Coming out of the police station, Pei Ying was still a little dazed.
This time, she had indeed made a new statement, and the officer had indeed asked about her relationship with Huo Junze, even mentioning the designated driver. Everything was just about the same as what he had told her in the car before they arrived.
The only difference was the officer's tone and presence.
Serious but not harsh, it was a world of difference from when Huo Junze interrogated suspects, looking as if he wanted to slice open a person's skin to see right through them.
A hint of suspicion crept into Pei Ying's mind—had she been played by him? But thinking about the existence of that Miss Zhao, she ultimately dismissed the somewhat absurd guess.
What reason would he have to trick her? There didn't seem to be any. As for so-called love at first sight, she didn't buy it.
Huo Tingshan watched as she mechanically got into the car, closed the door, and then spaced out, her brows furrowing and relaxing in turn, as if she were going through a mental storm of wild imagination.
It seemed she was getting a bit suspicious.
At that moment, Huo Tingshan leaned over and pulled out her seatbelt buckle.
Pei Ying's thoughts were abruptly interrupted. She stared blankly at the man who was now inches away. As he leaned in, his breath brushed against her face, and along with the searing heat came the scent of something like men's body wash lingering on him.
Click. The seatbelt locked into the buckle.
I will take you out for a stroll, he said, not immediately pulling back.
The sense of pressure was too strong, and the distance was far too close. Pei Ying subconsciously raised a hand to press against his chest. She knew he was a good fighter and looked sturdy, but actually touching him felt completely different.
He was wearing just a short-sleeved T-shirt. Through the thin fabric, Pei Ying could feel the smooth contours of his muscles, radiating heat and brimming with vigorous vitality.
Unsure whether to pull her hand back or leave it there, Pei Ying stammered, I, I want to go back to school.
Huo Tingshan retreated to the driver's seat. You have to report back to school tomorrow. You and I are madly in love right now, and ordinary couples wouldn't let this last bit of free time slip by.
Pei Ying protested, It is just the two of us right now, and Miss Zhao is not even here to see. There is no need for us to keep acting, is there?
Huo Tingshan started the car. She has private investigators, so we have to put on a full show.
Pei Ying was greatly shocked. Isn't that illegal?
Huo Tingshan didn't answer the question. Keep me company while shopping. You can swipe my card as much as you want as your compensation.
For a moment, Pei Ying didn't know whether to be more shocked by certain rich people casually trampling on the law, or stunned by this man's excessive generosity.
Swipe as much as she wanted?
Wasn't he afraid she might spend hundreds of thousands or even millions? Besides, this way of giving compensation was just so weird!
In her daze, Pei Ying was driven straight to the Golden Commercial District. The Maserati parked in the underground second-floor parking lot of the shopping hub.
The Golden Commercial District was the core mega-shopping area of S City. As long as there was enough money on the card, one could buy anything here, from a few-dollar trash bag to an eight-figure luxury item.
After getting out of the car, Pei Ying looked around and did not notice any other cars approaching them. She immediately looked at Huo Tingshan with suspicion.
Was it real or fake?
Was he really not just bluffing her about the private investigator stuff?
But before she could even ask, a black car drove in from the same path they had just taken. It was a very ordinary car, worth less than a hundred thousand, long unwashed and covered in dust, making it quite inconspicuous among the other vehicles.
Pei Ying peered into the driver's seat and saw a man dressed in black clothes and black pants, even wearing a black hat. This outfit instantly reminded her of the lurking men in black she had seen in TV dramas.
She instantly behaved herself.
Huo Tingshan gave a barely perceptible smile, hiding it just as Pei Ying looked over. He took her hand and led her toward the elevators.
Pei Ying subconsciously tried to pull away, but when she cast her eyes down and caught sight of the white gauze on his left arm, she stiffened and then slowly relaxed.
Huo Tingshan and Pei Ying went to the second floor.
The second floor was quite mixed. There were beautifully decorated bookstores, boutique novelty shops that girls loved to browse, as well as Starbucks, bubble tea shops, and trendy seasonal clothing stores.
It was the weekend, and since some schools started their terms a bit later, the second floor was quite crowded.
Huo Tingshan held Pei Ying's hand, looking around as they walked, with the sounds of pedestrians chatting and laughing in his ears.
