The opulent European-style courtyard was brightly lit. The moment Pei Er stepped through the door, an elegant, aristocratic-looking woman hurried out to greet her.
“Er’er,” Fang Hui said, her face lighting up with joy. “You’re finally back.”
She reached out to take Pei Er’s hand as she spoke.
Pei Er sidestepped slightly, deftly avoiding her touch.
Fang Hui acted as if she hadn’t noticed the distant gesture. Her eyes glistening with tears, she looked Pei Er up and down, her voice full of concern. “Let me see—you’ve lost so much weight! Have you been suffering out there?”
Pei Er replied, “Not as much as I would have at home.”
They say home is a shelter from the wind and rain, but it wasn’t until Pei Er left home that she realized it had never been raining outside.
Pei Er’s beauty was largely inherited from Fang Hui, who had lived a life of comfort and leisure. Her well-maintained face aged gracefully—though she was forty-four, she looked more like a beautiful woman in her early thirties.
Hearing Pei Er’s words, Fang Hui furrowed her brows, wearing an expression of disbelief as her eyes instantly reddened.
“Are you still angry with your father and me?”
Her tone suggested bewilderment—as if wondering why Pei Er would hold a grudge for so many years.
Pei Er’s eyes were devoid of light as she smiled and asked in return, “What exactly did you do that would make me angry?”
The atmosphere of their mother-daughter conversation was strange, and Zhou Yi stood off to the side, unable to interject.
Just then, a middle-aged man walked out from the main hall on the first floor, his face stern and thick brows knitted together.
“What’s with all this crying? We still have a guest here.”
Zhou Yi dropped his casual demeanor and took the initiative to take his leave. “Uncle, Auntie, it’s getting late. Since I’ve delivered Pei Er safely home, I won’t intrude any longer.”
Pei Pingxuan didn’t want outsiders to witness their family’s discord, so he didn’t try to persuade Zhou Yi to stay and personally saw him to the door.
Fang Hui grabbed Pei Er’s hand and patted it, speaking earnestly. “Now that you’re back, stay put this time. Don’t leave again. There’s no such thing as an overnight grudge between family. All these years, your father and I have been waiting for you to come home.”
Pei Er gave a sardonic smile. Waiting for her to come home so she could be married off for a business alliance, more like.
She pulled her hand away. “I’m tired.”
Fang Hui’s hand paused, but she quickly composed herself. “You must be exhausted from the journey. Your room has already been cleaned. Go upstairs and rest for a while—I’ll have Aunt Zhang make you a midnight snack and call you down when it’s ready.”
Pei Er returned to her room on the second floor. Aside from the original furniture, there was almost nothing of hers in the room. A single glance showed it to be empty, clean and tidy—and also cold and desolate.
Three years had passed, and the air was filled with a stale, musty scent.
She pushed open the curtains and looked up, spotting another villa not far away, its lights on.
That was the Shang family—the neighbors of the Pei family and one of the most powerful and prestigious families in all of Jingshi.
Everyone in Zijinyuan came from wealthy, prominent clans.
Back then, Pei Er’s parents had paid three times the market price to buy this villa, hoping to expand their network and connections.
But compared to their unattainable neighbors, the Pei family was nothing more than small fry. They were wealthy, yes, but had no connection to real power.
Unfortunately, the Pei family had never managed to build any rapport with the Shang family.
Pei Er stood by the window, the night making her figure look thin and fragile.
She gazed into the distance at the Shang residence, her expression dimming. Lowering her lashes, she drew the curtains shut again.
After she came out of the shower, her phone on the desk kept lighting up.
She opened her messages and saw a string of texts from her friend Zhou Ran.
【Where are you? Where are you? You’re back, aren’t you? You left the country without a word, and you came back without a word—you heartless, selfish, cold-blooded woman!】
Pei Er raised an eyebrow and replied: 【Then how did you know I was back? Did you plant a tracking device on me?】
Pei Er had returned in such a hurry that she hadn’t yet told her.
