Chapter 246: Here, for you!

Zhu Yuan came back to her senses, somewhat surprised by Pei Ling's powers of observation.

She hadn't said a single word, yet it was as if he could guess exactly what she was thinking.

However, she would never admit that she had just been thinking about that person.

Since she didn't speak, Pei Ling didn't ask her again.

But after getting into the car, he asked out of the blue, "Do you like men with fairer skin?"

As Zhu Yuan drank some water, she looked at him in confusion, only then remembering that before they left, she had suggested he wear a hat, saying he had tanned.

She had only said it in passing and didn't have any particular opinion on his skin tone.

In fact, Pei Ling's skin was not fair; it was wheat-colored, but this was a skin tone that most people found hard to pull off, yet he happened to be the best-looking person with this complexion.

Just as she was about to screw the cap back onto her water bottle, Pei Ling reached out and took it from her hand, twisting it shut with a casual turn of his long, powerful fingers.

"I don't have any requirements for a man's skin tone, as long as he's good-looking." This was her honest thought.

Pei Ling raised an eyebrow slightly, "You value a man's appearance that much?"

"That's not the right way to put it. Take a blind date, for example: you meet the other person for the first time, you've never spent time together before, and you don't know what they're really like. The only thing you can see is their outer shell. If they're ugly, you reject them immediately; if they're decent-looking, you can try interacting; if they're exceptionally handsome, you can consider taking it further."

Listening to her long-winded explanation, Pei Ling only found it amusing, "Then what was your impression when you first saw me?"

He didn't care about his own appearance, but he knew he was very handsome; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people unafraid of death coming to the Pei Family Bank to confess their feelings to him.

But since she said one could consider taking it further if someone was exceptionally handsome, was she that afraid of him back then?

Zhu Yuan gave him a silent look.

Pei Ling scoffed, "You don't have to say it."

"But I want to."

"Then speak."

Pei Li, who was driving in front, couldn't help but frown, though he also felt a sense of sweetness in his heart.

The Second Master was too indulgent toward Miss Zhu. He surely knew that Miss Zhu's little mouth wouldn't say anything pleasant, which was why he told her not to speak, yet when she insisted on continuing, the Second Master, knowing full well he wouldn't hear anything good, still indulged her.

Zhu Yuan wore a serious expression and said with a devout look in her eyes, "The first time I saw you was on the main road outside the theater. I was being chased by a fat man named Lou Yi, and you saved me. At the time, I thought you were so tall, so imposing, and so handsome. You were like a guardian deity, protecting me. I was very grateful, even though I thanked you afterward and you didn't appreciate it."

"I didn't appreciate it?" Pei Ling truly didn't remember that incident well.

He had only felt that a group of men chasing a woman was an eyesore; he hadn't intended to save her, just to give those men a beating.

"How did I not appreciate it?" Pei Ling pressed.

Zhu Yuan rolled her eyes silently, "After that, I thought I wouldn't see you again, and I felt quite embarrassed that I hadn't had the chance to thank you. I never expected to run into you one day at the hospital where my grandfather was staying. I thanked you, but you asked me why I was at the hospital and if I was sick. Listen to that—is that something a person says? If you had appreciated it, would you have been so sharp-tongued?"

Pei Ling had a vague recollection now, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, "How else was I supposed to ask?"

"Fine, fine, fine, your question was flawless." Zhu Yuan didn't want to argue this point with this gentleman, but she asked in confusion, "Why were you at the hospital back then?"

She hadn't dared to ask before.

Now that she thought of it, she asked it casually.

She knew Pei Ling was a loner with no one to worry about, and the elders of the Pei Family had nothing to do with him, so he couldn't have been there to visit anyone.

"Were you sick at that time?"

A glimmer of light flashed in Pei Ling's deep amber eyes, like a fleeting reflection of the sunlight coming through the car window.

She was truly too sharp.

He gave a hum.

Zhu Yuan couldn't imagine that Pei Ling would go to the hospital because of illness. Based on her understanding, he was the type who could dig a bullet out of himself with a knife, so one could imagine he must have been quite seriously ill at the time.

"Are you all better now?"

Remembering that he hadn't eaten much last night, she couldn't help but worry—was he really feeling unwell?

Pei Ling was leaning back against the seat with his long legs stretched out, his arm draped casually, his fingertips tapping the armrest as he said nonchalantly, "If I weren't better, would you still be letting me drink that stuff from last night?"

Zhu Yuan was successfully distracted, and she said unhappily, "What do you mean 'that stuff'? Was it really that hard to drink?"

Pei Ling didn't say whether it was good or bad, "It was unforgettable for a lifetime."

The car arrived at the Ancient Street.

Zhu Yuan pushed the car door open before Pei Ling. Looking at the bustling crowd and walking along the Ancient Street, the atmosphere of daily life rushed toward her; this feeling was so grounded and so comfortable!

She took a deep breath and squinted her eyes in contentment.

Suddenly, she heard a car horn behind her. Before she could step aside, a large, thick hand gripped her shoulder, an arm wrapped around most of her body, and with a gentle tug, she was pulled into a broad embrace.

"I need to tell Pei Li to get me a rope; next time you go out, I'll tie you up so you can't run around!"

Pei Ling said with displeasure.

She had run out of the car the moment he wasn't paying attention.

And she had plunged headlong into such a crowded place without any self-awareness, completely forgetting what she should be paying attention to right now.

Yet Zhu Yuan was far more relaxed than him; she brushed his hand away and said, "I'm hungry."

"What do you want to eat?"

Zhu Yuan pointed to a snack shop not far away, "I haven't had a meat burger in a long time!"

Pei Ling looked in the direction she was pointing; there were quite a few people there.

"You wait here, I'll go buy it for you. If you run around again when I get back, I won't bring you out anymore."

Zhu Yuan nodded obediently.

As soon as Pei Ling walked into the shop, his inherent aura of menace and coldness immediately scared off several customers who were buying meat burgers.

He bought the meat burgers quickly.

But when he walked out of the shop and looked at the spot where they had separated, he found that Zhu Yuan was gone.

He frowned immediately; this Zhu Yuan, if he didn't keep an eye on her for even a minute, she would run off!

Just as he was striding outward, someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.

He instinctively moved to perform a grappling maneuver, but the moment he touched the other person's hand, the soft and delicate sensation caused him to instantly release his strength, tightly gripping her slender wrist as he turned his head, ready to scold whoever it was.

"Look!"

Zhu Yuan looked at him with a beaming smile, holding up her hand as if presenting a treasure; a Sun Wukong charm dangled from her fingertips, and the sunlight filtering through the layers of leaves fell upon her, also illuminating the Sun Wukong in her hand.

"When I was little, I especially admired the Great Sage; I felt there was nothing in this world that could stump him, that he was omnipotent and could slay demons and eliminate devils, and that he was a guardian deity who could truly protect all children."

"This is for you!"