Chapter 77: Chapter 77

To give her a clearer view, Fu Jichen pushed open the car door.

Pei Che’s gaze had an unobstructed view into the car, where Shen Jianian, dressed in a cherry blossom pink knit suit, sat in the man’s embrace. That man had deep-set eyes and a sculpted face, leaning lazily against the back seat.

A face extremely familiar within the high society of Beicheng, Pei Che couldn’t possibly not recognize Fu Jichen.

Unlike the Pei Family, the Fu Family had a very complex family structure, with a large number of members. To discuss the most complicated figure of this generation, none other than Fu Jichen could be the one.

The man with Little Nian was actually Fu Da.

Meeting Pei Che’s gaze, Shen Jianian’s rigid body trembled, her complexion visibly turning pale, and she turned her face away, no longer looking at him.

Pei Che called out to her in a choked voice.

Only her parents and Pei Che would call her Little Nian; even Bai Changxia, no matter how close their relationship, always called her Jianian. Since her parents passed, no one had called her that, making it feel almost like a lifetime ago.

Shen Jianian tightly shut her eyes, as if she hadn’t heard, her voice dry as she said: "Drive."

Qu Mo didn’t follow her orders, instead looked towards his boss in the rearview mirror.

The warmth in the car gradually dissipated as the door stood open, feeling a bit chilly. Fu Jichen raised a hand to gently stroke Shen Jianian’s smooth hair and said slowly: "Since it’s a familiar face, there’s surely a lot to say. Should we invite Mr. Pei to the manor to catch up, or should you two finish the conversation outside? What do you think, Jianian?"

Shen Jianian gave Fu Jichen a strange look, what was he planning?

Pei Che was not afraid of Fu Jichen, only looked at Shen Jianian with deep pain in his eyes: "Little Nian, come down, I have something to say to you."

"I have nothing to say to you."

Shen Jianian, back to him, her voice was resolute, and one hand resting on her lap was nearly tearing the hem of her clothes.

Fu Jichen gently patted her shoulder and said generously: "Don’t be ; Mr. Pei has specially come all the way from Beicheng. It’s better to clarify some words."

Shen Jianian’s temper flared up, and she yelled at him: "I said I don’t want to see him!"

Fu Jichen wasn’t offended, only gave a slight smile.

The streetlights outside flickered and suddenly went out, casting Fu Jichen’s face in shadow. Only his voice could be heard, cold and distant: "Mr. Pei has heard, Jianian doesn’t want to see you, please leave."

The car door closed, and Qu Mo, following Fu Jichen’s instructions, drove the car inside.

Pei Che chased a few steps in heartbroken despair, only to be stopped by the security guard, and then the gates closed, isolating him outside.

Those in the car could faintly hear his sorrowful voice, mingling with the drifting wind and snow.

"Little Nian, I’m sorry—"

Shen Jianian was carried out of the car by Fu Jichen.

Zhou Rongzhen inside the house heard the car and went to open the door, showing no surprise at the scene, only a slight shock at Shen Jianian’s unwell appearance.

Fu Jichen carried her inside, his voice low: "Have you thought it through, not really seeing him? Such a cold day, he might be waiting outside for you all night, by morning he’ll be a human statue."

"Is it funny?" Shen Jianian bit her lip, stubborn, her words barbed, "If you really want me to see him, then put me down, I’ll go meet him."

Zhou Rongzhen, following behind after closing the door, paused at this: were they having an argument?

Fu Jichen wasn’t one to respond to force with force, and, indeed, his face turned gloomy as he put Shen Jianian down, wanting to see if she dared to return to find that person right under his nose.

Shen Jianian turned and walked out, wearing only a knit skirt, the holes in the coarse knit letting the wind through. In just a few steps, her face paled even more from the cold.

The car was parked under the porch, not yet driven away. Shen Jianian wouldn’t let herself be wronged, pulling open the backseat car door and taking out the cashmere coat left inside, putting it on, instantly warming up.

She wrapped her arms around herself, walking down the main road out.

The ground was melted snow mixed with icy fragments, a slip could come at any moment. Shen Jianian walked slowly, yet gradually disappeared from the other’s sight inside the house.

Fu Jichen’s face was covered with frost, the atmosphere around him colder than the weather outside. Always collected, he kicked over a small stool nearby.

With a loud bang, the many servants in the living room, unsure of the situation, fell deathly silent.

Fu Jichen looked towards the endless dark night with a gloomy gaze.

Shen Jianian really did it, just up and left, without even looking back. As Lu Yanzhi said, she was now so prideful because of his affection, completely disregarding him.

Rose Manor was so vast, one usually didn’t notice it in the car, but walking from the main building to the gate felt like a century had passed. At first, she was freezing cold, but as she walked, she began to sweat from the warmth.

The people in the security booth had changed shifts, and as Shen Jianian approached, they helped open the gate.

The man waiting by the streetlamps heard the gate open, turned his gaze back to focus on Shen Jianian’s face, afraid that in the blink of an eye she would vanish.

Pei Che’s legs were long since frozen stiff, moving slowly toward Shen Jianian, stopping a step away from her.

He looked at her, his throat feeling stuffed with cotton, unable to utter a sound.

After a long time, long enough for Shen Jianian to feel cold again, Pei Che finally opened his mouth, repressively calling her: "Little Nian."

"You should leave, and don’t come looking for me again." Shen Jianian’s hands, tucked inside her coat, clenched tightly into fists, her expression as calm as a cold robot, "You’ve seen, I’m with Fu Jichen now, and it has nothing to do with you."

Every bit of strength seemed to leave Pei Che, only the last bit left to hold her arm, pulling her into an embrace, treating her like fragile porcelain, afraid to use too much or too little force.

"I’m sorry, my family caused you such great harm. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me the most. I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. What should I do for you to forgive me? Little Nian, just tell me, I’ll agree to anything. Don’t push me away, please? Don’t leave me..."

Shen Jianian’s eyes stung with tears, sharply pushed him away, her voice cold: "Pei Che, wake up. You know I can’t forgive you, why force me?"

"No, there must be a way."

"What way? Can you bring my parents back to life?!"

The dead cannot come back to life, no matter what he says.

Shen Jianian finally broke down and cried. She had intended not to show tears in front of Pei Che, but he mentioned her deceased parents, a wound eternally painful in her heart.

She thought the wound was healing well, but when it was torn open, it was full of festering rot, something that could never truly heal in a lifetime.

"Pei Che, seeing you does not mean I have lingering feelings. I wanted to tell you in person that, from the moment your father killed my closest kin, all that remained between us is hatred, nothing else." Shen Jianian wiped away her tears, her words cold as ice, "For me to forgive you, I’d have to be dead."

Pei Che stumbled back a step.

The distance between them in that step was elongated infinitely, as if separated by an impassable chasm.

Pei Che wanted to reach out and hold her hand, yet not a shred of courage remained.

"Little Nian, regardless of whether you accept it, I must atone for my family’s mistakes," Pei Che choked up severely, "a life for a life... is it possible? I’ll trade my life for yours, please, don’t say such things again.

He didn’t want her to die. If it were possible, he would end it himself, so she could let go and live a good life.

"Two lives, how will you repay them?!"

As Shen Jianian’s heart-wrenching scream faded into silence, Pei Che, with reddened eyes, stopped speaking, wanting only to give her his heart to see.

For her, he yearned to give everything, even his life.