5:30 pm. Purple Pavilion

  Song Yuqiao got off work and Pei Shichen came to pick her up in his car. The two had already booked a restaurant, and only then did Song Yuqiao call Hua Zhong.

  "I'm off work. I've already booked a restaurant, a tea house." Song Yuqiao said as she reported the address.

  The environment in this tea restaurant is relatively good, the price is not expensive, and there are usually more people during afternoon tea time. In the evening, on the contrary, there aren't many people.

  Song Yuqiao chose the one on the edge. At the position of the partition board, there is a lush green plant with strong growth momentum.

  She sat down first, and said to Pei Si: "You go sit over there for now, I want to talk to Hua Zhuan alone first. If I lose control of the situation, you can come over... no, when I call you over, you can come."

  Pei Si couldn't help but laugh, disregarding Song Yuqiao's reaction, and sat down beside her. "Am I just a decoration? If I can't even take care of my wife's matters, then what am I as your man?"

  Song Yuqiao is now particularly nervous, sweating from hand to hand. This matter has been entirely forced upon her up until now.

  Since she was a child, her mother had said that she and her sister Song Shuying were like a turtle and a phoenix. She was the turtle, while her sister Song Shuying was the phoenix. At that time, Song Shuying laughed so hard that she almost lost her breath, "What an image! Turtle Qiaoqiao!"

  Song Yuqiao took two deep breaths and said to Pei Si Cheng, "Please, give us some private time for now. If you notice anything off, come back over, okay?"

  Pei Si Cheng saw that Song Yu Qiao's tone had softened, and he shook his head: "Alright, I'll sit in the chair over there. You have five minutes."

  When Pei Su Cheng left the dinner table and went to the other side, Song Yu Qiao picked up the menu and ordered a few dishes that Hua Zhen liked.

  Then, in these few minutes waiting for Hua Zhen to arrive, it was like an eternity. It really felt that way.

  Song Yuqiao took a tissue to wipe the sweat from her palms, closed her eyes deeply, and just as she did, her phone rang on the table. She suddenly opened her eyes, and the number that jumped into her line of sight was Hua Zhen's.

  "Hello, I've arrived. Where is it?"

  "There's a green plant over here, I saw you." Song Yuqiao stood up and waved his hand, "Hua Zhen, over here!"

  Hua Xuan put on her high heels, hung up the phone and put it in her bag, walked over and sat down. "To celebrate that you've found a new man, let's have two more cups today! Where is your boyfriend?"

  "...went to the restroom." Song Yuqiao said.

  Hua Xuan didn't have much doubt either, because on this side of the table, before she sat down, two chairs were indeed pulled out and there were also three sets of utensils.

  The waiter happened to serve the dishes, and the dishes were all ready. Song Yuqiao ordered a cup of corn, while Hua Sheng ordered a bottle of wine, saying: "How can we not have wine in this setting? I even want to tell you that if you don't get drunk, you won't leave, anyway, your boyfriend is here when you're drunk."

  Song Yuqiao placed both hands on the table, waiting for the waiter to bring over the corn juice and red wine before saying: "Hua Zhen, my new boyfriend is... Pei Si Cheng."

  Hua Xuan, who was pouring wine into the cup, suddenly didn't notice that the bottle mouth wasn't aligned properly and it all poured out onto the table surface, flowing down along the table surface, directly wetting the hem of her clothes. However, because the hem was a deep red color, the red wine only looked like a small damp spot.

  Song Yuqiao hastily pulled out a paper towel from the desktop and leaned over to help Hua Zhen wipe off the wine stains on the table.

  Hua Yun didn't move her hands, she just quietly watched as she pushed the red wine forward and sat up straight.

  "Say it again."

  She was smiling just now, with a very sincere smile at the corner of her mouth, it was a blessing, it was joy from the bottom of her heart, but now, there is no expression on her face, looking at Song Yuqiao, as if she were looking at a stranger.

  Song Yuqiao lowered his head and continued wiping the table for Hua Zhen.

  Hua Yun suddenly grabbed Song Yuqiao's arm and pushed her hard, "Damn it, I'll let you say it again, did you hear me?! Don't wipe it off!"

  Song Yuqiao returned to her seat, raised her eyes and looked at Hua Zhuan who was very anxious, moved her lips again, and mechanically repeated: "My boyfriend is Pei Si Cheng."

  Hua Yun suddenly laughed, and in Song Yuqiao's ears, it was clearly a cold laugh.

  "When did it start?" Forks raised eyebrows.

  Song Yuqiao didn't know what to say, if it was the first time, it was three months ago when she returned to S city, and then gradually drifted apart for a period of time. Confirming the relationship was recently, that is, after divorcing Ye Zenan, she said try it out, until pseudo-pregnancy...

