Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 129 – Extra 4: “I Like You, And It's More Than Just A Little.”

　　The one who took An Jiu out was a rich young man named Xu Xize. He’d only just started university not long ago.

　　A few months back, An Jiu had been doing business with Xu Xize’s father. They met at his family's golf course, and that was when she happened to run into Xu Xize. They exchanged contact info then.

　　Xu Xize was a bit of a wild one. He was the youngest in the family, and since he didn’t need to inherit the family business, his life was basically all about enjoying himself. He knew all the best hangout spots in Bincheng.

　　They went to a very exclusive bar, the kind that required ID check at the entrance.

　　While giving her name at the door, An Jiu casually asked, “If I came here alone and the security didn’t know me, would I be turned away?”

　　Xu Xize replied, “That’s right. That’s why you need someone to bring you. Just stick with me, sis. Once you come here once, they’ll remember you. After that, you won’t need anyone to bring you in.”

　　An Jiu just smiled when she heard that and didn’t say anything.

　　Xu Xize still remembered the first time he saw An Jiu. It was when she came with his dad. She didn’t look much older than him, but her presence was just as strong as his father's.

　　What shocked him even more was that his dad had shown a hint of flattery toward her.

　　That’s when Xu Xize realized this woman was definitely someone powerful.

　　He was still young and loved to have fun, so he shamelessly asked for her contact info. He’d send her random messages now and then. It wasn’t exactly a crush. It was more like admiration. Like a failing student meeting a genius, it came from deep respect.

　　The security guard handed An Jiu a card. “Miss, your identity has been registered. From now on, you can just swipe this card to enter.”

　　An Jiu took the card and said, “If a man with the last name Pei comes later, let him in. He’s a friend of mine.” She paused for a moment, then added, “Don’t tell him I said that.”

　　The guard agreed.

　　The two of them entered, walked through a dim hallway, and arrived at the main lounge. It was spacious, with plenty of booths. An Jiu picked a corner seat.

　　Not far away, a singer was performing a love song. The voice was beautiful. When An Jiu glanced over, she realized it was a somewhat well-known idol from the entertainment industry.

　　Seeing her look that way, Xu Xize grinned. “Pretty nice place, isn’t it, sis?”

　　It was. An Jiu nodded.

　　It wasn’t as noisy as she’d imagined. There were quite a few people, but everyone was speaking softly. It didn’t have the usual chaos of a nightlife spot.

　　“It’s alright. Pretty quiet.”

　　“Of course. I wouldn’t recommend a messy place to you, sis. This place is great for wine tasting. Their bartender is amazing. Even if you get drunk, no worries. There are rooms upstairs where you can rest for the night.”

　　The bartender brought over the drink menu. An Jiu casually picked a cocktail.

　　When the drink arrived, she took a sip and was savoring the flavor when Xu Xize leaned in with sparkling eyes. “Sis, that Mr. Pei you mentioned earlier—what’s your relationship with him?”

　　An Jiu shot him a sideways glance and chuckled. “Curious, are you?”

　　Xu Xize said, “Even if you don’t tell me, I can guess. It’s gotta be someone you like, right? You ignored me every time I asked you out, but suddenly you wanna go to a bar? Something’s definitely up.”

　　He suddenly noticed An Jiu glancing past him, so he quickly turned around to look, but the lighting in the bar was too dim to see anything clearly.

　　“That Mr. Pei of yours just came in?” Xu Xize looked surprised.

　　They had just gotten here, hadn’t they? Was Mr. Pei following them the whole time?

　　An Jiu lowered her eyes and smiled. “Who knows?”

　　Xu Xize leaned in and whispered, “Wanna team up, sis?”

　　“Team up for what?”

　　He suddenly leaned in close to her face. From a different angle, it would look like he was kissing her.

　　An Jiu instinctively wanted to pull back, but stopped herself just in time.

　　She had picked the perfect spot. From where she sat, she could see the entire main area. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the silhouette of a man sitting on the far end of the hall. The lighting was poor and he was sitting quite a distance away, but she knew his figure too well. Just from the outline, she could tell it was him.

　　The moment Xu Xize leaned in, that man knocked over his glass.

　　An Jiu almost burst out laughing. She waited a little before pushing Xu Xize away.

　　She wasn’t in a rush. She kept chatting with Xu Xize while slowly sipping her drink. After about half an hour, she finally said she was going to the restroom.

　　The cocktail didn’t taste strong, but it hit hard after a while. Her vision blurred a little.

　　After washing her hands at the sink, she noticed her cheeks had turned red in the mirror.

　　An Jiu flushed easily when drinking. Her mind was still clear, but her face made it seem like she was completely drunk. That’s why she rarely drank.

　　She patted her cheeks and slowly walked out of the restroom. Just as she was about to head back to the main area, a hand suddenly reached out from the darkness, grabbed her wrist tightly, and pulled her into a secluded corner.

　　Caught off guard, An Jiu crashed straight into a hard chest.

　　Her nose stung a little. Before she could say anything, her chin was caught by a pair of cold fingers and lifted up, exposing her entire face to the man's gaze.

　　The strong scent of alcohol rushed over, and An Jiu couldn’t help but frown.

　　How much did he drink?

　　“Why were you drinking with him?” 

　　The low, hoarse voice slipped into her ears. The grainy texture of it tugged at her heartstrings, as if someone had softly rubbed her ears, making them itch slightly.

　　“Pei... Pei Ji?” An Jiu struggled to get the words out.

　　Her waist was held tightly by his arm, and her cheek was cupped firmly in his large hand. His thumb and forefinger pinched the side of her face, making it hard for her to even open her mouth.

　　They stood in a narrow, empty corner. The man leaned against the wall, locking the girl in his arms. He lowered his head and stared at her deeply.

