0156 165 A tap on the thin bones still produces a metallic sound.
The car hadn't gone far when Ling Xingzhi suddenly ordered Li Qingshan, "Turn around and go back."
Li Qingshan was taken aback, changed lanes, and then slammed on the brakes. Secretary Zhou was with her husband; why did Ling Xingzhi suddenly want to go back? The last fight had become public knowledge. Li Qingshan secretly glanced at Ling Xingzhi in the rearview mirror.
As they drove back into the residential area where Zhou Xiye lived, the security guard at the gate recognized Mayor Ling and smiled, raising his hand in salute. Back at the original spot, Zhou Xiye and Pei Zhiyu were no longer there. The car came to a stop, and Ling Xingzhi pushed open the car door and strode out, saying, "Give me the keys."
Li Qingshan also got out of the car, locked it, and handed the keys to Ling Xingzhi. "Mayor, I'll be going now. See you tomorrow."
Ling Xingzhi took the keys, looked up at Zhou Xiye's window, and absentmindedly replied, "Okay, see you tomorrow."
Li Qingshan truly didn't understand why Ling Xingzhi wanted to come back. He was so clueless. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so how could Secretary Zhou possibly give him a warm welcome? This alone shows the difference between a seasoned veteran and a greenhorn.
The order to return was just in time.
Zhou Xiye and Pei Zhiyu had just entered the house and hadn't even had time to take off their shoes when they heard a knock at the door. Pei Zhiyu was closer to the door, so he went to open it. Seeing Ling Xingzhi's face, he was about to slam the door shut when Ling Xingzhi, without stopping him, preemptively said, "Long time no see, Mayor Pei. Are you here to inspect the work, or...?"
The door was closed.
Zhou Xiye turned around and heard Ling Xingzhi's voice, his brows furrowing subconsciously. Pei Zhiyu's hand was still on the doorknob. The two exchanged a glance, he lowered his hand, turned and walked into the living room, coughing lightly as he said, "It's the property management staff collecting fees."
The property management fees are all paid by the secretary, so why would anyone come to the door? Besides, Zhou Xiye recognized Ling Xingzhi's voice. Thinking of the last time the two of them fought, Zhou Xiye didn't press the matter further. He pushed the water bottle aside and said, "I made a cup of fruit tea. Try it."
Pei Zhiyu walked over to Zhou Xiye, took the cup, and gently smelled it. The fruity aroma was rich, but it was a bit hot. He took a small sip, and the sour taste filled his mouth.
“The tea in Hangzhou is also very good,” Pei Zhiyu said to Zhou Xiye, putting down her teacup while keeping her eyes fixed on her.
Zhou Xiye nodded, resting her chin on her hand as she met Pei Zhiyu's eyes. Those eyes held longing and yearning. However, these were merely superficial; she couldn't see into the deeper layers.
How many days are you planning to stay in Kunming?
Pei Zhiyu was surprised that Zhou Xiye would ask this question. He was nervous for a moment, then reached out and placed his hand on the back of her hand. "Three or four days, I guess. There is still some finishing work to be done over there."
Zhou Xiye nodded. She had something to say, but she was afraid that the warmth she had finally found in her hands would vanish. She looked down at their clasped hands.
“You’ve worked so hard these past few days…” Pei Zhiyu felt the atmosphere was a bit strange. Zhou Xiye was rarely so taciturn and non-aggressive. He felt like something had broken. He picked up his water glass, took a sip, and tried his best to make amends. “…I really want to be with you, but work…” He paused. “No, it’s just that I get nervous when I’m with you.” He suddenly smiled.
Zhou Xiye didn't quite understand and looked up at him.
"I'm afraid I'll do something wrong and make you unhappy."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiye suddenly felt flustered. She released Pei Zhiyu's hand, and something deeply buried in her memory struck her violently. "No, you're fine..." She didn't know how to say it. Those subtle emotions surged up, but she didn't know how to express her thoughts, so she could only say, "You're fine, really fine... Don't think like that."
Pei Zhiyu noticed Zhou Xiye's emotional change. He quickly put down his cup, gently put one arm around her, and said half-jokingly, "It's not easy to get your praise... Back in college, you were always criticizing this and that..."
He tried to ease the tension by saying some lighthearted things.
Zhou Xiye felt a sense of familiarity. She stared intently at Pei Zhiyu, as if there was a layer of mist between them. But gradually, the mist dissipated, and an axe came crashing down on her.
In an instant, she understood.
Pei Zhiyu's cautious demeanor around her mirrored her former self.
At that time, Zhou Xiye didn't understand anything. She just felt that her family didn't like her. She was very nervous when she was in the same room with her parents. She knew she was pretty, so she had to smile until her cheeks ached, just to please them.
But each time, her father and mother's scolding and disgusted looks froze her smile on her face, and she dared not let it off.
The harsher the insults, the more exaggerated the laugh should be.
Later, her younger brother was born, and she effortlessly gained everyone's attention. So she tried even harder to get her parents' attention. No one paid her any attention, no one liked her; she was the superfluous one. She smiled as she watched the adults' busy backs.
A lonely laugh fades away in a corner.
