Chapter 32
Pei Yanxi gently closed the door with a "click," like a very thin lock being locked.
The footsteps faded away along the corridor, first steady, then deliberately soft, like a cat stepping on a thick carpet.
Yun Zhan had his back to the door, his whole body sinking into the soft bedding, his fingertips still clutching the corner of the blanket, maintaining the wrinkles left when he was being coquettish.
One second, two seconds... until the footsteps completely disappeared into the darkness at the end of the corridor, she allowed herself to exhale a long breath.
That breath, as if held back all night, scalded with heat, surged from the lungs to the throat, finally turning into an almost inaudible sigh.
"Luckily, we were almost discovered..." Yun Zhan buried her head in the blanket, closed her eyes, and her eyelashes trembled slightly in the darkness, like two snowflakes about to fall.
Her entire back was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. If Pei Yanxi had left any later, she wouldn't have been able to keep up the act.
"I must say, your seduction skills are quite good..." 21 exclaimed in amazement.
It had never seen Yun Zhan look so alluring before. When his long legs were wrapped around Pei Yanxi's waist, 21 was stunned.
"Fortunately, Pei Yanxi has some feelings for you, otherwise your actions might have backfired and aroused her disgust."
21 continued, "So, you should have sensed it by now, she might like you a little."
“Being seduced by me and liking someone are two different things. Someone of her high position and power probably wouldn't really be moved.” Yun Zhan was silent for a while, then suddenly felt a little depressed.
"Yun Zhan, women are different from men. If she can be seduced by you, then she must like you."
21 explained, "Who is Pei Yanxi? She's rich, powerful, and beautiful. If she wanted, countless men would throw themselves at her. But, you see, she seems quite sincere towards you, willing to kneel on the ground to apply medicine for you..."
"Okay, I want to rest for a bit..."
Yun Zhan interrupted the conversation; tonight was destined to be a sleepless night...
My body relaxed inch by inch, like a cat whose bones have been removed, softly sinking into the pillow.
The cotton-linen fabric pressed against her forehead was soaked with cold sweat, its icy touch a reminder of how dangerous the performance had just been.
Yun Zhan turned his face to the side, his eyelashes casting dappled shadows under the dim wall lamp. Only then did the lingering fear in his eyes belatedly rise up, like a tide washing over his ankles—cool, yet carrying a secret sense of relief.
She didn't turn on the light, but reached out and touched the glass on the bedside table, her fingertips trembling slightly as they touched the glass.
The water had already cooled down, but she tilted her head back and gulped down more than half of it. The coolness slid down her throat and into her stomach, suppressing the churning blood in her stomach.
The cup made a soft sound when it was placed back on the table. She subconsciously held her breath and made sure that she hadn't made any noise before slowly loosening her knuckles.
The only sounds in the room were the ticking of the clock and the echo of a heartbeat.
Yun Zhan turned over and lay on his back, his right hand unconsciously reaching for the medicine Pei Yanxi had given him in the pocket of his bathrobe.
Senior, if I really do something to harm you, will you kill me...?
Yun Zhan clenched it tightly, then released it, and finally gently tucked it into the pillowcase lining before zipping it up.
The relief patterns on the ceiling twist into a maze-like pattern in the dark.
Yun Zhan stared at them, her breathing gradually becoming steady, like a fish finally surfacing. She dared not close her eyes, simply lying there quietly, letting time pass by, second by second...
The night breeze slipped in through the half-open window, stirring the curtains and causing shadows to sway gently on the wall.
Yun Zhan curled up, burying his face in the soft blankets, his voice so low it was almost inaudible:
Goodnight, senior, and sweet dreams too.
...
The study was not lit by the overhead light, but by a small brass desk lamp with its shade drawn low, casting a cold, silvery light on the old-fashioned landline phone in front of Pei Yanxi.
She took off her gold-rimmed glasses, pressed her fingertips on both sides of her nose, and then slowly dialed a number.
The receiver was picked up after only one ring.
"Xue Qi".
Her voice was low and hoarse, as if she had just survived a silent storm.
Across from him, Xue Qi's voice, though weary from a night flight, was still clear: "Senior Pei, once things are settled with the principal, it'll be your turn soon..."
“Your father signed the ‘B-13’ visa early this morning—the West Coast line. Pei Zhen is basically using you as a sacrifice for the family.”