In a different era, he was once again wandering the markets with her.
Every sound of laughter, every novel shop they passed, was like a heavy, colorful stroke of a brush, making his understanding of the present world, as formed in his memories, even clearer.
Huo Tingshan saw a bubble tea shop up ahead. Many young men and women were drinking bubble tea, including couples holding hands.
Do you want some bubble tea? Huo Tingshan looked at Pei Ying.
Pei Ying was actually a bit thirsty. The small bag she carried today couldn't fit a water bottle, and she hadn't had any water at the police station, feeling too embarrassed to ask the officers for some.
But...
So you do want some. She had only hesitated for a brief moment before someone else made the decision for her.
Huo Tingshan led her forward, scanned the code to order, casually selected a glass of lemonade for himself, and then shoved his phone into Pei Ying's hands. Order. I am not one to mistreat my own people. Today is your first day on the job as my companion, and now the boss is giving out perks.
Pei Ying didn't return the phone immediately. Because she needed to order, he had finally let go of her hand. She slowly looked through the menu and eventually chose a seaweed Longjing tea with a milk cap.
Seeing that she had finished ordering, Huo Tingshan took the phone back. He placed the order with one hand, and his left hand, which had just released her, naturally took hers again.
Besides them, there were other young couples nearby, but among all the couples, they were the most eye-catching. People kept sneaking glances, looking once, looking again, and then whispering to their companions.
I bet a box of konjac snacks that those two are passionately in love, and they haven't been dating for long. Except for when they were ordering, they haven't let go of each other's hands since they got here.
I really want to know what foundation and lipstick that girl is using. Her nude makeup look is amazing.
Why don't you go up and ask?
Better not. Her boyfriend looks like the 'do not touch me or my girlfriend' type. I wouldn't dare approach.
Hahaha.
Pei Ying sighed, Alas!
Hearing her sigh, Huo Tingshan raised a long eyebrow. Do not want to just stand around waiting?
That reminded Pei Ying. What number are they serving now?
Huo Tingshan: A3768. We are A3799.
Over thirty numbers away, with three staff members working, it might take ten minutes. Pei Ying turned to look around and spotted a bookstore. Let's go take a look in the bookstore.
Huo Tingshan gladly agreed.
The bookstore was elegantly decorated. Many bookshelves were built in geometric shapes, including various irregular shelves carved into the shape of the character for fire.
The books were neatly categorized into sections like military, languages, career, history, and various types of literary fiction.
The bookstore didn't just sell books; it also sold all sorts of exquisitely designed stationery. There was even a wishing wall in one corner, so the place wasn't exactly quiet, with occasional sounds of casual chatter.
Huo Tingshan was originally just browsing casually, but when he came to a certain section of books, he stopped in his tracks.
Pei Ying looked at the History section, finding it hard to imagine that a man who drank, went to bars, and beat people up so ruthlessly would actually be so interested in history.
Looking over, "The Ode to Yin", "Discussing Great Yin", "Emperor Taizu of Yin", "The Great Yin Empire", "The Legendary Life of Empress Pei"... a whole array of books appeared right before Pei Ying's eyes.
Compared to other dynasties, the Yin Dynasty's popularity had always remained high, so books about the Yin Dynasty made up more than 40% of the history section. For the bookstore to make a profit, it naturally had to sell highly popular books.
Some books were shrink-wrapped and couldn't be opened. Huo Tingshan first picked up an unwrapped copy of "The Great Yin Empire", then grabbed a copy of "The Legendary Life of Empress Pei" and stuffed the latter into Pei Ying's hands.
Pei Ying: "?"
Huo Tingshan: "Take a look."
Growing up, Pei Ying had often been teased by people with some knowledge of history, asking if her parents were hardcore fans of Empress Pei. She went from being confused at first, to feeling embarrassed, and finally to being able to smile calmly and say, "Maybe."
But someone like him, directly shoving the book at her as if making a direct comparison, was a first for her.
Pei Ying looked down at the book. The cover of "The Legendary Life of Empress Pei" featured half of an ancient beauty wearing phoenix robes. The reason it was only half was entirely because the figure leaned to the far right, leaving only half of her visible.
