Dedicated to studying, yet forced into a chaotic situation.

Chapter 126 His Childhood Sweetheart, Surrounded by Wolves

Chi Yan looked down at her, his tone a mix of grievance and spitting jealousy: "I heard you danced with Pei Shuoxun tonight, shouldn't you have danced with me?"

Shi Sui: "Of course!"

Chi Yan was stunned. The girl's voice was cheerful, and her smile was bright.

So she wanted to dance with him too! What else could this be but a mutual attraction?!

Shi Sui continued, "According to the votes, it should have been me dancing with you, but you're not here tonight. It just so happens that Pei Shuoxun is here. Poor thing, his dance partner Guan Ying isn't here either. He invited me, so I'll dance with him."

Chi Yan: It's all his fault. It's because he wasn't there that Shi Sui danced with Pei Shuoxun out of pity.

After silently repeating "Xiao Si is nothing to fear" three times in his mind, Chi Yan asked, "Then can you dance with me tonight?"

"No."

Rejected without hesitation, Chi Yan asked, "Why?"

"I can't dance, and I stepped on Pei Shuoxun's feet 49 times tonight." Shi Sui paused. "I don't want to step on your feet."

Shi Sui lowered her head and glanced at Chi Yan's shoes without leaving a trace.

It looks very expensive. I can't afford to pay for it even if I step on it and break it, let alone if I get it dirty.

Chi Yan was stunned for a moment. Why didn't she want to step on his foot? It must be because she loved him.

A cool evening breeze blew by, and a suspicious pink blush rose on the boy's cheeks.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he looked at her intently: "But I want to dance with you."

A gaze that is too direct and intense can easily melt a person's will. Shi Sui heard the sound of her own heartbeat, was dazed for a second, and nodded.

"Chi Yan, let's make this clear first: I accidentally stepped on your foot, so please don't be angry."

"not angry."

"Then I promise to step on you gently."

"It's fine, you can even step on me to death."

"?"

*

It was quiet and deserted. The stars were like fine sand scattered across the sky, which seemed very low, almost within reach.

Shi Sui recalled the dance steps she had taken with Pei Shuo Xun.

It didn't work; people still stepped on his feet.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"Oops, I stepped on it again."

"My feet are so disobedient, they're not behaving."

"How about we hold hands and spin around? Getting too close makes it easy to step on someone's feet." Push away, push away, push away.

"..." Grab it, grab it, grab it.

This was the first time Chi Yan had ever seen her so flustered, and the way she muttered to herself was incredibly cute.

He silently counted in his mind that he had been stepped on 36 times, a full 16 fewer times than Pei Shuoxun!

What does this prove? It proves that Shi Sui is even more reluctant to step on him, and loves him even more.

He couldn't bear to let go of her hand.

*

On the other side, on the rooftop, the evening breeze blew the wisps of hair across the boy's forehead, revealing his delicate features. Most of his body was shrouded in darkness, making him appear lonely and forlorn.

Pei Shuoxun moved his fingers and flicked away the ash from his half-burnt cigarette.

From this angle, you can just see Shi Sui's small figure, her hand tightly held by another man, very close, embracing in a slightly off-center manner.

After printing the materials, Shangguan Ying went up to the rooftop and happened to see this scene. She smiled softly: "Pei Shuoxun, because of the constraints of a family marriage, you can't express your love and can only secretly like me in the shadows. How is it? Are you in pain?"

Pei Shuoxun turned around and glanced at her indifferently: "Shangguan Ying, what exactly is your purpose in asking me to come here tonight?"

"What's wrong? I'm withdrawing, and I'm specifically providing information so you can dance with Shi Sui. Aren't you happy about that?"

Pei Shuoxun was silent for a moment, then looked down at Shi Sui's small figure.

"Thanks, I'd love to."

His voice was very soft, clear and quiet.

Shangguan Ying walked to his side, put her hands on the railing, and said slowly, "You know, I don't have many friends."

Everyone says she's a cool and aloof goddess, but she's actually just socially awkward.

A fear of interacting with people can lead to an involuntary sense of rejection.

Fearing being the center of attention, they never participate in group activities.

But deep down she loves gossip and excitement; in real life she's socially awkward and timid, but online she's a force to be reckoned with.

She is extremely efficient and can accomplish many things on her own, but the students on campus are always in groups, and even girls need to go to the toilet with someone.

If you speak alone, you will seem out of place and be looked at with strange eyes.

She did try to reach out to others and make friends with them.

But it was so embarrassing, I felt really uncomfortable.

So in the end, he only had two friends arranged by his family: one was Chi Yan, who grew up with him, and the other was Pei Shuoxun, who came out of nowhere.

Pei Shuoxun looked at her and said, "I know you don't like socializing."

“I only have you and Chi Yan as friends.” Shangguan Ying sighed and said coldly, “But you two really don’t treat me as a friend.”

Pei Shuoxun was stunned, not understanding what she meant.

Shangguan Ying looked down at the two men below and said, "These two brothers are fighting over love and tearing each other apart. You didn't even tell me about something so interesting. You really don't consider me a friend."

"What do you mean?"

Shangguan Ying suddenly smiled: "Pei Shuoxun, what I mean is, my dislike for you will not prevent you from pursuing true love."

"but--"

She said, "But I will not give up on marrying you."

The rooftop was deserted, while the liveliness of the auditorium came from afar. After a long while, Pei Shuoxun finally said softly, "I know."

—This is all my own doing.

Shangguan Ying faced the wind, letting the evening breeze tousle her long hair, and asked, "Pei Shuoxun, when you approached me, did you ever think about her?"

"Of course I do. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her." His voice was soft and gentle. He sighed and smiled. "But I didn't expect to meet her again so soon."

“We are more than 1,700 kilometers apart. In the story I envision, our long-awaited reunion should be when I become the heir, able to break through the Pei family’s obstacles to find her, and have the right to protect her. I think I can only be her for the rest of my life.”

But now he's messed it up.

The Pei family is a quagmire; once you get stuck, it's hard to escape.

Meanwhile, his childhood sweetheart was surrounded by wolves.

Shangguan Ying sneered: "Heh, so you approached me, wanting to use me to become the heir of the Pei family?"

"Yes."

He was incredibly frank, so frank that Shangguan Ying was stunned.

She knew that Pei Shuoxun had a refined appearance and was gentle and polite, but after spending time with him, she would find that he hardly cared about people and that few people could cause him to have emotional fluctuations.

He was very sociable and good at disguising himself; she could never figure out his true nature.

This is the first time I've seen him so frank; there's no need to guess whether what he's saying is true or false.

Later, Shangguan Ying gradually discovered that he never lied when it came to his childhood sweetheart.

Each lost in their own thoughts, they remained silent for a while before Pei Shuoxun asked, "Shangguan Ying, aren't you also trying to use me to inherit the Shangguan family?"

Shangguan Ying lowered her head and flipped through the materials she had just printed.

She is introverted and socially awkward, a personality that makes her completely unsuitable to inherit the Shangguan family business. To maximize her benefits, she needs to associate with people who are good at socializing and cooperate for mutual benefit.

No one knows what kind of spell Pei Shuoxun cast on her family, but they all liked him very much and were convinced of his identity.

“So we should cooperate.” Shangguan Ying handed him the agreement. “You are just an illegitimate son of the Pei family, and you have no chance of winning against Chi Yan.”

"If you leave the Pei family, you have even less chance of winning."

"However, I will help you."

"Of course, I may not be able to help much, but I will never stop you."

"After all, I've been wanting to see the two of you fight for a long time."