Jiang Juyou sat on the bed, her body frozen. She recalled what she had done in the past: because Pei Zongzhi had spoken ill of Shang Muye, she had shoved him away and forbidden him from ever appearing before her again.
"I’m sorry, brother..."
Jiang Juyou lowered her head, racking her brain, trying to come up with something sweet to coax him. In the end, she could only manage: "Right now, you are the most important person in my heart. You’re the brother I chose when I was little; he’s just a passerby I happened to like for a moment."
"The brother you chose when you were little..." Pei Zongzhi murmured, a bitter smile tugging at his lips for reasons unknown.
"Yes, you will always be my brother, but I won’t always like Shang Muye."
Pei Zongzhi’s fingertip grazed her earlobe. His dark eyes clouded over, and his voice dropped low: "You really will say anything just to make me stay."
It was a pity, though; he hated hearing such sweet words. He could be a brother, but he refused to be *only* a brother.
Thinking her reassurances were working, Jiang Juyou continued to promise: "Brother, I will never talk about cutting ties again."
Pei Zongzhi had been brought to the Jiang Family by her parents when he was very young. Jiang Juyou had always been obsessed with appearances and had envied others for having brothers. The moment she saw Pei Zongzhi, she couldn’t take her eyes off him; she grabbed his hand and insisted on calling him "brother." At the time, she hadn’t understood why her parents had brought home a boy slightly older than her, assuming he was merely a guest. She had held onto him, refusing to let him go, and shouted to her parents, "Let him be my brother! I want a brother!"
And so, Pei Zongzhi had truly become her brother.
Pei Zongzhi looked down at the innocent, naive girl in his arms. His gaze was restrained and profound, though the corners of his eyes were faintly red. He yielded with a low, whispered, "Alright."
Jiang Juyou finally let out a sigh of relief.
Just then, the manager arrived in person, pushing a dining cart toward them.Pei Zongzhi had requested nothing more than some light porridge.
The manager, not daring to cut corners, had a cart filled with light yet extravagant dishes brought to a nearby table.
"Shall I set up a bed table? It seems Miss Jiang is having some trouble getting out of bed."
Jiang Juyou shook her head and looked at Pei Zongzhi.
"I’ll eat with you."
Pei Zongzhi did not give in to her request. He had the manager set up a small table and ladled a bowl of porridge for her.
"Are you not going to let me feed you? I will eat once you have finished."
Jiang Juyou did not insist further.
It had only been a day, and she felt completely drained of strength.
Lying in bed, wrapped in thick quilts, she was tended to by Pei Zongzhi, who spoon-fed her mouthful by mouthful.
Jiang Juyou’s amber eyes remained fixed on him, unwilling to blink even once.
Under her steady gaze, Pei Zongzhi’s eyes flickered with a trace of confusion.
Everything had changed too quickly.
The last time the young girl had seen him, her face had been filled with impatience and disdain.
She had told him that since he wasn't her biological brother, he had no right to be so controlling.
She had accused him of bad-mouthing Shang Muye in front of their parents just to make them dislike him as well.
Yet now, her eyes were locked solely on him.
As if—
As if he, too, were a precious treasure in her heart, just like Shang Muye.
Pei Zongzhi feared that if she kept staring at him like that, he would lose his composure.
He stood up and cleared the empty bowl and utensils to the table nearby.
He then adjusted the pillows behind her back to help her lie down and sleep.
As his hand slid under the pillow, a hard object pressed against his palm, catching his attention.
"Jiang Juyou."
The moment he saw what it was, his voice dropped, sounding as if he were about to devour someone.
Jiang Juyou looked back in surprise.
She saw the cigarette case and lighter in Pei Zongzhi’s hand.
His palms were large, and as his long, slender fingers gripped the items, the veins on the back of his hands stood out sharply."Is this what you meant when you said you didn't like Shang Muye anymore?"
Pei Zongzhi's voice was deathly low. "You’re smoking... for him?"
He wanted nothing more than to drag Shang Muye here right now and beat him to a pulp in front of her. That piece of trash... if he weren't the brother of the girl he loved, he wouldn't be worth a damn thing.
"I..." Jiang Juyou suddenly fell silent. The evidence was indeed hers.
Both Shang Muye and Zhou Die smoked; whenever Shang Muye took out his cigarette case, he would always keep it away from her. If she tried to follow them, he would stop her, saying, "Zhou Die and I are going for a smoke. What do you think you're doing?"
That was why she had secretly bought her own cigarettes and a lighter...
"Brother..." Jiang Juyou didn't know how to explain. "I, I..."
"Did Shang Muye buy these for you?"
"...Yes, but I really don't like him anymore."
"Then why haven't you thrown them away?"
"I... I haven't had the chance yet."
In her previous life, she had only seen Pei Zongzhi after she had been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. He had never known that she had taken up smoking behind the Jiang Family's back. Now that she had returned, all she could think about was reconciling with him, completely forgetting to clear away the things that linked her to Shang Muye.
"You..." Pei Zongzhi clutched the items in his hand, a vein throbbing at his temple. A flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes as he turned to leave.
Jiang Juyou grabbed the hem of his jacket, crumpling the expensive suit fabric in her grip.
Pei Zongzhi glanced down at her, his long, narrow eyes filled with an overwhelming sense of oppression. He had to go beat that bastard up.
"Let go."
Jiang Juyou refused. "Don't be angry. Please don't leave me..."
She didn't know if she was dreaming or if all of this was truly happening. Her head was spinning; she only knew she had to hold onto him—she couldn't let him leave.
"Jiang Juyou, let go."
Not only did she refuse to let go, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I promise you, I will never touch these things again. You can throw them away right now."
Pei Zongzhi looked down to see her tucked into his chest, clutching him tightly. Her tears had already soaked the fabric of his shirt. His hand, gripping the cigarettes, was trembling.
Jiang Juyou’s words were like a physical weight pressing down on him. If he dared to go after Shang Muye, she would dare to keep smoking, wouldn't she?
He raised his hand, then finally let go. The cigarette case and lighter hit the floor with a clatter, along with Pei Zongzhi’s principles.
He lifted her up, his gaze falling on her bare feet on the cold floor.
"I'm not leaving."
It was his surrender.
Jiang Juyou let out a breath of relief. Even after being placed on the bed, she refused to let go of him.
"Can you... stay with me for the whole night?"
She looked up at him, tears still clinging to her long, thick lashes, her flushed cheeks stained with dried tracks.
Pei Zongzhi traced the tracks with his thumb. Just what was so good about Shang Muye that she had liked him so much?
"Fine. I'll sleep on the sofa nearby. I'm not going anywhere."
Jiang Juyou still wouldn't let go. Pei Zongzhi had no choice but to tuck her into bed. Even then, her hands remained firmly gripped onto his clothes. He laid down beside her, the blanket tucked beneath him while she remained inside it.
"Is this better?"
Jiang Juyou blinked and nodded.
"Let go. I'm going to get some water; you still need to take your medicine."
Jiang Juyou looked at him stubbornly. "I want to go get the water with you."