Chapter Thirty-One: Going Back to an Old Flame

After dinner, Yu Youchu returned to her room and opened her laptop, intending to catch up on some shows, when a notification popped up on her phone.

It was from an unknown number.

[Chuchu, how have you been lately?]

"Oh my god!" Yu Youchu bolted upright from her bed as if she had seen something filthy. She flung the phone onto the mattress, fearing that whatever it was might crawl out of the screen and latch onto her.

She recited a silent prayer before gingerly picking the phone back up.

She knew in an instant that this unknown number belonged to Shen Wang. She had already blocked and deleted his contact information long ago; she hadn't expected him to find a loophole despite her best efforts.

In the brief moment she hesitated, another message popped up.

[Life without you... has been unbearable.]

Yu Youchu felt so disgusted she almost threw up her dinner.

Even a dog could tell that Shen Wang was trying to rekindle their past, but she wasn't some lovesick fool, nor was she his late-night emotional dumping ground.

Suppressing her nausea, Yu Youchu replied: [UNSUB]

Shen Wang: [?]

[Who is this? Is this not Yu Youchu’s number, Yu Youchu’s phone? Stop replying on behalf of others.]

Yu Youchu rubbed her temples, her right hand flying across the screen.

[Shen Wang, go find your Lin Qingwan and stop trying to disgust me. Meeting you was the unluckiest thing that ever happened to me. For the sake of the two years I was decent to you, I demand that you stay out of my sight.]

[Chuchu, I know you’re still angry. What happened before was my fault. Lin Qingwan and I are just ordinary friends. Can’t you give me a chance to explain?]

Seeing this, Yu Youchu couldn't take it anymore. She sent a [Go to hell.] and once again performed the standard procedure of deleting and blocking him.

Still fuming, she posted on her social media: [Please keep the trash out of my life.]

After posting that, she lost all interest in her shows and went to bed early.

She woke up late the next day, and the housekeeper had already prepared lunch.

It was a delicious, flavorful spread, and Yu Youchu ate until she was stuffed, finding herself almost unable to walk when she stood up. She jokingly wondered if the housekeeper was trying to make her eat until she couldn't move.

After lunch, Yu Youchu went back to her room to change before heading downstairs. She didn't pay much attention to her appearance at home; even when Pei Jiayin sat across from her with his hair perfectly groomed, she would happily shovel food into her mouth, disheveled and unbothered.

The scene was as comical as a vagabond sharing a table with an aristocrat.

The first time Pei Jiayin saw her wandering around in her "Doraemon" pajamas, she had caught the look of shock in his eyes. Since then, however, he had become accustomed to it—he even occasionally wore black pajamas himself.

Although he looked sharp and upright even in loungewear, as if he were wearing a suit, Yu Youchu was immensely proud of having "assimilated" him.

Yu Youchu kept her pride to herself. Home was a place to be relaxed; having to be perfectly polished all the time would exhaust her.

"Are you going out?"

Pei Jiayin had learned to tell whether she was heading out by observing her attire.

Although Yu Youchu was a social butterfly, she was a true homebody at heart; if she had all her equipment, she could hole up at home indefinitely.

That was why Pei Jiayin was surprised she was leaving, especially on a golden Saturday. Unless she was working overtime, she rarely ventured beyond the front door on weekends.

Yu Youchu nodded casually.

"I'm going to pick up my parents. They’ve arrived in the city."

She didn't elaborate further.

"Do you want me to drive you?"

Pei Jiayin took off his glasses. He had been working in the study on the first floor and had only come out to get a glass of water when he ran into her.

Yu Youchu glanced at the stack of documents and the glowing computer screen in his study, then shook her head.

"You should get back to work. I can go myself."

Pei Jiayin's gaze flickered. He looked at her steadily, his eyes seemingly pleading for her to let him take her.

But Yu Youchu made an 'X' with her arms, firmly refusing him.

It wasn't that she was self-conscious about him seeing her father in a wheelchair; she simply didn't want to trouble him, as his time was incredibly valuable.

Pei Jiayin backed down, compromising:

"Do you know how to drive? Have you been on the road lately?"

Yu Youchu’s eyes lit up; she immediately understood what he meant.

"I do! Don't worry, I'm experienced."

Shen Wang used to have a car.

Sometimes, when he was drunk after a social event, Yu Youchu would be the one to pick him up.

She remembered one time when he had vomited in the backseat, and she had stayed up all night cleaning it.

Yu Youchu patted her cheeks, not wanting to dwell on those unpleasant memories.

Pei Jiayin turned to head back to the study for his keys.

When Yu Youchu took them, she realized it wasn't the familiar Volkswagen Phaeton, but a different set of keys she didn't recognize.

She didn't know much about cars, but after a closer look, she realized it was an Aston Martin.

Yu Youchu instantly felt like she was holding a hot potato.

"No, no, not this one."

Pei Jiayin asked, confused, "This one is relatively more comfortable."

Yu Youchu was speechless. Did he call this "more comfortable"? If she scratched or dented the Phaeton, she could afford the repairs, but she couldn't afford an Aston Martin even if she sold herself.

"You'd better give me the Volkswagen Phaeton."

Seeing that Pei Jiayin wasn't budging, Yu Youchu added, "If you don't swap it, I'll just take the subway."

What Yu Youchu didn't know was that Pei Jiayin’s Volkswagen Phaeton had also been custom-modified; if she sold herself, she still couldn't afford to pay for it.

Pei Jiayin had no choice but to return to the study and retrieve the keys to the Phaeton.

If his secretary, Tang Qingli, were to see this, his jaw would surely hit the floor.

Pei Jiayin hated anyone else driving his cars; aside from Tang Qingli, who would drive them to various places for him, no one else had ever touched his vehicles.

Yet here was Pei Jiayin, firmly pressing the keys into Yu Youchu’s hand.

"Thanks!"

Yu Youchu beamed and waved goodbye to Pei Jiayin.

Yu Jiancheng, her father, had suffered a severe spinal injury years ago after falling from scaffolding while working on a construction site. He had been bedridden ever since. They had poured a fortune into his treatment, but there had been no improvement.

Recently, her father's condition seemed to have worsened, which was why Yu Youchu had suggested her mother bring him to the city for an examination. There were specialists at the Second Municipal Hospital in the city, and she had managed to snag an appointment.

Since her parents' home in Hebei Province was quite a distance away, she had suggested they come here to stay for the night so they could go to the hospital the next day.

She had already booked a hotel nearby. She had originally planned to just hail a taxi after picking them up—it would be a bit pricey, but it was convenient and would prevent any accidental injury to her father.