Reborn to Redeem: Their Abusive Love-Chapter 111: Write down your name.

There was no sheltered corridor at the main gate to take refuge from the rain.

As Xu Si parked, she intended to grab the umbrella and get out to shield Pei Zhen from the wind and rain. However, just as she reached for it, she found the spot where the umbrella was usually kept was empty.

CLICK.

Pei Zhen had already opened his car door and the umbrella. He walked around the car to her side and tapped on her window.

Their gazes met through the drizzling veil of rain, the blurred car window, and the thin air.

Xu Si stared at him, momentarily stunned. She even forgot to open her car door and step out.

This scene felt familiar, especially with the well-known setting. The air seemed coated with an old-era filter, irresistibly pulling one into memories.

Xu Si remembered those countless rainy days in the past. When she returned from outside, Pei Zhen, always in his private school uniform, would be waiting with an umbrella to walk her home.

Now he was taller, his shoulders broader. He stood there silently, the corners of his lips gently upturned. He had changed so much, yet it also felt as if nothing had changed at all.

The rain fell in torrents. The hem of Pei Zhen’s coat was quickly getting soaked.

Xu Si snapped back to reality and slowly opened the car door. The sound of the downpour instantly overwhelmed her.

Pei Zhen held the umbrella. Seeing that the tips of her hair were about to get wet, he reached out, pulled her into his embrace to shield her, and walked with her into Xu Mansion.

It seemed the past had been sealed away. No one brought up bygone times.

Xu Si had sent all the staff of Xu Mansion away, so the entire estate felt empty. Without sunlight during the rainy season, it seemed particularly devoid of life.

Xu Si, knowing her way around, went back to her room and handed Pei Zhen a towel so he could wipe the rain off himself. Because she had dawdled in the car, the edges of Pei Zhen’s coat had been soaked through.

Xu Si frowned slightly, unable to hide her concern for him, just like in the past. "Wearing wet clothes is uncomfortable; you’ll catch a cold. You should take them off. It’s a bit cold today. Go check the room and see if there’s anything you can wear. I’ll go see if Butler Ge has picked the peach blossoms already. I’m really craving peach blossom pastries."

She then departed quickly.

Pei Zhen, however, did not head to that bedroom. Instead, he took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves, exposing his well-defined, muscular arms. He then tied back half of his silver hair, fully revealing his angular and strikingly handsome face.

He went into the kitchen. His ash-gray eyes scanned the flour, eggs, and other ingredients nearby. There was no confusion in his gaze. Instead, he extended his slender fingers, tore open the flour bag, poured a suitable amount into a bowl, and then mixed in peach blossom powder and eggs.

Xu Si happened to return from the courtyard, peach blossom petals in hand. She searched the guest hall for a while but found no one, so she made her way to the kitchen.

The moment she looked up, she saw a beautiful sight.

The Dictator of the Underground City, usually so aloof, was wearing a white shirt. He was humbly bent over, kneading a lump of dough. With his silver hair tied up, the smooth, refined lines of his profile were fully exposed. His features were exceedingly handsome. Light catching his silver hair created a soft glow, lending him an unexpected air of calm and tranquility. He was engaged in such a down-to-earth task, yet he hadn’t acquired even a trace of the mundane. Instead, it seemed to dilute his inherent coldness and unapproachable aura.

His pressure was just right. The dough didn’t stick to his long, fair fingers, behaving as if it weren’t an inanimate object.

Xu Si watched for a very long time. She hadn’t seen this side of Pei Zhen, this particular aura, in ages. It felt as though lifetimes had passed, and she felt she could never see enough of him like this.

Pei Zhen acted as if he hadn’t noticed her arrival, his gray eyes lowered, diligently focused on making the pastries. Only when the dough was formed did he speak, as if he had eyes in the back of his head. His voice was bewitching as his thin lips parted slightly, "Stare as long as you like. Bring the peach blossoms here; they need to be macerated in sugar, or they’ll be bitter."

