Love you

Xu Ruoyan glanced at Pei Jue again, and at the same time secretly nudged him with her right arm that was pressed against him.

Pei Jue immediately received the message, coughed a few times while covering his mouth, and spoke:

"Junior brother, there's one more thing I need to trouble you with."

Song Mingyang looked at Xu Ruoyan and then at Pei Jue, and suddenly realized something.

It seems like the couple is taking turns attacking each other.

He chuckled twice and said, "Brother Ziyan, please speak freely, there's no need to be shy."

Pei Jue took Xu Ruoyan's hand, which was under the table, and mouthed something to her as she looked over:

"nervous."

Why are you so nervous?!

Xu Ruoyan really wanted to glare at her fiercely, but since there were other people present, she could only swallow her anger.

So Pei Jue brazenly and confidently wrapped Xu Ruoyan's hand tightly in his own palm.

Sitting opposite him, Song Mingyang noticed their little actions but didn't say anything, so he could only turn his head away, touch his nose, and pretend to be clueless.

Xu Ruoyan couldn't stand it any longer, so she reached out with her other hand under the table and pinched Pei Jue's thigh hard.

Song Mingyang, who was bending down pretending to pick something up but actually peeking, felt a sharp pain in his leg and jumped.

At this moment, Pei Jue finally spoke up: "Do you think... could you get me a minor official position?"

Xu Ruoyan immediately smiled ingratiatingly, "Hey, my dear brother, you see, your brother Ziyan is usually quite idle. You know he's the kind of person who can't sit still, right?"

Song Mingyang awkwardly chuckled twice, giving them a knowing look.

He simply didn't understand. If they were already engaged in illicit business, why did they need an official position? Wouldn't it just cause them more trouble if they were discovered?!

"Hahaha..."

His smile froze in the wind, while his mind raced.

Xu Ruoyan seemed oblivious to his dilemma and continued, "I think that Assistant Magistrate is quite good. What do you think, my brother?"

Song Mingyang almost fell off the chair.

What kind of position is that, Tongzhi? Can it be given away so easily?

It wasn't that he didn't believe in Pei Jue's talent; after all, Pei Jue had always been one of the top students in their school days, the teacher's most valued student. However, given his current status, if he were to spend all his time following Pei Jue around...

That means nobody's life is in danger.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, forcing an awkward smile: "Sister-in-law, the position of Assistant Magistrate has already been filled, but I see there's still a vacancy for the Wage Collector..."

Xu Ruoyan stared at him and smiled like an emotionless robot.

Song Mingyang's voice grew softer and softer until he fell completely silent. He touched his back, feeling a chill run down his spine.

"Haha, alright, Brother Ziyan, I'll go arrange it for you right away." He finally couldn't stand Xu Ruoyan's gaze and chose to compromise.

Pei Jue immediately stood up and, together with Xu Ruoyan, bowed to Song Mingyang: "We are truly sorry to have troubled you, Lord Song."

Song Mingyang dared not accept their bow and quickly stepped forward to help them up, saying, "Brother Ziyan, you are too kind. It was nothing to mention."

Fearing that these two smiling tigers might make some more unreasonable demands, he continued, "I think it's time for lunch. Why don't you and your wife stay? I'll tell them to buy some good food."

Pei Jue smiled slightly: "We are not hungry, so we won't trouble Lord Song. We have been very kind to you today, so we will take our leave now and visit you again another day with generous gifts."

With a forced smile and bowing, Song Mingyang finally managed to send the two big shots away, then slumped into a chair like a deflated balloon.

It was true that he and Pei Jue had a deep bond, and he was overjoyed to see Pei Jue safe and sound. However, Pei Jue's arrival would undoubtedly bring him trouble—that was an indisputable fact. How many brothers would turn against each other for personal gain? He thought he had acted with a clear conscience.

In truth, if Xu Ruoyan hadn't threatened him with her eyes, he would never have agreed to their second request, since that would really cost him his head. However, given that Xu Ruoyan and Pei Jue were both ruthless—one outwardly ruthless and the other inwardly ruthless—he knew that if he dared to say "no" again, he wouldn't even need Pei Huai to deal with him; these two could make him lose his head immediately.

He sighed deeply, feeling as if his soul had drifted away.

He was too excited when they first met and didn't think much about it. He was also frightened by these two people and couldn't think straight. Now that he's calmed down and thought about it carefully, he realized that Pei Jue coming to see him was definitely not a good thing.

He didn't want to think in that direction, but his intuition told him that Pei Jue would definitely do that.

After all, isn't it normal to take back what rightfully belongs to you?

...

Song Mingyang was efficient and didn't waste time. He not only quickly placed Pei Jue'an in the government office, but also found them a good place to stay. The place they wanted was found very quickly.

Xu Ruoyan was leaning against a pillar, admiring the view of the courtyard, when she was suddenly hugged from behind.

Her body stiffened, and she turned her head with difficulty in Pei Jue's arms: "What are you doing?"

"Song Mingyang sent someone to tell me that I could start my new job tomorrow. The land has been found. It's in the southwest suburbs, near the mountains. There's a large piece of wasteland there that we can use."

These were all expected. Xu Ruoyan nodded and pinched his arm that was draped around her waist: "Just talk, why are you getting handsy?"

Pei Jue was already very content to be able to hug her like this. He obediently let go of her hand and pulled Xu Ruoyan to sit down on the stone steps in front of the house.

