Chapter 181: Long Time No See (2)

Shu Shu never imagined she and Pei Du would one day have a cold war, and what baffled her was, what need did they have for a cold war?

It was already the third day since leaving the villa.

Shu Shu lounged in the hotel's rocking chair, not knowing how many times she had opened her phone to look; the top chat labeled "Xiao Du" was spotless, with no new messages since she had left, and the call log was empty too.

Pei Du had never sought her out.

Hmph, if he doesn't look for her, she won't look for him either.

Bastard.

Just then Siwei sent a message, again inviting her to the newly opened ski base to play; thus Shu Shu, as if spiting him, this time did not refuse, and after agreeing she set off for another city.

"Dear Shu, are you alright?"

Siwei, wearing a thick warm coat, placed her hand on Shu Shu's shoulder from behind and asked concernedly.

"Me?" Shu Shu wondered, "What's wrong?"

"You're lying." Siwei narrowed her eyes, gesturing with her hands as she said, "You look like you've got 'sad' written all over your face; since I saw you, I've felt you're out of sorts—did something happen?"

"Really, I'm fine."

Regarding the matter of deleting a friend, Shu Shu apologized and explained to Siwei that it had been her own mistake, without mentioning Pei Du's part; seeing Shu Shu unwilling to speak, Siwei considerately didn't press further, and she pulled Shu Shu along, reporting various items, hoping that playing would fill up her unhappiness.

Restaurant near the ski base.

Everyone gathered around the table eating hot pot, very lively; Shu Shu ate only a few bites, but in the end she couldn't resist and placed a call to Pei Du.

While waiting for the call to connect, she muttered threats in her heart.

"Stinky Pei Du, just wait—I'll scold him to death later, and when I get back I'll beat him up."

After the final dial tone, the call connected, and she heard from the other end a man's uncontrollable coughing.

Shu Shu's harsh words at the ready automatically turned into "How are you?"

"I'm fine."

His voice was hoarse; just listening told you he was suffering, but after saying he was fine, he had nothing else to say.

Silence spread.

…

That day Shu Shu returned to Jing Shi just in time for 8:30 p. m.

The villa was pitch black.

Shu Shu lifted her hand to turn on the light, and Great Fortune came running over energetically, jumping up to place its paws on her.

After putting down her bag and rubbing the dog's head, she walked in and found Pei Du in the bedroom; the room was still dark, he lay on the bed with an arm over his eyes, as if asleep.

"Pei Du?"

Shu Shu walked over, called his name, and touched his forehead, exclaiming, "How are you so hot?"

Pei Du stirred, moved his arm away, and upon seeing her he first stared blankly, then a moment later emotions rose in his eyes that she couldn't read.

"Pei Du, you have a fever; I'll contact a doctor."

Before Shu Shu could dial, she was stopped.

"It's just a mild chill, not serious enough to see a doctor." Pei Du sat up, turned his slightly pale face and coughed twice, saying, "I took medicine before lying down."

He pointed to the few medicine boxes on the bedside cabinet.

Shu Shu sat on the bedside and asked, "Are you not feeling too awful?"

"Not bad."

The two locked eyes, a moment of silent mutual regard passed; Pei Du looked at her, after a few seconds he drew near, extended his hand, and slowly wrapped his arm around her waist—he burned like a furnace, his whole body radiating high heat.

"Get lost." Shu Shu put on a fierce front, saying, "No hugging me."

After all these days with no messages, no calls, what gives this little bastard the right to hug her?

Shu Shu tried to push him away, but couldn't.

He closed his eyes, weakly resting his forehead against her neck, nuzzling her in a pleading way, making Shu Shu's hand unable to push any further.

…

The next day.

Shu Shu got up and cooked noodles for Pei Du, watching him take his medicine.

But after a night passed, Pei Du's fever showed no sign of dropping, so Shu Shu still contacted a doctor to come over.

The doctor suggested an IV drip, but before he could finish speaking, she received a warning glance from a direction Shu Shu couldn't notice, and the doctor, embarrassed, changed his mind to just prescribe medicine.

On the third day, Pei Du's cold remained severe; Shu Shu was preparing to accompany him to the hospital for a checkup when she discovered the cause.

She went out to pour water, halfway there remembered she had dropped a cup, walked back to the bedroom, heard movement in the bathroom, thought Pei Du was feeling unwell, went over, and saw two brown pills flushed into the drain in the sink.

Those were the fever-reducing pills she had just seen him swallow.

