Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 127 – Extra 2: That Blinding, Obvious Favoritism

　　An Jiu had every reason to suspect that Pei Ji must have seriously offended her cousin—the author of A Sword of Flying Frost, An Yue.

　　Otherwise, why would the Pei Ji in the book be so miserable, painted as a two-faced hypocrite?

　　After spending some time with him, An Jiu realized that the real-life Pei Ji was actually very different from the version in the book.

　　Especially his personality, which was almost completely the opposite.

　　In the novel, Pei Ji appeared refined and noble on the surface, but was actually cruel and vicious deep down. In reality, he was gentle and graceful, polite and humble, the kind of noble young master who was genuinely the same inside and out.

　　It wasn’t hard to guess that An Yue had written An Jiu into her book, going so far as to turn her into a brainless, big-boobed, love-obsessed evil side character just to get revenge. Anyone who got on her bad side would get renamed and written into her stories as a form of payback.

　　And not just as villains, either. She’d go all out to make them look as bad as possible, using her writing to vent her anger.

　　An Jiu had hinted around and asked Pei Ji about it once.

　　“Your cousin? You mean An Yue?” To her surprise, Pei Ji instantly said An Yue’s name.

　　An Jiu raised an eyebrow. “You know her?”

　　She gently set down her utensils. The knife and fork clinked softly against the porcelain plate.

　　The next second, her plate was gently swapped. The man across from her pushed his own plate over—his steak had already been neatly cut into bite-sized pieces, just right to eat.

　　Pei Ji quietly added, “I didn’t touch it. It’s clean.”

　　An Jiu was speechless.

　　By now, it had been seven days since they met. Pei Ji had just returned from overseas yesterday, landing directly in Bincheng.

　　The past few days, they had only chatted online. This was their second time meeting in person.

　　Pei Ji had chosen a seaside restaurant in Bincheng, located on one of the upper floors of a towering skyscraper. Through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows, you could see the distant beach lit with the colors of sunset and the sky painted in brilliant red. On the other side, a cluster of high-rise buildings filled the skyline.

　　He seemed a bit nervous on this first proper date. It wasn’t until he noticed An Jiu looking at him that he realized she had asked a question.

　　“An Yue…” he frowned instinctively, like something was bothering him. He looked like he had a lot to say but couldn’t quite put it into words.

　　That only made An Jiu more curious. She slowly picked up a piece of food with her fork and popped it in her mouth, asking casually, “Hard to talk about?”

　　Pei Ji lifted his gaze slightly. His eyes landed on the smiling girl in front of him, and for a moment, he was caught off guard.

　　She looked just like the girl in his memories. Only now, the arrogance in her expression had faded, replaced by a gentle confidence and quiet elegance.

　　If the girl from his memories was a spoiled heiress, then the one before him now was a graceful little princess, moving through life with ease and poise.

　　These past few days, Pei Ji had subtly tested her, trying to see if she remembered him too.

　　But the result had been disappointing.

　　Judging by how she treated him, she seemed to have forgotten everything from before. There wasn’t the slightest trace of recognition.

　　Still, after that initial disappointment, Pei Ji couldn’t help but feel a faint, shameful sense of relief.

　　It was better this way. If she remembered, would she still hate him?

　　He remembered everything. But since she was now a blank slate, he could hold onto the lessons of the past and start over with her. He could draw a new future for them.

　　Even so, the thought went against his nature. It left him feeling restless and conflicted.

　　“Seriously? Is the question really that hard to answer?”

　　The girl's clear voice snapped Pei Ji out of his drifting thoughts. He gave a small cough and said, “Sorry, I spaced out for a moment.”

　　After a short pause, under her bright and curious gaze, he subconsciously lowered his eyes and said quietly, “I’m not close with An Yue, we just know each other. Before this... she did some things that weren’t very nice.”

　　Pei Ji wasn’t the type to talk behind people’s backs. Even if someone crossed the line with him, he still wouldn't casually criticize them.

　　So when he said this, it came out a bit awkward and hesitant.

　　But An Jiu’s eyebrows shot up, clearly intrigued. “Not very nice? Like what?”

　　Seeing the troubled look on his face, like he wasn’t sure how to say it, An Jiu didn’t push. Instead, she guessed with clear excitement, “Wait, did she confess to you?”

