Sang Ning was caught off guard as she was pulled into his embrace, her mind buzzing with a sudden "hum."
Being in such close contact with a man outside her family was something she wasn't accustomed to.
Her brief etiquette lessons had covered the concept of a hug, but did it really need to be this tight?
Stiffly, she raised her arms and lightly wrapped them around his back.
Feeling the softness of her hands encircling him, the corners of his lips lifted, and his arms around her waist tightened slightly.
The suffocating restlessness that had plagued him for days vanished in an instant.
He released her at just the right moment, his expression now composed. "I should get going."
"Oh..."
Sang Ning didn’t know what else to say and simply turned to leave.
He Siyu returned to his car, watching as she hurried home, her steps quick. The sight made him smile.
Only when he saw her open the gate and step inside did he finally look away, driving off in high spirits.
Back home, Sang Ning picked up her phone with suspicion.
【The Correct Way to Perform a Hug】
Under the neon glow of the CBD, the upscale café at its heart offered a view through its floor-to-ceiling windows of the bustling streets below, alive with cars and pedestrians.
Pei Songhan glanced at his watch—it was almost nine. His patience was wearing thin.
He took a sip of coffee and, as he looked up, noticed a white Maserati pulling over by the curb outside.
The doors opened, and a man and woman stepped out. The man wore a white casual tracksuit, while the woman was dressed in a light blue French-style draped-neck maxi dress, her voluminous curls cascading elegantly over her shoulders.
The man took the car keys from her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and kissed her cheek before sliding into the driver’s seat.
The woman smiled as she pushed open the café door, her gaze immediately landing on Pei Songhan. She walked over and took the seat across from him.
"Sorry, traffic was terrible. Have you been waiting long?"
Pei Songhan gave a slight nod. "Not too bad."
He cut straight to the point. "What did you want to talk about?"
Zhu Jiani chuckled. "We’re getting married in three months. Isn’t that question a bit blunt?"
Pei Songhan replied calmly, "You had your boyfriend drive you here. That seems blunter."
"Really? I didn’t think you’d care."
"Just don’t make it public. Neither family needs the embarrassment."
His tone remained mild, but there was an unmistakable indifference beneath it.
Their arranged marriage was purely a business alliance. He didn’t care what Zhu Jiani did. After the wedding, he’d likely return to Australia, and they’d probably go months without speaking.
Zhu Jiani smirked. "What about you? Aren’t you worried about causing a scene?"
"About what?"
She unlocked her phone, pulled up a video, and slid it across the table toward him.
The footage showed Pei Songhan shielding Nan Sangning from a collapsing champagne tower. Sangning’s voice rang out in panic: "Songhan-gege, are you okay?"
Pei Songhan’s brow furrowed. "Where did you get this?"
"No idea. Someone sent it to me anonymously," Zhu Jiani said, taking a sip of coffee. "Your little girlfriend might’ve been set up. Whoever sent this clearly wants me to go after her."
Pei Songhan corrected her. "She’s not my girlfriend. She’s Ji Yan’s friend. We’ve only met twice."
Zhu Jiani laughed. "Figures. I can’t imagine you actually caring about anyone."
Pei Songhan had no interest in continuing the conversation. "Send me the video."
Zhu Jiani picked up her phone and forwarded it to him.
Once he received it, Pei Songhan nodded. "The wedding arrangements are being handled by our families. You know how it is."
Zhu Jiani suddenly felt weary. "Do you even think we should go through with this?"
"I don’t care either way."
If it wasn’t Zhu Jiani, it’d be someone else. To him, it made no difference.
Pei Songhan stood to leave. "I’ll head out first."
But Zhu Jiani spoke up. "Songhan, right after we got engaged, I did think about making this work."
Pei Songhan paused, turning to look at her. His gaze was as calm and unreadable as ever.
Zhu Jiani smiled faintly. "I tried. But my self-respect isn’t worthless."
Holding onto an ice-cold heart only ends up freezing you instead.
Her smile faded as she met his eyes. "I’m not like you. I can’t live my whole life feeling nothing."
Pei Songhan pressed his lips together, unsure how to respond.
