Chapter 28: Carrying Firewood to Put Out a Fire 🔥

Ye Ziwei leaned on her cane but strode briskly, her toes kicked high into the air.

Just like her heart—she felt like she could take off and fly, wanting to shout to the whole world how incredibly happy she was right now.

Behind her, Pei Xingyan followed with a face ashen and lifeless, utterly disheartened.

Yet he couldn’t stay too far away. Ye Ziwei was so excited that she’d forgotten her own surname; if he wasn’t careful, she might trip and fall. He had to keep an eye on her.

Pei Xingyan didn’t consider himself cold-hearted. Although Ye Ziwei sometimes said or did terrifying things, she had never truly harbored ill intentions toward him. Even locking him in the basement—while extreme—was just her way of wanting to see him every day…

He couldn’t bring himself to hate a girl who always cared for him.

But like the kind of parents everyone finds annoying, no matter how much they worry about you, there had to be limits. Ye Ziwei saw no such boundaries.

That was why Pei Xingyan tried to keep his distance as much as possible; it was better for both of them.

Still, now, to soothe this girl and keep her from interfering with his crucial money-making plans, he had spoken those words…

“The road’s not easy,” Pei Xingyan sighed softly.

“What? What did you say?” Ye Ziwei slipped up beside him, her voice bright and eyes sparkling.

Though usually a gloomy girl, when her deepest wish was fulfilled, she could be even cuter than the sweetest girl.

She asked, “What road isn’t easy? Didn’t we use to walk this road all the time?”

Pei Xingyan nodded.

He had volunteered to walk Ye Ziwei home; they were currently on their way back, and their homes were not far apart.

They used to be closer.

For a long time, Pei Xingyan had walked home with Ye Ziwei. Back then, they were little kids, but the setting sun always stretched their shadows long and far, longer than their current heights, shimmering with light.

At that time, Ye Ziwei’s legs weren’t injured. She would hold her backpack straps and hop around Pei Xingyan playfully.

Few kids in this area walked; most had dedicated drivers. But Pei Xingyan’s parents took an unconventional route—they enjoyed watching their son walk all the way from the neighborhood gate, tired and panting like a dog.

Ye Ziwei initially had a driver, too, who took her mother in the car and waited at the school entrance daily.

But every time, Ye Ziwei would dash into the crowd after Pei Xingyan, grab his hand, and bounce along the road, only returning home when the sun had fully set.

Her mother would angrily shout from the front door, scolding her for risking being kidnapped by strangers, but Ye Ziwei would turn back at the gate, excitedly waving at Pei Xingyan, who still had a long walk ahead.

“Remember when you were so small? Now you’re a completely different person,” Pei Xingyan sighed.

“Trying to sound deep again~” Ye Ziwei stuck out her tongue teasingly. “You weren’t much bigger back then, either. For a while, you weren’t even taller than me, you know?”

Pei Xingyan smiled, lips pressed together.

Ye Ziwei softened her voice and seized the moment to bring up a long-standing topic. “Xingyan gege… why don’t you move back home? The house hasn’t been sold yet. Why keep living in the dorm? If you come back, I can see you every day…”

Pei Xingyan shook his head.

“Why not?” he sighed helplessly. “Maintaining such a big house costs a lot, and now it’s just me living there. It’s too wasteful.”

“Then…” Ye Ziwei gave a strange little laugh, “What if we live together? I’ll pay for everything!”

“No,” Pei Xingyan said firmly.

Ye Ziwei pouted, her disappointment obvious. But not long ago, Pei Xingyan’s words still echoed in her heart—no money talk… not now…

She listened well, especially at times like this, knowing all she needed was to wait, no extra measures required.

Yet her loneliness gnawed at her, and she wanted to reap a reward early.

Without a word, Ye Ziwei inched closer and slipped into his embrace.

She rubbed her face against his ribs, then giggled softly.

Pei Xingyan slowed his pace, placing his hand on her shoulder to prevent her from getting carried away and falling.

Ye Ziwei’s heart and face brightened even more. Was there anything happier than being cared for by the one she loved most?

She began to imagine that once these hard days were over, once Pei Xingyan’s troubles were resolved, she could stop worrying about everything and just enjoy this kind of care forever.

After all, it was trendy nowadays to entrust one’s assets to professional managers. When that time came, she wouldn’t have to do anything—sleep in late every day, wake up and cuddle with him, then nestle in his arms for a nap.

She couldn’t even imagine how happy she would be then!

So her heart grew impatient.

“Xingyan gege, what kind of work are you doing now?” she asked again, once more bringing up the topic. “Is it going well? If it’s too hard, you should take a break. And if you don’t want to ask for money directly, I can introduce you to a job—lots of pay, easy work, and won’t interfere with your classes!”

Pei Xingyan still shook his head, offering his usual excuse. “But you’d have to trouble your uncles and aunts, right? It’d be easier for me just to ask you for money.”

Ye Ziwei grumbled and mumbled, complaining nonsense.

Now she regretted inventing that lie—there was no private detective. All the information about the person Pei Xingyan was searching for was from her own agents, and it had taken a lot of time and money.

It was all because she wanted to hold him through financial means. If she had known he’d say those things today, she would’ve handed him the intel right away—maybe he’d even reward her with a kiss for being so thoughtful…

But now the lie couldn’t be revealed. She didn’t know if Pei Xingyan would hate her for lying, but it definitely wouldn’t be good.

Still, Ye Ziwei reminded herself: Pei Xingyan had said before that appealing the lawsuit required collecting clues, evidence, and hiring a top-notch lawyer—all costly expenses. Even if she told him everything, he’d still have to earn the money himself.

She began worrying for Pei Xingyan again, not knowing when he would earn enough.

She didn’t even know what kind of work he was doing now. Every time the topic came up, he brushed it off.

She had wanted to investigate before but feared he’d dislike it if he found out, so she had put the plan aside.

Now she was restarting it—not to disrupt him, but to help. She needed to find out what he was doing and secretly support him.

He’d surely be moved to tears by her devotion then.

“Heehee~” she smiled triumphantly close to Pei Xingyan’s face.

But Pei Xingyan shuddered involuntarily. Seeing the girl smile so brightly, he knew for sure she’d suddenly gotten some idea.

His heart pounded wildly, silently praying that she wouldn’t discover his secret.