Chapter 22: The You in My Heart
Pu Huaiyan’s affection was remarkably gentle, progressing step by step without grand gestures or overwhelming grandiosity. He was like subtle winter snow; when you stepped outside into a snowy day and walked a few steps, snowflakes would lightly cover the shoulders of your coat without making you feel any weight. Even though he had just promised to back her up in everything, Shan Dai did not feel forced by the breeze he brought to compel herself into thinking about an ultimate outcome with him before he had even confessed.
She knew full well that overthinking class differences was futile, and she knew equally well that Pu Huaiyan was someone who didn’t require her to overthink. Furthermore, he showed no signs of any excessive “affection” that would force her into feeling anxious over it.
He simply made her feel his liking and his sincerity without leaving a trace—nothing more, nothing less.
Pu Huaiyan was truly a fascinating man.
On the way back to the hotel, Shan Dai caught a glimpse of a bank out of the corner of her eye. Remembering that she needed to transfer money to her eldest aunt, she troubled him to find another bank up ahead.
Pu Huaiyan drove the car closer to the hotel area before using the navigation to search for one.
The rain hadn’t stopped, falling neither too heavily nor too lightly. After parking the car, Pu Huaiyan told her not to get out just yet. He pulled out an umbrella, opened the door, and walked around the front of the car to the passenger side. Unbuckling her seatbelt, he helped her out, holding the umbrella over them both as they walked together toward the ATM.
To their surprise, someone was already standing before the machine on this rainy night: a man stood smoking in the dark, doing nothing else.
Seeing two people approach—a man and a woman—the stranger cast an unfriendly glare at them before looking away, appearing completely uninterested.
Shan Dai felt a lingering fear and shot a glance at Pu Huaiyan.
Closing the umbrella, he tilted his chin to signal for her to proceed with the money transfer without fear. Then he turned around and stood diagonally behind her, placing himself right between her and the man in the corner.
The machine loudly broadcasted the transaction progress in its cold voice: cash withdrawal, remittance, transfer confirmation. Every phrase sounded exceptionally loud in the rainy night, striking her as somewhat dangerous and attention-grabbing. Shan Dai thought to herself that it was fortunate Pu Huaiyan was here; otherwise, coming to transfer money late at night like this would have been terrifying.
Once the transfer was completed, she pulled out her card, turned around, and instinctively linked her arm through Pu Huaiyan’s.
He glanced down at her arm, then held the umbrella over her head, the corners of his lips curving up high in the rainy night as they walked out together.
The bank was located at the corner just a hundred meters ahead of the hotel, and the car arrived downstairs at the hotel in the blink of an eye.
Pu Huaiyan got out again to accompany Shan Dai into the lobby, and they stepped into the elevator together. Then, he suddenly asked her, “Your business is wrapped up, right? Do you have any other matters in Beijing?”
“No, nothing else.”
“Then when do you plan to leave?”
“I haven’t bought tickets yet; maybe I’ll get them for tomorrow or the day after.” After saying that, she turned to look at him. “Over these past two days, honestly, I’ve troubled President Pu way too much. Thank you.” She had originally planned to treat him to a meal before leaving, but since they had already eaten tonight, she didn’t bring it up again. Continually asking him out would only waste his time, and she sensed he didn’t want her constantly worrying about owing him meal after meal.
Pu Huaiyan was just that kind of person. Even though she clearly knew he was pursuing her, she was certain that if she offered to treat him to dinner tomorrow at this moment, he wouldn’t be very cooperative. He didn’t like her taking on trouble; what he loved was clearing away trouble for her.
However, after hearing about her flight timing, he didn’t say okay. Instead, he asked her back, “Are things urgent after you return?”
“Hmm?”
The man tilted his head toward her. His bright eyes entangled with hers in the dimly lit elevator, and for the very first time, she could sense the faint trace of desire floating in his gaze.
“If you’re not in a rush to go back, could you stay for two more days?”
Shan Dai raised her delicate eyebrows and asked seriously, “Why? Is there something President Pu needs me for?”
“Nothing major.” His gaze drifted toward the floor, and he offered a faint smile. “The day after tomorrow is my birthday.”
Shan Dai was so surprised that she forgot to react.
The elevator arrived at her floor, and he gently guided her out.
The two walked side by side. At this hour, the hotel was exceptionally quiet, with only the soft echo of their footsteps rippling down the long corridor.