The woman in the painting, dressed in black and red, was captured in the moment of raising her eyes. Her elongated phoenix eyes looked very sharp and majestic.
Pei Ying: "..."
For some reason, Pei Ying felt this illustration missed the mark.
Opening the first page, there was an illustrated biography of the figure.
She didn't know where the saying came from, but it was said that many of the painters who drew portraits for emperors and generals didn't actually paint realistically.
Some would sneak in their own agendas, secretly altering the portraits to include their own features, allowing these emperors and generals to "go down in history" bearing the painters' faces. Others said that overly realistic portraits could easily steal a person's soul. Ancient people were superstitious and feared ghosts and gods; even if the emperors and generals said it didn't matter, their subordinates wouldn't dare take that risk.
Who knew if, when encountering some misfortune, they would subconsciously blame the "cause" on the painter. So, to avoid such unprovoked disasters, some painters chose to hide their true skills.
Right now, as Pei Ying looked at the portrait of "Empress Pei," she felt the same as before: the painting was severely distorted.
She continued reading the introduction.
[Pei Ying (113-187 AD), Empress Mingsheng, a native of Beichuan in Jizhou. The only daughter of a merchant, she was intelligent from a young age. At thirty-three, she married Emperor Taizu of Yin, Huo Tingshan, as her second husband. At thirty-seven, she ascended the throne on the same day as Emperor Taizu of Yin and was crowned Empress. As Empress, she held half the power of Great Yin and made outstanding achievements in military, cultural, technological, and educational fields...]
The biographical introduction on the first page was highly condensed.
Pei Ying finished reading it quickly. It wasn't her first time learning about Empress Pei. Like Emperor Taizu of Yin, she was a popular historical figure, frequently discussed on lecture programs and various educational channels, and featured in history books. But this was the first time she felt a strange sensation.
The book in her hands seemed to become a mirror. When she looked down, she saw her own face, and it was as if she saw her own long life reflected in this mirror.
This feeling was fleeting but exceptionally profound, and Pei Ying couldn't explain where it came from.
She steadied her mind and turned another page. It was the table of contents.
Chapter One: Empress Pei's First Marriage
Chapter Two: The Emperor and Empress Meet
Chapter Three: Stirrups and the High-Pommel Saddle
...
Just as Pei Ying was looking at the table of contents, a few girls walked up next to them. They looked very young, likely still in school.
"This is the third bookstore today. Brother Shan and Sister Ying truly are top-tier; books about Great Yin take up half the shelves in every bookstore."
"Tell me about it! But then again, looking through thousands of years of history, there's only been one such legendary emperor and empress couple. They're so legendary that a lot of modern time-travel theories are based on our Sister Ying, hahaha."
"Every time people rank emperor and empress couples, Brother Shan and Sister Ying are always the ones leading the pack. Not to mention the minor detail of leaving the inner harem empty, just sharing power and secretly using a homophone of his wife's name as the name of the dynasty is enough for Brother Shan to break through the competition and take the crown."
"Tsk tsk, a true 'old house catching fire' romance. If he pulled these moves today, anyone watching would call him completely lovesick."
"How bold, daring to call our Brother Shan lovesick? Do you believe his hundred thousand iron cavalry will come charging over with long blades... just to peel an apple for you?"
"Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter."
The girls next to them were very cheerful.
Listening to them chattering away, as happy as little sparrows, Pei Ying couldn't help but find it amusing. She wasn't a fan of any historical figures, nor did she chase celebrities in her daily life, but she quite liked this harmonious and joyful atmosphere.
When she retracted her gaze, Pei Ying accidentally caught sight of the person beside her actually smiling.
It wasn't that meaningful half-smile, nor was it a cold sneer, but a genuinely delighted and open smile.
Pei Ying froze, her eyes shifting to "The Great Yin Empire" in his hands.
Reading a history book, and he could actually be this happy.
The ten minutes spent waiting for their milk tea were entirely consumed by this bookshelf. Finally, when his phone notified them to pick up their order, Huo Tingshan put the book back.
Pei Ying watched him take a few extra glances and strongly suspected he was memorizing the book titles to buy them online later.
After the two got their milk tea, they strolled up from the second floor until it was time to eat, heading to the sixth floor for dinner.