"Shall we go to the outskirts of the city together tomorrow?"

Xu Ruoyan hugged her legs with both arms, her chin resting on her knees, her head bobbing as she spoke. Pei Jue sat to her left and behind her, smiling slightly, his gaze sweeping over her back again and again.

Seeing that Pei Jue hadn't replied for a long time, she turned her head curiously: "What are you thinking about?"

Pei Jue rubbed his nose, feeling like he was about to sneeze.

Perhaps it's because spring has arrived.

Seeing that he still didn't speak, Xu Ruoyan bared her teeth and pinched his cheek fiercely: "Why won't you talk!"

Pei Jue then snapped out of his reverie, pulled her hand down, and held it: "I was just thinking, could we sit together like this in the future?"

Xu Ruoyan was confused by his rambling and disjointed words.

“What I mean is,” Pei Jue looked at her intently, his thumb gently stroking her wrist, “I want to sit here quietly with you like this.”

Xu Ruoyan roughly understood.

The sunlight was clearly fading, but she still seemed to be stinging her eyes, and subconsciously squinted.

The warm sun made her feel dizzy, and the clear pool in front of her seemed unreal. She seemed to see the water in the pool slowly floating in the air, overflowing from the pool, and gently wrapping around her like a serpent.

Then Pei Jue's voice, like the first ray of sunlight piercing through the morning mist, entered her heart.

"Madam, how about we buy a courtyard like this someday?"

Xu Ruoyan yawned widely and shook his hand, saying, "Why think so much? It's still early."

She rubbed her eyes, wiped away the few tears that had welled up, and turned to meet Pei Jue's gaze.

The instant their eyes met, she felt as if she were drawn in by a tremendous force. In Pei Jue's eyes, she saw her own reflection, she saw the pool full of spring colors, and she saw herself enveloped in love.

At this moment, Pei Jue's eyes seemed to possess a magical power.

Have I ever told you that your eyes are beautiful?

She murmured.

Then she saw the eyes she had praised crinkle slightly.

"Thank you for the compliment, madam."

Xu Ruoyan couldn't help but chuckle: "Is this considered a compliment?"

She sighed and shook her head: "It's just what I felt; after all, that's really what I think."

Pei Jue's smile widened: "What does Madam think of my idea?"

Xu Ruoyan shrugged: "I really like this courtyard. You should hurry up and save money."

She stretched and turned her head, only to be startled by Pei Jue's face looming close to hers.

"lady?"

She was so angry that she pinched Pei Jue's cheek again: "Can't you speak properly!"

Pei Jue then took her hand and pressed it against his face.

"Madam, you said last time that I didn't confess my feelings, so I've been thinking for a long time about how to start the conversation."

Xu Ruoyan was genuinely stunned.

Pei Jue lowered his eyelashes, concealing the subtle light in his eyes.

"I'm not good with words and I'm not good at pleasing you, Madam. I just hope you won't hate me," he said, like a pitiful little dog soaked by the rain, tightly holding Xu Ruoyan's hand. "But sometimes I secretly wish that you would never leave me."

Xu Ruoyan stared blankly at him, her raised hand, which she had intended to use to comfort him, frozen helplessly in mid-air.

“It’s just that Madam said she wanted a freer life, and I’ve always remembered that,” he carefully chose his words, afraid that any one of them might scare Xu Ruoyan away. “So I just wanted to ask Madam’s wishes, and I won’t force her.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Ruoyan turned her entire body around. She freed her hands from Pei Jue's grasp, and under his astonished gaze, she cupped his face, making him look at her.

At that moment, she was probably out of her mind. In short, she didn't want to think about anything else. She only had one thought: to stop making Pei Jue so cautious.

She stared straight into Pei Jue's eyes, and for a moment, she couldn't tell whether they were eyes or a lake shimmering with gold.

Love makes the brave timid, and gives courage to the cowardly.

She suddenly realized that Pei Jue wasn't the only coward in this relationship.

She always attributed her feelings for Pei Jue to sympathy and friendship, and without exception, she chose to run away when faced with this unfamiliar affection.

Pei Jue's body heat still lingered on her wrist, almost completely dissipating with a gust of wind.

She was determined to pursue this warmth, in a formal capacity.

"Pei Jue?"

Pei Jue immediately responded with an "Mmm." His voice was slightly hoarse, a fact both of them noticed.

Xu Ruoyan smiled, her thumb brushing against Pei Jue's cheek with a gesture of tenderness.

"Thank you for giving me a home here. I won't leave; this is our home."

Pei Jue seemed not to have realized what she meant by those words, and just stared at her blankly.

Xu Ruoyan chuckled and said, "I say, let's find a time to get married."

After two seconds of silence, a kiss landed on Xu Ruoyan's lips. Although the kiss was brief, Xu Ruoyan could feel that it contained all his promises to her.

After the kiss, Pei Jue held her waist tightly and gently rubbed his sore nose against her face.

Xu Ruoyan turned her head, her soft lips brushing against the tip of his ear: "I'm not used to home without you. Home is only where you are."

She had to admit that fate can be so inexplicable, and love can be so illogical. From their first meeting to their journey together, the things they experienced were absurd; just a few months ago, no one would have believed that two people from such different backgrounds could fall in love.

But no one can define what love is like, not even themselves.

Then let you become my course after I've deviated from my intended path.

With you as my lighthouse, I never feel lost.