Luring Her to Take the Bait - Chapter 14

The sky was just beginning to brighten, bathing the world in a rich, fragrant blue. At an uncertain hour, in a hazy daze, Pei Wenjin heard a knock at the door. Dragging her sleep-softened body to answer it, she found no one there. Just as she wrinkled her nose and prepared to close the door, a voice suddenly said, “Please do not block me; I am about to start cleaning.”

The voice was crisp and bright, carrying a sense of childlike innocence.

Still caught in the remnants of sleep, Pei Wenjin rubbed her eyes and instinctively stepped aside, murmuring incoherently, “Ah, sorry…”

However, just as she closed the door and began walking back toward the bed, she caught a glimpse of a low-moving circle of light out of the corner of her eye. It was exceptionally conspicuous in the semi-darkness of the room, and her legs instantly froze.

To put it bluntly, it was actually quite terrifying, especially for someone who had just woken up.

Just as a scream was about to break from her throat, Pei Wenjin realized what it was. She saw clearly now that it was a robot vacuum. She immediately covered her mouth, eyes wide, huffing and puffing for air; that crisp voice from moments ago had come from this machine.

Her legs went weak, and she collapsed right where she stood, her heart racing so fast she couldn’t get back up.

After recovering for a good while, Pei Wenjin crawled back onto the bed. She didn’t turn on the light but lay prostrate at the foot of the bed, kicking her legs lightly and watching the robot with curiosity.

Then, her slender arm dangled down. Under the faint blue light, the pale blue veins in her wrist were visible as her fingertips touched the slightly damp floor.

She “innocently” blocked its path.

“Please do not block me; I need to clean.”

Pei Wenjin’s lips curled into a smile. She blinked mischievously and lifted her hand.

The robot continued its diligent work. However, before it could even clean a path half the length of the bed, the “villain” blocked its way again.

Pei Wenjin lowered both legs, touching one toe to the floor and resting the other on the robot’s “head.”

“Please do not block me… Please do not press down on me… Please…”

Pei Wenjin burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. The robot’s sweet, crisp voice seemed more anxious and annoyed than it had been at first.

Robot: Speechless. I’ve never seen someone so bored!

“Please do not hinder my cleaning; Su will be back soon!”

Hey, it was actually angry. A more intense blue light erupted from all sides of the machine, reflecting off the room until it looked like a hazy, undulating sea.

“Su?”

Pei Wenjin stopped laughing, though the corners of her mouth remained upturned. She tapped her toe twice on its head before curling her legs back onto the bed. Propping up her chin, she looked down at it. “Are you talking about Su-Su?”

“It is Su.” The robot’s voice was cold and crisp; for a moment, Pei Wenjin felt as though a young Shi’an was standing before her.

How interesting.

Pei Wenjin’s eyes crinkled with laughter. She hadn’t expected Su-Su to have such a cute robot vacuum. Had Su-Su set up the voice system?

“So, did Su give you a name? What are you called?” she asked with a smile.

“Meiyu (Beautiful Jade).”

“Meiyu? Is it the ‘Meiyu’ I’m thinking of?”

The robot repeated mechanically: “Meiyu.”

Pei Wenjin smiled gently and offered a critique: “A fine name.”

“Thank you.”

“Then, do you know who I am?”

The blue light around the robot dimmed and then brightened, like the breathing of the ocean. Pei Wenjin inexplicably felt it was like a human, deep in thought.

It probably didn’t know. The robot remained silent for a long time, and Pei Wenjin began to feel bored. She lay flat on the bed, her legs dangling off the edge. Without realizing it, her eyelids grew heavy. Just as her consciousness was about to drift away, that faint blue light began to flicker.

That childlike voice spoke with an almost imperceptible, low, husky tone: “Jin’er…”

Jin’er.

Jin’er.

It sounded like a deep, tranquil sea.

“Pei Wenjin.”

Someone was calling her. Pei Wenjin snapped her eyes open, her gaze moist and blurred as she stared at the ceiling. Her throat instinctively responded: “Hmm?”

Fu Su’s low, calm voice sounded from outside the door. “Are you up?”

“Ye Zhen called you and you didn’t answer, so she called me. She wanted to remind you not to be late for work.”

“Oh…” Pei Wenjin rolled over, lifting her long legs to rest them atop the duvet. She twisted her body, adjusting to a comfortable position and burying her face in the pillow, squinting as she tried to shake off the sleep. “Su-Su, I’m getting up now, right now… just give me five more minutes… what time is it?”

“Six-thirty.”

“Oh, six-thirty… need to get up fast… nearly eight… will be late…”

Hmm??? Wait, something wasn’t right.

