Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 60: “Do You Like Him That Much?”

　　The candlelight flickered dimly, shadows layering over each other.

　　On the table lay a sheet of pure white letter paper, unfolded. Only one sentence was written on it: “Fei Yi, why didn’t you show up that day?”

　　Slender, fair fingertips lightly brushed over the paper. The man’s elegant brows lowered slightly, casting a shadow beneath his eyes—his expression unreadable and dim.

　　“Master, why aren’t you replying to the letter?” Ah Qi softly reminded him from the side.

　　As the public face of Qiansha Pavilion’s leadership, Ah Qi naturally knew that a messenger bird had been specifically repurposed by his master just for exchanging letters with someone.

　　In fact, Ah Qi even knew that the person corresponding with his young master was none other than An Jiu, who lived next door.

　　Whenever they traveled, Ah Qi always stayed in the room next to Pei Ji’s in order to protect him. So it wasn’t long before he discovered the two had been ‘sending letters via pigeon’ to each other.

　　Others might not have noticed the subtle flapping of wings at night, but with how closely Ah Qi paid attention to Pei Ji, it was impossible for him to miss.

　　This was one of the main reasons he firmly believed there was something unusual between his young master and An Jiu.

　　But what he didn’t understand was—why bother with secret letters when they lived just a wall apart? They could meet the moment they stepped outside.

　　Could it be that ‘a day apart feels like three autumns’? Or maybe, even a night apart was too much to bear?

　　Pei Ji stayed silent for a long while, then slowly shook his head.

　　He didn’t know how to reply to this letter.

　　That day’s events had spiraled beyond his control. He hadn’t anticipated that the Demon Mask would target An Jiu.

　　That single misstep had put her in danger. Though no real harm had come to her, knowing An Jiu’s personality, she had likely already lost most of her trust in ‘Fei Yi.’

　　Just thinking of that made Pei Ji feel uncharacteristically helpless.

　　What could he say in a reply that would make her stop being angry? That could restore Fei Yi’s image in her heart?

　　His fingertips curled slightly as he pondered, but no perfect solution came to mind even after a long time.

　　Perhaps... perhaps he should just go see her in person.

　　Last time, she’d even taught him how to coax a woman properly—and it had worked wonderfully.

　　Pei Ji felt confident he had learned it. If needed, he could try coaxing her like that again.

　　He’d been lost in thought for so long that the owl perched on the windowsill had grown bored and started grooming its feathers with its sharp beak.

　　Only then did Pei Ji finally pick up his brush. After a moment of hesitation, he was just about to write down a time and place for a meeting...

　　When suddenly, a loud bang—the sound of a door being slammed shut—rang sharply in his ears.

　　The loud bang came from the room next door.

　　As someone trained in martial arts, his senses were naturally sharper than most—especially when it came to movements around him. And with An Jiu currently living in the room right next to his, her actions rarely escaped Pei Ji’s ears.

　　He often heard her pacing back and forth inside, and sometimes, bursts of uncontrollable laughter—probably from reading storybooks. Occasionally, she’d mutter something under her breath, but those were too soft to make out.

　　She was the type who couldn’t sit still for long. Even in her own room, she always made just enough noise to draw his attention.

　　Now, hearing that aggressive door slam, master and servant exchanged a glance—and without needing to speak, the same thought surfaced in both their minds:

　　—Miss An is mad again.

　　Ah Qi had a sudden flash of realization. “Young Master, could it be that she’s mad because you’ve taken too long to reply?”

　　Pei Ji: “…”

　　It’s not like he wasn’t going to reply—just that he was a little slow. Was that enough to get angry over?

　　After a moment of silence, Pei Ji said, “I’ll go out and check on her. You can go rest.”

　　Ah Qi grinned and left knowingly.

　　He got it. His young master was telling him to stay away and not be a third wheel. He silently swore that no matter what he heard tonight, he absolutely wouldn’t step out of his room.

