Before her was the man’s solid chest, his scent gushing forth, the familiar sll montarily reminded Qiao Rui of that night in Xinyang, and even more so of the night after the TV drama awards ceremony.
Her face turned even redder.
And by her ear was the sound of the man’s strong heartbeat, beating, each thump unsettling her for no apparent reason.
"Don’t move, just a second!" the man’s tone was a bit hurried, as if laced with a hint of urgency.
It was as if he was trying to confirm sothing.
And such a tone instantly set off alarm bells in Qiao Rui’s head.
She began to struggle, abruptly pushing Pei Liyan away.
Embarrassed yet furious, she tried to cover her guilt with anger, scolding, "This is you taking advantage, isn’t it?"
With nothing left in his arms, Pei Liyan felt the loss of that familiar feeling all at once, and his mind grew even more chaotic.
He gazed deeply at Qiao Rui, his eyes filled with intense doubt, his brows furrowed, but his gaze unwavering on Qiao Rui.
If it weren’t for this hug, Qiao Rui wouldn’t be so nervous.
This hug, it was more like a probe.
Suddenly, Qiao Rui felt flustered.
"Pei Liyan!" she called out again.
It seed as if Pei Liyan suddenly sobered up, looked at her, and then cracked a smile, saying, "So nervous? There isn’t sothing you’re hiding from , is there?"
"Are you sick?" retorted Qiao Rui, "Suddenly hugging like that, isn’t it disgusting?"
Pei Liyan raised an eyebrow, replying, "I rember on the day we got our marriage certificate, soone said they were drooling over ."
Qiao Rui was montarily stunned and argued, "Mr. Pei, there’s a limit to joking around. If there’s nothing else, I’m going upstairs."
"Just wait a mont," Pei Liyan finally said with a grave voice, "I still have sothing I want to talk to you about."
"What else do you want to say?" Qiao Rui was already sowhat impatient.
Pei Liyan gave her a look, saying, "Your life won’t be easy in the days to co, and I’ll be away on a business trip. If you stay out of trouble, don’t wander off; otherwise, I can’t help you."
"You’d actually help out of the kindness of your heart?" Qiao Rui asked skeptically.
Pei Liyan looked at her, frowning, "Have you always been so ungrateful?"
"How am I ungrateful now?"
"If I hadn’t spoken up today, do you think you would have looked good at the mansion?"
"Even if you had spoken up, it wasn’t much better for . Without a doubt, the most embarrassed person tonight was your grandmother." Qiao Rui suddenly laughed, rembering the old lady trembling with anger, still unable to suppress her chuckle.
Pei Liyan saw the animation in her eyes and brows. Although she wasn’t devastatingly beautiful, the way her gaze lowered was nonetheless comforting.
Turns out, she actually looked pretty good without her glasses.
Shaken by this thought, Pei Liyan imdiately averted his eyes, and he said, "My grandmother never suffers a loss, so your days ahead won’t be easy."
Qiao Rui nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up; I’ll see what I can do."
"Keep a low profile," Pei Liyan said.
Qiao Rui pondered for a mont, responding, "All right, I’ll steer clear of your grandmother’s way, but if she insists on coming after , there’s nothing I can do."
"You’re probably not capable of keeping a low profile," Pei Liyan looked at her and added, "but, moderation is key."
Qiao Rui raised her eyebrows; he didn’t seem too unreasonable.
At least he was willing to give a heads-up and didn’t say she couldn’t fight back.
She nodded. "I’ll do my best."
Seeing her respond in such a way, Pei Liyan felt significantly more at ease. For a girl as fiery as her to say this, it must have been tough.
He watched her intently for a mont before finally saying, "You can go upstairs now."
Almost at the sa ti, Qiao Rui breathed a sigh of relief, turned her head, and left without even a goodnight.
Pei Liyan watched her retreating figure, a wave of complex emotions sweeping through his gaze.
After standing there for a mont, his tall fra turned and walked back to the Pei Mansion.
The butler did not seem at all surprised upon seeing him, simply smiling and saying, "Young Master, Elder Pei said to find him in the ancestral hall if you returned."
Pei Liyan nodded, "I know, I’m on my way there."
Just as he was about to leave, Pei Qiuhua called out, "Big brother!"
Pei Liyan looked at his sister running towards him, his expression indifferent, "What is it?"
"Big brother, with such an incident, how can you remain so calm?" Pei Qiuhua didn’t quite understand her brother’s mindset. "Why are you protecting Qiao Rui? Don’t you see how she angered Grandma?"
When Pei Liyan heard his sister’s words, his gaze sharpened, and he retorted coldly, "Qiuhua, do you really think Qiao Rui did sothing wrong?"
Pei Qiuhua was suddenly taken aback; she stared blankly at Pei Liyan, "Big brother, you..."
Pei Liyan appeared calm on the surface, but his brows were knit with seriousness, and the air around him was as cold as the depths of winter.
"When did you start living in your own world, unable to distinguish right from wrong, yet so self-righteous?"
Pei Qiuhua was ashad, her face turning red and white. "But big brother, I just feel like she’s not worthy of you!"
"That’s your presumption," Pei Liyan said somberly, "My choice is not for you to question."
"But, big brother!"
Pei Liyan’s glance bore deep significance as he looked at his sister’s frustrated face and cut her off, "You could take a look in the mirror and see how poorly you’re managing your expression; it’s simply hideously awful!"
Pei Qiuhua was stunned, her face flushed with embarrassnt.
Pei Liyan turned and walked toward the ancestral hall.
Pei Qiuhua took out a small mirror from her makeup bag and upon opening it, she saw her own face, contorted and grotesque, causing the color to drain completely from her face.
She stood under the streetlight, motionless for a long while.
Until soone ca up to her, "Miss Qiuhua, the Old Madam asks for you."
"I know." Pei Qiuhua nodded, "I’ll go right away."
She glanced in the direction of the ancestral hall, worry in her eyes, but she still headed towards the Old Madam’s place.
The Pei Family Ancestral Hall was located in the innermost part of the old mansion. The Pei Mansion was a large compound of interconnected courtyards, with ample space and a mix of pavilions and gardens amidst the landscape, combining Eastern and Western architectural designs.
The ancestral hall lay at the very end, its Chinese-style villa conveying a sense of solemnity upon entry.
As Pei Liyan entered, he saw his second uncle Pei Yuanji, second aunt Cheng ilan, and cousin Jibai kneeling in front of the ancestral tablets.
The ancestral hall enshrined the Pei family’s lineage and ancestors.
Of course, the Pei family also held important etings here at tis.
At that mont, Elder Pei sat at the side by the Eight Immortals table, exuding authority.
Pei Liyan first addressed him, "Grandfather!"
"You’re here," Elder Pei’s tone was severe, "I’ve been waiting for you for a long ti."
Pei Liyan stiffened slightly, his deanor calm yet composed. "Grandfather knew I would co back."
Elder Pei looked at him and said in a deep voice, "All that you arranged, things have escalated to this extent, are you satisfied, my dear grandson?"
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