Extreme Pampering

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Dreaming of Her Being Embraced by Someone Else.

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Dreaming of Her Being Embraced by Someone Else.

The room was silent, so close that Shen Zhiyi felt enveloped by the overwhelming scent of agarwood emanating from Pei Yu. He kept pressing closer, his voice deep as he demanded, “Answer me.”

“Does what I think really matter?”

Shen Zhiyi finally lifted her head, asking seriously, “Pei Yu, you weren’t like this before. Didn’t you also think it didn’t matter? We had a good run, the connection ended, and you accepted it, didn’t you?”

If they had parted, then he should just go back to being Chairman Pei, meet other women, and put her, Shen Zhiyi, behind him.

“We’ve been broken up for over a month now. Why do you ask these questions, do these things, what do you want from me?”

She had been making every effort not to regret her original decision, to think of him as little as possible. When they met, she pretended as if nothing happened. For over a month now, she had just managed to put on a calm façade. Why was Pei Yu provoking her now?

There was a fleeting glimpse of tears in her eyes, which quickly vanished as she lowered her head to hide them. Pei Yu suddenly came to a realization and staggered back two steps, stunned.

What was he doing?

He was annoyed that she could leave Huating so easily and give up on their relationship, believing that after all these years, it was time to end it. So they parted amicably, not to disturb each other, and any ensuing gloom and regret were supposed to be temporary, unwilling to admit he needed her like no one else.

But what was he doing now? What did he want Shen Zhiyi to do?

Without looking at him anymore, Shen Zhiyi pushed open the door and left.

The night outside had grown dense, and Qin Xiaoran sent her back to the complex in his car. After removing her makeup and changing clothes, she found herself absent-mindedly staring at the cufflink inside her jewelry box.

She couldn’t deny it; at that moment when she questioned what Pei Yu wanted, her heart had wavered. Pei Yu was terrible, on one hand, cold and lofty, as if he belonged to a different world, ready to be with someone else whenever he wished. Yet, on the other hand, he seemed to understand her well, to care about her.

She was foolish, unable to discern which side of Pei Yu was real and which was fake, nor did she want to spend her energy on a relationship that was constantly on the brink. Cutting ties with Pei Yu was a hard task; she did not want to go through it a second time.

Pei Hu asked her if she hoped he would turn into a flirtatious cad like his father, but could her thoughts really influence the future? Just like Huo Heng—she once thought they could support each other for a lifetime, yet look how things had turned out.

Reason told her all this repeatedly, yet Shen Zhiyi knew well that she missed Pei Yu, his embrace, his warmth, his casual smile.

Huating.

The butler had recently returned to his former leisurely routine, as Pei Yu only occasionally returned to stay. When he did, there wasn’t much for the butler to do, making his salary quite an easy earn.

In the early hours, she awoke out of habit to drink some water and accidentally knocked over her bedside glass. She decided to fetch a new one from the kitchen.

The night was still thick when the butler turned on the living room light, unexpectedly discovering a silhouette standing by the floor-to-ceiling window. After the initial shock, he realized it was Pei Yu.

“Sir?”

Why is he not asleep at this time?

His loose homewear outlined his slender figure. Pei Yu had stood there quietly for who knows how long, his body enveloped by a cool air. Just when the butler thought he wouldn’t speak, Pei Yu murmured lowly, “Had a dream.”

Perhaps it was a nightmare that had disturbed him so, the butler looked over and comforted, “Dreams are the opposite of reality.”

Pei Yu stared into the still deep night, recalling the dream that had awakened him, and managed a self-deprecating smile, “Not necessarily.”

What kind of dream had he believed could actually come true?

The butler handed him a cup of warm water, asking gently, “Sir, what did you dream about?”

“Dreamed of…” Slowly turning his cup, Pei Yu recalled the content of his dream, his eyes and eyebrows shrouded by the dim light, spoken in a deep tone, “dreamed of her being embraced by another person.”

That “her” instantly made the butler understand whose dream this was.

Actually, this was not a strange dream for Pei Yu. During those years abroad, he often dreamed of this scene. However, at that time he had no interaction with her, and the her in his dreams was a blurry and uncatchable shadow. Now it was different, he had grown familiar with her warmth, had traced her contours with his kisses, he knew every part of her, yet in his dreams, he saw her turning and throwing herself into another man’s arms, saw the clear smile on her face.

Because of this scene, he suddenly woke up.

A dream is a projection of the subconscious and does not lie; it directly told him what he most feared.

Only when the warm water touched his mouth did he realize his throat was dry and aching. Pei Yu, with downcast eyes, still remembered every scene from his dream vividly, “dreamed of her getting married, but not living well.”

Dreamed of her being let down, bullied, yet he had no right to intervene, watching her cry helplessly, heart pounding even after waking.

“Sir,”

He said these things emotionlessly, his expression indifferent, his tone not even intense, but the butler felt heartache. In his dreams, he didn’t allow himself and Shen Zhiyi any possibilities, merely fearful of her suffering.

“Since you’re worried, why not watch over her yourself?”

Pei Yu then asked, “Can I really make her happy?”

He himself didn’t know what to do.

He wasn’t good enough, always disappointing his father as a child, and now, Shen Zhiyi was also not satisfied with him.

“Happy or not, that’s for Miss Shen to decide,”

the butler said warmly, “Just do it, sir. If it’s not good enough, just make changes. Miss Shen is easygoing; she won’t mind it.”

Thinking of something, a hint of laughter flickered in his eyes. Pei Yu chuckled lightly, “Her temper is indeed good, but she’s just strict with me.”

Huo Heng had hurt her so many times yet still had chances to be forgiven; he only messed up once, and she let go.

“Strict because the expectations are high. You used to act so well in front of Miss Shen, hardly ever getting angry, and now you respond coldly all the time. It’s normal for her to be annoyed with you.”

Because it was about Shen Zhiyi, the butler wasn’t worried that saying this would affect the job; she wasn’t speaking in her capacity as a butler after all.

Pei Yu truly didn’t mind her choice of words; he tugged at the corner of his mouth, his eyes listless, saying with a morose face, “She really is annoyed with me.”

Saying they should set boundaries was true, refusing to be entangled with him was also true; she truly detested him now.

“Then go and coax her,” the butler, disliking his downcast look, said. Huating felt too hollow; it was better to have more people around. “Afraid of nightmares becoming reality, you must do something.”

Pausing for a moment, she reminded again, “Once, twice, but not a third time. If you’ve made up your mind, then don’t do things that make Miss Shen sad again. She won’t give you a third chance.”

This advice was also a warning; he shouldn’t follow Father Pei’s example of heartlessness, nor should he provoke Shen Zhiyi with a wavering heart; she wouldn’t want a relationship that could decay.

Pei Yu remained silent, thinking again of that dream.

He least wanted to be the person who hurt her.