Chapter 51: Becoming a stepping stone for your love rival

Pei Jian rode his horse back.

Although he appeared calm on the outside, his heart was filled with rage.

It was he who brought Nianxi to that restaurant, but now Nianxi left with a resignation.

What's the point of rejecting him?

Based on what?

To cover up his past again and again.

I clearly warned myself not to let my imagination run wild, but sometimes, some things are simply beyond my control.

The hand holding the reins loosened and tightened, tightened and loosened again, but he could never suppress the anger in his heart.

Pei Jian knew that his irrationality would only push Nian Xi further away.

He prepared to go to the government office, trying to numb himself with official duties.

He had been busy in the Censorate these days, but he had already completed the tasks at this stage, including what he should and shouldn't do. With Pei Jian's current official rank, there was nothing more that needed his decision-making and participation.

Since his rebirth, he has walked faster and more steadily than in his previous life and has a lot more free time.

He often dreamed of his former self, Nianxi. In such a huge mansion, she was the only one there.

It turns out that waiting and loneliness are such hard to describe feelings.

Pei Jian walked aimlessly on the street, feeling increasingly desolate in his heart.

He had tasted the taste of power, but he found that the more he had, the less things in the world could satisfy him.

Even if he returned to the position of Prime Minister, the pinnacle of power no longer seemed to be something fascinating.

Because his original intention and initial efforts were all for her.

He was the one who destroyed the family.

What to do?

Nian Xi refused to want him anymore.

He suddenly clenched his fist, and the veins on the back of his hand were faintly visible.

The tile market in Dajing was as bright as the day, with dozens of railings connected, and the air was filled with the aroma of wine and rouge. The wine houses on both sides of the street were hung with lanterns, and the sounds of stringed instruments, singing, and the laughter of men and women mixed together, creating a bustling and noisy scene in the red dust.

A familiar subordinate was hosting a banquet here. When he saw him approaching the gate, he hurriedly greeted him, "Shi Zhang? You are unexpectedly here! Come, come, let's have a drink together."

Pei Jian followed him in a daze, because he was really afraid of being alone. He wanted to temporarily abandon everything and warm his aching heart in the midst of the lights and the wine.

Although the officials present did not work in the same place, most of them knew each other.

Everyone greeted each other with great enthusiasm. Li Chong, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple, had had official dealings with Pei Jian before and had a very good impression of him. When they met, he joked:

"Earlier, we talked about inviting a few actresses to compete in poetry, but Zhongfu refused, fearing that he could not compete with those prostitutes. Now, we don't have to worry about that. With Shi Zhang's talent, we are not afraid even if we call out all the twenty prostitutes in the South City!"

Everyone burst into laughter again and shouted to the madam to bring the actors on stage. The girls were as beautiful as willows and flowers, and even the wine in the glasses was soaked with the strong scent of rouge.

Li Zhong sat close to Pei Jian, and personally poured wine for him. He said with a smile, "I always want to invite you to a banquet, but you always refuse to come. Don't just drink... If you ask me, you don't have a family, why do you keep your chastity?"

He had drunk quite a bit of wine, so his words were tangled. He called out "Lujun, Lujun" in a self-centered voice. When someone came, he put his arm around her shoulder and made eyes, "Lujun, show your ability and serve my brother well. If you do a good job, I will reward you handsomely."

Pei Jian drank several cups of Qin Huaichun in a row.

His alcohol tolerance has gradually increased. After drinking a bottle of wine, his mind becomes clearer.

The green bamboo is like a water snake, twisting its waist to climb up.

Pei Jian didn't even look at her. He said goodbye to Li Chong and said he would stay with her for a while. Then he walked out of the brothel and rode his horse towards Yiqiao Street.

What Li Chong said just now was very true. He is a man with a family, so of course he has to remain chaste.

Not only that, he also wanted to ask Nianxi what made the promises made in the past invalid? They had been married for ten years, so what was the point of rejecting an intruder?

Outside the corner gate, when Mrs. Wang saw him, she sighed almost reflexively, and then said, "The young lady is asleep, and no one is here."

"Tell her that if she doesn't come, I will wait here. If someone sees us, report it to the police, and I will have a talk with Lord Wen."

This statement sounds a bit like a shameless threat.

Mrs. Wang looked unhappy for a moment, but she didn't dare to let it go. If the trouble got out of hand, she would definitely give them a good beating.

I can only go there angrily.

Previously, she felt sorry for Pei Jian's infatuation, but now she felt that it was no wonder that the young lady chose Gu Langjun instead of him, "It serves him right!"

When Mrs. Wang explained her intentions, Nian Xi's face darkened, "Did he really say that?"

Mrs. Wang bowed her head and replied, "Maybe he drank some wine, and he looks a little drunk."

Nian Xi sneered. Didn’t he have a secret meeting with cousin Xu before?

How come the man's self-esteem couldn't stand it when he saw her and Gu Ci together?

Nian Xi was fed up with Pei Jian's unreasonable behavior.