　　In the dim light, An Jiu couldn’t see his face clearly. She could only make out the deep, dark eyes faintly glowing in the shadows.

　　His pupils were pitch black, unfathomably deep. To her surprise, she noticed a thin layer of moisture in them.

　　“Pei Ji...” In that moment, she almost mistook him for the elegant man in white from her memories.

　　“Why did you go out with him? Why did you drink with him?”

　　Still gripping her chin, the man asked each word slowly, his voice hoarse.

　　“I...” An Jiu opened her mouth.

　　Before she could speak, a single warm drop fell and landed on the tip of her nose.

　　Her eyes widened.

　　“Was I still not good enough?” His voice was incredibly rough, trembling as if it might shatter at any second. He asked her in a tone so humble it hurt, “Even now, after I've changed, after I’ve tried to become a better person, you still can’t like me?”

　　An Jiu’s lashes trembled. She couldn’t say a single word.

　　To be honest, when she realized Pei Ji had been pretending to fool her, she did wonder, for just a second, if he was doing it all to get back at her.

　　After all, what she said before she left had been more than enough for him to hate her.

　　But right now, in this dim corner, with a slow love song playing in the background and the sound of people quietly chatting around them, his voice landed so clearly in her ears.

　　It felt like every word hit her heart, each one echoing with a thud.

　　“I've changed. All the mistakes I made before, I won't make them again. So why, why can't you love me?”

　　More and more tears started falling, like a sudden rain.

　　An Jiu bit her lip, then gently lifted her hand to wipe the corner of his eye. Her palm came away wet.

　　“Why are you crying…”

　　That small gesture seemed to trigger something in Pei Ji. The next moment, he lowered his head and kissed her hard.

　　An Jiu smelled the strong scent of alcohol spreading through her nose and mouth, mixed with the faint smell of medicine on him.

　　Their lips and tongues tangled. She didn’t resist. Silently, she let it happen, letting him push past her lips and take over.

　　Her cheeks were wet. Those were tears falling from above.

　　They didn’t look heavy, but they felt like they carried the weight of the world.

　　After a long time, when she was nearly out of air and struggling to breathe, An Jiu grabbed the back of his hair and pulled him away.

　　Pei Ji wasn’t satisfied yet. Even after backing off, his forehead rested against hers, their noses brushing together.

　　An Jiu was breathing heavily. He was still pecking at her lips, over and over, like a fish kissing the water’s surface.

　　“Pei Ji, are you drunk or what?”

　　Once her breathing calmed a little, that was the first thing she said.

　　After that kiss, it was like he sobered up a bit. His Adam’s apple moved as he spoke in a low voice, “...Yeah.”

　　An Jiu gave him a gentle push. “Let me go.”

　　Pei Ji slowly loosened his hold on her.

　　He didn’t dare not to. The way An Jiu reacted just now proved she still had feelings for him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have let him kiss her.　

　　Since things were like this, he had no choice but to keep pretending.

　　In today’s world, the kind of man most women liked was exactly the kind he was pretending to be. If he showed his true colors, she’d probably run away again.

　　As for seeing her kiss another man just now… as long as she was still willing to accept him, then what couldn’t he put up with?

　　The only thing he absolutely couldn’t bear was losing her.

　　An Jiu straightened up and looked at the man in front of her, who was completely dejected.

　　Even though he was tall and stood with a straight back, right now, standing there in front of her like this, he really did look like a poor, abandoned black dog waiting for its owner’s attention.

　　Her eyes fell on his face. The tears in those dark eyes were already gone, but the rims were still red. Even in the dim light, the pink corners of his eyes were obvious, as if he’d been wearing that soft, sorrowful peach blossom makeup.

　　He looked pitiful and a little cute.

　　An Jiu paused.

　　Why did she suddenly feel like she was the heartless one?

　　She cleared her throat lightly and said, “I really did have something to do today. That guy’s just a younger friend I know. I had to talk to his family about a business matter…”

　　Pei Ji nodded without a hint of suspicion. “I know.”

　　An Jiu went quiet.

　　She asked again, “You don’t have anything you want to ask?”

　　Pei Ji shook his head. “No.”

　　An Jiu sighed inwardly.

　　She said gently, “Pei Ji, I’m giving you one chance to ask me something. If you miss it, you won’t get another.”

　　Pei Ji’s eyes flickered a little, like he was tempted.

　　An Jiu thought to herself, even if he asked whether she remembered that world, she’d answer honestly.

　　Yes, An Jiu always believed that it wasn’t just a book. It felt more like a real world.

　　The story she lived through in that world must have really happened somewhere, hidden in a quiet corner of this vast world.

　　She waited for him to ask.

　　Pei Ji lowered his gaze, looking at her. After a long while, he finally parted his lips and asked in a hoarse voice, “Do you... like me, even just a little?”

　　An Jiu’s heart stirred. She met his eyes.

　　After a short pause, under his hopeful gaze, she let out a soft sigh and spoke.

　　“…Yeah.”

　　She caught the joy blooming in his eyes. It flickered gently like the warm glow of lanterns in the dark. Quietly, An Jiu reached out and hooked her finger around his hand hanging by his side.

　　That hand was cold, completely devoid of warmth, like it had just passed through snow.

　　How could she not like him?

　　When someone offers you a heart like that so openly, who could ever really say no?

　　The thought brushed through her mind, and she couldn’t help but smile. She rose on her tiptoes and leaned in close to his ear.

　　“Pei Ji, I like you... way more than just a little.”

　　This Pei Ji. And Pei Ji from that world too.

________________

Author’s Note:

Humble little pup Pei Pei, really truly humble~

Just one more chapter to go before it's over!

Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter