Cooperate with me, and I'll give you what you want.
"Don't do this!" Wen Zhibai's throat tightened, and the tears he had been holding back finally fell into his eyes.
Pei Qinzhou released her wrist: "In that case, Miss Wen, why don't you play a game with me? I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. You can hide anywhere in the mansion. If I can keep you from finding you within half an hour, I'll let you go. Otherwise, you'll have to stay here forever."
A strong gust of wind blew the door open, revealing a path.
What if I don't play?
"Then you will become my bride right now and stay by my side forever."
She didn't notice the man behind her lose all his smile, his eyes filled with desolation: "So you really want to abandon me like this..."
Inside the Pei residence, the long corridors were brightly lit, yet there was no one on guard, as if it had been specially set up for this game of hide-and-seek.
Following his memory of where he came from, Wen Zhibai walked safely to the front door.
She tried to push it gently, and the door opened unexpectedly.
Wen Zhibai stepped out of the door without hesitation. The cold night wind rushed into her sleeves. She glanced back at the brightly lit cage and felt a strange pang in her heart.
Before that, she needed to borrow something from Pei Qinzhou—Wen Zhibai secretly returned to the east wing and searched around, finally finding silver in a wooden box under the bed.
Seeing that there were writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the table beside her, she hesitated for a moment, then picked up the brush and hastily wrote down an IOU.
...
Right now, she only has two choices: either to find the Wuyu Pavilion, which her mother had told her to do in her previous life, or to find her mother's clan, the Jiang family, with whom she has lost contact.
But reality dealt Wen Zhibai another harsh blow; the once magnificent Wuyu Pavilion was now nothing but a patch of yellow earth.
With little time left, she had no choice but to find an inn to stay in, still wondering what was going on.
Wen Zhibai lay on the damp bed, wearing shoes, her hands covering her eyes. In the dim candlelight, soft sobs could be heard. Should she feel fortunate for herself? Or should she feel sorry for herself?
She couldn't give herself a definite answer.
She didn't know how much time had passed when, through her sleepy eyes, she saw a handsome face, and warm fingertips touched her cheek.
"Got you?"
That sound…!!
Wen Zhibai suddenly opened his eyes, only to find that it was just a false alarm.
A damp patch remained on the pillow; nightmares raged, and the night was far from peaceful.
She pushed the window open a crack, and the pattering sound of rain finally reached her ears from outside. There was already a misty morning light outside.
She turned around and saw two or three dark figures reflected in the door.
"Knock knock knock—" The knocking on the door was urgent, and Wen Zhibai slowed his breathing.
There was another series of knocks on the door, but she still didn't dare to answer.
By the time the person outside broke down the wooden door and rushed straight to the bed, Wen Zhibai had already escaped through the window.
"There they are!! Chase them!"
Braving the dense raindrops and trudging through the muddy, uneven ground, she kept running towards the market.
She turned into a small alley and bumped into an embrace filled with the crisp scent of cedar trees.
She looked up and met Pei Qinzhou's unfathomable eyes. He held up an oil-paper umbrella, shielding her from the wind and rain, his white clothes still pristine and untouched by dust.
"It seems to be over there!!" The pursuers behind us are getting closer.
Wen Zhibai's mind went blank; the instinct for survival overwhelmed everything. She abruptly burrowed under his umbrella, clutching his shirt collar tightly with both hands, burying her rain-soaked face in it: "Please... help me..."
She could feel the body she was leaning on stiffen slightly.
Immediately, a cold hand wrapped around her waist, pressing her even closer to itself.
A very soft, satisfied sigh came from above her head, and warm breath brushed against her wet hair: "Got you."
Those few words, though seemingly casual, exploded in her ears like thunder.
She tried to escape, but her waist was firmly locked by an iron arm, rendering her immobile. "I suggest Miss Wen stay put for now." His lips almost touched her earlobe, his voice carrying a seductive ambiguity, "Otherwise, if you were captured by those people of unknown origin... the consequences would be far more terrible than if you were by my side."
She didn't notice that Pei Qinzhou had three paper figures hidden behind him.
Wen Zhibai was filled with shame and indignation: "An hour has long passed, and you only just found me now, it doesn't count... Also, why are you everywhere?"
"Wherever Miss Wen needs me, I will be there."
"you--"
"Um?"
She wanted to refute something, but upon closer reflection, it seemed that it was indeed true.
"Thank you." After saying that, Wen Zhibai took a step back: "I will definitely repay this kindness in the future, but I must go now."
"In Miss Wen's eyes, am I merely a tool?" His voice remained calm, yet carried a chilling undertone. "Once you've used me, can you simply discard me without a second thought? Wen Zhibai, you've stolen my sincerity and my money. Now you want to abandon your creditor and run away? There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
At this point, Wen Zhibai felt guilty.
She fumbled for the purse at her waist—
Oh no! I was so focused on running away that I left the money at that inn.
"Lord Pei, I left the money at my inn. Please wait a moment, I'll go get it right away."
The next second, her wrist was gripped tightly: "I don't trust you anymore."
