Chapter 49: She Came Looking for Me 😱

“Is something the matter?”

Taking advantage of a bathroom break, Pei Xingyan quietly slipped away from Su Shanshan’s side. She was busy drawing intently on her tablet, completely unaware that her baby had silently disappeared.

His sneaky reason for slipping away was to meet another girl.

That girl was Lin Xiaoyu, smiling with her eyes nearly closed. She held a short cup in her arms, looking exhausted and hurried, with a few beads of sweat glistening on her forehead.

Just like Pei Xingyan, it was obvious she had rushed here in a hurry.

“This is a gift Mom received yesterday. It’s supposedly bird’s nest or something… I made a cold soup with it and wanted you to try it…” She spoke haltingly, not sure if it was because she was out of breath from running or for some other reason.

Lin Xiaoyu opened the cup in her hands, wearing an expression that brooked no refusal.

Pei Xingyan leaned in to look, and sure enough, inside was a clump of premium bird’s nest, decorated with some fruit and… goji berries.

“Well, I’ll accept it then…”

Not wanting to discourage this innocent girl’s enthusiasm, he smiled foolishly and reached out to take it—only for Lin Xiaoyu to suddenly pull her hand back.

Pei Xingyan raised his eyes in confusion and saw Lin Xiaoyu’s face flush red. She quickly lowered her head and muttered in a voice barely bigger than a mosquito’s, “Can I eat it here… I-I still want to take the cup back…”

Wait, what kind of reason is that?

Bird’s nest that costs over ten thousand per jin, and she’s not worried about wasting it, but now she’s worried about the cup?

Pei Xingyan laughed in disbelief. He realized Lin Xiaoyu was truly naive to a fault—she couldn’t even lie properly.

It was obvious she just wanted to watch him eat it.

But he had no choice but to agree; he couldn’t just refuse because she wanted to keep the cup.

That would make him look like some miserly person coveting a cup and give her the wrong idea.

“Then let’s go to the pavilion over there. I see there are tables and benches…” Lin Xiaoyu’s voice was still soft. Her neck was completely flushed, and she didn’t dare meet the gaze of the boy sitting opposite her.

“All right…” Pei Xingyan nodded in agreement.

But inwardly he shouted ‘No!’ He feared that Lin Xiaoyu’s purely platonic friendship was about to become something else.

Yet, turning it over in his mind, Pei Xingyan thought maybe he was overthinking it. Perhaps Lin Xiaoyu simply felt helpless in repaying him for the favors he’d done and came up with this method to thank him.

He scolded himself to be more innocent and not to let his dirty thoughts run wild over such an adorably pure girl.

Walking a few steps alongside Lin Xiaoyu, he noticed the pavilion she mentioned was the same one where he often spent time with Su Shanshan.

What a coincidence, wasn’t it?

A strange feeling suddenly rose in Pei Xingyan, tinged with apprehension, fearing something unpleasant might happen.

But Lin Xiaoyu kept urging him on, her face growing redder by the minute, so he forced himself to enter and sat down opposite her.

“Come here, come here…” Lin Xiaoyu seemed to think the spot was too far and kept calling out, “Sit next to me, this table… this table is too long, I can’t reach it.”

Can’t reach?

Pei Xingyan didn’t understand what nonsensical thing she was saying. The stone table was square and no longer than a meter. Unless she was disabled, how could she not reach?

Despite his thoughts, he chose to comply.

As soon as he sat beside Lin Xiaoyu, he caught a faint fragrance—different from any other girl’s scent he’d smelled before. It was a deliberate perfume, completely at odds with Lin Xiaoyu’s usual aura.

He glanced over and saw something else off—the layers of delicate powder on her face. Her already pretty features were clearly artificially enhanced.

In simple terms, this girl who normally showed her natural face had put on makeup, and rather clumsily at that.

She was definitely no makeup expert, especially compared to Su Shanshan, an artist skilled in beauty.

“I-I dressed up a bit today…” Lin Xiaoyu finally lifted her head, biting her lip with nerves written all over her face, but still mustering courage to ask, “Do you think it looks good?”

She fiddled with her braid, twisting and fidgeting uncomfortably. Yet despite her shyness, she refused to look down and waited stiffly for Pei Xingyan’s response.

“Looks good, really good.” Pei Xingyan praised.

He didn’t know what else to say, so he just uttered something bland.

But Lin Xiaoyu’s reaction was ten times more excited. She kept smoothing her hair, a smile involuntarily creeping onto her lips before she would forcefully suppress it.

The smile on her face was beyond words—truly beautiful. It was like a fairy who had never been touched by love, just fallen to earth for the first time. Anyone who saw it would be enchanted for a moment.

Pei Xingyan felt the same; his heart raced uncontrollably.

“You can’t just stare though…” Lin Xiaoyu, embarrassed by his gaze, lowered her head again and buzzed, “Hurry and eat. I haven’t even tried it myself yet, so I don’t know if it tastes good~”

In the shallow cup lay the expensive bird’s nest quietly formed into a clump. While many wealthy people believed it had miraculous effects, Pei Xingyan was skeptical. Eating something like this was like Pigsy eating ginseng fruit.

He picked up the silver spoon Lin Xiaoyu handed him, scooped a spoonful, and put it into his mouth. The cold, refreshing texture melted softly.

Next to him, Lin Xiaoyu held her chest, watching his every move tightly. Only when she was sure he had swallowed without making a face of disgust did she finally relax.

“So? Is it okay?” Lin Xiaoyu asked anxiously.

“Very good!” Pei Xingyan gave a thumbs-up, praising her cooking skill. This was the best bird’s nest he had ever tasted.

He wasn’t lying because he had barely ever eaten bird’s nest, and when he had, it was always served hot, which didn’t compare to the cold version.

Hearing this, Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up, and she happily straightened her posture even more.

She gleefully said, “Then next time I make some, I’ll send it to you~”

Pei Xingyan silently hoped she wouldn’t, but could only wear a look of delight and praise her kindness.

That only made her happier, her smile stretching all the way to the heavens, without any effort to hide it this time.

She quietly shifted her position, inching closer to Pei Xingyan. What was once an empty space between them suddenly shrank to less than ten centimeters.

That completely broke social safety distance. This spot was reserved for either enemies about to fight or lovers about to kiss.

He panicked inside, but at that moment, he spotted another figure—frantically searching—Su Shanshan.

Pei Xingyan immediately guessed who she was looking for.

She had come looking for him.