Chapter 85: Sleeping Together

Xu Yunzhu: "?"

Do you even hear yourself right now?

But since Xu Yunzhu needed something from him, she put on a cheerful smile and offered the cake to him.

Pei Qiaonian took it, tasting a bite.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t overly sweet or cloying. His brows relaxed and he lifted them with a hint of approval, “Not bad at all.”

Xu Yunzhu grinned at him. “Right? This bakery’s cakes are truly delicious, just a bit too expensive — eight hundred for one.”

Pei Qiaonian let out a low laugh. “So you like them? If you behave in the future, I can buy you one every day.”

Xu Yunzhu didn’t feel happy at all hearing this; on the contrary, her heart seemed to seize. What did he mean by ‘in the future’?

Was there truly a future between them?

No, absolutely not!

Xu Yunzhu mustered an awkward yet polite smile, her eyes shining as she looked at him. “So... you mean, in the future... us?”

“Don’t overthink it. After we divorce, you can come work at my media company. If you can’t make it elsewhere, I’ll make sure you have something to eat.”

Xu Yunzhu: “...”

He really was getting kinder to her, in a way that was visible to the naked eye.

At first, he wanted her to take the divorce money and go abroad. Later, he didn’t care if she left the country, as long as she didn’t appear in front of him. Now he was talking about arranging a place for her at his company.

She really wanted to ask: doesn’t your face hurt from all that backpedaling?

No principles at all!

“Uh, well... actually, I’m quite happy at this company.”

She had no desire to keep working herself to the bone for him after their separation.

Pei Qiaonian: “Suit yourself.”

With that, he left.

The words Xu Yunzhu wanted to say stuck in her throat.

Being around a man like him was like living beside a tiger.

She had barely finished brooding when rain started to fall outside.

Thunderstorms were common in the summer.

Staring at the flashes of lightning in the sky, Xu Yunzhu quickly dismissed the idea of returning to her apartment.

She lay down in her old room at the Lan Hai villa.

She drifted off, only to be jolted awake by a crash of thunder.

A flash of lightning seemed to pierce through the heavy curtains, flooding the room in white.

Startled by the sudden thunder, Xu Yunzhu curled up fearfully under the covers.

She could feel her skin becoming clammy again, her breathing growing rapid; with each rumble of thunder, even her scalp seemed to ache.

On that terrible, stormy night when the murderer finally killed her, the sound of thunder had become enough to trigger her at any moment.

Before, she only hid under the covers in fear, but now her breaths became shallow and her mind was flooded with images from that night — that desperate, inescapable terror.

She didn’t know where her adoptive parents were, nor if there was anyone nearby. Her voice had grown hoarse from shouting, and she was dragged by her hair, roots burning with pain. Each flash of lightning lit up the murderer’s scarred face and the axe descending toward her neck.

Xu Yunzhu bolted upright, then hurried out of the room.

Her forehead was beaded with cold sweat, her trembling hand barely able to twist the doorknob.

She needed to see someone, to have someone with her. Only then would the fear subside.

She opened the door.

Standing three steps away was Pei Qiaonian, clad in black pajamas.

"You..." Pei Qiaonian hadn’t expected her to emerge so suddenly. He found himself oddly embarrassed. He had only come here because he’d remembered Xu Yunzhu once said she was afraid of thunderstorms, and before he knew it, he had wandered to her door — only to bump into her coming out.

He pressed his thin lips together, searching for an excuse. “I— I was just passing by. Don’t get the wrong idea, I wasn’t here for you.”

Before he finished speaking, Xu Yunzhu rushed over and hugged him tightly.

Pei Qiaonian stiffened in surprise, then grew tense. Only when he realized she was trembling did he sense something was wrong. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Clinging to him, Xu Yunzhu finally felt her body relax. “I’m scared...”

Pei Qiaonian let out a breath of relief. He’d thought something serious had happened. Unable to resist teasing, he said, “It’s just thunder. Xu Yunzhu, when will you finally grow a backbone? Can a bit of thunder really scare you this badly?”