He hadn't swallowed them; he'd thrown them all up.

"……" Shu Shu, realizing what was going on, was speechless, then gritted her teeth: "Pei Du, are you sick?"

So that was the reason his fever kept recurring—he simply didn't want to get better.

The one caught red‑handed showed no panic or guilt, standing there calmly, his tone indifferent: "This way, Yinyin's attention can be on me, only on me, only on me alone."

Shu Shu felt only utter absurdity, turned and walked away.

However, this time she couldn't just walk away.

…

Shu Shu's personal freedom was restricted, by Pei Du.

Her phone was confiscated, the villa windows locked, the access code reset.

"From now on, Yinyin must stay by my side; besides that, she need go nowhere else."

Shu Shu was utterly stunned, unable to regain her senses for a good while, as if the Pei Du before her and the Pei Du she knew had been split apart.

"Pei Du…… what's wrong with you?"

No answer was given.

But Pei Du kept his word, he began to stay by her side, not allowing her to go out, and he himself didn't go out either; daily necessities were delivered by someone.

Taking advantage of his inattention, Shu Shu moved a chair and smashed the ground-floor window, but before she could take two steps she was caught around the waist.

Pei Du restrained her wrist and calmly made her watch as the workers replaced the broken glass with new ones, blocking her path bit by bit.

She questioned, she protested; in short, no matter what she did, his demeanor remained calm as water.

Her punches landed on cotton, utterly ineffective; Shu Shu was furious, then she also learned Pei Du's silence—when he spoke to her she turned a deaf ear, when he approached she immediately got up and walked away.

Before a day had passed, Shu Shu's aloofness seemed unbearable to Pei Du; as she prepared to distance herself again, he preemptively embraced her and asked, "Yinyin, can you reason with me?"

Shu Shu's expression was cold; she neither looked at him nor responded.

She felt his gaze, intensely present, lingering silently on her, watching her.

Next.

Shu Shu's head, turned to the side, was pulled back; her vision suddenly darkened as Pei Du leaned in to kiss her.

The kiss met empty air.

Shu Shu dodged without thinking.

Her action pained Pei Du; the young man's dark pupils constricted, a darkness crept into his eyes, then he seized her again, this time with a hint of force, lowering his head and firmly pressing his lips to hers.

She barely had time to shift before dodging; he lowered his gaze to follow, she dodged again and he pursued.

Until.

Slap—

Shu Shu, unable to bear it any longer, slapped Pei Du.

The crisp slap sounded like a sharp dagger slicing the air.

A red palm print appeared on Pei Du's pallid cheek; he turned his face, his bangs falling over his forehead, his expression indistinct.

Shu Shu thought Pei Du had calmed down.

The next second.

He lifted his eyes, heedless, and kissed her again; Shu Shu couldn't react in time, her lips were seized.

That slap had no effect on him; instead it acted like a catalyst accelerating the deterioration— the more she tried to break free, the more the situation escalated.

After that kiss, Pei Du took three slaps from Shu Shu, and she bit his lip until it bled.

Shu Shu pressed the back of her hand against her swollen lip, glaring fiercely at Pei Du, her breathing unsteady, so angry she couldn't utter a word: "You…"

"Yinyin really is disobedient." The other person, light‑hearted, raised a finger to wipe the wound at the corner of his mouth and murmured, "Does he need to be tied up to be a little more obedient?"

Pei Du somehow produced a tie.

The instant she sensed his intent, Shu Shu's pupils shook, her face full of disbelief: "Pei Du, you dare!"

Pei Du answered Shu Shu with action—he dared.

…

Shu Shu lost the use of her hands; Pei Du, satisfied, embraced her from behind and whispered many words into her ear.

To her, it was all nonsense.

"Let me go."

"Yinyin, can you not move? Your hand is red." He restrained all her movements: "It's fine; Yinyin isn't used to me like this yet, but she'll get used to it in time."

Madman.

Shu Shu's mind went blank; looking at Pei Du felt like seeing a stranger she'd never known, giving her a surreal sense that her previous understanding had been overturned.

"If I'd known you were like this, I wouldn't have been with you; thinking back now, I was really stupid." Shu Shu closed her eyes, then opened them again and said, "Pei Du, I want to break up with you."

The person behind her paused, then dismissed it: "Yinyin is just speaking in anger."

The next day, with her movements controlled.

Pei Du half‑knelt before the sofa, holding a hot towel to bandage Shu Shu's wrist.

"Don't touch me."