Shan Dai snapped back to her senses, glancing at the man beside her as they walked. “President Pu’s… birthday?”
“Yes. My friends plan to celebrate my birthday. I rarely used to be in the country, and during my first year back last year, I happened to be on a business trip. So this year, I didn’t plan to refuse their goodwill and prepare to host a dinner at home.” Stopping in front of her room door, the man said, “If you’re not in a hurry to get back, would it be alright if you came over for a meal? Just a few friends, so you won’t feel uncomfortable.”
Shan Dai opened the door and turned around to face him. She felt that ever since they met, he had helped her way too much. Especially over these past two days… she had been troubling him from morning to night without any chance to express her gratitude. Refusing a birthday invitation like this would really be terrible; from the very first second, she hadn’t wanted to refuse at all.
Still, how was he going to introduce her identity to others? As a friend? Somehow, introducing her like that felt very unconvincing.
Ah well, she’d leave that to him; her only job was to say yes.
“Alright. It’s the evening after tomorrow, right?” She agreed directly and confirmed the details.
“Yes.” The light in the man’s eyes brightened slightly. “I’ll pick you up after work the day after tomorrow, around this time in the early evening.”
“Sounds good.” On second thought, she asked, “The day after tomorrow is Saturday; do you still have to work overtime?”
“Yes. Because I have something to attend to tomorrow afternoon and can’t work, I’ll put in some overtime the day after tomorrow.” After finishing his sentence, he added another line, “I won’t be in Beijing starting tomorrow afternoon, but if anything comes up, you can still contact me. I’ll have Xiao Ci come find you.”
Shan Dai nodded slowly. “Alright. Are you going on a short business trip?”
“It’s not a business trip.” It was rare for him to hesitate; pausing for a moment, he said, “A Vice President at Yanxin is holding a wedding tomorrow in Linzhou, so I’m heading over to attend.”
Shan Dai paused, gazing quietly back at him. It was no wonder he hadn’t spoken directly about such a topic. Between the two of them, one had just experienced marital betrayal, while the other seemed to like her—someone who wasn’t even divorced yet. This topic naturally carried an inherent sense of taboo.
After several seconds, she offered a light, nonchalant smile. “Oh, attending a wedding. I actually just came from Linzhou this time. Before coming over, I even saw that you and Secretary Shen went to Linzhou last weekend as well, and I was thinking what an inconvenient coincidence it was.”
Pu Huaiyan let out a light cough. “That time was also to attend a wedding—a friend’s wedding.”
Shan Dai was surprised.
Pu Huaiyan added, “Afterward, Xiao Ci kept complaining that coming straight back was boring and didn’t want to rush back that night, so we went out to sea for a bit.”
Having said that, he immediately shifted the topic. “Xiao Ci isn’t going this time. If you have anything, you can look for her; if not, you can still have her keep you company. If the weather is nice tomorrow, you can go out for a stroll—she has nothing to do all day anyway.”
Shan Dai let out a soft laugh. Suddenly, she felt that the distance between her and him was somewhat vast—a kind of distance that existed between an elder and a junior.
Pu Huaiyan was exceptionally gentlemanly and maintained perfect boundaries. Since she was fully mobile today, he not only showed no intention of stepping into her room, but even when standing at the doorway, he kept a distance of about half a meter from her.
That was roughly the middle of the hotel hallway. His posture remained thoroughly gentlemanly, standing relaxed and composed with both hands behind his back. The warm light shining from inside her room happened to envelop his tall, slender frame. The warm orange glow seemed to trap his entire presence in a gentle time loop, making him appear much older than her all at once, as if he couldn’t stop worrying about every little thing concerning her.
“Speaking of which, I still don’t know how old President Pu is turning.”
“Twenty-eight.”
realization dawned on her. “You’re only two years older than me.”
“Do I look old?” He raised his brows slightly.
Shan Dai smiled. “You look exceptionally handsome. It’s just… in terms of handling matters, even when I reach twenty-eight, I won’t possess your level of decisiveness and drive. So I assumed you were around thirty.”
He smiled faintly. “Not at all. Miss Shan is very, very outstanding—even at the age of twenty-six.”
Shan Dai’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It was a feeling she had never felt toward Pu Huaiyan before—a sudden, deep fluttering of the heart when someone firmly appreciates you while you’re simply muddling along in your environment.
