Chapter 133: What are you looking at?

(1)

Give her back her daughter?

Pei Du gained considerable information from those words; in a moment, he said, "I don't remember anything due to the car accident; the Pei family told me that Mu Yin's mother has already passed away, leaving only Mu Yin, this daughter."

But looking at it now, this claim is obviously false.

Shu Shu was living well elsewhere until the child was four, when she met with an accident.

And Mu Yin.

It can basically be concluded that someone sent her to the Pei family without Shu Shu's knowledge; otherwise, just from her concern for Mu Yin, it's clear she had no reason to voluntarily give up her daughter.

In an instant, Pei Du, who had quickly reached that conclusion, raised his eyes to look at Shu Shu and asked, "What happened on your end back then?"

"We had already separated; I only found out about the pregnancy after I left." Shu Shu's voice showed no emotion, but listening closely, one could sense a tense feeling: "I passed out on the operating table; when I woke up, the doctor told me my son was healthy, my daughter..."

She paused, then finished: "My daughter had no breath at birth."

No matter how many times Shu Shu recalls it, she repeatedly blames herself, thinking that back then she was overconfident, believing she had hidden herself well enough; if it weren't for this 'death,' she would never have known her daughter was still alive.

All that can be said is that it's a blessing in misfortune; now, her daughter is safely by her side.

"I want to figure out exactly what happened, but over a decade has passed; the doctors and nurses from that operating room, their records show they either transferred hospitals or changed jobs—in short, their whereabouts can no longer be traced."

Sometimes, coincidence often indicates premeditation.

It's as if an invisible net had already been cast over her without Shu Shu's knowledge, and the clean handling afterward also proves that the other side's power is not small.

"I'll look into it."

Shu Shu didn't die, and Mu Yin mysteriously appeared in the Pei family; surely someone is lying, and the Pei family members who told Pei Du are an obvious breakthrough.

"However, Yinyin." After a moment of contemplation, Pei Du and Shu Shu locked eyes, his gaze deep and inscrutable, he said lightly, "What you just said about returning the daughter to you probably won't work; Mu Yin is your daughter, and also mine."

"I also understand that what Yinyin meant by saying that is not wanting you and me to fight over who gets the child; you actually have always respected and cared about Mu Yin's wishes."

"Otherwise, you would have told her directly upon learning she was your daughter that you are her mother; knowing I had a misunderstanding with Mu Yin, you wouldn't have slapped me, then clearly informed me of our mismatch, but instead let the misunderstanding continue, driving us further apart until she came to rely entirely on you."

"But compared to being able to fully possess the daughter, Yinyin would rather not see Mu Yin upset."

……

Shu Shu opened her mouth, only to feel her neck hairs stand on end, a sensation of having lost all cover, as if she could only stand there exposed to everyone's gaze, sending chills down her spine.

Is this person a reincarnated roundworm???

How does he know everything?

Shu Shu indeed cares deeply about her daughter's thoughts; she naturally also wants to tell her daughter her identity, while she also feels apprehensive, after all, in her daughter's world, a mother is a missing role, and whenever her daughter mentions mother, her emotions are not high.

Shu Shu cannot be certain what will happen if the veil of truth is lifted; but since there are good possibilities in the outcome, there will also be bad ones.

That bad possibility makes her unwilling to take the risk.

In fact, several times Shu Shu looked at her daughter, wanting to speak but stopping, the words already at her lips, when a little opposing figure always appears in her mind, advising her, saying this situation is already good enough, why be so greedy?

Only when one cares does one hesitate.

Then she hesitated again and again, finally comforting herself, telling herself that taking it slow is also acceptable.

Pei Du seemed to read her true thoughts from her expression; his voice low and calm: "Before I get Yinyin's permission, I won't say anything to Mu Yin on my own."

…… Shu Shu couldn't help but speak up to remind: "My current name is Shu Shu."

The implication is, don't call her Yinyin anymore.

Despite losing memory and aging, each time Pei Du calls Shu Shu 'Yinyin,' she can't help but recall past events, the former Pei Du.

It's as if they were still in the past.

Weird… awkward.

Moreover, how does this person keep shouting, addicted? Isn't she already indirectly admitting to being exposed?

Shu Shu suddenly narrowed her eyes to scrutinize him: "Are you faking your amnesia?"

Otherwise, why would you be as if you had a cheat?