　　Pei Ji stayed silent, but the lack of denial made his stance obvious.

　　An Jiu observed his expression and added, “It wasn’t just a confession, was it? She did something more?”

　　Pei Ji gave a slight nod. “Yeah.”

　　No one is immune to gossip, not even a rich girl like An Jiu. Especially when it involved Pei Ji.

　　And more than that, An Yue had her eyes on her man. She had to get to the bottom of this.

　　An Jiu thought for a moment, then raised an eyebrow as she threw out a bold guess. “Did she offer to sleep with you?”

　　From what she remembered, her cousin An Yue wasn’t bad-looking. After all, coming from a wealthy family meant that even if you weren’t naturally gifted, you had access to all sorts of procedures and enhancements.

　　An Yue had that soft and pure look—like a delicate little flower—that a lot of men found hard to resist.

　　When An Jiu said ‘offer to sleep with you,’ she was already being polite. In their circle, it usually meant exactly what it sounded like.

　　She thought Pei Ji would deny it, but to her surprise, he nodded again.

　　An Jiu’s smile instantly faded. She stared at him. “Don’t tell me you accepted?”

　　Pei Ji shook his head quickly. Despite looking like a calm and refined gentleman, he suddenly panicked like a clueless rookie. “No! I kicked her out on the spot! There were a lot of people at that party who can back me up!”

　　An Jiu narrowed her eyes at him, and once she was sure he wasn’t lying, she finally looked away and gave a faint smile. “No wonder she hates you so much.”

　　Pei Ji blinked. “What?” Her voice was too soft, he didn’t catch it.

　　An Jiu smiled. “It’s nothing.”

　　After figuring out what really happened, she stopped clinging to the issue with An Yue. For the rest of the meal, the two of them moved on to other topics, and Pei Ji visibly relaxed.

　　An Jiu snuck a glance at him, lips curving slightly despite herself.

　　To be honest, they weren’t that close. This was only their second time meeting, and the things they talked about didn’t go too deep. Most of it was about their pasts, or more specifically, Pei Ji’s past.

　　In the time it took to finish a meal, An Jiu already knew how many people were in Pei Ji’s family, who his parents were, what his grandparents were like, which schools he attended, and what kind of job he had now.

　　It felt like a full-on self-introduction from every angle.

　　If this had happened at a job fair, someone putting themselves out there this much would’ve seemed like they weren’t worth much.

　　An Jiu listened with ease. And the more she heard, the more she realized just how different Pei Ji’s family was from the one in the novel.

　　In the present-day world, Pei Ji came from a warm, complete household. His parents were loving, and his grandparents were still alive and clearly still very much in love too.

　　His whole family kept a low profile. Even though they ran the entire Fengren Pharmaceuticals, they rarely showed up in the media. From the way Pei Ji talked, An Jiu could tell they were more focused on pharmaceutical research than fighting it out in the business world.

　　Maybe it was that craftsman mindset that allowed Fengren Pharmaceuticals to grow into such a giant.

　　For a business to thrive, it had to care about what consumers actually wanted. That was the one rule that never changed.

　　Those companies with short-sighted goals, only interested in grabbing quick cash, usually ended up fading away like autumn flowers.

　　While chatting, An Jiu realized that the Pei Ji in this world stirred her heart even more than the Pei Ji from the book.

　　Stripping away the darkness that had been maliciously added to his character in the novel, what remained was a rare gentleman with deep thought and humble nature. Only one word came to mind: perfect.

　　He really did seem like the kind of perfection that’s hard to find in this world. It made people think of flawless white jade—warm, smooth, and quietly radiant.

　　Standing in the elevator, An Jiu looked at the man’s reflection in the mirrored wall.

　　He was wearing a grey suit today. Tall and well-proportioned, the tailored cut highlighted his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His jet-black hair fell slightly across his forehead, and although his face didn’t show much of a smile, there was still a gentle air about him.

　　Pei Ji wasn’t someone who smiled often. Most of the time, he just looked at her quietly, calm and kind. When he did feel like smiling, he’d only curl his lips slightly, just enough to show a faint trace of it.

