Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 107: How Could She Like Him?

　　When Pei Ji received yet another letter from Lin Qingyan saying they had arrived and were just waiting for him, he changed into a fresh white robe and headed out from Qiansha Pavilion to meet them.

　　Qiansha Pavilion was nestled deep in the mountains, and there was a town about ten miles away where everyone had agreed to gather.

　　By the time Pei Ji and his attendant arrived at the town, they realized quite a crowd had shown up.

　　Not only were Lin Qingyan and He Ziqing there, but Ming Yi had also brought along a whole group of guards from the Prince's Mansion. The abbot of Wuyin Temple, Master Fei Chen, had come as well, accompanied by several monks. Even the Shangsu Mansion had sent people, led by a Xuan Yi Wei officer named Qing Que.

　　Minister An had no idea his daughter already had someone in her heart, so when he received the letter, he took it seriously. The people he sent were only there to check on the daughter he had doted on since childhood.

　　If she had really been taken away against her will, they would bring her home.

　　But if she truly chose to run from the marriage, then he was willing to respect her decision and let her go.

　　Aside from Minister An’s people, Pei Ji also spotted a slim woman in a golden-yellow dress. Her features were pale but sharp, giving off a sense of hidden strength.

　　It was Jin Yanwan, the eldest daughter of Jinshe Villa.

　　She was nothing like the frail, sorrowful girl Pei Ji had seen a few months ago. Though her frame was still delicate, her expression had lost all traces of grief and now showed nothing but resilience and a quiet strength.

　　The way she moved, steady and confident, her calm breathing, and the white jade belt at her waist all hinted that she had made solid progress in martial arts.

　　Now, she was the new head of Jinshe Villa and the rightful heir to the Líng Shé Sword. She was no longer the overlooked young lady she used to be.

　　Seeing everyone’s curious stares, Jin Yanwan calmly explained, “I only found out about this after receiving Young Master Ming’s letter. Miss An is a dear friend of mine. Now that she’s in trouble, of course I’m here to help.”

　　“Loyalty isn’t something only men have. Women can be just as loyal,” Jin Yanwan said calmly.

　　Lin Qingyan nodded in agreement. “Exactly! That’s the spirit.”

　　Since everyone already knew each other, and Jin Yanwan’s intentions were clear, they didn’t waste any more time and set off together toward Qiansha Pavilion.

　　Along the way, Master Fei Chen recounted his previous experience of entering the deadly formation. His story made everyone tense up, as if they were heading into a battlefield.

　　Ming Yi spoke up to ease the mood. “No need to stress too much. I brought plenty of rations this time. Even if we get stuck inside, at least we won’t starve.”

　　Everyone turned to look and, sure enough, the guards from the Prince's Mansion were each carrying huge backpacks. It was obvious they had come well-prepared.

　　The tension finally loosened a little, and the group began chatting about other things.

　　Pei Ji didn’t say much. He kept his usual polite smile and listened quietly, but suddenly noticed an unfriendly gaze directed at him.

　　He glanced over calmly and saw Ming Yi staring right at him, with open disapproval in his eyes.

　　Pei Ji blinked, a bit surprised, and asked, “Why is Young Master Ming looking at me like that?”

　　The richly dressed young lord sat tall on his horse, looking down at him with a cold glare. His tone was sharp as he snapped, “An Jiu’s been taken, and you’re still smiling?”

　　Pei Ji paused.

　　He really had no idea how his carefully maintained smile had offended him.

　　Nor did he understand what his smile had to do with An Jiu being taken.

　　Before he could say anything, Lin Qingyan quickly stepped in and whispered, “Young Master Ming, Pei Ji is always like this. Maybe he’s using his smile to cover up the pain inside.”

　　Pei Ji: “…” What are they even talking about?

　　Still confused, he asked out loud, “What exactly are you talking about?”

　　Ming Yi gave him a strange look, clearly not planning to bring up An Jiu again. He replied stiffly, “It’s nothing.”

