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Her head bobbed emphatically.
“Mhm! Mhm!” she hummed, immediately agreeing and launching into a critique of such behavior, drawing upon every ounce of her vocabulary.
“Let’s go eat first,” Pei Xingyan suggested, continuing his stride, his hand still diligently safeguarding her.
“What was it we decided on for next time… Ah, yes, fish noodles, wasn’t it?”
“Fish noodles! Perfect!” Ye Zivi exclaimed, so overcome with delight that she completely forgot the cane propped in her hand.
With a triumphant cheer, she threw her arm into the air, abandoning all sense of balance as she strode forward, the words she had just used to disparage other girls vanishing from her mind.
****
At times, one simply had to concede to fate’s whims.
A mere fleeting glimpse earlier had prevented Pei Xingyan from truly observing the innocent Lin Xiaoyu, yet now, having settled into a seat in the bustling cafeteria, he heard her name once more.
The very group of girls he had seen earlier, chasing each other, including Lin Xiaoyu herself, were now seated at the adjacent table.
Stealthily, Pei Xingyan cast a glance, his gaze landing on a girl seated with impeccably proper posture, positioned just diagonally in front of him, a mere step away.
She was the kind of girl whose mere appearance conjured thoughts of docile obedience.
Her complexion was fair, her build delicate, and her face round, adorned with a small, exquisitely shaped nose.
Her expression, though honest, held a certain endearing vulnerability.
Seated amidst the bustling crowd, she held her head with an elegant poise, resembling a swan that had inadvertently strayed into a flock of ducks.
One glance was enough to discern she hailed from a household of stringent upbringing.
While her companions engaged in lively discussions, she merely offered a soft nod, a gesture that was both graceful and served to subtly distinguish her from those around her.
Even without the confirmation of her name, Pei Xingyan knew with absolute certainty that he could not be mistaken; this was undoubtedly Lin Xiaoyu, the girl known for her generous spirit and an innocent, kind nature.
A flicker of satisfaction stirred within him upon recognizing his target, yet in that moment, he completely overlooked the other girl seated beside him.
His gaze lingered for a beat too long, prompting Ye Zivi to lean in and unleash a torrent of cold remarks, her words a chilling whisper against his ear:
“Have you taken a fancy to one of them?” she queried, her voice laced with thinly veiled sarcasm.
“Is it the one with a mouth so wide you could practically fit a whole cow inside? Or perhaps the one whose face is caked in so much powder and foundation it could double as wall plaster? Or, dare I ask, the one sporting a ‘swimming ring’ around her midsection?”
She meticulously listed every girl in Pei Xingyan’s line of sight, her tone dripping with utter disdain, yet conspicuously, she omitted Lin Xiaoyu, the very girl whose presence would effortlessly command anyone’s attention.
Pei Xingyan understood he couldn’t possibly follow that line of questioning.
He absolutely could not admit that his interest lay with a girl other than those Ye Zivi had so disparagingly described, for he knew she was merely baiting him.
To navigate this, he needed an unconventional approach.
“None of them,” he admitted candidly.
“It’s the girl diagonally opposite me.”
He quickly continued, before Ye Zivi could even open her mouth, “I just felt she bore a striking resemblance to you, which is why I took a few extra glances.
But truth be told, she’s not nearly as beautiful as you.”
Ye Zivi’s cheeks flushed a vivid crimson, a change visible to the naked eye.
She cupped her hands over her face, her head oscillating between a nod and a shake, her composure utterly lost.
Her words tumbled out, caught in a dizzying loop between “Thank you for the compliment” and “You’re definitely just trying to flatter me.”
Pei Xingyan covertly exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, confident that this artful deflection would suffice for the day.
Yet, before he could fully draw in that breath, Ye Zivi leaned in once more, her voice dropping to an eerie murmur.
“If you ever find yourself liking someone, you absolutely must tell me, okay?” she prompted.
“I’ll be sure to lend a hand…”
Pei Xingyan offered a perfunctory smile, his thoughts churning.
‘What kind of ‘help’ would you possibly offer?’ he wondered.
‘Would it be to dispose of the person, then scatter their remains?’
He was by no means prone to exaggeration; Ye Zivi was, without a shadow of a doubt, capable of such extreme actions.
They had known each other for an extensive period, residing in the same neighborhood even before Pei Xingyan’s family fortunes had waned, and could even, by some stretch, be considered childhood sweethearts.
