When she arrived, she saw Chu Xiaoguo, her childhood playmate, smiling at her. Noticing her reddened eyes, Chu Xiaoguo couldn’t resist teasing: “Which bunny ran out here after being wronged?”
Pei Qiuxu pouted and threw herself into her arms. “You’re the bunny, your whole family is bunnies!”
“Okay, okay, okay.” Chu Xiaoguo laughed and ushered her into the back seat of her car.
Pei Qiuxu sat in the back, curling up her legs, and muttered, “This car of yours is way too small. I’ll buy you a big one.”
“Please don’t, young miss.” Chu Xiaoguo fastened her seatbelt. “I think it’s just fine.”
Pei Qiuxu tilted her head and said nothing more. Chu Xiaoguo was the daughter of Auntie Wang, her family’s nanny, a few years older than her.
Back then, Auntie Wang didn’t have money, so with Father Pei and Mother Pei’s permission, she brought Chu Xiaoguo to live at the Pei residence. The two of them had essentially grown up together as childhood friends, and they were very close.
However, once Chu Xiaoguo got a bit older, she rented a place and moved out. Pei Qiuxu understood—after all, the Pei home wasn’t really her home.
Still, their friendship remained strong.
“Aren’t you in Moqing City? Why are you in A City?” Pei Qiuxu asked, puzzled.
“Here on a business trip. That awful boss of mine—no idea if he’ll even reimburse my travel expenses.”
Pei Qiuxu nodded, feeling a little happier.
“Did Zhong Sinian bully you?” Chu Xiaoguo asked, stopping at a red light.
“Hmph.” At those words, Pei Qiuxu immediately sat up straight. “He wouldn’t give me any face in front of everyone, all for some special-admission student! And he made me give up my seat!”
“Sure, I’m the one who’s been throwing myself at him, but I’ve never suffered an insult like that, not even as a kid. Now everyone in class doesn’t know what to think of me.” As she spoke, Pei Qiuxu deflated, lowering her head to fiddle with her freshly done manicure.
“But I probably made him angry today too.” Pei Qiuxu sighed and looked out the window, then suddenly seemed to think of something. “Maybe I should buy him a gift and apologize? Otherwise, what if he really cancels the engagement in a fit of anger?” Chu Xiaoguo shook her head. “Do you really want to marry him that badly?”
“Of course. It’s the Zhong family. As long as I marry him, I’ll never have to worry about anything for the rest of my life.” Pei Qiuxu leaned back against the seat as she spoke. “Besides, you know what the Pei family is like. Without a big tree to lean on, we’ll be devoured and wiped clean in no time.”
“Qiuyi is still young and has no head for business. I can’t let us end up with no home to return to.”
“Besides, Zhong Sinian isn’t bad, you know. He’s handsome too.”
Chu Xiaoguo said nothing more and parked the car at the mall.
After parking, Chu Xiaoguo watched Pei Qiuxu walking ahead, muttering to herself, and sighed.
Having grown up in the Pei household, she had watched Pei Qiuxu grow up.
Pei Qiuxu’s training lessons in every subject had never stopped since she was little. It wasn’t that Father Pei and Mother Pei forced her—this was simply how daughters of wealthy families were raised.
Chu Xiaoguo didn’t support it, but she understood. After all, for someone from a wealthy, noble family, standing there was never just about the person themselves—their family’s connections, their future prospects, everything and anything was already laid bare for all to see.
For a woman of a wealthy family, if her family was strong enough, she could be a brilliantly blooming rose—perhaps even one capable of holding up the entire family.
For someone from a family like the Pei family, she could only be a dodder vine, straining with all her might to find a reliable great tree to cling to—for her own sake and for her family’s.
Chu Xiaoguo hurried over and walked alongside Pei Qiuxu, discussing what they should buy.
Pei Qiuxu settled on a pair of platinum cufflinks encrusted with diamonds, featuring hand-carved vintage scrollwork patterns that, paired with the diamonds set into them, were understated yet luxurious.
After buying a few appealing toys and clothes as well, the two went to a café to sit for a while.
“Do you really have to have Zhong Sinian?”
“Not necessarily.” Pei Qiuxu scratched her cheek uncertainly. “It’s just that he’s the most impressive one I can get close to right now.”
“If marrying Zhong Sinian doesn’t work out, what will happen to the Pei family afterward? I couldn’t stand a hard life.” Pei Qiuxu pouted, looking a little aggrieved.
“Actually, becoming the young madam of the Zhong family is quite simple,” Chu Xiaoguo said helplessly, watching Pei Qiuxu frown across the table.
“What?” Pei Qiuxu perked up immediately.
Since Chu Xiaoguo was a bit older, Pei Qiuxu had always listened to her advice on many things since childhood.
“What do wealthy families value most? Bloodline. Children!”
“With a child, plus your background, the position of the Zhong family’s young madam would be as good as yours.”
Pei Qiuxu frowned, half believing and half doubting.
Seeing this, Chu Xiaoguo thumped her on the head. “Think about how I got your brother-in-law wrapped around my finger?”
“Back then, his mother was dead set against him marrying me.”
“It was only after I had Xiao Qi that they welcomed me into the family with open arms.”
Pei Qiuxu’s eyes lit up as she stared at Chu Xiaoguo.
“You’re so beautiful—there’s no reason a man wouldn’t like you.” Chu Xiaoguo patted her head. “You just need to use a little scheming sometimes. Think about how you can seduce him.”
Pei Qiuxu was eager to learn more, but unfortunately, right after Chu Xiaoguo finished that sentence, the shop owner called her back to work.
Before leaving, Chu Xiaoguo asked Pei Qiuxu if she wanted a ride home.
Pei Qiuxu shook her head. She wanted to sit a while longer—really, she just didn’t want to trouble Chu Xiaoguo with taking her home.
So Chu Xiaoguo left on her own first.
Pei Qiuxu ordered another coffee and only stood up to pay after slowly finishing it.
Just after paying, she happened to glance out through the glass with the corner of her eye.
The café was next to the shopping mall, facing the street alongside it. Through the glass door, Pei Qiuxu saw a tall, upright figure standing there. He looked a little familiar, and she couldn’t help narrowing her eyes to get a better look at who it was.
To her surprise, the man turned around directly, revealing a slightly sinister face.
His gaze, like a hawk’s, locked straight onto Pei Qiuxu, still inside the café, the instant he turned. His nearly two-meter height fully displayed his cold, imposing aura. He flashed a smile and strode toward the café.
Pei Qiuxu’s scalp went numb instantly. This was the man from the private room that day.
The memory of that day made her legs go weak. It had been the first time she’d ever seen a dead person—and one who had died in such a gruesome way.
And the culprit was this man who was drawing ever closer.
Pei Qiuxu unconsciously backed up two steps, then bolted out the door as if fleeing for her life.
Her thinking was simple: she just needed to get out of the café. But the moment she opened the door, she crashed straight into the arms of the man who had been waiting outside all along.
Pei Qiuxu struggled up without a second thought, but her hands were easily caught and pinned behind her back. This forced her chest to thrust forward, and even through her clothes she could feel the man’s scorching heat.