to pull back the blanket so Pei Huaiye could check.
He quickly covered her up: “Stop messing around!”
“Brother Huaiye, that was just when she was struggling, I didn’t mean to…” Xu Wei hurriedly tried to explain.
“Get out!” Pei Huaiye coldly interrupted her.
“But—”
“I said, get out!”
Xu Wei bit her lower lip, glared fiercely at Ning Ran, and slammed the door as she left. She never expected this little dummy to actually tell on her and get her scolded by Pei Huaiye.
Pei Huaiye turned around to look at Ning Ran, who wore an expression of complete innocence, wondering whether she was truly foolish or just putting on an act.
If she were acting, how could she possibly have stripped completely naked to seduce him? But if she were truly foolish, how could she know how to snitch?
Pei Huaiye rubbed his temples, a massive headache coming on.
“Brother, hug!” Ning Ran wanted to embrace him again.
“Put your clothes on!”
Pei Huaiye glanced at the foolish creature and resigned himself to his fate, picking up the clothes to dress her.
Forget it, why bother arguing with an idiot?
By the time he finally managed to get her dressed, Pei Huaiye was drenched in sweat. The little dummy was far too high-maintenance; she had to hug him after every single piece of clothing. By the time she was fully dressed, Pei Huaiye was nearly losing his control.
Fortunately, Cheng Lichuan’s shout from downstairs announcing that dinner was ready saved him.
In the dining room, everyone looked at Ning Ran, who was trailing closely behind Pei Huaiye like a shadow, with varying expressions.
Han Chao waggled his eyebrows and said with a grin, “Brother Ye, this little dummy actually looks pretty good-looking—way prettier than Xu Wei.”
Beside him, Xu Wei gripped her chopsticks tightly, a storm of thoughts churning in her heart.
“Brother Chao, if you want to talk about the little dummy, talk about the little dummy. Why drag Xu Wei into it?” Xu Wei was a distant cousin of Xu Sui, and because she had some medical skills, she had managed to stay with them in the villa during the apocalypse.
“Eat your food, stop talking nonsense,” Pei Huaiye pressed Ning Ran down into a chair and scooped a bowl of rice for her.
Ning Ran immediately buried her head and dug in, her cheeks bulging like a little hamster’s.
“Eat slower, no one’s going to steal it from you,” Pei Huaiye muttered under his breath, noticing that she was only eating rice and none of the side dishes.
At the dining table, the three brothers exchanged a meaningful look—the boss was definitely acting abnormal.
After dinner, Pei Huaiye stood in the courtyard smoking a cigarette, pondering where to house Ning Ran.
Sharing a room with Xu Wei was out of the question; he had noticed earlier that Xu Wei’s eyes showed clear rejection toward the little dummy.
As for the remaining rooms, they were all occupied by the guys, one per room. It wasn’t very realistic to expect anyone to sleep outside.
“Brother Ye, why don’t you just let her stay with you? It’s not like you haven’t seen everything…” Han Chao could never resist running his mouth.
“If you don’t want that mouth of yours anymore, keep talking…” Pei Huaiye threatened chillingly.
“Hehe, I was just making a casual remark.” Han Chao backed down instantly, his self-preservation instincts maxed out.
He had witnessed Pei Huaiye’s combat skills firsthand—you couldn’t beat him, absolutely couldn’t beat him.
“Brother, hug!” A soft, sweet voice drifted from behind him. When Pei Huaiye turned his head, he saw Ning Ran had already sprinted toward him barefoot, latching onto him like an octopus.
“Brother Ye, I didn’t see a thing!” Han Chao widened one eye as big as a copper bell while claiming he hadn’t seen anything at all—truly trying to fool a ghost.
“Get lost!” Pei Huaiye didn’t let holding someone stop him from kicking Han Chao away.
“This little one rolls away right now, wouldn’t dare ruin Brother Ye’s good time.” Han Chao scurried out of sight in a flash, making Pei Huaiye laugh in sheer exasperation.
“Brother, smile! Pretty!” Ning Ran grabbed his face, studying it intently.
“What a total idiot!” he scoffed, carrying her into the house.
The little dummy smelled soft and sweet, carrying a pleasant fragrance that wasn’t just the body wash from the bathroom, but something else mixed in as well.
It sent ripples through his heart. For twenty-seven years of his life, this was the first time he had been driven completely out of control by a woman—and a foolish one at that.
“Brother Huaiye, are you really going to live with this idiot?” Xu Wei stood in the living room, looking with complex emotions at Ning Ran hanging onto Pei Huaiye, a trace of jealousy tinging her voice.
“Something the matter?” Pei Huaiye asked in an indifferent tone.
“She’s an idiot, but she’s still a woman…” Xu Wei was on the verge of breaking down. She had hinted to Pei Huaiye countless times, both overtly and covertly, without ever getting a response.
She had assumed Pei Huaiye was just like that with everyone, but she never expected him to show such extraordinary indulgence toward a fool he had picked up.
He let her use the master bedroom’s bathroom, let her use his blanket, and now… were they going to live together too?
They were both adults. What if Pei Huaiye couldn’t hold back? Would she ever have a chance again?
Xu Wei looked at Pei Huaiye with a wronged expression, attempting to squeeze out a shred of pity from him.
Unfortunately, there was none.
“If nothing’s the matter, I’m heading up to rest. Miss Xu should get some rest early too!” With that, Pei Huaiye carried Ning Ran upstairs.
As soon as they entered the room, he tossed her right onto the big bed.
“You sleep by yourself, I’m going to squeeze in with Han Chao!” He declared, turning to leave.
“Scared of the dark,” Ning Ran got up and grabbed the hem of his shirt: “I want to sleep with Big Brother!”
Pei Huaiye almost tripped over his own foot. Did this little dummy even know what sleeping with a man meant?
He resolutely refused: “No, you sleep by yourself!”
Letting her hug him was already stretching his limits; wanting to sleep with him as well? She must be dreaming.
Ning Ran’s lips immediately drooped, moisture welled up in her eyes, and tears threatened to spill at any second.
“Hold them back!” Pei Huaiye threatened with a headache.
Sniffling, Ning Ran forced her tears back, looking both pitiful and comical.
“From now on, you are not allowed to casually say you want to sleep with a man, you hear me?” Pei Huaiye pressed her down under the covers on the big bed: “Go to sleep obediently, or I won’t let you hug me tomorrow.”
Upon hearing that she wouldn’t have a handsome big brother to hug, Ning Ran instantly behaved, blinking her large eyes as she asked, “If I sleep by myself like a good girl, can I hug Big Brother tomorrow?”