Chapter 124:
Pei Yuzhou’s eyebrows lightly raised. It was the first time he heard someone say he wasn’t sincere enough. What sincerity did he need?
“Baby.” His thin lips parted slightly, exhaling breath, his voice low and magnetic, “You want to hear this?”
“Or babe?”
Close at hand, his breath sprayed on her skin, causing a faint itch.
Both endearments were too intimate, sounding like flirting coming from his mouth.
Miss Meng’s ears instantly turned red, “I didn’t…”
Her mind involuntarily recalled his tender whispers by her ear during their past intimate moments.
—Well-behaved girl, my babe.
Seeing her silent, Pei Yuzhou’s fingertip brushed her reddened eye corner, pressing, “What are you thinking?”
Miss Meng lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, “Nothing.”
Pei Yuzhou pinched her cheek, “Then get in the car, don’t freeze here.”
Miss Meng looked up at the sky, “What time is it now?”
Before Pei Yuzhou could answer, her attention was drawn to a tree in the nearby green belt.
She excitedly raised her finger and pointed, “That leaf looks like a heart shape!”
Pei Yuzhou turned his head and looked in the direction she pointed.
Miss Meng acted on whims, walking under the tree and reaching up, still a long way short, “Why is it so high.”
She didn’t know what kind of tree it was, but she thought it was special, with intense red-brown leaves swaying nonstop in the evening breeze.
The little girl had a sudden idea and turned to Pei Yuzhou for help, “Mister Pei, hug me, I should be able to reach then.”
She grabbed the man’s arm and shook it, unconsciously acting coquettish, “Can you?”
Pei Yuzhou was silent for two seconds, “Must you pick it?”
Miss Meng nodded vigorously, “Mm-hmm.”
“Pick it and then come back with me, okay?”
She agreed readily, “Okay.”
The man bent his knees and squatted in front of her, his black glossy leather shoes creasing, his strong arms hugging the back of her legs, steadily standing up.
Miss Meng was suddenly much taller than him, raising her hand just able to touch the leaf, her brows and eyes brimming with smiles, “I can reach it!”
She exerted a little force to pick the leaf, her left hand resting on Pei Yuzhou’s shoulder, lowering her head just in time to meet his eyes, falling into his deep gaze.
Under the dim yellow lights, their overlapping figures were stretched long on the ground, intimately embracing.
The sparse sound of traffic by her ears, accompanied by the rustling wind, the world seemed to pause at this moment.
Miss Meng felt his body heat, much warmer now, her arms wrapping around his neck.
After a moment, Pei Yuzhou bent down to set her down.
Miss Meng looked at the leaf in her hand, her fingertip tracing the veins, suddenly thinking of something, “Does this count as damaging greenery? Will the police come catch us?”
Pei Yuzhou teased her, “If anyone’s caught, it’s you.”
Miss Meng took it seriously, immediately stuffing the leaf into his hand, “Giving it to you. If the police come, say you picked it, has nothing to do with me.”
Pei Yuzhou tugged at the corner of his mouth, “You sure know how to shift blame.”
Mark witnessed his own boss fooling around with Miss Meng from behind. He seriously doubted if this was the same man as the one in the group who never smiled or joked and acted decisively.
Mister never wasted time on anything boring and meaningless before.
After her fuss, Miss Meng finally agreed to get in the car.
Having stayed outside too long, her hands were ice-cold, nose tip red, and she sneezed again.
Pei Yuzhou held her sitting on his lap, instructing the driver to turn up the heat.
“Still cold?” he asked.
Miss Meng shook her head, looking outside the window, “Where are we going?”
Pei Yuzhou smoothed her hair, “Home.”
Miss Meng turned back, completely serious, “My home is in China. Are you sending me back to the country?”
Pei Yuzhou held her chin, “Back to what country? You’re not studying anymore?”
Miss Meng seemed to just remember she was still in her fourth year, “Oh.”
Then she’d go back to the country after graduation.
Pei Yuzhou caught her gaze. These clear, bottomless eyes were fine one second, pitifully tearing up the next, “What a waste not to be an actress, tears come on command.”
Huge and crystal clear, smashing down in strings, crying until he was at a loss.
He clearly disliked women crying the most, yet he indulged her unreasonable fussing.
Miss Meng stayed quiet, finding a comfortable position in his arms to lean against, her eyelids slowly closing.
Quiet for a while, Pei Yuzhou thought she was asleep, then heard her murmur, “I waited for you for so long…”