Xu Si couldn’t resist stepping closer. She placed the basket, filled with crimson peach blossom petals, on the island counter and leaned in to watch his hands, asking in a daze, "You know how to make peach blossom pastries?"

He paused, then looked up at Xu Si. "Hmm, it’s not difficult."

Not difficult... really?

She had spent the entire previous night on a call with the head chef, learning how. She knew the steps now, but the sequence was still a bit muddled in her mind. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Xu Si’s lips twitched as she suddenly realized something. "You... no, Azhen, you shouldn’t know what peach blossom pastries are. The kitchen never made them before."

Pei Zhen didn’t speak.

Xu Si couldn’t help but laugh. "Did you learn how last night? Me too! If I’d known, I would have hired a chef to teach us both."

He looked as if he wanted to say something, but after a moment, he merely curved his lips.

He hadn’t learned it last night. He had learned it a long time ago. It was just that their separation had been too abrupt. After he regained his freedom, the Triad Society didn’t have such fine peach blossoms. All they had were the Blue Eucalyptus trees he had painstakingly selected, which were poisonous and couldn’t be used for fillings.

Xu Si wasn’t particularly interested in cooking. Nevertheless, she washed her hands and, with intense focus, proceeded to mangle the exquisite dough Pei Zhen had kneaded, turning it into a shabby mess. She watched Pei Zhen use a scraper to stuff the sugar-macerated peach blossoms and crushed peanuts into the dough, then use a steel knife to carve petal designs onto the pink dough.

Xu Si subconsciously walked to the table, propped her chin on her hands, and watched him.

Pei Zhen suddenly looked up. She met a pair of ash-gray eyes. Those eyes seemed to gaze at her fleetingly, then shifted to the misshapen peach blossom pastry beside her, its filling peeking out. A hint of amusement touched his eyes as he continued to help her properly seal the dough where it was leaking.

"Are you here to sabotage?"

Xu Si was stunned by this for two or three seconds. Her sparkling peach-blossom eyes lowered. She suddenly wanted this scene to continue.

Or rather, she was trapped by this illusion. She imagined that if Pei Zhen had never been involved with the Underground City, perhaps their life would be like this now—maybe even gentler—and it could continue this way indefinitely.

Noble, clean, pure, gentle.

But as he leaned down to wash his hands, a large, faintly visible tattoo behind his collarbone came into view. It was as if Xu Si had been doused from head to toe with cold water.

The urge to hack Gu Jing to pieces surged, becoming overwhelming at that moment.

To avoid ruining the pleasant atmosphere they had managed to create, Xu Si took a deep breath and smoothed her frowning brow. She then noticed he hadn’t changed into warmer clothes. On impulse, she asked, "Did you not find any clothes?"

Pei Zhen raised his eyes, his voice lazy. "Ah, those clothes... I probably can’t fit into them anymore."

Xu Si’s gaze measured his physique, and the longer she looked, the hotter her ears became. She quickly retracted her gaze and coughed. "There should be larger ones. I’ll go find some for you."

Pei Zhen asked, "Do you know what size I wear?"

"I do."

As for how she knew... Xu Si’s ears burned even hotter. She didn’t dare dwell on it. Turning, she quickly walked out of the kitchen, but not before hearing a soft, indistinct chuckle from behind her.

"Sister, why are you blushing?"

Xu Si paused, her expression unchanging, quickening her steps even more.

She had never touched the clothes she once bought for Pei Zhen; they were still sealed up in the room, just as she had left them. When she opened the door, she saw that the dust inside had accumulated over four years. Everything was exactly as it had been four years ago.

She walked to the wardrobe, took out a few overcoats preserved in garment bags, and held them up. They were indeed a bit small now.

Xu Si didn’t try to make them work. She put the clothes back, and as she turned to leave, she noticed a black, leather-bound book in the corner of a bookshelf. It was somewhat yellowed with age, and several pages had been blown open by a draft. The subject seemed to be Western mysticism.

Looking closely, a phrase was faintly visible, written in English on one of the pages:

*Law of Attraction: Write down the name of the person you like, and they will stay by your side for a lifetime.*