Chapter 17

The engine started, and the vibration of the tires rolling over the speed bump sent another sharp pain through Pei Yanxi's back.

She didn't frown, but instead glanced at Yun Zhan in the passenger seat out of the corner of her eye.

In my line of sight, Yun Zhan sat in the passenger seat, her hands on her knees, like a child who had done something wrong. She seemed a little cold and was shivering slightly.

Pei Yanxi looked away and simply turned up the heat.

The hot air blowing from the vent brushed against my bruised arm, causing a slight stinging sensation.

"Yun Zhan, are you shivering because you're cold... or because you're nervous?" Pei Yanxi gripped the steering wheel and couldn't help but ask.

"Because I'm scared," Yun Zhan answered truthfully, her hands resting obediently on her knees, but the backs of her fingers were pale and bluish from tension.

His eyes were fixed on the stitching of the front seat, his eyelashes casting a row of fine shadows, like the wings of a startled butterfly.

As the lamplight slid across the room again, she caught a glimpse of a tear in Yun Zhan's eye. That moment, sharper than any bruise, pierced her heart. Pei Yanxi's grip on the steering wheel loosened slightly; the whiteness from her knuckles from the exertion hadn't faded completely when a pang of bitterness rose in her heart.

"Don't be afraid." Pei Yanxi finally spoke, her voice so low it was almost like a breath, yet it carried her usual cool and aloof quality.

"Yun Zhan, please tell me the reason. If you don't tell me, I won't know what you're afraid of," Pei Yanxi asked her, her voice lower and softer at the end.

"I not only failed to complete the work assigned by my senior, but I also caused you trouble, making you spend time taking care of me late at night... Senior Pei, I'm really sorry." Yun Zhan lowered her eyes, a few cold tears streaming from her dark eyes. She rubbed her eyes, and the reddened corners of her eyes met Pei Yanxi's gaze.

Pei Yanxi stopped the car immediately. She suddenly leaned forward, her movements so fast that it didn't seem like someone who was injured. Her left hand braced against the edge of Yun Zhan's seat, and her right hand went around the back of Yun Zhan's neck, her fingertips hovering above Yun Zhan's hair, just a centimeter away from touching it.

In the end, Pei Yanxi hesitated and didn't dare to put her hand down, only letting the warmth of her palm soothe her skin through the air.

"I am here."

Pei Yanxi looked at Yun Zhan with an unusually serious expression. She reached out and gently grasped Yun Zhan's right hand, which was resting on his knee. They didn't interlock their fingers, but simply pressed their palms together, gently comforting her anxiety.

“I’ll handle those senior girls, don’t be afraid. You have to tell me that so I can help you solve it, Yun Zhan... I can’t just sit idly by and do nothing about your situation.”

"Helping me won't do you any good," Yun Zhan said in a muffled voice.

"Indeed, perhaps I treat you the same way you treat Wen Sixue, without any reservations."

In the darkness of night, Pei Yanxi's eyes softened little by little as she gazed at the dark road ahead. Yes... Yun Zhan was fearless for Wen Sixue, and she felt the same way about her.

She knew that if Yun Zhan had lied to her after daybreak, she would not only have to face bruises and possible bone fractures, but also other worse things.

But at this moment, the steering wheel was in her hands, Yun Zhan sat beside her, the heater was blowing, and the city lights outside the car window looked like a reversed Milky Way.

That's enough.

She could have ruined Yun Zhan tonight, but she didn't want to... This willful feeling was enough for her to swallow the "why" back, enough for her to turn right at the next intersection and take Yun Zhan home, instead of turning left and sending him back to the school's restricted room.

...

Pei Yanxi's private villa was very secluded. The car drove for a long time before finally disappearing at the end of a quiet sycamore-lined road.

This is an Italian-style villa built of light honey-colored limestone. The villa's wrought iron gate, forged in the style of a 19th-century Parisian workshop with a subtle partridge feather pattern, looks quite old, as the black paint has faded to lead gray. A shield-shaped coat of arms hangs in the center of the lintel, engraved with the Pei family's coat of arms.

“This villa is all mine. There’s no one else here, so don’t feel awkward.” Pei Yanxi led Yun Zhan inside.

As Pei Yanxi took out her key to unlock the door, her movements suddenly froze for a moment. Come to think of it, Yun Zhan was the first girl she had ever brought home...

Out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but glance at the well-behaved girl behind her, and a subtle sense of unease gradually spread to her heart.

Pei Yanxi's master bedroom was on the southwest side of the second floor of the mansion. The door was made of dark walnut wood, with extremely fine carvings of wheat ears and laurel borders. The copper handle was cast into a slender Roman comb, which was cold to the touch. Yun Zhan touched it once and then quickly withdrew it.

The bedroom was surprisingly simple, with no central chandelier, only a ring of hidden light troughs. The light fell evenly after being refracted by the chalky white walls, leaving neither shadows nor warmth, just like Pei Yanxi herself, who never showed her emotions.

"The guest room hasn't been cleaned, so you'll sleep in my bed tonight. I'm going to take a shower first."

Pei Yanxi took a burgundy slip dress from the closet, lazily brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and went downstairs to the bathroom.

Yun Zhan was the only one left in the room.

She sat on Pei Yanxi's bed, the soft bed carrying a faint, cool fragrance of roses, both regal and alluring... just like the scent she had smelled on Pei Yanxi before.

