"Friends?"
Du Feng's sharp eyes swept over Pei Jiangmu, filled with obvious displeasure and contempt.
He had a good-looking face, but his clothes gave away his status as a poor student.
Du Feng knew that some students these days had the wrong ideas and always wanted to take shortcuts.
But he also believed that no matter how stupid Meng Ruozhao was, she wouldn't get emotionally involved with someone like this.
He suspected that she knew she would be scolded when she got back, so she had probably found some man to back her up.
Pei Jiangmu remembered Meng Ruozhao's instructions and simply nodded slightly as a greeting.
He maintained a calm and aloof expression on his face, but his eyes fearlessly met Du Feng's scrutiny.
There was a faint sense of oppression that didn't match his "ordinary student" appearance.
Although Du Feng was certain that Meng Ruozhao wouldn't have anything to do with this kind of person,
he was still very unhappy about her defiance, staying out all night, and bringing back a strange man. He began to scold her.
"I don't care where you made these shady friends. Get him out of here right now."
"Otherwise, don't blame me for not giving you face in front of outsiders."
Meng Ruozhao bit her lower lip.
If Du Feng had just scolded her, she might not have been so angry.
After all, she had long since given up on him.
But now, he had called Pei Jiangmu a shady person.
Anger flared up from the bottom of her heart.
"Outsiders? Who is the outsider? Am I also an outsider to you, Dad?"
"Or, to be more precise, I'm not even considered a person in your heart, right?"
She retorted coldly.
Du Feng didn't expect that not only would she dare not to follow his instructions, but she would also dare to make him lose face in front of outsiders.
He was so angry that his face turned red.
But he was extremely vain.
In front of Wu Qian and Pei Jiangmu, he couldn't do anything too "beneath his dignity".
Moreover, he didn't know Pei Jiangmu's character.
If he said something inappropriate and it got out, it would be bad for the Du family.
So he just let out a heavy snort and managed to control himself. "Ruozhao, why would you think like that?"
Then, his eyes carried a warning.
"Since your car accident, you know how many messes Dad has cleaned up for you."
"If this is what you call not treating you like a person, then Dad really doesn't know how to get along with you."
Du Feng was a man of great guile. With just a few words, he had already put on the expression of a "kind father" who was helpless about his "rebellious" daughter.
But Meng Ruozhao could see clearly.
His eyes were full of warnings, as if if she said one more word, he wouldn't mind exposing her flaws in front of her friend.
Meng Ruozhao was trembling with anger.
At this moment, Pei Jiangmu, who was standing behind her, gently touched the back of her clenched hand with his intact left hand in a very natural way.
Meng Ruozhao's body stiffened slightly.
The touch was very light and brief, carrying a silent comfort and support.
It was more like an instinctive and cautious approach.
At the moment when she was threatened by her father and left alone and helpless,
this little touch with warmth was like a stone thrown into a heart lake, stirring up huge waves.
She didn't dare to turn around to look at him, but the anger and chill in her heart seemed to be dispelled a little by this small touch.
She took a deep breath and straightened her back.
Pei Jiangmu retracted his hand and quietly rubbed his fingertips beside his body, as if savoring that brief touch.
He lowered his eyelids, and his thick eyelashes covered the fleeting look of success in his eyes.
"I also think we've had too many conflicts recently, so I'm going to move out for a while."
Meng Ruozhao didn't dwell on the matter and just said that she was going to get some necessary clothes and supplies.
Although Du Feng was very unhappy about Meng Ruozhao's defiance and her intention to move out,
he didn't dare to lose his temper too much with Pei Jiangmu, an outsider, present.
Moreover, Haicheng was such a small place. Without money or connections, how far could Meng Ruozhao go?
It would be better to grant her wish and give her some so - called "space".
Let her suffer a bit, and she would know that one shouldn't be so stubborn.
Thinking of this, he let out a cold snort, which was a silent approval. He winked at Wu Qian.
Wu Qian understood and wanted to follow her to help, but Meng Ruozhao refused directly.
"No need. My friend can help me."
After what happened last night, she naturally wouldn't show a kind face to Wu Qian.
Wu Qian glanced at Du Feng.
Du Feng nodded with a straight face, and only then did she stop awkwardly.
Meng Ruozhao went upstairs to her room, closed the door, and finally let out a sigh of relief, isolating the oppressive atmosphere downstairs.
When she turned around, she saw Pei Jiangmu quietly leaning against the wall beside the door. He didn't enter her private space without permission.
He just looked at her with his deep eyes, with a hint of inquiry and a barely noticeable sense of dependence?
"Take a seat. I'll finish packing soon."
Meng Ruozhao pointed to the only small sofa in the room.
Pei Jiangmu nodded but didn't sit down immediately.
He watched Meng Ruozhao open the closet and start packing. His eyes fell on her slender and busy back.
After a while, he slowly walked to the sofa.
But instead of sitting down, he tried clumsily with his uninjured left hand to fold the few clothes spread out on the bed.
His movements were very unskilled, and the clothes were folded crookedly.
Since he wasn't used to using his left hand, he seemed even more clumsy. Several times, the clothes almost fell off.
He frowned slightly, with a focused and somewhat annoyed expression, just like a serious teenager trying hard to do something he wasn't good at.
When Meng Ruozhao looked back and saw this scene, her heart skipped a beat.
A person with an injured hand still clumsily trying to fold clothes for her. It was really hard to stay cold - hearted.
"Stop it."
She couldn't help but walk over and softened her voice.
"I can do it myself. Your hand is injured. Sit down and rest."
She reached out to take the poorly - folded dress from his hand.
"I just want to help."
Pei Jiangmu looked up, his eyes clear and stubbornly insistent, like a large dog eager for approval.
"Although I'm not good at folding..."
His voice trailed off, filled with a bit of frustration.
Meng Ruozhao chuckled. "You've already helped me a lot."
If he hadn't come back with her, Du Feng would never have let her off so easily.
Moreover, it felt really strange for him to be folding a dress in her room.
Just as Meng Ruozhao's hand touched the dress, Pei Jiangmu's hand also moved slightly.
Their fingertips gently and briefly touched on the soft fabric.
Time seemed to stand still for a second.
Meng Ruozhao quickly withdrew her hand as if she had been burned, and her cheeks flushed uncontrollably.
She could clearly feel the warmth of his fingertips and the sudden heat in his gaze.
Pei Jiangmu also seemed to be startled by the touch, and the blush on his ears instantly spread to his neck.