The moment she tasted the ice cream, she stopped in her tracks, watching Pei Yanzhou’s tall, slender back. “Pei Yanzhou, who exactly are you?”
Pei Yanzhou could easily investigate her, but even her biological father didn’t know her tastes and preferences—there was simply no way to investigate them. Things like her fondness for lychee-flavored candies might be a coincidence, but what about everything else? The meals, the ice cream—all were her favorites.
Don’t tell her it was a coincidence. She didn’t believe it.
They had met at a bar. That day, she had been drinking, and after sobering up, she didn’t want to have any further contact with Pei Yanzhou. She didn’t want to get too close to dangerous people, nor did she want to one day find herself in a perilous situation.
But the truth proved she couldn’t control these things.
The cocktail party, the hospital, his home, the old villa—during each of these encounters, she could see the shadow of another person in him. Sometimes she wondered if he had returned.
On one hand, she told herself not to get close to him; on the other, she couldn’t help but want to draw nearer.
All of this was just her imagination. He had died fifteen years ago in a plane crash, with no survivors. She sometimes wondered if he might still be alive, if he might appear before her one day, but that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Fifteen years had passed. If he were alive, he would have returned long ago. His parents were still here.
She stared intently at Pei Yanzhou’s back. “What’s your purpose in getting close to me?”
Having grown up amidst the schemes of the Jian family, she understood some things clearly but chose not to voice them. She and Pei Yanzhou were like parallel lines—they should never have intersected.
Pei Yanzhou turned around to look at her. “You called out my name, yet you still ask who I am?”
“As for my purpose in getting close to you… perhaps it’s because you’re interesting.”
Interesting?
Jian Jinci couldn’t help but find it somewhat laughable. There were plenty of interesting people in the world, so why her?
“Pei Yanzhou, don’t tell me that just because I flirted with you at the bar that night, you found me interesting.”
“Hmm.” Pei Yanzhou replied, “That’s exactly it.”
Jian Jinci: “…”
An excuse. She didn’t believe such a ridiculous excuse for a second. He was definitely not the type to act casually.
Pei Yanzhou moved closer to her, his thin lips parting slightly. “Can’t it be attraction at first sight?”
As he advanced, Jian Jinci nervously swallowed and stepped back. She hadn’t expected Pei Yanzhou to be so direct.
Meeting his dark, deep-pool-like eyes, she tightened her grip on the chain of her shoulder bag.
Pei Yanzhou said, “Investigating your preferences isn’t difficult.”
“I get it,” Jian Jinci said nervously. “Stop moving forward.”
Perhaps she really was overthinking it…
But she truly could see traces of her little uncle in him.
Maybe it was just that the two of them shared some similarities. After all, in such a vast world, there were plenty of people with similar appearances and personalities.
Pei Yanzhou stopped and glanced down at the ice cream in her hand. “If you don’t eat it soon, it’ll melt.”
“I’ll eat it…” she stammered. “Just don’t look at me…”
Pei Yanzhou didn’t look at her again, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling at the corner of his lips.
After finishing the ice cream, Jian Jinci looked toward the drop tower in the distance. “Want to try it?”
“I’ll go with you.”
“Then let’s go.” Jian Jinci slightly lifted her chin. “Don’t be scared. Big sister will protect you.”
“Big sister? Hmm?”
Jian Jinci asked, “What’s wrong?”
“No respect for your elders.”
Jian Jinci thought for a moment and remembered he was an older man. She shouldn’t call herself “big sister” in front of an older man—it was disrespectful.
Since childhood, teachers had taught them to respect the elderly and care for the young.
Jian Jinci sincerely apologized to Pei Yanzhou, “I’m sorry, Uncle Pei. I’ll be more careful with my words in the future.”
Pei Yanzhou responded with a faint “Hmm.”
She noticed that Pei Yanzhou didn’t seem to mind her calling him “uncle.” Under normal circumstances, a twenty-eight-year-old man would likely dislike being called “uncle” by someone five years younger.
She asked, “You don’t mind me calling you uncle?”
“Uncle is better than ‘little brother.'”
Jian Jinci nodded, agreeing with him. “True, ‘little brother’ doesn’t suit your age.”
“Uncle, let’s go try the drop tower ride.”
Suddenly, it felt like a father taking his child out for fun.
After the drop tower ride, Jian Jinci was drawn to the shooting games nearby, where prizes for exchange were displayed—mostly plush toys that young girls liked.
She picked up a toy gun and aimed at the balloons three meters away. Out of ten shots, she only hit one balloon. Feeling a bit defeated, she put down the toy gun, paid, and prepared to leave.
“It’s normal for girls to miss. Why not let your boyfriend give it a try?” the shopkeeper suggested.
She glanced at Pei Yanzhou. The shopkeeper had misunderstood. She quickly explained, “He and I—”
“Hmm, let me try,” Pei Yanzhou interrupted her, picking up the toy gun and firing continuously at the balloons, hitting every single one.
Jian Jinci watched him, forgetting to explain the situation.
What should she do? She was impressed by how cool he looked.
The shopkeeper praised, “Young lady, your boyfriend is amazing. You can pick any of these prizes.”
“We’re not—”
“Go pick one.”
Just as she was about to explain again, Pei Yanzhou interrupted her. Fine, she might as well pick a prize first. She looked at the green plush toy dog in the corner and pointed, “Boss, I want that one.”
The shopkeeper kindly said, “Young lady, you can pick something nicer.”
He pointed to a pink bear as tall as a person. “Girls usually like these.”
“No, thanks,” she said. “I only want that one.”
The green plush toy dog was lying in the corner, about the size of two palms. She had taken a liking to it at first sight.
The shopkeeper handed it to her. She thanked him and left with Pei Yanzhou.
After they left, Jian Jinci asked, “Why didn’t you let me explain?”
He had interrupted her every time she tried to explain, and he never denied it himself.
“No need,” he said. “They’re strangers. Whether you explain or not won’t affect you in any way.”
“How could it not?” Jian Jinci retorted. “I’m clearly single, and now I suddenly have a boyfriend out of nowhere.”
“I’m still an unmarried young woman. This could really affect my reputation.”
Pei Yanzhou stopped walking. “Are you at a disadvantage if I’m your boyfriend?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “It’s definitely a disadvantage for me. Have you ever seen a man at a disadvantage?”
At that moment, Jian Jinci hadn’t realized what was wrong.
“So you admit I’m your boyfriend.”
Only then did Jian Jinci realize she had fallen into his trap. Pei Yanzhou’s earlier words had been setting her up.
Around others, she was cautious and carefully considered the meaning behind their words before responding. But with him, she was completely relaxed and never bothered to analyze the hidden meanings in his words.
He truly seemed to be an exception.
“I need to use the restroom,” Jian Jinci said, fleeing in embarrassment.
A few minutes later, Jian Jinci dried her hands, her emotions somewhat calmer. Not many people could affect her, but Pei Yanzhou was one of them.
She tossed the used paper towel into the trash and prepared to leave, only to run into an “old friend” on her way out.
Su Jingxuan was momentarily taken aback upon seeing Jian Jinci, then replaced her expression with a smug smile. “What a coincidence, Miss Jian. I never expected that Brother Xu Chen would put aside his work to accompany me to the amusement park and run into you here.”
“I thought you were currently working some odd job in some remote corner, earning money for your burdensome brother’s tuition.”
Though she smiled smugly, her delicate face was filled with sharp and bitter sarcasm.