You must know, he had always held a special place in his heart for this kind and beautiful little sister.
He had even kept that handkerchief from all those years ago stored in an exquisite brocade box in his study, carefully preserved.
But...
If the little angel didn't remember him, could that possibly be her fault?
It must be his own problem.
She was so young back then, probably hadn't even learned all her characters, so it was normal for her not to remember a name.
Having reasoned this through, Pei Yu's lips curled back into a smile.
"I've actually always wanted to see you again, to thank you in person," he said, his peach blossom eyes slightly upturned.
No wonder they say a pair of peach blossom eyes makes everything they look at seem filled with affection.
Being stared at so intently and directly by him...
Bai Liuyue felt a bit uncomfortable and slightly turned her head away. After all, she was now a refined and elegant young lady from a good family.
"There's no need for such formalities. It was merely a trivial effort."
"For you, it was just a trivial effort, but for me, it held great significance. Calling you 'Second Miss of the Bai Family' feels too distant. May I call you... Sister Liuyue?"
Pei Yu blinked his peach blossom eyes, seemingly innocent, but actually brimming with ulterior motives.
Just as Bai Liuyue was about to respond, a steady male voice suddenly came from behind: "No, you may not!"
Following the sound.
Xie Chengxiao had, at some point, also arrived on this small path through the flower garden, his handsome face stern and his expression icy.
"Cousin, weren't you busy with military affairs?" Pei Yu asked, surprised.
"Finished."
Xie Chengxiao answered indifferently, then turned to look at Bai Liuyue, saying:
"Let's go. The qipao we ordered is finished. I'll take you to the shop to try it on for the final fitting."
Just yesterday, they had been at the shop getting measured for several custom sets.
Pei Yu's eyes lit up, and he waved his hand, saying, "I want to go with Sister Liuyue too!"
Xie Chengxiao looked at him with displeasure, frowned impatiently, and said coldly:
"It's not convenient."
"How is it not convenient? Look, you're my cousin, she's Sister Liuyue, we're all family here. How is it not convenient?"
Pei Yu shamelessly moved his head closer, a smile playing on his lips.
He showed not a shred of self-awareness about maintaining an appropriate distance.
"She..."
Xie Chengxiao was momentarily at a loss for words, as he hadn't yet finalized the divorce from Bai Baozhu in the newspapers.
It seemed somewhat inappropriate to declare Liuyue as his future wife now.
But hearing Pei Yu call her 'Sister Liuyue' over and over was truly grating on the ears.
His intentions were too obvious.
And he wasn't trying to hide them at all.
Xie Chengxiao thought it was time to make him understand his place.
"You're sure you want to tag along?" he raised an eyebrow.
Pei Yu nodded eagerly. "Mhm, mhm!"
...
A quarter of an hour later.
Pei Yu sat miserably in the driver's seat of the pickup truck, muttering:
"Cousin, what a coincidence that the marshal's mansion driver is off duty today?"
"No coincidence. I was going to drive, but you insisted on coming along."
Xie Chengxiao sat in the back left seat, half-closing his eyes to rest, posture relaxed.
"Then why not let Sister Liuyue sit in the passenger seat?" Pei Yu pouted discontentedly.
Xie Chengxiao gave a light hum, then said:
"You drive like you're piloting a tank. I'm afraid you'd scare her."
Bai Liuyue sat on the right side of the back seat, pursing her lips, not saying a word.
Maintaining the image of a demure and quiet young lady.
Pei Yu curled his lip disdainfully and made a 'tsk' sound, saying:
"Nonsense! I drive perfectly steadily..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the car was suddenly rear-ended, and the steering wheel spun uncontrollably towards the side of the street.
Pei Yu tried his best to control it, slamming on the brakes, but it was no use.
"The brakes have failed!" he shouted, somewhat panicked.
Xie Chengxiao opened his eyes, his narrow eyes narrowing further.
He looked through the rear window at the black sedan that had hit them. Its license plate was from another province.
Very unfamiliar.
"Pull the handbrake."
Pei Yu shook his head. "No good, the handbrake isn't responding either."
Bai Liuyue in the back seat leaned forward slightly. Before Pei Yu could even react, she had already leaned closer.
"Lightly press the accelerator, then release it," her voice was soft but calm.
Pei Yu instinctively obeyed.
This car was a common carburetor type. Lightly pressing and releasing the accelerator could briefly cut off the fuel supply by causing the carburetor to "choke."
The speed decreased slightly.
But they were still heading towards the street.
The crowd scattered as they saw the car charging forward. Fortunately, there were shops directly ahead.
Bai Liuyue leaned forward a bit more, decisively grabbing the steering wheel. In the emergency, her fingertips inadvertently brushed against Pei Yu's fingers, which were resting on it.
Pei Yu's face couldn't help but flush slightly.
But Bai Liuyue paid no mind. She turned the steering wheel, making the car scrape against a sandbag pile in front of a rice shop's entrance at as shallow an angle as possible.
"Boom—"
The car scraped and crashed into it. However, the speed had slowed, and the sandbag pile provided a cushioning effect.
Fortunately, only the front of the car broke through the shop's doorway, half of it going in. The car body did not flip over.
"I knew it! This young master isn't so easy to finish off."
Just as Pei Yu was about to heave a long sigh of relief,
he saw Xie Chengxiao frowning, still looking back at the other car, saying gravely:
"Get your guns ready. They hit us on purpose."
The previously casual Pei Yu immediately became serious, pulling a black Browning pistol from the holster at his waist.
The car door was already badly damaged, so he gave it a hard kick with his military boot, and the half-hanging door fell off completely.
In the back seat, Xie Chengxiao also raised his pistol, turning to Bai Liuyue:
"You hide in the car. Don't make a sound."
Bai Liuyue opened her almond-shaped eyes wide and nodded obediently.
By the time Xie Chengxiao opened the door and got out, five burly men who had jumped from the car behind them were already charging into the shop with guns drawn.
The car door slowly closed.
Bai Liuyue heard the sound of numerous stray bullets, and the pitter-patter of bullets hitting the car's trunk after going wide.
Although Xie Chengxiao and Pei Yu were only two people, they were both first-rate marksmen.
They fought the five burly men to a standstill.
Before long,
Bai Liuyue heard the groans of two unfamiliar, rough-voiced men falling.
Now it was two against three.
Pei Yu relaxed a little, twirling his black Browning, and said with a laugh:
"Cousin, three left. How about we bet on who can take down three first?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a gun from a distant thug was aimed at him.
Xie Chengxiao, as if able to predict it, yanked Pei Yu towards himself, cursing:
"You think this is a game? Getting shot means dying. I can't explain that to your father."
The stray bullet just grazed past his forehead.
But Pei Yu raised an eyebrow excitedly, saying:
"Relax. They say the wicked live for a thousand years. Me? I definitely won't die. The unlucky ones are bound to be them."
