Chapter 40: I Promise You
The carriage swayed slightly.
The light from the phone screen was a bit glaring. The two sentences on the message interface and the call just now were right there. Wen Yan only felt his stomach, empty of breakfast, aching uncomfortably, and a blocking sensation near his throat bordering on retching.
From the very beginning, he had been led bit by bit into this scam.
For Gu Yulan and Pei Zhouye, this was just a game they set up.
No more messages popped up from the other side. Wen Yan looked down for a long time, turned off his phone, and went to wash his face.
He clicked on the sender’s number of that message and dialed it.
The other side picked up instantly.
“Wen Yan, have you thought it through?” Pei Zhouye’s voice was easily recognizable—low, indifferent, doing everything with composure and an air of inevitability.
Wen Yan took a deep breath, his voice still dry. “What do you mean?”
A low chuckle came from the other side. “I want you to be with me.”
Pei Zhouye held the phone in his left hand, while his slender right fingers flipped through the information sent by his assistant on the tablet. There were dark circles under his eyes, yet his gaze shone with a gloomy light.
Gu Yulan was even more shameless than he thought. Not only did he deceive Wen Yan, but he also scammed Father Wen into this trap—calm on the surface, but in reality, an endless abyss.
There was silence on the phone for a while.
Pei Zhouye was very patient and didn’t make a sound to urge him.
“What about you and Lin Seran?” Wen Yan’s light-colored eyes were indifferent, the question blunt.
Everything happening now was breaking his bottom line step by step.
Being with someone for money, being kept, and so on—he was now confirming the rumors Gu Yulan had spread, truly becoming their so-called “canary.”
But he couldn’t calmly be the other man. Even if neither Pei Zhouye nor Lin Seran cared, he cared.
Pei Zhouye frowned tightly. “My being with you has nothing to do with him. Did you misunderstand something?”
Wen Yan didn’t answer, taking it as a default.
Pei Zhouye explained subconsciously, “Wen Yan, I only like you. I haven’t liked anyone else, nor have I been with anyone else.”
Words that originally had some credibility instantly lost the last bit of trust with Wen Yan.
“You aren’t in a romantic relationship right now, correct?”
Pei Zhouye heard Wen Yan’s distrust, but these words were hard to make Wen Yan believe over the phone. He answered, “Yes.”
“Okay.” Wen Yan’s Adam’s apple rolled, his voice bitter. “I promise you.”
Pei Zhouye’s breathing stalled as he listened to the light breathing on the other end.
Words he had never dared to dream of in his dreams, he now heard with his own ears.
Wen Yan continued exhaustedly, “I’m on the high-speed train to Nan City right now. I’ll go see my family and go back tonight.”
Uneasy, he added another sentence: “I promised you; you have to do what you promised me too.”
Because of excessive fatigue, Wen Yan’s voice was very light. Transmitted through the receiver, it seemed to scratch gently at Pei Zhouye’s heart.
“Uncle won’t be in trouble; he won’t know anything.” Pei Zhouye’s tone softened unconsciously. “Wait for me in Nan City. I’ll send you the address. See you tonight.”
Wen Yan wasn’t willing to communicate too much with Pei Zhouye and ended the conversation simply: “See you tonight.”
The call hung up.
The phone pinged once; presumably, it was the address Pei Zhouye sent. Wen Yan didn’t look.
He squatted on the ground, his pale arm clutching the phone, resting weakly on his knee.
Tears fell, wetting a patch of fabric on his knee.
Pei Zhouye stood up excitedly and walked a few circles in the study.
The entire study was filled with photos of Wen Yan.
Countless repeating figures in the photos—clear and cold appearance, perfect body proportions, a temperament either gentle or indifferent.
Pei Zhouye stopped, looking obsessively at these photos. After a long while, he hooked his lips and chuckled low a few times.
He came back to his senses and called his special assistant, asking him to buy a ticket for the earliest flight to Nan City.
“The earliest flight is at 2 PM, but First Class is already…”
“That works.” Pei Zhouye interrupted.
The special assistant didn’t understand why Pei Zhouye suddenly wanted to go to Nan City. He could feel that Pei Zhouye’s voice on the other end seemed to carry some excitement and agitation.
Confirming once again, the special assistant agreed, “Okay, I’ll do it now.”
Pei Zhouye hung up the phone and raised his hand to stroke the recently collected photos.
In many of them, the people beside Wen Yan had been tirelessly cropped out by him one by one.
Finally, now that person would no longer appear by Wen Yan’s side.
Pei Zhouye’s eyes shone with an abnormal scarlet hue, looking increasingly dangerous.
Pei Residence.
Pei Zhouye drove back to get his ID.
When he went downstairs, Father Pei and Shen Yao were sitting on the sofa in the living room.
Pei Zhouye turned a blind eye and prepared to leave.
“Pei Zhouye.”
Pei Zhouye raised his hand to check his watch before stopping.
Father Pei was extremely dissatisfied with Pei Zhouye’s attitude but had no way to deal with him.
“What are you going to Nan City for?”
There was suppressed anger in his voice.
Pei Zhouye answered wearily, “It has nothing to do with you.”
“You bastard!” Father Pei finally couldn’t hold back, slamming the table fiercely, making the solid wood coffee table shake.
Shen Yao sat to the side, daring not to make a sound, not even raising his head, trying his best to lower his presence.
Pei Zhouye turned around, facing the person on the sofa squarely.
“Say what you want directly; I’m in a hurry.” He was a bit impatient. “I don’t manage your affairs, so don’t interfere in mine. We have nothing to chat about either.”
Father Pei’s voice trembled with anger. “Fine! You go! Go then!”
“Goodbye.” Pei Zhouye’s eyes were cold as he stepped out.
Shen Yao took a glance, quickly stood up, and bowed slightly to Father Pei. “Uncle Pei, I’ll go first. Take care of your health.”
After speaking, he quickly caught up with Pei Zhouye.
Pei Zhouye was already getting in the car. Shen Yao had to jog to catch up.
“Brother, why are you suddenly going to Nan City… Let me drive you.”
When Pei Zhouye’s special assistant reported the ticket purchase to Father Pei, he happened to be nearby listening.
He hadn’t seen Father Pei that angry in many years.
Nan City was a taboo word in the Pei family.
“Picking up Wen Yan.” Pei Zhouye rubbed the center of his brows.
Having stayed up all night until now without rest, his head throbbed faintly.
“By the way, he’s with me now.” Pei Zhouye spoke as if unintentionally. “He said he promised me.”
Shen Yao looked at Pei Zhouye’s relaxed brows and swallowed dryly.
Was it a legitimate way of getting together?
Shen Yao changed the topic. “Making the Gu family fall like this overnight—Brother, you didn’t even give me a heads-up.”
“It wasn’t overnight.” Pei Zhouye leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes to rest.
Shen Yao wanted to chat more, but seeing Pei Zhouye’s appearance, he guessed that he probably hadn’t slept since yesterday, so he didn’t speak again.
He didn’t know when Pei Zhouye negotiated the cooperation with Gu Yuqing. Gu Yuqing lost quite a bit in this too; he must have planned an exit route, just wanting to get the company power in hand first.
Pei Zhouye rarely discussed things he could do himself with them. It was the same when he went to Nan City without a word back then.
To this day, he still didn’t know what Pei Zhouye did in Nan City during that year.
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