Pei Jiangmu gritted his teeth in his heart, but still maintained a gentle and harmless expression on his face.
No one knew that under the table, he unceremoniously kicked Pei Jingdu's calf precisely.
"Ouch!"
Pei Jingdu was caught off guard. Although the kick wasn't very hard, it was enough to make him widen his eyes in surprise.
He looked at Pei Jiangmu, only to see the latter pouring water for Meng Ruozhao with an innocent look on his face, as if the kick had nothing to do with him at all.
Pei Jingdu was stunned for a second. Instead of getting angry, he let out a low laugh, with a more playful look in his eyes.
This was so interesting. It was really fascinating.
To cover up his momentary loss of composure, he coughed lightly and took the initiative to turn the topic to Pei Jiangmu. However, his eyes were fixed on Meng Ruozhao as he asked in a gentle tone, "Miss Meng, who is this?"
Meng Ruozhao didn't suspect anything and introduced him with a smile, "Mr. Pei, this is a part - time employee in my studio, Pei Jiangmu."
"He's still a student. He helps out in my studio during his spare time."
"Oh? Pei Jiangmu? Also surnamed Pei?"
Pei Jingdu deliberately dragged out his tone, his eyes sweeping over Pei Jiangmu's face, which was trying to look calm.
Then he looked at Meng Ruozhao again, with a hint of exaggerated surprise in his tone, "Still a student? A part - time employee?"
He seemed to have heard something extremely interesting. Finally, he couldn't hold back and let out a snort of laughter.
Although he quickly covered his mouth with a fist, his shoulders were still trembling slightly.
"Cough... I'm sorry. I was rude."
"Well, this young man, Pei, is really a handsome and talented young man. Miss Meng has good taste."
There was a deep meaning in his words, and the smile in his eyes was almost overflowing.
Good, good, good!
He originally thought that Pei Jiangmu was just approaching Meng Ruozhao under a different identity, but he didn't expect him to play such a complicated game.
Not only did he pretend to be poor, but he also pretended to be young!
He couldn't even imagine what a terrifying scene it would be to see his younger brother, who had always been cold - faced and looked down on everyone, acting coquettishly and calling someone "sister".
This show was really wonderful.
Pei Jingdu instantly decided that he would "bump into" Meng Ruozhao more often in the future. This kind of free, large - scale drama was not to be missed.
Both Yi Mo and Meng Ruozhao thought that this Mr. Pei had a rather strange sense of humor.
Only Pei Jiangmu's face stiffened slightly, and his hands under the table clenched into fists.
He could guess what his elder brother was thinking, so he kicked Pei Jingdu even harder under the table.
"Ouch—"
Pei Jingdu gasped in pain, and the smile on his face twisted for a moment.
He glared at Pei Jiangmu fiercely, only to see the latter looking back at him with a "pure and innocent" yet faintly warning look in his eyes.
Pei Jingdu gritted his back teeth and cursed in his heart, "Little brat." But on the surface, he could only force himself to maintain his composure and picked up his water cup to cover his embarrassment.
It seemed that this meal wouldn't be a peaceful one.
The waiter soon served the delicate dishes one by one.
One of the dishes was salt - baked sea shrimps. They were golden in color and smelled delicious, making people's mouths water.
As an "injured person", especially an "injured person" with an injured back and limited arm movement, it was naturally inconvenient for Pei Jiangmu to peel the shrimps by himself.
Meng Ruozhao naturally asked for disposable gloves and was about to peel the shrimps for him.
Yi Mo watched from the side and couldn't help but tease with a smile, "Oh, our Ruozhao is really considerate!"
"Little brother Pei, you're really well - treated."
A look of embarrassment appeared on Pei Jiangmu's face in a timely manner. He quickly said, "No, no. I can do it myself. It'll just be a bit slower..."
As he said that, he even pretended to reach for the gloves. His performance was very convincing.
However, Meng Ruozhao had already put on the gloves neatly. She picked up a shrimp and said in a relaxed and natural tone, "It's okay. There are no such many formalities with me."
"I quite like peeling shrimps and crabs. I find it stress - relieving."
"If you need, I can peel them for you too. It's just a personal hobby. Don't feel burdened."
She said this casually, thinking of taking care of everyone.
However, when Pei Jiangmu heard these words, especially the words "peel them for you", it instantly ignited his strong possessiveness.
The shrimps peeled by his Ruozhao were only for him.
Others? Don't even think about it!
Especially Pei Jingdu, who was sitting across from him and seemed to be enjoying the show.
So, when Meng Ruozhao carefully put the first peeled shrimp tail back on the small plate and was about to ask if others needed any.
Pei Jiangmu naturally and quickly reached out his hand and took the plate with the shrimp meat in front of himself.
Then, he very "naturally" picked up the second and third peeled shrimp tails that Meng Ruozhao had just peeled and put them all into his own bowl, piling them up like a small mountain.
His movements were smooth and without any pause.
After doing all this, he looked up and showed a pure and dependent smile to Meng Ruozhao, whose expression was a bit stunned.
"Thank you, sister. The shrimps you peel are the most delicious."
It seemed that he just liked the shrimps she peeled so much that he couldn't wait.
At the same time, his eyes casually swept across Pei Jingdu sitting across from him, and his eyes were filled with undisguised warning and possessiveness -
Mine! All mine! Dare you touch even one?
Pei Jingdu received his younger brother's almost murderous look, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help twitching.
This kid... was so jealous! He was so possessive!
And that "sister" he called... Tut - tut.
Meng Ruozhao also noticed Pei Jiangmu's small actions and the fleeting "fierce look" in his eyes when he looked at Pei Jingdu.
She was stunned at first, and then found it a bit funny and helpless.
Was this man's possessiveness a bit too strong?
Was it because he was sick and lacked a sense of security?
Out of basic courtesy, she still politely asked Pei Jingdu, "Mr. Pei, would you like to try the shrimps? They taste quite good."
How dared Pei Jingdu accept?
He had no doubt that if he really nodded, he might "accidentally" meet with trouble when he walked out of this restaurant tonight.
He quickly waved his hand and showed a polite and distant smile.
"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Meng. But I'm allergic to seafood, especially shrimps. I'm afraid I can't enjoy them."
A perfect excuse, without any flaw.
Actually, he was secretly complaining in his heart: Eat the shrimps peeled by Meng Ruozhao? He wanted to live a few more years!
However, in order to change the topic and add more annoyance to his younger brother.
Pei Jingdu turned his eyes to Pei Jiangmu, with just the right amount of "concern" on his face.
"Speaking of which, where is young man Pei injured? I see that your complexion doesn't seem very good. Is it your back? Is it serious?"
His question seemed casual, but it successfully drew everyone's attention back to Pei Jiangmu's injury.
Pei Jiangmu mentally noted down another mark against Pei Jingdu, but on the surface, he still maintained that "strong yet vulnerable" look. He slightly lowered his eyelashes and said in a casual tone, "Yes, I accidentally got hit on the back by something on the set. It's nothing serious. It's just a bit of bruising. The doctor said I just need to rest for a few days. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Pei."