Zhu Jiani didn’t wait for an answer. She grabbed her bag and left.
Pei Songhan stood silently for a moment before reopening the video Zhu Jiani had sent him.
It was likely filmed on a phone from a short distance, so the quality was clear.
The moment the champagne tower toppled, he had grabbed Nan Sangning’s arm and pulled her aside. Glasses shattered, and the metal frame scraped his arm, drawing blood.
As the crimson stain spread, her pupils dilated in shock, and she blurted out, "Songhan-gege, are you okay?"
He froze, staring at her.
The instant the words left her mouth, her face stiffened. In the span of three seconds, her expression cycled through regret, embarrassment, and frustration before she finally schooled her features into forced composure.
"Mr. Pei, are you alright?" she amended stiffly.
He couldn’t help but laugh.
In the chaos of the moment, he hadn’t noticed the whirlwind of emotions before she regained her cool.
Her sudden correction had thrown him off so completely that he’d almost doubted whether he’d misheard her initially.
Pei Songhan closed the video and made a call.
"Mr. Pei."
"Pull the surveillance footage from the Zhan family’s wine-tasting event. Also, get me Nan Sangning’s contact details."
"Right away."
Half an hour later, Pei Songhan received the footage and a phone number from his assistant.
He copied the number and sent her a friend request on WeChat.
Sang Ning had just finished showering and was about to sleep when her phone buzzed. She opened it to see:
【Hello, this is Pei Songhan.】
Her eyes narrowed, alarm bells ringing in her head.
Why was he adding her?
Surely he wasn’t here to lord her slip-up over her—that was more He Siyu’s style.
It must be something important.
Taking a deep breath, she accepted the request.
Pei Songhan immediately sent her two videos.
The first was the phone recording of him saving her from the champagne tower. The second was surveillance footage.
The surveillance clearly showed who had been filming at that moment: Nan Siya.
Sang Ning’s expression darkened.
A message followed:
【Keep an eye on your cousin. She leaked the video.】
Given how the video had ended up with Pei Songhan, Sang Ning could guess exactly who Nan Siya had shared it with.
She exhaled slowly and typed:
【I’m sorry. I hope this hasn’t caused any trouble for you.】
【It hasn’t.】
She hesitated before adding:
【If needed, I can explain things to your fiancée.】
【No need.】
Sang Ning relaxed slightly. Their relationship must be solid if he wasn’t worried about misunderstandings.
She typed again:
【Thank you.】
【You’re welcome.】
How polite.
After dealing with He Siyu for so long, encountering such a reasonable and respectable person now felt oddly unsettling to her.
Early the next morning,
Sang Ning woke up as usual, finished her morning routine, changed clothes, and prepared to leave for school.
As she pulled open her bedroom door, she happened to spot Nan Siya, who looked bright-eyed and energetic. The moment Nan Siya saw her, a faint glint of schadenfreude flickered in her eyes.
Sang Ning stepped forward, blocking her path.
“Do you have a problem?” Nan Siya asked, displeased but also slightly guilty.
Sang Ning eyed her coldly. “You seem awfully happy—did you get back together with Chen Zheng, or are you just thrilled that the video of me almost getting hit got leaked, hoping I’d be punished?”
Nan Siya’s expression stiffened before she retorted defiantly, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. If you’ve done something shameless, you deserve whatever comes your way!”
Sang Ning chuckled. “Is that so? Then you must be pretty disappointed to see me standing here perfectly fine, huh?”
Nan Siya faltered. Of course she was disappointed. She had expected Pei Songhan’s fiancée, Zhu Jiani, to storm over, slap Nan Sangning in public, and scream at her for being a homewrecker!
So why was she completely unharmed?
Sang Ning had no interest in wasting words on this fool.
She only said coolly, “In that case, you must have your hands full too.”
“What do you mean?” Nan Siya asked warily.
“Has Chen Zheng come to see you at all these past few days?”
Nan Siya lifted her chin. “Brother Zheng is busy with work! He prioritizes his career—of course I understand!”
“Oh?” Sang Ning smiled. “After the wine-tasting event, Zhan Yijun injured her hand. Care to guess what Chen Zheng’s been busy with?”
