Sabotaging A Relationship
His fear of lightning was written across his face, so Pei Zhi could only lie to make him feel at ease. âIâm not leaving.â
âDonât lie to me.â
âI wonât.â
After Xue Jing confirmed it again, he retracted his hand.
He curled up into a ball at the corner of the sofa. âThen come out quickly.â
Pei Zhi nodded.
He walked into the bedroom, placed the soft body in his arms on the bed, and covered her slender legs with a blanket.
âJiaojiao.â
âYeahâ¦â
Lin Jiao kicked the blanket away.
She frowned and passed her fair forearm under her waist to touch something on her back.
This familiar action made Pei Zhi quickly turn around to avoid seeing something he shouldnât.
He stared at the floor motionlessly. When he saw a black thing flying over from the corner of his eye, he quickly caught it.
This time, the touch was different from before. It was warm and soft.
Out of curiosity, Pei Zhi looked at it.
However, before he could figure it out, his eyes turned red from the lace at the corners, and his heart started to race uncontrollably.
âBrother Peiâ¦â A boyish voice was heard.
Before Xue Jing entered the room, Pei Zhi stuffed the thing under the pillow and quietly covered Lin Jiao with the blanket.
He calmed himself down and caught the child who was running in his direction. âAre you afraid?â
âYes.â Xue Jing nestled in his arms.
He hugged his neck, wanting him to carry him out.
Pei Zhi played with him until ten oâclock before taking him to wash up. âJing, did you sleep with your sister last night?â
âThatâs right.â Xue Jing brushed his teeth carefully.
He spat out a mouthful of toothpaste bubbles and stared at Pei Zhi in the mirror. âBut I want to sleep with you tonight. Can I?â
âSure.â Pei Zhi wrung the towel dry.
He helped Xue Jing clean up and pushed open the door opposite the master bedroom.
âBrother Pei, arenât you going to change your clothes?â
âLater.â
âYouâll feel uncomfortable like this.â Xue Jing propped himself up on the pillow and insisted on him changing his clothes.
Pei Zhi had no choice but to put on a pajama.
He told Xue Jing a short story. After he fell asleep, he carried him into the master bedroom.
The small night lamp that was still on at the head of the bed emitted an orange glow. Light and shadow scattered down and wrapped around the sleeping siblings.
Pei Zhi, who was sitting by the bed, listened to their light breathing and stared at them for a long time before turning off the lamp.
*
The rain that had been falling all night gradually stopped.
The sun rose slowly from the horizon, dispelling the last few dark clouds that shrouded the sky.
The sun shone into the room and, together with the vibration of the phone, woke Pei Zhi up.
He pressed the answer button, and Chu Yuzhouâs voice came from the other end. âBrother, what are you doing?â
âSleeping.â
âDo you want to play golf?â Chu Yuzhou chewed on his gum as he drove towards the court. âShen Yi came back last night.â
âSend me the address.â
âSure.â
Pei Zhi hung up and got up.
When he arrived at the court, the dishes that Chu Yuzhou and the others had ordered were almost cold.
âPresident Pei, youâre too slow.â Shen Yi played with the lighter in boredom, not forgetting to throw a cigarette at him.
He looked fairer than Chu Yuzhou. Although the aura he emitted was gentle, one could tell at a glance that he wasnât someone to be trifled with.
âI woke up late.â Pei Zhi pulled out a chair.
Seeing that he was in a good mood, Chu Yuzhou raised his eyebrows. âWhere did you go last night?â
âDrinking with her.â
âLin Jiao?â
âWho else?â Pei Zhi lit the cigarette.
He hadnât told them the full story yet, but the two of them knew from his radiant smile that their relationship was another step closer.
âBrother, let me give you a piece of advice.â
âWhat?â
âItâs not a good idea to sabotage someone elseâs relationship.â Shen Yi seemed to be persuading him to give up. âEven if you succeed, thereâs a high chance youâll be dumped.â
Chu Yuzhou chuckled.
He glanced at Pei Zhiâs subtle expression and quickly explained, âLin Jiao broke up with that man some time ago. Heâs not sabotaging anything.â
âThey really broke up?â
âThatâs right.â
Shen Yi received an affirmative look and immediately started congratulating.
âBrother, congratulations.â He stood up and poured a cup of tea for Pei Zhi. âYouâve finally made it after so many years.â
Pei Zhi sneered.
He picked up his teacup and took two sips. âYou can congratulate me when I succeed in sabotaging their relationship.â
âShe doesnât have a boyfriend now and isnât married. In that case, you are not sabotaging their relationship.â Shen Yi retorted quickly, as if he did not remember the âadviceâ he just gave.
Chu Yuzhou, who was beside them, laughed.
He lit his cigarette and rubbed his cheeks that were sore from laughing so hard. âShen Yi, itâs a pity youâre not a Face changing opera actor.â
âNo one will think youâre mute if you donât speak.â
âHey, youâre being unreasonable.â
Shen Yi had no time to bicker with him.
He scooped some rice into a bowl and asked, âDoes Lin Jiao know how you feel about her?â
âNo.â
âWhen do you plan to tell her?â
âIâll see.â Pei Zhi stubbed out his cigarette and slowly picked up his food. âShe just broke up and isnât in the mood to start a new relationship.â
âThatâs true.â Shen Yi sighed to herself.
Worried that Lin Jiao might get back together with her ex, he couldnât help but ask, âWhy did they break up?â
âGu Quan cheated on her.â
âWhat the!â
Chu Yuzhou was stunned. âIsnât Lin Jiao good enough? What is he not satisfied about?â
Although they did not spend much time with Lin Jiao, they could tell that she had a good personality and was an empathetic person.
When Pei Zhi first heard this news, other than being angry, he was a little surprised too.
He pried open the crab leg using a lot of strength to vent his anger.
But before he could speak, Shen Yi gritted his teeth and said, âHe and his clique are just a bunch of hooligans.â
âYou know them?â
âNo, but Iâm prepared to get to know them.â
âWhat exactly happened? Tell me!â Chu Yuzhouâs curiosity was piqued.
Shen Yi explained in brief, âOne buddy of Gu Quanâs stole my cousinâs girlfriend and hit him on the head.â
âHow long ago?â
âLast month.â
âWhy didnât you say that earlier?â Chu Yuzhou was so angry that he wanted to punch the table. âWe have a reason to punish him for hitting your cousin.â
âI was very busy during that time.â
Shen Yi had been studying abroad for two months and was as tired as a dog every day.
âWhatâs his background?â Pei Zhi asked as he looked up, but he was not as worked up as Chu Yuzhou.