Chapter 140: Early

(1)

The villa kitchen is open-plan.

During their stay here, Shu Shu also made breakfast, and Pei Du found sufficient ingredients in the refrigerator.

When delivering the ingredients and utensils, the staff, seeing that Shu Shu was a girl, specially took a pink-and-white checkered apron printed with Hello Kitty.

Then.

Pei Du is now wearing this apron.

He wore a light gray silk shirt, its hem tucked into the waist of his slim trousers, making his broad, tall figure even more apparent; consequently, to Shu Shu the loose apron immediately seemed too small.

Pei Du always fastened his buttons to the topmost one; despite wearing such a cute apron, it didn't feel out of place, and the aloof, distant aura about him still predominated.

"Can Yinyin sit here?"

Pei Du indicated the location of the bar in front of the kitchen.

"I'm not familiar with this kitchen; I'm afraid I might not be able to find things on the spot, so I might need to ask Yinyin."

Shu Shu glanced at the toast, eggs, and cheese on the table before Pei Du, then looked up at him, her gaze seeming to say to him:

You always find things, you're quite accurate, right?

Pei Du's pitch-black pupils met Shu Shu's gaze, looking as if he didn't understand her meaning.

"…"

Shu Shu sat down.

After all, food softens people's hearts; although she hadn't even been given a chance to refuse.

A faint "swish" sound.

Pei Du turned on the heat, his long lashes drooping; with one hand he took a flat pan, pressed it against the flame, drizzled oil, poured in the egg mixture, placed the toast, and his movements were orderly.

He left Shu Shu there, but he didn't deliberately seek out an abrupt topic just to strike up a conversation with her.

Just like that.

He only needed the two of them to stay quietly like that.

Shu Shu couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.

She couldn't recall how many times she had seen this scene before.

Pei Du was cooking, and she sat beside him, chin propped up, waiting for him.

Occasionally feeling bored, she would pull out her phone to play, but before she could even unlock the screen, a sharp gaze full of reproach would fall on her.

The owner of the gaze said nothing, yet it seemed to say everything.

Whenever this happened, Shu Shu would, as if surrendering, hurriedly put her phone aside: "Okay, okay, okay, we agreed I'd keep you company—I can only stay with you, I can only look at you."

She defended herself guiltily: "…I just wanted to check what time it is."

The next second, her phone would be smoothly confiscated into someone's sports pants pocket.

Then.

He still didn't leave, half-closing his cold white eyelids, bending his neck to lean toward her, until she, as if admitting defeat, propped her elbow on the bar and leaned in to kiss his cheek, then he let the matter rest.

"Little clingy one."

She muttered complaints, but he didn't care at all, showing no emotion on his face; perhaps he clearly felt his mood improve, and he continued cooking.

…

Different times, different scenes, different circumstances, but the same person—thus making those three differences completely irrelevant.

"…"

Shu Shu's gaze unnaturally shifted away from Pei Du's back.

Even though this person's memory is a blank slate, he always manages to do something that catches her off guard and pulls her back to the past.

Deliberately avoiding looking at his back.

But the place is only so big, and he directly occupies her field of view; she can't just turn her chair to face away, which is no different from trying to hide something obvious.

The key is, when she got up and went out, she didn't even bring her phone.

She also couldn't use her phone.

Thus Shu Shu could only look out the window, at the seasoning station, at the pot in Pei Du's hand—in short, just avoid looking at his back.

Suddenly.

She didn't know what she had seen, her gaze pausing slightly.

A sandwich usually needs two layers of lettuce; Pei Du took the gap while the egg liquid in the pan was setting to turn on the nearby faucet and wash the lettuce clean.

Water splashed everywhere.

He first rolled up his sleeves, revealing two sections of inwardly tensed, strong wrists; only then did one see that his right wrist wore a band about less than three fingers wide.

Actually, when Pei Du had called Shu Shu to the kitchen under the pretense of asking about sour fish soup, she had already noticed this band on his wrist.

The band's color was very close to his skin tone, making it easy to overlook unless viewed up close.

At the same time, it was also very thin.

So thin that it likely couldn't function as a wrist guard; it seemed more like something originally on his wrist, simply serving to cover and conceal.

"Yinyin, do you want to look?"

Shu Shu stared at the band, thinking; without realizing it, her gaze was rather obvious, drawing attention.

The man's low, faint questioning voice suddenly sounded in her ear.

Shu Shu froze.

She instinctively looked up and met Pei Du's gaze.

