Pei Xingyan slept very poorly that night, constantly dreaming of Ye Ziwei standing beside him, drenched in blood.
Since parting with her, he had been drowning in regret.
The phrase “drinking poison to quench thirst” had never felt so vivid. To prevent Ye Ziwei from disrupting his business, he had gone as far as making an almost confession-like gesture.
In the face of such a shock, Ye Ziwei temporarily set aside those suspicious details, but that was only because she had fallen into the web of his lies.
If she ever found out that not only had he deceived her, but he also had a “girlfriend” who called him “baby” every day, Pei Xingyan truly had no idea how terrifying that perfectly flawless, adorable smile of hers would become.
He absolutely had to keep all of this hidden…
Groggily leaving the dormitory, Pei Xingyan wandered drowsily toward the classroom.
Morning classes were the hardest to endure, yet one always had to attend them.
Sometimes, Pei Xingyan doubted why he even bothered attending this lousy university, but he also knew clearly that a diploma was like a chicken rib—useless, yet impossible to give up.
Fortunately, once he got through this period, he would be free.
“Baby, baby~”
A girl suddenly dashed out from the roadside, squeezing through the zombie-like crowd of sleepy students rushing to class and landed beside him.
A few “babies” woke up the drowsy youth rushing to class. After searching around, everyone realized it was a couple starting their PDA early in the morning. Irritated, the passersby all exhaled in disdain, then quickened their pace to continue on.
Being grabbed by the arm, Pei Xingyan immediately recognized the touch as Su Shanshan’s. She might not be a landmine girl, but she was definitely a hidden ticking time bomb.
The soft feeling pressed against him made his mind restless. Without any worldly thoughts, Pei Xingyan could only recall the dream from last night.
He gently pushed Su Shanshan’s shoulder, his strength light and feathery, hoping to create some distance between them.
But to a girl who was happily immersed in the joys of love, such a small movement hurt deeply.
Her eyes widened with panic, and she grabbed Pei Xingyan’s sleeve, speaking in a flustered tone while quickly apologizing:
“Baby, are you still mad? Mad because I did something wrong before? Please don’t be mad, okay? I really won’t do it again!”
Her voice was pitiful, drawing the eyes of nearby people once more. This time, the crowd’s resentment was replaced by the unique excitement of onlookers eager for gossip.
Pei Xingyan had no choice but to shrink back beside her, gently soothing, “No, why would I be mad when you’re so good?”
Su Shanshan seemed afraid of being pushed away again and gripped him tighter. She shook her head, “You just pushed me away… You must have remembered the bad things I did before, so you don’t like me anymore.”
Ignoring the urge to sarcastically think, “I didn’t even like you in the first place,” Pei Xingyan suddenly grew curious.
Why did Su Shanshan suddenly bring up this issue again after so many days?
It was as if she had only just learned it had happened…
The consultation with Teacher Li from before flashed through his mind. He knew he needed patience and tolerance when facing such a person.
He lightly patted Su Shanshan’s shoulder, then firmly rubbed it, signaling closeness.
Gradually, Su Shanshan calmed down and leaned closer into the embrace of the one she liked. Even though their posture became somewhat awkward, it didn’t matter.
She clung tightly, ignoring the gazes of others, softly whispering words like sleep-talking:
“Baby, I know you might not believe me, but I really like you and love you so much. Even though we’ve only known each other a short time, I already can’t live without you. So if I did something wrong, you can hit me or scold me, just don’t leave me or abandon me, okay…”
Pei Xingyan’s heart was in turmoil. Such sweet talk should have made him happy, but now he just hoped Su Shanshan’s feelings were fake. If this girl he’d barely met was already giving him her heart, then if she ever encountered Ye Ziwei, things would be a disaster.
At first, Pei Xingyan and Tang Xin had joked about this being a “playboy strategy.” He never expected that before anything even started, he’d truly become a “scumbag.”
The feeling of Ye Ziwei leaning on his shoulder last night hadn’t faded, and now here was another girl leaning on him.
Pei Xingyan could only silently self-reflect and vow to figure out Su Shanshan’s condition as soon as possible to end this mess.
Su Shanshan knew nothing. She didn’t know what the man pressed tightly against her was thinking. She just clung to him, following him as he walked, repeating the sleep-talking phrase, “Don’t leave me.”
Only when he stopped did she snap out of her trance.
“I have to go to class now, bye~” Pei Xingyan softly said goodbye.
But Su Shanshan refused to let go, tugging his clothes until they were a little distorted.
“What’s wrong?” Pei Xingyan asked.
“I don’t want to go.”
“But class is about to start.”
“I want to be with you…”
Pei Xingyan was caught in a dilemma. This was a small class, and the teacher knew almost everyone. Bringing a girl in would undoubtedly cause trouble for himself.
But Su Shanshan’s eyes were too pitiful. She tugged his sleeve, shrinking her head, her teeth lightly biting her lower lip, her nose twitching.
He steeled himself and told himself to be lenient with this patient, then pulled her forward.
Su Shanshan was overjoyed, her steps suddenly light and bouncy as she walked beside Pei Xingyan, showering him with praise.
Although he had heard these words many times before, every time he did, Pei Xingyan couldn’t help but feel moved. Su Shanshan truly seemed to believe he was the most perfect man under heaven, her eyes shining brightly when looking at him.
He sat in the last row, hiding Su Shanshan in a corner, hoping the teacher wouldn’t be too sharp today and recognize this unfamiliar face.
Other students arrived one after another. His roommates entered the classroom and, seeing Pei Xingyan’s seat, rushed over.
“Lao Pei, guess who I just saw?” Fan Jian teased in a teasing tone, casually glancing over and suddenly stopping when he saw the girl beside Pei Xingyan.
He suddenly punched Pei Xingyan on the arm, winking at him.
Fan Jian’s expression was complicated. Just a few days ago, he had seen a cool and aloof girl cling affectionately to Pei Xingyan. Now, only a few days later, there was another beautiful girl leaning on Pei Xingyan’s shoulder like a little kitten.
At that moment, Fan Jian thought of many things, especially the countless warm-hearted messages he had sent without any reply, and felt a deep sadness.
Had all his efforts been in vain? In the end, did he still not compare to Pei Xingyan’s slight moves?
“You, this, I…” His voice was full of agony, “I just can’t accept it! I can’t accept it!”
“You can’t accept what?” Pei Xingyan wasn’t in the mood to joke around. He didn’t want any conspicuous behavior. “Sit down quickly.”
Fan Jian sat in front of Pei Xingyan, looking dazed, but then oddly turned around and blankly finished his unfinished sentence, “I just saw Teacher Shen in the hallway.”
Pei Xingyan’s heart tightened. A bad premonition rose.
And immediately, the premonition was confirmed.
“Da… da… da…”
The sound of high heels echoed in the hallway as Shen Zhishu walked in from the front door.