As she stepped out through the revolving door, a cold wind rushed toward her, and Shen Qingyu instinctively tightened her coat. She noticed Pei Huaijin walking on the windward side—whether intentionally or not, his figure just happened to shield her from most of the wind.
She wanted to say thank you, but after opening her mouth, she felt it wasn’t really necessary.
It was just a coincidence that they walked out together.
Shen Qingyu bent down and got into the car, fastening her seatbelt. Manlin Jiang got in from the other side, while Shen Huaiting took the passenger seat. The car door closed, shutting out the cold wind outside.
The car slowly drove out of the main gate of Pei Manor.
Pei Huaijin watched the black Cayenne merge into the traffic until its taillights disappeared at the end of the tree-lined avenue before finally withdrawing his gaze.
“Huaijin,” Lin Wanru’s voice came from behind, “come, walk with your mother for a bit to help digest.”
Pei Huaijin didn’t say anything, letting his mother take his arm as they slowly walked along the stone-paved path in front of Pei Manor.
Pei Cheng’an was on a phone call, having stepped a few paces away, his voice hushed.
“Huaijin,” Lin Wanru began, her voice soft, carrying the unique tenderness of a mother toward her son, “what do you think of Qingyu?”
Pei Huaijin fell silent for two seconds.
“Not bad,” he said.
Lin Wanru waited a moment, realizing he had no intention of elaborating, and couldn’t help but glance at him sideways. “Just ‘not bad’? That’s it?”
“What else is there?” Pei Huaijin said indifferently.
Lin Wanru was momentarily taken aback by his lukewarm attitude but quickly smiled. She knew her son too well—for him to say “not bad” was already infinitely better than his previous responses like “no feelings,” “not suitable,” or “we’ll see.”
“Alright, ‘not bad’ is not bad,” she patted his arm, her tone carrying the certainty of someone who had been through it all. “Let me tell you, Qingyu is truly a good girl. Your Aunt Jiang raised her well—well-mannered, polite, beautiful, and highly educated. She’s more than a match for you.”
Pei Huaijin didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on the road ahead illuminated by streetlights.
Lin Wanru glanced at him and continued, “Mom knows you don’t like those socialite daughters from prominent families, thinking they’re scheming and troublesome. But Qingyu is different. She’s genuinely well-behaved, always been a good girl since she was little. Your Aunt Jiang speaks of her with such pride. Marrying a girl like her would save you a lot of trouble, and us too.”
The corner of Pei Huaijin’s mouth twitched slightly.
A good girl? It didn’t seem that way.
He recalled Shen Qingyu sitting at the dining table—her proper smile, her polite choice of words. Every sentence was perfectly measured, every expression flawlessly controlled.
Well, in front of elders, she certainly played the part of a good girl.
“So,” Lin Wanru’s voice pulled him back, “Mom’s idea is for you two to spend some time together and develop your relationship. Take her out for meals, exhibitions, shopping, and so on. Once you’re familiar with each other and your feelings are stable, we can bring up marriage.”
She paused, then added, her voice tinged with an eager smile, “But I really don’t want to wait too long. I truly like Qingyu, and I’d love to see her become my daughter-in-law as soon as possible.”
Pei Huaijin glanced down at his mother.
Lin Wanru looked up at him, her eyes bright with a nearly girlish anticipation. Her well-maintained face showed few wrinkles, but the fine lines at the corners of her eyes deepened slightly with her smile at that moment.
“Mom,” Pei Huaijin said flatly, “you’re so sure she’ll be your daughter-in-law.”
Lin Wanru laughed, her confidence evident. “Whether I’m sure or not isn’t important. What matters is whether you like her. But—” She tilted her head to look at her son, her gaze sharp. “You didn’t say you dislike her either.”
Pei Huaijin remained silent.
“With the others I introduced you to before, you wouldn’t even agree to meet them. Today, after meeting Qingyu, you sat there—not saying much, but not impatient either.” Lin Wanru’s tone slowed, as if carefully peeling back layers. “Huaijin, tell me honestly, do you also think Qingyu is nice?”
Pei Huaijin was silent for a few seconds.
“I don’t dislike her,” he said.
Hearing these three words, the smile on Lin Wanru’s face deepened. She knew her son too well—”I don’t dislike her” coming from him was already high praise.
“That’s enough then,” she said, patting his arm. “Listen to me, invite her out more. With girls, feelings develop through spending time together.”
Pei Huaijin neither agreed nor refused.
He looked up at the night sky. Stars were rarely visible in Jingbei’s winter nights, but tonight, a few unexpectedly dotted the sky, sparse and faint, yet undeniably glowing.
On the other side, Manlin Jiang glanced at Shen Qingyu beside her. Her daughter leaned back in the seat, eyes closed, unsure whether she was genuinely tired or pretending to sleep.
Just then, Manlin Jiang’s phone vibrated. She quietly took it out—it was a voice message from Lin Wanru.
Manlin Jiang turned the volume to the lowest setting and held the phone to her ear.
“Manlin, let me tell you, I just spoke with Huaijin, and he has a very good impression of Qingyu,” Lin Wanru’s voice came through the receiver, brimming with barely contained delight. “I told him to take Qingyu out more often, so the two of them can start building a connection. Once they’ve spent enough time together, we can bring up marriage.”
The voice message paused there, followed by another.
“But I really don’t want to wait too long. I genuinely like Qingyu—I’d love to see her become my daughter-in-law as soon as possible. On your end, please encourage Qingyu to give Huaijin more chances.”
After listening, Manlin Jiang’s lips curved into a smile.
She glanced at Shen Qingyu, who still had her eyes closed, then lowered her head, pressed the voice message button, and replied in a hushed tone.
“Don’t worry, I want them to marry even sooner than you do. I’ll talk to Qingyu and encourage her to spend more time with Huaijin. With his qualities, where else could you find someone like him? I’ll speak to her as soon as we get home.”
After sending the message, she put away her phone, leaned back in her seat, and let out a contented sigh.
“Mom,” Shen Qingyu’s voice suddenly came from beside her, slightly hoarse and drowsy, as if half-asleep.
Manlin Jiang turned to look at her. “What is it? Not asleep?”
“Who were you talking to?” Shen Qingyu asked without opening her eyes, her voice lazy.
“Nothing, just a work message.” Manlin Jiang calmly put her phone into her bag. “Go back to sleep.”
Shen Qingyu hummed in response, tucking her face deeper into her coat collar, and said nothing more.
The car moved through the night, the streetlights sliding across the windows in a rhythmic pattern, casting flickering light on her face.
Her eyes were closed, her breathing steady, as if she had fallen asleep.