The next day was Sunday, the day she had agreed to meet with Xie Qingyun.
But she had more important matters to attend to today, so she contacted Xie Qingyun and rescheduled their meeting for the following Wednesday.
Xie Qingyun told her to take care of her own affairs first.
Outside, a light drizzle was falling. She stepped out with an umbrella and went to a flower shop to buy two bouquets.
Then she headed to the Ningzhi Cemetery in the suburbs.
Dressed in a black trench coat and black high heels, she held two bouquets of chrysanthemums and a black umbrella as she slowly made her way up.
Before her were hundreds of steps. With each step, her heart grew heavier.
She stopped in front of a tombstone, crouched down, and placed one of the bouquets before it. Her eyes stung as she looked at the dust-covered photo on the tombstone. Her slender fingers brushed over it, wiping away the dust.
“Grandpa Pei, Grandma Pei, Jinci has come to see you.”
After gazing at the photo on the tombstone for a while, she stood up and bowed deeply before it.
She walked to the adjacent tombstone, crouched down again, and placed the other bouquet of chrysanthemums before it. Looking at the cold, clear eyes of the young man in the photo, she reached out and wiped the dust from the picture.
Then, her hand gently touched the engraved characters “Pei Jing” on the tombstone. Her eyes welled up, and her voice choked with emotion: “Little Uncle…”
“This is the fifteenth year since you left.”
“If you were still here, you would be twenty-eight this year, a mature and steady man, probably already married with children.”
“In these fifteen years, Aci hasn’t made any progress and still hasn’t been able to break free from the Jian family.”
“If it weren’t for Axu, Aci would have already reunited with Mom and Little Uncle.”
“But I still have Axu, I can’t abandon him…”
“Little Uncle, they want to push me to the brink. Can you tell Aci what to do…”
Tears streamed down her cheeks and fell to the ground, blurring her vision.
Not far from her stood a man in a suit holding a black umbrella. He had heard everything she said.
Crouched before the tombstone, her vision blurred by tears, she didn’t notice the man nearby.
The man gave her a deep look before turning and leaving.
She stood before the tombstone for half an hour. The rain grew heavier, and she bowed once more: “Little Uncle, Aci will come to see you another day.”
As she descended the steps, even with the umbrella, the rain soaked the hem of her trench coat, and droplets clung to her hair.
Reaching the bottom, she checked her phone and realized she couldn’t hail a taxi here. With the rain, the suburban roads were nearly empty, and there was no shelter nearby.
Opening the map on her phone, she searched for the nearest bus stop—two kilometers away on foot.
The rain showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. Without hesitation, she put her phone away and followed the route indicated on the map toward the bus stop.
She had only taken a few steps when a Maybach pulled up beside her. Turning her head, she saw the window roll down, revealing a familiar profile. Confusion stirred within her.
Why was he here?
His voice mingled with the sound of the rain: “Get in.”
She hesitated for a moment, but this was no time for pride. She opened the passenger door, folded her umbrella, and got in.
Placing the umbrella at her feet, she turned to him: “Mr. Pei, why are you here?”
What Jian Jinci really wanted to ask was: “Why are you in this desolate place? Could you be following me?”
She knew that for someone like Pei Yanzhou, a powerful figure who could cover the sky with one hand, tracking someone’s whereabouts was not a difficult task.
She didn’t mention it because she knew she was nothing special and didn’t deserve such attention from him.
Pei Yanzhou replied, “To pay respects to my parents.”
He rolled up the car window, glanced at the hem of her trench coat, and turned on the heater.
“Your parents…”
“Passed away.”
Pei Yanzhou’s expression remained as calm as water, but Jian Jinci understood that it wasn’t because he lacked feelings. Rather, he had experienced too much, and his emotions no longer showed on his face.
At just twenty-eight years old, he had become a figure both revered and feared in the business world. Only he knew how much he had endured to get here.
Touching on such a sensitive topic, Jian Jinci felt a pang of guilt and changed the subject. “Pei Yanzhou, we’ve only met a few times, yet you’ve helped me so much.”
“Do you have plans today? Let me treat you to a meal as a thank you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said. “There’s a hotpot place that’s pretty good. My brother and I go there often. Want to give it a try?”
Pei Yanzhou focused on driving. “No.”
Jian Jinci: “…”
Was he looking down on hotpot? But she couldn’t afford the high-end restaurants that suited his status either…
He added, “Qingyun mentioned you’re a great cook?”
“Just average. Qingyun probably just likes my cooking because it suits her taste.”
“A homemade meal shows sincerity in expressing gratitude.”
After Xie Qingyun tasted her cooking, she had bragged about it to him and even teased him for never having tried Jian Jinci’s food.
So he wanted a homemade meal. He should have said so earlier—she had worried for nothing, thinking her wallet was doomed.
But considering she had just moved into the old villa area and didn’t have ingredients at home, she asked, “I’ve just moved, so I need to go to the supermarket. Is that okay?”
“Okay.”
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in the underground parking lot of the supermarket. After getting out, she and Pei Yanzhou entered the supermarket together.
Jian Jinci headed straight to the fresh produce section, with Pei Yanzhou walking beside her. He was too eye-catching, drawing many gazes their way.
She glanced at the person beside her. “Maybe… we should… walk separately?”
Without hesitation, he replied, “No.”
Jian Jinci facepalmed. He really was difficult.
She lowered her head to make herself less noticeable and didn’t speak to him, as if they were strangers.
The more she acted this way, the closer Pei Yanzhou stayed to her—so close that others thought they were a couple. Girls around them cast looks of disappointment, envy, and jealousy.
Jian Jinci muttered under her breath, “A magnet for trouble.”
“Hey, what do you want to eat? Any dietary restrictions?”
“No,” Pei Yanzhou said. “Anything is fine.”
Jian Jinci had thought he’d be a difficult person to please, but he turned out to be quite easygoing. In that case, things would be simpler.
She decided to make her specialty dishes. “They’re just home-style dishes.”
“They’re nothing compared to what you usually eat. Don’t look down on them.”
Pei Yanzhou uttered two words: “I won’t.”
Jian Jinci stared at his face for a few seconds. “Pei Yanzhou.”
“Hmm?” Pei Yanzhou responded. “What is it?”
Jian Jinci studied him. “What would happen if you said one more word? Would a witch curse you and turn you into a frog?”
He really was stingy with words—using one word when two were unnecessary.
“Maybe.”
Maybe?
Jian Jinci was speechless. He finally said three words, but it would have been better if he hadn’t.
A child pushed a shopping cart recklessly through the supermarket. Too short to see ahead, the child crashed straight into her.
Pei Yanzhou reached out, hooking her slender waist with one hand and pulling her into his embrace, narrowly avoiding the shopping cart a child had pushed toward them.
Her hands pressed against his chest, her senses filled with the distinct woody scent that belonged uniquely to him, and her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.