Chapter 5.

Once the hallway outside had gone completely silent, he finally let his fingers trail lazily along the curve of my ear, his voice laced with playful mockery. “Tsk… the soundproofing in this office is really bottom-tier. I might need to upgrade it, or our private business is going to become public entertainment.”

Refusing to indulge his nonsense, I lifted my foot and brought my razor-sharp stiletto heel coming straight down on his shoe.

He sucked in a sharp breath. “Shh, damn, are you trying to commit husband-cide?”

Husband my ass! The man wrote his own scripts faster than a soap opera writer.

—

For the entire following week, I dropped by the Pei Group every single day, but he was nowhere to be seen. Surprisingly, a strange sense of emptiness began to creep into my chest. It was as if… I’d gotten so used to him bothering me that having everything quiet down felt almost jarring.

Unable to resist any longer, I shot him a text. His reply came back instantly:

【What? Miss me already? I suppose I could bring myself to hop on a video call to cure your lovesickness.】

The sheer level of narcissism was practically worthy of an international award. I typed back:

【Get lost. I’m just concerned about the project timeline.】

【Out of town on business. Can’t make it back just yet. If you run into issues, reach out. If you miss me, definitely reach out.】

Unprofessional partner. Moving around without so much as a heads-up.

While he was away, Pei Yu asked me out a few times. At first, out of respect for both our families, I swallowed my pride and went along, but the conversations only grew more insufferable. Two and a half sentences out of every three were thinly veiled references to bedroom activities. From the second outing onward, I left him strictly on read. Naturally, my mother chewed me out repeatedly over it.

—

As the engagement party drew near, I felt like a clockwork doll being wound up, unable to escape, unable to hide.

On the day of the event, the venue outside was buzzing with festive noise, while I stood in front of the mirror draped in exquisite makeup, looking no different from a glorified puppet. I hadn’t invited a single friend; I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone watching me get traded off like a clearance item.

When it was time for the ceremony, the coordinator called my name. I drew a deep breath, gathered my skirt, and stepped forward as if marching onto a battlefield.

The heavy doors swung open, and every gaze in the room converged on me. But as I raised my eyes toward the stage, my heart skipped a beat.

The man standing there wasn’t Pei Yu.

It was Pei Moheng. Even the name printed on the ceremonial board had been changed.

I stood frozen like a statue. He walked down the steps with effortless grace, gently taking my hand and looping it through his arm.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered against my ear. “So thrilled to see your husband that you’ve lost your words?”

Who is your husband?!

—

It wasn’t until after the ceremony wrapped up that I learned the truth: he had laid everything out on the table with the Pei family elders. As for Pei Yu, he had been shipped overseas to “rehabilitate into a functioning human being.”

For the first time in my life, my mother spoke to him in a serious, protective tone. “Treat her well from now on. If you don’t, I won’t let it slide.” I blinked, completely caught off guard to hear those words come out of her mouth.

She turned to me, letting out a soft sigh. “Qianqian… the boy who saved you all those years ago… was Moheng.”

A tight, crushing sensation gripped my heart. I jerked my hand out of his grip, staring at him. “It was… you…?”

My mind went completely blank, and I turned around, bolting out of the venue. Pei Moheng sprinted after me, catching me by the arms in the courtyard outside.

“What is it, Qianqian?”

I shoved his hands off, screaming in absolute ruin, “Why did you save me?! Why couldn’t you save my brother first?! I would rather you had let me die!”

He fell quiet for a long moment, his voice barely above a breath. “I’m sorry… back then, I could only reach the person closest to the shore. By the time your brother was pulled out… he was already gone.”

I collapsed onto the pavement, sobbing uncontrollably. Deep down, I knew I had no right to blame anyone else. I had simply never been able to forgive myself.

He wrapped his arms tightly around me, pulling me into his chest. “I’m sorry… I got there too late.”

My parents came rushing out as well. My mother gently stroked my back, her voice shaking. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart… If Moheng hadn’t stumbled across your psychological evaluation records, I would have never known how much agony you were carrying alone.”

Even my father lowered his head, his voice laced with genuine remorse. “It was our fault…”

I cried until I had no strength left. Some wounds don’t heal just because someone finally says they’re sorry, but at the very least, the suffocating weight on my chest began to lift.

After a long time, I wiped my face and stood up. “Mom, Dad, you should go ahead. I’m okay now.”

—

Pei Moheng tilted his head, watching me as that familiar, lazy smile drifted back onto his lips. “Come on. Let’s go on an actual date.”

That evening, over drinks, he officially asked me to be his, promising to make up for everything with a proper, grand proposal down the road. The alcohol surged through my veins, making my emotions braver than they had ever been.

I looked deep into his dark eyes. “Pei Moheng… I want a do-over.”

“Hmm?”

“That night… I want to feel what it was like all over again. And this time, I won’t pass out.”

Before he could respond, I reached out, took his chin in my hand, and pulled him down into a deep, lingering kiss.

(The End)