Chapter 11 "Girls shouldn't be naked..."
Lin Chaoyue felt refreshed after receiving a stack of autographs. When she returned, she deliberately placed the autographs between herself and Pei Shuwen.
The meaning of "嘚瑟" is quite obvious.
Lin Chaoyue is not very old, and occasionally she has the temperament of a little girl.
Pei Shuwen didn't care.
He has a meeting in an hour, and he needs to go through the meeting materials again.
Pei Shuwen ignored her, and Lin Chaoyue, being quite sensible, quickly restrained herself after a brief moment of smugness.
Having witnessed Pei Shuwen's ability to take on five opponents single-handedly, she dared not act recklessly.
Seeing that he was working, she focused on driving and changed the music to a softer piano piece.
She didn't call him until she drove the car to Pei Shuwen's building.
"We're here. Thank you for today. I'll treat you to a meal sometime when you're free." Despite her fear, Lin Chaoyue still maintained proper manners.
But considering she was penniless, Lin Chaoyue added, "I'll pick the location. I can't afford anything too expensive, but I guarantee it will be delicious."
Pei Shuwen didn't seem to care much, just grunted in response, got out of the car, and casually grabbed his suit jacket before heading upstairs.
He was very focused on his work.
He was still replying to messages in the middle of this.
She really is a workaholic; Pei Shuwen seems even more capable than her husband, Ms. Zhong.
Lin Chaoyue locked the car and silently followed. It was so late, and there were only the two of them in the enclosed elevator. Lin Chaoyue could even hear her own heartbeat clearly.
She lives on the third floor, and Pei Shuwen lives on the fourth floor.
Pei Shuwen pressed the elevator button twice, and the elevator stopped when it reached the third floor.
Lin Chaoyue did not go down.
Pei Shuwen pressed the button for the third floor again.
When the elevator doors closed automatically again, Pei Shuwen finally looked at her: "Is there anything else?"
They went along with it even though they were gritting their teeth, so of course it wasn't a bad thing.
Lin Chaoyue pursed her lips and looked down at Pei Shuwen's still bleeding hand.
Doesn't he feel any pain?
Lin Chaoyue pointed downwards: "You should have a first-aid kit at home, right? Let me bandage you up before I leave?"
Pei Shuwen: "I'm fine, I have a meeting later."
Lin Chaoyue: "It's not easy for you to handle this on your own. Your meeting doesn't start for a while yet. Don't worry, I'll be quick."
Lin Chaoyue spoke in a consultative tone, but as soon as she entered the room, she began looking around for a first-aid kit.
In the end, she actually saw it.
It was placed under the sideboard. She took it out, opened it, and checked the contents: gauze, iodine, cotton swabs, and some anti-inflammatory medicine—everything she needed was there.
Seeing that Pei Shuwen was still standing there looking at her, she simply pulled her to sit on the sofa: "Sit here, turn a little to the side, and give me your hand."
She acted as if she were at home.
But there's nothing we can do.
She was too tired.
I need to get Pei Shuwen settled in as soon as possible so she can go downstairs to sleep. Pei Shuwen said she could go to the office in the afternoon, but knowing herself well, if she doesn't sleep now, she might sleep until tomorrow night.
Lin Chaoyue forced her eyelids open, but still showed the patience she had when coaxing a child: "I'll wipe it with iodine first. It might hurt a little, but I'll be gentle."
Pei Shuwen initially refused, but later she cooperated.
Let her do as she pleases, and don't rush her.
Seeing how skillfully she bandaged the wound, I even put down my work and chatted with her for a few minutes.
"Did you get injured frequently when you were studying abroad?" Pei Shuwen asked.
"Ah, not really often. I quite enjoy skiing, and I usually handle minor injuries myself."
But because her ski suit provides good protection and she's on the snow, she rarely suffers such open wounds. At most, she'll fall and get some bruises, which she usually just needs to apply some medicine to get rid of.
After cleaning the wound with iodine, Lin Chaoyue began to carefully wrap it with gauze.
Lin Chaoyue: "Then how come you're so good at fighting? That whole group of people couldn't beat you. Did you learn some fighting techniques?"
Pei Shuwen: "Yes, I've studied it."
"Why learn this?" Lin Chaoyue asked curiously.
