The gale swept fallen leaves, slapping them against the windowpane with a rustling sound.
Inside, however, it was utterly tranquil.
Pei Henian watched her in silence, the light falling upon his prominent nose bridge—sharp and cool.
His gaze had also returned to its usual indifference, looking at her with an expression too complex for words.
After a long while, Pei Henian finally furrowed his brows, his voice hoarse,
"Jiang Zhizhi, do you know what you're saying?"
The little girl, her eyes brimming with tears, showed no sign of embarrassment. Not only did she nod earnestly, but she also casually covered it up.
Hesitating, as if she were disdainful of him yet afraid that speaking too directly might hurt him,
"Pei Henian, I think… I don’t want to like you anymore… The male leads in novels all have 40…"
"You’re a bit… not quite what I imagined…"
"Forget it, you should go—"
She briskly unlocked the handcuffs, while Pei Henian continued to watch her with an inscrutable expression.
A moment later, Pei Henian buttoned up his disheveled shirt with one hand and picked up his suit jacket.
The girl sitting on the edge of the bed looked up at him, quiet and still, saying nothing.
The howling cold wind, mixed with the night rain, fell softly, the boundless darkness setting off her delicate face with an inexplicable sense of pity.
Pei Henian paused mid-step, his expression grim,
"Stop reading those messy online novels."
The pretty girl staring at him obediently nodded, then lowered her gaze, landing it somewhere.
Her head tilted slightly, her misty eyes filled with an uncharacteristic confusion.
Being stared at so directly in such a place, Pei Henian fell silent for a rare moment.
For a while, he didn’t know whether to be angry or annoyed.
After all, it was the first time in his life that his pride in his masculinity had been scorned, and with such an unbelievable, inhuman statistic at that.
Pei Henian gave her a complicated look—
Perhaps the Jiang family’s young lady dared to tie him up simply because there was something wrong with her mind.
But what sane person would bother arguing with someone who had a mental problem?
Pei Henian held his suit jacket, paused for a moment on that overly beautiful face, and averted his gaze.
[Is he just leaving like that? What about your hands?]
[He won’t.]
[But the hands of the three taskers before you were all broken by him!]
The girl with rosy lips and pearly teeth sighed, giving the system a look.
Then, she stood up directly, her voice tense:
"Pei Henian—"
The girl’s soft, clear voice rang out, slightly distorted by nervousness.
Along with the motion of stumbling, a rich rose fragrance wafted toward him, and Pei Henian caught her fully in his arms.
Soft, light, with hardly any flesh on her body, her frame surprisingly small.
With just a slight press of his fingertips, they could sink into her soft, delicate skin.
Pei Henian steadied her without a word, but before he could let go, the person in his arms clutched him tightly again.
Her slender fingertips turned white from the force, her eyes filled with unconcealed fear.
Like a wounded bird startled by the bow, anxious and uneasy, even her arms trembled slightly as she cautiously asked him,
"Pei Henian, will you still break my hands?"
"Break both my hands, or break my legs, or even kill me…"
Her voice grew softer and softer, losing its confidence.
Pei Henian’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, his sharp, thin lips tightening slightly,
"No."
His low tone lingered in the air, as if afraid of frightening her, the tail end of his voice deliberately hushed.
Realizing the unwarranted pity that had surfaced, Pei Henian averted his phoenix-like eyes, his voice turning cold once more.
"Jiang Zhizhi, this is a society governed by law."
As these words left his lips, a trace of self-mockery flickered in the heart of this handsome and refined man.
She was merely a little actress, a fraud playing a role, feigning misery now that she knew fear.
Having weathered countless storms in the business world over the years, he couldn't believe he had actually pitied this little thing.
After speaking, Pei Henian fixed his gaze on the hand gripping his wrist.
"Let go."
The rosy-lipped, fair-toothed girl belatedly uttered an "Oh," quickly releasing him. Her round, doe-like eyes glistened with moisture.
"Pei Henian, thank you."
"Thank you for being magnanimous and not holding it against me."
"I'll behave properly from now on and won't bother you anymore."
[Don't jinx it! You're going to bother him even more!]
The system's shriek echoed in her mind, and the girl facing Pei Henian promptly blushed.
[I know!]
