"What's the matter?"
Sheng Xiangsi asked, puzzled, "Is something wrong?"
Zhong Pei looked at her hesitantly but decided to speak.
"I may be a bit forward, but I want to ask you… Why are you so afraid of Brother Fu?"
His Adam's apple bobbed as he asked with difficulty.
"Aren't you two reconciled?"
"Re… reconciled?"
Sheng Xiangsi's eyes widened in shock, "Why would you say that?"
"…" Zhong Pei was silent for a moment, then spoke truthfully, "Brother Fu told me so."
Before Sheng Xiangsi could respond, he chuckled awkwardly, "Did you two have a fight? Actually, it's normal for couples to…"
"No!"
Suddenly, Sheng Xiangsi interrupted him.
Her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes slightly red, "It's not a fight. There's no reconciliation between him and me!"
"?!"
Zhong Pei was stunned. What was going on?
"You didn't reconcile? Then…"
…Why would Brother Fu say that?
He could tell that Brother Fu's hostility towards him wasn't fake. He really saw him as a rival in love!
Seeing Sheng Xiangsi's reaction, Zhong Pei had a suspicion.
Could it be, "Is Brother Fu one-sided about this? You're not willing?"
"!!"
Sheng Xiangsi was startled. She didn't expect Zhong Pei to guess so accurately.
She didn't say anything, but her expression said it all.
"I was right?"
Zhong Pei's gaze darkened, and he raised his hand, slamming it on the steering wheel. This was too much! Brother Fu was being too much!
Feelings should be mutual. How could someone force another?
"But…"
Zhong Pei couldn't understand, "Why are you running away? Can't you talk to him properly?"
"Talk properly?"
Sheng Xiangsi laughed bitterly, the old sorrows surfacing in her heart.
"The same thing has happened before…"
"What?" Zhong Pei was stunned, "You mean, you and Brother Fu back then…"
That's right. Sheng Xiangsi closed her eyes and nodded.
Her first marriage was orchestrated by the Fu family…
At twenty, she didn't understand, but after all these years, hadn't she figured it out?
Do you ask if she hates it?
How could she not hate it?
Her manipulated marriage, the injustices she suffered…
But the Fu family had done her a great kindness!
She was abandoned by her biological father. After her grandmother passed away, she begged her father to take her in…
She was only fifteen, still a child.
She needed someone to care for her.
But her father refused to take her in!!
In the end, it was Fu Mingzhu who took her hand and brought her into the Fu family, ensuring she had food, clothing, and the chance to continue her dance studies…
If it weren't for the Fu family, how would a fifteen-year-old orphan survive?
This enormous kindness, she could never forget. Therefore, when her benefactors hurt her, she could only swallow her bitterness!
Her thoughts returned, and Sheng Xiangsi laughed coldly, her eyes shimmering with tears, "Brother Han Chuan has woken up, I, I…"
She was too emotional to speak coherently.
"I understand."
Zhong Pei couldn't bear to see her like this, speaking gently, "You don't need to say more, I understand."
There was nothing left to understand.
He went to the hospital today to visit the newly awakened Fu Han Chuan, only to stumble upon Sheng Xiangsi fleeing in panic…
The Fu family, they really…
Even someone as good-natured as Zhong Pei couldn't help but curse, "They're repaying kindness with coercion, without considering your feelings?"
Wasn't it enough to wrong her once? Do they have to do it again?
No wonder Brother Fu, who was determined to divorce, suddenly changed his mind.
"…"
Sheng Xiangsi was stunned, staring at him.
He wasn't the first to say this. The first was Yu Huanxi.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she murmured, "Thank you."
Though they had only met a few times, he spoke up for her, and she was deeply grateful.
"Thank you for what?"
Zhong Pei lightly shook his head, "I didn't do anything for you."
"No need."
Sheng Xiangsi smiled faintly, "I don't have friends in Jiangcheng. You listening to me and speaking up for me means a lot."
She reached for her bag and got out of the car.
"Thank you for bringing me back. I'll go now."
"Mm."
Zhong Pei followed her out, watching her walk away.
Suddenly, he jogged after her, "Xiangsi!"
"Mm?"
Hearing him, Sheng Xiangsi stopped and turned, puzzled, "What's wrong? Is something else?"
"Yes!"
Zhong Pei nodded, his tone urgent.
"Do you have a way to get rid of Brother Fu? From what I know, he's not someone who gives up easily."
True.
Sheng Xiangsi's eyes darkened. As Fu Mingzhu said, once he decided on something, not even nine oxen could pull him back.
But what could she do?
Sheng Xiangsi shook her head but then said, "As long as I don't agree, he can't do anything to me."
"In that case…"
Zhong Pei swallowed hard, gathering his courage, staring at her.
He spoke solemnly, "I have a way."
"Mm?" Sheng Xiangsi was surprised, "What way?"
Her clear eyes were filled with doubt.
Zhong Pei's heart skipped a beat, his gaze flickering as he took a deep breath, "The way is, we be together."
"!!" Sheng Xiangsi was shocked. What kind of solution was that?
How could she drag him into this just to escape Fu Hanjiang?
"You…"
Seeing her about to get angry, Zhong Pei hurriedly said, "Don't get mad, don't misunderstand. I'm not taking advantage of you! We wouldn't really be together, just make Brother Fu think we are…"
"…If he believes you're taken, he wouldn't force you, right?"
This…
Sheng Xiangsi was silent.
It made sense.
Moreover, she remembered that Fu Mingzhu had said she wouldn't make things difficult for her if she found someone she truly liked. The old lady wanted her to find a suitable partner.
So, if she were with Zhong Pei, with Fu Mingzhu's support… then Fu Hanjiang wouldn't be able to do anything to her!
This thought flashed through her mind.
"No, that won't do."
Sheng Xiangsi shook her head repeatedly, rejecting the idea.
What was she thinking? Knowing Zhong Pei liked her, she couldn't accept such a suggestion.
That would be like playing with his feelings.
"Why not?"
Zhong Pei's eyes darkened, "Not even if it's fake?"
"Zhong Pei."
Sheng Xiangsi struggled to express her thoughts, "Though we haven't known each other long, I see you as a friend."
Just like when she met Yu Huanxi in Philadelphia, she knew Zhong Pei was a good person.
She couldn't use him or hurt him.
"You're a good person…"
"Giving me the 'good person card'?" Zhong Pei smiled bitterly.
"No."
Sheng Xiangsi shook her head, her eyes clear, "If you were a girl, I'd gladly be your sworn sister. But now, I can only tell you that I'm just an ordinary person. Your life is just beginning, and you'll meet the best girl in the world."