Chapter Five: Come Home with Me

When she reached the gate of the residential complex, she indeed saw Shen Wang standing there, loudly and vividly addressing the passersby around him:

“My girlfriend picked a fight with me and dumped me a while ago. Today I was actually planning to go to her company and apologize properly, but instead I saw her getting into a car with some rich kid driving a McLaren.”

“We’d been together for a full three years. When she was about to graduate and I was worried she couldn’t afford living in the capital alone, I even let her move into my place. Never thought she’d turn around and trade up the moment she got the chance!”

Yu Chuchu only felt a surge of blood rushing to her head.

How did he have the face to say such things?

The security guard could only watch helplessly as Shen Wang made a scene at the entrance. Though the pedestrians were in a hurry, this juicy scandal clearly drew them in, and quite a few even slowed down to listen carefully.

Yu Chuchu strode over and snapped, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

When Shen Wang saw her arrive, a flash of mockery crossed his eyes, though his expression remained pitiful.

“Chuchu, you’re still so young. Are you really willing to let some rich kid keep you like a pet?”

“I know I’m poor. I can’t buy you luxury goods or put you in a fancy car. But the life you want, I’ll give it to you in the future. How could you do this?”

Yu Chuchu was shaking with anger. She raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

“You disgusting scumbag. You’re still thinking about your first love and you have the nerve to turn around and accuse me of cheating?”

After taking the slap, Shen Wang only looked even more aggrieved, lowering his head in a forlorn pose.

“If you want to use an excuse to break up, I understand. After all, you’re already being kept by a rich kid now. For money, you wouldn’t admit you dumped me.”

The surrounding crowd looked at Yu Chuchu even more strangely, and someone who couldn’t bear it muttered, “These young girls nowadays will do anything for money.”

Seeing the faint smugness hidden in Shen Wang’s eyes, Yu Chuchu’s eyes turned red with rage. She wanted nothing more than to tear this scum apart limb by limb, when a chilling voice came from behind her.

“What is it? You’re poor, ugly, and rotten to the core, and you still think you’ve been wronged?”

Yu Chuchu froze. Looking up, she saw Pei Jiayin stride over and shield her behind him.

Shen Wang was about one hundred and seventy-five centimeters tall, not short by any means, but standing before Pei Jiayin he seemed to shrink by half a head. His entire aura collapsed at once.

Stammering, he tried to speak. “You, you...”

“I really shouldn’t waste time with you, but you’ve caused damage to my reputation.”

Pei Jiayin lowered his gaze and looked at him coldly.

“Her relationship to me is that of a rented roommate. We only met yesterday, yet you keep insisting she was kept by me. Do you have any evidence?”

Shen Wang choked, then stiffened his neck and said with hollow bravado, “Who knows whether what you’re saying is true?”

At that moment, someone nearby murmured, “Setting aside the money issue, this person’s face and bearing aren’t even comparable to his. If he were a beggar, I’d still be willing to pay for him myself.”

Shen Wang looked even more embarrassed.

Pei Jiayin let out a silent, icy laugh and directly took out his phone to make a call.

“I have no obligation to explain truth or falsehood to you, but I will have a lawyer sue you for defamation against me and Yu Chuchu.”

After giving a few instructions to the person on the other end, he said coldly, “A filthy heart sees filth in everything.”

Seeing his expression, Shen Wang suddenly felt a vague panic.

But celebrities often throw around lawyers’ letters; who knew whether he was just bluffing?

Just as he was about to speak, Pei Jiayin had already turned to the security guards.

“You call yourselves an upscale community, and you just let a mad dog bark at the residents like this?”

The security guards came back to themselves and, seeing how noble and untouchable Pei Jiayin looked, broke into a cold sweat.

This man was obviously someone important. If they offended him, how could they expect any good outcome?

“We’ll take him away right away. We’re sorry, sir!”

The guards grabbed Shen Wang by the arm.

“We apologize for causing you trouble.”

