Chapter 155: Stealing Fragrance (10)
The moment those two words were spoken, the entire floor fell silent.
Pei Yinnian was speechless, but he reacted quickly, telling the proprietress:
“Put the bill on my account. Send someone to the Pei Residence to collect the money.”
The proprietress dared to talk about losses with Mother Xiao, but she didn’t dare do so with Pei Yinnian. To put it bluntly, if Pei Yinnian was unhappy, it was a toss-up whether she could even keep the hotel open.
She went through a round of polite refusals with Pei Yinnian, appearing like a completely different person from the one who had just been forcing Mother Xiao to pay.
Pei Yinnian first called Lin Shu to have him come pick them up. After settling the hotel matter, he went downstairs with Xiao Ji and Mother Xiao.
For the first time, Xiao Ji had such a profound realization of the fate of ordinary people. It seemed some people were born as the favorites of heaven; whatever they wanted, the heavens would find a way to deliver it into their hands. Like the Pei Yinnian of this world.
He held Mother Xiao’s arm and faced Pei Yinnian.
“Thank you. I will pay you back the money.”
Pei Yinnian wanted to say, No need, you know what I want. But with Mother Xiao present, he couldn’t be so unscrupulous. He only said:
“The Mister is too polite. I will have to trouble the Mister to put more effort into Xinyun’s studies.”
He had originally planned to forcibly take Xiao Ji back to the Pei Residence tonight, but with Mother Xiao here, he could only abandon the idea.
By now, Lin Shu was already waiting in the car. Seeing Pei Yinnian and the others come out, he quickly got out to open the door.
Pei Yinnian didn’t move, saying to Xiao Ji, “Get in. I’ll send you back.”
Xiao Ji didn’t refuse. He first helped Mother Xiao into the car, then followed her in. Pei Yinnian opened the passenger door and sat in the front.
All along the way, the car was so quiet a needle drop could be heard.
It wasn’t until Lin Shu stopped the car at the entrance of the small alley where Xiao Ji lived that Pei Yinnian gave a warning in a casual tone:
“Tomorrow after school, I will pick the Mister up at the gate and return to the Pei Residence. Do not forget.”
Xiao Ji said he understood and thanked Pei Yinnian again. After getting out of the car, he stood by the road watching Pei Yinnian’s car disappear into the distance before supporting Mother Xiao back home.
As soon as they entered the house, Mother Xiao, who hadn’t said a word on the way, spoke up:
“You little brat! I told you not to mind me! It’s not easy to connect with such a big figure! Our family background…”
“We don’t steal, rob, or cheat. I’m just teaching; do I still need to look at family background?” Xiao Ji countered.
Mother Xiao was silenced for a moment, then began to worry about something else:
“It’s a good thing to connect with such a person, but we can’t afford to offend him. He’s treating you to dinner and sending you home… if he flips his face one day, the consequences will be unimaginable.”
Xiao Ji said flatly, “He has a request of me. He won’t flip his face.”
Mother Xiao had heard the conversation between Pei Yinnian and Xiao Ji, but she always felt something wasn’t quite right.
“Is he flattering you just to have you teach someone? Did I cause trouble for you today? Taking from someone makes you beholden; does he have some other motive?”
Xiao Ji looked at Mother Xiao, his voice calm. “Not only that, he will also take care of Xiao Ran’s illness. So, you can put your heart at ease.”
“His motive is not only there, it’s very clear.”
Upon hearing this, Mother Xiao’s heart leapt into her throat. She glanced at Xiao Ran’s room where the light was already out, then pulled Xiao Ji into another room and closed the door.
“What’s going on?”
Some things couldn’t be hidden and had to be said sooner or later. Xiao Ji didn’t care to hide such things, so he told Mother Xiao directly:
“He has taken a liking to me. He wants me to follow him.”
Mother Xiao was a very traditional woman. She understood each of those words, but when put together, she didn’t quite grasp it.
She was stunned for a long while. “What do you mean ‘taken a liking to you’? What do you mean ‘wants you to follow him’?”
Xiao Ji: “He likes me. He wants me to live with him.”
Mother Xiao processed this for a moment. When she realized what Xiao Ji was saying, she instantly grew angry.
“Impossible! Bullsh*t! We’ll pay him back the money! This is too unreasonable!”
Xiao Ji had no reaction. “And what about Xiao Ran? If her illness is delayed any longer, she probably won’t live for many more days.”
She was her biological child after all. Now that there was a way, Mother Xiao couldn’t remain completely indifferent. But her bias quickly made her say:
“Even so, we can’t sacrifice you!”
Xiao Ji raised an index finger, making a shushing gesture toward Mother Xiao. He said softly:
“I am willing.”
Getting Mother Xiao to back down took a lot of words and energy. She didn’t accept it so quickly, but Xiao Ji’s attitude made her realize that she had to accept it whether she wanted to or not.
Xiao Ji made do on the woven rattan sofa as usual. The next day, he got up early to go to school as usual.
The students’ rebellion was limited. Without any more tricks, once they learned to respect their teacher, Xiao Ji’s days at school became dull.
In the evening after school, as expected, he saw Pei Yinnian’s car at the school gate.
But unlike last night, today Pei Xinyun was also in the car.
After Xiao Ji and Pei Yinnian greeted each other, they acted as if they weren’t familiar, each looking out of their respective windows.
Arriving at the Pei Residence, Pei Yinnian first arranged dinner. During the meal, the way Pei Yinnian looked after Xiao Ji was truly beyond belief.
Influenced by his family environment and status, Pei Yinnian was always a self-centered person who never cared about others’ feelings. But during this meal, he was either putting food on Xiao Ji’s plate or pouring him water, and he frequently stared at Xiao Ji as if trying to figure out his preferences. He acted as if Xiao Ji were the head of the Pei household.
Mother Pei watched for a while, opening her mouth as if to say something, but was stopped by a single look from Pei Yinnian.
After dinner, Xiao Ji and Pei Xinyun went to the study.
Pei Yinnian spent his time bringing in tea and snacks. When it started raining outside, he even brought in a wool blanket.
Watching the busy and overly concerned Pei Yinnian, Mother Pei finally couldn’t help but say:
“What’s so special about this Mister Xiao? Last night when I asked you to look at Wang Lu, you just left. You didn’t give her any face at all.”
Pei Yinnian held a newspaper. Hearing this, he raised his eyebrows and glanced at Mother Pei.
“I think your life has been too peaceful lately. If you’re tired of the good life in the city, why don’t you go to the countryside to find some peace and quiet?”
Upon hearing this, Mother Pei immediately shut her mouth. Although she had given birth to Pei Yinnian, this child was strangely cold-natured.
Even though she had shut up, Pei Yinnian still gave one more warning:
“What happened yesterday—don’t let it happen again.”
Mother Pei didn’t dare make a sound. She sat on the sofa feeling awkward, afraid that if Pei Yinnian became unhappy, he really would send her away. After thinking about it, she got up, adjusted her small shawl, and went upstairs to her bedroom.
Pei Yinnian sat alone in the living room, listening to the grandfather clock on the mantelpiece ticking away.
When nine o’clock arrived, he put down the newspaper, stood up, and went upstairs, walking to the half-open door of the study.
Translator’s Note: “Taking from someone makes you beholden” (拿人手短 – ná rén shǒu duǎn) literally means “the hand that takes is short.” It’s an idiom meaning that once you accept a favor or a bribe, you lose your ability to speak up or act independently against that person.
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