Chapter 3: Turning Black into White, Calling a Deer a Horse

I don't know who it splashed on, but then I heard an angry shout, "Who do you think you are, daring to splash my wine?"

Compared to the man's anger, Xie Nanzhi was calm and composed. She cleared her throat and said in a calm tone, "I am the fake heiress you all talk about, the real blind woman."

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Xie Nanzhi, and finally to her white cane.

An eerie silence fell over the private room.

The man who was splashed with wine was speechless, and he swallowed back all the profanities he was about to utter.

At this moment, Xie Xiyan also looked over and called to Pei Jingchuan, who was leaning against her, "Jingchuan, Nanzhi is here, wake up."

Southern branch, thank you, Southern branch?

Pei Jingchuan opened his eyes and saw a familiar figure. In the next second, he straightened up from Xie Xiyan's embrace, and was seven-tenths sober.

Suddenly, Pei Jingchuan realized that Xie Nanzhi was blind and breathed a sigh of relief.

Pei Jingchuan savored Xie Xiyan's warmth, but couldn't help turning his attention to Xie Nanzhi. "Nanzhi, what brings you here?"

Pei Jingchuan got up to take Xie Nanzhi's hand, but she ruthlessly shook him off.

Pei Jingchuan was taken aback.

In the three years of their marriage, Xie Nanzhi had never lost his temper with her.

His face immediately darkened, and the people around him dared not even breathe, each one on tenterhooks for fear of getting into trouble.

It wasn't until Pei Jingchuan forcibly pulled Xie Nanzhi into his arms, lowering his voice, that he said, "Nanzhi."

The deep voice carried a warning tone.

In the past, Xie Nanzhi might have tolerated it, but now, she was unwilling.

Xie Nanzhi bit her lip, her misty eyes filled with grievance, "Jingchuan, tell me the truth, do you not love me anymore? Have you fallen for Xie Xiyan?"

Pei Jingchuan was stunned. How could she have blurted out what was on his mind?

Did Xie Nanzhi find out something?

If Xie Nanzhi's eyes could see at this moment, she would see the most guilty man in history.

Pei Jingchuan looked at Xie Xiyan and denied it outright, "Nonsense, that's not true at all. How could I not love you?"

By the end, their voices had become softer.

Tears streamed down her pretty face, enough to melt even a heart of stone. Xie Nanzhi choked back sobs, “Your friends said that I’m not good enough for you, that I’m just a blind man, and that you and Xie Xiyan are a match made in heaven.”

Subconsciously, the group of people who had just been joking around felt a chill run down their spines.

They say she's blind, that's true, but when did they call her a "dead blind woman"?

"Sister-in-law, we drank too much and were just talking nonsense, please don't be angry."

"Yes, sister-in-law, just pretend we farted, don't take it to heart."

"Sister-in-law, you and Jingchuan are a match made in heaven. We were blind just now."

Each person offered a sentence, and they readily offered apologies.

Knowing when to stop, Xie Nanzhi didn't want to make too much of a fuss. She turned around and took his hand, looking pitiful with her head down, "Jingchuan, I want to go home."

The place is smoky and polluted, and Xie Nanzhi is pregnant; it's definitely not a good place to stay for long.

Pei Jingchuan took her hand and started to walk out, when he heard Xie Nanzhi let out a muffled groan, and he immediately stopped.

"What's wrong?"

Xie Nanzhi said softly, "I'm not familiar with this place, and I twisted my ankle on the way here."

Upon hearing this, Pei Jingchuan scooped her up in his arms without saying a word, "Where did you twist your ankle? I'll have someone fix it tomorrow."

Xie Nanzhi buried her head in his chest, feigning shyness and remaining silent.

Seeing this, Pei Jingchuan's mood improved considerably.

The atmosphere in the private room only returned to normal after the two left.

The group of people who were just joking around said, "We thought Jingchuan had long been tired of the little blind girl, but we didn't expect the two of them to have such a good relationship."

"Judging from Jingchuan's nervousness, it doesn't seem like he's faking it; this is true love."

"That's right. Besides, I think Mrs. Pei is as beautiful as a flower. She's a real beauty. No wonder Jingchuan cherishes her so much that he doesn't want to bring her out."