It might have had nothing to do with romantic love, but it was certainly about Pu Huaiyan as a person…
She took a deep breath and smiled. “Then you should head back and get some rest early.”
“Alright. You too.”
“It’s still raining outside, and your hand probably hasn’t fully healed yet, so drive carefully.”
Pu Huaiyan gazed at her quietly.
Shan Dai didn’t quite understand his look, but she still asked, “Has this hand not fully recovered yet? Does it usually hurt?”
“It’s alright. It doesn’t hurt unless it gets bumped.”
Shan Dai knit her brows slightly. “Then you still carried me yesterday, and you’ve been driving these past two days.”
Without a second thought, he replied, “Compared to watching you endure the pain of walking with a limp, forgetting a minor injury of my own isn’t a difficult thing. Making you endure pain is what’s truly difficult.”
Shan Dai lowered her head and smiled. She felt that in the past, she wasn’t someone who constantly wore a smile on her face—she was a quiet person. Yet, when she was with Pu Huaiyan, she always seemed unable to suppress these outward expressions of emotion.
Slowly looking up, she flashed a bright, radiant smile. She looked at her own hand, then at his hand resting behind his back. “They’re both the right hand; I suppose that counts as a kind of fate between me and President Pu.”
The corners of his mouth curved upward.
Shan Dai said, “Alright, then please head back quickly. Will you be rushing back late tomorrow night?”
“Probably.”
“Then… please drive carefully in the middle of the night. The drive from Beijing to Linzhou takes about two hours, doesn’t it? Driving late at night must be very exhausting.”
Pu Huaiyan nodded while staring straight at her, showing no intention of moving his feet at all.
Shan Dai still didn’t understand why he was staring so intently at her. She stepped inside, turned around, and slowly pulled the door shut. In the very last second, the man finally nodded at her. “Goodnight.” With that, he stepped forward and walked toward the elevator.
The second he stepped into the elevator, a WeChat message arrived on Pu Huaiyan’s phone.
Shan Dai: “Should I remind you to eat lunch tomorrow? You haven’t left at noon yet, right?”
Pu Huaiyan stared at the phone message just as he had stared at her earlier. His straight, tall frame gradually relaxed because of this message, leaning back against the rear wall of the elevator with his legs slightly bent. Gazing at the phone screen, his mind tumbled through countless memories. Ever since she learned he had a bad stomach and knew his hand was injured, how many times had she shown concern for him?
His concern still carried a stark, explicit motive, but Miss Shan’s concern was always so open and aboveboard. During their first dinner meeting, while her marriage was still outwardly blissful, she hadn’t forgotten to remind him to drink less alcohol because it was bad for his stomach.
When she thought his phrasing was off, she still advised him to eat dishes that were good for his stomach… Miss Shan was clearly as gentle as water, yet she shone like a blazing sun capable of piercing right through a wandering, rainy night.
In the ten years since he got his driver’s license—from Toronto to Los Angeles, to New York—no one had ever told him to drive carefully on a rainy night or that a two-hour drive was too long. Nor had anyone ever held his hand in their heart the way she did.
…
After receiving Pu Huaiyan’s reply and preparing to wash up, Shan Dai suddenly remembered that Ziming hadn’t replied to her message yet.
Feeling worried, she placed another call over to her.
Unexpectedly, it was answered right away this time, followed by a male voice, “Hello, hi.”
Shan Dai instantly stood up straight in surprise. “Who are you?”
The man on the phone said, “I’m Mingming’s friend. Are you Miss Shan? I’m sorry, she fell asleep. We came out camping, and her phone was charging in the car. I came over to get something and happened to see your call.”
“…” Camping?? Since when did Ziming have this hobby? Shan Dai took a breath and asked carefully, “Are… are you that… Bentley Bro?”
“Mm, yeah, Bentley Bro.”
“…”
Goodness, they went on a trip together—that girl Ziming.
After asking a couple more questions to confirm his identity was genuine, Shan Dai hung up the phone and went to wash up.
Because of her two injuries, taking a shower was quite a hassle, taking her over an hour before she finally stepped out. By then, it was already past midnight.
The carpet near the window still looked somewhat dark in color. She walked over to check and found a bit of water accumulated along the window sill. Had the hotel staff not come by?
However, the rain wasn’t heavy tonight, so no water was seeping in anymore. Shan Dai was exhausted, so she didn’t bother with it, heading back to bed and falling asleep in the blink of an eye.