Pei Jiayin ignored them and walked up to Yu Chuchu.

“Go back first. I’ll handle it. Don’t worry.”

Looking at the man’s handsome face, Yu Chuchu felt a sharp tug somewhere deep in her chest.

Her parents had always taught her to be sensible, so whenever she was bullied she dared not say anything, and no one ever stood up for her.

Pei Jiayin seemed to be the first person to do that for her...

She lowered her head and followed him back to the villa, her mind in chaos.

After sitting down, Pei Jiayin went straight to the point.

“What happened yesterday was my fault. I’ll take responsibility.”

What?

Yu Chuchu looked up in utter disbelief.

Did this young master even know what he was saying?

Apparently worried that she might not believe him, Pei Jiayin added, “I’ve never been in a relationship before. I ran away from home because my parents forced me into an arranged marriage. I think something like this happening to a girl is... very serious, so I can agree to any request you make.”

“I didn’t mean to silence you with money. That transfer... just pretend I didn’t know what to say back then and had a brain spasm.”

Watching his uneasy, awkward expression, Yu Chuchu somehow found him a little endearing.

But even if she didn’t know exactly who he was, she could still tell their statuses were worlds apart.

If she were to use one night together to blackmail him into marrying into wealth or something like that, it wouldn’t be fair to him either, especially since she had been the one to make the first move after drinking too much last night.

Her thoughts only grew more tangled.

“Why don’t you let me think it over properly?” she said. “I... I don’t think it was that serious.”

Pei Jiayin pressed his lips together, thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Fine. But you can’t move out.”

His tone was serious.

“You don’t have money. Living outside is dangerous. If you’re worried about something like this happening again, I can move out temporarily.”

Those clear, bright eyes made it impossible for Yu Chuchu to suspect him of any ulterior motive.

In a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s, she said, “No need. I trust you.”

At last Pei Jiayin let out a breath of relief.

“You’re about to go to work, right? How about I take you?”

Yu Chuchu was startled again.

“That would be too much trouble, wouldn’t it? And how do you know I work at that company?”

Pei Jiayin answered vaguely, “I happened to be going there on business. I also have something to handle there this afternoon.”

Yu Chuchu didn’t doubt him, but she still didn’t want him to drive her.

“No need. Your car is too eye-catching. I don’t want people getting the wrong idea.”

“I have another car.”

Pei Jiayin cleared his throat.

“I also think that one’s a bit too conspicuous. To be honest, my company is near yours too. If you don’t mind, we could go to work and come home together from now on... It would also save you from squeezing onto the subway and delaying dinner. We can just split the fuel costs.”

Yu Chuchu hesitated for a moment, then shamefully felt her heart flutter.

Taking the subway really did waste a lot of time, and there was no guarantee she could even squeeze on.

Lowering her head, she said, “Then... thank you.”

Pei Jiayin finally relaxed, went out, and started up the Volkswagen Phaeton he hadn’t driven in a long time.

“Get in.”

Yu Chuchu only felt that this car seemed much roomier than an ordinary Volkswagen, but she didn’t pay much attention.

The two of them remained silent the whole way. When they reached the company entrance, Yu Chuchu thanked him and got out. Just as she was about to go upstairs, she heard a familiar voice.

“Chuchu!”

She froze and turned around, only to see her mother standing by the roadside with a dark expression, looking weather-beaten and exhausted.

“Mom? Why are you here?”

Yu Chuchu was utterly stunned. Shouldn’t her mother be back in her hometown in Hebei Province? How had she suddenly come here?

“If I hadn’t come, what other shameful thing were you planning to do? Are you trying to drive your mother to death?”

Li Guifang said bitterly, grief and anger written all over her face. “Your family has scraped and saved to put you through university, and you went and became some rich man’s mistress?! You’ve been blinded by the glittering world of the city!”

“Come home with me! Even if I make you farm in the countryside for the rest of your life, I will not let you do something so disgraceful!”