He was asking her whether she wanted to look.

His gaze toward her seemed to say, as long as she indicated she wanted to look, he would take off that band.

Without hesitation.

But at the same time, Shu Shu also sensed a hint of deep meaning from the darkness in his eyes.

Just that kind.

After she finishes reading, he might need her to take on some responsibility.

"……" She said: "Don't look."

Pei Du hummed in agreement.

He also wasn't disappointed, and with a normal expression he continued to make the remaining two sandwiches.

…

The timing was also just right.

When the last sandwich landed on the plate, a noise came from upstairs.

It was the two kids waking up.

Shu Lingchen pulled open the door, thinking he was hallucinating from being too hungry.

Why, why did he smell the sandwich made by someone here?

So fragrant.

Maybe Mom is making breakfast.

The boy had a somewhat messy sleep‑tousled hairstyle, his eyes still heavy with sleep; just as he was about to climb onto the railing to check, he heard the door next door open as well, accompanied by his sister's familiar excited voice:

"Older sister~"

"I received Dad's message; he said work is ending and he's preparing to return home, not going back to An Shi, but will come here to take a look—he should be on his way now——"

His words came to an abrupt halt.

Pei Muyin, holding her phone to report, lowered her head and saw Shu Shu and Pei Du downstairs in the open kitchen, both already looking up at her; she froze.

"Good morning, Muyin."

"Good morning, Muyin~"

The two spoke at the same time.

"Older sister, good morning, Dad." Pei Muyin first replied obediently with the morning greeting, then unexpectedly asked: "When did Dad arrive here?"

"Just arrived not long ago." Pei Du naturally added: "Shu Shu knows."

Pei Muyin immediately looked at Shu Shu.

Being prompted, Shu Shu had no choice but to nod at her daughter: "…… Yes."

Pei Muyin asked eagerly: "Can Dad rest for several days this time, and also plans to stay here to escape the heat?"

"Mm."

Pei Du lowered his gaze and glanced at Shu Shu beside him.

"Shu Shu said there are vacant rooms here, so I don't need to look for another place to stay."

"……" The second half wasn't said.

Facing her daughter's bright, sparkling eyes, Shu Shu curved her lips in a smile and replied: "Yes."

"Great!"

Pei Muyin laughed happily.

She liked the feeling of everyone gathering together and staying together.

Pei Du's gaze shifted again, stopping on the boy on the second floor, and he said softly: "Good morning."

(2)

Shu Lingchen took several seconds to react before realizing Pei Du was speaking to him.

If it had been long ago, he would likely have hummed, turned his head away, pretended not to hear, and ignored it.

But now.

The situation seems to have changed somewhat……

This person picked him up from school on a rainy day, took him to the science museum when he couldn't get a taxi, and when he hadn't eaten breakfast, gave him a sandwich to eat.

Shu Lingchen is the kind of person who repays kindness with kindness; given his nature, he cannot choose to ignore Pei Du's initiative to greet him.

"…… Good morning."

Even so, the boy's mouth seemed unable to open, and his muffled response to Pei Du.

Because, it's awkward.

Pei Du seemed not to mind, and he twitched his lips at him: "Breakfast is ready, you can come down to eat."

Shu Lingchen suddenly felt a bit petty.

…

Three minutes later.

Four people finished this breakfast in an inexplicably warm atmosphere.

Shu Lingchen's sandwich was eaten the fastest.

Damn it.

Unwilling to admit, how can it be so delicious?

If only, if only there could be another one.

Then it seemed as if heaven heard his longing, and indeed another sandwich was pushed before him.

"……"

Shu Lingchen saw a hand with distinct joints, long and slender.

He lifted his head, followed that hand, and saw its owner.

Pei Du said: "I accidentally made an extra one; everyone probably can't finish it, so we might have to trouble Shu Lingchen."

"……"

Shu Lingchen instinctively looked toward Shu Shu and Pei Muyin, from them obtaining the look "they really can't eat it"; then his face showed no change, secretly pleased that he even overlooked Pei Du naturally calling him Shu Lingchen, and he directly, without courtesy, picked up the sandwich:

"Cough cough, then I'll reluctantly eat it; otherwise it'd be wasted."

"Wasting food is not something worth advocating."

Shu Shu saw through but didn't expose it.

Boys are at the age of growing, their appetites are relatively large; Shu Shu always makes Lingchen's sandwich in a large size each time, and Lingchen always eats it all, still wanting more.

