Chapter 186

Ning Ning’s heart was a bit chaotic.

In the bustling city of Luan at night, Pei Ji, who disliked crowds and noise, was being escorted back to the inn by Ning Ning. She purposely chose a quiet alleyway.

By this time, the sky had darkened, and there was no one around. The night was like ink spilled across rice paper, pouring down from the horizon. Gray clouds reflected scattered stars, like grains of fine sand falling, transforming into the unextinguished lights between buildings, forming a long, bright Milky Way.

They were shrouded in the shadows of high walls, the gentle light of the night caressing the tranquility. Everything was hazy: the street’s clamor, the distant faint barking of dogs, and Pei Ji’s whisper-like murmurs.

He was tall, and standing in front of Ning Ning, he blocked all the lights, both bright and dim. When she opened her eyes, she could only see Pei Ji’s deep pupils.

They were like a heavy black curtain that made it hard to breathe.

He called her “Ning Ning,” no longer the cold and distant “Senior Sister.”

She felt something was wrong with herself.

There were many people calling her name, so why was it that when Pei Ji said it, her heart would inexplicably start racing?

This was obviously just a very ordinary, small matter.

“… Pei Ji.”

Ning Ning, being shy, felt embarrassed under his gaze and was also worried that someone might pass by and see their intimate posture.

So, she pushed against his chest with some force, trying to push Pei Ji back a little: “Stand properly first.”

With this push, she couldn’t help but hesitate.

Since it was summer, Pei Ji’s clothes were very thin.

Through the soft fabric, she could clearly feel the warmth of his skin.

Especially when she exerted some force, she could even feel the solid texture of his muscles and his intense heartbeat.

Ning Ning was so startled by this strange sensation that her ears turned hot.

Pei Ji was drunk and staggered backwards when she pushed him, but he did not let go of his hands on her shoulders.

A house next to the alley lit up, the light spreading silently like mist, bathing the sharp features of the young man’s face.

Because of the alcohol, a pink hue surrounded his eyes, like peach blossoms soaked in water during spring, spreading from the corners of his eyes to his cheeks, fading and dispersing, highlighting the teardrop mole that hung like a drop of blood or a tear stained red.

Pei Ji still looked down at her, his expression cold, but his tone carried a hint of grievance: “Do you hate me?”

The simplicity and straightforwardness of his drunken thoughts made him feel rejected when Ning Ning pushed him away. The heat in his chest became even more unbearable, burning and making his chest stuffy and aching.

Ning Ning was not stupid and quickly understood why he said this.

No matter how logical Pei Ji usually was, she couldn’t reason with someone who was out of his mind.

So, she followed his lead and replied, “How could I hate you?”

Pei Ji frowned.

His eyes were purely black, and under the influence of alcohol, they seemed hazy and devoid of any spirit, which made him appear even more innocent and harmless.

Ning Ning heard him say softly, “You… you pushed me.”

“Pushing you means I hate you?”

She had also drunk some wine a bit earlier, but hadn’t felt very drunk.

At this moment, she didn’t know if it was the lingering effect of the alcohol or the heat from her panic, but as she spoke, she clasped her hand and gently grabbed Pei Ji’s collar, pulling him closer with a laugh.

“Then, if I pull you over, does that mean I like you?”

Pei Ji was slightly stunned.

Ning Ning watched as his white jade-like face quickly turned red, and he hurriedly lowered his head, seemingly quite shy, mumbling “hmm” in response.

Ning Ning was at a loss.

——Why are you mumbling “hmm” so shyly? That’s not what she meant! It’s a rhetorical question, a rhetorical question!

It was a joke, but she forgot that drunk people don’t understand jokes and always take them seriously.

Thanks to Pei Ji, Ning Ning also felt an invisible fire burning from the back of her head, making her already warm face feel scorching hot.

“I didn’t mean it that way… I just wanted to say, I don’t hate you.”

Fearing he might misunderstand, Ning Ning explained more emphatically, “No matter what, I will never do that.”

Pei Ji’s grip finally loosened a bit, and his expression could almost be described as ‘cautious’ : “Really?”

