Endless Fall

144 Yilan’s Confession

“What are there?” Pei Zhi took out a cigarette from the cigarette box and slowly lit it.

“Let me see.” Lin Jiao picked one up.

She opened the plastic bag and took out the black leather whip. “A whip.”

“What?”

“A whip with rivets on it.”

Pei Zhi caught the whip she threw at him.

He stared at the rivets on the whip and choked on the smoke he had just inhaled.

A light cough sounded, and the smoke in front of him covered the emotions in his eyes.

“You choked?” Lin Jiao handed him a glass of water.

When that pair of clear and innocent eyes looked over, Pei Zhi really could not bring himself to tell her what the whip was meant for.

He took two sips of water. “I’m fine.” Just as he was about to ask her to come over, he saw her open another box.

“There are actually hair clips.” Lin Jiao played with the two hairpins that were connected by a golden chain.

She fiddled with the bell under the bow and listened to it ring. “It’s too noisy. I can only wear it at home.”

Seeing that she was putting a hair clip on her head, Pei Zhi took a deep breath and suppressed the frustration in his heart.

He patted his lap. “Come here.”

“I haven’t finished unwrapping it yet.”

“Do it later.”

Lin Jiao retracted her hand from the box.

She threw herself into his arms. The bell hanging by her ear rang softly. “Are you not happy?”

“No.”

He just wanted to beat Chu Yuzhou up.

Pei Zhi stubbed out his cigarette and placed his hand on the clip. “I’ll help you take it off.”

“Then be gentle.”

“Yes.” Afraid of pulling her hair, he could only slow down and take it off bit by bit.

Lin Jiao lay on his chest and picked up the whip beside her. “We don’t have a horse. Why would we need a whip?”

“He’s being stupid.” Pei Zhi threw the hair clips back into the cardboard box and forbade her from fiddling with it.

He patted her waist. “It’s time to take a shower.”

“Then go back to your room and wait for me.”

“Do you want to watch a drama?”

Lin Jiao nodded. “Thirtieth episodes.” She raised her chin to give him a kiss. “Don’t forget.”

“I won’t.” Pei Zhi watched her walk into the bathroom.

He took out the things in the cardboard box and looked at them in turn, lingering between throwing them away and not throwing them away.

If he threw it away, he would inevitably feel regretful.

If he didn’t…

After thinking for a long time, Pei Zhi moved them to the study and locked them in the safe.

When the time came, it would come in handy.

#

The hazy night was like a white veil that scattered on the glass window in the ward, making it look dreamlike.

Jiang Ye, who had fallen into a nightmare, was sweating profusely.

He tried his best to escape from the trap set by Jiang Yingna, but his limbs were tied up.

He fell to the ground weakly, letting that disgusting face get closer to him.

Just as he was about to give up, he heard a soft voice that dispelled the darkness bit by bit.

“Jiang Ye?” Pei Yilan, whose wrist was held, met his vigilant eyes.

She held a towel in her other hand and gently wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Are you feeling unwell?”

The moment Jiang Ye saw her face clearly, the shackles on his body seemed to have disappeared.

He looked around and his gaze landed on her hand. “I had a nightmare.”

His voice was hoarse. Pei Yilan turned around and poured him a glass of water.

“It’s fine.” She turned up the brightness of the night lamp and tried to dispel his uneasiness. “You are safe now.”

Jiang Ye said weakly, “What time is it?”

“Three-thirty.”

“Have you been up all night?”

“Yes.” Pei Yilan was afraid that he would be worried, so she did not mention anything about her falling off her chair while nodding off.

She stuffed his hand under the blanket. “Rest for a while. You still have a checkup at ten.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

Jiang Ye looked up and to the right.

Seeing that there was only a blanket on the sofa, he sighed to himself.

He moved to the side. “Come up.”

“What?”

“Come up and sleep with me.”

Pei Yilan suspected that she had heard wrongly.

She asked again to make sure that he meant what she thought he meant.

“Isn’t it too crowded?”

“Don’t worry.” He measured the width of the bed with his naked eye and said with certainty, “This bed can fit both of us.”

Pei Yilan climbed into bed.

She placed her hands on her abdomen and stared at the ceiling without moving, her body stiffening.

Jiang Ye, who could barely hear her breathing, was afraid that she would faint from holding her breath. “You can relax a little.”

“I can’t relax.”

“Then try turning off the lights.”

Pei Yilan reached out to turn off the night light.

She bit her lower lip and changed the topic. “Jiang Ye, how many times have you been in a relationship?”

“Once.”

“When did this happen?”

留置针”Second year of my university.” Jiang Ye looked at the ceiling with her. “We broke up after dating for more than four months.”

“Why?”

“It was Valentine’s Day at that time. She thought the gift I sent her was too cheap and that I embarrassed her.”

Pei Yilan took a guess, “Lipstick?”

“A pair of earrings.” He still had a rough impression of them. “From Swarovski.”

“Swarovski used to be very popular.” Pei Yilan did not find it cheap. “I’ve worn it before too.”

“Her friends are all using big brands like Gucci and Dior. Swarovski is nothing.”

Jiang Ye paused for a moment before continuing, “Most importantly, I didn’t have much money at that time and couldn’t give her much.”

“Do you still like her, then?”

“No.” He turned to look at her and asked about her love life. “How many times have you been in a relationship?”

“Twice. Both in less than two months.”

“Was it just for fun?”

“Sort of.” Pei Yilan recalled, “They can’t give me the feeling I want. After a while, I lost interest.”

“How kind of feeling are you looking for?”

“Something that feels like a crush and compels me to marry him.”

“What else?”

“Like I want to cling to him whenever I can.” She did not look at him, but she was talking to him. “and hug him to sleep and kiss him.”

Jiang Ye understood.

When he recalled the scene of her ‘unintentionally’ hugging and kissing him, a smile flashed across his eyes.

He turned around to face her. “What kind of hugging?”

“The face-to-face kind.”

“Then shouldn’t you turn around?”

Pei Yilan’s heart raced.

She slowly turned around and moved towards him like a snail.

When he put his hand under her neck and wrapped it around her shoulder, she blushed visibly.

“Jiang Ye.” She pressed against his chest. The moment she got closer, her voice trembled.

“Yes?”

“I like you.”

“I know.” He wasn’t an idiot.

Jiang Ye held her waist. When he realized that her back was stiff again, he smiled and said, “Why weren’t you so nervous when you hugged me before?”

“It’s different.”

Pei Yilan tugged at the corner of his shirt and took a deep breath as he patted her back.

She looked up. “Jiang Ye, you…”