"You still have a bit of a fever. Get some sleep first," he said, his voice flat.
"But..." Jiang Juyou looked at him. Her doe eyes were bright, brimming with hope.
Pei Zongzhi knew full well that she was acting this way only to keep him from harming Shang Muye. The little girl was cunning indeed, yet all he did was pat her head. "I'm not leaving, brother is staying with you."
Jiang Juyou tugged at the hem of his shirt. "Then I want to be with you all day tomorrow." She pouted, acting spoiled to mask her unease.
Pei Zongzhi’s voice deepened. "I promise you I won't hurt Shang Muye."
"Huh?" Jiang Juyou was confused as to why they were talking about Shang Muye again. She opened her mouth to speak, but Pei Zongzhi sat down on the sofa and closed his eyes. "Go to sleep."
Jiang Juyou hadn't been afraid of him before; she had even been bold enough to climb onto his shoulders. But now, thinking of her past life, she felt a profound sense of guilt toward her brother. She had no choice but to obediently close her eyes and drift off.
In the middle of the night, Pei Zongzhi's alarm went off again. The room was dimly lit, the night view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows remaining as bustling as ever. He reached for the thermometer to check her temperature. Seeing that the numbers had dropped and the fever hadn't returned, he let out a breath of relief. He set another alarm for two hours later.
Just as he was about to pull away, he found that the hem of his shirt—which the girl had grabbed several times that day—was gripped tightly in her hand once more. Pei Zongzhi sighed, sat on the edge of the bed, and decided to stop trying to sleep. By the light of the moon spilling into the room, he traced the outline of her features with his gaze.
"Don't..." the girl murmured, her voice so low and shallow that one would have to listen carefully to catch it.
Pei Zongzhi leaned toward her face.
"Brother... don't..."
"Don't what?" Pei Zongzhi’s thin lips moved, his breath slowing. Don't hurt Shang Muye? Don't speak ill of Shang Muye? These were things Jiang Juyou often said to him.
"Brother..."
Pei Zongzhi rested his elbows on either side of her face and leaned in slowly. Their shadows stretched onto the floor, looking for all the world as if they were kissing. His voice was laced with restraint as he whispered, "Little sister, you were actually... supposed to call me husband."
He still remembered what Father Jiang had said at the entrance of the Jiang family home: "From today on, my daughter, Jiang Juyou, is the person you must protect with your life, and the only person you will ever love in the future."
He had prepared himself for everything. He just hadn't expected that as soon as he stepped inside, she would pull on him and call him "brother." Father Jiang and Mother Jiang’s expressions had flickered for only a moment before they relaxed and said, "Then just be a brother to Juyou."
"Brother!" Jiang Juyou jolted awake.
She had dreamt again of her brother dying with her in the snowy night on Changbai Mountain. A thin layer of cold sweat covered her back as she quickly scanned the room. She was alone. A massive wave of terror rolled over her, threatening to submerge her. She threw off the covers and ran outside without a second thought.
The first rays of the morning sun shone onto the desk, where the man's laptop sat, its screen dark. The sound of a shower came from the bathroom. Jiang Juyou walked over. "Brother."
The sound of water stopped. The bathroom door of the suite was transparent; as the steam gradually thinned, a muscular silhouette slowly emerged. Before Jiang Juyou could react, his voice came from inside.
"Breakfast is on the table. Eat first."
Jiang Juyou nodded and turned to look at the breakfast on the table. The table was filled with all her favorites: Chinese-style steamed shrimp buns, shrimp dumplings, corn juice, as well as Western-style sandwiches, snowflake beef, cheese rolls, date-paste crispy triangles...
Jiang Juyou had always only taken one or two bites of anything she ate, tasting a little of this and a little of that. The Jiang family had never considered her extravagant or wasteful; whatever she wanted, they accommodated her. Pei Zongzhi was even worse, often encouraging it and asking if she wanted anything else.
But in recent years, Jiang Juyou had tried to break this bad habit for Shang Muye's sake. In the past, when she ate with him, he would finish his own meal, then stare at her as she nibbled slowly, taking only a bite or two of each dish, and let out a cold, indifferent laugh. "So delicate. How were you even raised?"
Zhou Die was different. She wasn't picky, ate everything, and would gorge herself until she was stuffed. That was why she could get along better with boys. Once, Shang Muye had said, "You should learn from Zhou Die, she's easier to keep."
Jiang Juyou had secretly tried to change, but habits ingrained since childhood were hard to break. Even after trying for a long time, she had only managed to be less picky in front of Shang Muye, eating without taking tiny bites and finishing at the same speed as him.
Looking at every dish on the table being something she loved, the chopsticks in Jiang Juyou's hand suddenly trembled. Forget what Shang Muye liked; she wanted to be her own princess again. She would eat however she pleased—it wasn't like she was eating his food. Not only would she eat every single thing, but she would chew slowly, and eat as slowly as she possibly could!
Pei Zongzhi walked out, having changed his clothes. He saw the little girl sitting in the chair, cheeks puffed out, glaring at the breakfast as if it were her sworn enemy.
"Pouting and throwing a tantrum right on schedule this morning?" Could it be that she knew he’d had someone beat up Shang Muye in the middle of the night? Had Shang Muye sent her a message to complain? That shouldn't be right; he hadn't seen any notifications on her phone.
"Don't like it?" Pei Zongzhi took out a tablet and handed it to her. "These are the ingredients we can get. See if there’s anything else you want."
Pei Zongzhi was used to indulging her whenever she was in a bad mood. He didn't think for a second that having a full banquet for breakfast was wasteful. "But since your health is just starting to improve, try to eat something light."
Jiang Juyou held the tablet, the ingredients flashing by—French Belon oysters, king crab, white truffle caviar... The boxes below showed the dishes that could be prepared. Jiang Juyou only glanced at it once before setting it aside and turning to Pei Zongzhi. "Brother, do you think I'm wasteful?"
"Should we be more frugal today? Shall I have them take a few things away?"
Jiang Juyou sniffled, then walked over and hugged him. He had just finished his shower; the rich scent of body wash rushed into her senses, and under her hands was the soft, luxurious texture of his silk robe.
Pei Zongzhi froze for a moment. He was surprised, yet also puzzled. What was this about? Hugging him the moment she got up? "What's wrong?"
Jiang Juyou shook her head, lifting her little face to smile at him. "I just realized something: those who love me will love me no matter what I'm like. And those who don't love me won't love me, no matter how perfect I am or how much I try to meet their expectations."
Pei Zongzhi’s expression darkened. "Are you talking about that Shang Muye again?"
"I—I'm complimenting you, aren't I?"
"Does brother need to be compared to him?" Pei Zongzhi picked up a knife and fork and began cutting the beef for her. "You are not allowed to see Shang Muye today. Come home and eat with me."
Mainly because he had just beaten the man up. If the little girl saw Shang Muye’s injuries, their newly thawed relationship would likely freeze over again.
"I don't want to see him! Brother, I’m being serious," Jiang Juyou said.
Pei Zongzhi speared a small piece of beef and held it out to her. She opened her mouth naturally to take it, chewed, and then said, "You have to believe me, okay?"
"Fine."
"You answered too quickly. You're just humoring me."
"Then, no, I don't."
"No, you have to believe me."
"..."