Pei Yanzhou wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his embrace, his doting gaze fixed on the girl in his arms.
Jian Jinci struggled slightly, and Pei Yanzhou tightened his hold.
She glanced at Su Jingxuan, whose eyes were filled with jealousy, and stopped struggling. Tilting her head, she looked at him and asked, “Why are you here?”
“You were gone for so long,” Pei Yanzhou replied. “I was afraid you’d get lost.”
His tone was gentle and indulgent, as if he were speaking to a child.
Su Jingxuan was seething with jealousy. She had thought Jian Jinci was daydreaming, but it turned out to be true. How could Jian Jinci, of all people, deserve to be protected by such a distinguished man?
A man of his stature could have any woman he wanted, so why did it have to be the neglected eldest daughter of the Jian family—the trash that Song Xuchen had casually discarded? Why did she get to stand by Pei Yanzhou’s side?
“Who is this?” Pei Yanzhou asked Jian Jinci, not even sparing Su Jingxuan a glance.
“Oh, this one…” Jian Jinci shot Su Jingxuan a sharp look. “A trash can, specializing in collecting all kinds of garbage.”
Jian Jinci never backed down. Even with others present, she wouldn’t spare Su Jingxuan any face or hold back just to leave a good impression.
At that moment, Su Jingxuan wished she could tear Jian Jinci apart. She held back, her expression shifting into a pitiful, pleading look, her eyes reddening at the corners.
Jian Jinci nudged Pei Yanzhou with her elbow. “Watch closely. The top-tier green tea performance is about to begin.”
“If I’m not mistaken, the first line should be, ‘Sister, why are you treating me like this? Did I do something wrong?'”
Su Jingxuan’s delicate, pretty face twisted uncontrollably, and she hesitated over whether to continue with her prepared lines.
She looked at Pei Yanzhou, her eyes moist and her expression fragile, as if she were the victim of a cruel woman, her face full of grievance.
Jian Jinci crossed her arms and tilted her head to look at Pei Yanzhou. “Brother, did I do something wrong? Is that why Sister hates me so much?”
Su Jingxuan said, “Brother, did I do something wrong? Is that why Sister hates me so much?”
Jian Jinci and Su Jingxuan spoke in unison. As soon as the words left their mouths, Jian Jinci raised an eyebrow at Pei Yanzhou. “Did I imitate her well?”
Pei Yanzhou replied, “Very well.”
Su Jingxuan’s nails dug deeply into her palms, her face contorted with bitterness as she glared fiercely at Jian Jinci.
Jian Jinci crossed her arms and looked at Su Jingxuan. “Want some tea? My treat.”
She glanced at the nearby self-service drink vending machine, took a few coins from her bag, inserted them, and selected a bottle of green tea. She walked over to Su Jingxuan and tossed it into her arms. “Green tea—it suits you perfectly. Go home and have Song Xuchen stock up on more for you.”
Su Jingxuan gripped the green tea bottle tightly, her heavy makeup unable to hide the ferocity on her face. Her eyes were filled with hatred.
She had wanted to play the fragile victim, sow discord, and evoke Pei Yanzhou’s pity. It would have been even better if she could make him despise this wretched woman.
But before she could even utter a word, Jian Jinci had left her speechless and humiliated.
Su Jingxuan said, “Sister, I know you hate me because the man you love deeply is in love with me.”
“But you shouldn’t use Brother Yanzhou to heal your broken heart and forget about Brother Xu Chen.”
“Sister, that’s not fair to Brother Yanzhou.”
For some reason, Jian Jinci felt extremely uncomfortable hearing Su Jingxuan call Pei Yanzhou “brother”: “Third Sister, should I build you a chicken coop here so you can lay your eggs and stop clucking all day long?”
“Let me make it clear to you once again: Song Xuchen may be a treasure in your eyes, but to me, he’s nothing more than worthless trash right now.”
“Heartbreak? Sorry, but I couldn’t care less.”
After saying these words, Su Jingxuan felt a faint fear that Pei Yanzhou might misunderstand. She wanted to explain, especially since the night they met at the bar had been filled with ambiguity.
When Jian Jinci looked at Pei Yanzhou, her cold and beautiful face carried a hint of grievance: “I didn’t use you.”
In the past, when others slandered her, she never wanted nor bothered to explain herself. Those who believed her would believe her; to those who didn’t, any explanation would seem like an excuse.
But now, she was afraid Pei Yanzhou might misunderstand, so she took the initiative to explain.
Pei Yanzhou tilted his head, lowered his gaze to look at her, his eyes deep and profound. He reached out, hooked her slender waist, and pulled her into his embrace: “Even if you were using me, I’d gladly accept it.”
Jian Jinci looked up at him, feeling the warmth of his palm against her waist. The gesture was intimate, and the air around her carried the unique woody scent of his cologne. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words.
No one noticed Su Jingxuan’s twisted and ferocious expression.
She had indeed considered using Pei Yanzhou—not to heal from heartbreak, as Song Xuchen meant little to her. That day, when she returned to the Jian family and argued with Liang Jinyu and Jian Ying, and they threatened to harm Jian Xu, she had thought of getting close to Pei Yanzhou at any cost, using his status to free herself from the Jian family’s constraints.
But since Jian Xu remained unharmed, she abandoned the idea.
Pei Yanzhou gazed softly at the girl in his arms, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and ruffling her hair: “Be good, wait for me.”
He released her and took two steps forward. Jian Jinci stood behind him, watching his back, unsure of what he was about to do.
Pei Yanzhou turned his gaze to Su Jingxuan, his eyes as sharp as a cold blade, icy and merciless, sending chills down one’s spine.
Facing his piercing stare, Su Jingxuan felt an inexplicable fear in her heart.
Pei Yanzhou stared at her darkly, his thin lips parting slightly: “If the status of a Jian family daughter can’t earn her respect, then what about the status of Mrs. Pei?”
“Jian Jinci, regardless of her current identity, will one day be written into the Pei family genealogy.”
“If you dare slander or defame her again, I’ll sue you until you’re bankrupt. And when that happens, no one will be able to protect you.”
Su Jingxuan stood frozen in place, her heart turning cold.
Jian Jinci heard Pei Yanzhou’s words clearly and couldn’t help but feel moved. But upon further thought, perhaps he had only said those things to stand up for her.
Without sparing Su Jingxuan another glance, Pei Yanzhou turned around, his gaze softening once more. He walked to Jian Jinci’s side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder: “Let’s go.”
Jian Jinci pursed her lips: “Mm.”
As she and Pei Yanzhou left, Su Jingxuan stared fiercely at her retreating figure, her eyes filled with malice.
Only when Jian Jinci’s figure disappeared from her sight did Su Jingxuan turn and walk away.
Jian Jinci broke free from Pei Yanzhou’s hold: “Thank you.”
She hesitated for a few seconds: “Why did you say those things earlier?”
This question had been weighing on her mind for a while. She still wanted to ask him why he had said those things. There were many ways to stand up for her—why choose this one?
“Because it’s only a matter of time,” Pei Yanzhou said.
He stood beside her, his stern face showing no emotional fluctuation, yet his tone was resolute.
Jian Jinci stared at him, time seeming to freeze as the figure before her once again overlapped with the memory of that aloof young man.
In him, she always saw the shadow of that youth.