Chapter 244: That Is My Most Precious Gift

After Pei Ling finished his shower and came out of his room, he glanced at the room next door, where the door was open but the lights were off, and knew that Zhu Yuan was not inside.

He went downstairs, but did not see Zhu Yuan in the living room either.

Walking to the courtyard, he went to the rocking chair where Zhu Yuan often sat, but did not see her there either.

"Where is she?"

He spoke up.

A figure flashed out from the shadows; it was the Bodyguard he had placed by Zhu Yuan's side to protect her personal safety.

"Miss Zhu hasn't gone out; I don't know what she was just talking to Brother Pei Li about."

Pei Ling wore a cold expression, and just as he lifted his foot to go find Pei Li, he caught sight of Zhu Yuan standing in front of the small building, holding a cup of something in her hand; her eyes lit up the moment she saw him.

"So you're here!"

Zhu Yuan couldn't help but quicken her pace toward him. Pei Ling frowned, strode forward to meet her, reached out, and took hold of her arm to keep her from walking too fast.

Looking at her smiling face, his brow furrowed even deeper, "Where did you go?"

"I went to juice some fruits and vegetables for you." Zhu Yuan raised the cup she was holding, "Look, it's this. I saw you didn't eat much at dinner, and Pei Li said you haven't had much of an appetite lately, so I thought I'd juice some fruits and vegetables for you; it's not only filling but also nutritious."

Looking at the dark green substance in her hand, Pei Ling subconsciously took a step back, "Honestly, what poison did you put in it?"

"What poison? You're looking down on me too much." Zhu Yuan handed the cup to him and said, "Although my cooking isn't great, I'm not that incompetent. This is a fruit and vegetable juice; it has kale, avocado, banana... anyway, it's rich in Vitamin A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. You can drink it without worry."

"Why didn't you just recite all twenty-four letters?" Pei Ling's brow hadn't relaxed since he saw that cup of juice.

"Don't worry about the details. Try it; I tasted it just now, and it really tastes quite good."

Where on earth did she get such confidence!

Pei Ling thought this to himself, but facing her expectant gaze, he still forced himself to swallow the dark green concoction in one gulp, despite his nausea.

"Hey, don't drink it so fast..." Zhu Yuan just wanted to stop him, but Pei Ling had already finished the whole cup in one breath.

Pei Ling swallowed the last mouthful and gritted his back teeth; one more second and he would have vomited.

He said, enunciating every word, "Don't ever juice such disgusting things for me to drink again!"

Zhu Yuan took the cup from his hand and sighed, "You, why call it disgusting? I think you like it a lot. I'll juice some for you again tomorrow. I think it would be better if it were a bit sweeter; I'll add half a banana more tomorrow."

Watching her turn around, muttering to herself about which fruits and vegetables to add tomorrow, Pei Ling helplessly held his forehead.

"I will eat properly tomorrow."

With her back to Pei Ling, Zhu Yuan couldn't help but curl her lips upward. Heh, she knew this method would work!

She feigned unhappiness and turned to look at him, "Don't force yourself if you don't have an appetite. I'll juice fruit for you; it can replenish your energy just the same."

Pei Ling walked toward her, snatched the cup she was holding, and said, "Fine then, you juice fruit for me, and I'll stew snake soup for you."

"Don't!" Zhu Yuan hurriedly chased after him.

Just kidding, she would never drink that snake soup even if it killed her!

Hearing her footsteps, Pei Ling immediately stopped and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Can you have a little self-awareness? Are you in a state where you can just run around?"

"I'm very steady now." Zhu Yuan stood firmly, and although her face was brimming with a smile, a flash of hurt crossed her clear, black-and-white eyes.

Pei Ling lowered his chin slightly; he knew she was thinking of Sheng Yu.

No matter what happened, no matter how far apart they were, she would still think of Sheng Yu; it was just that in ordinary times, she disguised it too well.

He called Pei Li over and handed him the cup, "Take this to be washed."

Zhu Yuan was led by him to the courtyard.

The small town was not as brightly lit as a big city, but once night fell, especially as the weather gradually turned hot, the sky was full of stars.

Pei Ling sat in one of the rocking chairs, lay back, pillowing his head with his hands, his long legs bent casually, "Do you miss your grandfather?"

Zhu Yuan nodded, also sitting in a lounge chair, and sighed helplessly, "But in my current state, how can I go back to see him?"

Pei Ling turned his head to look at her profile, then withdrew his gaze to look at the stars in the sky. When he was young, he was locked in a dog cage by his father; except for rainy and snowy days, he spent all his time in the courtyard.

Even in the height of summer, Jingdu City had never had such a beautiful night sky.

"Are you very close with your grandfather?" Pei Ling asked casually, though it was just to distract her, and he had his own selfish motives.

He didn't want to see her thinking about that second-hand goods.

"Yes!" Whenever Zhu Yuan thought of her grandfather, her heart felt warm. Talking about the past, the corners of her mouth never once dropped. When she reached a happy part, she accidentally let it slip, "I was very chubby when I was little, and my grandfather called me Fatty Yuan!"

Hearing her say these things with a smile in her voice, Pei Ling also curled the corners of his mouth.

He turned his head to look at her seriously, unable to imagine what she looked like when she was very chubby.

But a "Fatty Yuan" and her longing for her grandfather were enough to prove that the Zhu family treated her very well, and that her childhood was spent very happily.

She had been raised very well.

This was good.

As Zhu Yuan spoke, she suddenly realized that Pei Ling hadn't said much. Remembering that Pei Ling's childhood had been destroyed by his own biological father, she wondered if he would feel sad listening to her childhood stories.

For a long while, she didn't continue speaking about her childhood anecdotes with a smile.

Pei Ling looked at the night sky, "Why did you stop?"

"I don't remember much about my childhood." Zhu Yuan found an excuse.

"I want to hear it."

Pei Ling didn't take her excuse to heart; he probably guessed what she was thinking. She was a girl who grew up in love and knew how to care for others. Even if she didn't love him and had no romantic feelings for him, she was still kind.

"Tell me how you spent your birthdays when you were little."

Zhu Yuan was stunned; wasn't her birthday coming up soon?

"When I was little, my birthdays were..."

Pei Ling listened quietly as she spoke. As he listened, the voice coming from her side grew softer and softer. By the time he turned his head, she had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.

The sky was dotted with stars, fireflies were dancing near the flower bushes, and the chirping of insects among the plants and trees made the small courtyard feel even more tranquil.

"When I was little."

The breeze brushed gently by, and the air was filled with a sweet fragrance.

"Mother left the Pei Family on my fifth birthday. I was locked in a dog cage by that person. The following year, on my birthday, Pei Shaoshen smeared the cream from a cake onto the iron bars of the dog cage and made me lick it clean. When I refused, he went to complain, and that person starved me for another three days. Since then, I have never celebrated a birthday again, nor have I ever received another gift, until November 10th of last year, when you gave me a pair of cufflinks. That was my precious gift."

Pei Ling spoke of the past indifferently, not noticing that the eyelashes of the woman already asleep on the rocking chair beside him trembled slightly.

The next day, while Pei Ling was putting on his shirt, he discovered that the pair of cufflinks he had left on the table was gone.

Zhu Yuan looked at him, her eyes devoid of any emotion, and said calmly, "Sheng Yu, there is nothing left for us to talk about."