Xue Qi knew that Pei Yanxi's father had never liked her. For many years, he had always publicly stated that Pei Yanxi was an only child, but he dared not make it public only because Pei Yanxi's mother was too domineering. However, he had done many dirty things behind the scenes.
Pei Yanxi is very outstanding, but Pei Zhen doesn't like her.
Xue Qi knew better than anyone that Senior Pei... wasn't doing well at all. With the principal gone, Senior Pei seemed to have lost much of her value...
“If you don’t go, he will openly abandon you; if you go and die, he will be even more unscrupulous in bringing his illegitimate child into the Pei family.”
Pei Yanxi tapped her fingertips twice on the desktop file, which was a map of operations torn to shreds with red pen marks. Pei Yanxi gave a soft "hmm".
“That deal on the West Coast had a success rate of less than three percent. It’s obvious that it was designed to make you…” Xue Qi paused, lowering his voice even further, “Your father’s exact words—'It doesn’t matter if Pei Yanxi dies…'.
The light from the desk lamp cast two extremely cold crescent moons under Pei Yanxi's eyelashes.
She smiled, but it was like glass shattering: "He has always treated me like a consumable."
There was a moment of silence on the other end, with only the crackling of electricity.
“However, this time it was truly a near-death experience. I probably won’t live much longer, Xue Qi.” Pei Yanxi’s tone was as calm as if she were reading someone else’s medical report.
"If I don't come back, I'll transfer all the assets I can access—offshore funds, Swiss safe deposit boxes, and domestic real estate—to Yunzhan."
Xue Qi visibly took a breath: "All of it? Do you know how huge that is—"
“I know.” Pei Yanxi interrupted her, her voice warm for the first time. “She is the first person I have ever loved. And the only one... In this life, I should at least do something I want to do.”
Money is something you can't take with you when you die. It's meaningless. Pei Yanxi closed her eyes. She had nothing meaningful to give Yun Zhan. Perhaps this money was the best thing she could give him.
Xue Qi sighed. That's true. If they really don't come back, they can't just give the money to the illegitimate child.
Pei Yanxi looked up at the old photograph on the wall of the study—a teenage version of herself standing behind her father, her expression like a frozen lake.
There is a white mark left by a fingernail along the edge of the photo, lying right across the father's neck.
"I roughly know what Yun Zhan wants to investigate, but it doesn't matter anymore, I can't see it anyway... Let her investigate."
Pei Yanxi's fingertips landed on the photo, gently stroking the crack. "If she asks about it later, just say... I gave her a 'long overdue vacation'."
On the other end of the line, Xue Qi's voice was strained: "Pei Yanxi—"
"Don't try to persuade me." Pei Yanxi closed her eyes, her voice so low it was almost inaudible. "Let me make this decision myself."
Outside the window, at 3:15 a.m., the rain began to tap on the glass, like countless tiny countdowns.
Pei Yanxi hung up the phone, pushed the landline back into the shadows, and leaned back in her chair.
The light was only enough to illuminate half of her face, while the other half remained in darkness, like a moon that had been cleaved in two.
She reached into the drawer, pulled out a silver lighter, and with a "click," a flame shot up, but stopped before it touched the cigarette butt.
Finally, Pei Yanxi closed the lid, putting the cigarette and lighter back deep in the drawer, as if locking away her unfinished wish.
...
The next day, Yun Zhan returned to school.
After the first class ended, a sweet loquat aroma suddenly wafted into the classroom.
Wen Sixue carried a frosted glass bottle, tiptoed through the crowd, the bottle was still hot to the touch, and thin white steam swirled in the cool air.
"Here you go." She placed the bottle into Yun Zhan's palm, her fingertips slightly red from the heat. "You left with Pei Yanxi last night, so I couldn't bring you home to drink it. I cooked some today, which should help your respiratory system."
Yun Zhan paused for half a second, then felt the warmth from her palm roll into her chest. She lowered her head and said "thank you." She unscrewed the lid, and the sweet and slightly astringent loquat aroma wafted out. The warm syrup tasted very comforting.
As the last class of the afternoon ended, the sky suddenly darkened.
The dark clouds hung low, like spilled ink, and raindrops pattered against the windowsill.
When the school bell rang, the rain had already formed a wall of water.
The young ladies, holding umbrellas, filed out one after another, muttering, "It's infuriating! We have to hold our own umbrellas... The school is so rich, why didn't they build a direct passage to the dorms?"