The next morning at ten o’clock, Ziming called. “Bentley Bro said he picked up your call last night~ Sorry, Dai Dai, I was having so much fun that I went to sleep super early. What was that message about? Do you need the full down payment? Do you need it right now? Aren’t you still in Beijing? I have it, I’ll give it to you.”
Shan Dai had just woken up at that moment and immediately said, “It’s fine, no rush, and I don’t need the money anymore. What’s going on with you, staying out all night?”
“Hehehe.”
“…”
“Out camping with my heartthrob—it’s actually pretty fun.”
“…” Shan Dai was stunned for a few seconds before processing the situation. “Bentley Bro is making fast progress; he’s already turned into a heartthrob.”
“…” Ziming’s laughter carried a touch of bashfulness. “Aiya, I can’t keep calling him that forever. Let me tell you, he saw the contact note I saved for him! He told me he just got a new car recently—a Land Rover—and asked if I needed to update his title. See, this guy was even getting upset about it! Then I changed his contact note to ‘Heartthrob’ right in front of his face, and his face turned red from embarrassment, hahaha! This guy is so interesting.”
“…” Ziming usually only spoke in such long sentences when she was cursing someone out. Shan Dai realized things were getting serious. “You caught him?”
“Not yet, wuuu. He hasn’t confessed, but he took the initiative to invite me camping, so that’s major progress!”
“Wishing you success!”
“Hahaha, love you, my Dai’er! So what was up with that money thing after all? Why don’t you need it anymore? Are you not buying it? It’s fine if you don’t buy it; living with me is the absolute best!”
Shan Dai explained the cause and effect of the situation in two sentences, then mentioned that Pu Huaiyan had transferred two million to her.
Ziming was left completely dazed after listening, finally asking the key question: “You guys ate dinner together?”
Shan Dai was forced to recount her encounters over the past two days here, including Pu Huaiyan taking her to the hospital the day before yesterday and accompanying her to social engagements yesterday.
Which ultimately led to them having late-night noodles together last night.
Ziming summarized: “My god, President Pu is this good to you? Is this for real? It’s so good that it feels unreal to me.”
Shan Dai rubbed her forehead, still not entirely clear-headed in the early morning, and murmured, “Mingming, I feel like… Pu Huaiyan likes me.”
“Oh my god!”
“…”
Ziming took a deep breath. “To tell you the truth, I feel the same way. It’s just that I felt it was way too absurd, bizarre, and shocking, to the point that I didn’t dare say it out loud just now. I was afraid you’d start rambling again about how you’re divorced and he wouldn’t look twice at you.”
Just as Shan Dai was about to continue chatting, Bentley Bro’s voice came through the other end.
“Mingming, open wide.” After that, the sound of Ziming eating food drifted over.
Shan Dai: ?? They hadn’t eaten yet? Bentley Bro was feeding her food???
She quietly said they’d talk more once she got back to Lan City and hung up the phone.
Crawling out of bed to wash up, Shan Dai drank a simple glass of milk and started working without eating breakfast.
At noon, thinking that Pu Huaiyan might eat the same meal as her, Shan Dai took special care when selecting dishes for her order, avoiding picking only things she liked. Although she didn’t know what he liked to eat either—up until now, the two of them had only eaten three proper meals together. During the first meal, her husband was present, so it was impossible for her to notice his preferences. During the second meal in Lan City, her mood was down, so she didn’t notice his dining habits either. Last night’s bowl of noodles was their third meal.
She was worried he had been eating her favorite dishes alongside her for several meals and might be getting tired of them.
When lunch was delivered, there were two roses set on the tray. The room service staff said, “This is a gift from the restaurant for female guests today.”
Shan Dai assumed every guest received them and accepted with pleasure. After arranging the food plates, she immediately snapped a photo and sent it to Pu Huaiyan.
Yanxin Times had its lunch break at 11:30 AM, and it was already 12:00 PM now. Shan Dai said: “I’m having this today. President Pu can order a portion following this menu—don’t let yourself go hungry.”
Pu Huaiyan replied in seconds for the first time: “Okay. I’ll order food right away.”
Seeing that, the corners of Shan Dai’s lips curved upward, feeling a bit relieved.
Pu Huaiyan: “Those flowers on the table look quite nice.”
“…” Shan Dai felt her face flush slightly and explained: “They were given by the hotel. Every guest gets them.”