　　Pei Ji opened the door and maneuvered his wheelchair out of the room.

　　This place had been specially designed for his legs—with wheelchair-accessible paths—so even without walking, he could move freely anywhere he wanted.

　　As soon as he reached the courtyard, the scent of wine hit his nose.

　　The night was cool as water, and a faint trace of alcohol lingered in the air. Even the deep shadows of night seemed to carry a drunken haze.

　　Turning a corner, a soft pink figure entered his line of sight.

　　The girl was lounging casually against the stone table beneath a magnolia tree. On the table sat a lantern, a plump, round-bellied wine bottle, and a single wine cup held loosely between her pale fingers, dangling limply at her side.

　　The lantern cast a dim, hazy glow, enveloping the girl’s petite frame in soft light, blurring her outline into a gentle silhouette.

　　The pink-clad girl sitting alone beneath the tree, drinking in solitude—she looked like a fleeting dream, an illusion seen through mist and moonlight.

　　Pei Ji paused at the sight, then quietly resumed moving his wheelchair forward.

　　The sound of the wheels turning caught her attention. She propped her chin on one hand and lazily turned her head toward him.

　　The night draped around her like a thin black veil, shrouding her features—but in the dark, her pitch-black eyes shimmered with two tiny points of light, like obsidian gems steeped in water, gleaming and brilliant.

　　She cast him a foggy glance, her eyes settling lazily on the white-robed young man in the wheelchair. After a moment, she said, “So it’s you… Pei Ji.”

　　Her tone was drowsy and languid, as casual as a dream muttered in sleep.

　　Having said that, the girl turned away with a look of boredom, as if confirming it was him had already drained any interest she had.

　　Pei Ji wheeled up beside her and reached out, gently wrapping his fingers around her slender wrist.

　　The moment he touched her, he noticed her hand was ice-cold—completely devoid of warmth.

　　Only then did he realize she must have rushed out in a hurry. She wore only an inner robe, her long black hair loose down her back. Her face was bare, without a trace of makeup, pale and clear like the season’s first snow—quiet and cold.

　　“Stop drinking. You’re in no condition for it,” Pei Ji said, his lips tightening as a frown formed between his brows, clear disapproval in his tone.

　　“Leave me alone.”

　　An Jiu pulled her hand free without even looking at him. She poured herself another cup and downed it in one gulp.

　　Watching her so carelessly disregard her own health, Pei Ji’s face darkened.

　　Just a few days ago, she’d been tearing up in front of him over the bitter taste of medicine—and now she was doing this to herself?

　　Was it really just because he didn’t reply to her letter? Was Fei Yi that important—so important she’d harm her own body over it?

　　A sudden surge of anger welled up in his chest, swirling uncontrollably, looking for a way out.

　　He sat and watched coldly as she downed cup after cup.

　　When one mouthful made her choke and cough, Pei Ji abruptly snatched the wine cup from her hand and tossed it aside.

　　“If something’s bothering you, just say it. What good does drinking do besides harming yourself? If you don’t want me to interfere, then don’t come crying to me next time for acupuncture or medicine!”

　　The girl seemed startled by his sudden outburst. Her eyes blinked once, twice—then just stared blankly at him.

　　Their gazes locked.

　　When Pei Ji saw the dazed look in her eyes, his eyelashes trembled slightly as realization hit—Had he overreacted?

　　But then he thought about how she’d probably wake up tomorrow with a splitting headache, red-eyed and sniffling as she came looking for him again—and he couldn’t suppress the burning frustration inside him.

　　They stared at each other for a moment—until, suddenly, the girl’s lips twitched.

　　Those bright, clear eyes slowly welled up with tears. The watery sheen grew thicker and thicker, until her flushed eyelids could no longer hold them in—then suddenly, with a blink, large, glistening tears tumbled from the corners of her reddened eyes, cascading down her cheeks.