The moment the message was sent, Zhou Ran’s call came through.
Zhou Ran got straight to the point: “How did I know you were back? Think about it—what’s my surname, and what’s your fiancé’s surname?”
Pei Er paused, then it clicked. “You know Zhou Yi?”
Zhou Ran sounded exasperated, speaking rapidly: “I told you back in school! He’s that annoying cousin of mine! My parents were just chatting earlier and mentioned that Zhou Yi’s marriage was settled. Good thing I happened to overhear it—otherwise, I’d never have known you were back for an arranged marriage!”
Zhou Ran had been Pei Er’s college roommate and often complained to her about having a bizarre cousin.
Pei Er knew all of that cousin’s stories by heart. She never imagined she’d end up betrothed to the very subject of those gossip sessions.
“Who would’ve thought it’d be such a coincidence,” Pei Er said, rubbing her damp hair as she explained. “There’s been a change with my work, and I’ve been so busy lately that I didn’t have time to tell you. I was planning to find you as soon as I got back, wasn’t I?”
“You’d better be!”
“Of course. I could forget anyone, but never you.”
She had just been chatting with Zhou Ran for a moment when a knock came at the door, followed by Aunt Zhang’s voice: “Er’er, the midnight snack is ready.”
Pei Er said goodnight to Zhou Ran, turned off her phone screen, and gathered her pajamas as she stood up.
The moment she opened the door, she came face to face with a tall, straight-backed young man.
He looked about seventeen or eighteen, with handsome features that bore a faint resemblance to Pei Er’s own. His dark eyes held a lazy, languid air.
Seeing Pei Er, the youth halted mid-step, surprise flickering across his face. He furrowed his brow slightly and looked down at her with an air of superiority.
In three years, Pei Xi had shot up in height—at seventeen, he was already taller than Pei Er.
Fang Hui, downstairs, shot him a meaningful look.
Pei Xi opened his mouth, then averted his gaze, calling out with obvious reluctance: “Sis.”
Pei Er ignored him, brushing past him as she headed downstairs.
Having been cold-shouldered, Pei Xi’s expression instantly turned frosty.
Seeing his displeasure, Fang Hui quickly waved him over and lowered her voice to soothe him: “Your sister just got back—give her some leeway, don’t hold it against her.”
“Got it.” Pei Xi sounded impatient.
She had been drilling him all these days: when Pei Er returned, he absolutely must not clash with her—go along with everything she wanted for now, until her engagement with the Zhou family was secured.
On the dining table sat a clay-pot congee with yam and pork ribs, a few plates of lightly stir-fried vegetables, and a fruit platter.
Pei Pingxuan sat on the sofa with a cold face, radiating authority, the lofty posture of the family patriarch.
Pei Er acted as if she hadn’t seen him, walking straight to the table to sit down. She ladled herself a bowl of congee and lowered her head to sip it in small mouthfuls.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Pei Pingxuan’s face darkened as he barked: “Pei Er!”
Her hand paused. Though she had braced herself, his harsh voice still jolted her.
“I thought three years abroad would finally teach you some remorse, but I see you’re still the same.” Pei Pingxuan’s voice was cold and stern. “From the moment you walked through that door, have you once looked your mother and me in the eye!”
Pei Er stirred the steaming congee, pressed her lips together, and replied in a measured tone: “And you? Have you ever had me in your sights?”
“You’ve gone too far—I’m your father!”
Pei Er curled the corner of her mouth, her tone faintly mocking: “Wasn’t it you who said yourself back then that you’d never had a daughter like me?”
“Enough, Er’er! Don’t talk back to your father.”
Fang Hui hastily cut off their bristling exchange, then turned to Pei Pingxuan, deliberately dropping a hint:
“You should ease up too. Er’er barely made it home—aren’t you the one who’s always wishing she’d come back? What’s the point of saying all this?”
Pei Er listened to the two of them playing good cop, bad cop, and took another spoonful of congee. It tasted like chewing wax.