Wen Sixue stood under the eaves of the teaching building, her hands empty, the umbrella frame covered only by a row of dripping water droplets.
The rain streaked across her shoulders, quickly soaking one side of her shoulder. Her school uniform shirt clung to her collarbone, revealing glimpses of her skin.
She crossed her arms, her eyelashes clumped together by the rain, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness—like a fawn, with a hint of premeditated panic.
Yun Zhan came down the stairs holding a black umbrella and saw her at a glance.
Wen Sixue looked up, her voice mingling with the sound of rain, and softly called out, "Yun Zhan..."
The last note trembled in the wind, like a hook.
She took a step forward, and raindrops immediately burst open at the tips of her hair, soaking her clothes instantly and outlining her slender waistline.
"I didn't bring an umbrella," she blinked away the water droplets from her eyelashes, but a slight smile crept onto her lips. "Could you take me home?"
The rain roared, and Yun Zhan's black umbrella stopped above her head.
Yun Zhan lowered his eyes and saw her fingertips, which were red from the cold. He finally sighed and tilted the umbrella towards her: "Let's go."
Wen Sixue smiled and took a small step under the umbrella, her shoulder lightly brushing against her arm.
The rain curtain divided the world into a small space for two, the umbrella's surface resembling a crescent moon.
She secretly raised her eyes and saw that Yun Zhan's ear tips were slightly red from the rain. Her little schemes blossomed in the sound of the rain.
The rain curtain, like a solid piece of gray glass, was shattered by the car headlights.
Yun Zhan folded up the black umbrella, and rainwater dripped down the umbrella ribs onto the doormat in front of Wen Sixue's house.
Wen Sixue took out her keys, her fingertips slightly cold with nervousness—she knew very well that this was the only chance she could seize tonight.
Her fingertips trembled slightly as she suddenly remembered Pei Yanxi's face, which was cold to the bone.
Senior Pei brought Yun Zhan home last night... Although she believed that Yun Zhan wouldn't have anything going on with Senior Pei, after all... Senior Pei liked her.
As the saying goes, "Those closest to the water get the moon first," and Wen Sixue understood this principle well. The person closest to Yun Zhan had the best chance...
Last night's scene was like a nail, driving Wen Sixue's chest to ache.
She knew she didn't have Pei Yanxi's family background, nor her immense wealth or wielding power.
What she could give Yun Zhan was a light that stayed on until midnight, a glass of milk that was just the right temperature, and a warm home.
A gentle stream flows on, life is peaceful and serene...
Tonight, she wanted to give it a try. If Yun Zhan was willing to stay, even if he hesitated for only a second, she would magnify that second until it turned into "liking" him.
As soon as the door opens, the warm yellow entryway light shines like a soft net.
"The rain is too heavy."
Wen Sixue bent down to get slippers from the shoe cabinet, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
"And... the weather forecast says there will be thunder at 2 a.m.
She secretly glanced up and saw Yun Zhan's rain-soaked hair sticking to the side of his neck.
The soft lines of her neck were bathed in a shimmering, watery light.
Wen Sixue quickly glanced away, her heart pounding so hard she was afraid of being discovered. She slipped the spare key into Yun Zhan's palm.
"Stay here, the guest rooms have been empty."
When his knuckles touched Yun Zhan's fingers, he deliberately paused for half a second longer, as if silently adding:
"Or, you can sleep in the master bedroom with me; the bed in the master bedroom is softer."
Yun Zhan hesitated for a moment while holding the umbrella handle, and Wen Sixue immediately added, "The weather forecast says there will be thunder at two o'clock, I'm scared."
The voice was very soft, but it contained a cautious anticipation.
Yun Zhan finally nodded.
"I'm going to take a shower now. Could you please get my clothes for me later?"
The bathroom light was a warm orange, and the steam just beginning to rise from the mirror created an ambiguous mist.
Wen Sixue turned on the showerhead, the sound of water pattering, but it couldn't drown out her heartbeat—thump, thump, thump, each pounding making her eardrums ache.
Wen Sixue stood under the showerhead, the hot water rolling down her collarbone, washing away the foam, but not the dark currents rising in her eyes.
She reached out and turned off the water, and the only sound in the bathroom was the muffled sound of raindrops tapping on the window.
In the mirror, water droplets fell along her eyelashes—she only had one chance.
Wen Sixue told herself... tonight, if Yun Zhan softens his stance even a little... she will... win Yun Zhan over.
