Chapter 7: You Are So Sweet, I Think I’ve Fallen for You

Xu Yunzhu: "..."

Do you even realize what you're saying?

This was truly a disaster that had fallen upon her out of nowhere.

Tied to a madman.

And she was the one getting the short end of the stick.

Xu Yunzhu: [So, will you help the Xu family?]

Grumpy Guy: [No.]

Xu Yunzhu’s fists clenched. Then why are you barking here?

But knowing she couldn’t afford to offend him, Xu Yunzhu held back and couldn’t be bothered to reply anymore.

Outside, the sound of a servant’s voice drifted in. “Young Master, the dinner banquet is about to begin.”

Xu Yunzhu answered, “Coming.”

She walked to the wardrobe and was stunned by the row of custom-made suits.

The cheapest started at a million.

Xu Yunzhu ran her hand along them, her gaze settling on a bright blue suit at the very back, hidden behind a row of black ones.

Her eyes lit up—it was her favorite color.

She took it out and examined it. Nice. She’d wear this one.

Looking in the mirror, she nodded with satisfaction.

Pei Qiaonian might have a terrible temper, but he was undeniably handsome with a great figure—broad shoulders, narrow waist, the proportions of a model, and the status of a domineering CEO.

In any CEO romance novel, he’d be the male lead.

She ruffled her black hair; when her phoenix eyes lifted, her whole face shone with spirit. She curled her lips into a smile, and the man in the mirror appeared even more dazzling—his usual sharpness softened by an unnoticeable hint of gentleness.

“I really am handsome!” Xu Yunzhu swept her hair back, revealing Pei Qiaonian’s striking features.

“This man may act like a jerk, but you can’t deny his looks. No wonder he’s the white moonlight in the heroine’s heart. If the male lead weren’t so persistent, the novel might well have replaced him.”

Xu Yunzhu muttered, striking pose after pose in front of the mirror.

No matter the angle, this face was flawless.

She flashed what she thought was a cool smile, dropped her voice to a husky whisper: “Woman, you’re playing with fire.”

“Trying to seduce me? You little enchantress!”

“Playing hard to get? Well, let me tell you, you’ve succeeded.”

So caught up in the role-play, she didn’t notice her bedroom door opening.

She recited domineering CEO lines with increasing enthusiasm, bracing both hands against the mirror, smiling wickedly, and drawled, “Damn, you’re so sweet—I think I’m falling for you.”

Crash.

Something fell behind her.

Xu Yunzhu jolted, startled.

Turning around, she found herself locking eyes with three servants.

Awkward silence filled the air, thick and unspeakable.

“Um…” Xu Yunzhu was the first to break the quiet.

The three servants immediately lowered their heads. “Sorry, Young Master, we saw nothing, heard nothing. We’re all a bit deaf and prone to temporary blindness.”

A wave of heat rushed to Xu Yunzhu’s head.

“No, listen, let me explain—”

The three glanced at each other, each seeing terror in the others’ eyes. Had their Young Master hit his head? Now he wanted to explain himself? Would he fire them in a fit of embarrassment in the next second?

After exchanging looks, they pushed a representative forward—a maid, who spoke with grave seriousness. “Young Master, there’s no need to explain. We understand.”

Xu Yunzhu: “???”

Seeing the understanding in their eyes, Xu Yunzhu had only one thought: It’s over. They’ll think I’m a pervert.

Before Pei Qiaonian’s reputation could be ruined by others, she’d already done it herself.

“Don’t worry, Young Master. We will guard your secret with our lives!”

The three bowed to her, left the room, and considerately closed the door behind them.

They were all too familiar with the quirks of wealthy families. It was normal to have a few eccentricities.

But this business of loving oneself in the mirror—well, that was a unique twist, even among the circles of odd hobbies.

Perhaps this was just another pastime of the idle rich—a world they didn’t understand, but respected!

After the door closed, only Xu Yunzhu was left standing there, windblown and disheveled.

Careless! She should have locked the door.

Because of this, she was out of sorts when she went downstairs for the family dinner.

She didn’t even know any of the Pei family—what was she supposed to do?

Led by a servant through the villa’s grand gardens, she finally arrived at the banquet site.

The Pei family’s villa was enormous. Xu Yunzhu was dazzled by everything along the way. The world of the rich was indeed simple—even a random stone in the house cost at least ten thousand.

