By the time the Pei family realized Pei Yu was missing, nearly an hour had passed.
Old Madam Pei clutched her chest, heartbroken and furious as she scolded, “How on earth did you all watch over the child…”
The servants all hung their heads, not daring to utter a word.
After a torrent of angry rebukes, Old Madam Pei couldn’t help but break down in tears: “If anything happens to little Yu, how can I ever face Pei Da and his wife?”
Her words were filled with such sincere grief that anyone who heard them couldn’t help but be moved.
Someone from the Pei family’s collateral branches couldn’t resist speaking up: “This is Young Master Yu’s home. How could he possibly leave for no reason? He must have been instigated by someone. In my opinion…”
Before she could finish, Old Madam Pei shot her a sharp glare: “Silence!”
The woman immediately fell quiet, though her expression showed little fear.
She knew very well that she had struck a chord with Old Madam Pei. Otherwise, the old madam would have cut her off from the start.
It was an indisputable fact among the upper circles of Wangjing that the current head of the Pei family had a strained relationship with the entire clan.
If not for their faint blood ties, Father Pei might even have resorted to wiping them out entirely.
Under such circumstances, if Pei Yu had gone missing from the Pei family’s ancestral home, would Father Pei ever forgive them?
Of course not.
So why not redirect the blame and point the finger at that orphan girl, Shen Lishu?
Besides, most of the Pei family didn’t care much for Shen Lishu—some even envied her.
Shen Lishu had grown up under the care of Father Pei, the head of the Pei family. Even without blood ties, once she came of age, Father Pei would never treat her poorly.
Everyone present was shrewd, and their minds immediately began to churn.
“Letting someone of unknown origins grow up alongside Young Master Yu—if her intentions were pure, it might be fine, but if they weren’t, wouldn’t she corrupt Young Master Yu?”
“On her first visit to the ancestral home, she dares to instigate Young Master Yu to run away. How can this be allowed?”
“…”
Old Madam Pei glanced subtly at the previous head of the Pei family, who had remained silent in the main seat. Years of shared understanding allowed them to grasp each other’s intentions instantly.
The discussions in the main hall grew even more heated.
“In my opinion, Old Madam, you should advise the head of the Pei family to deal with that girl Shen Lishu’s matter as soon as possible. If it leads to a major mistake, it’ll be too late.”
Before Old Madam Pei could respond, a stern voice came from outside.
It was Father Pei.
“What major mistake would that be?”
Father Pei didn’t enter but stood at the entrance of the main hall, coldly surveying the people gathered inside.
Even before arriving at the ancestral home, Father Pei had already received the news.
Seeing Father Pei, Old Madam Pei hurried forward, covering her face and weeping mournfully: “My son, it’s your mother’s fault. I failed to take good care of little Yu…”
Her sobs grew increasingly sorrowful: “If anything happens to little Yu, I won’t live either.”
Father Pei remained unmoved.
In the main hall, everyone except the elder in the main seat stood up.
A lavishly dressed lady quickly stepped forward to support Old Madam Pei and couldn’t help but offer an explanation: “Head of the family, this isn’t entirely Old Madam’s fault. Young Master Yu was instigated to leave by someone close to him.”
“Is that so?” Father Pei lifted his eyelids slightly, his tone indifferent.
“Usually, I personally take care of Lili’s upbringing. In your eyes, her character is actually so disgraceful.”
“A child’s lack of discipline is the father’s fault.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell into silence.
After all, no one dared to speak ill of Father Pei, who helmed the Pei family.
Father Pei raised his eyes, looking at his biological father seated in the main position with disappointment.
Those were a pair of turbid yet sharp eyes.
From outside the main hall came the sound of footsteps approaching from a distance. Within seconds, a woman’s voice rang out: “Pei Jiyun, I’ve got the evidence.”
A head of seaweed-like thick curls naturally cascaded down to Yu Qingqing’s waist. Her face was stunningly beautiful, with dark blue eyes very similar to Pei Yu’s.
However, as a mother, her eye shape was rounder and softer, not as aggressive as Pei Yu’s.
What she had found was the surveillance footage from the side hall at that time.
The extracted clip was quickly played on the spot.
“Isn’t it great to freeload and live in someone else’s house?”
“…”
“So shameless!”
“…”
“Why do you live in someone else’s house? Don’t you have your own mommy and daddy?”
“…”
In the surveillance footage, the malice on those children’s faces was clearly visible.
Father Pei didn’t want to waste any more time with them: “I don’t believe these children would harbor such intense malice toward Lili for no reason.”
Unless the adults in the household led the way.
Father Pei also knew the reason, so he stated directly: “I will draft my will. Upon my death, all assets under my name will be divided equally between the two children.”
Everyone present gasped in shock.
“Outrageous!” The former head of the Pei family, seated in the main position, finally spoke up.
“You unfilial son, how dare you!”
Father Pei sneered coldly, not holding back: “Father, I am the one in charge of the Pei family now.”
Meanwhile.
Under the bright streetlights.
Shen Lishu was held in Pei Yu’s arms, eating the roasted sweet potato Pei Yu was feeding her.
The sweet, honeyed potato warmed Shen Lishu’s heart as she swallowed it.
Pei Yu scooped another spoonful of roasted sweet potato and fed it to Shen Lishu: “Are you sleepy?”
Actually, she was a little bit sleepy.
But Shen Lishu still shook her head, her voice soft: “Not sleepy at all.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she couldn’t help but yawn.
Pei Yu couldn’t help but smile, whispering gently: “We’ll be home in a few hours.”
After feeding Shen Lishu about half of the roasted sweet potato, Pei Yu didn’t dare to give her any more, fearing she might overeat.
He quickly finished the rest of the sweet potato himself in a few bites, then hoisted Shen Lishu onto his back and headed home.
“Pei Yu, I can walk by myself.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I’m so heavy.”
“With you only eating half a bowl of rice every day, how heavy could you possibly be?”
Pei Yu adjusted Shen Lishu’s position on his back, lifting her a little higher.
Shen Lishu couldn’t resist pressing her little face against his back, swinging her feet slowly and leisurely.
A long time later, Shen Lishu finally whispered something.
“Pei Yu, you’re just like my mommy and Daddy.”
Just as important.
“Hmm?” Pei Yu looked puzzled. “Why would Sweetie say that?”
But Shen Lishu refused to say more, giggling instead, her eyes crinkling into crescents.
After a long while, Shen Lishu asked again: “Pei Yu, what if I’m not good?”
Pei Yu frowned, speaking fiercely: “Who said you’re not good?”
Shen Lishu was startled and quickly explained: “No one did.”
Mommy and Daddy had both abandoned her.
Would Pei Yu do the same?
Even Shen Lishu herself did not know the answer, yet for some reason, she did not seem to feel the slightest bit of fear.
If such a day truly came, Shen Lishu only wished it could be later, much later…