Chapter 268: Protecting one's shortcomings is one's nature
He respected his father very much. Under normal circumstances, if he saw his father coming to greet him, Pei Xiao would definitely go to greet him.
But today… Glancing at the men and women around his elders, Pei Xiao slowed his pace and calmly said to Huo Lingyin, “Shi Yuji is a high-level gold-type psychic. Be patient and don’t confront him head-on.”
He knew his cousin's character very well and was afraid that she would get excited and start a fight with the Shi family - if she won, it would be fine, but if she lost, wouldn't it be a disgrace to the entire Huo family, not to mention supporting Huo Zhiju.
Huo Lingyin snorted and laughed: "Do you think I'm such an impulsive person?"
Pei Xiao looked at her seriously: "You are."
Huo Lingyin: “…”
As they were talking, the four of them walked up to Pei Qing. Pei Xiao was the first to speak: "Dad, I'm back."
"Well, I didn't stay outside for too long this time." Pei Qing smiled and patted his shoulder. "I'm glad you're back."
Holding his son's shoulders, he looked at the girl next to Pei Xiao and said softly, "Lingyin is here too."
Huo Lingyin greeted politely: "Hello, uncle."
Uncle? Is this woman the daughter of the Beichen Huo family? What's the point of the Huo family sending someone here at this time? To stop their plan?
Hearing this name, Shi Yujiao and Shi Yuzhi looked at each other, and the latter shook her head slightly, asking her to stay calm.
Pei Qing nodded, then looked at Si Xu and Jiang Ran who were silent. He felt that this young man whom he had never seen before looked somewhat familiar.
Unable to recall where he had seen him before, Pei Qing asked Pei Xiao with a smile: "Are these two your friends?"
Without waiting for Pei Xiao to speak, Jiang Ran stepped forward and introduced herself: "Hello, Pei Shuai, nice to meet you. My name is Jiang Ran, and this is Si Xu. We are from Xiling Base."
He had never heard of the name Jiang Ran. Si Xu… A vein on his forehead throbbed. Pei Qing looked at the silent young man and asked in a deep voice, "Professor Si from Xiling Laboratory?"
Si Xu nodded slightly as a greeting.
The young man's condescending attitude made the Shi brothers and sisters frown.
Unlike Pei Huo and his ilk, who were already powerful families, they knew nothing about laboratory development and virus research before the apocalypse, and naturally had never heard of the "bad reputation" of Xiling Laboratory and Si Xu.
Shi Yujiao just felt that this young man was arrogant and rude, and guessed that his background might be the same as Pei Xiao's, and he might also be the son of a noble family.
Shi Yuji was interested in the Xiling Laboratory, and since he sensed that the young man was a person with spatial abilities, he thought he was a researcher in the laboratory.
The two of them had their own thoughts and for a moment neither of them introduced themselves.
Pei Qing's gaze was still on Si Xu, but Huo Lingyin had already turned to look at the Shi siblings beside him, and asked with a half-smile: "Uncle, who are these two..."
Pei Qing came back to his senses and calmly turned his gaze away from Si Xu. He replied absentmindedly, "This is Mr. Shi Yuji, the person in charge of the Zhaoyang base, and this is his sister."
Huo Lingyin seemed to be lost in thought: "Zhaoyang Base? So you are the Patriarch of the Shi Family. I have long heard of your great name. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Shi Yuji was about to reply when Huo Lingyin asked again, "Uncle, where is my aunt? She didn't come?"
Pei Qing glanced at Si Xu and replied casually: "Your aunt is not feeling well and is resting at home."
"Rest at home?" Huo Lingyin hinted, "I guess it's because the air outside is bad and it makes people uncomfortable, so they don't want to go out."
Jiang Ran interrupted: "The air is bad?"
Huo Lingyin smiled: "Don't you smell it? It smells like a fox~"
Jiang Ran: "Oh..." she muttered, "Why don't I smell it? There's no fox here." She asked Si Xu seriously, "Do you smell it, Si Xu?"
After saying that, he continued to sniff on the left and right: "Hey, is there something wrong with my nose?"
As Jiang Ran continued to mutter, Shi Yujiao's pretty face turned paler and paler. She bit her lip tightly, unsure whether she should teach this woman of unknown origin a lesson.
She was certain that Huo Lingyin came here for Huo Zhigui, so she was making indirect accusations here. This stinky girl from Xiling Base was probably in cahoots with Huo Lingyin, otherwise why would she pretend to be stupid and help Huo Lingyin slander her?
Having long experienced Jiang Ran's ability to act silly and cute, Pei Xiao's mouth twitched. He looked at his silent father and whispered, "Dad, let's go back and tell him—Professor Si and Miss Jiang are guests from afar at Xiling Base. I want to arrange for them to stay at our house..."
"No need." After hearing Pei Xiao's words, Si Xu said calmly, "We've already found a place to stay."
Huo Lingyin was surprised: "Didn't you just arrive? How did you find a place to stay?"
Pei Xiao instantly remembered Captain Chu. He glanced at Si Xu and said, "I forgot you have a friend here."
Si Xu nodded slightly.
After listening to the conversation between the two juniors, Pei Qing finally gave up looking at Si Xu and said, "Professor Si, Miss Jiang, you have both taken great care of me along the way. Now that we are at the Dongchao base, let me show my hospitality."
The implication was to invite the two to stay at Pei's house.
There was a hint of impatience in Si Xu's eyes, but he just pursed his lips and said nothing.
Knowing that he didn't want to live in Pei's house, Jiang Ran politely thanked him: "Thank you, General Pei, but we haven't seen that friend for a long time, and I miss him like a surging river, endless..."
Pei Qing: "..." This girl looks calm and quiet, but why does she talk so much?
Jiang Ran continued, "Besides, there are so many distinguished guests at Marshal Pei's residence. Si Xu and I have been living in the laboratory for a long time and are not good at socializing. It would be bad if we offended your guests."
Pei Qing: "Ahem, since Miss Jiang said so, then—"
Jiang Ran blinked: "Pei Shuai, we've walked all the way and haven't had lunch yet..."
Pei Qing: "..."Oh, so you don't want to live in their house, but want to have lunch at their house?
The little girl has a pair of big, clear and watery eyes. When she smiles, her eyes are curved like a crescent moon, revealing a bit of playfulness, like a coquettish little fox, making people unable to bear to refuse her.
Just based on their identities, Pei Qing would not refuse her request.
He laughed heartily: "Guests come from afar, so we must treat them well."
He looked at Pei Xiao and said, "Go back." He then whispered, "Your friend is very interesting."
The interesting thing is Jiang Ran, as for Si Xu... the man smiled bitterly.
Si Xu - after hearing this name, he suddenly understood why he felt that this young man he had never met before looked familiar.
This child looks very much like his wife, with whom he has lived for nearly thirty years.
If it weren't for the young man's eyes being too cold, which diluted the first impression of his delicate face, he would have been able to guess his identity at the first sight.
Si Xu.
It was this child who made Huo Zhijue, who usually lived a secluded life and didn't care about worldly affairs, insist on going to Xiling Base.
It's him.
It’s so real, so real.
(End of this chapter)
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