Pu Huaiyan: “That’s impossible. I only give them to you.”
“…” In that single instant, Shan Dai felt as if the world was coming to an end. Good heavens, this man Pu Huaiyan truly never failed to shock people with his words. Just like the first time they met when he said the Xinjiang grasslands were green and lovely, he was making her heart almost stop beating.
“??” She replied, unable to type anymore, so tongue-tied that even her breathing rhythm was thrown off.
Pu Huaiyan: “Thank you for sharing your menu and reminding me to eat, Miss Shan.”
“…” Caught between tears and laughter, she couldn’t help typing: “Making it so complicated~!”
“It’s not complicated. It’s super, ultra not complicated.”
“…” She urged him to go eat, as there were still things to handle in the afternoon.
The two roses stood conspicuously off to one side. Shan Dai fiddled with them while eating. As she played with them and was nearly done with her meal, something suddenly occurred to her: it was Pu Huaiyan’s birthday, so she couldn’t show up empty-handed, right? Having received so much money from him, she had to bring a proper birthday gift along, right?
And it had to be a respectable gift; anything ordinary wouldn’t be presentable.
However, going shopping alone was a bit inconvenient. Both her hand and foot were injured, and she wasn’t very familiar with Beijing. Last time she went out with Lu Zhixing for a day, it was mainly to visit scenic spots rather than go shopping.
After thinking it over, Shan Dai reached out to Shen Jiani to ask if she was free tonight.
Shen Jiani was naturally free! For this future sister-in-law, she would cancel an appointment even if it were with the President, let alone the fact that Pu Huaiyan had explicitly instructed her days ago not to make random plans with others and to be on standby at all times to accompany the injured Shan Dai for meals. Mm, if he wasn’t summoned, she would go—she was on reserve duty.
Shan Dai: “Then I’ll treat Secretary Shen to dinner tonight, and then we can go shopping for a bit, okay? I want to buy a gift.”
Shen Jiani: “Yes, yes, yes! I love shopping the most!!! I’ve been working overtime like crazy lately and haven’t gone shopping in forever! I’ll pick you up at the hotel after work, Miss Shan!”
Shan Dai: “Alright, I’ll wait for you. Thank you.”
After finishing the chat, Shen Jiani immediately strutted over to the CEO’s office with a spring in her step.
Pu Huaiyan was currently eating lunch at his executive desk.
She let out a whistle. “Woah, planning to act like a normal human today? Actually having three normal meals, huh.”
“…” Eating the same lunch as his sweetheart put Pu Huaiyan in a wonderful mood, so he chose not to lower himself to the level of an unpolished child.
Shen Jiani leaned over, glanced at his dishes, and reached out to pinch a slice of foie gras into her mouth.
Pu Huaiyan: “…” He let out a disdainful click of his tongue.
Shen Jiani ran over to the guest lounge area to find tissues to wipe her hands, then happily ran back and flopped right in front of the man eating lunch, saying softly: “Let me tell you some good news, Gege. Give me some finder’s fee.”
His chopsticks tapped the single remaining slice of foie gras. “You’ve already eaten it.”
“My god, was this goose raised by Qin Shi Huang1?”
“…”
His eyes showed a trace of confusion. “You even know who Qin Shi Huang is.”
Shen Jiani instantly beamed with excitement. “What’s so hard about that? I took Chinese as a minor back in second grade of primary school! Don’t hold a bias against my Chinese mastery just because of the phrase ‘paramour’2, okay? Older brother already explained it to me—a paramour is a male third party. He said you might, um…”
“…” Pu Huaiyan narrowed his eyes.
Shen Jiani stopped abruptly, offering a smile and not daring to continue, turning to say instead: “Didn’t Qin Shi Huang light signal fires to play tricks on a bunch of generals just for a woman? I remember Brother Ming telling me this story when I was little. That historical allusion was called… lighting signal fires to fool the feudal lords! Yes, Qin Shi Huang lighting signal fires to fool the feudal lords3.”
“…”
The corner of Pu Huaiyan’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. He nonchalantly picked up the last slice of foie gras with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth, the curving arch at the corners of his eyes holding back from deepening.
Shen Jiani looked covetously at his chopsticks. To be honest, the meal he ordered was different from what she got in the cafeteria—it didn’t seem like the stuff from the Yanxin Times cafeteria upstairs. Where did he order it from? Meiyuan? Should she eat with him tomorrow instead?
