55: Infatuated with her

Pei Yanxiu's investigation into Shang Zhi's whereabouts in the United States was not as easy as in Hong Kong. He sent people to search for several days without any news. With two weeks left before the start of the semester, if he still couldn't find her, he would have no choice but to go to the school to arrest her.

But the thought that she might be with Lu Ke right now made him feel unbearably distressed. He returned home, where the room still held the scent of her presence. Most of the clothes in the closet were ones they had bought together. Thinking of those little moments, his heart ached as if it were being stabbed.

He sat by the bed for a long time, editing several short essays to send to her, only to delete them again.

[Don't worry about me, I'm fine.] Just then, Pei Yanxiu's phone vibrated. It was a message from her. Pei Yanxiu made a voice call, but she didn't answer. He tried to force himself to focus on company matters for the next few days, but he couldn't. He felt like her image was everywhere he looked.

Shang Zhi went to the store and ordered a new dance dress and shoes. When she received the brand-new dress, she felt that everything would get better and better.

Lu Ke stayed with her in Los Angeles for two days before he had to go back for work. After he left, Shang Zhi felt the world suddenly become quiet. She went to the square to feed the pigeons and to the park to watch the sunrise. Life suddenly became simple and peaceful.

This is good too. With the pace slowing down, she can think carefully about what she really wants.

Her mother called Shang Zhi and said that Pei Yanxiu had come home once and looked a little haggard. She asked what had happened between the two of them. Shang Zhi didn't know what to say, so she just told her mother that everything was fine and not to worry too much, and that she would handle it.

On the first day of school, Shang Zhi was a little excited. After working at the company for so long and enduring tremendous pressure every day, returning to campus gave her a sense of ease that she hadn't experienced in a long time.

There were no headache-inducing reports, no backstabbing, no passing the buck. Although there were occasional frictions and unpleasantness among classmates, they were nothing compared to what happened at the company.

Yu Qing came to see Shang Zhi. He looked more mature than before and brought her a loaf of bread.

"It's so good to see you here. I thought you wouldn't come." Walking beside Shang Zhi, Yu Qing reached out to put her arm around her, but then withdrew it.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"By the way, Azhi, where are you staying now?"

"I'll send you my location, and I'll invite some friends to come over next time."

"Um."

Shang Zhi jogged home. She had ordered a Chinese meal from a restaurant to eat at her leisure and also to check out the course schedule for the semester.

Perhaps because of the cold weather in Los Angeles, she felt a dull ache in her ankle while dancing today.

It was already dark when she got home. Shang Zhi opened the door as usual, but froze the moment she opened it.

On the sofa, that familiar figure was looking at her.

"What, you don't recognize me after a few days?" Pei Yanxiu smiled, got up and walked to her side, pulled her into the room and locked the door, then took the bag from her hand.

"You eat this when I'm not around? Measly roadside food with no nutritional value?"

"I like to eat this. It's delicious. How can it not be nutritious?" Shang Zhi finally realized.

"This is my home! What are you doing here?!"

"We're husband and wife, what's wrong with us being together?"

"I've already told you I want a divorce!"

"I disagree, Xixi. I think there's a misunderstanding between us." Pei Yanxiu lowered his head to kiss Shang Zhi's lips, but she slapped him away.

"Xixi, I'm here to apologize to you. I know I was wrong in many things before, and I will change. I won't force you to do things you don't want to do anymore. We've been together for so long, and I hope you can give me another chance. I'm worried about you being alone here, so let me keep you company."

"Get out." Shang Zhi pointed to the door, her body trembling.

She knew better than anyone that he would never change. If he were to change, he wouldn't have appeared in her house without her permission. He said one thing and did another. He would never change.

Upon hearing Shang Zhi's words, Pei Yanxiu's last bit of patience was exhausted.

His large hand touched her waist, and Shang Zhi felt as if a large patch of light had been blocked from her view. His hard object pressed against her, and his fingers followed her warm spot as they entered.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, and the tips of her ears flushed.

He ripped off her clothes and pressed her against the glass window. Between the icy cold and the burning heat, Shang Zhi clenched her fists.

