This time, no one dared to ask Pei Yiyan to sit at the small table.
The chef quickly brought out the dishes one by one. To make it easier for Pei Yiyan to eat, they even assigned a servant to serve him food onto his plate.
Shen Yuqing glanced over and said, “He doesn’t eat cilantro or offal.”
The servant happened to be serving the signature dish of stir-fried beef with cilantro from across the table.
Hearing this, the servant paused and quickly withdrew their hand. “Apologies, Young Master.”
Uncle Pei merely glanced at the servant. “Be more careful next time.”
The servant nodded hastily and served Pei Yiyan a piece of meat instead.
Pei Yiyan’s grip on his chopsticks tightened slightly.
To be honest, he was a little surprised.
How did Shen Yuqing know?
As if reading his mind, Shen Yuqing leaned in and whispered in his ear, “We’ve eaten so many meals together, isn’t it normal for me to know your dietary preferences?”
Both the original owner and Shen Yuqing weren’t particularly picky eaters, so Xiao Zhao always experimented with different home-style dishes.
In truth, with just a little observation, it wasn’t hard to figure out what Pei Yiyan liked or disliked.
Pei Yiyan loosened his grip slightly and simply gave a quiet “Mm” in response.
Shen Yuqing straightened up and began chatting with the other members of the Pei family.
Pei Yiyan sat quietly beside him, eating his meal. But it had to be said, the Shen family was indeed full of shrewd individuals. The Pei family members subtly and not-so-subtly hinted at Shen Yuqing about company matters, but Shen Yuqing either gave vague answers or played dumb.
By the end of the meal, Shen Yuqing and Pei Yiyan were the ones who had eaten the most.
After dinner, several golf carts lined up outside, ready to take them back to the main hall.
Shen Yuqing eyed the five carts and chuckled. “The butler mentioned the carts were broken earlier. Seems they’ve all been repaired now?”
Uncle Pei, standing beside him, merely smiled warmly. “Yuqing, let’s get on.”
Shen Yuqing helped Pei Yiyan onto the cart before sitting down beside him.
By now, the sky had darkened completely. Shen Yuqing glanced upward soon, the plot would begin.
He hadn’t forgotten today’s important mission.
With the carts, they arrived at the main hall in just a few minutes.
The room was spacious and filled with entertainment facilities. Shen Yuqing was no longer surprised by such displays.
He was invited to sit on the sofa, but just as he looked up at Pei Yiyan, the latter said, “I’m going to the restroom.”
Shen Yuqing could only nod, watching as a servant led Pei Yiyan away before turning his attention back to the others.
The people nearby exchanged glances.
It seemed Pei Yiyan had changed after going to the Shen family.
What kind of charm did he possess to win over even the notorious Shen Yuqing?
A few of the guests, around Pei Yiyan’s age, exchanged looks. They were also alphas, invited here for dinner.
Back when Pei Yiyan was still the golden boy, he had always overshadowed them. Even after his accident, he somehow managed to secure a marriage alliance with the Shen family.
Their families had never stopped nagging them about it.
So, when they heard about the strained relationship between Pei Yiyan and Shen Yuqing, they felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.
So, what if he married into the Shen family? His life was still miserable.
They had been suppressed by Pei Yiyan’s aura for a long time. Initially, it wasn’t a big deal when Shen Yuqing wasn’t around, but now that they saw the sudden improvement in their relationship, that sense of resentment flared up again. Why should they?
The three of them had always been close, and with just a glance at each other, they understood what the others were thinking.
The inferior instincts of an alpha were stirring restlessly.
Shen Yuqing had been waiting for Pei Yiyan to return, but this trip was taking far too long, unusually long.
Yet, the system hadn’t signaled the start of any plot.
Pei’s uncle and eldest uncle were still discussing company matters. After some thought, Shen Yuqing stood up and said, “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
He headed in the direction Pei Yiyan had gone earlier.
As he walked, he pulled up the system and asked, Where’s Pei Yiyan?
The system didn’t respond.
Shen Yuqing called out several more times before the system finally flickered its indicator light. Host.
Shen Yuqing’s eyelid twitched. Why didn’t you answer me earlier?
I was undergoing routine system maintenance. I wasn’t available just now, the system explained.
No wonder it hadn’t responded no matter how much he called. When Shen Yuqing reached the restroom, he found it empty even the servant was nowhere to be seen. Something was wrong.
Frowning, Shen Yuqing realized the plot had begun!
He hurried toward the backyard. Just as the plot point had described, the backyard was filled with flowers, their beauty accentuated by the ground lights hidden beneath them.
But Shen Yuqing had no time to admire the scenery. He rushed toward the fountain as instructed. As soon as he passed through the long floral path, he heard a loud splash.
Quickening his pace, he spotted two people standing by the fountain, laughing at something inside. Shen Yuqing’s expression darkened. “What are you doing?!” he shouted angrily.
At his outburst, the two didn’t even dare to look back and immediately fled in the opposite direction. Only then did Shen Yuqing notice another person standing further away, holding a camera likely having captured the entire scene.
Right now, Shen Yuqing had no time to deal with them. He rushed to the fountain’s edge and peered into the water under the surrounding lights. Sure enough, Pei Yiyan was inside.
The fountain wasn’t deep, yet Pei Yiyan wasn’t surfacing. Even more alarming, Shen Yuqing spotted blood mixing with the water!
He called Pei Yiyan’s name twice before discarding his cumbersome suit jacket and jumping in without hesitation.
The water reached his chin. He plunged beneath the surface, swiftly making his way to Pei Yiyan. Grabbing him under the arms, he used the water’s buoyancy to lift him up.
Pei Yiyan gasped for air, his eyes tightly shut, his pale face twisted from choking on water. “Cramp,” he managed to say.
No wonder he hadn’t been able to resurface.
“Hold onto my arm,” Shen Yuqing said. “We’ll go up slowly. The water isn’t deep, don’t be afraid.”
His main concern now was the source of the blood, but he couldn’t check immediately. Both of them were soaked, and getting out was the priority.
Pei Yiyan slowly opened his eyes. For some reason, his vision seemed clearer now as if he could see the expression on Shen Yuqing’s face.
Shen Yuqing was by his side, draping one of his arms over her shoulder while wrapping her own arm around his waist to prevent him from curling up again from the cramp.
The fountain area was quite secluded, and few people came here at night, so despite all the commotion, no one had approached.
The system chimed in: 【There are stairs on the other side.】
Shen Yuqing followed the direction and indeed spotted the stairs.
“Let’s head over to the stairs,” she said. “No rush, it’s okay.”
Her voice was soft and reassuring, suppressing the anxiety bubbling inside her.
Pei Yiyan’s leg was still twitching, but hearing Shen Yuqing’s words, his mind truly calmed down.
This feeling… was so strange.
At the same time, Shen Yuqing’s system notification popped up.
【Blackening Value: 70, Favorability: -30】