  My head is about to explode, and my temples feel like they're being screwed with two steel nails.

  "You don't want to say? Alright," Hua Zhen said, "Now I'll ask, you answer."

  "Have you had a relationship?"

  Song Yuqiao bit her lower lip and nodded.

  Hua Yun clenched her fists, digging her fingernails into her palms. "Was it before or after the divorce with Ye Zenan?"

  After a long while, Song Yuqiao finally spoke up: "It was before our divorce... But, Hua..."

  Before Song Yuqiao could finish his sentence, Hua Zhen had already splashed the red wine from her cup towards him.

  "So I was wrong about you, Song Yuqiao!" Hua Zhen sneered and put down her wine glass. "I've told you so many times before how much I suffered, how I got rejected by Pei Shichen, but it turns out that at that time, you were already with him, just like a clown jumping around!"

  Pei Si Cheng had already walked over from the other side. From seeing Hua Yun's wine spill, he knew something was off, even though only three minutes had passed.

  However, it was still one step too late.

  Hua Yun's fiery temper, upon hearing such words, not raising her hand to hit someone was already a good thing, splashing a cup of wine was already considered minimizing the harm.

  Song Yuqiao did not make any excuses, at this time all excuses were just quibbling, Hua Zhen would not listen to more, she only hoped that Pei Su Cheng would not come over and add fuel to the fire.

  Pei Si walked to the dinner table, his tall body blocking the view of those who were eager to watch the show on the other side. He had already pulled out a paper towel to help Song Yuqiao wipe off the red wine from her hair. "Huazhen, you sit down first and eat."

  Huajian picked up her bag and stood up, "I'm going to vomit!"

  "Sit down." Pei Si Cheng directly grabbed onto Hua Yun's arm.

  Hua Yun raised her head and looked at Pei Si Cheng in front of her. It turned out that this person would also care about others, and there would be times when he pitied people, only the object of his pity wasn't her after all.

  Paisong did not let go.

  Hua Yun looked at Pei Si Cheng, her eyes reddening, "Even if you don't like me, there's no need to hold onto me so tightly. Sit down and watch what? Watch you two show off your love? I don't want to play anymore, can I leave?"

  At this time, almost all the attention in the restaurant had already gathered here. Pei Si Cheng coldly looked at Hua Zhen and said: "You are now impatient and not suitable to sit down and talk, wait until you calm down, we will have a good talk."

  Hua Xuan almost used all her strength to fiercely shake off Pei Si Cheng's arm and ran out, when she passed by the dining room door, she raised her hand to wipe away tears.

  Pei Si shook his head, he had not thought that Hua Zhen's reaction would be so big, it has been two months since he clearly refused Hua Zhen again. If Song Yuqiao and Hua Zhen really broke up because of this matter, then he would rather cover for Song Yuqiao first.

  He rubbed his brow, and the friendship between women was really different from that between men.

  Perhaps he really was too careless, he turned around, Song Yuqiao was still sitting in her seat, as if from the beginning, she had been maintaining the same posture without moving. The red wine on her hair dripped down along her jawline and fell onto her half-skirt, Pei Si Cheng's heart ached fiercely and abruptly.

  Pei Si sat down, pulled out a handkerchief, reached over Song Yuqiao's shoulder, and carefully wiped away the red wine stains on her hair ends and face.

  Not only did Hua Zhen cry, but Song Yuqiao also cried. The red wine stains on her face were all washed away by tears, and she was quietly sobbing, silently shedding tears.

  Song Yuqiao lowered her head, her eyes fixed on Pei Si Cheng's waistband, from clarity to gradually being blurred by tears.

  Pei Si supported Song Yuqiao's occipital bone, letting her lean on his shoulder, and wiped away the tears on her face with his shirt. "Yuqiao, this is not your fault. This is because Huazhen heard it for the first time, of course she would be so excited. It means Zhang Menglin hasn't had a chance to tell her yet. I'll handle this well, and I'll go talk to Huazhen, guaranteeing there won't be any problems."

  Song Yuqiao's hand curled up and grasped Pei Sicheng's clothes for a few seconds before letting go.

  ………………

  That night, Song Yuqiao didn't return to Huayuan. In the car, she told Pei Si: "Take me back to Jinshui Apartment, I want to be alone for a while."

  Pei Su Cheng glanced at Song Yu Qiao through the rearview mirror and changed direction, heading towards Jin Shui Apartments.

  Song Yu Qiao stared out of the car window and suddenly shouted "stop the car" when they passed by a street food street.

  Pei Su Cheng parked the car in a temporary parking space by the side of the road and followed Song Yu Qiao out of the car, following behind her.

  There were many people at the night market, and there were all kinds of snacks inside.

  Pei Shichen stood beside Song Yuqiao and used his arm to block some of the crowded pedestrians for her.

