Chapter 130 if-Pei Line (4): Go back and I will punish you properly.
Pei Yanxi's car finally stopped in front of a mansion hidden deep among the sycamore trees.
The Zhang family's residence was not an ostentatious mansion, but a quiet little building made of blue bricks, carrying a distinct old-fashioned charm.
The building itself is understated and unassuming, but it is luxurious in the details. Yun Zhan got out of the car and looked up to observe. The second-floor terrace of the house has exquisitely carved white jade railings, and the windows are stained glass imported from the South.
Upon closer inspection, one will discover that the vines climbing the courtyard wall are not ordinary vines, but a carefully tended wisteria. Although the flowering season has passed, workers often come to prune and maintain it.
There is no opulent splendor here, but everywhere there is an elegance that has taken countless hours of manpower and effort; the elegance is all hidden in the details.
“Just these windows and plants alone require a huge amount of money to maintain. He’s just a teacher in the admissions office; you can imagine how much dirty money he’s taken behind the scenes.” Yun Zhan stood beside Pei Yanxi, turned his head and whispered.
“Yes, no one else in his family is in business. He is half responsible for the decline in the quality of students at Minton School.”
Pei Yanxi's face grew increasingly gloomy. The school was now her territory, and she was determined to get rid of this cancerous parasite.
"Then what do we do?" Yun Zhan spoke even more softly. To make it easier for Pei Yanxi to hear, she moved closer, her warm breath brushing against Pei Yanxi's neck, her lips almost touching her ear.
The two were walking very close, and when their bodyguard caught a glimpse of them out of the corner of his eye, he quickly looked away.
Wearing sunglasses, he finally couldn't resist stealing a few more glances at Yun Zhan.
Others said that the girl had called the young lady "Mom" in the hallway before, and seemed to be the young lady's adopted goddaughter... but she looked about the same age as the young lady... and now she's so close to her.
They were just holding hands in the car, and the young lady looked at her with a tender and affectionate gaze; the ambiguity in her eyes was undeniable.
He was sweating bullets; this industry is really messy... goddaughter, and this kind of relationship...
"You can just wait here and keep an eye on the car for me." Pei Yanxi stopped and said coldly, her high heels clicking on the marble floor.
"Yes, miss!"
Now, only the two of them are left.
Pei Yanxi walked ahead, her figure accentuated by a black satin cheongsam.
She walked slowly, and the lines of her calves were faintly visible beneath the high slit of her skirt. Every step she took exuded a thousand charms. Yun Zhan looked at her and felt that she was a beauty who had stepped out of an old magazine.
"Be good, stay close to me."
Pei Yanxi did not turn around, but simply stretched out her hand, which was wearing the icy jade bracelet, behind her.
A touch of lustrous emerald green on her wrist made her fair skin appear even more radiant and snow-white. Almost instinctively, Yun Zhan placed her hand into that slightly cool palm.
Pei Yanxi's soft, slender fingers gently enveloped Yun Zhan's hand.
She led Yun Zhan, her gait still graceful and elegant, while Yun Zhan behind her looked like a female college student stepping into the glamorous world for the first time, casually wearing an apricot-colored trench coat, being led by Pei Yanxi, step by step.
As Yun Zhan watched her swaying figure and smelled her elegant fragrance, he felt an absurd infatuation.
"Damn it... how could you have such a thought?" Yun Zhan cursed himself inwardly.
Pei Yanxi's composed elegance and mature charm, refined by the passage of time, perfectly embodied all the beauty she imagined the word "mother" could encompass: gentle, mature, and possessing a reassuring sense of control.
This feeling should have been one of dependence, yet it was mixed with something else entirely: a young girl's yearning for and attraction to ultimate charm. This absurd thought made Yun Zhan's cheeks flush and his mind in turmoil.
Pei Yanxi's innate femininity is gradually eroding her will.
At first, Yun Zhan took the phrase "call me Mom" as a joke, but when she first experienced Pei Yanxi's charm, the joke was no longer innocent.
"21, am I doomed...? My feelings for Pei Yanxi right now are incredibly complicated..."
"How is it complicated?"
"I'm a little attached to her, or rather, her personality has influenced me." Yun Zhan closed her eyes in pain. She depended on Pei Yanxi like a child, yet she didn't really want to be her child.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Pei Yanxi stopped and turned to look at her, her eyes filled with undisguised worry.
"It's nothing." Yun Zhan avoided her gaze.
"You're busy, and you're avoiding my gaze again. What? Am I so ugly that you can't stand me?" Pei Yanxi frowned slightly. She was wearing high heels and was slightly taller than Yun Zhan.
The woman raised her fingertip and gently brushed it across Yun Zhan's eyes: "Your eyes are red, and you still say you're fine. If you're not feeling well, I'll have the bodyguard take you home first."
"Can I go and calm down first? Maybe later..."
"Go ahead, I'll have Xiao Li pick you up." Pei Yanxi patted her head. "Be good, if you're not feeling well, go back. I'll take care of things here."
...
Yun Zhan didn't leave immediately; she wanted to act alone.
"Hey, aren't you going to discuss this with your senior?" 21 advised a few times. This is the Zhang family's residence. What would happen to her senior if they were discovered doing something wrong?
“This house is the Zhang family’s private residence and is not open to the public. Many of the decorations inside are things that Zhang Yuanzheng ‘can’t afford,’ so… taking some photos might be useful.”
Yun Zhan looked up and turned the screw on his eyepiece; it was a miniature camera.
