Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Li Xiwu did not return to Lake Lu tonight. She went to the market alone and bought her favorite dishes. Then she drove back to the small courtyard in the suburbs. She turned on the heater, changed out of her jacket, put on an apron, pulled her hair up, and began to busy herself with dinner.
She added pure milk to the hotpot base and added her favorite dishes. A spicy hotpot that looked, smelled, and tasted good was served. Other than the hot Malatang in front of her, the surrounding atmosphere was quiet and a little lonely.
She poured herself a cup of peach blossom wine. It was fragrant and mellow. Although the aftertaste was endless, she felt that something was missing, so she changed the peach blossom wine to throat-burning white wine. Only then was she satisfied.
Pei Jingzhou called.
Li Xiwu picked it up. âFourth Brother.â
Pei Jingzhou did not ask where she was or what she was doing. He only asked,
âAre you still going home tonight?â
Li Xiwu endured the discomfort in her throat. âIâm not going back.â
Pei Jingzhou said, âMhm.â
Li Xiwu said, âIf thereâs nothing else, thatâs all for now.â
Pei Jingzhou asked, âFor now?â
Li Xiwu pursed her lips. âIâm hanging up.â
âHoney.â He called out to his wife in a low voice. There was an indescribable love and gentleness in the receiver.
Li Xiwu smiled. âFourth Brother, sleep early. Iâll leave Yaoyao to you tonight.â
Pei Jingzhou chuckled. âThe two of us havenât eaten dinner just to wait for you.
Weâre cold and hungry, and yet my wife didnât care.â
Li Xiwu was surprised. âCold and hungry?â
Pei Jingzhou said, âYes, Iâm so hungry that Iâm hallucinating. I can even vaguely smell the fragrance of hotpot. I wonder if itâs hotpot.â
Li Xiwu:
She slowly raised her eyes and saw a blinding light shining in the direction of the door outside the originally dark courtyard.
Li Xiwu ended the call and stood up, walking towards the door. When she reached the door, the high beams changed to close ones. She saw Pei Jingzhou sitting in the driverâs seat. He was looking at her with a faint smile in his eyes. Li Xiwu opened the door of the small courtyard and came out. Pei Jingzhou had already gotten out of the car.
Li Xiwu walked over and asked, âWhereâs Yaoyao?â
Pei Jingzhou said in a jealous tone, âIt seems that that brat is more important to you than me.â
Li Xiwu pursed her lips and smiled. âI canât say anything if you were to say that.â
Pei Jingzhou said, âA scumbagâs quote.â
Li Xiwu:
Pei Jingzhou smiled happily and tilted his head. âHeâs in the car.â
Li Xiwu walked over.
In the backseat, Yaoyao curled up and was already asleep. Probably because sleep was light, Yaoyao woke up as soon as Li Xiwu opened the car door.
The moment Yaoyao saw Li Xiwu, he thought that he was dreaming, so when Li Xiwu picked him up, he was not surprised. He took the initiative to wrap his arms around Li Xiwuâs neck and murmured, âMomâ¦â
Li Xiwu stiffened.
She knew that this was a childâs instinct. Even if he did not have a mother by his side, he would always fantasize that he had a mother. Although he usually did not show it, he would inadvertently show his desire for kinship.
She carried Yaoyao into the small courtyard and placed him on the bed in the house for him to continue sleeping.
When she came out after adjusting the heater, Pei Jingzhou had already taken a set of bowls and chopsticks and sat down at the small table to wait for her.
After coming over and sitting down, she looked up at him. âHow can Fourth Brother be sure that Iâm here? What if Iâm at Qiao Qiaoâs?â
Pei Jingzhou changed her wine to the original peach blossom wine. âEven if youâre not here, Iâve only made a wasted trip.â
As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Jingzhou looked up at her. The two of them looked at each other, and the smile in his eyes did not fade. âAs for your friend, she has been plagued by trouble recently.â
Li Xiwu rested her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her palms. âFourth Brother even knows this.â
Pei Jingzhou said, âThatâs not all. I know everything about you.â
Li Xiwu was stunned. She slowly lowered her hand.
Pei Jingzhou was clearly not joking. He poured her a cup of peach blossom wine and placed it in front of her. âThe white wine burns the throat. Donât drink too much.â
Li Xiwu picked up the cup of peach blossom wine Pei Jingzhou had poured for her. âI could reflect after it scorches my throat.â
Pei Jingzhou: âReflect?â
âYes.â Li Xiwu took a shallow sip. âAfter all, I did something wrong.â
Pei Jingzhouâs eyes darkened. âIf youâre talking about doing something wrong, Iâve done many things wrong in my life. In front of you, this small matter is not worth mentioning.â
Li Xiwu pursed her lips in silence. She knew very well that the Pei familyâs history was not open and aboveboard. But thinking about it, how many dignitaries had a clean history now? Perhaps to continue the conversation, she asked, âCan Fourth Brother tell me this?â
Pei Jingzhou raised his eyebrows. âYou want to hear it?â
Li Xiwu pursed her lips. âIâm bored anyway. Iâll just treat it as killing time.â
The smile on Pei Jingzhouâs lips spread as he recounted the past in a calm tone. Everything was out. When she heard it, she felt that it was scary.
Li Xiwu had never asked about these things in the past. The less she knew about the matters of the nobles, the safer she would be. She had infiltrated too much and it was difficult for her to be alone.
In the end, Li Xiwu suddenly realized that Pei Jingzhou seemed to beâ¦
comforting her? The truth was just as she thought. Pei Jingzhou cut to the chase. âThis is just a small matter that can be ignored. Itâs not enough to trouble you or even affect your mood.â
Li Xiwu had her own concerns. âButâ¦â
Pei Jingzhou said, âNo buts.â His tone was domineering and authoritative. âYouâre Mrs. Pei. No one can make you lower your head.â
Li Xiwu was stunned.
In her memory, she had known Pei Jingzhou for three years. The two of them rarely sat down and chatted about this. He never asked her about her worries, but it was probably because she was focused on her career at that time and had nothing on her mind.
As for the Pei familyâs background, she initially thought that she was not qualified to ask. Later on, she thought that there was no need to ask.
Now that she thought about it carefully, she had always distanced herself from Pei Jingzhou. She never took the initiative to tell him about herself, but every time, he would silently resolve it for her.
As her thoughts drifted, Pei Jingzhou, who was sitting opposite her, slowly stood up and sat beside her.
They were next to each other.
Li Xiwu glanced sideways and saw Pei Jingzhou slowly lean over. His lips were close to her ear. âWith your status as Mrs. Pei, you can do whatever you want in the entire capital. No matter what you do, I can take responsibility for you. So what are you worried about?â
Li Xiwuâs breath caught. â1ââ
Pei Jingzhou raised his hand to cup her face and turned to face him. âIs it because of the contract marriage from three years ago?â
Li Xiwuâs breathing stopped again, and her throat felt a little blocked. âFourth Brother, thereâs still more than a month before our contract marriage ends. At that time, I wonât be Mrs. Pei anymore..â