A week later, Jing Meng was led back to Pei Shiyi's villa by Pei Cheng.
Her left arm was in a cast, and her right hand was held by Pei Cheng. Before she could even get a clear look at the low-key, luxurious villa, she was dragged back to his room by the impatient Pei Cheng.
"Meng Meng, quickly try this! This is a chocolate that Daddy customized in Switzerland last time. It's especially delicious!" Pei Cheng presented the chocolate he had secretly kept to Jing Meng like a treasure.
Since Jing Meng woke up, Pei Cheng seemed extremely touched that she had saved his life. He stuck to her in the hospital ward every day, chatting with her and even sharing his hidden snacks with her, completely treating her as a close friend.
Jing Meng also really liked this well-behaved and clever little dumpling. However, recalling that day on the rooftop, and how resistant Pei Cheng was to the idea of a "new mother," Jing Meng felt that some things needed to be clarified.
"Cheng Cheng, Meng Meng has something to tell you."
Pei Cheng had just been fed a piece of chocolate and was very happy. He opened his dark grape-like eyes, which looked watery as if they were covered in dew.
"Don't worry, I'm not your new mother. You will always be the most beloved little darling in this family," Jing Meng said, gently smoothing the cowlick that had sprung up on Pei Cheng's head while he was sleeping in the car.
"Your Daddy and I are only pretending to be lovers for certain reasons. We don't have any feelings for each other, and I don't like your Daddy at all. So, don't worry that Daddy will stop loving you."
She looked at Pei Cheng's dark eyes and thought of another pair of identical eyes, filled with starlight and overflowing with tenderness, which simply made her feel exceptionally at ease just by looking at them.
"Why? But, I now..." Pei Cheng's mouth drooped, showing a tendency to shed golden tears.
How could this be? He really liked this older sister and was thinking that it would be great if she could be his new mother. She was so gentle and pretty and would even make robots for him. He was already fantasizing about a happy family of three in the future...
"You've already eaten my chocolate, how can you not be my mother?"
Jing Meng chuckled, helplessly rubbing Pei Cheng's small face. "Your Daddy and I have only met a few times. We don't have any emotional foundation, so how can I be your mother?"
Pei Cheng looked at Jing Meng with watery eyes, seeming to understand but not quite.
Emotional foundation? It sounded very profound. He used his well-developed four-year-old brain to think. He liked Daddy so much because he was with Daddy every day, and Daddy was so good to him. So, if he let Daddy and Meng Meng be together every day, wouldn't Meng Meng like Daddy?
He turned his tears into a smile and stuffed another piece of chocolate into Jing Meng's mouth, already devising a plan that he thought was perfect.
Meanwhile, Jing Meng was resting and recuperating, not bothering to pay attention to the two Peis from the Pei palace. After the press conference that day, the two were arrested by the police for suspected data theft and illegal sale of organs, and had been detained for five days.
Because Sixth Master Pei had personally reported the crime, and the nature of their crimes was indeed heinous, although there was no conclusive evidence, the police dared not delay. Even though they knew Pei Gong's identity, they insisted on detaining him. Pei Chengyi tried every means to get them out of the police station.
"That bitch Jing Meng! She harmed me like this, I will definitely make her pay the price!"
After staying in the police station for a while, Pei Gong felt that his whole body was stained with filth and a sour smell. He took a bath as soon as he got home before going to the study to be interrogated by his grandfather.
"Shut up! Haven't you lost enough face?" Pei Chengyi roared, his face dark, wishing he could bite this unfilial son to death.
"You've caused so much trouble, and you've even offended your Sixth Granduncle, do you think your life is too long? I think it's better to break off relations with you early, you little bastard, so you won't cause trouble and implicate the family in the future!"
He was scolded so badly that Pei Gong didn't dare to raise his head, lowering it and remaining silent for a long time.
Xu Minru felt very sorry for her son and quickly stepped forward to offer tea. "Dad, have some water, don't be angry with the child. Xiao Gong is ignorant, it's not worth it to make yourself sick for him."
Pei Chengyi glared fiercely at Pei Gong before taking the tea and taking a breath.
"Xiao Gong is indeed ignorant, but he is still a child of the Pei family. Logically, Sixth Uncle was a bit unreasonable this time!" Xu Minru cautiously tried to persuade. "It's just strange, Sixth Uncle has always been indifferent and never cared about the lives of outsiders. Why is he helping an outsider this time, confronting our own children?"
With his mother helping him, Pei Gong immediately seized the opportunity to complain in a sarcastic tone. "It was that woman who did it! Grandpa, you don't know, Jing Meng had been involved in scandals with men before and was all over the headlines. She even pestered me back then and is very promiscuous. Sixth Granduncle must have been bewitched by this woman's tricks!"
As he spoke, he pulled out the news about Jing Meng's past scandals from his phone and showed it to Pei Chengyi for a closer look. The shocking bare back instantly changed Pei Chengyi's expression, and Jing Meng's image was immediately associated with promiscuity in his mind.
"This... is this true...?" Pei Chengyi frowned, his face showing concern.
Pei Gong immediately tugged at Xu Minru's sleeve. Xu Minru understood and hurriedly asked with concern, "Should we tell Grandpa? This matter with Sixth Uncle is a big deal. It's okay if Xiao Gong suffers some grievances, but what if this woman really enters the family in the future? Our Pei family's reputation..."
Seeing Pei Chengyi's face darken so much that it almost dripped water, Pei Gong was overjoyed. If the Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother knew about Jing Meng's existence, even Pei Shiyi wouldn't be able to protect her!
"I'll make a call to Dad and tell him. You guys go out first."
Pei Chengyi kept a straight face and finally opened his mouth after a long silence.
When Pei Chuxiong received Pei Chengyi's call, the streetlights had come on, and Pei Shiyi had just arrived home. He had been busy with company affairs recently, and he had spent too much time in the hospital ward, so he had been working overtime at the company for two consecutive days to get the work done.
He loosened his tie. His bespoke shirt and trousers perfectly outlined his inverted triangle figure. He held his phone, his brow full of weariness. "Why do you suddenly want to come home for dinner? Didn't we just go back last month?"
"...It's not that I don't want to see you, the company has a lot of things going on recently." He leaned lazily against the black Maybach, casually throwing the suit he had taken off to his assistant, preparing to return to the house after finishing this call.
He rubbed his brow and was about to stretch his muscles when he saw Jing Meng on the second-floor balcony, directing a palm-sized robot, playing Parcheesi with Pei Cheng. She was sitting leisurely on a rocking chair, reading a book and cracking melon seeds like a squirrel.
The bright yellow light of the balcony warmly enveloped the two of them, creating a pure land in the face of the encroaching night. Just looking at it made Pei Shiyi feel as if a warm current was flowing through his heart.
"Okay, I'll take Cheng Cheng back tomorrow." His voice unconsciously carried a hint of a smile, sounding like the warm winter sun shining down.
"However, there will be one more person this time..."
"...Yes, my girlfriend."
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