Meng Ruozhao bit her lip and looked up at Pei Jiangmu.
She saw that his eyes were glistening, like a deserted puppy, full of pity and helplessness.
Her heart softened instantly.
If it weren't for Pei Jiangmu tonight, she might not have been able to get away.
Moreover, it was really not right for her to leave Pei Jiangmu alone here.
After all, he had other internal injuries. She didn't know if the wound on his lip was his only injury.
It would be dangerous if his injuries flared up in the middle of the night and there was no one around.
However, she still had some doubts.
"Why are you so scared? What happened tonight was indeed quite thrilling, but it shouldn't scare you like this, right?"
He seemed quite good at fighting. He fought against so many people alone without being at a disadvantage.
But the way he trembled and panicked later didn't seem to be fake.
Pei Jiangmu knew this was a good opportunity to play the victim.
But he had "played the victim" a bit too much in the past two days.
Excess leads to reversal. He had to restrain himself.
But he couldn't just deny it directly. Instead, he had to use the green - tea tactic of "hesitating to speak".
Only in this way could he arouse more pity in her heart.
She saw him curl up on the sofa, unconsciously wringing the corner of his clothes. The whole person was like an old sweater soaked by the rain.
The cheap T - shirt was crumpled, just like his on - the - verge - of - collapse emotions at the moment.
Just then, thunder roared in the sky.
Pei Jiangmu flinched suddenly, but when he looked up, he put on an even more sugary look of timidity.
"Maybe it's because I'm a coward by nature... When I was a kid, I hid in the closet during thunderstorms and found that even my shadow was shaking."
His drooping eyelashes cast a cobweb - like shadow under his eyes. His deliberately soft tone concealed his disguise.
Meng Ruozhao didn't believe him immediately. Instead, she suddenly laughed.
Then she reached over and handed him the disposable cup on the table.
"A coward by nature?"
"Then why were you like a leopard with its tail stepped on when you were fighting?"
Pei Jiangmu's Adam's apple rolled.
He took the cup half a beat slower than usual, as if it were a red - hot coal.
The moment he took the cup, his fingers barely brushed against her fingertips.
But he retracted his hand quickly without any hesitation.
Then, before Meng Ruozhao frowned, he quickly straightened his back and casually spoke again.
"Because if I didn't act fierce at that time, I would only get beaten even worse."
Meng Ruozhao's hand trembled. It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed her throat, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
This absurd excuse he had carefully fabricated actually convinced her that he was really scared.
Bearing the stigma of being an "ill - omened person" since childhood and being ignored by his family.
With such outstanding looks, it was easy for him to become a target of bullying in school.
A tinge of sourness welled up in Meng Ruozhao's heart. She looked at Pei Jiangmu, and her gaze softened unconsciously.
Pei Jiangmu seemed to notice the change in her attitude. He tilted his head slightly and stole a glance at her.
There was a hint of caution in his eyes.
"You seem to know so well. Is it because you were... often bullied when you were a kid?"
Meng Ruozhao tried her best to act calm, so as not to make him feel worse.
Pei Jiangmu first waved his hands frantically like a stray cat with its tail stepped on.
"No, no, no! Sister, please don't think like that!"
Then he fell into silence for a while.
During this time, his eyes were a bit vacant, as if he had fallen into memories of the past.
But in the end, he still shook his head and denied it.
"No, I wasn't bullied."
His voice was very soft, but it hit Meng Ruozhao's heart like a sledgehammer.
Denial was a relatively primitive and simple psychological defense mechanism.
It was a way to avoid psychological pain by pretending that the unpleasant things never happened, in order to gain temporary comfort.
This was the body's self - protection mechanism activated after a major trauma.
Meng Ruozhao couldn't help but reach out and gently put her hand on Pei Jiangmu's arm, trying to comfort him.
Pei Jiangmu seemed to be startled by this sudden touch. His body trembled slightly.
But he quickly relaxed and let her hand rest on his arm.
"Pei Jiangmu, you're a good person. You'll get better and better in the future, and no one will bully you like this anymore."
Meng Ruozhao said seriously. Her tone was firm, as if she were making a solemn promise.
Surprise and gratitude flashed in Pei Jiangmu's eyes.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by another clap of thunder.
This time, Pei Jiangmu didn't deliberately flinch, but Meng Ruozhao keenly felt his body tense up instantly.
She subconsciously moved closer to him, wanting to pass some of her courage to him.
"Don't be afraid. I'll stay with you."
This meant that she had agreed to stay with him tonight.
Pei Jiangmu suppressed the ecstasy in his heart. He tilted his head slightly and looked at Meng Ruozhao who was so close.
A sly look flashed through his eyes, barely noticeable.
His Ruozhao was always too soft - hearted towards him.
I don't know how long it took, but the thunder gradually subsided, and the room returned to silence.
Only then did Meng Ruozhao realize that she and Pei Jiangmu were too close. She sat up awkwardly and cleared her throat.
"Well, you should rest first. You must be tired today."
She found that she couldn't keep a safe distance from him. She always crossed the line unconsciously.
Just then, Yan Qiubai called again, asking what had happened just now.
He had called several times during this period, but Meng Ruozhao had been too busy to answer.
"It's okay. I just met a few hooligans while taking a walk, but I managed to get rid of them. I'm back at the store already."
She deliberately ignored Pei Jiangmu's existence. After all, it would be too troublesome to explain this.
Yan Qiubai obviously breathed a sigh of relief on the other end of the phone. He told her not to go out alone at night in the future. It was too dangerous.
Meng Ruozhao responded a few times before hanging up the phone.
Then she noticed that Pei Jiangmu, who was supposed to go to rest, was staring at her intently, with an inquisitive look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Meng Ruozhao felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze.
Pei Jiangmu tilted his head. "Was that your boyfriend just now?"
Meng Ruozhao nodded. "Yeah. I hung up the phone in a hurry by the river before. He was worried."
Hearing her say this, Pei Jiangmu's mouth drooped slightly, and there was a hint of jealousy in his tone unconsciously.
"He really cares about you."
Meng Ruozhao didn't notice the change in his tone. She just casually said, "When you have a girlfriend, you'll care about each other too."
Care about each other?
For a moment, Pei Jiangmu could hardly restrain the roaring possessiveness in his body.
He had to lower his eyes. His long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, making it hard to see his expression at the moment.
After a while, he looked up and stared directly at Meng Ruozhao with innocent eyes.
"Sister, will he mind that you're taking me in?"
Meng Ruozhao was amused by his look.
"Of course not. You're my friend."
"And this isn't taking you in. It's an employee benefit. Aren't you already my part - time employee?"
When Pei Jiangmu heard the word "friend", he felt a bit disappointed.
This was the most distant relationship between them since they met.
But he quickly cheered up. "Then I'm relieved."
Relieved?
He was far from relieved. He had to find something else to trouble Yan Qiubai with, so that he wouldn't keep disturbing his Ruozhao.