After a slight pause of half a second, Pei Du answered sincerely: "No."

Oh.

Shu Shu solemnly corrected Pei Du's way of addressing her.

The next second.

Then Pei Du, quite seriously, asked: "When can I call you then?"

……

What kind of logic is this? Shu Shu took a deep breath and emphasized again: "Of course, you can never call me that, because I am Shu Shu."

Pei Du nodded: "Okay, Shu Shu."

……

The two sat facing each other, the air quiet, with a faint sense of unease.

Oh no, it's Shu Shu's one-sided discomfort.

Pei Du kept looking at her, a cold, aloof man, his straightforward gaze unhidden.

Shu Shu frowned, her beautiful peach-blossom eyes widening for a moment: "What are you looking at?"

Her intention was to make him withdraw his gaze.

But it backfired; she asked, and Pei Du answered: "In the dream, I could never see clearly; now I want to first get a slightly clearer look."

…… Shu Shu pretended to glance at the time, preparing to get up and leave: "Xiao Chen is still waiting for me downstairs."

"He's not downstairs." Pei Du said: "After you came up, I likewise summoned him in Mu Yin's name; he should now be next door, having dessert with Mu Yin."

Shu Shu: ……

…

The confession session still has one last part left.

Pei Du asked Shu Shu: "Why did we break up?"

As soon as the words fell, Shu Shu froze, but the dazed feeling only flickered in her eyes for half a second before disappearing; then she curled her lips and said lightly, "What else could a man and a woman break up for? Feelings faded, gone, we just don't like each other anymore."

"That is, I don't like you, you don't like me either—just that simple."

Pei Du said nothing, his restrained gaze quietly fixed on Shu Shu; the girl's expression was calm and composed, showing no flaw, as if it were exactly as she said—their feelings had simply faded.

Liar.

Lied to him again.

(2)

When it came to deciding to do a DNA kinship test for four people, Pei Du was certain of one thing: his own thoughts were how.

According to normal logic, when doubts accumulate to a certain extent, people begin to suspect and then choose to seek verification.

Compared to proving that Shu Shu is Yinyin,

Pei Du's subconscious leans more toward—he hopes Shu Shu is Yinyin.

The difference between the two is:

The former will be led by doubts.

The latter already has his own subjective initiative; any doubts, or anything that could support the conclusion, all become unimportant.

What matters is only the person in the conclusion.

In Shu Shu's first half of "I don't like you anymore," Pei Du cannot verify its truthfulness, but the second half "You don't like me either," he can firmly deny—no.

If he cannot confirm it, then his heart would stop beating.

Actually, signs appeared long ago; regardless of the car accident and amnesia before, after all, the amnesiac Pei Du has never had anyone able to break ground here, let alone do something as daring as slapping him; afterward, she was still unharmed.

He could have dodged, but he didn't, and this happened before the test results were solid.

Isn't that enough to prove something?

Pei Du trusts his own heartbeat.

He does not dislike Yinyin.

The reason Yinyin says this is simply that she doesn't want to tell him the truth.

Forget it.

If she doesn't want to say, then let her not say; anyway, we have a long future ahead, I have a feeling that one day, step by step, I will find out.

Saying this may seem a bit underhanded, but this is Pei Du's trump card.

His trump card is his daughter.

Having a daughter around.

Then he will have a chance to meet Yinyin.

After Shu Shu answered the question of why they broke up, Pei Du remained silent, neither refuting nor pressing her further, nor expressing agreement with her view.

A moment later.

Pei Du used the few seconds of quiet atmosphere to end the topic, saying: "There's still something that needs—"

Under Shu Shu's squinting, feigned "warning" gaze, he corrected: "It needs your consent."

"What."

"That is, Lingchen." Pei Du furrowed his handsome brows, his tone a little concerned: "Can I tell him my identity, because he seems to have a strong opinion of me, and I hope to have a chance to reconcile with him."

Shu Shu: "……

Indeed, he has "a strong opinion."

When Mu Yin is not around, the silly rabbit has grown accustomed to calling Pei Du a human trafficker.

"Where did all the time go~ How did it become Double Day~ Little sister went to live at the human trafficker's house~ Oh dear, so annoying la la la~"

Often at this time, Shu Shu would give her son a big loving thumbs‑up.

Not for any other reason—it's just too harsh to hear.

