Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 113: He’d Never Let Her Know.

　　The journey back was smooth sailing, just like the old days. An Jiu and Pei Ji sat together in the carriage while Lin Qingyan and He Ziqing rode on horseback.

　　They didn’t travel fast. Now that everything was settled, with their hearts at ease and light steps, the trip felt more like a vacation.

　　Every time they entered a town, Lin Qingyan would drag An Jiu along to stroll around the streets. An Jiu was happy to go with her.

　　She saw this part of the journey as their last bit of time together, and she wanted to stretch it out for as long as she could.

　　So, without realizing it, the trip got much longer. The group would stop now and then in different cities to watch plays, join local festivals, explore new things, or sometimes, An Jiu would push the heroic couple to punish evil and help the weak.

　　What puzzled An Jiu, though, was that Pei Ji didn’t seem to mind at all. He always stayed calm.

　　If she wanted to shop, he went with her. If she wanted to watch a play, he bought the tickets and booked the seats. Whatever she wanted to do, he would always smile and say yes, then take care of everything perfectly, never once complaining.

　　It was like he wasn’t in a hurry to go back either.

　　On the busy streets filled with people, a young, handsome man in all white stood out with his clean and graceful appearance. His long black hair was tied behind him with a white jade pin. He had a tall, elegant figure and a gentle smile on his refined face.

　　Someone like him looked like he came straight out of a fairytale, yet there he was, squeezed among a crowd at a little street stall, fighting to buy pastries.

　　That untouchable, ethereal air he carried? It vanished the moment he blended into the crowd. Suddenly, he felt completely down-to-earth.

　　An Jiu even saw someone accidentally push him, but he didn’t say a word, only kept smiling.

　　“System, what do you think he’s really thinking?” An Jiu looked confused.

　　【Maybe he doesn’t actually want to kill you.】

　　“From what I know about Pei Ji, he’s not the indecisive type. A smart person would know that the best thing to do right now is take me back to detoxify quickly, before things get messy. He may have lost love, but he gets to live—sounds like a great deal to me!”

　　Her tone was full of frustration, like she was annoyed he wasn’t doing the logical thing.

　　The system paused before replying,【Host, not everyone stays calm like you do.】

　　An Jiu thought, “Are you trying to say not everyone is as cold-blooded as me?”

　　【……】

　　“Either way, I don’t believe for a second he’d give up a chance to survive. He is the big villain, after all.”

　　Their short exchange ended there.

　　Pei Ji was walking back from the stall and handed her a paper-wrapped bundle. “Try it. See how it tastes?”

　　An Jiu took it, opened it up, and used a bamboo skewer to pick up a rice cake. One bite and the sweetness lingered on her tongue.

　　She nodded. “Not bad.”

　　They kept walking through the street. An Jiu nibbled on her snack while sneaking a glance at the man beside her.

　　If you really thought about it, they’d already confessed their feelings to each other. But when it came to actually spending time together, not much had changed.

　　An Jiu was still the same stubborn rich girl, and Pei Ji still hovered around her like a loyal servant, not like someone who had become her lover.

　　An Jiu’s mentality is a bit broken in the face of impending death, and she has kind of given up on pretending to be deeply in love.

　　As for Pei Ji, he probably just didn’t know how to express love the right way yet.

　　Still, neither of them seemed to want to change anything. Being like this wasn’t so bad; it felt natural and easy.

　　With that thought, An Jiu turned and casually held the paper bag out toward him. Without a word, he took it, like he’d been expecting it all along.

　　The Eldest Miss loved tasting all kinds of food, but she usually stopped after just a few bites. Not wanting to waste the rest, she'd casually toss it to the person next to her, her personal human trash bin named Pei Ji.

　　It was a silent understanding that belonged only to the two of them.

　　A bit strange, maybe, but if you thought about it, there was something oddly sweet about it.

　　Of course, the one who felt that sweetness was definitely not An Jiu.

　　Pei Ji still couldn’t quite believe that An Jiu actually liked him. The person she liked was really him.

　　Even now, it still felt like a dream.

　　Even though he’d witnessed everything with his own eyes back then, even though he’d checked her body and confirmed there was no trace of the love gu left in her, he still found it hard to believe. He often felt like he was floating.

