Chapter 99

Hmm.

This fragrance, and the sensation on her face—

The fabric touching her cheeks was soft and warm, with something separated by a thin layer of chest, pulsating fiercely and passionately.

One beat after another, overly distinct.

Ning Ning suddenly held her breath, her mind exploding.

No, no, no way.

Was she caught by Pei Ji?

Oh my goodness! Throughout her life, she had never been this close to any boy before. This is too—

Too strange!!!

What lines should she say?

“Surprise!” or “Didn’t expect this, did you? This is your gift”?

No, no! The most urgent task now is to quickly get out of Pei Ji’s embrace.

As night fell, lights floated up.

Ning Ning’s mind was in chaos, and the black-clad youth standing on the eaves felt a sudden warmth in his ears.

Seeing Senior Sister fall, he intended to step forward and help, but she unexpectedly…

…directly fell into his arms.

Pei Ji rarely interacted with girls, and now he felt a warm and fragrant sensation invading his chest, bringing a sweet and refreshing, candy-like, unfamiliar scent.

Standing still, he felt a bit at a loss, unsure whether he should push her away or wait for Ning Ning to get up on her own.

His grip was gentle, just pressing his palm on the girl’s shoulder, but his muscles tightened involuntarily, making him unable to move.

The palm that touched her was burning hot, as if carrying a fire straight to his heart.

In the midst of silence, there was suddenly the sound of fireworks bursting not far away.

A dark golden streak shot up like lightning into the sky, then burst open like a night-blooming cereus.

Soon more and more fireworks followed, getting brighter and brighter, illuminating the evening sky as if it were broad daylight, like a grand river of stars hanging upside down in his eyes.

These were the fireworks set off by the Lord’s Manor to celebrate the Ten Methods Assembly.

At the end of the river of stars, the girl who had fallen into his arms raised her head.

Ning Ning had her back to the fireworks, but her pupils still reflected the gentle gleam.

However, her expression couldn’t exactly be described as “gentle.”

She seemed a bit annoyed as she straightened up, her face flushed either with anger or the reflection of the flames, displaying a rich crimson hue.

Pei Ji thought she might be angry.

Because of the demonic aura surrounding him, hardly anyone was willing to get close to him. Whenever he touched other children in the town when he was young, he often received a beating.

Accustomed to his own way, he now felt inexplicably nervous, his throat moving slightly as he discreetly tightened his clothes with his fingertips.

But instead of casting any blame, Ning Ning just glared at him, then, without a word, lowered her head and took out a long, flat black ribbon from her bag.

To be precise, it was a hairband, beautifully crafted, and obviously not cheap.

“This is for you.”

She spoke with a stiff tone, never lifting her head from start to finish.

“I… I just happened to pass by and picked it up… Anyway, I bought it, definitely not because I picked it out for you on purpose.”

She rambled on incoherently, the blush from falling into Pei Ji’s arms still not fading. Perhaps to increase credibility, she added at the end, “The one you’re using now is too old; I don’t like it at all; change it quickly.”

What a mess this all is!

Ning Ning just wanted to give herself a good slap in her mind.

All the lines she had carefully prepared were ruined by that fall.

Clearly, this hairband cost her entire remaining savings, but with her current tone, it sounded like she stole it from a roadside stall.

So frustrating.

Ning Ning’s thoughts came and went, her mind in a whirl, and in the midst of her confusion, she suddenly noticed Pei Ji making a move in front of her.

She thought Pei Ji would take the hairband.

But when he reached out his hand, it wasn’t empty. Instead, on the palm of his right hand sat a small item, perfectly still and quiet.

In the increasingly grand fireworks, Ning Ning’s eyes slowly widened.

Then her mouth formed a small circle.

Her heartbeat accelerated for no reason, pounding against her chest.

In Pei Ji’s palm, there was a bright white little moon, slowly growing from the boy’s hand in the dim night, emitting a soft glow.

It was the jade pendant she saw in the jewelry store.

Everything tonight felt like a dream—completely unreal.

That clumsy embrace.

This untimely fireworks display.

And, most importantly, the small ornament she liked so much, which should never have ended up in Pei Ji’s hand,.

She had intended to give Pei Ji a small, clumsy surprise, but he ended up giving her an even bigger one.

—How did Pei Ji figure out what she was thinking?

Before Ning Ning could recover from her astonishment, the hairband in her hand was taken away by him without a word, and in its place, Pei Ji had placed the moon-shaped jade pendant.

“No, no!”

Ning Ning was very principled: “This is too expensive, I can’t accept it.”

Pei Ji’s voice was cold, raising his eyebrows provocatively, “Why can’t you accept it? Senior sister can buy a pearl for senior brother Lin Xun, but she can’t accept a gift of equal value from me?”

Ning Ning was taken aback again.

He knew about her buying the pearl for Lin Xun? Wait, why does Pei Ji’s tone sound strange—almost like he’s angry? What is he angry about?

She felt a pang of guilt, hastily adding, “No merit, no reward. Why are you giving it to me?”

As soon as she finished speaking, another burst of fireworks spun open in the sky, illuminating the red mole at the corner of Pei Ji’s eye and the quiet shadow in his eyes.

He responded matter-of-factly, showing no emotion, “And why did Senior Sister give me the hairband?”

Ning Ning was at a loss for words.

How did she not realize before that Pei Ji was so sharp-tongued?

With nothing else to say, she simply held the jade pendant in her hand, hesitated for a moment, and then murmured softly, “Then I’ll accept it first… Thank you.”

What Ning Ning didn’t know was that the tense back of the young man beside her relaxed slightly.

His response was still indifferent: “Hmm.”

Then followed a period of silence.