Luring Her to Take the Bait - Chapter 10.2

“Pei Wenjin, how do you handle things?”

Directly called out, Pei Wenjin straightened her back with a snap. When she opened her mouth, the bone between her teeth fell into the bone plate. “Ah, I…”

First she looked at her own hand, then turned to look at Fu Su’s hand, squinting to examine it closely.

The joints were well-defined, slender and delicate, with faint bluish veins on the back of the hand. Her nails were trimmed flat and clean, the nail beds looking like the small pink sunray surf clams Pei Wenjin had collected in a jar on Sanibel Island—about the size of a fingernail, pale pink.

Final conclusion: Beautiful!

“Pei Wenjin.” Pei Yanhui’s tone grew heavy as she called her name again.

Pei Wenjin immediately snapped back to reality. “Mother, there have been many things to do regarding the marriage these past few days. I forgot. I’ll make an appointment with a designer tomorrow.”

Right, how could they not have rings? That would make the marriage seem even more fake. Originally, she had hidden it from Susu…

Pei Wenjin’s eyes flickered. She turned her head with a slightly apologetic gaze. “Susu, I’m sorry. We’ll order the rings tomorrow, and then we’ll have a wedding later, okay?”

Actually, what surprised Fu Su more was Pei Yanhui’s attitude.

She wasn’t resistant, but surely she shouldn’t be this… proactive?

Fu Su wasn’t confident enough to think Pei Yanhui was satisfied with her upon their first meeting.

Pei Yanhui had probably investigated her background, but did she know the reason why Pei Wenjin had married her?

She probably did; Pei Wenjin wasn’t the type who could keep a secret.

Fu Su put down her chopsticks, wiped the corners of her mouth, and leveled her gaze across everyone before finally landing on Pei Wenjin. She spoke in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant: “A wedding won’t be necessary. My cases have been complicated lately, and my schedule is a bit tight.”

“Oh, okay.” The corners of Pei Wenjin’s eyes curved down. “Then we’ll just order the rings tomorrow.”

Pei Yanhui took a sip of soup but continued as if to herself: “There’s no rush for a wedding. From the preparation stage, it takes at least six months. By then, you two…”

She glanced at Fu Su. When their gazes met, Fu Su’s heart suddenly skipped.

Pei Yanhui was testing her.

However, the rest of the sentence remained unfinished. Pei Xu pinched her thigh under the table. Pei Yanhui’s brow twitched as she looked helplessly at Pei Xu. Pei Xu “knifed” her with a glare, and Pei Yanhui immediately changed her tune. “The wedding is up to you. Have one if you want, or don’t if you don’t.”

Rubbing her throbbing thigh, she grumbled silently in her head: She didn’t mean anything by it; she was just testing a bit. Habits are hard to break.

Pei Xu’s gaze toward Fu Su was both soothing and satisfied. She reached out to serve her a bowl of soup. Pei Yanhui’s face was full of resentment—Pei Xu never served her soup; usually, it was her job to serve Pei Xu!

Pei Wenjin leaned toward Fu Su, cupping her hand to whisper: “Susu, have it if you want, and don’t if you don’t. Don’t worry about what Mother says; she’s such a busybody.”

In fact, even the rings were something Fu Su had never dared to dream of, let alone a wedding.

Fu Su: “If we go to look at rings tomorrow, call me in advance.”

“Okay.”

The topic felt like a small interlude. Everyone would be busy tomorrow, and there was no drinking. After finishing dinner, Fu Chi helped Pei Xu put the dishes into the dishwasher. Originally, Fu Su wanted to help, but she was pulled to the living room by Shi’an.

Three-year-old Pei Shi’an was curious about what kind of cases she encountered as a lawyer.

Fu Su: …She would have to be selective about what she said.

The roses at night possessed a sort of enchanting magic, drifting in from the window with a slight dampness, decorating the entire house. The lights were softer than cotton candy, the sofa was a lake-bed of water, and souls felt light, moving with a free lightness.

The TV was on. No one knew who had tuned it to CCTV-1; it was currently playing the evening political news. The volume wasn’t high, and no one was watching.

Pei Wenjin was on the sofa clutching her phone and playing games. From time to time, she felt like letting out a few “national essence” [curse words], but seeing Fu Su, she forced herself to swallow them back, changing to typing to scold her teammate for not knowing how to play and being a burden.