Shu Shu coldly rebuked Pei Du; from the moment she declared the breakup, she wholly rejected every touch of his, both physically and emotionally.

Pei Du still wrapped the towel around Shu Shu's wrist, lifted his head to meet her gaze, and directly sensed her resistance; instinctively he began to search, trying to find in her eyes the former affection she had for him.

Back and forth, he found nothing, not a trace.

…

In the days that followed.

Shu Shu never gave Pei Du a pleasant face; all she gave him were the two words "break up".

I don't know how many times she's said break up.

This time Pei Du rarely stopped deceiving himself; after a long silence he asked, "Yinyin, you've said break up many times—do you really want to break up with me?"

Shu Shu: "You think I'm joking with you?"

Pei Du withdrew the hand that was about to feed her fruit, tossed the orange slice into the trash, looked at her with an indifferent expression, as if suddenly losing all interest: "Actually, not only Yinyin, I also find this rather tiring."

"Pretty boring."

Shu Shu clenched her fist.

"Not the same, Pei Du, not the same—I'm not just tired, seeing you makes me nauseous." She spat out the harsh words: "I don't want to see you even for a second; I hope you stay far away from me."

The air suddenly stalled for an instant.

"Like that." He nodded, his voice flat, understanding Shu Shu's meaning but not really caring: "Then… let's break up, I agree."

Have we reached the point where it should end?

It sounded as if her heart had dropped.

Then.

Pei Du heard Shu Shu laugh.

This laugh was clearly out of place here; Pei Du instinctively looked at Shu Shu, and the moment their eyes met, he realized—he had fallen into a trap.

Shu Shu's face showed not an angry laugh, nor a relieved laugh, but a seeing‑through laugh.

She saw through him.

"Pretend—"

"Pei Du, you're pretending again?"

"What love are you talking about? You ought to be an actor—you could sweep the Best Actor awards. I'm especially optimistic about you; if your box office tanks and you miss every award, I'll pour money into you to make it happen. How's that?"

Shu Shu fired off a triple sarcasm.

Thus, the flaw in this performance was laid bare.

Shu Shu didn't believe she could see through a person at a glance, yet for someone she herself had chosen, she felt completely confident.

Pei Du's "sudden change in temperament" was extremely abrupt.

Disrespectful, boundary‑less, cold‑violent, overly controlling, and unwilling to communicate.

All of these struck Shu Shu's sore points, and Pei Du had done each and every one.

Shu Shu is no fool.

He was wildly draining her affection for him, pushing her away, with the ultimate goal of… making her give up on him.

She wanted to know what was wrong with him; since he wouldn't say, she might as well go along with his wish and "break up"—if he wanted to act, she'd play along, waiting to see when he'd slip up.

"Pei Du, cut the silent act." The situation shifted instantly; Shu Shu grabbed Pei Du's collar, shoved him onto the sofa, and demanded: "Who's threatening you? Using me."

One strike hits the vital point, leaving no time to dodge.

Memory seemed to be instantly yanked back to that day's tense boardroom—

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Pei Du heard himself ask through gritted teeth.

"This depends on you, Ah Du." Pei Qian's voice was cold: "I think my meaning should be clear to you—I don't want to see that girl around you again; romantic entanglements are what a Pei Family heir must discard most."

"Initially I did indeed tolerate her presence, because in this world many things—especially desires—can only be considered truly relinquished after obtaining and then losing them."

"The law of human survival has always been thus: the strong rule the world, set the rules, hold the discourse, and even if the weak protest, the final outcome is still obedience."

"Ah Du, I know—I know how hard you've worked for her; those funds of yours are surely enough for you two to live comfortably thereafter, but do you think they're sufficient as capital to resist?"

"I am your grandfather; I don't want to see you end up in utter defeat."

"Xie Shuyin, is that her name? No need for me to remind you how difficult her background is." Pei Qian sighed, his tone sounding rather helpless: "I have no intention of targeting a little girl; I'm merely presenting you with an option unilaterally."

"The outcome is what I want; later I and Bureau Chief Lu will just have a simple meal, but if the outcome isn't what I want, then it won't be what you want either."

"Whether she's well or not, Ah Du, it's up to you to decide."

…

His neck felt as if it were being ruthlessly choked, making it hard to breathe.

His thoughts gathered.

"Why would you ask that?" Pei Du frowned, as if he didn't understand Shu Shu's meaning, and said: "If I remember correctly, we've already broken up; I agreed, so why aren't you leaving?"

His chin was pulled back.

