0025 025 means winter is coming.
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"What time is it?" she asked in a hoarse voice.
"It's getting late, let's go and rest."
He gently coaxed her, picked her up softly, and held her close to his chest. The girl's long, curly eyelashes brushed against his skin, making her look both obedient and charming.
"It hurts..." she murmured softly as the pain tugged at her inner thigh.
"I'm sorry, Yao Yao, it's my fault."
She was passed through the dressing room and went straight to his bedroom. Qi Shuyao hadn't been here for a long time. The empty room exuded a cold atmosphere, and even the blankets weren't warm. After being put down, she immediately grabbed the man's warm embrace and lay down on him.
The temperature gradually rose, and the dry, soft blankets enveloped her aching body. Qi Yu continued to kiss the tip of her nose, speaking softly in her ear.
"Did you have fun today?"
"happy."
"Can I have a reward?"
Her eyes were almost closed, but she stretched out her head and kissed him on the face several times before burying her face in his neck again. Qi Yu was finally satisfied. He kissed the top of her head, his heart filled with joy.
The night was deep, and the girl on his body was fast asleep. He stroked her bare back with his large hand, again and again. The moon hid behind the flower branches tonight, and he stared at a faint light, revealing his dark and petty nature.
"Don't dream about other men."
The wind answered for her, seemingly mocking her, but he still smiled and closed his eyes.
"Yaoyao, Yaoyao, wake up."
In her sleep, Qi Shuyao felt someone gently rubbing her stomach. She stretched out her arms and opened her eyes. The layout of the room's ceiling surprised her at first, but then she smiled at Qi Yu. She rolled over and snuggled into his arms, rubbing her head against his waist and abdomen.
"Mmm...hug..."
"Okay, hug."
Qi Yu lifted her out of the blanket and held her in his arms like a baby, supporting her bare bottom and wrapping her legs around his waist. He led her around the room, and Qi Shuyao nestled her head on his shoulder, her nose touching the throbbing veins on his neck, quietly enjoying the morning light.
As the sun gradually rose, the aroma of breakfast began to spread. Everything seemed to retract its tentacles when touched by the sunlight, quietly retreating into its shell. Qi Shuyao ran from the dressing room back to her bedroom, took a shower, changed her clothes, and went downstairs to eat as usual.
But she was still a little late today. After dinner, Qi Yu drove her to school much faster. She only started combing her hair after she got into the car. She ran her fingers through her hair a few times and pulled out a small bear clip holding her bangs from her thick hair.
She was so tired from all the commotion yesterday that she didn't even realize she had slept on the clip all night. Oh wait, she slept on Qi Yu's body yesterday.
The man driving saw her sitting there grinning foolishly, so he reached out and rubbed her cheek. She bit his little lip, and her little head came closer. She took out a tie from his suit, removed the tie clip, and clipped her little bear clip onto it.
"Don't let anyone find out, and don't take it off."
The car stopped right at the school gate. She quickly planted a kiss on Qi Yu's cheek, then skipped away with her schoolbag, leaving the man alone to laugh all the way to work.
Recently, the students in her class have been unable to settle down, focusing all their attention on how to shine at their coming-of-age ceremony. Qi Shuyao has finally put her mind at ease, and she is now paying more attention to activities that she used to be indifferent to. She even changed into a new dress and bought a lot of new accessories while holding hands with her friends. She often sends Qi Yu a few items that she has difficulty choosing, but he always takes a long time to reply.
"The Cheng family's case is still under investigation, and we often need to cooperate."
Are you sure there's nothing that can be detected about you?
Don't you believe me?
"I have no idea what you're busy with all day long."
"After that, I'll bring you to my side so I can supervise you personally."
A friend quietly walked up to Qi Shuyao from behind and was startled by her smile. When had this little princess ever smiled so sweetly?
Are you in a relationship?
The sound beside her startled her so much that she almost threw her phone away. She hurriedly stuffed it into her pocket, neither denying nor admitting it, and pushed her back into the changing room.
On the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, Qi Shuyao changed into her newly prepared short princess dress. Before she had even finished braiding her hair, she hurriedly sent a full-body photo to Qi Yu. There was no response from him for a long time. She stuffed her phone into the pocket of her dress and went to the auditorium.
The Pei family.
Madam Pei, accompanied by her son, was watching a television report about the Cheng family's business. She leaned against the soft pillows in a natural and elegant posture, showing no signs of illness. In contrast, Pei Youwen, standing beside her, looked tense all over.
"What's wrong with you? Are you still struggling to get over this setback?"
"Mom, why did Dad suddenly die without any warning? He had recovered a lot before."
Madam Pei's gaze was sharp, and her tone was serious, unlike the gentle demeanor that was rumored to be hers.
“You’re all grown up now. From now on, everything in the Pei family will depend on you. You can’t keep dwelling on the past and being sad forever. If you cry every single day, do you think your father will come back to life?”
"Mom, why aren't you sad at all when Dad died?"
"What's the use of me being sad? He's already dead, so why shouldn't I live?"
Madam Pei picked up the remote and turned up the TV volume, drowning out her son's voice. Pei Youwen and the two maids around him didn't dare to make a sound, wondering what had upset her.
Jingyang News Channel is doing a special report on the Cheng Group's affairs. Economic experts had predicted long ago that the Cheng Group had obtained the quota for the development of the abandoned city, and many reporters have already gone to the abandoned buildings to do live broadcasts.
Hearing about other people's messy affairs, the mother and son's emotions returned to normal. Madam Pei's tone was noticeably gentler, and she even leaned closer to Pei Youwen.
"Son, have you kept everything a secret? I hope no one will find out you're involved."
