Pei Yuchen curved his lips, his eyes gleaming with delight. He knew the woman wanted to find an excuse to refuse him, but strangely, the more she acted this way, the more he wanted to tease her.
"Let's go, I'll drive you," Pei Yuchen said with a smile.
Ji Nian looked at the man before her, dressed in a suit, polite and graceful, with a golden-framed pair of glasses that made him look even more scholarly. Truth be told, this man's appearance matched her taste very well.
"Then... I'll trouble Dr. Pei again..." Ji Nian said awkwardly, mainly because she didn't know how to refuse him. In public, what if she caused the villain to lose face and bear a grudge?
"It's not the first time, no need to be so courteous," Pei Yuchen raised his eyebrows and smiled.
Ji Nian felt miserable. After bidding a simple farewell to He Yijian and the director, she left with the villain - this damned "taking the same way."
After they left, the crew members seemed to explode with chatter.
"Is Shen Shuyao in a relationship with the investor?"
"I doubt it, she's been very low-key in the crew and easy-going. Doesn't seem to have any backing at all."
"Yeah, she seems like a good person, not conceited. Didn't expect her to have such a big backer."
"The investor is Mr. Ye, a figure often covered in financial reports."
"The prince of Jingdu, who doesn't know him?"
"And who is that Mr. Pei?"
"He's an old acquaintance of the Ye family, the Pei family keeps a low profile."
"Wow, you even know that."
"Mr. Pei and Ji Nian are acquainted, they seem to have a good relationship."
"She and Shen Shuyao are best friends, and since Shuyao has a special relationship with Mr. Ye, she must know Mr. Pei too. They're all in the same circle."
The director noticed the crew members and actors discussing, and with a glance, signaled his assistant to resolve the situation and prevent any rumors from spreading.
"I thought Ji Nian wouldn't come to bother you anymore, turns out she's clinging to an even bigger thigh," Eighth Older Brother said with disdain.
Cheng Liran, however, remained indifferent. He never liked her anyway, so it didn't matter to him who she dated after their breakup.
"She can do whatever she wants, it's none of my business," Cheng Liran said flatly.
"Women are all the same. She was begging you not to break up before, and now she's moved on so quickly," Eighth Older Brother raised his eyebrows.
Cheng Liran didn't want to engage with him and walked away with the script in hand.
Eighth Older Brother shrugged helplessly, indicating he wouldn't say anything else.
In the car, Ji Nian had just fastened her seatbelt when she noticed the man's lips curved slightly, as if he was in a good mood. She pursed her lips.
"Are you feeling better?" Pei Yuchen was about to reverse out, glancing in the rearview mirror as he asked.
Ji Nian blinked her big eyes, surprised that the villain was quite caring. "I'm feeling alright."
"You had symptoms from excessive blood loss, you'll need to take better care of yourself," Pei Yuchen smiled.
"Heh, thank you for your concern, Dr. Pei," Ji Nian was taken aback, suddenly recalling that the first time she met him, he wasn't wearing glasses. Curious, she asked, "Is Dr. Pei nearsighted?"
Pei Yuchen nodded. "Not too bad, I wear glasses when needed."
It's true, with the glasses on, he looked more like a scholarly villain. Remembering the incident on set, she asked, "Does Dr. Pei know Cheng Liran?"
Pei Yuchen turned his head, his gaze falling on the woman's wrist as he recalled seeing it on Weibo before. He smiled, "I do. Wasn't it because of him that Miss Ji attempted suicide?"
Ji Nian was stunned. "You know about that?" The villain had investigated her?
"It was all over the internet," Pei Yuchen smiled. "But honestly, was that man really worth Miss Ji risking her life for?"
Of course not, that was the original host being stupid, not her. Ji Nian thought to herself. Speaking of which, the original host had poor taste. Cheng Liran was just mediocre, and he was even rude to her today. Hmph, she held a grudge now.
"Young and naive," Ji Nian snorted in response.
"Haven't had lunch yet, shall we go together?" Pei Yuchen asked with a smile.
Ji Nian considered for a moment. Since refusing would be futile, she might as well mooch a meal. "Sure, Dr. Pei is treating."
Pei Yuchen chuckled, surprised that she didn't try to find an excuse to refuse this time. "Of course, a gentleman would never let a lady pay."
The man was indeed quite gentlemanly. Ji Nian glanced at him. For now, the villain seemed quite promising - the kind of man young girls would fancy.
"Dr. Pei is so gentlemanly, your girlfriend must be quite fortunate," Ji Nian put on a professional smile, trying to probe him.
Pei Yuchen raised his eyebrows. "Or perhaps you want to be my girlfriend?"
Ji Nian was taken aback. What was that about? When did this happen? She had no idea.
"Wasn't Miss Ji trying to get close to me? You even looked into my background before, and initially called me Dr. Pei," Pei Yuchen's eyes held a meaningful look.
Ji Nian froze, suddenly realizing he was referring to the time she went to a restaurant with Shen Shuyao.
Back then, she rode in his car, and because she knew his profession, she couldn't find a reasonable excuse to throw him off, so she let him stay under that misunderstanding. She didn't expect... she had been too careless...
"And I recall, you told me your name was Ji Nian," Pei Yuchen looked at the woman and smiled.
Ji Nian suddenly felt a pang. When did she slip up? She racked her brain but couldn't seem to remember. Feigning innocence, she said, "Heh, Ji Nian is a name I changed for myself, just wanting a fresh start, since Dr. Pei knows I attempted suicide over a relationship."
Pei Yuchen nodded, that explanation made sense. "Ji Nian is more pleasing to the ear than Ji Xiaonian."
Hearing her true name being complimented, Ji Nian was taken aback, feeling a strange emotion inside. After transmigrating for some time, everyone had been calling her by the original host's name.
She never expected the villain to call her by her real name. Suddenly, she felt a tinge of sorrow. Perhaps she wouldn't be able to return to her original world. The name Ji Nian, no one might ever know it was the real her.
After transmigrating, her identity and appearance had changed drastically. Perhaps she became more beautiful, or perhaps she became wealthy. But that real, existing self of hers...
That ordinary, unremarkable person who still strived to live her life, seemed to have disappeared.
Vanished into another space-time, while in this realm, she was beginning a new journey in a daze.
For a moment, Ji Nian felt lost. No matter which life she lived, it seemed like she never had a place she could call home. In the past or present, she always felt like a child without a home...