He dried himself with a towel, but did not put on clothes immediately.
Wen Sixue put on a bathrobe, the belt casually tied at the waist, the collar loose, revealing her collarbone and the wetness on her chest.
My fingertip paused on the doorknob for half a second, then I pressed the deadbolt button—"click."
She took a deep breath and reached out to turn off the bathroom light.
Darkness instantly engulfed everything, leaving only the roar of my heartbeat in my ears.
The plan formed a clear line in her mind: let Yun Zhan in and hand him the clothes. The moment she took the clothes, she would feign tripping over the threshold and falling backward. If Yun Zhan reached out—she would grab his wrist the instant she fell, using the momentum to pull him into her arms.
Darkness, the sound of water, and body temperature are enough to make any "concern" cross the boundaries of friendship.
If Yun Zhan hadn't reached out...
She would also regain her composure at the last moment, laughing and saying it was a joke, but leaving enough ambiguous foreshadowing.
Wen Sixue raised her hand, her fingertips precisely finding the doorknob in the darkness.
She closed her eyes, hearing her own heartbeat steady and powerful—waiting for her prey to enter her shooting range.
“Yun Zhan,”
Her voice was soft but carried an undeniable hook: "I'm almost done showering. My pajamas are on the bed. Could you get them for me?"
Footsteps approached from afar outside the door.
Wen Sixue's hands, hanging by her sides, slowly tightened, her knuckles turning white.
In the darkness, her eyes shone with an astonishing light.
She raised her hand to test the water temperature, but her fingertips were trembling.
My cheeks were flushed in the mirror; I couldn't tell if it was from the steam or from nervousness.
"Yun Zhan—the bathroom light seems to be broken; I can't see."
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire house suddenly went dark.
"Hiss, it seems like it's not just the bathroom light that's broken now, it's probably a power outage due to the heavy rain." Yun Zhan had just finished getting Wen Sixue's pajamas when all the lights in the house went out.
Darkness poured over me like a bucket of ice water.
Wen Sixue's breath hitched, and her fingertips scratched wildly at the slippery floor tiles.
The next second, her foot stepped into a puddle of stale foam, and she fell backward—
"Thump!"
Her knee slammed into the ground, the pain making her see stars. In the darkness, only the sound of rain tapping on the window and her own rapid breathing could be heard.
She instinctively curled up into a ball, her voice weak: "Yun Zhan... are you there?"
Footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, accompanied by slightly disordered breathing.
In the darkness, the door was pushed open—
Wen Sixue couldn't see anyone, but she could feel that familiar, crisp aura approaching.
She reached out and grabbed at things haphazardly, her fingertips brushing against Yun Zhan's trouser leg as if grasping at the last piece of driftwood.
"Don't be afraid, I'm coming." Yun Zhan's voice was low and steady, with a hint of rapid breathing.
The next second, Wen Sixue was lifted into the air and her bathrobe slipped to the ground with a very soft "shh" sound.
Her skin pressed directly against Yun Zhan's arm.
Delicate, warm, and moist, like porcelain moistened by rain.
Yun Zhan's breath hitched, and his arms tightened instinctively.
She was lifted up, her wet arms wrapping around Yun Zhan's neck.
In the darkness, heartbeats beat side by side, indistinguishable as to whose beat is faster.
Wen Sixue buried her face in the crook of her shoulder, her voice wet and aggrieved: "I'm in a little pain..."
Yun Zhan put one arm around her waist and reached for the emergency switch on the wall with the other, but his fingertips touched her wet hair.
She trembled slightly; the darkness amplified all her hesitation.
Only that one sentence, almost bursting from my throat, remained—
"Don't go, okay?"
Lightning flashed outside the window, briefly illuminating the bathroom—Wen Sixue's eyes were as red as a rabbit's, with water droplets clinging to her eyelashes.
And Yun Zhan's ear tips were also silently tinged with crimson.
Wen Sixue's body was fully revealed in the electric light—her collarbones were straight, her chest rose and fell, and her waist curved into a soft arc in the light and shadow.
The lightning only lasted for half a second.
When darkness fell again, Wen Sixue's ear tips were so red they almost bled.
She froze in Yun Zhan's arms, her fingertips clenched tightly, but her voice was forced to remain steady:
"...I'm sorry, my bathrobe somehow fell down..."
"It doesn't matter."
Yun Zhan forced himself to remain calm, his words sounding as if he were speaking to Wen Sixue, yet also as if he were desperately trying to say them to himself.
