Running Away While Pregnant with the Villain’s Child - Chapter 18

When the agreed-upon time arrived, Luo Xingran and Shen Yao stood at the entrance of the arcade, contemplating what to play.

“What do you think of that dance machine?”

Shen Yao’s eyes were sparkling; it was clear she really wanted to play.

“That scene of electrocuting zombies isn’t very friendly to children.”

Luo Xingran shook her head solemnly. Her dancing was at a level that would make onlookers weep and bystanders flee for their lives.

“No way, then what are you good at?”

Shen Yao fell silent for a moment before enthusiastically asking again.

“There must be at least one thing you’re good at!”

Hearing her friend’s certain tone, Luo Xingran fell silent.

In her previous life, she had never been to an arcade.

Arcades were places for people with spare cash. She was different; every penny she had possessed its own specific mission.

“How about basketball?”

From a corner, Luo Xingran pulled out the one game she was passably good at.

Back when she worked at a basketball gym, she had practiced shooting until she reached a high level of skill simply out of frustration from picking up balls all day.

At first, the players mocked her, thinking she was overestimating herself. Later, when no one could beat her at shooting, the laughter stopped.

Instead, it was the coach who started laughing, using her every day to humble those arrogant, “all talk and no action” players.

“You actually like that kind of sport? Let’s go play that in a bit then.”

Shen Yao was incredibly happy, glowing like a little lightbulb.

Seeing Shen Yao so joyful made Luo Xingran feel happy too.

However, her happiness soon came to an abrupt halt.

“What are you doing standing in front of me?”

Luo Xingran looked at Li Dan standing before her, feeling that his presence was an eyesore.

Li Dan shouldn’t have been able to stand there. He had sought out an underground clinic for an injection of powerful painkillers just to get on his feet.

But the painkillers only allowed him to walk; the remaining agony was still enough to make his face contort.

“I’m worried… about you in… this kind of… place. I want to… protect you…”

Because of the pain, Li Dan’s voice was trembling.

Not to mention his expression at that moment. How could one describe it? It wasn’t just “ugly” anymore; it was somewhat of a direct hit to the soul.

With every extra glance at him, Luo Xingran felt her lifespan decreasing: -1, -1, -1.

“If you’re sick, go to the hospital. I didn’t study medicine, and even if I did, I haven’t graduated and couldn’t treat someone with your type of illness.”

Luo Xingran attempted to speak to him like a normal human being.

Li Dan rejected her attempt at normal communication.

“Xingran… you don’t understand. Pei Junzhuo… is a bad person. Only I… can… help you.”

Somehow, Li Dan remained “strong in spirit despite his broken body” when it came to slandering others. Even though he was almost in enough pain to collapse, he was still trying to brainwash Luo Xingran.

“Since you put it that way, give me some evidence.”

Luo Xingran sensed a conspiracy. She pretended to believe him.

“Xingran… don’t you feel… that Pei Junzhuo… gives off… a very terrifying… feeling?”

“A person should… trust… their sixth sense. Your… sixth sense… definitely won’t… lie to you. Pei Junzhuo… is definitely… a bad person!”

To be honest, because of how she had felt earlier today, Luo Xingran had been feeling a bit creeped out. She knew it wasn’t Pei Junzhuo’s fault, but the sensation was uncomfortable.

Furthermore, she had read in the book how Pei Junzhuo dealt with Li Dan. So, before Li Dan spoke this nonsense, she had indeed been a bit afraid.

But after Li Dan finished speaking, Luo Xingran realized something was fishy.

“How do you know I’m afraid of Pei Junzhuo?”

“I’m not afraid of her, and I don’t need your protection.”

Luo Xingran’s eyes narrowed, and her aura shifted.

Standing aside, Shen Yao listened to the conversation and felt that Li Dan was truly beyond words. How did she ever think this man was a gentle “boy-next-door” type of older brother?

“Li Dan, how many sneakers did I buy for you? Are you showing up now because you want to pay me back?”

Shen Yao crossed her arms, looking at Li Dan with a cold face.

Only then did Li Dan notice Shen Yao. Since he was forcing himself through the pain to be here, his attention could only be focused on one person.

“Yao Yao… little sister, our… matters… I will… talk to you… about them in a couple of days.”

Li Dan just wanted Luo Xingran to believe him quickly, so he made up an even more ridiculous reason.

“Actually… my family has been… a metaphysical… lineage for generations. So… I can… calculate it. Xingran… don’t… pretend anymore. Your own… heart… has already given you… the answer.”

“A metaphysical lineage? Then why do you look like this now…”

Luo Xingran listened to his “bullshitting” and felt even more speechless. Did Li Dan think she was not only brainless but also a fan of feudal superstitions?

Sorry, but her IQ wouldn’t allow her to believe a single word of this man’s lies.

“Because I was… worried about you… I used… a forbidden technique. Xingran… don’t… feel… sorry. All of this… is… what I… did willingly.”

Luo Xingran felt like her ears were being defiled.

“You used a forbidden technique just to find out that much? Your family’s metaphysics isn’t very good.”

“Li Dan, I advise you to get lost right now without stopping!”

“Otherwise, I’m calling the police, and you’ll have to use that tone to give your statement to them.”

Luo Xingran took out her phone and dialed 110.

“I’m just here to play, how can you call the police!”

As soon as he heard about the police, Li Dan’s speech became fluent again. Of course, the pain intensified with the speed of his words.

“You are stalking me. I feel that my personal safety is under threat.”

Seeing that Luo Xingran was about to make the call, Li Dan panicked.