The innocent and pitifully beautiful girl continued her soft-spoken apology to the man while inwardly complaining to the system,
[See? He believes it already.]
[He's so easy to fool.]
Pei Henian's icy gaze settled on her, his sharp eyebrows lifting slightly.
The usually unruly young lady of the Jiang family stood there, her snow-white skin accentuated by a white evening gown, her neck slender.
Lifting her small face to look at him, her chin pointed and delicate, cheeks tinged with a faint blush, she appeared both beautiful and fragile.
This damn brat, looking so utterly docile, was somehow more pitiable than he had ever seen her before.
Pei Henian subtly withdrew his gaze and strode toward the door on his long legs.
Behind him, Jiang Zhizhi curved her eyes into a smile—
But the next second.
A sudden "clang" rang out from the direction of the bathroom.
The man's footsteps halted abruptly.
Jiang Zhizhi jerked her head up, her eyes meeting Pei Henian's narrow, phoenix-like gaze.
The tall, imposing man narrowed his eyes and changed direction.
Moments later, the bathroom door was kicked open, revealing a slender figure.
Kneeling on the floor, the young man had black, tousled hair falling over his brows, partially obscuring his eyes. The lower half of his face visible was delicately, almost ethereally beautiful.
Coarse ropes bound his thin frame. His soaked white shirt clung to his body, rendered semi-transparent by the water, outlining the crisscrossing welts of green and red whip marks on his back.
Fresh wounds layered over old ones, densely covering his skin. Diluted blood stained the white shirt in patches of crimson.
His injuries looked even worse than what she had endured in the basement back then.
Jiang Zhizhi drew a sharp breath.
Hearing the sound, the beautiful young man kneeling on the floor looked up at Jiang Zhizhi, his voice hoarse.
"Young Miss, do you want me to serve you together with him?"
"Or should I wait until he's finished, and then continue?"
Jiang Zhizhi: "!!"
Jiang Zhizhi's mind went blank, wishing she could cover his mouth. But before she could act, Pei Henian's chilling voice rang out.
"'Secretly in love with me for twelve years, countless times praying to my back, even your first birthday wish was for my safety and well-being…'"
"So what, the secret love isn't even over, and you've already found a replacement?"
A massive shadow loomed over her, a cold, murderous intent following closely like a shadow, advancing step by step with the clear sound of footsteps.
Jiang Zhizhi's scalp prickled. She could only stammer out a dry explanation.
"That's not true at all. He's talking nonsense. I admire you so much…"
A large hand clamped around her jaw.
The man's rough fingers brushed against the girl's soft cheek, a gesture both ambiguous and dangerous.
The beautiful young man kneeling under the shower watched it all coldly, a flicker of hidden malice in his eyes.
Against the cold, hard wall of the bathroom, Pei Henian stroked the girl's jaw, his tone inscrutable.
"Miss Jiang, I despise being lied to the most, especially such clumsy lies that fall apart at the slightest touch."
As if recalling something, his voice softened, almost as if he were earnestly seeking advice.
"But I'm also quite curious—does this young man possess some extraordinary skill that meets your inhuman, off-the-charts requirements?"
Two gazes fell upon her simultaneously, and Jiang Zhizhi felt immense pressure.
"Um… There's really nothing between him and me…"
Jiang Zhizhi's voice was tiny, speaking in a tone only Pei Henian could hear, quietly pledging her loyalty.
"Pei Henian, I've only ever seen yours."
Pei Henian's movements paused, his fingers tightening abruptly around her jaw.
Forced to look up, Jiang Zhizhi stared at Pei Henian's reddened earlobes and murmured to herself,
"Pei Henian, your ears look so hot."
Pei Henian's eyelashes fluttered rapidly, his icy, handsome face tinged with frost.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Seeing the villainous big shot Pei Henian about to lose his temper again, Jiang Zhizhi quickly changed her tune.
"But don't worry, I'll definitely keep my word. I won't bother you anymore."
Pei Henian's phoenix eyes fixed on her. Jiang Zhizhi thought for a moment, hesitating slightly.
"Yours is too fierce. I prefer pink."
Her eyes shifted halfway, redirecting the trouble toward another direction.
"He's so young, he should be able to…"