Luring Her to Take the Bait - Chapter 7

Tonight, Pei Wenjin curled up in bed, picked her moment, and called Fu Su once again.

When the call connected, a wave of noisy background chatter rushed into her ear. Stunned, Pei Wenjin sat up straight, pulled the phone away to check the time, and then pressed it back to her ear.

“Susu, are you still at the firm? It sounds like there are a lot of people.”

As she spoke, she realized in hindsight that Susu hadn’t sent her the “arrived home” message yet.

The sound of the surging crowd gradually became hazy, distant, and faded away, replaced by the steady, powerful, and crisp sound of high heels striking the ground.

Fu Su seemed to have walked away from the crowd.

Pei Wenjin listened quietly, her eyes dazed.

In her wandering thoughts, she remembered that she never liked wearing high heels. Her natural height was 172cm, which was considered tall for a woman; adding another seven or eight centimeters of heels made her feel like she could pierce the sky.

Moreover, every step made a sound, which inexplicably reminded her of those squeaky shoes toddlers wear—one step, a “BEEP,” and a flash of light. Even little Shi’an despised those shoes.

Because she was prone to laughing fits, the shoes also made her think of a clown blowing a party whistle—that curling paper tongue popping out with a goofy sound effect.

Since then, she wore high heels even less frequently, unless it was a mandatory occasion where Ye Zhen insisted on it.

When Ye Zhen heard her reasoning, her usually indifferent and calm face finally showed a crack of exasperation, which made Pei Wenjin howl with laughter.

Had she not heard the rhythm of Fu Su’s heels, she would still be thinking that way.

How could someone make high heels sound so pleasing?

Mysterious, authoritative, and sharp—one didn’t even need to look to know she possessed a powerful aura.

Her mind automatically constructed a picture of Fu Su in a suit and high heels.

…

“Pei Wenjin.”

“Ah? What is it?”

Fu Su had called her name several times before Pei Wenjin snapped back to reality. Her ears burned with embarrassment. She grabbed a handful of her curly hair to hide her face. “What’s wrong?”

Suddenly, her ear caught a puff of air, so light it felt like an illusion. Fu Su said, “You were the one who called me.”

“Ah… right.” Pei Wenjin scratched her face, staring at the lotus-pink lace edge of her quilt. Her eyes darted around as she muttered to herself: Did Susu just laugh?

If only this were a video call…

She tucked in the corners of her mouth; her heart felt like a cat teaser toy, with a little kitten constantly jumping up to catch it.

“I wanted to ask if you have time tomorrow to come home with me.”

“Go home?”

“Mhm.” Pei Wenjin nodded to herself. “Mother and the others want to see you. Let’s go home for dinner.”

“Speaking of which, I forgot to tell them about the marriage. I got scolded immediately when I got home, hahahaha…”

She seemed to possess a natural magic, an innate ability to make others drop their guard and become intimately acquainted in an instant.

From the moment she received that thin marriage certificate, “Susu” had rolled off her tongue naturally. And now, the way she said “go home” was so matter-of-fact—as if it were meant to be, as if there were never a need for an adjustment period, as if that place was already Fu Su’s home.

Fu Su’s chest felt burning hot.

She said, “I have time.”

Pei Wenjin asked again, “Are lawyers really that busy? You still can’t get off work? Aren’t you tired? You flew all day and still had to go to work. Your boss has no humanity, exploiting employees.”

Fu Su: “It’s alright.”

“Then tomorrow after work, I’ll pick you up, okay?”

Fu Su actually wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but when the words reached her lips, they turned into a different answer.

“Okay.”

Pei Wenjin was jet-lagged. She had only fallen asleep toward dawn when a phone call woke her up, starting a hectic day.

It wasn’t until evening, when the red sun—shaped like a copper coin—hung before the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a rosy glow on her face, that the “Little CEO” collapsed onto her desk, clawing at the air in powerless frustration.