Later, she realized that she wasn't at fault. But even when she tried her best to convince herself, this feeling would still surface unintentionally, piercing her deeply. A bullet from her childhood struck her between the eyebrows.
Zhou Xiye lowered his head to compose himself; his emotional defeat could only be masked by reason.
"What brings you to Kunming to see me this time?"
She interrupted Pei Zhiyu, reverting to the rational, selfish Zhou Xiye who was unaffected by emotions. Pei Zhiyu fell silent, and the two looked at each other. He really wanted to ask why, every time he tried to hold onto her, she would ruthlessly reject him again?
Why?
Pei Zhiyu turned to the side, propped her arm on her leg, and looked at the teacup on the coffee table that was no longer steaming.
“I know you are a very ambitious person, and ambition is not a bad thing. Being foolish but ambitious will get you into trouble. Being intelligent and ambitious will at least protect yourself if you can't rise to the top. A person who is capable, ambitious, and intelligent will live a miserable life.”
Zhou Xiye understood Pei Zhiyu's meaning. She sat quietly and listened to him continue.
"If you can see the essence of everything, you will consider all aspects and weigh the pros and cons before making any choice. Will you prioritize the interests of others or submit to your own selfish desires? If you choose the former, you will suffer a lot; if you choose the latter, you may feel uneasy in your conscience."
Pei Zhiyu looked at Zhou Xiye, "So their choice is to choose one path and keep going without looking at the scenery on the other path. No matter how bitter or tiring it is, they will tell themselves that it is meaningful and comfort themselves that both choices will make them suffer, so they will choose the one they can bear... But they did not think about what to do when the pain becomes unbearable at the end of the road."
Zhou Xiye nodded. "Now you have to give me a way out, right? Hand over the list, the Pei family will pledge their loyalty to the Emperor, and I can escape unscathed under your protection, and then become your wife, the Pei family's daughter-in-law."
Pei Zhiyu looked at her, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Zhou Xiye smiled calmly, leaned back, and put some distance between himself and Pei Zhiyu. "Pei Zhiyu, I have no choice right now."
"I can protect you, and the Pei family can protect you too."
Zhou Xiye shook his head and sighed slightly. "Ling Xingzhi also came to see me. He hoped that I would cooperate with the Ling family."
Upon hearing this, Pei Zhiyu frowned. "You can't choose her..."
“Of course not. Choosing the Pei family or you is far more reliable than choosing him,” Zhou Xiye said slowly. “Ling Xingzhi has feelings for me, so he wants me to stand with him. But Ling Qingyun doesn’t think that way. He just wants the list back, to remove his name and get himself out of danger. Cooperation? That’s just a trick to fool his son and a way to force me to cooperate. Once he gets the list, he will definitely target me. Let’s put it this way: any family on the list is very likely to target me.”
Zhou Xiye looked at Pei Zhiyu and said, “You know the situation in the central government better than I do. Even if you want to protect me, and the Pei family chooses to side with the higher-ups to protect me, have you thought about what will happen to the other people on the list, such as the Ling family? Won’t he try to sow discord between the Emperor and you? Judging from the current situation, his paranoia won’t be cured anytime soon. Once you get involved, there will be endless troubles.”
"This battle can only be resolved quickly, because everyone is likely to be eliminated here. I can't think long-term; I'm forced by the situation and have no other choice. Have you considered your family when you did this?"
Every word Zhou Xiye uttered was resounding and powerful.
"You are my family," Pei Zhiyu said with an unwavering obsession in his eyes. He was determined to drag the entire Pei family into protecting Zhou Xiye!
“Pei Zhiyu, I’m not making this choice because I want to be a saint, afraid of implicating your family, or out of kindness… I’m considering which option is more likely to save my life… The Pei family doesn’t have that kind of power.”
“I am a member of the princeling faction.”
Pei Zhiyu spoke quickly, and Zhou Xiye was taken aback.
"You know, the red aristocracy always selects many promising children of high-ranking officials to cultivate as the next generation of leaders. I am one of their chosen people, and I should undergo some training, but they will not eliminate me completely."
Zhou Xiye almost laughed when he heard this. "They won't, but your opponent will."
Pei Zhiyu looked at her stubbornly, reached out and grabbed her arm, his fingers gripping her tightly.
"So... my marriage to you was arranged by you?"
Zhou Xiye asked casually.
Pei Zhiyu looked at her without saying a word, her fingers tightening their grip.
Zhou Xiye shook his head. "You understand everything. If something happens to me, the Pei family will get rid of me, this burden, for your sake. So you came to me before them, coercing the entire Pei family to protect me, is that right?"
Pei Zhiyu's hand, which was holding her arm, began to tremble, and her eyes reddened. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Without thinking, Zhou Xiye understood, but she didn't think Pei Zhiyu's betrayal of the entire Pei family to protect her was particularly noble.
"Have you ever thought about it? Those who died also had families; they were human beings too..."
The night sky was cool as water.
Ling Xingzhi didn't have to wait long. He saw Pei Zhiyu walk out alone, exhaling a puff of smoke. Pei Zhiyu saw him too. Ling Xingzhi smiled at him, took the cigarette from his mouth, and walked up to Pei Zhiyu. "Let's talk."
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