　　But after a pause, the Young Master couldn’t hold back his sour mood and muttered, “I’m just kind of jealous of you.”

　　Pei Ji looked puzzled. “Jealous of me?”

　　What was there to be jealous of? He was poisoned, orphaned, unlikely to live past twenty, and until recently, had been a cripple.

　　Pei Ji couldn’t figure out what Ming Yi meant. It felt like there was some secret they all knew that he didn’t.

　　This feeling really sucked. Pei Ji frowned hard and asked again, “Why don’t I get what you mean? Mind enlightening me, Young Master Ming?”

　　“Are you really clueless, or just pretending to be?”

　　Ming Yi let out a cold snort, glaring at him with clear frustration. “An Jiu likes you. Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

　　Pei Ji froze.

　　It hit him like a bolt of lightning, his mind ringing with the impact. He hadn’t even had time to figure out if it was true, yet his chest was already thudding wildly.

　　The young man in white hesitated for a moment and asked Ming Yi in confusion, “You mean... Miss An likes me?”

　　His reaction didn’t seem faked in the slightest. He looked genuinely stunned and completely unaware.

　　Seeing this, Ming Yi also paused, then muttered, “Of course. If she doesn’t like you, what, you think she likes me?”

　　The bitterness in his tone was unmistakable.

　　Pei Ji studied the young man’s expression and confirmed that he truly wasn’t lying. He was being completely sincere.

　　But how could that be?

　　Pei Ji thought to himself.

　　Wouldn’t he know if An Jiu liked him?

　　She had always looked down on him, never once treated him kindly. Even when she gave him a pouch that hinted at her feelings, she turned around and abandoned him without a second thought.

　　How was that love?

　　Still, he couldn’t figure out how Ming Yi ended up so convinced. What made him think she liked him?

　　The excitement that had stirred in Pei Ji’s chest upon hearing the words “she likes you” slowly cooled down. His heartbeat steadied, returning to its usual calm.

　　Pei Ji let out a soft breath and said with a faint smile, “You’re overthinking it. Miss An doesn’t like me. Her heart must belong to someone else. It definitely isn’t me.”

　　He sounded so certain that Ming Yi began to question himself.

　　Could they have misunderstood everything? Was what An Jiu told him back then not actually true?

　　“No, that’s not right. Pei Ji, An Jiu clearly likes you. All of us know it!” Lin Qingyan’s voice suddenly chimed in, cutting off their train of thought.

　　Both men turned to look at her.

　　The girl in blue said, “Weren’t you already together with her? She even gave you a pouch. Did you forget that?”

　　But her reminder only made Pei Ji more sure they had misunderstood everything.

　　Just like how Ah Qi once thought there was something between him and An Jiu.

　　He was the one who had been closest to her. If she really liked him, he would know. How could she possibly be in love with him?

　　Still, he didn’t understand why An Jiu would let them think that way.

　　Thinking this, Pei Ji replied, “You’ve likely misunderstood. Miss An and I were never in a relationship. That pouch she gave me was just a spur-of-the-moment move. Didn’t she leave and go back home right after that?”

　　Hearing that, Lin Qingyan and Ming Yi both started to hesitate.

　　Maybe... they really had it all wrong?

　　Maybe An Jiu never liked Pei Ji.

　　Maybe she left willingly with Xian Wuming, just like the letter had said.

　　Then what did it mean, them bringing so many people to find her?

　　Just as everyone was exchanging confused glances, the quiet Xuan Yi Wei Guard walking nearby suddenly spoke up. “Miss An didn’t go home willingly. I was ordered to bring her back. That day in Mingguang Town, I knocked her out.”

　　“Even though afterward she looked like she couldn’t wait to return, at the start, there’s no doubt she didn’t want to go.”

　　Qing Que was someone who stuck to the facts. Since people were clearly misunderstanding the situation, he figured he might as well explain it clearly.

　　As soon as he said that, Pei Ji froze.

　　So she hadn’t wanted to go back at all—she was taken? That meant she hadn’t given up on him?