After all, this kind of thing really didn't suit Pei Shuwen, like putting strong liquor in a fine purple clay teapot instead of tea.
Pei Shuwen: "In our profession, it's inevitable to get beaten up, so we learned this for self-defense."
"ah?"
Is it true or not?
Is the legal profession in China really that dangerous? There's even a risk of being assaulted.
Lin Chaoyue's hand trembled slightly, and she almost wiped the iodine on Pei Shuwen's white shirt, but luckily she reacted quickly and raised her hand in time.
Pei Shuwen: "What's wrong?"
"No, no, it's good for self-defense." As long as it's not learned to be used to fight, then she still has hope of escaping Pei Shuwen's exploitation.
Lin Chaoyue suddenly felt that there was a glimmer of hope in her life, and she became more positive.
While collecting the first-aid kit, I tentatively asked, "I heard that if you pass the law firm's assessment, you can choose your own team. Can I choose mine too?"
"If you want to."
Of course she wanted to; before, she had only heard people talking about it, but tonight she had witnessed Pei Shuwen's workload firsthand.
Even the kindest people in the family have to hold meetings at four in the morning.
But thinking about it is one thing, expressing it in a way that doesn't seem very friendly.
Lin Chaoyue chuckled awkwardly, "Don't misunderstand, it's not that I don't want to join your team, it's just that I've heard that the people on your team are all quite... capable, and I'm afraid I'll hold you back."
Pei Shuwen looked at her with a half-smile, as if he could see right through her little thoughts.
Too.
Pei Shuwen has been 'cultivating' for so many years, he must have become a shrewd and calculating person by now.
How could he not guess what she was thinking? She suddenly felt that she had been too tactful in her words.
Lin Chaoyue simply gave up and went all out.
After packing up the medical kit, I muttered to myself before leaving, "Besides, I'm afraid my presence will raise your average sleep time."
After saying that, she slipped away.
She didn't dare turn around to see what Pei Shuwen's expression was.
That's just how she is; when she gets emotional, she'll blurt out anything, but then she'll become timid afterward.
He was nicknamed "Lin the Coward".
Lin Chaoyue hopped downstairs like a rabbit.
Soon there was no further movement.
Pei Shuwen looked at the stairs for a while before turning her gaze away.
The computer video conferencing interface was ready, but he was distracted and just missed the scheduled meeting time. It was already 4:02 when he went in, which was a rare occurrence for him.
Lin Chaoyue didn't hear the joking remarks made by the person in the video conference upstairs with a standard British accent.
She didn't hear Pei Shuwen's unprecedentedly late apology.
Because as soon as she went downstairs, she went into the bathroom, first taking a comfortable bath, and then doing a meticulous skincare routine.
By the time everything was done, she was no longer sleepy.
She was yawning so sleepily at Pei Shuwen's house just now, but now her mind is clearer than when she first woke up.
I walked around the house, not even really wanting to go into the bedroom.
She simply wrapped herself in a bathrobe and lay down on the sofa in the living room to play on her phone.
The first thing to do, of course, is to remove Li Cong from the blacklist, and then take a picture of the stack of autographs I got and send it to him.
Li Cong didn't reply immediately.
She glanced at his WeChat Moments. His status was "in a meeting," and most of his Moments were closed. The latest post was a video of him dressed in a suit and tie, attending some kind of business meeting, looking very serious.
She almost believed it.
But she had known Li Cong for over twenty years and knew him all too well what kind of person he was.
He's probably just trying to create a persona for himself, planning to pick up some girl.
True business elites don't have time for posing for photos during meetings; even if they get injured, they'll act like nothing happened and rush to the meeting.
She's really seen it all today.
Lin Chaoyue pondered this matter silently, and then, as if possessed, clicked into Pei Shuwen's WeChat Moments.
She added him as a friend at a dinner party last Friday.
I still haven't seen what his WeChat Moments look like.
Lin Chaoyue had a strange sense of anticipation before opening the app, but her expectations were quickly dashed because she soon discovered that Pei Shuwen's Moments were empty.
Everything from the profile picture to the background is black; only the username is his real name.
Does he have no hobbies or interests?
It seems like there's nothing interesting in their life they want to share.
What a bland guy.
