Crowds surged through the hospital as Jing Meng hurried after a figure.
Suddenly, a man with an anxious look on his face collided right into her.
Jing Meng stumbled, but the man was quick to react, reaching out to catch her arm.
Once she regained her footing, he scratched his head and said apologetically, "I am so sorry. I was in too much of a hurry. Are you alright?"
Her mind was preoccupied with the acquaintance she had spotted, so Jing Meng waved him off, indicating she was fine, and prepared to resume her chase.
However, when she looked ahead again, the person was nowhere to be seen.
She scanned the area, but in the sea of people passing back and forth, she couldn't find that specific back again. Jing Meng walked back toward the entrance, feeling a sense of loss.
Was I mistaken just now?!
"Jing Meng!" She suddenly heard an urgent voice, and before she could turn around, she was pulled into a hug.
The grip was firm, yet careful to avoid her injured arm.
Recognizing the meticulous care and that familiar scent, she knew who it was instantly.
Pei Shiyi!
Jing Meng silently dropped her defensive stance and let her body go rigid, allowing Pei Shiyi to hold her.
The people in the hospital were all beginning to stare. Jing Meng hesitated before poking Pei Shiyi's shoulder. "President Pei, don't you think it's better if you let me go first?"
Pei Shiyi paused for a moment before slowly pulling his hands back.
Jing Meng was just breathing a sigh of relief when the world suddenly spun around her...
Jing Meng: ??!!
"Pei Shiyi! What are you doing?"
Startled, she instinctively reached out to wrap her arms around Pei Shiyi's neck.
Hearing the whispers of the people nearby, Jing Meng lowered her eyes in annoyance. She was about to confront him when she heard Pei Shiyi speak in a calm tone. "You'd better not move around."
He looked up into Jing Meng's eyes and smiled tenderly. "Otherwise, I'm not sure what I might do next."
Jing Meng: "..."
Are you planning on doing something here in public?
Before she could process it, Pei Shiyi was already walking toward the parking garage.
"Can you put me down? It's my hand that's injured, not my legs!!!"
"Pei"
"Shh." Pei Shiyi blinked at her, almost as if he were acting spoiled, his expression unexpectedly gentle. "Mengmeng, you'd better be good."
Gentle?!
What part of this man, who is literally threatening you, is gentle? Jing Meng, have you lost your mind?
Jing Meng was furious at herself for how her heart was acting. She had no choice but to turn her head away and refuse to look at him, though her ears were burning a deep red.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, the corners of Pei Shiyi's lips curled up, and the light in his dark eyes grew more dazzling.
During the ride back to the Pei Residence, both were silent.
Because of her traitorous, racing heart, Jing Meng didn't dare look Pei Shiyi in the eye. Meanwhile, Pei Shiyi was lost in thought regarding that mysterious woman.
"Why did you run off so suddenly earlier?" While stopped at a red light, Pei Shiyi suddenly recalled how Jing Meng had been chasing something in such a rush.
At the mention of this...
Jing Meng lowered her gaze, an unconscious shadow of sorrow crossing her face. "I just saw an acquaintance, but I don't know..."
She gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Maybe I just saw wrong?"
It seemed that person was very important to Jing Meng. Otherwise, given her personality, she would never show such an expression in front of others.
Realizing this, Pei Shiyi didn't press further and smoothly changed the subject.
Noticing his consideration, Jing Meng withdrew her gaze from the window and turned to smile at him. "President Pei, aren't you going to ask who it was?"
Pei Shiyi kept his eyes on the road, his expression unchanged. "No matter who it is, you are currently my fiancée!"
Jing Meng was stunned for a second, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
As she chuckled, she seemed to grow tired. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat, her voice rising slightly. "As expected of President Pei. Such confidence..."
"By the way, tonight..."
Just as Pei Shiyi was about to say something, his phone rang at an inopportune time.
Pei Shiyi: "..."
Does this phone have a personal grudge against me?
Jing Meng couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Pei Shiyi pressed the answer button, his voice cold enough to drop ice shards. "Speak!"
"President Pei, we have a lead regarding what you asked us to investigate last time."
That voice... it wasn't his assistant's. It was the detective...
Had they found the woman from that night?
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Jing Meng, who was looking boredly out the window, and instinctively lowered his voice.
"Meet me at the company in one hour!"
"If there's something going on at work, you can just drop me off at the Pei Residence and go take care of your business." Seeing Pei Shiyi hang up with a serious expression, Jing Meng assumed something had happened at the company.
"Yeah. I'll be back late tonight, so go to bed early." Pei Shiyi started the car again. Looking at Jing Meng's exquisite profile, his fingers curled slightly on the steering wheel. "Jing Meng."
"Hmm?" She sounded confused that he had called her name.
Pei Shiyi looked at her for a long time as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he only gave a faint smile. "Get to sleep early tonight. Don't stay up late."
Jing Meng was taken aback. she didn't understand how Pei Shiyi had suddenly switched into "gentle mode." She still remembered how cold his face had been when they first met, and now...
"Alright!" Jing Meng responded and then fell silent.
An awkward atmosphere settled over the car.
Fortunately, it didn't last long before they arrived at the Pei Residence. Jing Meng felt as if she had been granted a divine pardon; she scrambled out of the car so quickly she forgot to even say thank you.
Watching Jing Meng enter the house with practiced ease, Pei Shiyi closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
Jing Meng, I hope you don't disappoint me...
The Rolls-Royce started up again, carving a perfect arc on the wide road.
The moment the car moved, Jing Meng seemed to feel something. She turned her head and looked out the window at the sprawling road.
"Miss Jing?" A servant called out to her, confused when Jing Meng suddenly stopped on the stairs.
Jing Meng smiled slightly and started moving again. "It's nothing."
At the Pei Corporation, inside the CEO's office.
Pei Shiyi stared coldly at the photographs scattered across his desk.
"President, this was caught unintentionally by a passerby taking a selfie when that girl left a few years ago, and..." As the detective spoke, he pulled out a much clearer photo.
It was a view of someone's back one that was indistinguishable from Jing Meng's...
When he saw the photo, Pei Shiyi's hand clenched into a tight fist beneath the desk. His mind involuntarily flashed back to the scene where he encountered Jing Meng again. Now, it looked exactly like a meticulously planned trap.
Whether it was the absurdity of their first night or their second meeting, once he had this photo, Jing Meng's actions suddenly felt calculated and full of ulterior motives.
The detective seemed to read his thoughts. He calmly lit a cigarette and looked at Pei Shiyi with an inquiring gaze. "President Pei, should we continue the investigation?"
Should I?
Long fingers tapped lightly on the desk.
After a long time.
"Investigate!"
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