Ning Ning nodded vigorously: “Really!”

After a pause, she tentatively added, “How about you let go of your hands? I’ll take you back to the inn to rest. We can’t just stand here forever.”

The youth, immersed in darkness, hesitated for a moment before lowering his head and moving his hands away.

No one had ever liked him.

His mother called him a bastard, his fellow disciples mocked his bloodline, and even when he wandered alone, if strangers saw his demonic energy flaring up, they would curse him as a “monster.”

He didn’t care for their affection, nor would he ever seek their slightest bit of concern. Even if he were to spend his entire life alone, he could still manage.

But… when Ning Ning said she didn’t hate him, Pei Ji felt unprecedented happiness.

He was not a dog wagging its tail for a bit of kindness, nor would he be devoted for a little bit of favor. The reason he felt happy was probably because she was the one who said it.

As long as she didn’t hate him, that was enough.

If possible, he secretly hoped for a little bit of affection, just a little bit.

“Pei Ji?”

Seeing him in a daze, Ning Ning habitually poked his arm.

“Come back with me, okay?”

His mind was in a haze, and he nodded confusedly.

Then Ning Ning grabbed his sleeve and gently pulled.

The thick darkness before him instantly dispersed as she pulled him out of the alley’s shadows and into the dim light of a streetlamp.

He stumbled forward a few steps, unsteady on his feet, and ended up falling into Ning Ning’s arms.

Having had a similar experience earlier, she seemed prepared for this and anticipated it would happen again.

However, this time, Ning Ning didn’t push Pei Ji away without a word.

Instead, she gently patted his back, her voice close to his chest, muffled by the folds of his clothes, and a bit helpless: “Alright, alright, can you stand up by yourself now?”

She knew that Pei Ji, due to his childhood experiences, was particularly sensitive and self-conscious. She didn’t want him to feel hated again, so she didn’t push him away without hesitation.

Her gentleness left him at a loss.

Even though he was drunk, Pei Ji instinctively felt his heart race. His scattered consciousness was barely pulled back. After a brief moment of confusion, he straightened up and nodded stiffly.

“I’d better support you.”

He seemed to have become more compliant than before. Ning Ning reached out and supported Pei Ji’s arm.

His arm was slender but strong, with firm muscles from years of sword practice.

Though she, who was a good young person, grew up in the 21st century and didn’t have the same strict gender separation as people in ancient times, walking so closely with him still made her nervous.

As they gradually walked deeper into the alley, the surrounding sounds slowly faded, swallowed by the dense darkness.

Pei Ji walked unsteadily, and Ning Ning carefully followed by his side. Suddenly, she heard his slightly hoarse, young voice.

“… Don’t always be with Senior Brother He.”

The surroundings were extremely quiet, making Pei Ji’s voice sound abrupt and clear, like coarse sandpaper against her eardrum, causing an inexplicable itch.

Ning Ning was stunned for a moment.

She wondered if she was hallucinating from the alcohol and, feeling a bit confused, turned her head and looked up, only to meet Pei Ji’s eyes directly.

Seeing Ning Ning in a daze, he thought she hadn’t heard him clearly.

So he repeated, seriously and word by word: “Don’t always be with Senior Brother He.”

As soon as he said this, even Cheng Ying felt something was off.

If Pei Ji continued talking nonsense like this, who knows what earth-shattering things he might say next. By the next day, he might not even have the courage to face Ning Ning.

—Though it did kind of want to see Pei Ji in such a state.

As a good brother and a good mother who had been through thick and thin together for many years, Cheng Ying felt it necessary to remind him, so he immediately lowered his voice and asked tentatively: “Wait, wait,wait, Pei Xiaoji, do you know what you are talking about?”

Normally, Pei Ji would reply silently in his mind.

But this time, he directly looked at Ning Ning and said aloud, “I know what I’m saying, very clearly—especially clearly.”

Ning Ning was stunned again.

Then she watched as the black-clad youth’s gaze wavered and finally settled on her.

His eyes and the corners of his eyes were red, and he said unclearly but earnestly, “I can also… keep you company.”

Cheng Ying: …