Pei Wenjin frowned, struggling to open her eyes as she grabbed her phone. Seeing that it was indeed just past six-thirty, she looked around the room with narrowed eyes. Sunlight was leaping cheerfully through the gaps in the curtains. She thought with a delayed reaction: Oh, I’m at Su-Su’s house.

Hmm…

Her brow furrowed even tighter. Her brain, fresh from sleep, felt rusty and stuck. She thought hard, her eyebrows working with the effort.

She remembered that from Su-Su’s house to the CBD, it was only a few steps. Driving would be a waste of gas money.

Hmm… why get up so early? Ye-Bao knows I’m at Su-Su’s place…

As Pei Wenjin brushed her teeth with her eyes closed, the realization finally hit her: Ye Zhen did this on purpose!

—

“Su-Su, what time are you going to work?”

Pei Wenjin poked her head out of the room. Her washed face was fair and hydrated, and droplets of water hung from her eyebrows, making her pupils look exceptionally bright. As she pressed her palms to her cheeks to apply skincare, Fu Su looked over; she looked like a little piece of bread radiating fragrance.

“…Around seven-thirty.” Fu Su pursed her lips. “I’m walking. Do you want Ye Zhen to come pick you up?”

“Then I’ll walk with you. Since it’s so close, after all~”

Pei Wenjin walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. As the Shangri-La blinds rose automatically, the fuzzy morning light poured in, and she squinted.

Compared to the night, when the morning sun rose from the east and shone brightly into the room, the air seemed to sparkle. Pei Wenjin took back her internal observation from last night about Su-Su’s house being cold and lonely.

The sunlight cast silhouettes against the walls and floor. In the interplay of light and shadow, it was clear the mistress of the house had carefully chosen the color scheme of the entire home to create an atmosphere of gentle time and quiet years.

“It’s still early. What are we eating for breakfast? I’m hungry.” Pei Wenjin casually massaged the skin under her eyes as she waddled to the kitchen in her slippers, her eyes gleaming. “Is there anything good in the fridge~~”

Fu Su looked stunned for a moment, her eyelids fluttering with a strange expression. Pei Wenjin didn’t notice and opened the refrigerator with high expectations, only to see—

A few bottles of pure water.

The fridge was very clean and cool, but there was absolutely nothing to eat.

…

Pei Wenjin gently closed the fridge door and turned to Fu Su with a smile. She tilted her head: “Su-Su, let’s go to the cafe downstairs for breakfast.”

The 80s-style cafe caught one’s eye immediately upon entry with the vinyl records tucked into a vintage corner. Built with mottled bricks and tiles and lit by dim, old-fashioned chandeliers, the grilled beef sandwiches looked enticingly glossy under the light.

“A-woo~” Pei Wenjin took a bite, then narrowed her eyes with the satisfaction of a cat. She took another large bite, her cheeks bulging like a squirrel hoarding food—a brown-furred squirrel at that.

The way she ate gave others an appetite. She wasn’t like the “urban beauties” sitting further away, who sat on the very edge of their chairs with their backs ramrod straight, cutting toast with beautiful, precise movements as if eating were merely a chore to stay full.

Stuffing the last bite into her mouth, Pei Wenjin wiped her hands and picked up an iced salted chocolate, gulping it down. Her tongue flicked across her lower lip, her voice seemingly stained with the sweetness of the chocolate: “I’m full! That was great. Maybe we should come here for breakfast every day~”

The iced Americano in front of Fu Su was only halfway gone. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and said softly, “Full? Then let’s go.”

“You’re full?”

Pei Wenjin glanced at Fu Su, gesturing with her eyes toward the croissant that was only one-third eaten. The smooth cut on the pastry looked like the work of someone with OCD. “You hardly ate anything.”

Fu Su shook her head. “I’m already full.”

“Oh…” Pei Wenjin’s eyes were fixed on the sugar-dusted croissant. Then, she reached out, took it, and popped it into her mouth, smiling at Fu Su with bright, twinkling eyes.

“Then I’ll eat it. We can’t let it go to waste.”

Chew, chew, chew.

Fu Su watched her serious expression while eating and couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curve up. She took a sip of coffee and rubbed her thumb against her pant leg.

She really wanted to pat her head.

Pei Wenjin came out of the washroom shaking her damp hands, just about to call for Fu Su to leave when she heard a commotion from the other side.

“I’m sorry, sir, we have regulations. Everyone is in a hurry in the morning, we can’t just… ah!”

