Chapter 17 The End of the Pei Family
Pei Zhao had mostly recovered by the time we returned to the Pei residence.
The Pei family had undergone a complete upheaval in those days.
Madam Pei and Pei Ye had been thrown into prison. The evidence was conclusive, and they were sentenced to death.
Upon hearing the news, Lord Pei fell gravely ill from shock.
He learned that the wife he had loved so deeply had tried to kill their own son for the sake of seizing the family fortune. Rage consumed him.
He cursed her as a vicious, mad woman.
He demanded to know how she had become like this, nothing like the gentle and lovely person she once was.
Madam Pei showed no remorse. She only said one thing.
"Bai ni suo ci."
Lord Pei felt deeply guilty toward Pei Zhao.
He hoped to make amends.
But Pei Zhao proposed splitting the family.
He wanted none of the Pei family assets, only the portion that had belonged to his mother.
Lord Pei froze for a long time.
He stared quietly at his son.
Pei Zhao said, "My mother's death was because you were unworthy of being a husband."
"Today, with twenty years of my life, I have proven that you are also unworthy of being a father."
"Since that is the case, the bond between us as father and son ends here."
"From this day on, I abandon the Pei surname and take my mother's surname, Gu."
With that, he took my hand and turned to leave without hesitation.
A heavy thud sounded behind us.
Pei Zhao's steps faltered for a moment, but he did not look back.
...
That night, we lay together in the same bed.
I discussed with Pei Zhao our plan to leave Jinling.
I asked him where he wanted to go.
He said, "To the ends of the earth."
I curled my lips. "Where did you learn such cheesy words?"
He only smiled and said nothing.
I stared at his profile in a daze.
My gaze drifted down to his lips.
An idea struck me.
I asked indirectly, "Pei Zhao, do you... do you still remember what you said that day when you were drunk?"
I looked at him expectantly.
He frowned.
It seemed like he thought about it seriously for a long time. Then he turned to me and asked, "What did I say?"
I bit my lip.
Frustrated, I rolled over. "Never mind. It's nothing."
He suddenly grabbed my arm. His hands braced on either side of my head as he stared straight down at me.
The corners of his lips slowly curved up in a small arc.
"Xue Chan, I want to kiss you. May I?"
My pulse thundered in my ears.
But reason overpowered desire. I pushed him away and said angrily, "You do remember!"
"You were deliberately teasing me?"
"I—"
Before I could finish, Pei Zhao gently pressed his lips to mine.
He reached out and tugged.
The bed curtains fell layer by layer.
Moonlight from outside the window filtered in.
Shadows on the wall rose and fell.
We did not sleep that night.