Wen Zhibai's hands were bound with ribbons as he looked displeased at the plaque in front of him, which clearly read "Pei Residence".
The steward, who had been waiting for a long time, greeted the carriage: "My lord, everything is ready."
Pei Qinzhou did not respond, but instead picked up Wen Zhibai and carried him into the mansion.
The sandalwood incense burner emitted wisps of smoke, and the light and shadow reflected by the glass fell on Pei Qinzhou, who was leaning against the chessboard. He placed the last black piece and looked up at the girl in front of him.
"You may all leave." Pei Qinzhou stood up and walked in front of her. He was tall and slender with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, almost completely covering Wen Zhibai.
“My name is Pei Qinzhou, I am twenty-three years old, five years older than you.”
"Why me?" Wen Zhibai asked.
Upon hearing this, his cold knuckles touched her brows and eyes, but he couldn't utter a single word: "Stay by my side, and I'll give you everything you want."
“Lord Pei, I can’t give you anything, and I might even cause you trouble… I will make up for your money slowly, so please let me go.”
Something must have triggered him, because Pei Qinzhou's eyes suddenly reddened. He hoisted her onto his shoulder and headed straight for the bed in the inner room. "What are you doing?!" Wen Zhibai's pounding was like a cat scratching to him.
In a dizzying moment, she was thrown onto the soft brocade quilt. The next second, Pei Qinzhou's tall figure loomed over her, grabbing her slender ankle and dragging her down beneath him. In that instant, Wen Zhibai clearly saw the inhuman vertical pupils flash across his eyes.
"Let you go? Ha... Do you know how crazy I've been missing you... Wen Zhibai, even if I become a ghost, I'll haunt you!"
Seeing that he was about to lose control, Wen Zhibai slapped him hard across the face: "You madman!"
He tilted his head, touched the numb corner of his mouth with the tip of his tongue, and chuckled softly.
Then, he stared at her with his still-reddened eyes, grabbed her hand, and pressed it against his burning cheek again, his voice almost pleading: "Feeling good? Want to do it again?"
Wen Zhibai was trembling all over, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Pei Qinzhou stopped all his frantic actions. "Don't cry." Then he wiped away her tears: "Don't hate me, please..."
"Let me go."
He remained silent for a long time, the veins bulging on his clenched fists. Finally, he asked in an almost humble tone, "Where are you going to leave me this time?"
"It's none of your business."
Her gaze did not waver in the slightest.
Without waiting for her to speak, Pei Qinzhou quickly got up and left the room, sealing off the entire Pei residence.
The night was long, but neither of them could sleep.
The next day, the bronze mirror reflected the girl's delicate features, and the table was covered with the girl's rouge and face powder.
Wen Zhibai glanced at the jewelry and jewels, snorted coldly, and in an instant, she thought of something—since offending him would only lead to more indulgence, why not try to "tame" him?
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
She walked over, and there was that face she least wanted to see again.
"The dishes are all prepared, let's go."
Seeing her reluctance, he said, "I have nothing but more money than I can spend. I can give you a lot of money, but you need to cooperate with me occasionally, like now, take my arm and have a meal with me."
He's right. She needs money to survive and also enough to return to the Wen family for a proper burial for her mother.
Wen Zhibai mustered her courage, took his outstretched arm, and walked through the corridor, her gaze falling on the jade sculpture not far away.
"That's a jade swan carving."
"If you hadn't told me, I would have thought it was a duck. It's really ugly."
"Since it's an eyesore to you, then smash it."
Why is it different from what I expected?
During the meal, Wen Zhibai's gaze shifted to a plate of boiled shrimp on the table: Since Pei Qinzhou said he liked me, then I'll see if his liking can withstand my teasing.
"I want to eat that."
Pei Qinzhou placed the plate of shrimp in front of her.
"I don't want to peel it myself."
Pei Qinzhou suppressed a smile: "Yes, I'll do it."
The first shrimp was peeled and offered to Wen Zhibai's mouth, but she shook her head and refused.
"I want to wait until you've peeled them all before I eat them one by one."
He didn't complain, and in just a moment, a plate of shrimp was perfectly presented in her bowl.
Wen Zhibai rested her chin on her hands and blinked, "Oh dear, what should I do? I don't want to eat anymore. What I want to eat now is... walnuts, and you have to peel them yourself."
Another unhurried "Okay".
Soon, a plate of walnuts was placed in front of her, and what she couldn't ignore were his reddened fingertips.
"I don't want to eat anymore." She didn't believe that he, a high-ranking official in the Eastern Palace, could be so tolerant.
"It's okay, what else would you like to eat? I'll go and prepare it right away."
"...Aren't you angry at all?"
"It tastes sweet as honey."
She didn't respond, hesitating to pick up her chopsticks. Pei Qinzhou saw through her thoughts, chuckled, took her wrist, and guided her to put the food into her mouth.
"Are you relieved?" He used his jade chopsticks to serve her food again, patiently coaxing, "If you eat one more bite, I'll give you ten taels of silver, okay?"
"...It's a deal, sir, you can't go back on your word."
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