The mansion was even larger than Yun Zhan had imagined. After passing through several corridors, Yun Zhan photographed many decorations that resembled ancient relics.
Just as she was looking up to admire a rose bush in full bloom, a voice sounded behind her: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Yun Zhan was startled and turned around to see a middle-aged man in a meticulously tailored black suit with slicked-back hair staring intently at her.
The man had a silver badge pinned to his chest; he was probably the steward of the place.
“I came with Miss Pei. Miss Pei went to your house for dinner. I came out for a while and couldn’t find my way back, so I took the opportunity to admire the roses.”
Yun Zhan calmed down and gave an explanation.
The housekeeper looked her up and down. Yun Zhan was dressed in simple student clothes, which seemed out of place here. The housekeeper's suspicion was even stronger.
"Miss Pei?" The butler sneered. "I've been here for twenty years and I've never seen Miss Pei bring any outsiders back. Come with me!"
As he spoke, he stepped forward, grabbed Yun Zhan's arm with such force that it hurt her.
Yun Zhan said coldly, "I'm telling the truth! You'd better not touch me."
As the two were arguing, a crisp and powerful "tap, tap" sound came from afar. The footsteps on the stone pavement were clean and neat. Before seeing the person, one could hear her presence. Yun Zhan knew that Pei Yanxi had arrived.
"I brought her."
A clear, familiar voice rang out: "Let go of that hand of yours."
The butler froze, looking in the direction of the sound, and saw Pei Yanxi standing under the moon gate not far away.
She had changed out of her cheongsam at some point and was now wearing a well-tailored silk trousers and shirt, with pointed high heels. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her cold, beautiful eyes were fixed on the hand that was tightly gripping Yun Zhan's. Her powerful aura made the butler subconsciously release Yun Zhan's grip.
Yun Zhan quickly hid behind Pei Yanxi.
The butler immediately bowed, his attitude becoming ninety degrees respectful: "Miss Pei, I didn't know this was your guest; it was my negligence."
Just then, a gentle male voice came from the direction of the main house: "What's going on? Why are you making such a fuss?"
Yun Zhan turned around and saw a man wearing a Chinese-style button-down jacket and gold-rimmed glasses. This must be Zhang Yuanzheng.
He looked to be in his forties and had a refined and scholarly demeanor.
Zhang Yuanzheng glanced at Yun Zhan, who was hiding behind Pei Yanxi, and then looked at Pei Yanxi: "President Pei, what is your relationship with this child? I've never seen him before."
Pei Yanxi raised her hand and very naturally tucked a stray strand of hair from Yun Zhan's temple behind his ear, her gesture extremely intimate: "My newly adopted goddaughter."
The moment the words left his mouth, the gentle smile on Zhang Yuanzheng's face froze for a second.
His gaze lingered between Pei Yanxi's beautiful face and Yun Zhan's still somewhat immature face, his expression immediately becoming subtle and complex.
In this circle, no one understands better than them what "adopting a goddaughter" means.
That was by no means a simple act of kindness, but rather a tacit understanding of possession and control with a different meaning.
It seems the rumors were true; Chairman Pei really does like women.
He now needs to consider whether or not to send a few women over to Pei Yanxi.
After saying goodbye to Zhang Yuanzheng, the subtle atmosphere of politeness dissipated in the air.
As night deepened, the driver had already parked the black Bentley under the plane trees in front of the mansion.
Yun Zhan had just opened the car door and hadn't even had a chance to sit down properly when Pei Yanxi followed him in.
The car door slammed shut, shutting out all outside noise. In the cramped space, the strong rose scent emanating from Pei Yanxi instantly became extremely aggressive.
Before Yun Zhan could react, a long, strong hand suddenly grabbed her shirt collar and pulled her backward, her back slamming heavily against the soft leather seat.
"You investigated him behind my back?"
Pei Yanxi leaned forward, her high heels making a dull thud on the car carpet.
Her face was extremely close to Yun Zhan's, so close that Yun Zhan could see the shadows cast by her long, curled eyelashes in the dim light, and his breath was filled with the scent of her expensive perfume mixed with a faint tobacco fragrance.
Those beautiful cat eyes held no trace of a smile or tenderness, only a cold scrutiny.
"Do you know what the consequences will be if you get caught in a place like this?"
Pei Yanxi's voice was very low, like a lover's whisper: "If we get caught, I can't protect you either."
Yun Zhan met Pei Yanxi's gaze without backing down: "But I wasn't caught, was I? So, what do you want?"
What do you want?
Pei Yanxi repeated it with amusement, a slight smile curving her lips. She loosened Yun Zhan's collar and then gently removed the gold-rimmed glasses from his face with her fingertips.
She slowly and deliberately put the glasses on her face, and the gaze behind the lenses, seen through the thin glass, appeared even more profound and unfathomable.
Pei Yanxi tilted her head slightly: "Wearing glasses even without being nearsighted... you certainly have a lot of equipment."
“Given the trouble you’ve caused me today,” Pei Yanxi’s fingertip slid down from the frame of her glasses and gently touched Yun Zhan’s lips. The cool touch made Yun Zhan shudder. “You need to be punished when we get back.”
She spoke the word "punishment" softly and slowly, scratching at Yun Zhan's heart, and for the first time, Yun Zhan began to feel afraid.
Yun Zhan's heart skipped a beat, and his throat went dry: "...How should we punish him?"
Pei Yanxi slowly leaned close to her ear, her warm breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe: "What do you think?"
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