"I know your aunt, because of the influence of her family, has never had a heart for love. She's never believed in love."
Pei Dai's face was tinged with melancholy as he spoke these words, his mood low.
"That's why I can let her do whatever she wants, because I know she doesn't have love. It's not me, and it's not anyone else."
Because of family matters, these words caused Jiang Sui's eyes to tremble slightly for a few seconds before returning to normal.
His fingers, hanging on the ground, involuntarily tightened a little.
He clearly knew something, and the boy, who rarely expressed his emotions, tensed up.
Pei Dai also sensed something was amiss with Jiang Sui. His casual glance swept across his face, his voice clear, cold, and composed, "A boy shouldn't be brought down by just one thing. I believe your aunt wouldn't like someone who's easily broken, and the same goes for other people. What do you think?"
If the boy didn't know what he was saying and acted as if it meant something, he would be foolish.
Jiang Sui pursed his lips and didn't respond. Pei Dai was content to play dumb, continuing to recount past events as if nothing was said.
"So, even someone as strong as me wasn't defeated by your aunt's departure. I've been wondering when we'd meet again. In fact, if your aunt hadn't called me, I would have come to Wuzhen to find her."
"I was young and overconfident back then. Not about myself, but about your aunt. I thought she wouldn't has love. But then, I felt so lost in my own loneliness, yet I didn't dare disturb her. I could only secretly keep an eye on her. Knowing she didn't have a love life made me feel a little relieved, but also a little sad."
Pei Dai chuckled self-deprecatingly.
This story wasn't filled with sadness or excessive exaggeration. Rather than telling the story of two people, it was more like Pei Dai's own matters.
Jiang Sui could instantly sense his hesitation, his loneliness, his fear.
But Jiang Sui wasn't the only one who felt the same way. His glazed eyes fixed on Pei Dai, and he said with unwavering seriousness, "If I were you, I wouldn't let her leave me."
He spoke solemnly, as if he was speaking of something serious.
Pei Dai looked at Jiang Sui unsurprised by his words. "Even if one day, your problems, or your troubles, hinder her progress, your love, your affection, hinder her progress, and block her dreams, will you still say the same thing?"
Pei Dai's eyes were filled with earnestness, as if Jiang Sui was being presented with a fateful choice.
"Your problems," "your reasons"—these words clearly silenced Jiang Sui.
He was clearly no longer so confident. His tentacles instantly retracted into his body, enveloping it like a rigid, thick wall, preventing anyone from entering and himself from escaping.
"Then, even if it's because of me, I won't leave her."
The boy's tone shifted, becoming more paranoid, his voice deeper, his eyes as dark as ink.
He changed the phrase, "I won't let her leave me," to "I won't leave her."
The shift in subject and object significantly altered the sentence and the underlying sentiment.
Pei Dai's words weren't meant to be encouraging; they simply expressed his current struggles. Presumably, his shift from not wanting Mei Yeqin to leave had become as simple as not wanting to leave her.
Of course, his previous confidence was gone.
Mei Yeqin's lack of love stemmed from family matters, but Su Qing was different. Though uncommunicative, she was incredibly likable, and Jiang Sui had no way of guaranteeing that...
He closed his eyes deeply, his face a blank expression of rejection. "So, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Are he trying to let him know that a sick man like him doesn't deserve love?
Jiang Sui clenched his fists.
Pei Dai, observing Jiang Sui's indifference, felt a sinister aura, his aura shrouded in darkness. "I'm not trying to say anything. I'm simply saying that you should become a better version of yourself. That way, you can protect the person you love for the long term."
Pei Dai spoke calmly, without any hint of educate. His role at this moment was both a speaker and a listener.
He seemed like a bystander.
Jiang Sui's eyes fluttered open in vain. "I will protect her well."
He muttered to himself, as if trying to tell himself something, his eyes frighteningly determined.
"Yes, you will protect her, but only if you protect yourself."
Pei Dai acted like a guide.
"Is that so?"
Pei Dai nodded. "Yes, Su Qing is a good girl. She definitely likes you and wants you to be well. Think about it carefully, isn't she?"
The boy's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his eyes began to wander, as if he was lost in thought.
Pei Dai spoke slowly. In the dim light, the boy's expression was no longer visible. His eyes, pure white, he asked again.
"Really?"
Pei Dai replied softly. The boy's consciousness finally faded, and his eyes gradually closed.
Knowing that the boy was a germaphobe, Pei Dai still had no choice but to reach out and hold his head.
"You're hypnotizing him."
A heavy voice echoed from behind Pei Dai. It wasn't loud, but it carried a complex mix of emotions, and its tone was cold.
In the dim living room, it was unclear how long Mei Yeqin had been standing there.
She had arrived in a hurry, and the night's chill had lingered on her. She exuded a strong sense of coldness, a profound indifference.
Pei Dai paused, supporting Jiang Sui's head, and pursed his lips. "Qinqin, let's get Ah Sui to the bedroom first."
Both spoke slowly and softly, afraid to wake Jiang Sui.
After closing the bedroom door, they stood facing each other.
The dim living room was lit only by spotlights; they weren't glaring, even a little dim.
Mei Yeqin folded her arms, her narrow eyes coldly scanning Pei Dai's face. They were icy and devoid of emotion, as if she was looking at a stranger.
Pei Dai couldn't stand this indifference. A trace of desolation crossed his eyes, and he pursed his lips. "Qinqin, are you tired? Let me get you a glass of water."
He'd checked. Although the distance between Jiangcheng and Wuzhen wasn't far, there was no highway, forcing her to take the provincial highway, which would take at least two hours.
As Pei Dai turned around, Mei Yeqin's brow furrowed, and a different emotion finally revealed itself in her eyes.
That was displeasure.
Displeasure filled her eyes.