They had agreed long ago to have nothing to do with each other, but he repeatedly affected his life, making him depressed even though he was such a cheerful and energetic young man.

Why are you acting so drunk again?

"If he wants to wait, just tell him to wait."

She wanted to see how shameless and boring he could be.

Nian Xi stood up and went to the inner room. "I'm tired and I want to go to bed. If you have any more problems, go to the front yard and ask my eldest brother for help."

"……yes."

Pei Jian waited patiently under the osmanthus tree. The summer night breeze blew away the heat in his heart bit by bit.

Later he realized that he was now reeking of alcohol, and perhaps even makeup... She had the most sensitive nose, and she would definitely not like this smell.

My heart suddenly became uneasy.

For a moment, she wanted to give up on herself. Anyway, she didn't care whether he drank or not.

For a moment, she couldn't help but think that he came to seek good things, not to make her angry.

He had just threatened her to come see him, and Nian Xi must have been angry. When he saw her later, he would not be as strong as before.

What Nianxi likes now is a man like Gu Ci who has no backbone and only knows how to flatter.

Pei Jian suppressed his sadness and grievance and thought that as long as she was willing to come back, he could certainly do better than Gu Ci!

In fact, Pei Jian himself didn't know what to do or say when he saw her.

He came here with all his courage, just to see her and hear her voice, even if she scolded him or bit his hand.

It's better than the current situation -

It's so strange that it makes people feel uneasy.

A figure swayed in the moon gate, and Pei Jian perked up and stood up straight.

But behind Mrs. Wang, there was no familiar figure.

She refused to see him.

"The lady has gone to bed. She said you should wait here."

After Wang Po finished speaking, she saw Pei Jian looked distraught, and her previous anger disappeared. Her overflowing sympathy began to overflow again, "You should go back early. The young lady will not see you."

A few days ago, just after dawn, Pei Jian came to look for the eldest lady with wounds all over his head and face, which was very scary. Mrs. Wang followed Nianxi's instructions and sent him away.

Later, she heard from the little girl on duty that Mr. Gu had not been here much these days, and she had a vague idea of ​​what was going on. She had thought that Mr. Pei had been beaten by the real boss, and that he should have stopped thinking about it, but she never expected that he would come to her house again after just a few days!

By the way, Mr. Gu came to look for the eldest lady today, and he came.

What a bad fate.

Pei Jian was calm and indifferent. Although he was young, he had an intimidating aura.

Mrs. Wang was a little afraid of him at first, but after seeing him being rejected so many times, she was not so afraid anymore even though he looked grim at the moment.

Not only was she not afraid, she was also able to comfort him, "It's actually better that the young lady doesn't want to see you."

Pei Jian stared at her with his dark eyes, and Wang Po's legs immediately went weak.

She insisted, "You just came from a red-light district, right? You smell like alcohol and makeup. If the young lady sees you like this, I'm afraid she will dislike you even more."

Pei Jian lowered his spirit a little and said nothing.

Mrs. Wang breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "When Mr. Gu comes to see the young lady, he always dresses up handsomely. And what girl doesn't like to be coquettish?"

"You are so kind. Let's not talk about this time. Last time, early in the morning, with wounds all over his face, I was scared even as an old woman, let alone a young lady!"

"You really need to learn from Mr. Gu. He at least knew to hide his wounds for two days and wait until his injuries were better before coming. Whether it was to avoid worrying our young lady or for the sake of appearance, he was restrained. Unlike you, you always force the young lady to come to see you."

Pei Jian's heart was moved, but he said with disdain, sneering, "I'm learning from him?"

“I don’t want to learn!”

Mrs. Wang slapped her thigh and said, "My daughter told me that Mr. Gu always asks Miss for her opinion on matters big or small. He holds her in his hands for fear of dropping her, and holds her in his mouth for fear of melting her. He treats our Miss like a treasure!"

Pei Jian's lips moved, thinking that he also wanted to be nice to Nian Xi, but Nian Xi didn't give him the chance at all.

"You didn't show it at all! You always looked fierce and sullen, as if you were coming to question me."

Mrs. Wang was talking excitedly, "Men love the company of beautiful women, and if women have a choice, they naturally want to be gentle and considerate, handsome and romantic. Mr. Gu meets all the requirements."

"You should learn to be nice to girls."

Pei Jian was stunned for a long while, and the night wind blowing on his body made him feel cold.

No wonder he and Nianxi were able to have a few serious conversations at first. Recently, she had her impatience written all over her face and refused to even see him.

Pei Jian looked down at his own messy body and gave a short laugh.

I suddenly realized that during this period of time, I had actually served as a stepping stone for Gu Ci, and helped him become even better.

Pei Jian took out a gold ingot from his bosom. Mrs. Wang was so frightened that she shrank her hands repeatedly and dared not take it.

"It's not bribery. You can do whatever you want from now on." Pei Jian softened his tone, "Thank you for what you said today."