“Speak. I’ll give you a finder’s fee depending on the situation.” Having finished his meal, President Pu generously opened his mouth, treating it as showing care to an intellectually challenged child.
Shen Jiani’s eyes sparkled: “Your sweetheart asked me out for dinner tonight and then to go shopping—she said she wants to buy a gift.”
Pu Huaiyan gave her a sidelong glance.
She let out a sweet, mischievous giggle: “Did you tell her that tomorrow is your birthday?”
“Mm.”
“Wow, then it’s definitely being bought for you!”
The corners of Pu Huaiyan’s lips curled up high, his chopsticks picking up yet another slice of foie gras hidden beneath green vegetables.
Shen Jiani looked angrily at that slice of foie gras. How was there still more?? She held out her open palm in front of him, saying coldly: “Finder’s fee.”
“What do you want?”
“Mommy told me to go back, but I don’t want to go back—I haven’t had enough fun yet! Call her and tell her you’re super busy here and need me, or else the company is going to go bankrupt.”
“…”
The corner of Pu Huaiyan’s mouth twitched several times, but he didn’t say a word.
She knew she was of some use now and was learning to hijack the emperor to command the feudal lords. Who was the emperor? Naturally, it was a certain beauty with the surname Shan who knew nothing at this moment and was likely finishing her meal and preparing for a afternoon nap.
Knowing how to repay a favor, Pu Huaiyan humored her and immediately picked up his phone. “Where is your mommy, and what time is it there?”
Shen Jiani: “Toronto! It’s fine, people like them who do business with Australians haven’t gone to sleep yet at this hour. Australia’s time zone is similar to ours, and she’s a workaholic night owl just like you.”
Pu Huaiyan dialed a phone call directly to Toronto, where it was currently the middle of the night.
“Hello? Huaiyan?” A middle-aged woman’s voice came through the phone.
Pu Huaiyan: “Auntie, Xiao Ci said you’re calling her back?”
“Yes, she’s been back for too long and needs to return. Lately, I don’t know what trouble she’s causing in Beijing, and she won’t move when called—this child.”
Pu Huaiyan picked up a shrimp from the plate. “There are a lot of matters on my end, and it’s rare that she’s been helping out a lot lately. How about waiting a while, and I’ll personally send her back before the school semester starts?”
“You actually arranged work for her?”
“Yes. There are too many things to handle, and Xiao Ci studies finance, which is a perfect fit. She happens to be able to help me out,” he lied against his conscience.
“Don’t go driving the company into bankruptcy, Huaiyan,” the woman said earnestly, seeming to possess mind-reading abilities.
Shen Jiani: “…”
Pu Huaiyan pressed down on her hand as she prepared to slap the table, closing his eyes to clear her name into the phone: “No, Xiao Ci is very great and handles her work extremely well. She can even go on business trips in my place. If she hadn’t been here lately, I really would have been so busy that I wouldn’t even have time to eat, Auntie. So if there’s nothing urgent on your end, let her stay to help me for a while longer.”
“If that’s the case, then of course that’s fine. I thought she was in Beijing eating, drinking, gambling, and up to no good. Since she’s actually doing proper work, let her stay for a few more days and return when the semester starts.”
“Alright, thank you, Auntie. I’ll hang up then.”
Setting down the phone, Shen Jiani excitedly hugged his arm, her face bright and radiant: “You’re the best, Gege! Love you, love you!”
Pu Huaiyan smiled at her, speaking with extreme gentleness: “Stay on standby properly. The moment Shan Dai needs anything, appear immediately. Once I successfully win her over, you’ll get plenty of benefits.”
“Hmph, I knew you were doing it for yourself.”
While eating his food, Pu Huaiyan said coolly: “Otherwise? Keeping you around so this ‘First Emperor fooling the lords’ can turn my Yanxin Times into a second Taiheng?”
“…” She slapped the table, “Did I say anything wrong? He did fool the feudal lords! Talk about crossing the river and tearing down the bridge—a pair of scoundrels acting in collusion!” She stood up to leave, as there was no foie gras left to eat anyway.
“A pair of scoundrels acting in collusion describes the two of us.”
“…” She turned back, her face turning beet red.
Pu Huaiyan acted as if he saw nothing, instructing her on his own: “When Shan Dai buys me a gift tonight, carry it for her. She’s injured.”
“…”
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