Chapter 99: Pei Muyin

Only after Pei Du left did Madam Song relax, and she gave a faint glance to the servant holding the gift box.

No need for any explanation, the servant nodded understandingly and walked straight toward the outside trash bin, as if it were routine.

The servants beside them stared straight ahead, unfazed, as if this were an unspoken understanding shared by everyone in the household.

Over these years, Mr. Pei never gave up the idea of easing relations with the Eldest Young Lady, hoping she would gradually 'accept' him, so he would occasionally send things himself.

However, anything sent in his name never reached the Eldest Young Lady's hands; instead, following the old lady's orders, they were thrown away, and then he was told that the Eldest Young Lady had tossed everything upon hearing it was from him.

…

At that time, it was approaching noon.

Madam Song, accompanied by a servant, came from the garden to the already-prepared dining hall; she was about to sit down when she heard a servant's surprised voice from the foyer.

"Eldest Young Lady?!"

"How come you're back today?"

Madam Song froze, looked up, and indeed saw a familiar, somewhat chubby figure; she wore long sleeves and trousers, her hair not long enough to tie, hanging over her shoulders, obscuring her face as she lowered her head and walked toward the stairway.

Who else could it be but Pei Muyin?

"Pei Muyin?" Madam Song exclaimed, frowning as she asked, "Why did you suddenly come back from An Shi? Aren't you supposed to be in class at school today?"

""

No one answered.

"Pei Muyin" acted as if she hadn't heard Madam Song's question, clutching her schoolbag in silence as she went upstairs.

Madam Song didn't suspect anything, knowing Pei Muyin's nature was like a wooden post—she rarely spoke and didn't bother with people; at this moment she only felt relieved that Pei Du had left early, so father and daughter hadn't run into each other.

After leisurely enjoying the chef's prepared beauty-and-nourishment lunch, Madam Song took a napkin from the servant's tray and suddenly realized today was the 5th.

Just in time, Pei Muyin had returned……

Madam Song's thoughts shifted, she lazily put the napkin back, and immediately told the servant: "Go, call Xiao Qing and tell her to bring Yao Yao along; today is the 5th, our Pei family's gathering day—have them come here to keep me company for dinner."

The Xiao Qing she referred to was naturally Shi Qing.

The servant replied: "Yes, old lady."

…

Meanwhile,

Inside the carriage outside the Pei family's main residence, listening to the voices coming from the live surveillance, Zhou Zhi suddenly turned his head in puzzlement.

From generations ago, the Pei family has always been sparsely populated; moreover, Pei Dong's father died in an accident when Pei Dong was young, and the tradition of gathering at the main residence to eat on the 5th of each month has been abandoned for who knows how many years—just two or three people, what's there to eat?

How could the old lady still say that, and moreover, she even wanted to invite two outsiders?

Actually, the Pei family's surveillance had been shut off for many years as well.

The old lady, claiming that the Eldest Young Lady had been raised by Pei Dong in a villa full of surveillance before age four and thus had a psychological trauma toward it, had the main residence's surveillance completely cut off.

Just now, taking advantage of the gap while the old lady was speaking with Pei Dong, Zhou Zhi sneakily brought people to the electric room behind the main residence and reconnected the surveillance.

"Pei Dong, what that classmate Shu Shu said—" "Really, should we take it seriously?"

Zhou Zhi thought it unbelievable—Pei Dong was not someone who believed rumors at first glance; he had only met Shu Shu twice, and those meetings were quite hasty—how could he just believe it outright and immediately rush back to Jing Shi to verify?

In the back seat, Pei Du remained motionless, not responding to Zhou Zhi's question.

After waking from the car accident, when Madam Song told him those things, Pei Du was initially unmoved—whether due to an innate lack of trust in people or simply subconscious distrust of Madam Song—but he trusted his daughter.

The first time he opened his eyes and saw his daughter, Pei Du felt he was almost unconditionally placing his trust in her.

Madam Song said her daughter didn't like her, and Pei Du didn't believe it, yet the daughter's reflexive avoidance of him was undeniably real in his eyes.

Madam Song said her daughter hadn't let go of her emotional knot, and Pei Du refused to give up, yet the daughter's sobbing plea for him to leave her alone was undeniably real.

Pei Du had never seen his daughter so fond of a friend.

So, whoever his daughter trusted, he also trusted.

What he wanted to clarify wasn't a direct confrontation; he needed to know the true situation of his daughter's life in the main residence.

And furthermore——

Pei Du's eyelids flickered as his gaze fell on the dark car window beside him; in its reflection, faint red traces could be seen on the man's pallid face.

And furthermore.

That slap, given Pei Du's reflexes, he could actually have stopped it coldly.

But for some unknown reason, as the fair palm swung toward him, Pei Du lowered his eyelids, gazing at the girl right before him, and, in a moment of absentmindedness drawn to her peach-blossom eyes for just two seconds, he quietly took her slap.

…

Night fell.

The Pei family's main residence living room grew lively with laughter as Shi Qing and her mother Yao Yao arrived, the atmosphere excellent.

The mother and daughter surrounded Madam Song, speaking nothing but pleasant words.

From afar, the scene looked exactly like a happy grandmother, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.

At that moment, the servant who had gone upstairs came down to inform Madam Song: "Old lady, the Eldest Young Lady says she's unwell and won't come down for dinner."

Upon hearing this, Madam Song let out a faint, mocking snort, her expression revealing she saw through it.

Pei Muyin wasn't really unwell; she was probably still hurt from the previous "gathering" and didn't dare come down.

But that didn't matter; she had her own way of dealing with it.

Thus Madam Song immediately ordered: "Tonight we won't eat in the dining hall; let's go to the east side of the garden."

"Yes."

The east side of the garden faced the balcony of the Eldest Young Lady's second-floor bedroom.

Soon, the dinner was set up.

All the garden lights were turned on, blazing brightly.

At the dining table.

Shi Qing heard the servant say that Pei Muyin had come back today, she wondered aloud: "Why haven't I seen Muyin come down to eat?"

Don't bother with her—look how fat she is; she won't starve even if she skips a meal, she ought to be like that, eat less, best not eat at all. Ms. Song's voice wasn't loud, but neither was it soft; her tone was indifferent, and she glanced at Shi Yao beside her, squinting as she smiled:

Yao Yao, how's your violin practice in the new music troupe going? You've improved, right?

Shi Yao wore a clean, pretty dress, and shyly replied: "I've met a very good teacher, as well as some senior brothers and sisters; I've learned a lot."

The teacher also told us some good news: Mr. Ming Zhuo is looking for an orchestra to perform his Guanshan piece, and he found ours; the score has an opening piano and violin solo, and the teacher pulled me aside privately and said I look great.

Ming Zhuo, a renowned musician of Splendid Country, is one of the classic representatives of a certain school of musical style.

Oh dear, our Yao Yao is so young and yet so impressive.

Shi Yao paused, then said: "A foreign teacher also strongly recommended Muyin, but didn't Muyin miss the orchestra's final audition? That teacher hopes she can come try again, though they've never been able to get in touch with her…"