Chapter 59 Inferiority

Yu Youchu smiled gently as she watched Cui Jing leave, then elegantly let slip a curse under her breath. She had foolishly thought Cui Jing was showing a sudden act of kindness, but in truth, it was just another one of her subtle tactics to keep her tied to the design department.

Cui Jing had already anticipated her reaction and casually tossed out one last remark.

“But don’t worry, it’s still the senior director of the design department, so rest easy.”

Fuming, Yu Youchu placed the Peach Studio gift box at her feet.

As soon as work ended on Friday, Yu Youchu boarded a car heading to the airport.

When the plane ascended, clouds piled thickly around the wings outside the window, Yu Youchu suddenly felt as if waking from a dream.

In just a few hours, the long-desired night view of the coastal city would unfold before her eyes—not through a cold screen, but beyond warm eyelids.

Her palms were slightly sweaty; adrenaline surged through her veins, invigorating her completely, washing away all the weariness from work.

Pei Jiayin handed her a glass of orange juice.

“Want to sleep? When you wake up, we’ll have arrived.”

Yu Youchu shook her head, all her small gestures betraying her excitement.

A dry hand brushed her cheek, the cool touch seeping through.

“Why is your face so red?”

Pei Jiayin’s expression was calm, though his brow furrowed slightly—was she ill?

Yu Youchu lightly pushed his hand away and took another sip of the juice he offered.

“Maybe I’m just too excited right now. Don’t worry about me.”

Perhaps it was Pei Jiayin’s cool hand or his impassive expression that helped her calm down a bit.

Her university years had been entirely intertwined with working-study programs; every penny earned went first to living expenses, with the rest funneling into hospital bills.

Travel was a distant dream for her.

In her twenty-three years, the only footprints she had left were in her hometown in Ji Province and her university city, Jing City.

But Pei Jiayin was different—traveling was an everyday affair for a privileged young master like him.

That sense of inferiority seeped like drops from a leaking faucet.

One day, it might fill her entirely, drowning her.

Yu Youchu felt Pei Jiayin’s hand grasp hers again, but now warmth radiated through the touch, sending chills across her skin.

Around her was a spaciousness she had never encountered on any form of transport—temperate air from the warm air conditioning gently brushed her cheek, stewardesses wore standard smiles and offered meticulous service, the cabin smelled fresh, and a quiet hum of unknown machinery mingled with the piercing rush of air over the cold wings.

And she had paid no price for any of this.

An inexplicable guilty feeling crept up, as everything around her whispered the truth—

She did not belong to this world.

“Yu Youchu, want to eat something?”

Pei Jiayin’s voice broke through again.

Yu Youchu shook her head; her enthusiasm had waned somewhat, leaving only a faint blush.

“Are you feeling a bit airsick?”

Seeing her strange expression, Pei Jiayin thought she might be unwell.

Yu Youchu shook her head once more.

“If you feel uncomfortable, remember to tell me anytime.”

Pei Jiayin leaned over and gently stroked her head. “If you can’t enjoy yourself, then this gift I gave you was a mistake.”

It was the gift Pei Jiayin had given her upon her joining the company.

Yu Youchu thought silently that people tend to justify their actions at all times.

Even knowing she couldn’t reciprocate equally, this cost-free trip branded as a gift eased her psychological burden considerably.

Was she being too sensitive?

Yu Youchu exhaled softly.

Rather than sensitivity, it was her desire to stand on equal footing and offer Pei Jiayin something in return.

“Thank you, Pei Jiayin.”

“Still so polite between us?”

He ruffled her hair and gave a light kiss on the crown.

By the time they arrived at the coastal city, it was already late at night.

Unlike the heavy inland atmosphere of Jing City, the moment she stepped off the plane, the distinctive sea breeze of the coastal city swept over Yu Youchu, as if it would wash away all her negative emotions, making her feel infinitely lighter.

In April, a thin jacket was enough to fend off the chill of the low-latitude night.

Pushing her suitcase, her mood felt like a wild horse unbridled, as if cleansed of the dust and grime accumulated in Jing City.

Her steps quickened, curiosity bursting forth, eager to see the real ocean immediately.

Pei Jiayin took the suitcase handle from her hand, then, as if carrying a chick, swept her up effortlessly.

“It’s too late tonight. Let’s rest at the hotel first. We can see whatever you want tomorrow.”

“I haven’t even said what I want to see yet...”

“I booked a hotel with a sea view. Even if you can’t touch the ocean tonight, you can feast your eyes on it.”

Yu Youchu visibly brightened.

She was the happiest little girl in the world right now.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Pei Jiayin slung Yu Youchu’s delicate leather backpack over his shoulder, carrying a suitcase in each hand, strolling leisurely alongside her through the long airport corridor.

At the hotel, the front desk repeated the reservation information.

“Mr. Pei, you have booked two suites. Is there any issue?”

Pei Jiayin calmly handed over their ID cards.

“Yes.”

“Alright, we’re processing your check-in. Please use this machine to scan your face.”

Yu Youchu mechanically followed the staff’s instructions.

Why?

Why two rooms?

She couldn’t come up with an answer.

But she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Countless possibilities flashed through her mind in an instant.

“What are you thinking about?” Pei Jiayin’s voice came as Yu Youchu silently followed behind him with her head lowered.

“I was wondering why there are two rooms,” she blurted out, seemingly unaware of her own words.

Pei Jiayin raised an eyebrow, and Yu Youchu immediately met his half-smiling, teasing gaze.

“No! That’s not... what I meant...” Her face flushed crimson.

If the elevator had a hole, she wished she could vanish into it at that moment.

“Hmm, I understand,” Pei Jiayin said, his hand covering his mouth as if suppressing a smile.

Yu Youchu cried out in distress, “No, you don’t understand!”

The two rooms were booked by Tang Qingli; it was entirely Tang Qingli’s doing.

Pei Jiayin held two room cards tightly in his hand.

Tang Qingli had accidentally guessed his intentions.

He was afraid their relationship was progressing too quickly and might scare Yu Youchu, or rather, he worried she still harbored feelings for her ex.

After all, when she had a fever last time, she subconsciously called out another man’s name...