Chapter Thirty-Five: Pei Xi, Who Cries Easily

Although those people hadn’t told Fang Yuan who was truly behind it all, he had already decided in his heart that the mastermind was none other than Old Master Pei. Still, he needed a small confirmation.

Manager Xue had just mentioned that their car was parked right at the entrance, and Fang Yuan remembered that there should be surveillance cameras in that spot. As long as he could find the vehicle and follow the clues, it would naturally become clear whether it was indeed Old Master Pei.

“It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious. I’ll send you the surveillance footage shortly. But be careful when you’re out these days—I can tell those men aren’t ordinary, and they were all armed,” Manager Xue reminded Fang Yuan.

“Thank you. I feel terribly guilty for getting you caught up in this, Manager Xue. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll do my utmost.”

Adversity reveals true character. While Manager Xue was clearly calculating, he was also decisive in action. Fang Yuan didn’t hold any bias against such people; after all, as the saying goes, ‘for wealth, men will risk death; for food, birds will brave danger.’

All people are selfish, but those who can read the situation clearly even as they look out for themselves are truly wise. Working with someone who understands the stakes offers a certain peace of mind—they’ll never do anything to harm themselves, always leaving themselves a way out.

“Leave a line behind you when you act, so you can meet again in the future”—that described Manager Xue perfectly.

“It’s really nothing, but you should take care of yourself. Traveling alone and running into this sort of trouble… it’s best to stay cautious,” Manager Xue said, clearly concerned for Fang Yuan and wondering what kind of enemy he’d provoked.

Returning to his room, Fang Yuan quickly received the surveillance video Manager Xue had promised. Sure enough, it showed the vehicle in question—a black off-road Jeep. Such cars were common in this seaside city, especially among wealthy tourists who liked to drive themselves on vacation.

There were also some who claimed to be on self-driving trips but hired drivers instead, only taking the wheel themselves upon arrival to experience the feeling of a road trip.

A black Wrangler without license plates—how was he supposed to track that down?

The men in the video were all dressed in black, clearly part of the same group he’d fought earlier.

Sitting by the window, Fang Yuan pondered the situation intently…

At dusk, Pei Xi was accompanying Old Master Pei at the seaside, watching the sunset. It had been a long time since father and daughter had seen each other, and there was much to talk about.

Old Master Pei recounted his experiences in the indigenous tribe, but Pei Xi simply listened. She had little interest in people she’d never met.

“Dad, could you not go to such distant places anymore? I really worry about you,” Pei Xi pleaded softly.

She was a pitiful child in her own way—her mother had left before she was old enough to remember, not because she had died, but because she’d left on her own.

As Pei Xi grew older, she’d asked many times where her mother had gone and why her father never sent anyone to bring her back.

Old Master Pei always smiled and brushed off the question. When he couldn’t avoid it, he’d say her mother had gone somewhere very far away and would never return.

Later, Pei Xi told a classmate, who replied that her mother must have died. Grown-ups, after all, always described death as “going to a faraway place”—only the dead go there.

Pei Xi cried for a long time after that. From then on, she never asked about her mother again, afraid that if she annoyed her father with the question, he might simply tell her the truth—that her mother was dead and would never come back.

If she didn’t ask, perhaps it meant her mother was still alive—maybe one day she’d suddenly appear before her.

Pei Xi was only in her early teens at the time, but she swore she’d become someone capable and, one day, find her mother herself.

Now she was about to graduate from university. Despite her usually proud demeanor, her academic record was excellent—she was the very model of a top student.

Moreover, Pei Xi was highly self-sufficient, unlike the spoiled children of other wealthy families who needed help with everything. She’d always liked handling her own affairs, a habit formed because her father would often disappear for stretches of time.

When he was gone, Pei Xi had to look after herself. There were housekeepers and maids, of course, but it wasn’t the same.

Thus, she developed a habit of relying on herself. Many boys had wanted to be her support, but after meeting her future father-in-law, they all retreated.

If Old Master Pei worried that dating would distract her from her studies, he needn’t have—now that graduation was near, he still refused to relent.

Helpless, Pei Xi had come up with the idea of having Fang Yuan pretend to be her boyfriend. But Fang Yuan had proved spineless, backing out before anything even happened.

The sunset over the sea was stunning. Old Master Pei was so entranced, he’d already forgotten what he’d just said.

From a young age, Pei Xi had known her father’s special attachment to the sea. He often took her to watch the sunset, but strangely, never the sunrise.

Perhaps it was because the sunset brought a sense of belonging and reassurance.

“Dad, my mother…” Pei Xi began, but trailed off, unable to finish.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to ask, but that she was afraid—afraid her father, in a moment of candor, would finally tell her the truth.

“Child, all you need to know is that your mother is alive. Don’t ask about the rest. I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Old Master Pei said, always feeling he owed Pei Xi something for this.

Every time she brought it up, he felt a pang of guilt.

When Pei Xi was little, he’d considered finding her a stepmother while she was too young to understand. But a part of him still hoped for a miracle, so he kept delaying.

Pei Xi matured earlier than other children. By the time Old Master Pei finally gave up hope and thought to find a new wife, Pei Xi was old enough to understand. She cried and rejected his suggestion. Who knew such a small child could cry so much?

After hearing that her father wanted to remarry, Pei Xi cried for a week straight, tears streaming endlessly.

Seeing he had no other choice, Old Master Pei promised never to mention it again. Only then did Pei Xi stop crying.

A whole week—had it been any other child, her eyes would have been swollen shut.

Yet Pei Xi was fine; in fact, her eyes seemed even brighter after all that crying.