  Song Yuqiao bought a roasted corn, two portions of iron plate squid, and gave one to Pei Shicheng, "Haven't you ever had this kind of snack outside?"

  Pei Si Cheng looked at the iron plate squid in his hand and raised an eyebrow.

  "In the past, I and Hua Zhen, as well as Zheng Rong, would often sneak out to snack streets or food streets to eat. The first time was when Zheng Rong brought me and Hua Zhen here. When we came for the first time, Zheng Rong said that we were really weak, having not even tried the street-side snacks. That night, after eating for the first time, both I and Hua Zhen got diarrhea, but we recovered by the next day. After all, things from outdoor stalls are generally not clean."

  After finishing speaking, Song Yuqiao directly stopped in her tracks, took the squid skewers from Pei Si Cheng's hands and threw them directly into the trash can on the side of the road, saying: "You shouldn't eat it either, it must be your first time eating it, your intestines need an adaptation period."

  Pei Si Cheng stared at the squid skewer that had been thrown into the trash can, and in fact, he really had intended to put it in his mouth just now.

  "At that time, I told Hua Zhen that we should try all the street food from head to tail, eating two snacks a day. I was afraid it would take half a year, but in the end, we finished trying all the street food here in just one month. It was during that time that I got hurt by that roasted sweet potato."

  Song Yuqiao told Pei Sheng many things, all of which were some hidden memories that had been buried deep within, and as they reminisced, everything was dug out from the depths.

  Pei Cheng had been quietly listening from behind, occasionally using "uh-huh" or "and then?" to follow up on Song Yuqiao's words.

  This is the most words Song Yuqiao has said to Pei Shicheng in three months.

  Back at Jinshui Apartment, Song Yuqiao got off the car, "You don't have to see me off."

  Looking back, Pei Si Cheng had already gotten out of the car and locked the door, following behind.

  This time, Pei's car didn't drive into the neighborhood, but stopped outside. Song Yuqiao and Pei walked side by side through the neighborhood gate.

  It's not too late, and there are many people walking around the neighborhood in the evening. They come out in twos and threes, including some familiar aunts who smile and greet Song Yuqiao.

  Pais Cheng originally had his hands in his pockets, slightly lagging behind Song Yuqiao by half a step. When they passed some sports equipment, Song Yuqiao slowed down her pace, and Pais Cheng reached out to hold her hand.

  When they reached downstairs, Song Yuqiao wanted to break free from his hand and said: "Then I'll go upstairs."

  Pei Si Cheng pulled Song Yu Qiao's hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

  "It's none of your business, don't blame yourself casually, understand?" Pei Si Cheng raised his hand and brushed away the hair in front of Song Yu Qiao's eyes. "It was me who was attracted to you, I wanted to get close to you, it was my initiative, you had no choice but to yield to me."

  Song Yuqiao was amused by Pei Si's words and smiled, "It seems like a robbery."

  "Yes, I'm the one who's been forcing you," Pei Si said, holding Song Yuqiao's arm tightly with a force that was embedded in his flesh and blood. "It's always been me who's been forcing you, so don't blame yourself for what happened to Hua Zhen. I'll take care of it, got it?"

  Song Yuqiao was caught off guard by Pei Si's sudden hug and felt a bit uncomfortable with his ribs being squeezed, "I know, you go pick up Xiao Huo quickly, remember to tell Xiao Huo that I'll be accompanying my sister today, I'll cook for her another day."

  When he loosened his arms, Pei Shichen first landed a light and thin kiss on Song Yuqiao's forehead. Just as he was about to leave, Song Yuqiao suddenly tiptoed up and hugged Pei Shichen's neck, fiercely kissing his lips.

  Pei Si Cheng was completely stunned for a moment.

  This is the first time Song Yuqiao has taken the initiative to kiss him while he's sober, and he feels like he's been granted a great honor.

  This time, it was Song Yuqiao who took the initiative. Pei Sichen tightened his arms around Song Yuqiao's waist and originally wanted to regain control immediately, but found that Song Yuqiao was enthusiastically kissing him, so he let Song Yuqiao take the lead and only made a move at the right time.

  Song Yuqiao wasn't very good at kissing, so now he was just trying his best to learn from Pei Si Cheng's kiss, using the tip of his tongue to outline his lips, then probing in, almost exhausting all his skills to tease him, and rubbing against him with the corner of his mouth.

  It's probably like this.

  When Song Yuqiao's tongue hooked onto Pei Shichen's teeth, he had already lost control and quickly turned the tables. He really wasn't suited for being passive.

  Two people at one time kissed each other reluctantly parting ways.

  Just then, a low male cough sounded from behind, followed by Song Shuying's voice: "Eh, Han Jinyu, why does that person look so much like my sister?"

