Chapter 251: Never Belonged to Him

The shadows of the leaves fell upon the two of them, swaying with the wind, and light spots scattered at their feet; Zhu Yuan felt Pei Ling's hands tightening continuously, as well as his scorching, rigid body.

He had likely never held anyone like this before, to the point that his movements were very stiff and clumsy.

Thinking of his past experiences, Zhu Yuan felt a surge of compassion, but it was quickly replaced by annoyance—did she ever give him permission to hug her!

Just before she could speak, Pei Ling let her go first.

He lowered his eyes to look at her face, which was flushed with anger, and she glared at him through gritted teeth.

He curled his lips silently, rubbed his broad palms against the seams of his trousers to wipe them clean, and then raised them to cover the top of her head, rubbing it gently a few times.

Zhu Yuan could not dodge in time, and her hair was ruffled by him; she slapped his hand away in a fit of shame and anger, "If you do that again, I will be angry."

"Do what, hug you?" Pei Ling stared into her eyes; those deep amber eyes suppressed surging emotions, replaced by a light and breezy look, "I just wanted to hug you. If you aren't happy, I won't hug you in the future."

But just as he finished speaking, Zhu Yuan turned around and started to walk away.

Pei Ling's heart shrank violently; he stretched his long legs to catch up with her and blocked her path. Just as he was about to reach out to grab her arm, the moment he saw the resistance in her eyes, his breathing sank, and he had no choice but to spread his arms to block her.

As Zhu Yuan finally stopped, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

With so many subordinates around, he bent down, leveled his gaze with hers, and looked into her eyes.

"Don't be angry."

"Don't go."

His words, carrying a plea for reconciliation, left Pei Li, who was not far away, and the Bodyguards hidden in the shadows stunned.

When had the Second Master ever treated someone like this?

It wasn't that Zhu Yuan didn't hear the emotions suppressed in his voice; she had been overwhelmed by her emotions just now, and it wasn't that she was overreacting—she was afraid.

She was afraid that Pei Ling would sink deeper and deeper.

Just as everyone least expected, Zhu Yuan said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."

Pei Ling's pupils trembled slightly before returning to normal; as if he hadn't understood the meaning behind those two words, he said slowly, "I won't do that again in the future."

Zhu Yuan felt increasingly heartbroken; she didn't even dare to look into Pei Ling's eyes.

Pei Ling hesitated for a moment, and that hand finally grasped her arm, "I've never had contact with women and don't know what you would like. Pei Li suggested I build a swing under the grape trellis; what do you think?"

Both of them were extremely clever people; with one sentence, they gave each other a way out.

Zhu Yuan looked toward the trellis he had just built, and she suddenly remembered the time she was confined by Sheng Yu at the Hot Spring Villa, when he had held her, pointed to the open space outside the small building, and said he would have someone build a swing there.

She silently withdrew her gaze and said with a smile, "I don't like swings. Let's put a stone table there instead; we can play cards with Pei Li and the others later."

"Mm." Pei Ling looked at her face.

During those few seconds of silence just now, what had she been thinking of?

Did she really not like swings?

Or did the word "swing" trigger her memories of Sheng Yu?

Pei Ling did all the work of building the grape trellis himself; by evening, it was all set up, and the grape seedlings were planted.

Zhu Yuan took a watering can to water the seedlings to help them take root.

When Pei Ling came out after showering, he held a glass of water and watched her carrying a green watering can in the courtyard.

He discovered that she really liked green things.

Pei Ling walked over and took the watering can from her hands, "Don't fill it with so much water; it's too heavy for you to carry."

The relationship between the two seemed to have returned to how it was before; no one mentioned Pei Ling's uncontrollable hug from the afternoon again.

"I have plenty of strength," Zhu Yuan said dismissively, "I can drag Zhu An'an with one hand."

Zhu An'an?

Pei Ling had a slight impression; she was the woman who had spread rumors about him and Zhu Yuan, and he had cut off one of her fingers.

"I'm leaving after dinner." Pei Ling's hand holding the glass tightened.

Zhu Yuan was slightly stunned; she remembered Pei Ling saying yesterday that he would stay here for a few more days.

That he suddenly said he was leaving must be because of what happened this afternoon.

She didn't say anything.

It was just that when they were eating, she noticed Pei Ling was eating very little again, and when she looked toward him, he only said coolly, "I'm tired from working and want to sleep."

"Mm." Zhu Yuan ate in silence.

After finishing the meal, he walked out of the small courtyard without looking back and got into the car.

As the car started, he looked back through the windshield at the woman sitting in the rocking chair under the tree in the courtyard, his palm pressing tightly against his abdomen.

He withdrew his gaze and curled his lips in self-mockery.

This woman really had a heart of stone.

She clearly saw that he was leaving early to give them both some space, yet she didn't even offer a polite word, nor did she have the slightest intention of asking him to stay.

She truly had not a shred of romantic feeling for him.

Pei Ling lowered his head and touched the Sun Wukong charm hanging on his phone case.

It was the first gift she had truly given him.

He had guessed it; that night, she had heard his words, and those cufflinks had been taken by her.

As for why.

He hadn't delved into it before, but now he understood as soon as he thought about it—that day was the day before Sheng Yu's birthday.

Those cufflinks were what she had originally intended to give to Sheng Yu.

They had never belonged to him.

In the evening, when Sheng Yu and Yu Weixiong were eating, Yu Weixiong saw the wound on his right index finger and frowned deeply, "Another clash with the Second Master of the Pei Family?"

It wasn't that he was exaggerating, nor was he deliberately teasing Sheng Yu.

It is just that once Sheng Yu discovers Pei Ling is in Jingdu City, he will personally take action against Pei Ling.

"No." Sheng Yu said the word indifferently, his gaze glancing casually at the wound between his fingers; the feeling from the afternoon still filled his heart clearly.

He wanted to find Yuanyuan too much.

The ancestors of the Pei Family started out in illicit trades and had plenty of underhanded methods; now that Pei Shaoshen is under house arrest by Pei Ling and the Pei Family has fallen into Pei Ling's hands, that man with deep schemes uses those Pei Family tricks with ease.

If he wants to hide someone, he will never let them be found easily.

Yu Weixiong did not press further, but instead asked him: "Sheng Hongyao's car accident, was that your doing?"

"Is it not obvious enough?" Sheng Yu sneered.

Yu Weixiong was not the least bit surprised; Sheng Hongyao had targeted Zhu Yuan time and again and even wanted the life of the child in Zhu Yuan's womb, so how could Sheng Yu possibly have tolerated him until now?

"You have only just sat in the Chairman's seat, and if you do this, the infamy of patricide will not sound good; Sheng Hongyao deserves to die, but not now."

Sheng Yu touched a matte black lighter in his hand and lit a cigarette, "Didn't he not die?"

"He is covered in tubes now, no different from being dead." Yu Weixiong had sent people to check; Sheng Hongyao had only just passed the critical period, and it was his good fortune that he could survive such a major car accident.

A trace of coldness overflowed from Sheng Yu's lips, "Then let him keep half a life; when I find Yuanyuan and have ten or eight children with her, I will let him take a good look."

Yu Weixiong was stunned, "Do you have news of Zhu Yuan's whereabouts?"