Reborn to Redeem: Their Abusive Love-Chapter 109: Jealous/envy

From their words, Xu Si picked up on a clue. Their purpose for being here was not to meet Pei Zhen; it seemed they had only received some news and wanted to try their luck.

At noon, a familiar face entered the tea house—Chen Mo. He was dressed in a white shirt and black suit trousers, a rather ordinary attire. Yet, he carried an ominous aura, his eyes reflecting the murderous intent of someone who had just emerged from the Underground City as he headed straight for Chen Shijiang and his group.

The person sharing a table with Xu Si immediately stood up, his face wreathed in smiles.

There were many rumors concerning the backers of the Sanlian Chamber of Commerce. Some said they were a mysterious organization from overseas. Others claimed they were drug lords from Europe. But the publicly acknowledged manager had always been Chen Mo.

His gaze swept over the crowd and stopped on Xu Si.

Seeing Xu Si there, Chen Mo showed no surprise. His arrogance subsided as he smiled meaningfully at her and reached out to shake her hand. "Miss Xu, we meet again."

Xu Si hesitated for a moment, then slowly and tentatively extended her hand.

The next second, that intense, malicious gaze followed her. It was so piercing it almost stopped her heart, and she quickly withdrew her hand.

Smiling faintly, she picked up a teacup from the table and handed it to Chen Mo. "Indeed, Mr. Chen. I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon after the cocktail party."

Chen Mo’s attention was entirely on her words, and he forgot about the handshake. Knowing she wanted to keep the matter of the Underground City concealed, he took the teacup and played along, saying, "It’s our honor that you would grace us with another visit."

They were about to discuss something highly confidential. On the surface, Xu Si had no involvement with the Sanlian Chamber of Commerce—and in reality, she had none either—so she didn’t linger to listen.

However, as she was leaving, Chen Shijiang suddenly called out to her.

"Miss Xu."

Xu Si turned around.

Chen Shijiang had followed her out of the tea house. He smiled amiably, his white teeth almost dazzling. "Miss Xu, may I have a word with you in private?"

Xu Si looked at him with her serene eyes and, after a moment, nodded. "Alright."

They moved to a secluded spot.

Chen Shijiang looked at her, his expression somewhat nonchalant. "Miss Xu, please don’t take offense, but if I hadn’t run into you today, I would have paid you a visit anyway. Since we’ve met, I’d like to ask you something: do you truly not know Miss Wen’s whereabouts?"

Xu Si’s expression remained tranquil as she replied softly, "Does Young Master Chen know Jiaojiao?"

Chen Shijiang shook his head gently. "I know her younger brother. You must be aware of what happened recently. Her entire family is looking for her. Miss Xu, do you know where she is now? The Wen family is very hopeful she’ll return home; they’ve even secretly contacted the police."

Xu Si’s expression became even more placid as she shook her head. "I don’t know where she is. I’m looking for her too."

Chen Shijiang eyed her suspiciously. "What about the license plate? As far as I know, your people were stationed near the Wen family villa at the time. Did they see the license plate of the car that took her away? If we knew the plate number, we might have a lead."

Xu Si looked down, her expression extremely serious as she recalled. "No. It was dark and foggy then."

The atmosphere grew subtly tense.

Chen Shijiang didn’t press further, merely smiling as he changed the subject. "Miss Xu, have you considered joining the Sanlian Chamber of Commerce’s alliance?"

Xu Si smiled. "I haven’t considered it."

Chen Shijiang said meaningfully, "That’s quite unique of you, Miss Xu. Rest assured, I’ll keep our meeting today a secret for you. I won’t mention to anyone that I saw you here."

With this, he intended for Xu Si to owe him a favor.

Xu Si glanced at him, the corners of her lips curling upwards. "Whether Young Master Chen mentions it or not, I will never admit to it."

Then, smiling, she added, "Young Master Chen, you’re quite special yourself. I imagine the Chen Family is unaware of how close you are to the Sanlian Chamber of Commerce, are they?"

Chen Shijiang paused, taken aback for a moment, then laughed. "My mistake. We each have our secrets. How about this: you keep mine, and I’ll keep yours?"

Xu Si smiled faintly. "Alright."

"Then I’ll head back first."

Chen Shijiang departed with a smile and a peculiar expression. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Xu Si watched his retreating figure. He probably helped the Wen family’s younger brother question me because the boy himself didn’t dare to come.

She had some self-awareness; before her rebirth, her temper was foul, and she had earned a fearsome reputation.

It’s just that these Chen brothers are interesting. One is a naive, spoiled brat, while the other is cunning yet gentle. They hardly seem like they came from the same family.

Just as she was thinking this, a low, magnetic voice drawled from nearby. "If he’s that captivating, you might as well keep your eyes glued to him. Is he that good-looking?"

The voice was very close, almost right beside her; she could even feel a faint breath.

Xu Si stood by the garden’s rockery, startled by the sudden voice. She shuddered instinctively and subconsciously tried to step back, but she misstepped.

She suddenly remembered the irregularly shaped, hard rocks behind her. If she hit them, it would be agonizingly painful.

The next second, a cool hand reached around her waist, acting as a buffer between her and the large rocks.

BANG!

The sound of flesh and bone striking stone echoed in the air.

She felt no pain, contrary to what she’d expected. Xu Si relaxed and turned her head to look.

She saw Pei Zhen standing beside her. Like a sun-fearing vampire, he held a black umbrella, his free hand already behind her, having absorbed the collision.

There was no hint of discomfort in his smoke-gray eyes; instead, they held a smile that didn’t quite reach them as he stared at her face. "You truly are..."

Xu Si took a deep breath. She immediately turned, took his hand, and pulled it towards her to examine it. Sure enough, his fair, well-proportioned fingers now bore several fresh scrapes, some shallow, some deeper.

She frowned, took a tissue from her bag, and gently wiped the dust from around the wounds.

Her voice held a helpless, accusatory tone. "Why did you scare me like that?"

"I’ve been here the whole time. You were just too engrossed in watching him. What’s so attractive about him? Is it his ugliness? His short stature? Or that bellyful of rather inept schemes?"

Pei Zhen shifted the umbrella over her head and looked down at her, his eyes lowered. The colors of the autumn leaves—reds and yellows—reflected in his smoke-gray pupils. In this setting, such a gaze was enough to intoxicate anyone.

Xu Si was silent for a moment.

She suddenly recalled the persistent gaze that had been following her. It was very likely Pei Zhen’s.

If she wasn’t mistaken... he might be jealous...

She explained softly, "I wasn’t really watching him. I was just thinking, and my gaze landed on something."

"Something?" Pei Zhen’s voice, like the mist in the Underground City, was devoid of much emotion but still pleasant to the ear. "So, you enjoy looking at ugly things?"

"My aesthetic sense is quite normal. For instance, I think you’re very good-looking."

"Good-looking?" Pei Zhen suddenly covered her eyes with his hand, his ethereal voice resonating by her ear. "If I’m so good-looking, why weren’t you looking at me? Are your eyes broken?"

"There’s plenty of time ahead," Xu Si said. "I can look at you slowly. I’ll never get tired of looking."

"You..." His lips curved into a smile; he seemed genuinely pleased. "...Fine."