The fifth and sixth floors of the prime commercial district were both dining areas. However, the fifth floor was more affordable, with an average cost of no more than two hundred per person, and usually required waiting for a table during dinner time. The sixth floor had a much higher average price, truly living up to the saying: apart from being expensive, there are no other flaws.
"Do you want Chinese or Western food?" Huo Tingshan asked Pei Ying.
Pei Ying hesitated for a moment. "Chinese food."
There happened to be a Chinese restaurant ahead. Huo Tingshan led her inside. The restaurant had two types of private rooms: one was completely enclosed once the door was shut; the other was in the center of the hall, set up like a pavilion-style isolated island with sparse bamboo blinds hanging down on all four sides, making the scene inside half-hidden and half-visible.
Huo Tingshan led her to the "isolated island." There were two menus, one for him and one for Pei Ying, and they ordered together.
For two people eating, three dishes were enough.
"I'll have the garlic sprout baby lobster," Huo Tingshan ordered a dish.
Pei Ying pursed her lips. She actually quite liked eating seafood, except for the raw marinated kind, but the doctor had given medical advice that he shouldn't eat seafood, which is considered a stimulating food, while recovering from his injuries. In the brief moment she hesitated, Pei Ying heard him order another dish.
It was still seafood.
Now Pei Ying had to speak up. "Huo Junze, don't order seafood. You can't eat this right now."
"I have a good constitution. Eating a little bit casually won't matter, as long as you like it." Huo Tingshan was indeed very casual. He knew his own constitution well; a minor injury like this would have been considered practically nothing in the past.
Pei Ying froze for a second.
How did he know she liked it?
That bizarre, eerie feeling returned.
Temporarily pushing the strange feeling to the back of her mind, Pei Ying said firmly, "I don't like eating seafood. I prefer homestyle dishes."
Huo Tingshan looked at her for a moment and gave a light chuckle. "Alright then."
As the meal neared its end, Pei Ying took her phone and made an excuse to go to the restroom, intending to settle the bill.
The car repair and medical bills still hadn't been paid back, so she couldn't possibly let him pay for this meal too. However, when Pei Ying gave her table number, she was told the bill had already been settled.
"When was it paid?" Pei Ying asked in surprise.
The waiter at the counter had a deep impression of this. "Right after ordering, the customer said to bring the QR code receipt over as soon as it was printed."
As if afraid Pei Ying wouldn't believe him, the waiter pointed to an upright spike on the counter. Sure enough, there were many receipts skewered on it. Each palm-sized slip of paper had the bill printed on top, followed by the total amount, and a payment QR code at the very bottom.
Pei Ying: "..."
Pei Ying returned in defeat.
"Where do you want to go next?" Huo Tingshan asked Pei Ying.
Pei Ying shook her head dejectedly. "I want to go back to campus. I haven't finished organizing my dorm room yet."
She had slept late last night and naturally woke up late this morning. Not long after arriving at school, he informed her that she needed to go to the police station. This trip ended up with them eating dinner outside.
As a result, her chores and unpacking were completely untouched.
"Let's go back then. I'll drop you off at school." He was surprisingly agreeable now.
S University, South District Building 11, third-floor dormitory.
Pei Ying pushed open the dorm door wearily.
"Yingying, you're back? Have you eaten? The scramble for elective courses starts at 9 PM tonight, don't forget!" her roommate Lyu Meng reminded her.
Pei Ying replied, "I ate, and I haven't forgotten."
"Hmm? Yingying, what's wrong with you? You just came back from the holidays, but you look like your life force has been drained." Lyu Meng used her hands to widen the eye holes of the sheet mask on her face.
Pei Ying gave a feeble response.
Lyu Meng: "Oh, I get it. Post-holiday syndrome."
Pei Ying placed her small bag on the desk, but she didn't set it down securely the first time, and it fell off the edge.
Pei Ying sighed and bent down to pick it up, but as she lifted it, something dropped out of the bag with a clatter.
It was smaller than a palm, black and gold, and the long string of card numbers on it faintly reflected the light.
"Wow, a black card! Yingying, your brother gave you a black card! Boohoo, does our brother need another sister? The kind who's super good at eating." Lyu Meng had always known Pei Ying's family was pretty well-off, but she didn't realize they were this well-off.