　　“Pei Ji, y-you—you yelled at me!” she whimpered, lips trembling and voice thick with sobs.

　　The white-robed young man’s lips tightened into a thin line, his long dark lashes fluttering rapidly. His tone turned flustered in an instant. “I—I just meant that drinking’s bad for your health…”

　　“But wuuwuuu, you still—you still scolded me—wuuwuuu!”

　　She cried with such grievance, tears falling without pause, streaking down her pale cheeks in uneven trails.

　　Her curled lashes were soaked, clumped together in damp little tufts—pitiful, yet impossibly endearing.

　　Pei Ji instinctively reached out, gently wiping the tears from her face.

　　He let out a deep sigh, his voice warm but helpless. “Don’t cry. I didn’t mean to scold you. It’s just that you don’t take care of yourself, and then tomorrow I’ll be the one who has to look after you again.”

　　Still sobbing, An Jiu very naturally grabbed a piece of his sleeve and used it to blow her nose.

　　Only then did she lift her head, her red, bunny-like eyes staring up at him as she choked out, “But still, you—you can’t… can’t yell at me!”

　　Pei Ji’s gaze dropped to the wrinkled, damp part of his sleeve, and after a long pause, he reluctantly looked away. In a soft voice, he said, “Okay, okay—I won’t yell anymore.”

　　He didn’t even realize just how far his indulgence toward An Jiu had gone.

　　It was like boiling a frog in warm water—at first, it was only lukewarm, but by the time it turned scalding, he no longer noticed the difference.

　　Crying wore her out. Before either of them realized it, An Jiu had leaned against the shoulder of the white-robed young man.

　　She rested on the uninjured side of his shoulder, while one of his arms circled behind her to support her waist, preventing her from sliding down.

　　From afar, it looked as if he was holding her in a loose embrace.

　　White robes tangled with pink ones, indistinguishable from each other. In the quiet, deserted night, they wove a soft, tender scene.

　　“Pei Ji, I feel so miserable…”

　　The drunken girl spoke with a slur, her tone slow and dragging. Having just cried, she hiccupped every now and then.

　　She leaned in close, whispering softly, softly by his ear, as if sharing some unspeakable secret.

　　And it truly was a secret—at least, Pei Ji had never heard her speak of such tender, hidden things before.

　　“I knew he lied to me… I knew it. He’s not a Xuan Yi Wei Guard. I saw the real ones that day. They don’t look like him at all… He’s probably a bad person. He even wanted to steal Yanwan’s manual. I—I don’t know what to do anymore…”

　　She rambled incoherently, tears starting to flow again.

　　The warm droplets soaked through his clothes, leaving darkened stains on his white robe.

　　“He saved me so many times, but that day… he didn’t come. I nearly died, and he didn’t show up… If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead already.”

　　“Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad. If he lied to me, then when he said he liked me… that must’ve been fake too, right? Should I even still believe him?”

　　By the time she got to this part, her voice was thick with sorrow and despair.

　　Suddenly, a firm pressure tightened around her waist—like someone had gripped her fiercely.

　　A low, hoarse voice rumbled at her ear.

　　“…Don’t say things like that.”

　　His voice was dry and rough, as if forcing each word out. “Don’t overthink it. You… you can wait. Wait for him to explain.”

　　The girl seemed startled by this unexpected ‘comfort.’ She turned her head slightly to look at him, eyes apologetic.

　　“I’m sorry, Pei Ji. I didn’t mean to blame you. I’m just too sad. You’re a good person…”

　　So, it really was about Fei Yi?

　　She had cried not because he scolded her, but because she was devastated to realize Fei Yi had deceived her.

　　A tight knot rose in Pei Ji’s throat. He couldn’t hold back the question anymore.

　　“You really… like him that much?”

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Author's Note:

Miss An: Wuwuwu I still love him.

Pei Pei: I’m jealous of myself.jpg 😭 (Pain mask x2)

　

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