Not to mention the world-famous paintings on the walls, the ornate decorations, the crystal glass tables and chairs. Any one of them could fetch a fortune at auction.

Xu Yunzhu texted one-handed; the body’s hands were long and elegant, so typing with one hand was effortless. She messaged him about the family dinner coming up and asked what to do, but he didn’t reply.

In the novel, Pei Qiaonian was the villain—wicked and mad, destined to be alone. In such a vast family, not a single person cared for him.

And with his arrogant personality, he’d never given these relatives the time of day. His poor relations meant that, even when the male lead Pei Jin took half his company, no one spoke up for him.

As she thought this, the servant led her to the family banquet.

Xu Yunzhu cleared her throat, adjusted her expression, and walked in.

The previously cheerful banquet fell instantly silent at her entrance.

Xu Yunzhu glanced around—a long table, more than a dozen men and women, a few older children, at least twenty in all. Every pair of eyes fixed on her. No—on her bright blue suit.

Was she really that dashing tonight?

Xu Yunzhu could feel sweat prickling her back under their stares.

She recognized the man at the head of the table: Old Master Pei. Next to him was an elderly woman, presumably Old Madam Pei.

The old lady glanced at Xu Yunzhu, her gaze lingering on the striking blue suit for a moment before she turned away, expressionless.

Farther down sat Pei’s mother.

She shrank into herself, looking timid and uneasy among the crowd.

“A-Qiao, why are you so late? The whole family has been waiting for you for over ten minutes,” Pei’s mother called. “Now that you’re here, take a seat.”

Xu Yunzhu scanned the table and sat on the other side of Old Master Pei.

“Hmph.” Old Master Pei snorted. “You’re really something. Don’t even know to greet us? Who taught you your manners?”

Before Xu Yunzhu could react, Pei’s mother interjected, “Dad, A-Qiao has always been like this. Please don’t be angry—I’ll talk to him.”

She shot Xu Yunzhu a look. “A-Qiao, apologize to your grandfather.”

“Heh, sister-in-law, don’t be nervous. Dad doesn’t blame him; he loves him too much for that. After all, he grew up among beggars, was a street thug—no one ever taught him etiquette. He’s not close to us relatives, and we understand.”

A sudden female voice cut in.

Pei’s mother glared at the source and snapped, “Xu Jingsi, shut up!”

Xu Yunzhu looked over. It was a bejeweled society lady—she recognized her as Pei Jin’s mother, someone the original Xu Yunzhu had always feared.

Xu Jingsi covered her mouth and laughed, her gaze full of disdain for Pei’s mother.

But… had Pei Qiaonian really once lived among beggars? This was news to Xu Yunzhu—the book never mentioned his past in detail.

No one at the table refuted Xu Jingsi’s words.

Xu Yunzhu didn’t know how Pei Qiaonian used to handle her provocations, but using someone’s past to taunt them left Xu Yunzhu with a vague sense of distaste.

She leaned back lazily in her chair, adopting Pei Qiaonian’s usual arrogant posture, and fixed Xu Jingsi with a half-smile. “Second Aunt, that former street thug you mention is now in charge of the Pei family. Maybe you should get your own status straight before you start chirping at me.”

The room fell silent.

Xu Jingsi’s face twisted with rage. “What’s stolen will have to be returned in the end!”

Old Master Pei interjected, voice heavy, “Enough. No more of this. Let’s eat. Then we’ll discuss A-Jin and Yunzhu’s engagement.”

No matter how unwilling, Xu Jingsi dared not contradict Old Master Pei again and sat down, scowling.

Xu Yunzhu’s phone vibrated—it was a message from Pei Qiaonian.

Grumpy Guy: [Do you have any photos of them?]

Xu Yunzhu: [??? You need photos to recognize your own family? Don’t be ridiculous.]

Grumpy Guy: [: ) I’m not close to them either.]

Xu Yunzhu: “…”

Where was she supposed to find photos for him?

Scanning the room, she stood up slowly and quietly pulled out her high-resolution phone.

Under everyone’s puzzled gazes, she walked to the front. “Second Aunt seems a bit unhappy, so let me take a family photo to lift everyone’s spirits. Don’t move—hold those poses and look at the camera.”

Everyone: “…”

Insane!