"Look at me." Shu Shu wished she could slap this little punk again; she sat on his waist, straightened his face so their eyes locked, nowhere to hide, and scrutinized: "Pei Du, I'm asking you again—is someone threatening you using me?"

"No one is threatening me." He answered firmly, then seemed impatient, the corner of his mouth twitching into a sarcastic arc: "Didn't you initiate the breakup? You also said you didn't want to see me again—now coming back to question me, isn't that a bit strange?"

"Could you… get lost? I don't want to see you either."

Shu Shu's fingers gripping the collar turned pale for an instant; she cursed inwardly, thinking he really was material for a movie emperor.

When she speaks harshly, it hurts this much.

"…"If you don't want to tell the truth to the previous question, I won't force you; let me change the question, rephrase it." Shu Shu turned her face, composed her emotions, and softly asked: "Pei Du, are you… just planning to go this far with me?"

The next heavy words were already on his tongue, but Pei Du caught a glimpse of moisture in her eye corner, and the arm at his side twitched as if reflexively wanting to move.

He ultimately couldn't say it, but the impulse to hug her was also suppressed at the same time.

"Think your answer through; you only have this one chance."

After a boundless silence.

He answered her.

"We haven't been together long—has it even been a year? It seems not, so it won't be deeply unforgettable. Yinyin, we each have plenty of life left; forgetting should be easy—any random brilliant moment can replace it."

"…"

Shu Shu felt she had done her best.

Not disappointment.

But rather, in maintaining a relationship, reliance is on mutual support; once one side loses confidence, the likely outcome of that relationship is doomed.

She understood, she understood his meaning.

"Give me the phone."

Shu Shu got off Pei Du, took her phone, walked toward the entryway, pressed the door handle, and the door opened easily.

The door wasn't locked—he was always ready to let her leave, not prepared to detain her.

A moment of stiffness.

Shu Shu reached out to push the door, at which point her pant leg was bitten.

It was Da Fu.

The dog's perception is always sharp; it seemed to sense that Shu Shu leaving this time would mean she wouldn't return, its usual obedience gone, its mouth clamped tightly on her pant leg, refusing to let go.

"Da Fu, let go."

A faintly chilly male voice, calm and unruffled, came from the living room.

This was a sign that the male host was about to reprimand; the dog whined, had to obediently loosen its mouth, but it still refused to give up, rushing over to Shu Shu, wagging its tail and begging for affection.

Shu Shu squatted down, held it, finally no longer lingering, got up and left completely.

It was clearly still daytime, and there were still people at home, yet the entire villa instantly fell silent, dead still.

Da Fu glanced at the tightly shut door, then turned its head toward the living room, seeing the male host sitting with his back to them on the sofa, utterly still, like a cold sculpture.

The dog anxiously ran over, wanting to see how the master was doing.

It just lifted its head.

One drop, two drops, three drops of liquid like water fell onto its nose tip and fur.

Then the sculpture moved.

His back seemed bent, his palms crossed over his face, his shoulders faintly trembling.

Da Fu heard a choking sound.

That day, it tasted the tears of both masters at once.

…

Love is selfish, possessive, reckless—but love is more responsibility.

Pei Du remembers Shu Shu's appearance when skiing and racing all his life—dazzling, unparalleled; she shouldn't be bound by anything; forever looking ahead, moving forward is her path.

Thus, on that day, Pei Du personally put the moon back into the night sky, hoping it would forever be free and unrestrained.

…

The first day after leaving the villa.

Shu Shu discovered that Pei Du had deleted all her contact information.

The second day after leaving the villa.

All of Pei Du's accounts were canceled, showing the user does not exist.

As he said, it's true they only made it this far, cutting off their story here.

…

Pei Du woke from hypnosis, removed the eye mask, raised his hand to feel his face, and felt a wet spot.

He covered his chest, slightly furrowing his brows.

Various intense pains later reached all his senses.

At that time, in An Shi.

Shu Shu sat in the living room while the two kids played a game; at halftime, the two kids went to the kitchen to get sweet water.

The phone beside her rang.

Shu Shu thought it was the takeout she had just ordered arriving downstairs; she kept playing the game and casually answered the call pressed to her ear.

"Hello?"

""

The other end of the phone was silent; no one spoke for a long time, only a faint breath could be heard.

"?" Shu Shu shouted again: "Hello, are you there?"

"Yinyin." A low, rich male voice wrapped in the wind, as if piercing through time and space straight to the destination, only hearing him say: "Long time no see."