Lin Chaoyue tossed her phone aside and let out a long sigh, but she picked it up again a moment later.
She has a video recorded by Pei Shuwen's cousin on her phone.
The police officer said it hadn't been deleted, and she hadn't had a chance to look at it yet.
The video was in her album. She opened it and checked the duration. It was about ten minutes long, and it seemed to have been recording from the fight until the police arrived.
Lin Chaoyue turned to the side, found a comfortable position to lean against, and then opened the video in her hand.
The footage at the beginning was not clear, and the background noise was accompanied by her verbal battle with Pei An from time to time. It wasn't until later that the footage was steadily focused on Pei Shuwen.
She had clearly seen these scenes with her own eyes.
But now, watching it again on my phone is still quite novel. Occasionally, when I see Pei Shuwen about to be hit, my heart clenches painfully.
Fortunately, she knew that Pei Shuwen only suffered a minor hand injury when she fought the tattooed man at the end.
Oh, right.
How did that tattooed man end up lying at my feet?
She had her back to the person at the time and didn't see him.
Driven by curiosity, Lin Chaoyue dragged the video's progress bar, repeatedly fast-forwarding and pausing until she finally found the scene far back in the video.
It was this less than five-second video clip that made Lin Chaoyue sit up abruptly from the sofa.
She broke out in a cold sweat.
When did that tattooed man stand behind her? How come she didn't know anything about it? And judging from his movements, he was about to hit her on the head.
No wonder Pei Shuwen looked so pale as she walked towards me. And the last blow she delivered was so vicious.
If he hadn't been ruthless back then.
She probably won't have a turn to apply the medicine to Pei Shuwen tonight.
It's possible that dialing 110 won't be enough, and we might have to dial 120 to send her to the emergency room.
Lin Chaoyue felt as if she had survived a catastrophe.
Out of gratitude, she also viewed Pei Shuwen through a lens of romanticized perspective.
Being a workaholic might not be his fault, since he doesn't have many hobbies. And according to gossip, the last time he dated was back in school, and even that relationship was broken up by his family. What else can he do besides work?
While feeling sentimental, Lin Chaoyue sent Li Cong a few messages.
I think you have a prejudice against Pei Shuwen; he's actually a very nice person.
I'll reintroduce you two when you return to China.
You're welcome.
Li Cong was busy with something and still didn't reply.
Lin Chaoyue didn't care, because she suddenly realized that she had accidentally taken Pei Shuwen's car keys.
Lin Chaoyue had long forgotten the flag she had set before, and, quite forgetfully, sent Pei Shuwen a message.
Lin Chaoyue: [Is the meeting over? I still have your car keys; shall I bring them up to you?]
Pei Shuwen: [Come.]
It looks like the meeting is over.
After taking the key, Lin Chaoyue didn't think much of it, changed into her pajamas, and went upstairs.
She shuffled downstairs, but became noticeably quieter going upstairs.
It was already well past dawn, and all the lights in Pei Shuwen's house were off, but the curtains were only drawn open to block out the light.
The dim morning light pierced through the thin mist, casting a cold, grayish-blue hue throughout the room.
Lin Chaoyue belatedly realized that the two sofas upstairs and downstairs were the same model, and even their size and placement were surprisingly similar.
Pei Shuwen leaned back on the sofa, still wearing the same suit he wore last night, but the top two buttons of his shirt collar were undone.
Before we made eye contact.
Lin Chaoyue very consciously looked away.
Pei Shuwen: "Still not asleep?"
"Yeah, I just finished showering, I'm going to sleep in a bit."
Lin Chaoyue placed the key in a conspicuous place. She wanted to say one more thing before leaving, telling him to go to sleep early as well, but when she turned around, she found that Pei Shuwen had gotten up at some point and was already standing in front of her.
He then knelt down and bent over.
Lin Chaoyue didn't know what he was going to do, and stood there stiffly, not daring to move.
It wasn't until Pei Shuwen used her uninjured hand to open the shoe cabinet and took out a pair of slippers, placing them beside her feet, that things changed.
He didn't get up immediately, resting one hand on his knee. He looked very tired, but his voice remained calm and unhurried.
"Girls shouldn't walk barefoot on the floor."
A note from the author:
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