Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Harmony
Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Harmony
Shen Heyu refused flatly, without even considering Pei Yansi.
After she said this, his face visibly darkened in a matter of seconds. He leaned slightly toward her, reaching out as if to grab her.
Shen Heyu was startled; being alone in the room with him already made her uneasy, and seeing him reach out to her heightened her panic, prompting her to instinctively dodge backward.
She dodged too far, and the resistance on her face was all the more apparent.
Pei Yansi watched her for a long moment, his irritability intensifying. He glanced at his own hand, stiff in mid-air, and after a good while, he withdrew it.
He took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and looked at her quietly. After exhaling a plume of smoke, he said enigmatically, “You still haven’t recognized the reality of your situation.”
Shen Heyu was well aware, but she was unwilling to be manipulated . Yet, seeing Pei Yansi’s grim face, veiled in a haze of smoke and indistinct, filled her with urgency.
She hadn’t known before that she could feel such fear toward Pei Yansi. Pretending to be calm, she softened her voice a few degrees and said, “You’ve already forced me into remarrying you, and we’ve gotten our marriage certificate. What now?”
“Before this, we’ve always had a hidden marriage. Now that we have the certificate, your purpose has been achieved. I don’t want a wedding ceremony, nor do I want more people to know about our relationship. I hope you can respect me.”
Pei Yansi paused at her words. He snuffed out the cigarette in his hand and looked up at Shen Heyu. His gaze was profound, like a chilling pond under a winter night, indecipherable.
He was trying to discern the truth of Shen Heyu’s words.
But after observing her for a split second, he suddenly realized that no matter whether her words were true or false, he indeed had forcefully made her register their marriage.
He didn’t want to push her further away.
Abroad, he had noticed that their distance fluctuated, sometimes close, sometimes far. Perhaps it was because he had been too controlling.
He pondered for several minutes before asking, “Do you dislike my being too assertive?”
Shen Heyu looked at him slightly surprised. She hadn’t expected him to suddenly ask her that.
She calmly said, “Not many people like being forced.”
Pei Yansi nodded slightly, “I understand.”
“What do you understand?”
“Respecting your thoughts and opinions. Since you don’t want a wedding and you don’t want people to know, I’ll do as you wish,” he looked at her seriously, his expression focused, “I’ll try to make amends until the day you truly are willing.”
Shen Heyu was astounded.
Could it be a sudden change of heart, or was something affecting his judgment?
Seeing disbelief and surprise in her eyes, Pei Yansi didn’t explain further, knowing actions speak louder than words. He said, “But I also have a request.”
“You have to keep your distance from Lu Yi and Shen Jiangli, or I can’t guarantee what I might do.”
Shen Heyu didn’t respond.
She had nothing to do with those two men, but Pei Yansi was naturally suspicious and possessive, always imagining things that influenced these relationships more than her own words would.
Thus, she neither agreed nor disagreed.
Pei Yansi didn’t rush her for an answer; he knew anyway that any assurances she gave couldn’t be trusted—she could agree today and revert tomorrow.
With this in mind, he simply put away the marriage certificate carefully, planning to wait for the day she was willing to prepare the wedding meticulously.
In the evening, Shen Heyu and Pei Yansi had dinner in strained harmony. The dining room brimmed with joy, Yuexue was still too young to sense the subtle tension between the adults, but the old lady, having lived over half a century, noticed everything.
She knew their hearts were like they were divided by divine condemnation, but Yuexue’s laughter and cheerful talk at the dinner table made them appear less rigid.
Sometimes, children could indeed improve a couple’s bond, the old lady thought, and chose not to comment further on Pei Yansi.
After dinner, Pei Yansi insisted that Shen Heyu sleep in their marital room.
Knowing refusal was futile, she went to take a bath. Pei Yansi was still busy in the study when she entered the bathroom.
Not long after she finished her bath and lay down, she heard the door open.
She had worried he would do something beastly again tonight, but when she turned her head, she saw him carrying Yuexue horizontally into the room.
With their daughter there, he wouldn’t.
Yuexue’s eyes were wide open; upon seeing Shen Heyu, she bounced excitedly in his arms, “Mama!”
Shen Heyu paused, then quickly showed a faint smile, “Yuexue!”
“Daddy said I can stay with you tonight.”
While speaking, Pei Yansi had already placed Yuexue beside Shen Heyu.
She smelled of shower gel, clearly already bathed, and Shen Heyu glanced at Pei Yansi, knowing without asking that he had bathed her.
He had always been meticulous with Yuexue.
Holding her daughter close, Pei Yansi kissed Yuexue’s forehead tenderly and rubbed her little head affectionately, “You play with Mama first.”
Yuexue obediently responded.
Pei Yansi entered the bathroom.
Yuexue snuggled closer to Shen Heyu and said, “Daddy mentioned he will tell stories tonight, catching up on all those he missed before!”
Shen Heyu looked down at her daughter’s expectant eyes, sparkling with light—a light of dependence and remembrance for Pei Yansi.
She patted her daughter’s shoulder, “Do you really like Daddy?”
Yuexue thought for a moment, nodded, and then added, “I like Mommy too!”
Shen Heyu smiled, “Mommy loves you too.”
After Pei Yansi bathed, he saw the mother and daughter lying on the bed, a serene and heartwarming sight.
Thinking of this as his future home filled him with contentment. He lay down beside Shen Heyu, holding a storybook in hand, and began to read page by page.
Yuexue, nestled in Shen Heyu’s arms, listened eagerly. However, Shen Heyu, lulled by his deep, magnetic voice, struggled to stay awake.
She succumbed to sleep before Yuexue did.
Discovering this, Yuexue reached out to tug Pei Yansi’s sleeve and whispered softly, “Mama’s asleep now, I want to sleep too, Daddy, stop reading.”
She even cast him a somewhat disgruntled look, as if she disapproved of his failure to notice that Shen Heyu had already fallen asleep.
Pei Yansi looked down at Shen Heyu, seeing her perfect sleeping face and quiet posture, her pale face nestled in the blanket, warm and peaceful.
He put down the storybook, turned off the room light, and lay behind Shen Heyu to sleep.
Yuexue also snugly tucked herself into Shen Heyu’s arms.
Pei Yansi held Shen Heyu, inhaling her scent, and couldn’t help but leave a kiss on her neck and shoulder.