Chapter 77: Anonymous Birthday Gift

Going from An Shi to Jing Shi and then to Gang Cheng is taking a detour, adding more than double the distance; if that's the case, Pei Muyin would need to skip a day of class.

Shu Shu said, going straight from An Shi to Gang Cheng would be much more convenient.

Pei Muyin called Song Yunqiu, indicating she would not go to Jing Shi but head straight to Gang Cheng.

Unexpectedly, the usually taciturn Song Yunqiu fell silent after hearing this, then agreed, but she repeatedly stressed that she absolutely could not be late for Xu Lao's ninetieth birthday banquet.

…

The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye.

On Friday, right after school let out, Shu Shu and Pei Muyin boarded the plane.

A private plane.

Starting point, An Shi.

Destination, the helipad on the top floor of a certain star-rated hotel in Gang Cheng.

Normally, applying for a private flight route involves complicated and lengthy procedures; Shu Shu submitted the application that very night after Pei Muyin got the call, and it was approved in less than two days.

As for the private plane,

Shu Shu does have one, but it's stored in some museum eighty thousand li away from An Shi; even if it were right in front of her, after she's "ga"ed it for so many years, the plane hasn't had maintenance or care in ages—could it even still fly?

Don't even get halfway; the plane would fall apart in midair.

So Shu Shu planned to temporarily transfer ownership of one from a private buyer.

But Pei Muyin said it wasn't needed, because she already has one.

The next morning, Pei Muyin's private plane flew overnight from Jing Shi to An Shi.

Yujingyuan has no helipad, so the two still went as usual by car to An Shi Feiji Chang to board the plane.

…

By the time they arrived, the captain and flight attendants were already waiting in neat uniforms beneath that private plane, both women.

The fuselage is light pink, and the wings are sleek and beautiful.

Shu Shu, who had once been keen on collecting private planes, could tell at a glance that this aircraft was fully custom-made and definitely not cheap.

And near the upper entrance stairs, small lettering is printed.

to Xiao Mu Yin.

This line of flowing gilt script shines brilliantly in the afternoon sunlight.

This is not the Pei Family's usual private plane; it is a private plane exclusively for Pei Muyin personally.

Upon seeing Pei Muyin, both staff members gave her a slight nod.

Only upon entering the cabin did they realize the interior is a hundred times more refined than the exterior.

From the pantry, to the passenger cabin, dining area, and lounge—everything is decorated in colors and styles that someone Pei Muyin's age would like.

Pei Muyin surely isn't using this plane for the first time; she led Shu Shu forward with practiced ease, and the girl bashfully said she often sees recommendations for overseas cities' cuisine on her feed.

Since there's no ground transport to those cities, she would fly there herself to buy food to eat, using this very plane.

Pei Muyin said, "Sis, next time let's all go together to eat something good—bring Shu Lingchen. There are some overseas cities not far away; if we don't want to fly, I also have a private yacht."

Shu Shu blinked: "Mu Yin, who gave you the plane and the yacht?"

The Pei Family first ruled out Song Yunqiu.

Pei Muyin thought and said, "The plane was given to me when I turned ten, and the yacht when I turned twelve—but the giver is anonymous, and I don't know who it is, or whether it's the same person."

Actually, Pei Muyin isn't a materialistic child; she has no interest in valuable things—like the haute couture and accessories that peers from aristocratic families like, she couldn't care less.

When she was ten, someone suddenly gave her such a valuable gift; she instinctively wanted to decline, but upon seeing that pink plane, she felt it was designed from top to bottom just for her heart.

She took to it at first sight.

Even more crucially, the staff kept coaxing her: "Young Miss Pei, having your own plane is actually very convenient—you can fly around to eat delicious food, right?"

One sentence directly hooked the food-loving Pei Muyin.

How could the person who sent the plane understand her so well?

By the time Pei Muyin reacted, she had already signed her name on the delivery receipt.

As the girl looked up at her pink plane now belonging to her, she didn't notice the staff member holding the receipt let out a long sigh, as if having completed an extremely difficult, vital task.

Later, the origin of the private yacht followed the same process.

"Hmm, Mu Yin, have you ever wondered if it might have been your parents who sent it?" Shu Shu asked casually.

Pei Muyin lowered her eyes, dejected, and said, "Sis, I've never had a mother since I was little—only a father."

The four words "no mother" were like a sharp needle pricking the softest spot in Shu Shu's heart; a sore feeling instantly spread like an electric current through her limbs, making her shudder all over.

Shu Shu couldn't help but reach out to hug the girl.

Pei Muyin thought Shu Shu wanted to comfort her, so she raised her arms and returned the embrace, catching a faint orange-like scent on Shu Shu, greedily sniffing and burying her face in Shu Shu's neck.

In that pose, she said, "Dad rarely comes home; I originally thought these things were from him, but Grandma told me they were likely from Dad's business associates trying to curry favor with him."

"Grandma also said, if Dad really cared that much, he wouldn't miss my birthday."

…

The plane flew smoothly into the sky.

Shu Shu and Pei Muyin finished dinner in the dining area.

Gang Cheng was still a while away, and there wasn't much to do on the plane.

In the lounge, Shu Shu and Pei Muyin lay on the beds and started watching a TV drama.

The flight attendant adjusted the lights to a comfortable level for viewing the screen, then pulled the curtain and stepped away lightly.

Pei Muyin kept watching TV, grew drowsy, and soon fell asleep peacefully curled up in Shu Shu's arms.

Shu Shu stayed awake, alert, gently stroking the girl's loose hair after removing the hair tie.

In a moment, she slowly lowered her head and lightly pressed her forehead against the girl's.

…

It's probably just that she slept too early; after less than two hours of sleep, Pei Muyin woke up.

Shu Shu found her hair tie under the pillow and, with extremely natural motions, helped her tie her hair.

Pei Muyin felt the warmth of those slender fingers on her skin, and she obediently sat still, unconsciously narrowing her eyes in happiness.

Since moving to downstairs 1600, every morning her older sister ties her hair, and at night when she goes to sleep, her sister also unties the hair tie for her.

The two of them went from the lounge to the bright cabin area.

Only then did Shu Shu notice a rectangular object wrapped in kraft paper placed on one of the sofas.

Pei Muyin explained, "This is a birthday gift for that Old Mr. Xu; it's a painting, not particularly valuable, but it was personally painted by a little disciple whom Old Mr. Xu dearly loved but who has gone missing."

Grandma bought it at a high price, saying the item was precious and must be delivered intact to Old Mr. Xu's presence; since the auction point is relatively close to An Shi, she had me bring it along to Gang Cheng.

Shu Shu stared at the painting, feeling instinctively that something was off.

If it's really that important, why have a child like Muyin carry the painting instead of bringing it personally?