Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Threatening Again
Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Threatening Again
Pei Yansi seemed to have been here before.
The alleys were deep and quiet, with many dimly lit streetlights visible. Despite the hour, there was still a heavy flow of people under the streetlights—Southern always was a paradise for night markets. Amid the crowd, there were many small stalls selling stir-fried noodles and rice.
Pei Yansi also seemed as though he had never been here before.
Or rather, given his status, he would never come to such a place, yet he vividly remembered it as part of his own memories.
He glanced sideways at Shen Heyu next to him and said, “Did you use to come here often?”
Shen Heyu nodded, “I used to come here with her for school.”
It was funny, really. Just a few hours ago, their relationship had still been tense and confrontational, yet now, returning to this place, she could get along with him peacefully.
Perhaps it was because Shen Fanshuang had already left, and this place held some of the few memories she had with her.
Shen Heyu had never thought she would speak so calmly about that person who had died when mentioning her to Pei Yansi.
She quickly found the small stall they used to frequent many years ago with Shen Fanshuang.
Shen Heyu sat at a table by the roadside, surrounded by the bustling crowd. Pei Yansi looked at her and stood by her side without sitting down.
She knew he wouldn’t feel comfortable in such a place, let alone sitting by the road eating—something he probably couldn’t do even in his next life.
She purposefully said, “If you’re not accustomed to it, you can go first. I can be by myself…”
Her sentence was cut short by Pei Yansi, who pulled over a stool and sat down opposite her after all.
Whether he ate or not wasn’t important; he didn’t feel hungry, but he wanted to be there with her.
He lifted his eyes to look at her, noting her frowning brow as if she was somewhat dissatisfied. He chuckled and said, “Are you disappointed to see me sit down? Wishing I’d go so you’d have space to escape?”
Shen Heyu furrowed her brow and did not reply.
He always had a way of seeing right through her, and if she said more, it would only seem like a cover-up, which might anger him even more.
And her current physical condition wouldn’t withstand any more punishment from him.
Pei Yansi watched her quietly, knowing she was lying with her eyes, but he didn’t masochistically press on—he was, of course, well aware of the answer.
After ordering, the food was brought out quickly—a small bowl of wontons.
The vendor recognized Shen Heyu immediately and said with a smile, “Wow, I haven’t seen you in so many years! By the way, how’s your sister?”
Shen Heyu was taken aback; she hadn’t expected the owner to still remember her, let alone Shen Fanshuang.
She looked down, staying silent. She wasn’t used to sharing her personal matters with strangers, especially considering that Shen Fanshuang had been dead for many years.
The owner, thinking she had simply forgotten about him, didn’t take it to heart and continued chatting, “The last time she was here, it seemed like she got into trouble with quite a few people. I saw someone bullying her and wanted to help, but she ran off.”
Shen Heyu stiffened, “When was this?”
“It’s been many years, back when you were in university!”
The vendor laughed “Hehe,” and said, “Remember me now? You and your sister used to come here often; I still remember how pretty you both were. What happened to your sister later? I hope those people didn’t hurt her…”
The vendor prattled on, but Shen Heyu was no longer listening.
In her memory, after starting university with Shen Fanshuang, she had never come back here again. The last time she came here was when Shen Fanshuang had that fatal accident…
Shen Heyu knew that her sister had been bullied and accidentally killed by someone else’s unintended blow. Even though Pei Yansi had personally dealt with those people afterward, he insisted that it was she who had brought them in the first place.
Now the witness was right in front of her, wasn’t he?
But she couldn’t listen to anything, only feeling a buzzing in her ears because she never knew who exactly Shen Fanshuang had offended.
Pei Yansi saw her abnormal reaction and heard the owner still jabbering, and couldn’t help but say, “Don’t you see she doesn’t want to listen?”
His gaze was icy cold, with a sharp chill as he looked at the person.
The owner, at his ripe old age, had never seen such a gaze and was immediately startled, hurrying away.
Shen Heyu shivered ever so slightly.
Pei Yansi noticed and reached out to grab her, “What are you trembling for, scared?”
He already knew that Shen Fanshuang’s death had nothing to do with her, but Zhao Jin still hadn’t found any compelling evidence.
Therefore, this matter seemed resolved yet unresolved, and had always been looming between the two.
Shen Heyu shook her head, said nothing, and picked up a spoonful of wontons.
As she ate, it was the same old flavor, so familiar it almost brought her to tears.
After a long while, she looked up with misty eyes at Pei Yansi and said, “You know now that I didn’t do it, so why can’t you let me go?”
“You clearly know that I will never let you leave my side, so why can’t you just stay with me obediently?”
Pei Yansi stared at her, throwing her question right back at her as if returned unopened.
Shen Heyu frowned, put down her spoon, took a tissue to wipe her lips, and lost all appetite. It was clear to Pei Yansi that she was fed up with him, but no matter what, he would never just let her go.
Even seeing her resistance, he still firmly grabbed her hand, and with a seemingly gentle tone, said, “If you don’t want to eat anymore, let’s go.”
He paid the bill and got up, pulling Shen Heyu with him.
Shen Heyu could not resist, knowing it was futile, and only weakly returned to the hotel room with him.
They didn’t sleep until the sky was nearly bright, and Shen Heyu followed Pei Yansi to bed sluggishly. She was tired and fell asleep until late into the next afternoon.
She was awakened by her daughter’s laughter.
Groggily opening her eyes, she saw Yuexue sitting on the sofa, playing some game with Pei Yansi. He was patiently amusing her, and she sat giggling beside him.
The two of them looked so alike, and as they sat there, with the sunlight streaming in from the window onto their bodies, both large and small, Shen Heyu felt a stir in her heart.
But she quickly snapped back to reality, reminding herself that what she was seeing was just an illusion.
Pei Yansi wouldn’t be so gentle.
He noticed her waking up, first took Yuexue aside to play, then walked over to her bedside, looked down at her, and said, “Get up when you wake, eat, then go back to register our marriage.”
He was forcing her to remarry him.
Shen Heyu pursed her lips, feeling utterly unwilling in her heart, thinking that if only she had known, she would not have opened her eyes.
As if glimpsing her thoughts, Pei Yansi bent down, leaned close to her face ambiguously, and kissed her forehead, not caring whether she resisted.
He said, “Even if you keep pretending to be asleep, I’ll tie you up and take you to remarry me.”