After Trying To Pursue The Cold, Elegant Beauty. I Ended Up Being Flirted With Instead - Chapter 35

But I can certainly do it.

The delicate, gentle scent of pear blossoms, like an airtight net, wrapped securely around Wen Zhu.

The moment Wen Zhu realized the person who came was Li Zhiyun, her eyes welled up, and she nearly burst into tears in public.

Wen Zhu herself didn’t even notice, but she had shed virtually all her defenses, leaning completely and wholeheartedly into Li Zhiyun’s embrace.

Pei Xiubai grew up with Wen Zhu and knew her every move like the back of her hand.

She had never seen Wen Zhu display such total dependence and trust toward anyone.

A preposterously absurd thought suddenly flashed into Pei Xiubai’s mind

Could it be that Li Zhiyun… likes Wen Zhu?

No, impossible!

This thought was quickly snuffed out by herself.

What was Li Zhiyun’s status? And what was Wen Zhu’s? How could she possibly like an unrelated orphan girl?

Yet, despite this, the look Pei Xiubai gave Li Zhiyun was still full of hostility, “Miss Li, this is between us. You don’t need to meddle.”

Li Zhiyun seemed not to have heard her.

She could clearly feel the person in her arms trembling slightly, and the hand clasped on Wen Zhu’s shoulder tightened, as if to transmit her own strength.

She lowered her head, her voice very soft, “Shall I take you back?”

Wen Zhu gave a muffled, “Mhm.”

Receiving the affirmative reply, Li Zhiyun didn’t look at anyone else, turning to leave with her arm around Wen Zhu.

“Miss Li!”

The host of the party was anxious, rushing up with a face full of fawning smiles, “You’ve just arrived, why are you leaving already? How about you stay a little longer? I’ll have someone take good care of Miss Wen.”

She had exhausted herself trying to invite this important figure, Li Zhiyun.

She had just arrived and was leaving without a word? What kind of situation was this?

Pei Xiubai was accustomed to a pampered life and had always been favored since childhood.

Yet, when facing Li Zhiyun, this woman repeatedly showed her disregard!

A wave of irrational anger surged to her head. She stepped forward, reaching out to block their path again.

This time, she didn’t look at Wen Zhu, her fiery eyes fixed on Li Zhiyun: “Who allowed you to take her away? This is Tongcheng, not your Port City. You won’t be allowed to act recklessly here!”

Li Zhiyun’s steps halted.

Her eyes were colder than before, appearing as if they were quenched in ice, causing the surrounding air to drop by several degrees.

“If I want to,” she said deliberately, her voice not loud, but carrying a startling sense of pressure, “I can act wildly anywhere.”

These words were incredibly arrogant!

Before Pei Xiubai could react, Li Zhiyun’s tone grew sharper, like a fierce knife aimed directly at the thing Pei Xiubai was most proud of.

“Has a century of glory made Miss Pei too complacent, almost forgetting her own status?”

“I can remind you. If I wanted to, our Li family could support an enterprise comparable to Yu Pei in minutes.”

She looked at Pei Xiubai’s instantly pale face, the chill in her eyes turning into naked mockery, as she lightly uttered the final words.

“What is the Pei family, a mere century-old entity, anyway?”

Boom.

Pei Xiubai’s mind completely exploded.

She had heard it said that the ancestor who started the Pei family had come from Port City in the early years.

It was rumored… that she was the illegitimate daughter of a major figure in the Li family, and it was only through the Li family’s secret support that the Yu Pei Group came to be what it is today.

If these words came from anyone else’s mouth, she could easily slap them and make sure they disappeared from Tongcheng the next day.

But the person who said this was Li Zhiyun.

The direct descendant of the Li family, the genuine aristocratic family that had dominated for nearly a thousand years, the second daughter held in the highest esteem!

Truly speaking, in front of Li Zhiyun, Pei Xiubai really… was nothing.

This realization, like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, left her utterly cold.

An unprecedented sense of humiliation swept over Pei Xiubai, making her nearly unable to stand steady.

“Has Miss Pei figured it out?” Li Zhiyun took in her expression completely, the corner of her lips curving into an extremely faint arc, filled with derision.

She raised her hand, giving a light push.

And just like that, she pushed away Pei Xiubai’s blocking arm.

The movement was effortless and understated.

Li Zhiyun and Wen Zhu’s figures completely disappeared through the door of the banquet hall.

The host of the party looked at the mess on the floor, then at Pei Xiubai, whose face was so gloomy it could drip water, and stamped her foot in frustration.

But she couldn’t afford to offend the Li family, and she couldn’t afford to offend the Pei family and the Yan family either.

She didn’t dare say anything, and in the end, she could only turn and walk away in a huff.

“Heh.”

A cold laugh broke the dead silence.

Yan Tingyu stood upright, steadying herself on a sofa. She looked at Pei Xiubai, her mockery unconcealed, “Pei Xiubai, how does it feel to be abandoned by Wen Zhu?”

Pei Xiubai’s face was extremely dark.

She looked up, her gaze cutting like a knife toward Yan Tingyu, “It has nothing to do with you. I’m warning you, if you dare to go near Wen Zhu again, I will not let you off!”

“You can’t control me.” Yan Tingyu laughed even more wildly, “I just like Wen Zhu, so what?”