Burying her face in his chest, Xu Yunzhu felt the warmth of his body and relaxed further. She looked up at him. “I—I won’t be afraid next time.”

She resolved to overcome this.

What had happened belonged to another world; here, there were no murderers to hurt her. She was safe.

Pei Qiaonian found her rather endearing.

He gazed at her, half-smiling. “It’s already one in the morning. I’m going to sleep.”

At this, Xu Yunzhu let go in embarrassment.

Thunder still rumbled outside.

Pei Qiaonian headed for his room.

Xu Yunzhu swallowed hard, then quietly followed him.

She seized the moment just as he was about to close his door and slipped inside.

Pei Qiaonian froze, watching as Xu Yunzhu began to inspect his room.

He had a strong sense of territory; usually, anyone who entered his room would be thrown out at once. But with Xu Yunzhu, he didn’t even frown. He closed the door, expressionless, and said, “You’d better give me a good reason for being in my room.”

Xu Yunzhu turned around, face soft and pitiful, her eyes reddening. “I’m scared. Just let me stay here and I’ll be fine. I’ll just sit in a corner, I won’t bother you.” She obediently made her way to the small sofa in his room and sat down, perfectly well-behaved.

By coincidence, the little sofa faced his bed directly.

He let out a laugh of exasperation. “How am I supposed to sleep with you staring at me like that?”

Xu Yunzhu slipped off her shoes and sat cross-legged on the sofa, back facing him. “How about now?”

Pei Qiaonian: “...”

By rights, he should have thrown her out.

But with the storm raging outside and Xu Yunzhu looking so pitiful, he decided to turn a blind eye and let her stay.

He lay down on his bed, turned off the main light, and left only the night lamp on. From his vantage point, he could see nothing clearly, except for Xu Yunzhu, who looked like a blurred silhouette in the distance.

It was... rather unsettling...

Pei Qiaonian turned over, facing away from her, refusing to look.

The previous night, Xu Yunzhu hadn’t been there, and he’d suffered insomnia.

Tonight, with Xu Yunzhu in his room, he fell asleep quickly.

In a half-dream, half-awake state, he was suddenly roused by a dull thud — the sound of something hitting the floor.

Pei Qiaonian opened his eyes and turned on the light.

There was Xu Yunzhu, sprawled out on the floor in an awkward heap, still fast asleep.

Pei Qiaonian: “...”

He looked at the sofa, then at her on the floor.

To fall off the sofa and keep sleeping — Xu Yunzhu was truly one of a kind.

He stared at her for a full three minutes before resigning himself and getting out of bed.

Even as he approached and picked her up, she showed no sign of waking — in fact, she even smacked her lips in contentment.

If someone tried to sell her in her sleep, she probably wouldn’t even notice.

Pei Qiaonian stood there, deliberating for nearly two minutes before tossing her onto the bed.

He didn’t go easy on her.

His intention was for her to wake up and return to her own room.

But the woman only bounced on the mattress and, taking the opportunity, snuggled into his blanket.

Pei Qiaonian: “...”

“Is your sleep addiction really this bad? Not even this wakes you?”

With this in mind, Pei Qiaonian lay down on the other side of the bed, keeping some distance between them.

As a result, he didn’t see the satisfied smile tugging at Xu Yunzhu’s lips.

Perfect. At last, no more broken sofa for her.

No wonder he was the domineering CEO — even his bed was incredibly comfortable.

She’d actually woken up when she fell, her forehead still aching from the bump.

But who’d have thought that a little act would land her right on the bed?

With thunder still rumbling outside, Xu Yunzhu was absolutely not leaving this room.

Half-asleep, she finally drifted into a deep slumber.

The next morning, as always, Xu Yunzhu’s body clock woke her precisely.

What greeted her eyes was a swath of black silk pajamas, and a glimpse of fair skin beneath, leading down to sharply defined abs.

Above her, warm breath brushed the curve of her ear, mingling with the calming scent of ebony and sandalwood.

Her hand, rather impertinently, rested on his waist.

In short,

She had somehow wormed her way right into Pei Qiaonian’s embrace.