Thinking of this, Du Feng softened his tone a bit.
"Alright, both of you stop arguing."
"Steward, bring me a card."
The steward, who had been standing in the corner all along, immediately brought over a black card as he was told.
Du Feng took it, took two quick steps, and handed it to Meng Ruozhao.
"Zhao Zhao, Dad knows I've let you down over the years, but Dad really did everything for your own good.
"I didn't give you any pocket money before because I was afraid that since you've never been in business, you might get carried away and be deceived by others.
"Now that your business is doing well, Dad can rest assured.
"Take this card. You can buy an apartment or rent a nicer place as you like.
"However, remember to come back home when you've cooled off.
"After all, you won't live at home all the time after you marry Young Master Yan. The time we spend together as father and daughter won't be much.
"By the way, don't forget to invite Young Master Yan over to your place after you move out.
"You should focus more on your fiancé. Don't be blinded by some messy illusions."
When he said the last sentence, he glanced at Pei Jiangmu.
During this time, Pei Jiangmu had been standing quietly half a step behind Meng Ruozhao, like a real backdrop.
When the Du family members looked over, he lowered his head slightly. His bangs covered part of his eyes and weakened his aura.
In their eyes, he seemed to be frightened by the intense family conflict, or he was trying his best to reduce his presence.
All in all, he was just a gigolo who wanted to marry into a wealthy family but was timid and couldn't be put in the spotlight.
Pei Jiangmu didn't care what others thought of him.
He didn't speak rashly because he trusted Meng Ruozhao.
More importantly, he knew that Meng Ruozhao was still very valuable to the Du family at present.
Du Feng wouldn't completely fall out with her.
He just stood there, calmly and quietly observing everyone with the corner of his eye.
He saw Meng Ruozhao's counter - attacking stance like an angry little beast at this moment, sharp, direct, and hitting the nail on the head with every word.
This overlapped with the image of the girl in his memory before he lost his memory, who was sometimes obedient under his wings but always stubborn at heart.
But she was more vivid, more... dazzling.
She didn't need him to stand up for her. She herself was a sharp blade out of its sheath.
The sickly possessiveness and admiration in his heart intertwined and surged, almost breaking through his "innocent" disguise.
But he suppressed it firmly, just unconsciously hiding his bandaged hand behind his back.
As if this could make him look more harmless and more like a frightened onlooker.
And this time, when Du Feng looked over, he even wiped off all his expressions and lowered his head deeply.
As if he was ashamed of himself.
But only he himself knew that not letting the other person see his expression could prevent others from noticing the hostility in his eyes when he heard these words.
He wasn't angry because Du Feng said he was a messy person.
He was angry because Du Feng dared to so blatantly "teach" Meng Ruozhao to invite Yan Qiubai into her home.
It was self - evident what it meant for a single girl to invite a man to her place.
It was almost like telling her to make the relationship a fait accompli as soon as possible.
Just as Pei Jiangmu was suppressing his hostility.
Meng Ruozhao had already spoken firmly.
"Dad, I'll emphasize again. I haven't made friends with any of those so - called messy people you mentioned.
"When you doubt my friends, you're doubting me.
"No, when you look down on my friends, you're looking down on me."
If it weren't for the fact that it wasn't time to completely fall out, she would definitely have said, "You have no right to judge the people around me."
But now that the other party had taken out the black card.
She had to give him some face.
Of course, not too much.
However, her few words were enough to make the living room fall into complete silence.
Xia Lian and Du Xixi were so angry that their faces turned green when they saw Du Feng giving the black card to Meng Ruozhao.
As the head of the Du family, Du Feng had always been domineering and authoritative.
Even though Xia Lian had been married to him for many years, she still had to defer to him.
If he got angry, they would never dare to talk back or resist.
But now, Meng Ruozhao was almost pointing at Du Feng's nose and scolding him, yet he actually endured it.
And he still wanted to give her money to spend?
Could it be that he had really become a kind - hearted father?
Du Feng didn't expect that after he had said so many words "for her own good".
Meng Ruozhao only took to heart what he said about the gigolo.
Now she was arguing with him again for that gigolo, which made him so angry that the veins on his forehead were throbbing.
Just then, Pei Jiangmu, who had been as quiet as a backdrop, suddenly tapped Meng Ruozhao gently on the back with his knuckles.
The touch was very light, carrying a subtle reminder, like a feather brushing by, but it instantly pulled back Meng Ruozhao's almost flaring anger.
She paused imperceptibly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pei Jiangmu still with his head down.
His bangs covered his eyes, but he obviously looked frightened and was trying his best to endure.
She almost instantly understood what he meant.
Don't get entangled. Take the card and leave.
This thought clearly emerged in Meng Ruozhao's mind.
Strangely enough, a strange sense of trust overwhelmed her disgust for the Du family and her impulse to refute.
She immediately withdrew her cold gaze that was almost about to be cast on Du Feng again and said no more.
She reached out and neatly snatched the card from Du Feng's hand.
"Thank you, Dad."
Her voice was flat, showing no emotion.
The scolding that Du Feng was about to say was blocked back by her thank you.
It made his chest feel stuffy, but he couldn't lose his temper anymore. He could only glare at her fiercely.
Meng Ruozhao didn't stay any longer. She pulled her suitcase and turned around to stride towards the door.
Pei Jiangmu immediately followed her like a silent shadow.
He kept his head down all the way, focusing only on Meng Ruozhao.
It seemed that only she was worthy of his attention in the whole world, and others couldn't affect him at all.
It wasn't until the car door closed and she sat in the passenger seat that Meng Ruozhao took a deep breath suddenly.
The cold air in the car rushed into her lungs, carrying the taste of freedom, and finally cooled down her hot head.
She frowned slightly and recalled her momentary obedience just now with some confusion.
What was going on?
Why did she really shut up when Pei Jiangmu tapped her gently?
And why did she obediently take the card and leave?
They had only known each other for a few days. Why would she subconsciously follow his "hint"?
This almost instinctive trust and obedience towards a person she had just met made a strange sense of uneasiness flash through her heart.
She shook her head, trying to dispel this strange feeling.
Maybe she felt sorry for him when she saw his aggrieved look and didn't want to let him stand there and be attacked anymore?
Maybe she just thought it was unnecessary to waste her breath on Xia Lian and the others?
She told herself so.
Pei Jiangmu got into the car quietly, started the car, and didn't disturb her while she was calming down.
He just silently looked at the road ahead, with a calm, inky look deep in his eyes.