Pei Du initially probably didn't know about this, but anyway he now seems to know; she just watched him make it, without making extra, and he deliberately prepared three slices of toast.

That day Pei Du asked her, "Can you tell our son your identity?"

Shu Shu looked at Pei Du without changing expression; the latter was looking at the boy eating heartily, in his dark eyes a faint warm hue of satisfaction.

That's probably it.

That's probably why she would later say she doesn't object.

…

After staying for a while, they roughly realized this place seemed to be a vacation mountain resort.

As the one who arranged everything, Pei Du was obviously more familiar with this place than the three of them; he said nearby there is a dedicated sports area with many activities.

Basketball, volleyball, tennis, golf, and so on and so forth.

Actually the staff had mentioned it earlier; at that time the three of them weren't interested, but after catching fish for so many days straight, they had no choice but to become interested.

Because they really didn't want to catch fish anymore!

So.

After lunch, the four changed into light sportswear and went out.

They took the sightseeing car down.

Not long after, they saw in the distance an extremely wide open space; upon arrival, there were also dedicated changing rooms and various equipment rooms.

Shu Lingchen immediately took a liking to the basketball court.

After the final exams he hadn't touched a basketball at all, his hands were itching.

He asked his mom to accompany him for a game.

Shu Shu nodded in agreement.

Pei Du asked his daughter: "Muyin, what do you want to play?"

"Tennis."

Pei Muyin had taken tennis lessons while studying in Jing Shi; after answering her dad, she paused and asked, "Is that okay?"

In her impression, her dad seemed never to have engaged in any sport.

Tennis was included in that.

So she uncertainly asked again.

If Dad can't, let's switch to the more common and easy-to-learn badminton.

"Okay."

Pei Du went to pick out a tennis racket.

Just five minutes later, Pei Muyin realized she had underestimated her dad.

Even before they started, Dad's habitual action of bouncing the ball on the ground revealed his familiarity with it.

And indeed.

Whether serving or returning, Dad handled it with ease; to accommodate her, he deliberately slowed his pace, so each ball he hit back was comfortable for her to receive.

Dad was like a gentle and qualified practice partner.

Originally planning to let Dad win, Pei Muyin: "……"

Pei Du played so easily that he could do two things at once: while accompanying his daughter in tennis, his peripheral vision still had room to glance at the neighboring basketball court.

Shu Shu and Shu Lingchen were vying for the ball.

The boy got heated.

His mom wasn't giving him an inch!

＜(ToT)＞

…

After earnestly playing tennis with her dad for nearly twenty minutes, Pei Muyin didn't really want to continue; during a brief break, she glanced longingly at the nearby basketball court.

She really wanted to know whether the basketball shooting her brother taught her had been completely forgotten.

But if she went to play basketball, Dad would be alone.

Pei Du saw his daughter's thought: "If you don't want to play, then don't."

Pei Muyin was about to shake her head to deny saying no.

Then she heard from next door the boy's "wail" sound.

It was Shu Lingchen again letting out a pained cry of regret after being stripped of the ball by his mother.

"I, I don't want to play anymore!"

Shu Shu: "It was you who proposed to play!"

Shu Lingchen couldn't help but exclaim: "Are you even playing ball?!!"

Clearly you're just playing with your son!

Several times he thought he could get the ball past his mom, only to have it stolen right as it was about to go into the basket.

Deliberate! Deliberate! Deliberate!

Oh my, been discovered, Shu Shu couldn't help but smirk.

Shu Lingchen glanced, his heart firmer in not wanting to play with Mom; just then he glanced over and saw his sister over there, who looked like she wanted to play basketball.

He suddenly had a brainwave, his voice rising: "Muyin, Brother wants to check the basketball shooting I taught you before, see if you've regressed—come here quick, Brother will play with you."

"Just the two of us."

Compared to the big-shot mom, he still wants to play with his sister, this kind of newbie.

Pei Muyin already had this idea; now that Shu Lingchen invited her, she wants to play even more.

But Dad…

Huh?

Brother isn't playing with sister either, so sister came out alone too.

The girl told Dad "wait a moment", then, holding a tennis racket like a little sparrow, she trotted over to Shu Shu and eagerly asked, "Sis, can you help me hit it first?"

Shu Shu instinctively glanced toward the tennis court.

Pei Du heard that.

The man with a cold, aloof expression stood motionless, looking like he could handle anything.

But when facing her daughter, Shu Shu's answer was only one kind.

It wouldn't be a refusal.