The few who had chased after her spoke in unison, a beat too late.
"You know each other??"
Shen Zhiyi was already surprised to see Pei Yu and was even more taken aback by these unfamiliar faces, so she looked toward Pei Yu.
Pei Yu, uninterested in explaining, said, "If you’re not sitting, then leave."
He reached out to pull a chair open and sat down next to Shen Zhiyi, noticing her snow-white skirt.
Seeing this, the others also took their seats, quickly filling the empty table and attracting even more looks from around them.
Feeling oddly bewildered under their steady gaze, Shen Zhiyi cast her eyes towards Pei Yu, as he was the only person she knew here.
Pei Yu raised his glass slightly, took a sip, and squinted slightly, misunderstanding her intent, "Want so drink?"
"No," she pursed her lips, "I just wanted to try it."
She thought the wine must be expensive, so she wanted to taste it.
"It’s awful," Pei Yu said offhandedly, and ordered her a juice instead, "Drink this."
She’s so young, what was she doing drinking alcohol.
His deanor was so natural, it was as if they were really good friends.
Seeing that he had no intention of explaining the situation, Qin Fang had no choice but to voice his confusion and, a few minutes later, finally understood what was happening.
"What a coincidence."
With Qin Fang and Qin Xiaoran present, there wouldn’t be any awkward silences, and after chatting for a while, everyone beca more familiar with each other.
"You are at the sa school as us, and you might even end up in the sa class as Xiaoran," Qin Fang noted how truly coincidental it was.
"The class schedules should already be out," Qin Xiaoran, who took a liking to Shen Zhiyi, said directly, "I’ll have soone check, and even if we aren’t in the sa class, we can arrange it."
Shen Zhiyi smiled at her.
After being ticulously cared for by the Shen Family for several months, her wounds had healed, and she had gained so weight, looking less gaunt, with slightly fuller cheeks, clean, soft, and pretty, her smile blending warmness and brightness, giving her a friendly air.
Pei Yu assessed her subtly and was fairly pleased.
"Let’s add each other’s contact info," Qin Xiaoran, reaching over due to the distance, first handed her phone to Pei Yu, "Brother Pei Yu, can you pass it to her?"
Pei Yu glanced at her pink phone case, then pulled out his own phone from his jacket pocket and handed it over first.
The others widened their eyes.
Unaware of their reactions, Shen Zhiyi added him first, then added Qin Xiaoran.
Having had the phone for several months, this was the first ti since her foster parents that she added soone else’s contact, a promising start.
She gently curved her eyes, handed back the phone, their fingertips touching briefly, the youth’s long lashes trembling slightly, inexplicably narrowing his eyes.
This action by Pei Yu left the others baffled, but Qin Fang and Fu Songzhi exchanged glances and also exchanged contact information with Shen Zhiyi.
The privileged few found engaging conversation with an obscure foster daughter, surprising many.
Father Pei introduced a business partner to Pei Yu and casually ntioned, "What’s the deal with that foster daughter?"
He wasn’t really concerned about these matters, but he felt that Pei Yu’s behavior was sowhat peculiar.
"Don’t know," Pei Yu responded coldly, as if impatient, "Qin Xiaoran is close to her."
Qin Xiaoran was sociable and also got along well with Pei Yu; with her around, Pei Yu wouldn’t snub her, so Father Pei nodded and didn’t dwell further on the matter.
The banquet ended late into the night. Shen Zhiyi waited in a corner for her foster parents, seeing Pei Yu walking over with a middle-aged man, probably his father.
She blinked, wanting to greet him as he neared, but Pei Yu coldly swept her a glance as if he didn’t recognize her at all and looked away.
She was a bit startled.
Shen Family’s villa was close to the Qin Family’s, not too far away. In the car, Father Shen casually asked, "I heard you made so new friends?"
Shen Zhiyi softly humd in acknowledgnt.
Her foster parents treated her well, but they treated her like a guest rather than a daughter.
"All those young masters are truly exceptional. It’s good to be friends with them, especially... Pei Yu. How well do you get along with him?"
Thinking of that cold gaze, Shen Zhiyi shook her head, "We’ve only exchanged a few words."
Shen Zhiyi’s parents didn’t press any further.
Back in her spacious and bright bedroom, Shen Zhiyi finished washing up and lay on her bed, chatting with Qin Xiaoran, listening to her describe the school curriculum. It was an international private middle school, with both middle and high school divisions on the sa campus. For Qin Xiaoran, advancing levels was rely a change of buildings.
"Qin Fang’s classroom is right beside our building; we can go there and get snacks. Many girls give him treats, so we don’t even need to buy any. Brother Pei Yu receives even more gifts, but I’m a bit scared to ask him for so."
Pei Yu... Shen Zhiyi thought of the youth’s delicate eyebrows and cold eyes, and felt that he was very complex.
She held her phone, lost in thoughts until a ringtone jolted her back to reality.
She glanced at her phone and imdiately sat up.
It was Pei Yu.
She felt vaguely nervous for no apparent reason, "Hello?"
Pei Yu’s voice also carried a bit of coldness, just like him, "Are you mad at ?"
It was very quiet on his end, although his tone was light, it unexpectedly felt gentle.
Shen Zhiyi touched her earlobe, unsure of how to reply, " ...No."
But she wasn’t feeling very good either.
Pei Yu seed to chuckle softly, emitting a faint breathy sound, "I thought you might misunderstand, so I wanted to explain that my friendships are closely scrutinized. So, befriending might involve so sneaking around."
He asked quietly, "So, do you still want to be friends with ?"
However, Shen Zhiyi found herself daydreaming. They hadn’t spent much ti together; were they already considered friends?
She took too long to respond, and Pei Yu, not a patient person, furrowed his brows and called her na, "Shen Zhiyi, are you going to be so heartless towards ?"
Shen Zhiyi couldn’t help but laugh.
"No," she cleared her throat, "I was just daydreaming."
The young man teased her about her fault again, asking in a light tone, "You daydream even while talking to ?"
In her mind, Shen Zhiyi thought, it’s because of you that I was daydreaming.
She was amiable and rembered the help he had once given her, and said softly, "No, it’s not that. I... I didn’t expect you to explain."
Even though his attitude was unpredictable, Shen Zhiyi wouldn’t really ask about it.
Pei Yu was silent for a while, then changed the topic, "How are your foster parents treating you?"
Her adoptive parents were both smart people.
"Very well," Shen Zhiyi spoke softly, "I’ve been really good lately."
She had never felt so relaxed before.
"It’s just the beginning," Pei Yu’s voice was very low, "It will get even better."
Shen Zhiyi took this as a blessing and smiled, "Thank you."
That night, she intermittently chatted with Qin Xiaoran until late, thinking about what she said about them attending the sa school as Pei Yu, and she began to feel excited about her upcoming school life.
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