A coarse male voice shouted harshly: “I said I’m in a hurry, make mine first! Are you deaf? You’re so clumsy and slow—do you have any idea that I’m flying to the UK today to sign a contract worth hundreds of millions? Can a pathetic waitress like you afford the delay!”

Pei Wenjin’s footsteps faltered. Her brow furrowed instinctively, and she immediately walked over, shielding the female waitress behind her. The gaze she lifted was sharp as a blade.

“Sir, since you’re in such a hurry, why didn’t you order earlier? Otherwise, you could have just grabbed something at the airport. Why make things difficult for others here?”

“Who are you? This is none of your business! Get lost!”

The male customer’s eyes bulged with rage. He raised his hand to shove her aside, but Pei Wenjin’s expression darkened. She gripped his wrist directly. The muscles on her slender arm suddenly surged with clear definition. She said coldly, “If you’re still eating breakfast, sit down and wait. If not, get out.”

“You—” The male customer started to yell, but his face suddenly contorted with pain. His brow furrowed in agony, and the arm she was twisting began to tremble violently.

For a moment, the two were at a deadlock.

Suddenly, Fu Su’s slightly anxious voice rang out from ahead.

“Pei Wenjin.”

Fu Su appeared at the corner. Their eyes met. Fu Su walked over swiftly like the wind, stepping in front of Pei Wenjin and looking at the man with a frigid gaze. “Let go.”

The male customer stared with wide eyes: ???

Pei Wenjin noticed that Fu Su was actually a good deal taller than the man. She gave him a fleeting, sweeping glance of disdain before letting go of his hand, casually shaking her own as if she had touched something filthy. “Su-Su, I have to wash my hands again.”

As soon as she let go, the man glared at them indignantly, his lips trembling with rage, but he didn’t dare say more. As he walked away rubbing his wrist, he cursed under his breath at the air.

“Thank you both.”

The waitress’s eyes were red. Once the man had left, she hurried to offer her thanks.

“You weren’t hurt, were you?” Pei Wenjin waved it off with a smile, the two small dimples on her cheeks making her look very approachable.

The waitress shook her head and wiped away a tear. “I’m fine. Thank you so much for today.”

After the two left the cafe and walked a few steps, Pei Wenjin suddenly ran toward the opposite side of the street, calling back to Fu Su: “Su-Su, wait for me a moment, I’m going to buy something.”

Pei Wenjin ran into a flower shop. When she came back out, Fu Su saw her holding a bouquet of pink flowers that looked like peach blossoms.

Fu Su stood by the roadside, quietly watching as Pei Wenjin gave her a quick smile and re-entered the cafe.

Pei Wenjin found the waitress from before and handed her the flowers, her eyes full of warmth: “Don’t be sad anymore. I wish you a beautiful day.”

When she came out again, Fu Su saw her hands were empty; she had presumably given them to the waitress.

“Ready to go?” Fu Su asked softly.

Pei Wenjin shook her head instead. She reached out and hooked her finger into Fu Su’s, the corners of her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled, revealing her white teeth.

Suddenly, a flash of red caught Fu Su off guard.

“Jiang-Jiang! Surprise!”

Fu Su was slightly stunned, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes.

Pei Wenjin had intentionally hidden the flowers behind her back just now.

She gave a shy, fox-like look: “Su-Su, I gave those flowers to that girl first. Do you mind?”

“I just wanted to comfort her. Meeting someone like that so early in the morning definitely ruins your mood. I bought her peach blossoms; they symbolize good luck and beauty.”

Fu Su didn’t speak for a long time, and her expression didn’t change. Pei Wenjin tightened her grip on Fu Su’s finger, her tone growing a bit anxious. “She was just an afterthought. I wanted to buy flowers for you. Red roses… to express my love…”

“Yes, I know,” Fu Su said suddenly, reaching out to take the bouquet of roses.

The morning sun climbed into the sky from behind the buildings, filtering through the gaps between the high-rises and reflecting in Fu Su’s eyes. Those dark pupils were as bright as crystal grapes.

Fu Su lifted her hand to touch the petals, which were still beaded with water. Her pearly white fingertip contrasted sharply against the fiery red. Pei Wenjin instinctively swallowed.

Su-Su really did suit the color red.

A shallow smile played on Fu Su’s lips, and the small beauty mark beneath her eye seemed to come alive. Pei Wenjin found herself sinking into that tender gaze.

Fu Su said: “I don’t mind.”

Because she knew that Pei Wenjin was exactly that kind of person: sincere, delicate, and gentle.

Pei Wenjin broke into a radiant smile: “This is the most beautiful one!”

“I wish you a beautiful day, too.”