"Whatever I do, every single person drinking there, no reporter would dare to expose it. Besides, we're boyfriend and girlfriend, what's there to be afraid of?"
"It's alright. Mom doesn't mind her background. And you don't have to help, but you can't hold her back, okay?"
"Mom, do you really wish I had died in place of my brother? That way you would have a capable and obedient child and wouldn't have to worry about me every day."
"You and he are both my children. I love you both equally. No matter who it is, you are all I have now."
Madam Pei reached out and grasped his trembling, cold hand, smiling gently. She raised her hand to stroke her son's hair. Neither the loss of her son nor her husband had broken this woman; she remained calm and strong, her back straight.
The butler rushed in from outside, walked to Madam Pei's side, and whispered...
"Madam, there's a young woman outside who's making a fuss about wanting to see you."
"I'm not giving any more interviews. Let them have their say, go dig up my grave in the cemetery. I know nothing about this."
"No...she said, you'll understand once you see this."
The butler handed over a folded piece of paper. Madam Pei took it, unfolded it, and was immediately stunned.
A pregnancy test report and a photo of a young girl and Pei Yuzhou fell to the floor.
“Madam, that girl said she must fight for the inheritance that her unborn child is entitled to, or else she will contact the media to expose it.”
"Tell her to wait a minute! Help me up quickly."
Mrs. Pei was truly unable to stand this time. Her legs, which hadn't touched the ground for a long time, wobbled on the floor. The maid quickly pushed over a wheelchair and helped her sit up. She kept trying to catch her breath, and her well-maintained complexion gradually turned pale. She crumpled the pregnancy test results in her hand and stared at the family photo in the small hall, her gaze seeming to burst into flames.
"First, push me behind the small door to the living room, then quietly bring her in so I can see her first."
"Yes, ma'am."
The housekeeper led the young girl into the reception room. She sat on the sofa, her eyes red and tearful. Madam Pei carefully observed her appearance, but she did not remember this face.
She maneuvered her wheelchair and glided over.
Pei Youwen seemed neither surprised nor concerned, and had no intention of getting involved. He went straight back to his bedroom, found Qi Shuyao in his contacts list whom he hadn't chatted with recently, and tentatively sent her a greeting.
Qi Shuyao was bored in the auditorium when she saw his message and chatted with him for a while. She kept thinking about Qi Yu saying that he was not a good person. As Pei Yuzhou's son, it would be problematic if he were really so clean.
Sitting next to her was Cen Xueying from Class 2. They were classmates in junior high school. She took her mother's surname. Her mother had been married several times and was known in the industry as the "Secretary Killer." Every stepfather of hers was a secretary to a powerful figure.
Her mother's current husband, who was Pei Yuzhou's former secretary, has also been taken away for questioning.
Qi Shuyao quietly peeked over and whispered something to her.
"Has your stepfather not been released yet? Is he alright?"
“I don’t think it’s going to work out. My mom has been dating a new man lately and hasn’t been home in ages.”
"Is the Pei family really in such a mess?"
Upon hearing this, Cen Xueying perked up and finally spilled all the gossip she had been keeping to herself.
“I don’t know about his work, but I do know about his children.”
"Pei Youwen? What's wrong with him now?"
"You've heard about how Pei Yuzhou's eldest son was killed by his enemies long ago, before we were even born, right? That's normal; everyone has enemies. But a year after his eldest son died, his twin sons were born. Think about how old they were back then. His wife was two years older than him. How could she get pregnant so quickly? It's a miracle! Even if it was a miracle, it couldn't have happened to a wicked person like him."
"So you mean..."
“My mom and I both guessed that Pei Yuzhou had a child outside long ago. After his eldest son died, he brought his younger son back. His wife lost her job and her child, and couldn't stand firm at home, so she had no choice but to accept it. You can see that she has no feelings for her younger son. When Pei Youwen heard that his brother died, she didn't even cry.”
After listening to Cen Xueying's explanation, Qi Shuyao suddenly understood why she had always felt lonely. There was no woman in the house, Qi Yu was busy, and Han Mama and the housekeeper were not good at joking. Her best friend, Song Yusheng, was taught never to talk about others behind their backs and was sometimes even busier than Qi Yu. All she lacked was a friend with whom she could joke and gossip.
"Well, it's nothing. Men have always been able to leave behind a string of illegitimate children wherever they go."
After Cen Xueying sighed, she immediately turned to her side, lowering her voice even further.
"Don't tell anyone else about these things, not even your dad. They definitely know more than we do. My guess might not be right either. Don't let it implicate my mom and the others."
Qi Shuyao nodded and said nothing more. She looked at the last meeting invitation Pei Youwen sent on her phone and accepted it this time.
The two agreed to meet at a coffee shop near her school the next evening, using the excuse of exchanging ideas about painting.
In the abandoned city, in the central building, Manager Chen of the dance hall stood on the rooftop waiting for a call. The wind on the rooftop was strong, tangling his sparse hair.
We waited from noon until almost sunset before news finally arrived.
"Development delayed, we'll continue our covert operations."
A glint appeared in the middle-aged man's small eyes as he strode towards his underground dwelling, pushed open the door, and welcomed the opening act of music and singing.
He walked past the elderly men shrouded in mist, his smile stiffening. When he returned to his office, his smile vanished, and his serious expression was quite frightening.
The assistant stepped forward and handed over several application forms.
"Manager, this is the new dancer who applied for the job."
He casually flipped to a page, pointing to the photo on it.
"Let this one in first."
After a while, the back door of the office was pushed open, and the assistant led in a tall woman.
"Hello, manager, my name is Xiaolan."
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