Holding a black card right after starting college, they were clearly no ordinary family.
She was too busy being surprised and envious to notice that Pei Ying had frozen completely.
Stiffly, Pei Ying flipped the card over. There, on the back, six numbers were written with a red marker in flamboyant handwriting.
Lyu Meng saw it too and was instantly dumbfounded. "No way, don't tell me that's the password? Our brother really doesn't treat anyone as an outsider."
Pei Ying felt her head throbbing. She didn't dare say the black card wasn't from her brother, afraid Lyu Meng would ask more questions she wouldn't know how to answer. She could only mutter vaguely, "Maybe there was a mistake."
After saying that, she immediately grabbed her phone and found his profile picture.
[Yingyue]: You left your card with me. Where are you now? I'll bring it over to you. (Image attached)
The other side replied in seconds.
[H]: I didn't leave it, it's for you. I'll be troubling you for a while, so this is your compensation. Take it and spend it.
Pei Ying furrowed her brows. With this kind of sucker behavior, he looked like someone with more money than sense.
She was about to ask for his address so she could wipe off the password and mail it back to him, but as if knowing what she was thinking, another message popped up.
[H]: I'm back at school.
Pei Ying: "..."
[H]: I keep my phone on me most of the time. You can message me whether you need something or not, and I'll reply when I see it.
He was a senior this year. Unlike the freshmen rookies who had to hand in their phones, seniors had much more freedom when it came to keeping their devices.
The person who was supposedly at school was currently at the school gates, meeting with Butler Zhao Nai, who was dressed in black clothes and driving a black car. He took a complete set of history books about the Great Yin Dynasty from the butler.
Meanwhile, inside S University.
Pei Ying looked at the card in her hand, then at the messages on her phone. Physical and mental exhaustion was truly just this.
The things she owed him were piling up. She hadn't even returned his washed jacket yet, and now there was a black card. The car repair fee, the medical bills, and even the cost of today's dinner hadn't been paid off.
It was getting harder and harder to clear her debts...
Pei Ying closed her eyes in despair.
"Yingying, aren't you going to tidy up your room? We have to scramble for classes later. It's a test of hand speed. If you don't get the popular ones, you'll be exiled to the unpopular courses," Lyu Meng reminded her.
Pei Ying forced herself to focus. "Starting now."
She busied herself until 8:58 PM, finishing all her chores, and then opened her laptop to log onto the campus network.
Elective courses were divided into two types: restricted electives and unrestricted electives.
As the names suggested, the former had restrictions and could only be chosen from a specific pool, usually related to one's major. The latter had no such limits.
Pei Ying was a chemistry major. She grabbed her restricted elective first, then went for the unrestricted ones.
Because of this order, her choices were fewer by the time she got to the unrestricted electives. Pei Ying browsed the list and finally selected Ancient Chinese History and Basic Computer Applications.
"Finally done." Pei Ying clicked confirm.
Just as she submitted her courses, the phone beside her vibrated, making Pei Ying jump.
This Huo Junze was really annoying...
She eventually picked up the phone, but when she saw the contact name, she sat up a little straighter.
It wasn't Huo Junze.
It was Song Qinghe.
[Song Qinghe]: Yingying, which two unrestricted electives did you choose?
This meant he wanted to choose the same two courses.
Pei Ying looked at her phone and forced a smile.
She and Song Qinghe were both from City A. They had attended City A's Affiliated High School together, in the same grade but different classes. Before college, they were merely acquaintances, but after starting university, they grew closer. It could even be said they were in an ambiguous phase right now.
She thought Song Qinghe was quite nice, gentlemanly, humorous, and mild-tempered. If there hadn't been an accident...
An accident, indeed.
Pei Ying sighed inwardly but replied decisively.
[Yingyue]: I'm not sure, my boyfriend picked them for me. I'll ask him later.
Huo Junze had said Miss Zhao was also at S University. Although the other party didn't know her right now, there was no guarantee she wouldn't ask around. If she found out that the information didn't match, there might be trouble later on.
So she had to take off her single label right now.
Song Qinghe was great, but unfortunately, the timing was wrong.