“I’m going inside… right now! I’m not… here for you!”

Luo Xingran’s only praise for this trashy book was that its laws against stalking were very strict. Regardless of the truth, if she reported him, Li Dan would have to stay in custody for seven days.

“Did I say you could go in?”

Pei Junzhuo’s voice came from behind Luo Xingran.

But at this moment, her voice seemed different than usual. It was a few degrees lower, sounding somewhat androgynous.

The tension and fear in Luo Xingran’s heart suddenly vanished.

She turned to look at Pei Junzhuo and almost couldn’t recognize her.

She was wearing an oversized white T-shirt and khaki cargo pants. Her originally charming long hair had been styled into a wolf cut.

The current Pei Junzhuo was practically the perfect image of a popular “long-haired butch.”

She was so beautiful that Luo Xingran was momentarily stunned into silence.

“This is the property of the Pei family, and I refuse to open it to you. Please leave, Classmate Li.”

Pei Junzhuo appeared gentle and polite, but in reality, her murderous intent had nearly enveloped Li Dan’s entire body.

“A place like this… what’s… so great about it anyway!”

Li Dan forced out these words before turning to walk away.

He hadn’t even taken two steps before the effects of the painkillers wore off.

“Arghhhhhhh!” A wail erupted from Li Dan’s mouth as he collapsed onto the ground, curling into a ball.

“What’s wrong with this guy?” “It looks like he just suddenly snapped.” “Could it be some kind of new virus?” “Call an ambulance for him and run, quick!” “True, he looks terrifying.”

Passersby watched as Li Dan cried out in pain, tears and snot streaming down his face; the scene was truly gruesome.

“There’s something seriously wrong with this Li Dan guy.”

Tan Nuannuan only emerged from the shadows to stand by Shen Yao’s side once she saw him disappear. She didn’t want to be in the same place as Li Dan, and she certainly didn’t want to appear in front of Shen Yao alongside him. If possible, she even wanted to erase Li Dan’s existence entirely.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have that kind of power yet.

“Yeah, I just don’t get it. How did I ever think Li Dan was a good person?”

“It’s like I was under some kind of spell,” Shen Yao said, before turning her gaze toward Pei Junzhuo.

“This outfit… you really look like a completely different person compared to before.”

“Though it seems like this style fits a certain someone’s aesthetic perfectly.”

Shen Yao arched an eyebrow, looking playfully at Luo Xingran.

At this moment, Luo Xingran didn’t even dare to look at Pei Junzhuo. The blush on her face was impossible to hide, so she forced herself to laugh it off.

“Hahaha, Shen Yao, you’re so funny. Who are you even talking about?”

To be honest, Luo Xingran had always known Pei Junzhuo was beautiful. But she hadn’t expected that a simple change in style could have such a devastating impact on her.

Pei Junzhuo had anticipated Luo Xingran’s reaction. Back in high school, she had been rebellious and dressed even more androgynously than this. Every time Luo Xingran saw her then, she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

While staring, Luo Xingran would say: “See, I told you, true beauties are always androgynous. Who says girls can’t be handsome?”

The same trick worked perfectly on the same person.

The little idiot. She would always be her little idiot, falling for the same thing every time.

Standing to the side, Tan Nuannuan wasn’t quite sure how to comment. Was she good-looking? She certainly couldn’t deny her own sense of aesthetics. Pei Junzhuo was indeed beautiful.

But… after accompanying her for so long while she got her styling and hair done, Tan Nuannuan just wanted to assassinate her. God knows she had only eaten a tiny bit of salad so far.

A tiny bit…

Seriously, even a mountain goat on a hillside ate more grass than she had!

Pei Junzhuo was even more ruthless; she hadn’t eaten a single bite.

“Is that so?” Pei Junzhuo leaned in close to Luo Xingran, speaking ambiguously into her ear.

Wuwuwu! (Whimpering sounds)

Luo Xingran had no idea what to say…

She took two steps away from Pei Junzhuo and blurted out, “Oh, look! They have wheel cakes here. They look good!”

“Let’s eat some of these!”

Then, she scrambled over, covering the distance in three steps to buy four of every flavor from the vendor.

Inside the arcade, there were several small stalls selling snacks. Although it had been a long time since she’d visited, the vendors were all familiar faces to Pei Junzhuo.

“Oh! Little Luo is here again.” “Come, come, here’s a grilled sausage from Uncle.” “Didn’t you say Auntie’s ice jelly is your favorite? Come and get it!” “You brat, how long has it been? Once you’re in love, you stop coming to play, is that it? Eat up! The fried tenderloin is best when it’s fresh out of the fryer.”

The uncles and aunts from the various stalls immediately surrounded Luo Xingran. Looking at these warm, enthusiastic people, Luo Xingran felt overwhelmed.

At the same time, she felt these scenes were somewhat familiar. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember.

Where exactly had she seen these people before?

“Thank you, Uncles and Aunts. She’s been a bit dazed from studying too much lately.”

“I’ll take these.”

Pei Junzhuo didn’t stand on ceremony, accepting the snacks one by one.

“Little Luo, studying that hard? How about another serving?” The vendors still wanted to give her more food.

“No need, thank you. If she gets fat, I’m the one who’ll have a hard time,” Pei Junzhuo joked with a doting smile, her eyes filled with infinite warmth as she looked at Luo Xingran.

“Thank you, Uncles and Aunts,” Luo Xingran responded, still a bit slow to react, simply echoing Pei Junzhuo’s words.

Had she known Pei Junzhuo before this? Why were the people and the food here so familiar to her?

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