She held the person in her arms even tighter, her palms pressed against the burning skin on her back, and step by step, she walked out of the bathroom and into the warm yellow light of the corridor.
Wen Sixue buried her face in his shoulder, her heart pounding so loudly it seemed to shatter the darkness.
Yun Zhan carried Wen Sixue into the master bedroom and closed the door with his foot to block out the sound of the rain.
"Looks like the power won't come back on tonight." Yun Zhan gently placed the person in his arms on the bed, and casually reached for the spare flashlight on the bedside table. A soft yellow halo spread across the ceiling, like an extremely dark moon.
"I'll go to the guest room—"
Before he could finish speaking, Wen Sixue grabbed his sleeve.
"Don't go."
Her voice was low and soft, yet trembled with an undeniable authority, "Yun Zhan, I'm alone... I'm scared."
Yun Zhan paused for a moment, then nodded.
Yun Zhan lay down on his side on the edge of the bed, fully clothed, leaving an arm's length of space: "Then you go to sleep first, I'll stay next to you."
The flashlight was placed upside down on the bedside table, its light dimmed, leaving only a hazy glow.
Wen Sixue moved closer.
The moment the blanket was lifted, Yun Zhan's fingertips touched something warm and smooth—without any fabric in between.
Yun Zhan: Why isn't she wearing any clothes... Where are the pajamas I just gave her?
21: Hehe, I bet she doesn't want to wear pajamas right now, you're in luck tonight~
Wen Sixue was like jade that had been soaked in a hot spring, delicate and soft, with a slightly trembling breath.
The air suddenly tightened.
Yun Zhan subconsciously took a half-inch back, his back touching the edge of the bed.
"Warm as snow..."
Her voice was hoarse in her throat, and the darkness amplified each heartbeat.
Wen Sixue buried her face in her shoulder, her voice muffled yet stubborn.
"Yun Zhan, I like to sleep naked... Is that okay?"
She reached out and wrapped her arms around Yun Zhan's waist; her fingertips were icy cold, yet felt like they were rooted to the spot.
"Tonight, I'll be selfish just this once."
Raindrops pounded against the windowpane like countless tiny drumsticks.
Yun Zhan froze for a moment, then finally sighed, placed his palm on Wen Sixue's back, and gently pulled her into his arms.
In the darkness, skin to skin pressed together, temperatures intertwined, and heartbeats synchronized.
No one spoke anymore, only the sound of rain continued to count down the long night for them.
...
At four in the morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the city looked as if it had been filtered through a gray lens.
Wen Sixue's apartment was on the seventeenth floor. The balcony was partially enclosed, and the wind seeped in through the cracks in the glass, carrying the damp smell of the night rain.
Yun Zhan stepped barefoot onto the paving stones, the coolness creeping up his feet and into his chest, forcing him to wake up.
She was only wearing a shirt, the fabric sticking to her back with sweat—her dreams were filled with Pei Yanxi.
In her dream, Pei Yanxi stood under the solitary lamp in the study, holding a silver lighter in her hand. The flickering flame illuminated half of her pale face.
She looked up and smiled very gently at Yun Zhan, as if saying "goodbye" or "sorry".
The next second, the lights went out, the figure turned to ashes, and Yun Zhan couldn't make a sound in his dream. He could only watch the sparks being blown away by the wind—and then he suddenly woke up.
Her chest ached with a tightness, and she instinctively reached for her side—Wen Sixue's arm was still wrapped around her waist, her body burning hot, breathing heavily as she slept.
Yun Zhan gently moved the hand away, his movements extremely light, yet they still startled the other person. Wen Sixue gave a muffled hum, not waking up, only turning over and softly murmuring Yun Zhan's name.
Yun Zhan did not lie back down.
She threw off the covers, got out of bed, walked barefoot through the living room, and pushed open the balcony door.
The early morning wind rushed up, lifting the hem of my shirt and sweeping away any lingering sleepiness.
The city lights stretched into a dotted line in the distance, like a scribble on gray paper with a pencil. She reached into her pocket for cigarettes—it was empty.
"I forgot to buy cigarettes when I left school..." So Yun Zhan just stood there, his fingers gripping the railing, his knuckles turning white from the force.
She looked down and saw her chest rising and falling with her breath, as if something was trying to push out of her bones—not fear, but more like a belated, dull pain that made her panic.
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