　　His heart, which had just calmed down, suddenly started racing out of control again.

　　As if that wasn’t enough, Fei Chen also spoke up. “I can testify that the one An Tanyue cares for is Doctor Pei. If you don’t believe me, you can come to Wuyin Temple once this is all over and take a look beneath the pine tree.”

　　As Fei Chen’s words fell, Pei Ji suddenly recalled their time at Wuyin Temple.

　　He remembered that day under the pines, seeing An Jiu and Fei Chen together. The monk, dressed in spotless white, had hung a bright red ribbon on the pine branches for her.

　　So what did Fei Chen’s words mean now?

　　Pei Ji’s heartbeat grew even faster, pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest. His throat tightened, and he could feel the blood in his body begin to simmer.

　　She liked him?

　　She liked Pei Ji?

　　Her beloved was that useless man named Pei Ji?

　　How could that be?

　　Why would she ever fall for someone like him?

　　For a moment, Pei Ji didn’t know who to believe.

　　His logic told him they had to be wrong. It couldn’t possibly be true. He was the one directly involved—shouldn’t he trust his own instincts?

　　But at the same time, his heart was pounding out of control, and the cold, dormant thing in his chest felt like a fruit finally ripening—so full it was ready to burst. It was like someone had gently pressed it, and something sweet and sour was about to spill out.

　　He didn’t dare believe it, yet he couldn’t help but want to.

　　With the subject opened, everyone began chiming in.

　　“I heard Doctor Pei also trained in that legendary martial manual. It was An Jiu who gave it to you, wasn’t it? I told her not to share it with anyone, but in the end, she still gave it to you,” said Jin Yanwan.

　　Fei Chen added, “I’m not familiar with An Tanyue. But, that day you fell ill in the ordination hall. The next morning, An Tanyue came to give me clues about Xian Wuming.”

　　Lin Qingyan also said, “That time you left Wuyin Temple to return to Medicine King Valley, An Jiu was worried it might get you involved and draw Xian Wuming’s attention to you too. So she had Master Fei Chen bring her to find me and Brother He.”

　　Ming Yi simply said one thing. “On the night of the wedding, An Jiu asked me to take her to Medicine King Valley. She said she was going to find you.”

　　Every single word was packed with the feelings that girl had for him.

　　Pei Ji fell silent. Under the sunlight, his usually handsome face looked completely pale.

　　The huge contradiction tore at him, throwing him into a mess of confusion, as if the whole world before his eyes had suddenly flipped upside down.

　　What was real and what was fake?

　　If what these people said was true, then had he been wrong all along?

　　Right now, all Pei Ji wanted was to get back quickly. Get back to that girl’s side and ask her himself.

　　Was the person she loved really that useless man she always claimed to dislike so much?

　　And if it was true, why hadn’t she told him sooner?

　　For the rest of the trip, the young man in white seemed completely out of it. His expression was dazed, and he looked like his soul had left his body.

　　No one tried to disturb him. Ming Yi even muttered under his breath, “Now that’s more like it.”

　　It wasn’t a long journey. Soon, the group arrived at the eerily quiet forest.

　　Before stepping in, Fei Chen said, “There’s a formation in the woods. It’s easy to get turned around. To avoid anyone getting separated, we should all try to stick together.”

　　Everyone agreed.

　　But they had barely entered when someone noticed that the elegant Doctor Pei in white had vanished without a trace.

　　“He was spaced out the whole time. Not getting lost would’ve been the real miracle!” Ming Yi immediately took the chance to snark at his love rival.

　　Lin Qingyan’s face turned serious. “Since we’ve already lost him, there’s no point dwelling on it. We just need to stay extra alert from here on. As for Pei Ji… once we break through the formation and find Xian Wuming, we’ll be able to bring him back too.”

　　“Let’s keep moving.”

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Author’s Note:

Pei Pei: Awooo awooo awooo awooo awooo awooo!!

Can you guys feel his emotions right now?!!!

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