Her gaze drifted lightly to Jiang Xinxin not far away, but her words were directed at Pei Xiubai: “I’ve wanted to snatch Wen Zhu away ever since you started fooling around with this woman who popped up out of nowhere.”

“Pei Xiubai, haven’t you always prided yourself on the belief that Wen Zhu would choose no one but you?”

Yan Tingyu’s voice suddenly became sharp and full of malice, as she stared at Pei Xiubai’s eyes, emphasizing every word.

“Then you just wait and see.”

“See who Wen Zhu will choose in the end!”

With that, she gathered the jacket Wen Zhu had given her and left without looking back.

The surrounding guests, seeing Pei Xiubai’s face, which promised an impending storm, were afraid of incurring the wrath of this powerful figure. One by one, they slipped away as if their feet were oiled.

Soon, the vast banquet hall was only left with Pei Xiubai and Jiang Xinxin.

Jiang Xinxin, thinking of Yan Tingyu’s earlier comment about ‘the woman who popped up out of nowhere,’ felt so wronged that her eyes turned red.

She cautiously stepped forward, wanting to take Pei Xiubai’s hand.

“CEO Pei, are… are you okay?”

However, just as her fingertips were about to touch Pei Xiubai’s sleeve.

Pei Xiubai moved.

She walked straight past Jiang Xinxin, heading toward the banquet hall entrance, without stopping for even a second.

From beginning to end, she didn’t spare Jiang Xinxin a single glance.

Jiang Xinxin’s hand froze in mid-air, the color draining from her face little by little.

She watched Pei Xiubai’s resolute back, her heart feeling as if it were being violently squeezed by an invisible hand, shattered completely.

How could this be…

This was the first time CEO Pei had left her behind.

Before, it had always been CEO Pei leaving others behind for her sake…

Wen Zhu was once again seated in Li Zhiyun’s car.

The wind in Tongcheng became fierce again, howling and striking the car window, producing a violent noise.

Wen Zhu leaned against the window, feeling completely drained.

A strand of hair fell from Wen Zhu’s ear, and the next second, a pair of warm hands reached out.

Li Zhiyun’s fingertips were very light, carrying a slight coolness, carefully hooking the strand of hair and tucking it behind her ear.

Her thumb inadvertently brushed against Wen Zhu’s cheek.

Wen Zhu’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and she finally snapped back to attention.

She turned her head, looking blankly at Li Zhiyun.

But she didn’t dodge.

She had been in such a state of distress in front of Li Zhiyun too many times, so much so that she was startled to realize she seemed to have become immune.

Wen Zhu even managed to pull at the corner of her mouth, smiling calmly, “Troubling you again.”

She paused, then asked, “Are you hungry? I’ll treat you to a meal. I drank a lot of alcohol just now, and I need to eat something to line my stomach, or my stomach will hurt again tomorrow.”

Li Zhiyun looked at her deliberately relaxed face, feeling another wave of indescribable melancholy in her heart.

She should have come earlier.

Li Zhiyun nodded, her voice devoid of emotion: “What do you want to eat?”

Wen Zhu thought for a moment, “That noodle shop from last time, is that okay?”

The steaming bowl of noodles was served, driving away the chill from their bodies.

Wen Zhu ate in small bites. As her stomach warmed up, it seemed to gradually push out the congested, uncomfortable emotions in her heart.

Coming out of the noodle shop, Li Zhiyun said, “I’ll take you back.”

“Okay.”

The car started again, and Wen Zhu continued to gaze out the window.

After an unknown amount of time, the car suddenly pulled over and stopped.

Wen Zhu turned her head in confusion, seeing Li Zhiyun unbuckle her seatbelt.

Before she could open her mouth to ask, a pair of soft hands touched her cheeks again.

This time, she cupped her chin with both hands, forcing her to turn and look directly at her.

Li Zhiyun stared at her like this for quite some time.

The car was very quiet, with only the sound of their breathing.

Finally, Li Zhiyun spoke, her voice carrying a sense of seriousness: “Wen Zhu, if you have something you’re unhappy about, you must say it.”

Your forced cheerfulness like this worries me greatly.

She didn’t say the latter sentence aloud.

Wen Zhu met those beautiful eyes again.

She quietly appreciated them for a few seconds, looking at the face full of genuine concern, and suddenly burst out laughing.

“How fragile do you think I am?”

The warmth from her palms continuously transmitted, and Wen Zhu was somewhat reluctant, not pushing her away.

“I’m really not unhappy,” she shook her head, her smile deepening instead, “On the contrary, I’m very happy right now.”

Happy that she could finally let go of Pei Xiubai.

Happy that she didn’t cry and wail like an idiot.

Her tears had long run dry.

Wen Zhu looked into Li Zhiyun’s eyes, and said earnestly: “Miss Li, not everyone can manage to look forward.”

“But I can certainly do it.”

These words resonated with conviction.

Li Zhiyun looked at the light in her eyes and suddenly felt that she might have been a bit overly cautious.

Worry clouds judgment.

Yes, this was Wen Zhu, after all.

Li Zhiyun chuckled softly, also finding her own behavior somewhat absurd.

She withdrew her hands and started the car again.

“Let’s go back.”