Their gazes collided, and Jian Jinci’s mind went completely blank.
She could clearly feel her frantic heartbeat. At that moment, the little boy’s mother rushed over, apologizing repeatedly.
Only then did Jian Jinci regain her senses. Flustered, she pushed Pei Yanzhou away and thanked him, “Thank you.”
She glanced at the little boy’s mother, then at the boy beside her, who was hanging his head, knowing he had caused trouble.
“I’m sorry, big brother and big sister.”
Boys at this age are at their most mischievous.
Jian Jinci bent down and gently patted his head. “It’s okay, but be more careful next time. You shouldn’t play inside the mall.”
The little boy nodded obediently. “I understand, big sister.”
“In the mall, please keep a closer eye on your child,” Pei Yanzhou said with a dark expression, his tone icy.
“Yes, yes, of course,” the boy’s mother apologized repeatedly. “I’m so sorry for causing you trouble.”
The little boy seemed a bit afraid of Pei Yanzhou, but he still mustered the courage to apologize under his cold gaze. “I’m sorry, big brother…”
Pei Yanzhou remained expressionless and didn’t respond to the boy, who looked somewhat dejected.
Feeling a pang of sympathy for the little boy, Jian Jinci couldn’t bear it any longer. She lightly poked Pei Yanzhou’s arm and whispered, “Say something.”
Why was he being so hard on a child?
He met her gaze and, after a long pause, reluctantly said, “It’s fine.”
The little boy, who had been on the verge of tears, smiled. Looking at Jian Jinci and Pei Yanzhou, he said in a childish voice, “Thank you, big sister. Thank you, big brother. I’ll listen to my mom from now on and won’t run around.”
Jian Jinci smiled and patted his head again.
The little boy took her hand, his eyes sparkling with joy. “Big sister, I want to tell you a secret.”
“Oh? What is it?” Jian Jinci asked with a smile as she crouched down.
The boy leaned close to her ear, covering his mouth with his small hand, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Big sister, that big brother likes you. Kids never lie.”
Jian Jinci was momentarily stunned, then a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She gently pinched his chubby cheek. “Alright, big sister understands.”
She didn’t really believe Pei Yanzhou liked her, but she didn’t deny it, not wanting to disappoint the little boy.
Soon after, the boy smiled and said goodbye, then took his mother’s hand and left.
After they were gone, Jian Jinci stared at Pei Yanzhou’s gloomy expression for a few seconds and shook her head.
Even with a child, he kept a cold, stern face. She wondered if he would still be like this if he ever had children of his own.
Noticing her shake her head, Pei Yanzhou’s expression darkened further. “What do you mean?”
Jian Jinci smiled lightly. “Nothing.”
After buying groceries, the two left the mall.
Once seated in the passenger seat, Pei Yanzhou started the car. She said, “I live in the old villa area in the suburbs.”
Pei Yanzhou responded with a faint “Mm.”
The rest of the journey passed in silence. As the car entered the villa area, Jian Jinci noticed something: Pei Yanzhou hadn’t used the navigation, and she hadn’t given him directions. It was clear he was very familiar with the area.
“Which house?” Pei Yanzhou asked.
“Turn right at the intersection ahead,” Jian Jinci directed him. She then asked, “Are you very familiar with this area?”
“Yes,” Pei Yanzhou replied. “A relative used to live here a long time ago.”
So that explained it. No wonder he didn’t need navigation.
Though now, there were hardly any residents left in this villa area.
“Pei Yanzhou, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for your career to stay abroad? Why did you choose to return to China?”
After asking, Jian Jinci felt it was inappropriate, as it might involve his privacy: “You don’t have to answer.”
The car stopped in front of the villa, and the engine turned off. Pei Yanzhou turned his head to look at her: “Looking for someone, helping her, making her happy.”
“She must be very important to you.” He had such an important person hidden in his heart, and she couldn’t help feeling a faint pang of jealousy.
“Yeah.” Pei Yanzhou said, “Very important.”
Jian Jinci got out of the car and was about to carry the groceries inside when Pei Yanzhou stepped in first: “I’ll carry them.”
“Okay.” Quite the gentleman.
Jian Jinci poured a glass of water for Pei Yanzhou: “Have a seat first, drink some water. I’ll go cook.”
“Mm.”
Jian Jinci started washing the vegetables. Pei Yanzhou looked at the photo on the coffee table, reached out, and gently brushed his fingertips over the person in the photo, his eyes filled with complexity.
The kitchen was open-plan. Jian Jinci glanced over at him and noticed he was staring at the photo on the coffee table. At that moment, he seemed lonely.
Jian Jinci didn’t think too much about it, assuming he was just missing his parents after seeing the family photo on the coffee table. She said, “Why don’t you ask me why I’m not in this photo?”
Pei Yanzhou lifted his thumb from the photo: “This isn’t your home.”
“When this villa area was most sought after, the Jian family didn’t have the means to afford a house here.”
She chopped the vegetables, a faint smile on her lips: “They could have waited until they had the means to buy one.”
“By then, there would have been houses in better locations than this.” Pei Yanzhou said.
Jian Jinci gave him a thumbs-up: “Smart, truly worthy of being the business tycoon, President Pei.”
“That’s because you’re foolish.”
Jian Jinci: “…”
She had praised him, only to be slapped in the face in return…
“Yes, I’m foolish.” She rolled her eyes. “Not as smart as President Pei, can’t afford to live in your mansion villa.”
The mansion villa wasn’t just a symbol of wealth—it represented status.
Pei Yanzhou’s thin lips parted slightly: “You can.”
She really felt like laughing. His attempt at comfort was worse than no comfort at all: “President Pei, don’t try to comfort me.”
“You know what? I don’t have many good qualities.”
“My only good quality is knowing my own limits.”
Pei Yanzhou stood up from the sofa, walked over to face her, leaned in with both hands on the kitchen counter, and looked at her: “If I say you can—you can.”
Hah, if he says she can, she can?
Jian Jinci complained inwardly: Easy for you to say. Are you going to buy it for me?
Of course, she only dared to complain in her heart, lacking the courage to say it out loud.
Jian Jinci didn’t argue with him further. After washing the cherry tomatoes and placing them in a plate, she picked one up and popped it into her mouth.
A strong gaze fixed on her, making her feel uneasy all over.
She looked at Pei Yanzhou, then down at the plate of cherry tomatoes. Did he want one too?
After hesitating for a moment, she picked up a cherry tomato from the plate and held it out to him: “Do… do you want one?”
Pei Yanzhou didn’t say anything. She felt his gaze at that moment was as if he were looking at a fool.
After a few seconds, just as Jian Jinci was about to withdraw her hand, Pei Yanzhou leaned in and ate the cherry tomato from her hand.
His slightly cool lips brushed against her fingertips. Jian Jinci jerked her hand back as if shocked, her cheeks burning and the tips of her ears slightly red.
She looked like a flustered, helpless little rabbit. A faint, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of Pei Yanzhou’s lips.
Jian Jinci awkwardly placed the plate of cherry tomatoes in front of him: “Take… take them yourself. If you like them… eat as many as you want.”
She deeply regretted it. There were countless ways to express gratitude, so why had she chosen to invite him to dinner?
She said, “Take it and eat on the sofa.”
What she really wanted to say was: Stay away from me if you have nothing better to do.