"Pei Yanxiu, you're a pervert!"

"You clearly like it a lot, don't you? My darling." He gripped her waist, his grip tightening with each thrust.

When it was over, they were both exhausted. When Shang Zhi climbed off him, she almost fell. Seeing this, he carried her to the bed.

"Why can't you just leave me alone? There are so many women out there, wouldn't it be better for you to go and date someone?"

"I really will change this time, you believe me."

“Your house is too small. There’s not even a servant. There’s no need for you to suffer like this to go to school. I’ll help you find a new house and hire a chef to cook for you.”

"No need, this place is fine, I like it very much." Shang Zhi sighed softly. She really didn't understand what he was doing. The two of them were so stiff, how could he still act so nonchalantly?

"Xingxing is pregnant, did you know? We can go back and visit her together in a while." Pei Yanxiu finally remembered a topic he could talk to Shang Zhi about to break the dull atmosphere in the room.

"Xingxing is pregnant?" Shang Zhi was a little shocked. She used to dislike children the most, but she didn't expect her to get pregnant so quickly after getting married.

“Xingxing and Awang are both very happy. It’s good to have a child, don’t you think?” Pei Yanxiu looked at Shang Zhi with gentle eyes, as if expecting something. Shang Zhi immediately became alert.

"What are you thinking! I don't want children!"

"I know, but if you want it in the future, remember to come to me and not to anyone else." Pei Yanxiu's lips curled into a smile, as if he was expecting something.

The doorbell rang at an inopportune moment. Pei Yanxiu frowned, got up to open the door, and his face instantly darkened when he saw Yu Qing outside. He showed no intention of letting him in.

"Yu Qing, what brings you here?" Shang Zhi pushed Pei Yanxiu aside, wanting to invite Yu Qing in, but Yu Qing waved her hand when she saw Pei Yanxiu's ashen face, and simply handed the things in her hand to Shang Zhi.

"These are some plasters. I noticed your ankle was a bit uncomfortable today. Try these; they work very well."

"Thank you, Yu Qing."

After seeing Yu Qing off, Shang Zhi went back to her room to apply plasters. Pei Yanxiu felt uncomfortable; these men were always buzzing around Shang Zhi like flies, and he couldn't get rid of them no matter how hard he tried.

At this moment, he really hoped that the two of them could have a child, so that she wouldn't leave him so easily.

"Are you feeling unwell again?" He walked into the room, took her ankle in his hand, and gently massaged it.

"Yeah, just a little bit."

The plaster was working, it felt a little hot, and the area he was massaging was a little sore, so Shang Zhi frowned.

"If you're not feeling well, you should go to the hospital this morning."

"Never mind, I probably got chilled these past few days, it's nothing."

"It's also possible that I was angered by certain people, and that anger made me feel pain," Shang Zhi added.

"Then you should stay by my side and repay them properly," Pei Yanxiu said casually.

Shang Zhi never expected that an accident would happen. The next day, when she was dancing in class, her foot pain flared up again, and she fell down while doing a move.

After going to the hospital alone, she called Pei Yanxiu. Actually, she thought it was probably nothing serious, but she thought it would be better to tell him anyway, otherwise he would nag her when she got back.

Pei Yanxiu arrived quickly. After looking at her scans, the doctor looked serious and told her that it was best not to dance for a while. Shang Zhi could hardly believe her ears. Her new life had just begun and couldn't end like this.

"It's okay, doctor. Please prescribe some medicine for me. I'll take it for a few days and I'll definitely get better soon."

"No, you can't leave now. You have to stay in the hospital for further examination."

Shang Zhi wanted to cry, not understanding why accidents always happened just when everything was about to get better.

"Okay, doctor, I'll go and complete the admission procedures now." Pei Yanxiu was much calmer than Shang Zhi, and he took the stack of documents from the doctor and signed them one by one.

"It's okay. We'll solve the problem if there's one, and get treatment if you're sick. Don't worry, I'm here for you. I'll always be with you."

He held her hand very, very tightly.

"No matter what happens, I will always be with you."