Chapter 175: Stop the Internal Drain

"You aren't the new driver, are you?"

After being tailed nonstop for two consecutive days, even the slow-witted Pei Muyin knew that close protection wasn't part of a driver's duties.

The short-haired woman had to admit she was a bodyguard assigned by Director Pei.

A bodyguard?

Pei Muyin immediately thought of the band's announcement about the stage-collapse accident in which Yao was expelled.

After a moment's thought, she called her father to voice her doubts.

Pei Du paused briefly, then ultimately chose to tell his daughter that this wasn't an accident but a deliberate act aimed at the accident, aimed at her.

After listening, Pei Muyin fell silent for a while, then asked, "Dad, I want to see her."

Her—Shi Yao.

That day, after finishing violin practice, Pei Muyin went to the police station accompanied by the bodyguard.

…

She was just an inexperienced child who caused such a big trouble, locked up in a strange place restricting her personal freedom; besides fear, only panic remained.

When Shi Yao was brought out by the policewoman, her face was pallid and her whole person was in a daze.

Upon seeing Pei Muyin, tears automatically streamed from her eyes.

A tear of relief.

Because she saw Pei Muyin unharmed.

Just before the steel frame completely detached, Shi Yao regretted it; her consciousness, as if controlled by a demon, instantly cleared, and she realized she was doing an unforgivable act, blurting out to stop the person.

Shi Yao thought Pei Muyin had come to confront her, feeling guilty to the point she couldn't even meet her gaze.

"…Is it because of the violin opening performance?"

Hearing Pei Muyin ask that, Shi Yao wanted to say yes, but also wanted to say, not just that.

She had been to the Pei Family Main Residence many times and had seen Pei Muyin many times, but a scene of them speaking face-to-face alone like this had never happened before.

Shi Yao closed her eyes, murmuring, "Pei Muyin, you might not know, but I've actually always been a bit afraid of you."

Pei Muyin froze; she and Shi Yao had no prior interaction, and she didn't understand why Shi Yao would use the word 'afraid'.

"……You're truly outstanding, outstanding to the point that I'm afraid to see you."

Everyone said Shi Yao had good grades, praising her as obedient, sensible, and likable, while Pei Muyin was dull and boring, with no one wanting to associate with her.

The two of them formed a stark contrast.

Only Shi Yao herself knew it wasn't like that.

Pei Muyin had always been first in her grade year after year, while Shi Yao would be urged by her mother, Shi Qing, to catch up to and surpass Pei Muyin's grades.

Not to mention surpassing her, Shi Yao expended enormous effort yet still couldn't even achieve the stable grades Pei Muyin maintained.

Although they weren't at the same school, every violin teacher Shi Yao encountered would mention that Yazhu Noble School had a girl named Pei Muyin who was especially talented in violin.

Shi Yao was also demanded by her mother to be the one praised by the teachers.

But these two things were really too hard.

She couldn't do it.

For this, Shi Yao wasn't scolded by her mother a few times; each time she went to the Pei Family Residence, on the way back her mother would compare her to Pei Muyin.

Pei Muyin was like a constant shadow looming over her, making her often feel immensely inferior.

Shi Yao even felt fortunate about one thing.

That it was fortunate Pei Muyin didn't play piano; when she was young, she followed her mother's strict demand and studied piano for a while, but she truly had no talent for it and eventually gave up.

During the period when Pei Muyin transferred schools and left Jing Shi, Shi Yao felt an unprecedented sense of relief, finally no longer constantly anxious about having to catch up to Pei Muyin.

She was afraid, afraid to the point that hearing the three words 'Pei Muyin' would trigger a stress reaction.

So, when her mother asked if Berlin Su still had any contact with Pei Muyin, she instinctively lied, saying no.

Shi Yao was well aware that Pei Muyin had done nothing wrong and was the most innocent person, yet she, unable to bear her own negative emotions, tried to escape by doing something harmful in a bewildered state.

During these two days here, she kept having nightmares, dreaming that Pei Muyin had really come to harm, waking up frightened each time.

"……Sorry, Pei Muyin, truly sorry; I also don't want to target you, I just wanted to replace the person performing the violin opening, otherwise… otherwise my mother would be disappointed in me."

Shi Yao raised her hand to cover her mouth and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Shi Yao, I cannot forgive you for this."

Fortunately, no actual harm was caused, but the intention to harm was truly present.

Pei Muyin's tolerant nature doesn't mean she can be magnanimous enough to tolerate the fact that her life was once in danger due to a single thought of good or evil from the other party; that would be irresponsible toward herself.

Shi Yao felt so ashamed she couldn't utter a rebuttal, and she also believed Pei Muyin's unwillingness to forgive was entirely justified.

But then, a pack of tissues was handed to her.

"…"

Shi Yao was unexpectedly stunned, following the hand holding the tissue to look over, and blankly met the girl's warm, friendly eyes.

"Shi Yao, I too have fallen into the same misconception as you; while you felt inferior because of me, I was also envious of you—you're outgoing, socially adept, and many people want to be your friend."

"At that time, I felt I had no strengths, nothing to show off, until someone told me, I'm also great."

Not knowing who she was thinking of, Pei Muyin curled her lips, her voice involuntarily softening.

"She told me, people sometimes need a bit of self-confidence, to learn to discover their own strengths, not to constantly focus on their weaknesses, not to compare their weaknesses with others' strengths, and even less to compare their strengths with those who are better."

Strengths remain strengths; they don't turn into nothing just because they can't compare.

Pei Muyin explained: "Shi Yao, I don't mean to lecture you; I just want you to know that I've felt the same way, I especially understand your thoughts, and I want you to realize that you yourself are an excellent person."

So, stop the internal draining already.

Until Pei Muyin left, Shi Yao didn't come to her senses; the sentence 'You yourself are also an excellent person' kept lingering in her mind.

Shi Yao suddenly thought of something.

On one occasion when they went to the Pei Family's main residence, they were on their period, enduring the discomfort, sitting at the dining table eating and responding to Madam Song's questions.

After finally finishing the meal, they went to the washroom; the door was lightly knocked, they opened it and saw a bag of cartoon-patterned warm baby packs hanging on the doorknob.

They looked up in surprise, only to see a chubby figure walking upstairs.

They recognized who the figure was.

Pei Muyin.

At that time they only felt a warm current flow through their heart; holding the warm baby pack on the way home, they told their mother, feeling that Pei Muyin would be an easy person to get along with, wanting to befriend Pei Muyin.

Their mother said, "Just a casual act of charity bought you, Yao Yao? If you want to befriend her, first catch up to her grades before saying anything; otherwise, what qualifications do you have to be friends with someone like her?"

Later at the dining table,

Madam Song's obvious difficulties toward Pei Muyin, Shi Yao never said a word for Pei Muyin.

Shi Yao thought, from that time on, they truly lost the qualification to be friends with Pei Muyin.