Shu Shu thinks her musical sense is not bad, yet her son inherited none of it.

Feeling his way here, he's turned into a musical germ.

…

Pei Du is still waiting for Shu Shu's answer.

Shu Shu pondered briefly, then said: "I don't agree, but I don't oppose either."

Regarding Pei Du's identity, it won't stay hidden from the son for long; all the talk about human traffickers is just this brat's wild imagination, and as he gets along with Mu Yin, sooner or later he'll realize something's off.

Still the same saying: let things take their natural course, she respects the child's thoughts.

Before, it was because of special circumstances.

Now, such a big living person as Pei Du appears before his eyes, swaying back and forth; Shu Lingchen can't help but notice, he's also grown up and has the right to know some things.

No matter what, he is still her child, and she is still able to protect him as his mother.

Having received Shu Shu's answer, Pei Du understood her meaning and said: "I won't scare him."

Shu Shu: "……

Seems not quite certain, right.

But it should be fine, the turkey baby first accepted his mother's death and rebirth, returning to youth, and also accepted his sister's loss and return.

He's already a "battle‑scarred" baby.

…

The door locked by Pei Du, and finally opened by Pei Du himself.

He handed Shu Shu the daughter's phone with a jade pendant attached, saying: "I'm now setting off back to Jing Shi."

Investigate how the daughter ended up at the Pei Family.

When Shu Shu took the phone, Pei Du still lowered his gaze to watch her. In the past, he would hide his emotions inside, averting his gaze before anyone noticed. But after successfully stealing the horse, he no longer bothered to conceal anything.

When he opened the door of the adjacent suite.

In the living room.

Pei Muyin and Shu Lingchen sat on the carpet cushions, each with a strawberry mousse cake in front of them.

After going upstairs, Pei Muyin only then realized it was dessert.

After seeing his father, he heard his father say that Zhou Zhi had miscommunicated his intention; his real intention was to also invite Shu Shu and Shu Lingchen to come up, so he again told Zhou Zhi to go down, and then asked his daughter to borrow her phone.

The reason was that his phone had died.

Pei Muyin had no suspicion of Pei Du at all; she obediently handed it over, then waited in the living room for Shu Shu and Shu Lingchen.

In the end, only Shu Lingchen showed up.

Neither of them took a bite of their cake.

Upon seeing Shu Shu, Pei Muyin rose with Shu Lingchen, looking a little worried: "Sister, where did you go? Earlier, brother called and messaged, but got no reply from you."

Shu Shu opened her phone and only then saw the incoming call and message.

But why didn't she receive it just now?

Shu Shu didn't know how to tell her daughter that she herself had gone off to steal a horse...

She handed the phone to her daughter, her expression unchanged, saying: "I went to the washroom on another floor; when I came up, I ran into you… Dad, he asked me to return your phone."

Shu Lingchen scratched his head in puzzlement: "I was just saying, you clearly arrived earlier than I did, and besides, little sister said her clothes weren't dirty."

"……" Shu Shu: "I misread."

After receiving the phone, Pei Muyin got a message from her father saying he had to go on a sudden business trip, and she replied "Okay."

She wouldn't know.

Just now, her father sent a message to Shu Shu in her name.

Jing Shi.

Near the suburbs, there is a private sanatorium for the rich that exists like a utopia.

At that time, the morning light was perfect, ideal for a stroll after breakfast to view the plants, the lake, and the red-beaked white cranes lightly pecking the water to clean their bodies.

By the lake.

Pei Qian sat in his wheelchair, his withered hands flipping through the detailed catalog of the Pei Shi Group's recent acquisition of the Cen Shi clan.

He had once been a head of the Pei family.

Despite his age, the aura of unspoken authority about him did not diminish with advancing years; his gaze remained sharp and clear.

Beside him, the old steward spread out a thin blanket and covered the old gentleman's legs.

"Sir, the wind is strong; I worry you'll catch a chill."

"No problem." Pei Qian waved his hand, his eyes still fixed on the text, his expression calmly satisfied, as he said: "I knew that no matter how complex the Cen Shi Acquisition Case, he could wrap it up quickly; I never misjudged him."

"Your vision, sir, has always been precise; the young master truly does have this ability."

Just then.

A servant in uniform walked over from a distance, stopped before Pei Qian, head lowered respectfully, and reported: "Sir, the young master has arrived——"