“No, really! What kind of decent person isn’t on their honeymoon right after getting married? Why is it all contracts, files, signatures, socializing, and inspections for me!”

“I’m dying of sleepiness!”

Ye Zhen was tallying cooperation proposals, occasionally pulling out a letter of intent to place on the desk. Showing no sign of fatigue, she said coldly, “You were abroad for nine days. Nine days of work piled up. There is no time for a honeymoon.”

“I give two months of marriage leave and a year and a half of paid maternity leave! Why do I get nothing!”

“Unfair!”

Ye Zhen: “You are the CEO.”

Pei Wenjin threw a tantrum: “Unfair!”

“…”

Ye Zhen lifted her eyelids. “Otherwise, do you want to have a baby too?”

Pei Wenjin lifted her head eagerly, her eyes bright and hopeful. “Yebao, if I have a baby, will you give me a year and a half?”

Ye Zhen’s gaze remained flat as she spoke heartlessly, “Work from home. Three months of postpartum leave.”

“…”

“Villain!”

Watching Pei Wenjin flail and act out, Ye Zhen silently curled her lips into a smile.

After a day of work and her tantrum, Pei Wenjin lay on the sofa with her legs kicked up, playing games. Beside her was a matcha mousse delivered from a small restaurant; Ye Zhen made her an iced coconut matcha.

“Yebao,” she called out.

“Hmm?” Ye Zhen responded, sitting on a nearby armchair, tossing a throw blanket over Pei Wenjin to cover her bare thighs.

Pei Wenjin pouted as “Game Over” appeared on the screen, tugged at the blanket, and started a new round. “How many houses do I have under my name?”

Ye Zhen’s voice was crisp: “Five.”

“One courtyard house you bid on previously, one large flat on the Second Ring Road, two apartments, and the last one is far out beyond the Sixth Ring Road in a villa district.”

“Wow, you remember so clearly. I don’t even know when I bought them.”

Pei Wenjin blinked at her appreciatively. “Then can I pick one to move into? As a wedding home, it could…”

Ye Zhen ruthlessly shattered her beautiful expectations. “None of them are renovated.”

Pei Wenjin froze, the smile stiffening at the corners of her eyes. “…”

Ye Zhen: “You forgot about them after buying. After the design blueprints were given to you, you lost track of them. Plus, the Chairman required you to live at home, so.”

The Chairman was Pei Yanhui.

Pei Wenjin blinked blankly. “Then where do I live?”

Ye Zhen looked at her quietly. “At home, or,” she offered a second choice.

“Fu Su’s house.”

As Pei Wenjin drove to pick up Fu Su, her mind was filled with one thought:

Now that we’re married, I can’t keep living at home. We can’t live separately; what kind of marriage is that? It’ll drastically increase the divorce rate!

So—

She had to find a way to move into Susu’s house.

She had to live with Susu!

Just the thought made her excited!

When she reached the CBD office building, it was barely 8:00 PM. Pei Wenjin didn’t call; she stood on the ground, looking up.

The high-density glass curtain wall formed countless reflective surfaces in the sunset, shattering the sky into pieces. Clouds flowed through the broken mirrors like a kaleidoscope, making Pei Wenjin dizzy and giving her a headache.

Rubbing her brow, she sent a message to Fu Su saying she was downstairs.

Fu Su replied quickly.

【Coming down now.】

Oh~ looks like the little lawyer can get off work on time today. She had even intentionally arrived a bit late.

Even though the office building was just a street away from the Pei Group.

Pei Wenjin immediately placed a voice call. When it connected, her tone lifted instantly. “Susu, Mother and the others are asking what you like to eat. They’re preparing it now, so we can eat as soon as we get home~”

Through the receiver, her voice sounded even more cheerful than in person. She was tirelessly recommending Aunt Xu’s delicious dry-pot cumin ribs, the tender apple-stewed pork chops, and the incredibly appetizing stir-fried pork with peppers…

Fu Su didn’t speak for a while. At this moment, she was leaning her hip against the edge of her desk, a faint smile on her lips, the frost between her brows melting away.

