He quickly pushed the card back into Su Shanshan’s hand, quietly trying to stop her.
“Why not? Don’t you like me? There’s a lot of money in there, please don’t look down on it…”
Her hesitant words only drew more curious glances from passersby.
“Alright, alright, let’s just go inside first, everyone’s staring…” Pei Xingyan pulled her towards the entrance, whispering a warning.
This, however, only provoked Su Shanshan’s displeasure, and she glared fiercely around them before snarling:
“What’s there to look at? Is there a problem with me wanting to spend money on my baby?!”
Her tone was ferocious, carrying an air of readiness to fight anyone who dared to disagree, a stark contrast to the sweet and gentle demeanor she typically displayed for him.
Unwilling to endure such an embarrassing spectacle, Pei Xingyan had no choice but to increase his grip, forcefully pulling her into the restaurant.
‘Heh, hehe… He’s actually willing to have physical contact with me now…’
Her attention had once again fixated on such a minor detail, and as she mumbled to herself, she contentedly leaned against Pei Xingyan’s shoulder.
Pei Xingyan subtly widened the distance between them.
“What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it.”
“No, can’t we go together?” she asked, blinking her eyes, unwilling to be separated from him even for a moment.
With a sigh of resignation, Pei Xingyan could only nod in agreement.
“Hehe…” In the long queue, Su Shanshan giggled foolishly, her eyes sparkling like stars as she gazed at Pei Xingyan.
“You’re really so handsome. I even said you were a little thin before, and I repent! I was totally playing dead back then! You’re perfect in every way~”
Pei Xingyan found himself at a loss for words, acutely aware that everyone around them had already turned their gaze in their direction.
While he certainly didn’t consider himself unattractive, being praised so effusively and sincerely by a girl beautiful enough to capture the attention of most people in such a public setting still made him feel a little self-conscious.
Still not satisfied, Su Shanshan continued speaking to herself, “And he’s even willing to buy me breakfast, truly perfect~”
At this, the surrounding crowd could no longer remain calm.
The young man ahead of them in line glanced at the three portions of breakfast he held, then at the empty space beside him, and recalled the months he had spent bringing breakfast to his ‘goddess’ and her boyfriend, along with her incessant picky remarks.
Suddenly, he broke down, covering his face as he sobbed and ran away.
“Baby, what’s wrong with that person?” Su Shanshan asked, pulling Pei Xingyan back in confusion.
She wasn’t worried about the man himself, but rather feared any potential repercussions for the person beside her.
“I don’t know,” Pei Xingyan shook his head.
“Perhaps he heard your words and remembered something sad.”
“He must be feeling inferior,” Su Shanshan mused thoughtfully.
“But it’s quite normal. You’re so perfect, and he dared to compare himself to you without even looking at himself.”
‘She shouldn’t be so harsh. The difference in her attitude towards different people is just too vast…’
Pei Xingyan let out a faint sigh, then took the breakfast and walked away.
Being scrutinized by so many pairs of eyes was an incredibly draining experience, and he genuinely felt a little hungry now.
However, the girl beside him clearly had no intention of letting him eat in peace; she held the food exclusively in her hands, determined to feed him herself.
All the gentlemanly promises she had made earlier were nothing more than delaying tactics; she had no intention of letting go of any opportunity for physical contact or to deepen their intimacy.
“Just let me feed you, please~” she whined playfully.
“You said you’d use my card earlier, but you didn’t, and now you won’t even eat my food. Don’t be so cold, okay?”
Pei Xingyan cried out ‘Heavens!’ internally.
He truly couldn’t fathom what this girl was thinking; the only thing he could discern was her desire to seize every opportunity to push her boundaries.
From initially agreeing to no physical contact, to unilaterally and secretly changing his nickname to ‘Baby,’ and now insisting on feeding him.
What would be next? Would she start sitting on his lap in public?
He had no doubt that she would definitely try to slip her fingers into his mouth while feeding him.
Yet, he couldn’t refuse the girl, and he was even more afraid that she might suddenly explode in a fit of anger again.
Thus, he could only snatch the food from her hand in a single bite before she could react.
“Huh?” Su Shanshan pouted, twisting her waist playfully.
“Why so fast? Can we do it again~”
“I’m full,” Pei Xingyan said, shrugging regretfully.
Su Shanshan couldn’t press the matter further; she smiled wistfully, her eyes darting around several times.
“Then… could you feed me too?” she asked with a sly smile.
“It’s rude not to return a favor, right?”
All previous promises were completely cast to the winds; she was clearly and deliberately pushing her luck.
“My hands don’t seem to be washed; they’re not very clean,” Pei Xingyan offered another excuse.
Su Shanshan pouted aggrievedly but dared not act out, so she could only huff and bite at the food, piece by piece, venting her resentment upon it.
Yet, her lips were lustrous, gleaming beautifully even without lipstick.
Her entire mouth was petite, no larger than a cherry, yet her lips were plump and full, pressing against the food and distorting its shape.
To be bitten by her in such a manner was hardly a punishment for the food; it could almost be considered a reward.
Pei Xingyan watched quietly, waiting for her to finish eating.
While her undeniable beauty was certainly one reason, another was Pei Xingyan’s adherence to the principle of “never scolding a child before a meal.”
Of course, Su Shanshan was not his child, but anyone who received a lecture before eating would feel unsettled, subsequently losing their appetite and going hungry.
Having experienced hunger himself, Pei Xingyan never wished for anyone else to go without food.
So, he waited patiently.
As Su Shanshan ate, she subtly raised her eyes to glance at the person beside her, and finding that he was also watching her, she couldn’t help but purse her lips and smile shyly.
The meal concluded awkwardly, and after wiping her mouth, Su Shanshan cupped her chin in her hands, beginning to scrutinize Pei Xingyan.
She seemed utterly incapable of tiring of him; from his hair down to his chin, every feature she observed on his face brought forth a heartfelt smile.
To describe her as infatuated would be no exaggeration; a girl so besotted and excessively beautiful loved to gaze at him like this…
If this adorable girl truly were someone’s girlfriend, there would surely be no room for annoyance.
However, this was only true if her potential for extreme reactions was entirely disregarded.
Pei Xingyan cleared his throat softly, then suddenly posed a question.
“I have something I want to ask…”
“What is it?” Su Shanshan tilted her head.
“It’s just… why were you so agitated?” Pei Xingyan said.
“You were extremely agitated the day before yesterday and yesterday, and it quite startled me.”
“The day before yesterday? I didn’t do anything,” she denied calmly.
“You didn’t? You cursed at me for an entire day and night.
Of course, I’m not blaming you, I just want to understand why.”
“No!” she stubbornly denied.
“No?”
“Truly no, why would I do such a thing? You’re so good, why would I curse at you?” she asked blankly, her tone a little unnatural.
“No?” Pei Xingyan raised an eyebrow, asking again.
Su Shanshan stubbornly shook her head.
“Then what about these messages on your phone?” Pei Xingyan produced the crucial evidence, sliding the screen to reveal thousands of messages scrolling endlessly, a mix of voice recordings and texts.
Each one was like a sharp blade, intended solely to pierce someone’s heart.
Su Shanshan watched, her mind racing, then she shook her head, denying it all.
Her emotions steadily crumbled, and tears streamed from her eyes.
She clutched desperately at Pei Xingyan’s arm.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I didn’t do this!”
She did not appear to be lying.