Chapter 172 Daring Not to Take a Step
Ye Wanning's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pulled her hand away from his: "I...I'll go check Chen Sheng's homework."
She was about to run away when Pei Zhi grabbed her. His hand was warm and held her tightly, making her heart flutter.
“Wan Ning,” Pei Zhi said softly, “you don’t need to keep avoiding me. I know you have concerns, but I will wait for you, until you truly accept me.”
Ye Wanning's eyes stung with tears; she wanted to break free but couldn't bear to.
Pei Zhi's kindness towards her was genuine, but the deep wounds from her past life made her hesitant to take the next step.
"I...I need some more time," Ye Wanning said softly.
"I'll wait for you." Pei Zhi released his hand, his tone full of understanding. "No matter how long it takes, I'll wait."
Ye Wanning looked at him, her heart filled with emotion, then turned and ran back to the clinic, not daring to look at him again.
Pei Zhi watched her retreating figure, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips—he knew that Ye Wanning already had him in her heart, but it just needed time.
He was willing to wait, to wait for her to let go of the past and live happily with him.
Springtime in Beijing always brings a cool, warm feeling.
Ye Wanning had just come out of the clinic and was about to go to the street to buy medicinal herbs when she saw a scene at the entrance of a teahouse on the street corner that made her heart sink.
Pei Zhi sat at a table by the window, opposite a woman in a light blue dress, with gentle features, smiling at him.
What made Ye Wanning even more uncomfortable was that the woman's hand was lightly placed on Pei Zhi's wrist, appearing unusually intimate.
She recognized the woman; she was Su Wanqing, a family friend of Pei Zhi, whom he had grown up with and who was rumored to have a very good reputation.
In her past life, Ye Wanning had only heard her name but had never met her. How did she come back?
Ye Wanning felt a tightness in her chest, a dull ache in her heart. Images of her stepmother and Ye Wanrou betraying her in her past life suddenly flashed through her mind.
She involuntarily took a step back.
She knew she shouldn't overthink it; Pei Zhi and Su Wanqing were just family friends. But the jealousy and unease in her heart spread like a tide.
Pei Zhi seemed to sense something, looked up at the window, and saw Ye Wanning's figure.
His eyes lit up, and he was about to get up to greet her when Ye Wanning turned around and hurriedly walked away, revealing a sense of escapism.
"Wan Ning!" Pei Zhi called out and quickly got up to chase after her.
Su Wanqing was somewhat stunned, watching Pei Zhi's hurried back, a trace of loneliness flashing in her eyes.
Pei Zhi quickly caught up with Ye Wanning and grabbed her wrist: "Wanning, what's wrong? Why did you run away when you saw me?"
Ye Wanning forcefully broke free from his hand, her tone icy: "I cannot interfere with Lord Pei's private affairs, nor do I wish to disturb them."
"You've misunderstood!" Pei Zhi quickly explained, "Wanqing just returned from Jiangnan. Something happened at home, and she came to me to discuss business matters."
"We are just ordinary friends."
"Ordinary friends?" Ye Wanning sneered. "Would ordinary friends hold your arm while talking to you?"
"You don't need to explain to me, I don't care."
She actually cared a lot, but she pretended not to. The trauma of her past life had taught her a lesson, and she was used to protecting herself with indifference.
"Wanqing and I really have nothing going on!" Pei Zhi stamped his feet anxiously. "She just touched my wrist, and I was about to push her away when you left."
"Really?" Ye Wanning looked at him, her eyes full of doubt. "But that's not what I saw."
After she finished speaking, she turned and left without ever looking back.
Pei Zhi watched her resolute back, feeling both anxious and helpless—he knew Ye Wanning was very guarded after her rebirth, but he hadn't expected her to misunderstand so easily.
In the following days, Ye Wanning deliberately avoided Pei Zhi.
When he brought snacks to the clinic, she asked Chun Tao to accept them on his behalf; when he sent someone to deliver warm clothes, she asked Chen Sheng to return them; when they met on the road, she would take a detour and ignore him completely.
Pei Zhi was anxious, but he didn't dare to push her too hard, so he could only watch over her silently.
He soon discovered that the clinic's medicinal herb transportation had recently run into problems—Liu Wantong's remaining followers, harboring resentment, had bribed the escort agency to deliberately delay transportation and damage the medicinal herbs.
Ye Wanning was worried about this matter and didn't dare to tell Pei Zhi. She could only contact the escort agencies herself, but those agencies were afraid of Liu Wantong's remaining followers and dared not take the job.
After Pei Zhi found out, he didn't tell Ye Wanning. He secretly used his connections to contact the most reliable escort agency in the capital, Changfeng Escort Agency, and even sent guards to escort the medicine to ensure that it was delivered safely and on time.
He also found out the whereabouts of Liu Wantong's remaining followers and handed them over to the Prefect of Jingzhao for disposal. Those people no longer dared to cause trouble at the clinic.
The medicinal herbs were successfully delivered to the clinic, but Ye Wanning was full of doubts—she clearly couldn't contact the escort agency, so how come someone was suddenly willing to help?
Chuntao said from the side, "Miss, I heard from the people from Changfeng Escort Agency that Lord Pei sent them and even sent secret guards to accompany them."
Ye Wanning's heart sank with a "thud," her emotions a jumble of feelings.
She was clearly avoiding Pei Zhi, yet he was still secretly helping her in every way.
She knew she had misunderstood Pei Zhi and felt very guilty, but she couldn't bring herself to apologize.
That evening, Ye Wanning was organizing medicinal herbs at the clinic when Pei Zhi walked in, carrying a food box containing her favorite red bean paste cakes.
"I know you're still angry with me," Pei Zhi said gently as he placed the food box on the table.
"But I still want to tell you that Wanqing and I are really just ordinary friends. She came back to Beijing this time because her pharmacy had problems and she wanted to cooperate with me, but I have already refused."
Ye Wanning looked up at him, her eyes slightly red: "Why refuse? Cooperation won't do you any harm."
Pei Zhi walked to her side and said softly, "Because I know you'll misunderstand. I don't want anyone to affect our relationship."
"Wanning, I know you're afraid of getting hurt, but my feelings for you are genuine. If there's any misunderstanding in the future, just ask me directly. Don't overthink things, and don't avoid me, okay?"
Looking into his earnest eyes, Ye Wanning finally couldn't hold back her guilt and cried in grievance: "I'm sorry, Pei Zhi, I misunderstood you."
"It's okay." Pei Zhi gently wiped away her tears. "As long as you're not angry or avoid me, that's fine."
Ye Wanning nodded, the iceberg in her heart gradually melting.
She knew she shouldn't doubt the person who was genuinely good to her because of her past.
"This red bean paste cake is still warm, eat it quickly." Pei Zhi picked up a piece and handed it to her.
Ye Wanning took it and took a small bite. The sweet aroma instantly filled her mouth, and she felt sweet inside as well.
While Ye Wanning was helping her mother Lin Yuewei sort through old things, her fingers touched a faded brocade bag at the bottom of a camphor wood chest.
The brocade pouch was something my mother used to carry. It was embroidered with a few pale blue flowers, and although the edges were a little worn, it was still clean.
She gently opened it; inside were no gold or silver jewelry, only a neatly folded letter, its paper yellowed and brittle, clearly quite old.
She carefully unfolded the book, and her mother's neat handwriting came into view, mostly about trivial matters.
Until the last few strokes, the brush suddenly became sharp: "The Su family of Jiangnan betrayed us, stole my family's medical classic, and caused me to wander from place to place. This hatred is hard to forget."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com