She whispered softly, “Little Uncle…”
“Hmm?” Pei Yanzhou replied, “You think I’m old, yet you still call me ‘Little Uncle’?”
Jian Jinci snapped back to reality. “Sorry, I saw a shadow of someone else in you. My apologies.”
Her expression dimmed as she lowered her head, biting her lip.
When she looked up again, the negative emotions had vanished. “Pei Yanzhou, thank you for earlier.”
Ruined by Su Jingxuan, she no longer felt like continuing to have fun. She glanced at a nearby coffee shop. “Let me treat you to coffee.”
“As a thank you?”
Jian Jinci nodded. “Yes.”
Pei Yanzhou looked down at her. “Let’s change the method.”
“Huh?” Jian Jinci asked, “Change to what?”
Pei Yanzhou curled his lips into a smile. “That depends on what Miss Jian can do.”
Jian Jinci thought for a moment. “As long as it’s not something illegal or against the rules, I can do anything else.”
“Then marry me.”
Jian Jinci widened her eyes and stared at him. Was he serious?
Seeing her shocked expression, Pei Yanzhou said, “Let’s have coffee first.”
“You can think about marrying me slowly.”
Jian Jinci looked at him, not at all like he was joking. “Are you serious?”
“Do I seem like someone who speaks carelessly?”
But why her?
She couldn’t deny that with Pei Yanzhou’s upbringing, charm, and appearance, she might develop feelings for him over time. But they had only interacted a few times—why her?
With Pei Yanzhou’s status and position, he could choose anyone he wanted—a well-matched lady from a respectable family, all at his fingertips.
She looked up at him seriously. “Why me?”
“Because…” Pei Yanzhou leaned closer. “You teased me and took my first kiss. You should take responsibility.”
This…
Why was this topic coming up again? Jian Jinci looked helpless. “Pei Yanzhou, can we not get past this?”
“Teased by a woman for the first time—I can’t get past it.”
Jian Jinci: “…”
Wait…
She seemed to have overlooked a particularly important point. He said it was his first kiss…
A twenty-eight-year-old man had never kissed anyone? If he had never kissed anyone, then he might have never had a girlfriend—a lifelong single. Why did that feel oddly amusing?
A gossipy smile curled at the corner of her lips. “Uncle Pei, have you never had a girlfriend?”
“No.”
So he really was a lifelong single at twenty-eight…
That was a little pitiful. “A lifelong bachelor.”
“If you’re with me, that won’t be the case anymore.”
Jian Jinci: “…”
She had to hand it to him—he was so persistent. Could they really not move past that forced kiss at the bar?
Got it!
An idea struck Jian Jinci. “Pei Yanzhou, you really can’t get over that forced kiss, can you?”
“Hmm.”
Good, very good, excellent!
If Jian Jinci ever drank again, she’d be a dog.
She looked at Pei Yanzhou. “How about I let you force a kiss back?”
“After that, this matter is settled. No more bringing it up, and no more making me take responsibility!”
“Deal.” Pei Yanzhou’s gaze fell on her delicate face, his eyes meaningful as he slowly leaned closer.
Jian Jinci watched him approach, then glanced at the passersby walking by them. She nervously swallowed. “There are too many people here. Let’s find another spot.”
She grabbed Pei Yanzhou’s wrist and led him to a secluded, empty area.
A smile flickered in Pei Yanzhou’s eyes.
Jian Jinci closed her eyes, took a deep breath to suppress her nervousness, then opened them and looked at him with a determined expression.
“I’m ready! Go ahead.”
Pei Yanzhou: “No need to force yourself.”
“I’m not forcing myself, not at all,” Jian Jinci said. “If you’re a man, hurry up.”
It was still better than being chased around and pressured to take responsibility. Every time she met Pei Yanzhou, they couldn’t avoid this topic.
Right now, she just wanted this matter to be over and done with as soon as possible.
“As long as you’re not forcing yourself.” Pei Yanzhou moved closer to her and grasped her shoulders.
Through the fabric, she could feel the warmth of his palms. Her heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to leap out of her chest.
Pei Yanzhou leaned in, lowering his head, inching closer to her.
So close that she could feel his warm breath. Her gaze collided with his eyes—those pitch-black pupils were like whirlpools, pulling her in, making it impossible to escape.
As he drew nearer, the tip of his nose brushed against hers.
At that moment, she had to admit she chickened out. She tightly shut her eyes, her hands gripping the fabric on either side of her.
Pei Yanzhou looked at her trembling eyelashes, a hint of amusement coloring his eyes. “Scared?”
Even with her eyes closed, she could hear the laughter in Pei Yanzhou’s voice. He didn’t make any further moves.
Opening her eyes, she found Pei Yanzhou’s face right in front of her. Flustered, she broke free from his grip on her shoulders. “Um…”
“I chickened out…”
“Let’s talk about it next time…”
Without giving Pei Yanzhou a chance to react, she fled in a panic.
Pei Yanzhou watched her retreating figure, the smile on his lips deepening.
Coffee Shop.
No matter how awkward it was, the thank-you coffee still had to be drunk.
Jian Jinci tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, almost hiding her head under the table.
She kept her head down, avoiding looking at the person sitting across from her.
Pei Yanzhou: “Ostrich.”
Jian Jinci: “…”
She’d accept whatever he said at this point. Even if he called her a dog, she’d admit it.
She remained silent, head bowed.
The waiter brought the coffee over. Pei Yanzhou pushed the cup toward her, but she still didn’t react.
Pei Yanzhou: “Too embarrassed to show your face?”
Jian Jinci let out a soft “Mm,” still not lifting her head.
“…”
After finishing her coffee, Jian Jinci kept her head down as she rummaged through her bag, pulling out her phone to pay—only to find it dead.
“Pei Yanzhou, my phone’s dead, and I didn’t bring any cash…”
“You want me to pay?”
“Mm…”
She felt embarrassed. It was supposed to be her treat to thank him, yet in the end, he had to pay.
Pei Yanzhou: “Lift your head and say it to me.”
Her neck was sore from keeping her head down for so long. She couldn’t stay like this forever. Slowly, she raised her head and placed her phone in front of Pei Yanzhou. “I wasn’t trying to skip out on the bill, it really is dead…”
“I’ll give you my contact info. Add me, and I’ll pay you back later.”
“Finally willing to look up?” Pei Yanzhou handed her his phone. “No password. Add yourself.”
Jian Jinci took his phone, unlocked it, opened WeChat, entered her own WeChat ID, and sent a friend request.
Then she handed the phone back to him. “Done.”
Pei Yanzhou paid the bill. The three hours were up, and they headed to the originally agreed meeting spot.
Just as they arrived, Jian Jinci received a message from Xie Qingyun.
Xie Qingyun: Jinci, something came up at Han Ji’s home. He needs to rush back, so we won’t be meeting up with you.
Jian Jinci: Okay.
Pei Yanzhou dropped her off at the entrance of the old villa.
“President Pei, goodbye!” Jian Jinci unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.
Goodbye? She hoped they’d never meet again.
Pei Yanzhou placed the brown paper bag from the back seat into her hands. “I still have work to do. This is lunch—eat it and send me a photo.”
So he had stopped to buy her lunch.
“Thank you.” Jian Jinci’s tone softened a little. “Drive safely, and remember to eat.”