After finishing the cleanup, Pei Xu sat down beside Pei Yanhui. Pei Yanhui put down the e-book in her hand, reached out to pull her close, and leaned in to press a lingering but restrained kiss against her forehead. “You’ve worked hard.”

Pei Xu smiled and blinked, her hands gesturing. Fu Su saw her saying: Not hard. Tomorrow, all the housework is yours.

Fu Chi sat cross-legged on the sofa—it was very wide—with a laptop in front of her. she was editing photos. When Pei Lingchu arrived, she was holding several bags of potato chips. Fu Chi took them, tossed a bag to Xiaojin at random, then waved one toward Fu Su, tilting her eyes in a gesture of inquiry. Fu Su shook her head; Shi’an shook her head as well, tugging on Fu Su’s sleeve to continue their conversation.

Fu Chi kept the flavor Pei Lingchu liked. With a “rip,” she tore it open and handed it to Pei Lingchu. Pei Yanhui glanced over: “Didn’t get enough at dinner?”

Pei Lingchu gave a gentle smile. “Just felt like eating them.”

Pei Yanhui: “Junk food.”

But she also took a bag from the table, tore it open, and gave it to Pei Xu.

A villa should always be brightly lit to feel lively. But as Fu Su sat in the living room, only the living room light was bright; the hallway was dark, it was dark outside the window, and everything around was dark. Yet she didn’t feel lonely.

Everyone was doing their own thing, yet it felt like they were one person, and the villa was one with that person. The living room light was the powerful light source emitted by the heart.

Fu Su was also part of this one person.

It was as if she were placed among the clouds, her smile relaxed and weary, right up until she returned to her room and saw herself in the bathroom mirror.

She touched her own face, eyes, nose, and mouth in a daze.

It felt so strange.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the bedroom door. Fu Su was startled; she lowered her hand and walked out. Opening the door, she found Pei Wenjin standing outside, holding two glasses of milk.

“Susu, I brought you some milk. Can I come in?”

Fu Su nodded and stepped aside.

Pei Wenjin’s curly hair was loose, hanging down to her waist. She wore a white nightgown with pleated edges that swept across her slender ankles. Her heels were tinged with pink, elegant and cute, like a red-hearted guava.

Fu Su looked away and gently closed the door.

Pei Wenjin sat on the small sofa, swinging her legs casually. Her glass was already empty. Fu Su’s small sips of milk were elegant and poised. Pei Wenjin smiled lazily: “Fortunately, you haven’t brushed your teeth yet. The family has to have a glass of hot milk every night; it’s been a habit for many years.”

She propped her body back with both hands. The nightgown followed the curves of her body, flowing against her flat belly. Pei Wenjin stared at Fu Su’s pinned-up hair, specifically at her exposed, snow-white ear.

Her gaze shifted. From this angle, she noticed a small mole behind Fu Su’s earlobe—it was red, near the tip, as if the Goddess Nüwa had misplaced a dot when creating her, yet it made her come alive.

Fu Su was wearing her clothes—a light blue shirt of soft material paired with white waffle-textured trousers. Her back was so thin that the clothes couldn’t even fill out, hanging off her shoulders, but her neck was long and slender like a crane’s.

Pei Wenjin asked softly: “Susu, are you happy tonight?”

Fu Su’s arm paused as she raised the glass. She set the glass down, her jade bracelet jingling against her thin wrist, before she responded: “Mm.”

Her usually cold eyes now thawed of their frost, showing a hint of tenderness. Pei Wenjin stared at her, smiling broadly. “As long as you’re happy.”

After that, no one spoke. Pei Wenjin leaned her head back against the sofa, her mind full of thoughts.

How should she open her mouth to say she wanted to live with Susu…

Being direct was her nature.

the level of the milk gradually dropping was an hourglass, the countdown of a clock, and the increasingly fast beating of Pei Wenjin’s heart.

The sound of the glass meeting the solid wood table was the moment of breathlessness when a hydrogen balloon bursts.

Just as Fu Su set down the glass, Pei Wenjin’s soft voice sounded from behind her ear. Immediately after, her wrist was encircled, the pressure just like that ring of glass jade.

“Susu.”

“Can I live with you?”