Thus, Pei Xingyan harbored no illusions, utterly unswayed by Ye Zivi’s sickly, fragile facade.
Were it not for an absolutely compelling reason to remain, he would have long since vanished, putting as much distance between them as possible—ideally to a place Ye Zivi could never hope to find in her lifetime.
As if by some unspoken telepathy, Ye Zivi, at that very moment, abruptly steered the conversation toward the “reason” that had occupied his thoughts.
“Oh, by the way,” she began, her voice soft yet edged with a distinct, almost deliberate undertone, “there’s a lead on the person you mentioned you were looking for earlier~”
She was clearly bringing this up with a specific intent.
“You know,” she continued, “here, being a detective isn’t exactly a legitimate profession, and their methods are hardly above board.
It’s also tied to ‘doxxing’ (TL Note: ‘kāihé’ refers to revealing personal information online), and given the person’s extraordinary identity, the fee they’re requesting is quite substantial~”
While Ye Zivi’s tone conveyed profound regret, her eyes remained strikingly placid.
She continually darted furtive glances at Pei Xingyan, observing his reaction.
“I’m not sure what kind of work you’re doing these days,” she ventured cautiously, “but it might not quite cover it, you know?”
She offered, “Perhaps I could front you a bit of the cost for now, and you can settle up once you’re back on your feet…”
“No need,” Pei Xingyan stated, shaking his head.
This was a line he absolutely could not allow himself to cross.
He was prepared to care for and protect this girl with every fiber of his being, but he would not accept a single penny from her.
Ye Zivi’s money was never truly free; who could say what hidden cost might be exacted in return?
Ye Zivi faltered for a moment, then, steeling herself, quoted a figure.
“They apparently asked for a million, you know.
It’s not that I doubt your ability to earn that much, but you’re in a rush, aren’t you?
It would be terrible if any delays occurred, so—”
“A mere million?” Pei Xingyan dismissed it with a confident smile.
“That’s hardly anything.”
Just an hour prior, he had been consumed by doubts about the reliability of Tang Xin’s new project.
Now, those concerns had entirely faded.
Ye Zivi was clearly attempting to ensnare him, and he found himself fortunate to still possess a lifeline to cling to.
Ye Zivi’s good humor evaporated entirely.
She stared at Pei Xingyan, utterly speechless for a prolonged moment.
After her lips quivered several times, she abruptly slapped her forehead, and the figure she quoted shifted once more.
“Oh, dear, look at me…” she stammered, “I’ve been so incredibly busy lately, I’m even getting my facts muddled.
They actually wanted five million, you see… Five million, that is?”
“Five million it shall be, then,” Pei Xingyan said, a smile still gracing his features.
“Who am I to complain when I’m the one seeking assistance?”
A wave of regret washed over Ye Zivi.
She lamented having initially quoted too low a price, yet she had already stated two different figures.
To alter it yet again would undoubtedly appear far too unseemly.
Pei Xingyan turned his head, first glancing at the fish noodle stall, then subtly casting another look at Lin Xiaoyu, who was seated across the aisle.
Following this, he gently tapped Ye Zivi’s head, swiftly bringing the conversation to a close with a few concise words:
“Don’t you worry,” he reassured her.
“This new job of mine is proving quite promising, and surely a sum that large wouldn’t be easy for you to produce on your own, would it?
Let’s not give your Uncle and Auntie any more cause for concern… However, if I genuinely find myself unable to continue, then you’ll certainly have to lend me a hand.”
Ye Zivi finally abandoned the words still lingering on her tongue.
She laughed heartily, thumping her chest with an air of grandiosity, her mouth full of bold declarations such as, “Then rest assured, what’s mine is yours!”
Yet, beneath the table, her hands betrayed her calm facade.
The metal cane she clutched groaned audibly under the strain, while her other hand relentlessly tore at her skirt, the sharp, tearing sound of fabric lost amidst the din of the bustling restaurant.
‘What kind of work is it, exactly?’
‘She desperately needed to understand this question; it was the only thing she cared about right now!’
‘If she couldn’t exert control over the boy beside her through the medium of money, then how could she possibly bind him to her side forever?’
‘She absolutely could not allow such a thing to transpire.’
‘This person by her side belonged to her, and only to her.
His tenderness must forever be exclusively hers.’