Today was a very important day.
Her boyfriend was taking her to meet his parents.
Jiang Mian was ready to settle down too.
The morning sun slanted into the room, and Jiang Mian saw her mist-blue nightgown tossed beside the sofa in the corner of the bedroom. The creases on it reminded her of how happy she’d been last night.
Jiang Mian turned over and looked at her boyfriend, who was still lost in sweet dreams beside her.
His sleeping face was serene. His deeply sculpted features didn’t need any expression or animation to look devastatingly handsome.
Just plain handsome.
What Jiang Mian loved most was Pei Lie’s face, then his personality, and only lastly the mornings she spent with him.
……
Pei Lie stroked Jiang Mian’s shoulder.
No matter how many times, he could never get enough of her.
He wanted to continue, but today wasn’t the day.
There was something more important today.
Still reluctant to stop, Pei Lie picked up the wine-red silk hair tie from the nightstand and, with practiced ease, tied Jiang Mian’s hair up in a bun.
Then he cupped her little face, kissed her pretty almond eyes, kissed her slender, delicate neck, and finally gave her adorable little chin a gentle nibble before carrying her off to the bathroom.
After her shower, Jiang Mian went to the walk-in closet and picked a pale-yellow French vintage-style long dress with thin straps.
She wore a pair of cream-colored round-toe leather shoes and carried a light-pink messenger bag.
She looked absolutely adorable.
Pei Lie swept her up in his arms and asked, “Can I kiss you?”
Jiang Mian shook her head. “No.”
She had makeup on and was afraid Pei Lie would mess it up with his kisses.
Sometimes when Pei Lie kissed her, he went completely overboard.
After planting a whole flurry of smooches on her left cheek, he’d keep smooching away nonstop on her right cheek too.
Jiang Mian flatly refused.
She was afraid he’d eat all her makeup off.
Although Pei Lie had been firmly rejected, he wasn’t upset about it.
He kissed Jiang Mian twice on the side of her neck, set her down, laced his fingers through hers, and said with a smile, “Let’s go.”
This was Jiang Mian’s first time meeting the parents, and she was just a tiny bit nervous.
The last time she’d been nervous was during the college entrance exams.
But she quickly found a way to reassure herself.
She figured that if Pei Lie’s mother was easy to get along with, she’d get along with her; and if Pei Lie’s mother was difficult and Pei Lie couldn’t handle it himself, then she’d just deal with Pei Lie instead.
With that thought, Jiang Mian wasn’t so nervous anymore.
Pei Lie’s car stopped in front of a flower shop.
Pei Lie told Jiang Mian to stay in the car and play on her phone for a bit while he went in to pick up the flowers.
The flowers had been ordered in advance. He gave the order number, and soon the shop assistant handed him the bouquet.
He thanked her politely, keeping a smile, looking warm and approachable.
But just then, his phone rang.
The caller was his younger uncle, Pei Jing.
Only three years older than him, yet already the head of the Pei family.
Pei Lie looked through the shop’s European-style flower window at the girl in the car by the street, head lowered, scrolling through her phone.
The bright sunlight lit up the entire world she was in.
Pei Lie didn’t dare step outside. He asked the shop assistant where the restroom was, then headed there instead.
Only after closing the restroom door tightly did Pei Lie answer the call.
On the other end, a deep voice asked, “Where are you?”
He was looking for him.
Pei Lie didn’t answer where he was. He only said, “I have something going on today.”
Pei Jing’s voice came through the phone. “There’s a problem with the merger project you were in charge of. It’s related to how you’ve been constantly taking leave and slacking off lately.”
Pei Jing accused him: “The issue of unclear ownership of core assets—you need to come before me right now and explain it all, one by one.”
His tone carried neither anger nor pleasure, all business and utterly merciless.
Pei Lie clicked his tongue.
He was wearing a cream short-sleeved suit jacket over a black T-shirt today, cream shorts, and a pair of mid-calf black boots.
At this moment, out of impatience and simmering resentment, those mid-calf black boots stamped heavily against the floor several times.
Pei Lie dropped the gentle tone he used in front of Jiang Mian, his voice taking on a reckless, thuggish edge: “I don’t have time today. Can I come find you tomorrow?”
“No,” Pei Jing said.
Pei Lie pushed his tongue against his cheek, the irritation in his voice impossible to hide: “I’m about to take my girlfriend to meet my family.
Meet the family—you know what that means?
I might be getting married soon. This is a major life event, Uncle!
Can’t you let me off just for today?”
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line. “No. But I can come to you instead. Once you’ve finished explaining, I’ll leave.”
As if that were some enormous favor he was doing him.
Pei Lie cursed: “Are you doing this on purpose?
You’re a jinx who drove the person you loved insane and into a psychiatric hospital, so now you can’t stand seeing anyone else happy?
Does it have to be today of all days?!”
The line went silent.
Pei Jing had always been calm, composed, and powerfully self-controlled.
That was why, despite taking over the Pei family at such a young age, he could firmly keep the old guard in check and run the family business ever upward.
He rarely showed any strong emotion—unless someone mentioned his ex-girlfriend.
Pei Jing gripped the pen in his hand tightly; even his wrist was trembling.
After a long while, he finally calmed down and spoke: “I’ll leave once I’ve heard your explanation. I won’t hold you up.”
With that said in a flat tone, he hung up directly.
The flat his mother lived in wasn’t far from Pei Corporation—about a fifteen-minute drive.
After hanging up, he didn’t rush to leave. Instead, he opened his contacts, skillfully found a number, and dialed it.
Ten minutes later, Jiang Mian received a text message.
It was from her close friend in Australia: [Your ex-boyfriend called again—again!—asking about you. I told him your condition is still really bad, but he said he still really wants to see you.]
Jiang Mian glanced at Pei Lie, who was driving: [Did you fob him off?]
[Yep!] Guan Qian replied. [I told him, what if seeing him sets you off again and you can’t help stabbing him?
He said he’d just look at you from far away.
I told him the psychiatric hospital only has rooms, corridors, and a cafeteria—there’s no “far away.” If he showed up, there’d be a risk of triggering you.]
Guan Qian: [After I’d said all that, he finally said fine.
God, girl, it’s been a year or two now—your ex is persistent as hell. Even after you were committed to a psychiatric hospital against your will, he still won’t let you go.]
Jiang Mian smoothed her chestnut-length hair: [Honestly, he’s the one who should be committed. Ugh! I really am out of ideas.]
After chatting a while longer, Jiang Mian received a message from her older cousin: [Sis—ugh! Your ex-boyfriend just called me, asking how you’re doing in Australia.
Most importantly, he wants me to pass along a message: he wants to see you. Really, really wants to see you.]
Jiang Mian: …
What kind of day was today?
Why were all her insane ex-boyfriends suddenly asking about her?