Chapter 3: Volunteers Take the Hook

The pear blossoms fall, and the spring breeze arrives in the evening.

Pei Yuning stood in the pear blossom rain on a spring night, her beautiful eyes slightly raised.

The man in front of him had superior facial features, a pair of captivating red phoenix eyes, pupils the color of which were like clear amber, a high nose bone, and thin lips with a clear and moist red color, just like an ancient scroll of fine quality ink painting, with every stroke being just right.

He was wearing a well-cut haute couture suit, a clean white shirt, a silk tie around his neck, and a black vest that outlined his muscular waist and abdomen. One end of the watch chain was placed in the buttonhole, and the watch was neatly tucked into the vest pocket. His trousers were straight, and his legs were well-proportioned and slender. He looked like a gentleman in a movie, who was so elegant and noble that no one dared to approach him easily.

"Thank you." Pei Yuning took his handkerchief and covered her cheeks which were scratched by dewdrops.

The handkerchief was stained with the scent of perfume on Shang Yanci's suit.

The top note is the light sour-sweet flavor of bergamot, the middle note is the bitter and sweet aftertaste of medicinal herbs, and the base note is the clear and mellow interweaving of cedar and ebony. The distinct wood texture matches him very well.

It was clearly just Shang Yanci's handkerchief, but she suddenly had an illusion, as if he was personally using his fingertips to gently wipe away the water marks on her face, leaving only a trace of indelible heat.

Pei Yuning's face gradually turned light red. She held the handkerchief in her palm and smiled brightly: "Pei Yuning, my name."

The man in front of her paused for a few seconds, as if he knew that she had seen the words on the handkerchief clearly, but he still maintained the proper courtesy, looked directly into her eyes, and said in a gentle and low voice: "Shang Yanci, my name."

His eyes stopped at the sides of her cheeks: "Ms. Pei's face is a little red, are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Pei Yuning: "No, I drank a few too many glasses of pear wine, so I might be a little embarrassed."

Shang Yanci: "If you don't mind, you can go to the tea room on the second floor for a cup of hangover tea. Because my friend invited me, before we officially entertain guests on the second and third floors, let me make some suggestions for improvement."

Pei Yuning nodded: "Okay."

The two of them walked to the door of the teahouse. Shang Yanci opened the door and raised his hand to signal her to go in first: "Watch out for the threshold."

Pei Yuning thought Shang Yanci would ask the waiter to bring a cup of hangover tea, but he sat down at the table, started warming the pot and boiling the cup, and methodically went through the steps of making tea.

The scent of tea from small green tangerines slowly wafts through the room.

Pei Yuning felt that she had been accurately positioned by Cupid's arrow, with the arrowhead pointed at her heart, ready to strike.

From the time they met until now, her favorability towards Shang Yanci has never decreased. Although she is obsessed with looks, it is not everything. If Shang Yanci is a rude, mean and frivolous man, she will definitely turn around and leave.

But he was really polite and gentlemanly, always keeping a reasonable distance from her and not getting too close.

Yes, I want to pursue.

The end of an old relationship overlaps with the beginning of a new one.

This is not only a remembrance of the old love, but also a respect for the new love.

Pei Yuning opened WeChat, and the meaningless verbal entanglement was still necessary.

I clicked into Shang Heng's chat box and he sent me another message.

Shang Heng: [Ning Ning, don’t make the relationship between the two families so awkward.]

Pei Yuning typed on the keyboard and replied: [Break up, break up the engagement.]

Anyway, she and Shang Heng are not married, so they don't need the consent of both parties. As long as one party proposes it, it means that their relationship has broken down.

Shang Yanci saw that she had put down her phone, so he placed the teacup in front of her and poured tea from the teapot: "Ms. Pei, please."

Pei Yuning clasped his fingers together, tapped the table three times in return, and picked up the tea.

The aroma of the small green tangerine is rich and mellow, the tea color is clear and bright, the tangerine fragrance and Pu'er tea blend together, and the aftertaste is sweet, neither greasy nor astringent.

Pei Yuning: "Is Mr. Shang from City Z?"

Shang Yanci: "No, I am from northern Beijing."

When he said this, he kept looking into Pei Yuning's eyes. This might be a habit he had developed over time. He was used to doing this when talking to others.

Although this is also a social etiquette, Pei Yuning always felt that the way he looked at her was not as steady and reserved as his words and actions.

Being stared at by a man with such impeccable looks and temperament, most people would not be able to control themselves.

But fortunately, Pei Yuning had watched his two older brothers, who were both good-looking but not good-looking, grow up, so he was not easily dazzled by Shang Yanci's appearance.

Pei Yuning: "That's really unfortunate. I haven't seen you once in Jingbei."

Shang Yanci looked at her with an ambiguous gaze: "I was abroad before, and I came back this time to attend the young man's wedding."

Pei Yuning smiled and said, "Congratulations."

Shang Yanci picked up the teacup and sipped it without saying a word.

Pei Yuning: "When Mr. Shang returns to Jingbei, I will treat you to a meal. Thank you for helping me out tonight."

Although she had her back to Qi Yue at the time and did not see what happened, she knew with a little thought that Shang Yanci must have seen what Qi Yue was going to do to her, so he asked the black-clad bodyguards to throw him out to avoid any trouble in the private kitchen.

"It's just a small effort." Shang Yanci poured her tea.

The sound of water is clear and the tea mist is lingering.

The silver pinky ring on the man's slender finger came into view, like an invisible and baitless fishing hook.

And Pei Yuning is the fish that is willing to take the bait.

"Mr. Shang, are you a non-marriageist?"

Hearing this, Shang Yanci looked down at the pinky ring, then looked up at her and said slowly, "Now it is."

These three short words made Pei Yuning's heart beat fast. It felt like he had answered, but also like he hadn't.

The teahouse was quiet, and the two sat across a square table from each other. Pei Yuning drank his tea slowly, and Shang Yanci accompanied him tactfully, without saying a word, but in a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.

The pear blossoms outside the window occasionally shed a few petals in the wind, just like snow in a spring night.