Chapter 245: Thinking of Another Man While in My Presence

Looking at the empty tabletop, Pei Ling felt a wave of panic and irritation.

After eating dinner last night, he had returned to his room to shower, and he clearly remembered placing that pair of silver cufflinks on the table before taking off his clothes.

Yet now, they had vanished into thin air.

Those cufflinks weren't valuable, worth a few thousand at most,

but it was different.

Pei Ling walked out of the room with a cold face.

After carrying Zhu Yuan back to her room last night, he had sat by her bedside for a while, then went to the courtyard to lie back on the rocking chair, gazing at the starry sky and thinking of her some more; it wasn't that he didn't want her to keep him company, but there were mosquitoes in the courtyard, and with her delicate skin, how could she withstand their bites?

He, on the other hand, had been locked in a dog cage by that person when he was a child and was often bitten by insects, so his skin was thick and rough.

Perhaps because his mind was filled with thoughts of her, and he knew she was right beside him, sleeping soundly in the house he had bought for her, he had actually managed to fall asleep last night without listening to the Qingxin Mantra.

When midnight came, a few drops of rain fell from the sky, and he only returned to his room after waking up.

Aside from the time he was asleep in the courtyard, he had been here and heard no movement of anyone entering the room.

Where on earth did the cufflinks go?

Seeing him walk out with a cold, gloomy expression, Pei Li felt a jolt in his heart. "Second Master, what's wrong?"

"Who came into my room last night?" Pei Ling stood at the doorway, turned his head to glance at the tightly shut door of Zhu Yuan's room, and thinking she was still asleep, lowered his voice before heading downstairs.

Pei Li followed, thought for a moment, and said, "Last night, you and Miss Zhu were chatting in the courtyard, and I went to rest; I didn't notice if anyone entered your room. Did something happen?"

"My cufflinks are missing." The moment Pei Ling thought about how those were a gift from Zhu Yuan, he felt a surge of irritation.

Why, his watch wouldn't go missing?

His wallet wouldn't go missing?

His headphones worth over a hundred thousand wouldn't go missing?

Yet it just had to be the cufflinks she gave him that went missing!

Once Pei Li heard that it was the pair of cufflinks the Second Master treated as a treasure that had gone missing, he immediately perked up. "Would you like to think again? Could they have been placed somewhere else?"

This courtyard was full of their own people, all of whom were honest, and no one would do such petty, thieving things.

Not to mention, it was just that pair of worthless cufflinks.

Of course, the most important thing was that Miss Zhu had given them; money or not, in the Second Master's eyes, it wasn't even worth mentioning.

Who knew that it would have been better if he hadn't asked, but once he did, Pei Ling's expression grew even colder. "Do you think I wouldn't know where I put them?"

Pei Li was instantly rendered speechless.

It was his own stupidity; how could he suspect that the Second Master had misremembered where he put the cufflinks?

When Zhu Yuan woke up, she saw several Bodyguards inside and outside the small building, though she didn't know what they were searching for; only the second floor where she slept had no movement at all, quiet, as if they didn't dare to come and disturb her sleep.

When she went downstairs, she saw Pei Li and stopped him to ask, "What happened?"

"Miss Zhu, good morning." Pei Li greeted her respectfully, looked back toward the dining room, and lowered his voice. "It's not easy for me to say directly; I'm afraid the Second Master will blame me for being meddlesome."

Zhu Yuan didn't press him, but changed the question instead. "Did something go missing? I see them searching everywhere."

Pei Li was slightly stunned.

Zhu Yuan understood in her heart: Pei Ling had discovered that the cufflinks were missing.

That was right; she had taken those cufflinks from his room last night after Pei Ling went to the courtyard.

At the time, she hadn't sincerely wanted to give him those cufflinks.

Back then, she was still very afraid of him; caught by him and put in the car, she was afraid of being harassed, so she gave him the birthday gift she had originally intended for Sheng Yu, lying that she had bought it specifically for him, and even praised him for it.

She could not reciprocate his feelings, but how could she trample on his sincerity?

It wasn't a gift for him, yet he treated it as a treasure; she could not do so with a clear conscience.

So she took the cufflinks and flushed them down the toilet.

"It's nothing, you go ahead and get busy." Zhu Yuan said to Pei Li, then walked toward the dining room.

When she first approached, Pei Ling's expression was still very cold, but as soon as he heard her footsteps, he acted as if nothing had happened, ladled a bowl of porridge and placed it beside him, without saying a word.

Zhu Yuan walked over silently, sat in the chair, and picked up the bowl of porridge. "Thank you."

Pei Ling looked out the window, and after the Bodyguards received his gaze, they immediately stopped searching.

Suddenly, Zhu Yuan, who was drinking porridge, said, "I want to go shopping today."

"Aren't you tired? What do you want to buy? I'll have someone go buy it." Pei Ling leaned against the back of the chair, his gaze watching her face gloomily.

Zhu Yuan held the spoon and said, "I just want to walk around casually. I heard from the neighbor aunties that there is a pedestrian street less than ten minutes away by car. It's an old street in Licheng with many fun things and delicious food. I've wanted to go for a long time."

Licheng was the name of this city.

Seeing that she really wanted to go, Pei Ling agreed. "I'll go with you."

Zhu Yuan was surprised. "Aren't you busy?"

"I can stay with you for a few more days." Pei Ling picked up a cup of coffee on the table and took a sip.

When Zhu Yuan looked at him, he shifted his gaze as if it were casual.

Over the past month or so, he had been here three times; the previous two times he had only stayed for one night before leaving, but this time he had cleared some time to stay for a few more days.

Mainly, he had discovered that before he compromised with his own heart, his feelings about whether or not he could see Zhu Yuan were indifferent, though there were a few times he lost control and went to the Theater to find her involuntarily.

But it wasn't like now; the more time he spent in contact with her, the less he could endure not seeing her.

Pei Shaoshen had originally planned to go abroad, and he had a lot of assets overseas; it would take a great deal of effort to destroy and control those.

Previously, he had intended to confess all the crimes committed by the Pei Family to the police and let the Pei Family fall as a result.

But that wouldn't work now; he had someone he wanted to protect.

Without money or power, how could he protect the woman he loved?

Therefore, he placed Pei Shaoshen under house arrest and took all the filth of the Pei Family upon himself; it would take a long time to sever those unclear accounts.

What else could he do? The path he chose himself, the woman he chose himself, he could only keep walking forward.

Live well.

……

Before leaving, Pei Ling personally put a sun hat on Zhu Yuan.

To say he "put it on" is being polite to Pei Ling; he simply took a hat and slammed it onto her head like a basketball dunk.

Zhu Yuan raised her hand to adjust the brim herself and asked offhandedly, "Do you want to wear one? Look how tanned you've gotten."

"What would a man want to be that pale for?" Pei Ling said dismissively, "It's effeminate."

Is a man with fair skin effeminate?

The face of a certain person couldn't help but surface in Zhu Yuan's mind.

Some people have fair skin, yet they aren't the least bit effeminate; they are like a wolf.

Seeing her space out again, Pei Ling grabbed her hand and pulled her into the shade where there was no sun, "Thinking of another man right in front of me?"

Zhu Yuan looked at him, her eyes calm and without a single ripple.