As the ‘face’ of the campaign team, Pei Jiangchen dutifully carried out his role of wooing voters with his good looks and personal charm. When necessary, he could even set aside his aversion to human offspring and transform into a kind, approachable big brother.
Wen Shuyu watched as a child, having come over to ask for a balloon, smeared chocolate sauce onto Pei Jiangchen’s trousers.
Pei Jiangchen reached out; instead of snapping the brat’s neck, he patted the boy’s head with great affection—albeit in a manner reminiscent of a farmer patting a melon that was nearly ripe in the field.
“He’s a natural born politician.”
A pleasant, slightly husky female voice sounded from behind.
Wen Shuyu turned and smiled at Amanda.
Pei Jiangchen had merely mentioned in passing that he wanted Amanda brought over from Tao Wei’s camp; he hadn’t given any specific instructions on how to place her. Yet, like a fish in a coral reef spotting the perfect moment to leap onto a passing ship, she had somehow maneuvered her way into the Pei family’s campaign team, landing a job as the assistant to the PR director.
After working together for a while, Wen Shuyu realized the girl was sharp and hardworking—far from being just a pretty face.
“Look how natural his smile is,” Amanda said, gazing at Pei Jiangchen with a touch of awe. “A great politician is also a great actor. You know about ‘method actors’, right? It doesn’t matter what they’re like in real life; the moment the camera focuses on them, they can genuinely transform into any character.”
Noticing Wen Shuyu’s surprised look, Amanda added, “I once wanted to be an actress and studied acting for a while. Unfortunately, my teacher advised me to switch careers early on…”
“You’re doing just fine as you are,” Wen Shuyu said gently, though his gaze remained fixed on Pei Jiangchen.
A crowd of young people—volunteers and voters—had gathered around Pei Jiangchen. Several pretty girls were showing clear interest in him, while two young men nearby looked less than pleased about it.
“It’s alright, I suppose,” Amanda said. “Not like you, though—you’re Young Master Chen’s personal confidant. Everyone says he’ll only eat the meals you serve him…”
Before she could finish, Wen Shuyu left Amanda behind and walked briskly toward Pei Jiangchen.
A group of young people had gathered around Pei Jiangchen, surrounding him like stars circling the moon.
Wen Shuyu approached, weaving through the crowd with agile, unobtrusive movements until he reached Pei Jiangchen’s side.
Pei Jiangchen was smiling as he listened to a young woman speak; he hadn’t noticed Wen Shuyu’s arrival.
Seeming to trip over a cable on the lawn, Wen Shuyu suddenly stumbled and bumped into Pei Jiangchen, pushing him aside.
At that exact moment, a bucket of coffee sitting on the table tipped over, splashing steaming liquid onto Wen Shuyu’s trousers.
Pei Jiangchen’s brows furrowed, and he instinctively gripped Wen Shuyu’s wrist tightly.
Had Wen Shuyu been a second slower in shoving Pei Jiangchen away, the coffee would have splashed onto him instead.
“I’m fine! I’m okay,” Wen Shuyu said quickly. “The coffee isn’t hot.”
Pei Jiangchen let go and gave a faint smile. “You’re always so clumsy… Why was that bucket placed right at the edge of the table? It’s a good thing it didn’t splash onto any of the girls.”
Amidst the chorus of exclamations, a boy with blonde streaks in his bangs pursed his lips, took a few steps back, and slipped into the crowd.
“Young Master Chen, I need to go change my clothes,” Wen Shuyu said to him. “Oh, by the way, Second Master Pei asked me to fetch you; he wants to introduce you to a few people.”
Pei Jiangchen nodded apologetically to the young people, using the opportunity to leave them behind, and strode away flanked by two bodyguards.
As he turned, the genial smile vanished from Pei Jiangchen’s face, replaced by a calm, solemn expression.
Wen Shuyu was wearing khaki trousers, and the coffee had left a large, dark brown stain. As he walked across the field in his wet pants toward the motorcade parked outside, he heard a young boy loudly mocking him. “Mommy, that guy pooped his pants!”
At that moment, Wen Shuyu really wanted to pull a Pei Jiangchen and smack that brat’s head a couple of times—hard—as if it were a melon.