Ye Ziwei had already regained her vitality and was now smiling sweetly.
But Pei Xingyan knew that she was far more terrifying than before; she was suppressing her emotions.
As for what exactly those emotions were…
That was a completely horrifying story.
Pei Xingyan could only come up with a lie.
He said, “This is something my parents left me; I just found it recently.”
He didn’t know if Ye Ziwei would believe him, but this was all he could say for now.
If he openly told her that another girl had been calling him “baby” while putting this on his hand, tomorrow there would definitely be a major incident worthy of headline news.
“Is that so?” Ye Ziwei smiled kindly as she lifted Pei Xingyan’s hand. “Can you take it off so Weiwei can see? I’m a bit interested~”
Pei Xingyan could only nod in agreement.
Ye Ziwei unceremoniously untied the red string. She showed no care for it, even harboring some disgust.
She held the item in her hand and toyed with it, carefully inspecting it from all angles, trying to find some mark.
There was nothing on this side, but as she rubbed the back, she noticed…
The back was engraved with dense English letters.
She narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer to read.
PXY❤Susan
Ye Ziwei inhaled sharply, feeling her brain tremble.
This was a provocation, even a declaration of war.
She raised her head and asked in the gentlest tone she could muster, “Xingyan哥哥, do you know any foreign girls?”
“How could I?” Pei Xingyan was now confident. He really didn’t know any foreign girls. There was one mixed-blood girl he knew, but she was an annoying person and had nothing to do with this matter. He denied it boldly, “I don’t know any foreign girls. Why are you asking?”
Ye Ziwei turned the engraved side toward him without a word, silently showing it.
Pei Xingyan also leaned in to look, squinting for a long time before he noticed what was engraved.
What was PXY?
That was his first question, but the answer came quickly—it was his name’s initials.
But who was Susan?
That was his second question.
Susan… Su Shanshan…
Pei Xingyan remembered—it was Su Shanshan’s online alias. He had seen it on her phone. She really liked that punning name.
He felt his blood surge. Why was his name’s initials engraved on this Golden Bean?
But none of that was important now. He had to get through the current difficulty first.
Susan… Ye Ziwei didn’t know who Susan was either…
Suddenly, he laughed loudly, like Chancellor Cao before the Huarong Trail.
“Wh-what are you laughing at?” Ye Ziwei was a little dazed; her gloomy mood was temporarily broken.
“Don’t you know?” Pei Xingyan asked exaggeratedly. “You don’t know who Susan is?”
Ye Ziwei searched her memory but couldn’t match anyone to the name.
“Susan is my mom.” Pei Xingyan dropped the bombshell and before Ye Ziwei could react, he went on explaining, “There was a time when all the big companies in China were using English nicknames. My parents were trendy and gave themselves English names too.”
Ye Ziwei knew a lot about Pei Xingyan but not so much about his parents. She didn’t know whether to believe him.
Seeing her hesitation, Pei Xingyan continued, “Actually, this was dug up from some corner. Seems like it was a gift from my mom when I was moving up to middle school or something. I never wore it before, but now I thought about selling it for some money, so I wore it for two days as a keepsake.”
He spoke with conviction, not sounding like he was lying.
Ye Ziwei was stuck. She couldn’t tell if it was true or false, so she didn’t press further.
Besides the matter of him loving someone else, she tried not to oppose or force Pei Xingyan—she didn’t want their relationship to bear scars.
As long as his eyes were only for her, she had no complaints.
“When we go visit my mom next time, why don’t you come? She said she missed you last time.” Pei Xingyan pressed on.
He really couldn’t bear the consequences if Ye Ziwei found out the whole truth. He couldn’t imagine what she might do.
This touched Ye Ziwei. She had always wanted to see her future mother-in-law—it felt like recognition.
So she obediently nodded and helped Pei Xingyan put the bracelet back on his wrist.
“Don’t sell such a precious thing, okay?” She turned back into the obedient girl, thinking for the boy beside her. “Or you can give it to me, like selling it to me. Later, when you have money, you can take it back.”
Pei Xingyan shook his head.
Ye Ziwei sensed something was wrong again, and her gaze sharpened once more.
She knew Pei Xingyan too well. He was the most sentimental person in the world. How could he insist on selling something his mom gave him?
Raising an eyebrow, she asked again, “Really? Don’t lie to me… okay?”
Pei Xingyan was caught in a dilemma. He knew Ye Ziwei still doubted him, but he couldn’t really give it to her.
Not to mention whether she might trace the origin of the item, just explaining things to Su Shanshan would be a huge problem.
Ye Ziwei’s expression darkened again. She slowly lowered her head and fell silent.
At this moment, Pei Xingyan knew he had to make a tough decision.
He clenched his teeth and steeled his heart. Sliding his hand under Ye Ziwei’s delicate calf, he lifted her up into his arms and placed her on his lap.
Ye Ziwei gasped, stunned by her own state. She was overwhelmed and disbelief erased everything else from her eyes.
She stared at the man holding her tightly, instinctively nestling deeper into his embrace.
Though she didn’t know what was happening or why, she had longed for this kind of treatment.
Pei Xingyan, filled with a courage that left no turning back, took a deep breath.
He knew he was drinking poison to quench his thirst, but it was his only option now. He didn’t want Ye Ziwei to interfere with his business, nor could he bear the thought of her hurting anyone.
He said, “Ziwei, I don’t want to use your money. Do you know why?”
“Why not… mine is yours anyway…” Ye Ziwei felt dizzy, speaking in a daze.
“Because it’s a matter of a man’s dignity. A man can’t bow before the girl he likes.”
Pei Xingyan said softly, yet it stirred a storm in Ye Ziwei’s heart.
She forgot to ask more, forgot all her doubts. Her pupils shrank to a pinpoint as she looked up, her breathing becoming erratic.
Ye Ziwei whispered the name she said most often, her voice on the verge of tears.
“Xingyan哥哥…”
“Shh…” Pei Xingyan stopped her. “But don’t say that now. Wait until I sort this out, okay?”
Sitting in Pei Xingyan’s arms, Ye Ziwei felt an unprecedented sense of security. She felt like everything—anything—could follow his lead.
The prize was already in hand; when the awards would be given didn’t matter anymore.
She nuzzled her head like a kitten, the corners of her mouth sweetly lifted to the sky, her calves and feet rubbing against him, expressing her joy.
Her fingers clung tightly to the edge of his clothes. This happiness was hard-won; she was afraid it would slip through her fingers.
No matter what, she had reached the finish line. Nothing else mattered now; she didn’t need to care about those things anymore.
Ye Ziwei lay quietly in his arms, savoring the feeling of yearning day and night.
But above her, Pei Xingyan’s expression was tormented, like being cut by a knife.
He knew clearly that in trying to avoid temporary trouble, he had invited a massive headache upon himself.