It wasn’t bought for herself after all?
It was for his mother?
Pei Yanqiu took another careful look at the bouquet. Indeed, it was different from the extravagant style she used to like.
It wasn’t extravagant—it probably cost less than thirty yuan.
But he didn’t feel that Shen Xingyao was being careless toward his mother, because both the main flowers and the fillers in this bouquet were ones his mother liked.
This was a thoughtful gift.
Pei Yanqiu felt overwhelmingly guilty, as he recalled the thought that had crossed his mind when he first returned home.
At the time, he had believed Shen Xingyao was nothing but a complete fraud—was she taking advantage of his mother’s loneliness to swindle money from him?
Otherwise, why would she, as his girlfriend, prefer to stay indoors playing games every day instead of visiting his mother on her own?
Every time, it was only at his request that she reluctantly went, said a few words, and left.
Now, seeing this bouquet, Pei Yanqiu’s face flushed red.
“Measuring the heart of a gentleman with one’s own mean measure”—perhaps that described someone like him.
Yes.
He had been so busy before. Every time she went alone, he might not have even noticed the thoughtful things she prepared.
Just because he heard a few sour remarks from the caregiver, he denied her efforts?
And yet, even after his accident, she stayed by his side without leaving.
The young girl just loved playing games, but her skills were poor, and she got beaten every day. As her boyfriend, he didn’t even have time to help her with Rank Climbing.
She could only find a CP in the game to help her Rank Climbing, and he still grew suspicious over nothing.
Pei Yanqiu, you really deserve to die!
Shen Xingyao walked a few steps before realizing the handsome guy beside her was missing.
Turning around, she saw Pei Yanqiu’s face shifting like a palette of colors, changing back and forth until it nearly turned green.
She hurried back and grabbed his hand. “What are you standing here spacing out for?”
“If we drag this out any longer, we’ll miss the daytime bus!”
There was a break between the daytime and nighttime bus schedules. If they missed the last daytime bus, they’d have to wait a whole hour for nothing.
Pei Yanqiu felt the warmth and softness of her hand, a tingling sensation like an electric current running from his arm straight to his heart.
The guilt from earlier, combined with his current confusion, made his heart ache and swell.
Was it a case of “when it rains, it pours”? Was he about to have a heart attack?
He always said professional gaming wasn’t for humans—training until the rooster crowed every day was bound to lead to trouble sooner or later!
Fortunately, despite his wandering thoughts, his long legs gave him an advantage, easily keeping up with Shen Xingyao’s jogging pace.
They were lucky enough to catch the last daytime bus, which went directly to the hospital.
It was rush hour, and the bus was as crowded as a noodle press.
Pei Yanqiu glanced at the sardine-packed bus and frowned.
“Xingyao, maybe…” He wanted to say they weren’t short on money and should just take a taxi to the hospital.
But Shen Xingyao had already skillfully squeezed her way onto the bus, and she hadn’t let go of the handsome guy’s hand, pulling him along with her.
Well, now Pei Yanqiu didn’t need to waste his breath. He automatically became a human shield, doing his best to carve out a small space for Shen Xingyao.
With his long legs and arms, he held onto the handrail, shielding Shen Xingyao between himself and a bus seat.
Shen Xingyao breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, the flowers didn’t get crushed.”
And with Pei Yanqiu blocking the way, the bouquet wouldn’t bother anyone else.
The bus doors slowly closed, and the vehicle chugged forward.
Shen Xingyao held the flowers in one hand and kept her other hand gripping Pei Yanqiu’s, which inevitably threw off her balance.
As the vehicle started moving, the inertia caused her to sway sideways, nearly crashing into someone.
Pei Yanqiu reacted swiftly, extending a long arm to pull her into his embrace.
The crisp scent of soap rushed into Shen Xingyao’s nostrils, and she felt an inexplicable warmth surge in her nose.
Oh no.
Could it be that she bumped it so hard it started bleeding?
But it didn’t seem to hurt?
Unaware that it was just hormonal agitation, Shen Xingyao worried that her nosebleed might stain Pei Yanqiu’s down jacket—a Canada Goose, no less.
If it got dirty now, she definitely couldn’t afford to buy him another one!
But with both hands occupied, she could only sniff and squirm around, trying to check if she was actually bleeding.
Her movements, however, made Pei Yanqiu uncomfortable.
His hands had been loosely supporting her waist, ready to steady her if she leaned too far.
Now, with her squirming uncontrollably, he had no choice but to tighten his hold to keep her still.
The two were practically pressed together, with the top of Shen Xingyao’s head brushing against his chin, making that small patch of skin unbearably itchy.
Shen Xingyao didn’t dare move anymore, as she could feel Pei Yanqiu’s gradually warming breath.
Even through their down jackets, the heat from his body slowly transferred to hers.
After all, a twenty-year-old guy really has a lot of fire in him!
Shen Xingyao stayed like this, motionless, unsure how much time had passed when the aunt in the seat in front of her tidied her bag and prepared to stand up.
She was about to get off!
Shen Xingyao thanked her lucky stars, feeling incredibly fortunate today.
In the past, whenever she waited in front of someone on a bus or subway, that person would inevitably ride all the way to the end.
She’d stand until her calves ached, never inheriting the empty seat in front of her.
Today’s luck was truly exceptional!
The aunt had been observing them for a while, thinking how sweet young couples were these days, even on a bus ride.
And their faces were as pretty as celebrities’, truly a sight for sore eyes.
Because they were so good-looking, when she stood up to get off, she deliberately blocked a woman next to her who was trying to squeeze in and snatch the seat.
Shen Xingyao had also noticed the red-clad aunt nearby, clearly eager to push forward and steal her spot.
Fortunately, the aunt getting off happened to exit from that side, preventing the other woman from squeezing through.
Shen Xingyao quickly plopped down into the seat, her heart finally settling, and flashed a grateful smile at the departing aunt.
Pei Yanqiu hadn’t even noticed the thrilling seat-grabbing moment, simply standing dumbly beside her like a door.
Shen Xingyao looked up and saw two large dark circles under his handsome eyes, which made her heart ache a little.
Remembering the original plot, he had likely been running around seeking investments for a long time, hardly getting a good night’s sleep during this period.
Shen Xingyao said, “Pei Yanqiu, you should sit.”
“Huh?” Pei Yanqiu was taken aback and quickly replied, “You sit, I’m fine standing.”
As a young and strong guy, how could he sit while his girlfriend stood beside him?
Shen Xingyao bit her lower lip. “This seat is a bit hard. You sit, and I’ll sit on your lap.”
The seat is hard?
It definitely can’t compare to the leather seats of a sedan, after all, Shen Xingyao always takes business-class taxis when going out.
She probably just isn’t used to riding the bus!