　　It was like a penniless man suddenly winning the jackpot, a windfall that hit him square in the head, so surprising, so unbelievable.

　　He’d never felt so timid before. He didn’t even dare to ask her why she liked him or when she started liking him.

　　He was afraid that if he asked, her feelings would vanish just like that.

　　So all he did was keep looking at her. No matter the time or place, his eyes never strayed. His gaze always followed the fiery girl in red.

　　Confused, anxious, yet incredibly happy all at once.

　　That overwhelming joy often made Pei Ji feel dizzy.

　　Just like now, when the girl handed him her leftovers without a second thought. In the past, Pei Ji would've seen that as an insult.

　　But after learning she loved him, he began to see her actions in a whole new light. And through that new perspective, he arrived at an entirely different conclusion.

　　An Jiu was indeed proud and willful, but she never gave her leftovers to anyone else. Wasn’t that a kind of special treatment?

　　Whenever she saw something cute she liked, she’d make him stand in line to get it for her. She never asked anyone else, only him. Wasn’t that a kind of favoritism?

　　Whenever she was upset, she’d throw a tantrum at him. Spoiled and clingy, yes, but she never acted that way toward others. That must’ve meant he held a different place in her heart.

　　Pei Ji had managed to convince himself with these perfect reasons.

　　After all, he’d seen it with his own eyes, how she broke free from the love gu for his sake. That couldn’t have been fake. So yes, she loved him. That much was undeniable.

　　Looking back now, maybe it was exactly because she was so different that he misunderstood for so long, mistaking her indifference as dislike.

　　On the way back to Medicine King Valley, Pei Ji couldn’t stop thinking. He sifted through every memory since he met An Jiu, examining each detail carefully, trying to find any hidden signs that she might have liked him all along.

　　He remembered that time at Jinshe Villa, when she pulled him out of the mud, eyes red, saying if he died, she’d die with him.

　　The way she bandaged his wounds, the warm tears that fell on his shoulder.

　　Her ears flushing red whenever she was around him. And ever since they left Jinshe Villa, how she gradually grew cold toward Fei Yi.

　　All of it pointed to one thing—maybe she had already started liking him back then.

　　The strongest proof was that night at Wuyin Temple—when his poison flared up and he kept making demands of her. She struggled… but in the end, she actually chose to acquiesce.

　　There were so many signs, all right in front of him. So why didn’t he ever notice?

　　Instead, he kept doubting her, humiliating her, denying her feelings—labeling her as some shameless flirt?

　　Pei Ji still remembered the strange fight they had back on the boat in Jinshe Town. She got mad at something he said, and for the longest time, he couldn’t figure out why.

　　Now he finally understood what she meant when she snapped, “I’d never marry a cripple.”

　　What she was really saying… was that if he ever stopped being a cripple, she would marry him.

　　She had done so much for him, but he’d never seen it. He’d been so stubborn, holding on to memories of the An Jiu from his past life, only believing in his own version of the truth. And that’s why heaven punished him, making him take such a long, painful detour.

　　“Pei Ji.”

　　A soft voice suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts. He snapped back to reality and looked down at her gently. “What is it?”

　　“Kneel down,” she said, still using that bossy tone of hers.

　　Pei Ji knelt immediately, without even a moment’s hesitation.

　　He trusted her completely now. If she wanted to stab him in the heart at this moment, she could’ve easily taken his life.

　　Pei Ji knew logically he shouldn’t let his guard down like this, but emotionally, he just couldn’t help it.

　　Every time he saw her, his chest filled with a soft, overflowing warmth, like a gentle current flowing through his heart. It made him forget all his physical discomfort, like he was floating on clouds, with nothing in his world except that faint, rosy figure.

　　Just as he crouched down, a sudden weight pressed onto his back. Two slender, soft arms slipped over his shoulders and gently wrapped around his neck.

　　Then came her soft, cloud-like body, pressed tightly against his back, not even the tiniest gap between them.

　　Her sweet, spoiled voice rang by his ear. “I’m tired from walking. I don’t wanna walk anymore. Carry me back, okay?”

　　She wasn’t heavy, but in that moment, Pei Ji suddenly felt like he was carrying the entire world on his back.