  Song Shuying finished speaking and then used her elbow to nudge Han Jinyu beside her, asking him to cooperate with her.

  Han Jinyu had no choice but to say: "Yes."

  Song Shuying: "......"

  With just these two dry words, how am I supposed to continue?

  Pei Si leaned forward, holding Song Yuqiao's face in his hands.

  He knew that at this time, Song Yuqiao would absolutely not hear the voices of those two people. What he liked most was Song Yuqiao's seriousness, every moment.

  Finally, when their lips parted after a gentle kiss, Song Yuqiao only then noticed Song Shuying and Han Jinyu standing there, Song Shuying's face was filled with excitement, and her face instantly turned bright red.

  Han Jinyu left the car to Song Shuying, so Pei Si Cheng drove Han Jinyu.

  "Where are you going?"

  Han Jinyu said: "The Pei Family Compound."

  Pei Si Cheng: “......”

  "I'll go see Aunt first, I've been here for a few days and haven't gone to visit yet." Han Jinyu pinched the middle of her brow, as if she was already overwhelmed.

  "Didn't I say we'd go with Song Shuying?"

  "Not for now," said Han Jinyu, "Xiao Ying has just made a trip to the Han family, let's calm down for two days first."

  ………………

  Song Shuying noticed that Song Yuqiao was not in a good mood this evening, and her emotions were somewhat down. She kept getting distracted, even when helping Song Shuying heat up milk in the microwave, she forgot about it and by the time she took out the paper cup, the milk had almost gone bad. She threw away the paper cup along with the milk and reheated a new one.

  "Yao Qiao, come here!"

  "Uh-huh." Song Yuqiao brought over a cup of hot milk and sat down beside Song Shuying on the sofa.

  "Is there something on your mind?"

  "No, I'm fine."

  Song Shuying propped up her chin and looked at Song Yuqiao with an expression that seemed to say "I've seen through you long ago".

  "Sister, I suddenly feel so tired."

  After a long time, Song Yuqiao finally said this sentence.

  "Why be tired?"

  Song Yuqiao shook his head, "Maybe it's the long-term work, my brain is already rusty now, and I don't even have time to think everything through clearly. I don't know if it's right for me to start a new relationship so quickly, nor do I know what's supporting me. In these three months, I feel like a spinning top, wherever I go, there's that feeling of being forced to rush...".

  "Then don't move for now, stop and think things through."

  "I want to leave for a few days first."

  "Alright," Song Shuying already knew what Song Yuqiao was thinking, and it must be those rotten peach blossoms of Pei Si Cheng again. "Two days ago, my grandma even called me to say that she went up the mountain to copy Buddhist scriptures in a temple, and asked me to go over and accompany her for two days. It's just right, you've also resigned, so why not go back and live on the mountain for a while? The environment on the mountain is not as annoying as the city, with fewer people and things to disturb your mind. Calm down, think it through, and then we'll talk."

  Song Shuying also felt that Song Yuqiao developed too quickly with Pei Si Cheng after her divorce from Ye Zenan, and her sister's temperament was not suitable for this fast pace, requiring a slow and steady approach.

  This time leaving for a while might be a good thing for her.

  So, that night, Song Yuqiao called her grandmother and booked a ticket online.

  The next morning, Song Yuqiao called Zheng Qing to ask for leave. Anyway, she was already a resigned person and was relatively free. It's just that this talent show competition would make Zheng Qing work hard alone.

  Then, before 8 am, Song Yuqiao packed some essential luggage and went downstairs to take a taxi to the airport.

  Airport.

  The plane streaked across the sky, leaving behind a white trail. Song Yuqiao looked up for a moment before lowering her gaze again, falling on the people saying their goodbyes at the security checkpoint. Suddenly, Bai Zixu appeared in her mind.

  I don't know what he's doing now.

  Before the plane took off, Song Yuqiao kept staring at the phone screen until the flight attendant came over and said in a very gentle voice: "Sorry, the plane is about to take off, please turn off your phone or switch it to flight mode."

  Song Yuqiao's heart suddenly felt empty, so she turned off her phone, pulled down the sunshade on the car window, and closed her eyes.

  Song Yuqiao absolutely did not expect that Pei Cheng was now standing in the hospital corridor, waiting for the freshly baked DNA test report.

  Pei Sicheng happened to call Song Yuqiao, but it didn't go through. He dialed twice, still no answer. He furrowed his brow, already sensing something was off.

  Yesterday, Song Yuqiao's particularly proactive kiss made Pei Sicheng feel a bit abnormal.

  Gu Qingcheng walked out from inside, holding two test reports in his hand, "One is for hair and the other is for blood sample."

  "Thanks." Pei Si Cheng took it from Gu Qing Cheng's hand, didn't look at it, and directly folded it up to put into his pocket. He then walked towards the elevator entrance.

  ...