"Am I really going to have to sleep here?" Yun Zhan bit her lip, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She thought she was going to sleep in the guest room... How could she just come up here and sleep in someone else's bed?

"Looks like it is. Congratulations, host! Hahahaha." 21 loved watching the show. Anyway, Pei Yanxi wasn't going to eat Yun Zhan, so what was there to be afraid of?

"You!... I've been your partner for so long, and you don't even know how to help me think of a solution." Yun Zhan was quite angry, and her fair face turned slightly red.

Pei Yanxi showered quickly, and after talking with the system for about ten minutes, there was another knock on the door.

"Yun Zhan, may I come in now?" Pei Yanxi stood at the door with wet hair, her slender figure accentuated by the sexy and alluring red dress.

"Of course, this is your room, senior."

The moment Yun Zhan turned around, he was stunned by the person who pushed open the door and entered.

Pei Yanxi had just taken a shower, her long hair flowing like silk in the night, sliding down her shoulders to her collarbone, and then quietly slipping into the depths of her cream-colored camisole.

The burgundy halter top was so thin it was practically just a line, clinging to the skin and outlining the slight curves of her body, as if it might slip off at any moment with a breath.

The light cast a soft golden glow on her shoulders, highlighting her defined collarbones. Her neck and shoulder skin shimmered with a delicate sheen under the soft light, her skin glowing as if it had been soaked in honey.

Pei Yanxi entered with her eyes half-closed, a languid arc trailing at the corners, her gaze like hooks, drawing one inch into her breath. Her lips, the color of ripe berries, parted slightly, as if offering a silent invitation. The whole scene was like an unopened love letter, waiting for just one glance to burn all restraint to ashes.

Yun Zhan blushed and stared intently.

Following Yun Zhan's gaze, Pei Yanxi saw her own pert breasts, and her porcelain-white skin suddenly flushed red.

"Yun Zhan...you..." Pei Yanxi panicked and covered her chest with the bath towel next to her.

21: Wow, brilliant....

Yun Zhan: You're not allowed to look! I'm turning off the computer right now.

"I'm sorry, senior, um... you're so beautiful, it's the first time I've ever seen such a pretty girl." Yun Zhan's lie came out naturally, and he immediately put on an admiring expression.

"Really? Isn't Wen Sixue prettier than me?" Pei Yanxi chuckled. Yun Zhan, that little guy, has no shame when he lies.

"Ah, senior... senior is different." Yun Zhan was stumped by the question and began to stammer...

“What’s the difference? They’re all beauties, and they’ve all caught your eye, haven’t they?” How could Pei Yanxi not see through Yun Zhan’s little scheme?

Pei Yanxi clenched the towel around her neck. Strangely enough, she didn't actually dislike Yun Zhan's rather impetuous gaze.

"Senior, has anyone ever told you that you really resemble one of those wicked, femme fatales from movies, the kind who'd be perfect as a stepmother... Uh... I'm sorry! Did I offend you?" Yun Zhan bit her tongue, determined not to say anything more.

Pei Yanxi didn't speak, her eyes slightly languid as she leaned back in her chair, her lips a moist peach pink, and the corners of her mouth subtly upturned.

Stepmother? It seems like this is the first time anyone has said that, or perhaps only Yun Zhan dares to say it in front of her.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Pei Yanxi asked.

"I want to go see a performance this afternoon," Yun Zhan blurted out.

She had been lounging lazily on the sofa, her fingertips twirling the ends of her hair, but the moment she heard the news, the casual smile on her lips froze. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, like a butterfly startled in the night, and her eyes darkened a fraction.

After a long pause, she looked up, the languid curve at the corner of her eye now sharp as a small hook, her voice extremely soft, with a hint of hoarseness: "Oh, are you going to see Wen Sixue's performance?"

Yun Zhan remained silent and did not answer, so that was it.

Pei Yanxi was in a bad mood. She had originally planned to sleep in the guest room, but now she didn't want to.

"Go to bed, let's sleep together, you can lie down a little." Pei Yanxi reached out and turned off the main light, leaving only a small nightlight, the orange light falling on her snow-white skin on her shoulder blades.

"Ah, really together?" Yun Zhan panicked: "Otherwise, I'd better go sleep in the guest room. Really... I'm not lucky enough to enjoy this bed."

"The guest room wasn't cleaned; it's covered in dust and no one can sleep in it." Pei Yanxi lifted the blanket and lay down directly next to Yun Zhan.

The faint scent of roses subtly lured Yun Zhan, gradually eroding her reason...

With a soft, fragrant woman beside him, Yun Zhan remained motionless, his body tense and strained to the extreme.

“Come to sleep,” Pei Yanxi said.

"Senior, I don't really like sleeping in someone else's arms, my neck is a little uncomfortable..." Yun Zhan just wanted to find a chance to slip away.

"How about this?" Pei Yanxi pressed Yun Zhan's head against the crook of her neck. The soft touch was exceptionally comfortable, and it carried the fragrance of the beauty.

"Yun Zhan, my neck and back are injured, and I need a pillow to feel more comfortable. There isn't one in the room, so I'm sorry to trouble you for now." In the darkness, Pei Yanxi turned her head, her long hair falling down to cover half of her face, with only the red tips of her ears betraying her.