She listened quietly to Pei Wenjin, heard her catch her breath, and heard her talk about which wines her mother had collected and that they had to open a bottle tonight.

Pei Wenjin: “Susu, is there anything specific you want to eat?”

Her voice came through mixed with the sound of car horns. Fu Su’s eyelids lowered lazily as she picked up her briefcase and walked out of the office. “I’m fine with anything.”

Pei Wenjin let out a long “Ah~”: “Anything? Don’t be shy! Even if we don’t have it at home, if you say you want it, Mother and the others will definitely find a way to get it!”

Fu Su’s breath hitched. She teased rarely, “So grand.”

“Of course! Naturally!”

One didn’t need to imagine—Pei Wenjin’s eyebrows were surely dancing as she said that.

Walking out, Fu Su’s voice softened unconsciously. “I’m fine with anything.”

Fearing Pei Wenjin might think she was just being polite, she added, “Really.”

“Aww, alright then. I’ll tell Mother to just cook what we usually have~ Anyway, we’ll be together for a long time after this, so I’ll definitely figure out your tastes.”

Fu Su’s smile hadn’t faded once. Her breath was light. “Mhm.”

She lost the signal entering the elevator, so the call ended. Fu Su went to the underground garage first to retrieve the gift box she had prepared, then took the elevator back to the ground floor. The moment she stepped out of the office building, she spotted Pei Wenjin.

She was far too conspicuous; she never spared any effort in dressing herself.

A French square-neck fuchsia puff-sleeve top with a midriff-baring design, a retro denim pleated skirt that made her legs look long and slender. Even more eye-catching were the pink-and-green color-blocked socks covering her calves. She looked playful and cute; even the breeze seemed to carry the scent of summer as her curls flowed behind her.

On the street where people and cars were rushing home in the fast-paced rhythm of the capital, she was crouching under a streetlamp, teasing a few kittens.

People in the capital lived at a high speed with immense economic pressure; few had the luxury to leisurely look at flowers or grass.

Fu Su didn’t call out to her. She simply walked toward her slowly. The sun hadn’t fully set; with the vibrant fire-orange sunset at her back, Pei Wenjin’s smile seemed even more brilliant, pure, and clean.

The girl she had liked at first sight ten years ago had changed, yet hadn’t.

What changed was her age and her experience.

What remained unchanged was that innocence, that clarity.

She was a moth drawn to the light, and Pei Wenjin was that bright light, constantly attracting her.

Fu Su couldn’t put into words exactly how she had fallen for her. The first look was interest—curiosity about why someone so pure and simple existed in such a world.

And then, the second look, the third… as she watched the innocent little princess enter society and struggle through the world of capital, yet still hold onto her original heart and treat the world with heat and love, she realized she loved her clean soul.

Fu Su watched as a kitten affectionately licked Pei Wenjin’s finger. It must have tickled; Pei Wenjin giggled, her dimples showing. “Your tongue is so warm and soft, you guys are so cute~”

Fu Su looked at Pei Wenjin, her gaze dropping to those laughing lips. They seemed to have lip glaze on them—shiny and pink.

She pursed her own lips slightly.

Fu Su felt a light sweat on her back. She slowed her pace, watching the interaction with the cats for a moment longer before finally standing in front of Pei Wenjin.

Pei Wenjin first noticed a shadow falling over her, followed by the scent of restless ebony tobacco and mellow tea—a reassuring fragrance.

Before she could even see clearly, she looked up and called out: “Susu, you’re here~”

Pei Wenjin smiled, her teeth bright and white against her red lips. She tilted her head, her hand still scratching a kitten’s chin, and said quite seriously:

“I just thought of something.”

“When picking someone up from work, shouldn’t there be a hug first when we meet?”