Xie Xiyan sat to the side listening, her eyes fixed on the direction the two had gone, before raising a glass of wine in front of her and drinking it all in one gulp.

After leaving the waterside shop, Pei Jingchuan carefully carried her into the car.

It was cold outside, but I felt warm inside the car.

Xie Nanzhi sat up straight, her eyes unfocused, staring at one spot. She felt the car slowly start moving, and with it came Pei Jingchuan's body temperature.

Pei Jingchuan leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Why are you here so late?"

Xie Nanzhi's gaze remained unchanged. "It was Xie Xiyan who called me, saying you'd had too much to drink and asking me to come pick you up. Concern clouded my judgment, and I came without thinking much. Now that I think about it..."

Xie Nanzhi stopped mid-sentence.

Pei Jingchuan scrutinized her. "What are you thinking about?"

Xie Nanzhi smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing, maybe I'm just overthinking it."

She could feel Pei Jingchuan's gaze fixed on her. Finally, Pei Jingchuan pulled her into his arms. "Xie Xiyan suffered a lot when she was young, but she is a simple person and has no bad intentions."

Xie Nanzhi's face was pale, and the flesh in her palms looked like it was about to be torn apart.

Is that how much he loves her, to the point of distorting right and wrong, calling a deer a horse?

Back then, Xie Xiyan stole her fiancé, so he's not bad? He orchestrated that car accident, so he's not bad? He took her corneas, so he's not bad?

Because she was replaced as an infant, she became, in everyone's eyes, the most heinous sinner.

Everyone can step on her, even the servants of the Xie family are allowed to beat and scold her. Being bullied and insulted by Xie Xiyan, and being framed are commonplace.

Recalling those memories, Xie Nanzhi felt a chill run down her spine.

Even so, she never considered going against Xie Xiyan. Even though Xie Xiyan stole her fiancé, she never truly resented Xie Xiyan.

When she overheard Pei Jingchuan and Xu Mo's conversation outside the ward, her heart sank to the bottom.

When they arrived home, Xie Nanzhi got out of the car.

At midnight, Xie Nanzhi was really exhausted after all that fuss. She washed up and lay down, and soon Pei Jingchuan also lay down.

Just as his slender fingertips touched her waist, Pei Jingchuan's phone, which was on the bedside table, rang.

Pei Jingchuan picked it up and immediately got out of bed. "Nanzhi, I'm going to answer a phone call."

Xie Nanzhi remained calm and said, "Okay."

After Pei Jingchuan left, Xie Nanzhi threw off the covers and followed him out.

She stood outside the study, and a familiar voice came from inside.

"How could I possibly fall in love with her? My feelings have never changed."

"Xi Yan, you've had too much to drink. Didn't Chen Xu come to pick you up?"

"Okay, wait for me, I'll be right there."

In the darkness, Xie Nanzhi slipped into the bathroom. Pei Jingchuan returned from the study and happened to see her push open the bathroom door.

Feeling guilty, Pei Jingchuan asked, "Nanzhi, you're still awake?"

Having lived in the villa for three years, she knew every spot intimately, so she didn't need a white cane to move around the villa.

Xie Nanzhi said, "I had a sip of water and went to the restroom."

It seems he was overthinking it.

Pei Jingchuan walked over and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "You should get some rest. Something urgent has come up at the company, and I have to go and handle it personally."

That's a very familiar excuse, isn't it?

For the past three years, Pei Jingchuan was always called away in the middle of the night, even during intimate moments, and he always managed to rationally extricate himself. Xie Nanzhi never doubted this; she genuinely believed it was an urgent matter at the company.

Looking back now, it seems that Xie Xiyan was the one who always handled urgent matters.

Pei Jingchuan put on his clothes, but left the bedroom without tying his tie properly because he was in a hurry.

Hearing the footsteps fading into the distance, Xie Nanzhi turned pale, her fingernails digging into her flesh.

He truly cared, so he would rush over immediately after Xie Xiyan made just one phone call.

Suddenly, for some unknown reason, Xie Nanzhi chased after him from the bedroom and grabbed his hand, saying, "Jingchuan, can we not go?"