　　Way better than Pei Ji in the book, who was always forcing that fake smile.

　　Clearly, An Yue must’ve really suffered under him to turn around and cast him as such a villain.

　　As these thoughts ran wild in her head, she suddenly noticed something. The man in the mirror stilled, and his dark eyes met hers through the reflection. His eyes softened for a brief second as they met hers in the mirror, locking her in a quiet, lingering stare.

　　An Jiu held her breath, but instinctively didn’t look away.

　　They stared at each other in silence through the mirror until the elevator gave a soft ding and reached the ground floor. Both of them snapped back to reality at the same time and looked away.

　　As the elevator doors slowly opened, An Jiu reached up to tidy her hair, trying to hide the warmth rising on her cheeks.

　　“An Jiu?!”

　　A surprised voice suddenly called out. She looked up and blinked in surprise before letting out a soft laugh.

　　“Third Uncle, Third Aunt, and Cousin... What a coincidence.”

　　It really was. They had just mentioned her cousin, and now here she was. Even weirder, the scene was so similar to when she first met Pei Ji. The only difference was, back then, he had been standing next to An Qing and had no idea who she was.

　　Of course, An Qing recognized Pei Ji standing beside An Jiu. His expression changed a few times before quickly recovering. He forced out a polite smile. “Mr. Pei, you came to Bincheng and didn’t even give me a heads-up? I’ve been thinking about rescheduling that dinner we missed last time.”

　　Pei Ji’s face stayed neutral. He replied calmly, “This trip is personal, no need for formalities.”

　　An Qing’s gaze darted back and forth between the two of them. “So you’re…?”

　　He wasn’t the only one looking. An Yue was also staring hard at the both of them.

　　In her whole life, the two people she hated most were standing right in front of her. One was her cousin An Jiu, the ‘perfect child’ she’d been compared to since childhood. The one who always made her parents scold her and make her feel like a failure.

　　The other one was Pei Ji. She had met him once at a banquet with her father, and she was instantly interested. After all, who wouldn’t like such a perfect man?

　　So An Yue pretended to enter the wrong room and went into his private lounge. But she never expected to be kicked out in front of everyone, becoming the laughingstock of the entire social circle.

　　Who would’ve thought these two would end up together?

　　Pei Ji shifted his gaze to the girl beside him. She was staring straight ahead as usual, but her cheeks had turned a faint pink, like spring flowers blooming.

　　His eyes curved slightly, and a soft smile spread across his elegant features. He said to An Qing, “This is a private dinner between Miss An and me, not a business meeting.”

　　An Qing didn’t believe it.

　　A private dinner? They’ve only met once. His troublesome niece must be trying to butt in and steal his connection.

　　Of course, he couldn’t say that to Pei Ji, so he looked at An Jiu and forced a smile. “I’m surprised Xiao Jiu managed to invite Mr. Pei to dinner. Next time you get a chance like this, you should bring Third Uncle along. I was the one who introduced you two, remember?”

　　Before An Jiu could respond, Pei Ji suddenly spoke up. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

　　An Qing’s smile froze.

　　The man looked at An Jiu with a gentle gaze and said warmly, “Sorry, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. It wasn’t Miss An who invited me. I’m the one who asked her to dinner.”

　　He paused for a second, then, as if worried An Qing still didn’t get it, the man with soft, refined features gave a small smile and said clearly, under everyone’s gaze, “At the moment, I’m pursuing Miss An.”

　　An Qing’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s impossible. You’ve only met once.”

　　He knew for a fact that Pei Ji had just returned from an overseas business trip yesterday.

　　Before he could finish his sentence, the man lightly touched the bridge of his nose with his slender fingers, looking slightly embarrassed.

　　His voice was low, but still clear enough for everyone around to hear.

　　“I know it sounds silly, but it’s true. I fell for her at first sight.”

　　An Qing and the others were completely stunned, unable to say a single word.

　　An Jiu, who had been standing quietly this whole time, suddenly spoke up. “Alright, let’s not block the way. Time to go.”

　　With that, she turned and walked off without looking back. An Qing could only watch as Pei Ji quickly followed her, his eyes never leaving his niece for even a second.

　　That kind of blatant favoritism was impossible to miss.

　　

　　

　　　

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