　　Since they left Qiansha Pavilion, she hadn’t said any words of love to him. She acted just like before, totally different from when she was under the love gu’s influence. But… this kind of closeness—didn’t it mean she really loved him?

　　Maybe her love was just… different. Not like other girls.

　　Pei Ji’s throat moved slightly as he swallowed. His voice came out hoarse. “Alright.”

　　He slowly stood upright, carrying her securely on his back, and walked with her down the street.

　　The streets were bustling with people, full of the warm energy of everyday life. Sellers shouted, people chatted, laughter echoed. At the far end of the street, the sun was sinking, spilling golden light across the ground like scattered gold dust, bathing the whole view in a soft golden glow.

　　His once-drifting heart suddenly felt grounded—full, heavy, and real.

　　She really must’ve been tired. Her sharp little chin rested on his shoulder as she mumbled sleepily, “I’m a bit sleepy. I’ll nap a little, okay? Wake me up when we get there.”

　　Her breath tickled his ear, and he flushed slightly without realizing it.

　　“…Okay.”

　　The man in white carried the girl in red on his back, slowly walking down the alley. Their clothes overlapped, their hair mingled, like a perfect painting.

　　As he walked, Pei Ji felt a strong sense of relief and gratitude. Thankfully, she didn’t know he was Xian Wuming. She didn’t know what he had done to her in the past.

　　Didn’t know how he’d once judged her so harshly, with nothing but malice in his heart.

　　Didn’t know how he’d once humiliated her.

　　He was never going to let her find out.

　　By the time they returned to the inn, dusk had already fallen. Judging from the girl's steady breathing, she still hadn’t woken up.

　　Pei Ji slowed his steps as he went upstairs and happened to run into Lin Qingyan coming out of her room.

　　“You’re back. Did An Jiu fall asleep?”

　　The next second, she saw Pei Ji make a quiet gesture with his hand, and she quickly lowered her voice.

　　Pei Ji nodded silently as a greeting and gently pushed open the door to An Jiu’s room. He carefully laid the girl down on the bed.

　　Seeing that her hair was a bit messy, he reached out and tidied it for her before going downstairs to join the others for dinner.

　　“There are two routes we can take from here. If we're in a hurry, we can go through Qiu City since it's closer. But if we go the longer way through Jiufang City, we can check whether the Dark Village over there has been properly dealt with,” Lin Qingyan said over dinner.

　　“Let’s take the Jiufang City route,” Pei Ji replied.

　　Lin Qingyan laughed. “I thought you’d choose Qiu City so you could get back early. Wouldn’t that give you more time to plan your wedding with An Jiu?”

　　Pei Ji said, “No rush on the wedding. Her wet nurse is in Jiufang City, so she’ll be happier if she gets to see her.”

　　As he spoke, his hands didn’t stop peeling shrimp. The shrimp meat was placed neatly into a clean bowl, obviously meant to be taken up to An Jiu later.

　　Lin Qingyan couldn’t help glancing at He Ziqing, who was already focused on scarfing down his meal.

　　After watching the past few days, she could only feel that Pei Ji treated An Jiu too well. He was already good to her before, but now it was like he was worshipping her. Then she looked at her own man and sighed. Comparing people really could make you die from frustration.

　　“Alright then, Jiufang City it is.”

________________

Author’s Note:

Pei Pei is truly the master of self-strategy.

“She only bosses me around and not others? She loves me!”

“She gets mad at me but not others? She loves me!”

“She complains about me and not others? Wuwuwu she definitely loves me!”

Do you guys smell the angst coming? This is probably the last calm before the storm~

This is the last dose of sugar, so savor the sweetness while you still can qwq (T/N: Yep, go grab the tissues. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

……

T/N: Ugh, sorry about yesterday! It wasn’t because I was sick or busy — it was technology throwing a tantrum. 😤

First, no WiFi. Then I tried to buy internet data from my phone provider, but guess what? My phone account had zero money. 💸

It was already late at night and I really didn’t feel like driving to 7-Eleven just to get a top-up card. So I waited… and waited… and fell asleep. 🛌💤

I’m really sorry about that! To make up for it, today you’re getting three chapters — one for yesterday, one for today, and one as a peace offering for the delay. 💋💕

 

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