Julian Qi was, indeed, a little different with me. I could sense it.
Perhaps a young man's heart was easier to stir, and easier to make earnest.
I suddenly felt a pang of guilt. What if Julian Qi's feelings for me grew deeper? Honestly, I really wasn't into younger guys, nor could I give him the response he wanted.
I was just trying to use his identity to balance my own heart. If he was willing to play along, to pass the time with me, maybe I could consider it. But if real feelings were involved, I could never accept it.
Just as I was lost in my chaotic thoughts, Hugh Pei returned from his shower. He was wearing a black bathrobe, the chest slightly open, revealing the faint, firm lines of his pectoral muscles—strong and sexy.
I averted my gaze, stuffed my phone under the pillow, and pretended to be asleep.
A moment later, I felt the soft mattress dip beside me. Hugh Pei had lain down, bringing with him the mixed scent of body wash and shampoo—a scent I liked.
"Why aren't you sleeping in the guest room anymore?" I asked, my back to him, stirring up trouble again.
"The master bedroom is half mine," Hugh Pei replied coldly.
"Then why are you using my bathroom? And my body wash and shampoo?" I turned over to glare at him. "Didn't you used to say you hated that scent?"
When a woman's brain goes haywire, the questions she asks become just as thorny.
Hugh Pei's face, so close, was still perfect. Even the curve of his frown was just right. He turned to look at me, his thin lips moving. "Zoe Xu, do you hear what you're saying?"
We stared at each other for a while, and his gaze made me lose my nerve. I turned back over to sleep. "Forget it. I'm the bigger person."
The next second, a hand grabbed my shoulder and unceremoniously yanked me back around. I thought the thin layer of flesh on my shoulder was about to be pinched off by Hugh Pei.
"Ow, ow, ow, Hugh Pei, what are you doing?!" I cried out, tears welling in my eyes.
A flame of desire burned in Hugh Pei's dark eyes. He scanned my face, his gaze finally resting on my lips. Just as I realized something was wrong, he bit down fiercely, stopping the words in my mouth and forcing them back down my throat.
His kiss left me dizzy and breathless. Suddenly, a sharp pain on my lip, and then Hugh Pei let me go.
There was a trace of blood on the corner of his mouth, which he wiped away nonchalantly.
"Hugh Pei, do you have rabies?!" I touched my stinging lip. Sure enough, there was blood. I flew into a rage and reached out to hit him.
But my hand was caught again, and I couldn't move at all.
Hugh Pei, with steady, fierce precision, covered my injured lips once more. The curse on the tip of my tongue died before it could be born.
We spent a long time wrestling on the bed in an awkward, contradictory way. I wanted to reject him, but I was always left flustered by his domineering and forceful advances. He, in turn, wanted to be gentle, but as soon as I resisted, he would suppress me in a fit of rage.
Finally, I was drenched in sweat. Hugh Pei had long since shed his bathrobe, and beads of sweat rolled down his fit back.
He got up from the bed, glanced at the chaotic mess of blankets and pillows, and then went out onto the balcony, bare-chested. Under the heavily falling snow, he stood in the cold wind and smoked a cigarette.
I smoothed my sweat-dampened hair, took a breath, and silently cursed, "Freeze to death, you bastard!"
I had done well today. With my bony frame, I had successfully repelled Hugh Pei's assault. Although there wasn't a single spot on my body that looked presentable, at least I had held my bottom line.
Just then, Hugh Pei finished his cigarette, turned around, and closed the door. A fierce look appeared in his eyes, but a faint smile played on his lips. "Come, let's continue."
"Continue my ass! Go to hell!" I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. He caught it deftly and tossed it on the floor, then strode to the bed in a few steps. He leaned over and grabbed both my hands, preventing me from throwing anything else.
"I never knew you liked to curse so much," Hugh Pei said, and then gave me no further chance to resist.
Three minutes later, I internally declared the siege a failure.
I had promised myself not to stay up late, but whenever Hugh Pei's animal instincts took over, there was no way for me to get to bed early and stay healthy.
To make matters worse, the next day was my mother-in-law's birthday, and I had to drag my nearly broken body out of bed. When I sat down at the vanity after a shower, I was shocked by my own reflection.
My face was pale, with dark circles under my listless eyes. My neck was covered in hickeys and bruises. At first glance, I looked like a victim of long-term abuse and domestic violence.
Hugh Pei pushed the door open and came in, impeccably dressed, with his usual air of refined elegance.
In contrast, me… well, it was better not to look.
"Get dressed and come downstairs. We'll leave after breakfast." Hugh Pei was the kind of person who became a saint after the act, as if the man who had tormented me wildly last night wasn't him. He naturally reverted to the "most familiar stranger" mode.
I didn't want to talk to him, so I just got up and went to the walk-in closet to find something to wear.
My in-laws also preferred a graceful, elegant, and dignified daughter-in-law, so I chose the safest option: a white coat, with an apricot turtleneck sweater and long pants underneath. It was simple and exquisite, and it could also cover my unsightly neck.
Then I carefully applied makeup to hide the fatigue on my face and bring some color back to my complexion.
Finally, I took the birthday gift I had prepared long ago and went downstairs. Hugh Pei was already there eating breakfast. When he saw me, a servant placed a steaming hot breakfast in front of me.
After breakfast, Hugh Pei and I left together. As we passed the snowman, he asked me, "Why did you only give it a nose and no eyes?"
"I did, but then I got in a bad mood and plucked them out." I didn't know where my annoyance was coming from. Maybe it was because my legs were still sore while Hugh Pei looked full of energy, which irritated me. I suddenly pulled the snowman's nose out again, threw it into a snowdrift, and shot him a glare.
Hugh Pei didn't react to my gesture. In the past, he would have thought I was trying to get his attention again and would have been annoyed.
He even picked up the carrot and put it back on the snowman.
The champagne-colored Mulsanne outside the gate was already covered in a thick layer of snow. It was too much trouble to deal with on the spot, so Hugh Pei called a driver over to handle it. Then he went to the underground garage and drove out a Cullinan. After waiting in the freezing weather for a moment, the car slowly pulled up beside me.
I opened the passenger door and got in, and we set off for my mother-in-law's house.
As we passed through the Erhua area again, I saw that the old staff residential compound where Lila Wei and her family lived had been demolished. The air was filled with dust, the constant sound of excavators, and rumbling noises everywhere.
Where were Lila Wei and her family living now? I was a little curious. Eva Liu had invited me over for dinner, and I had genuinely taken it to heart, planning to go when I had time.