When Will My Childhood Sweetheart Marry Me?-Chapter 19 - 0: Over a Decade of Affection Gone in an Instant
It was eleven at night at the Pei’s Villa.
Pei Yan had just finished his shower, his hair still dripping wet, as he donned a black bathrobe. He dried his hair while walking out to sit on the patio.
Under the faint moonlight, he picked up his cellphone from the glass table and glanced at it.
Just as expected, no response.
A sense of defeat surged in his heart. Just because of a school transfer and a few random comments from others, that little girl actually planned to distance herself from him.
Did more than a decade of affection mean nothing at all?
Pei Yan scoffed, carelessly dried his hair a few more times, and then tossed the towel aside.
Irritated, he pulled a cigarette out of the pack, reached for his lighter out of habit, but found nothing.
Only then did he remember he had been trying to quit smoking lately.
The craving hit him like a cat scratching at his chest. Pei Yan leaned back in the lounge chair, closed his eyes to think for a moment, and, unable to bear it, got up and went back to the bedroom to light the incense.
In just a moment, the room filled with the light scent of cypress wood.
The aromatherapy was suggested by the psychologist, as cypress wood has calming and sedative properties that can relieve nicotine cravings temporarily.
The year Lin Zhen left for abroad, his temper worsened by the day; he would lose control and hurt people when provoked. Later, his father sent him to see a psychologist, who diagnosed him with severe aggression.
In order to control his own hands, he began to smoke, using cigarettes to numb his emotions, which proved to be even more effective than medication.
It must be said, the influence that woman had on him exceeded everyone’s expectations, after all, because of her resolute and heartless decision, she so easily drove her own son mad.
It was laughable—he hated her to his core, yet when he heard she would be returning to the country next month to tend to her grandmother’s grave, a tiny bit of delight somehow stirred in his heart.
Before the divorce, what Lin Zhen hated most was the smell of smoke on her father’s body.
In order to meet her clean and fresh on the day of tomb-sweeping, Pei Yan, who had never been separate from cigarettes, for the first time determinedly decided to quit.
Deep into the night, the cool breeze blew through, gently lifting the sheer curtains of the bedroom.
Moonlight spilled onto the patio, casting upon the young man’s distinct facial features, giving them a cold, pale, and profound appearance.
His narrow eyes were slightly closed, hiding all emotions. Between sleep and wakefulness, he returned to his daytime languor and unruliness.
...
The next morning, Pei Donghan purposely delayed his meeting to have breakfast with his son.
Yet after waiting at the dining table for half an hour, the boy finally sauntered downstairs with his school bag slung carelessly over his shoulder.
Two weeks had passed since the father and son’s silent battle. Pei Donghan had initially intended to cut off Pei Yan’s allowance to grind down his temper.
But after Uncle Li persuaded him, thinking of the boy’s illness, the father’s heart softened again.
Never mind. No matter how hopeless, he was still his own flesh and blood. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
He could consider him as an heir to Zhizhen, his decades of hard work.
Pei Donghan had just rationalized his feelings when he lifted his eyes towards the staircase, only to find it already empty.
That aloof figure did not pause even for a moment, but walked straight through the living room to the foyer to change shoes, completely ignoring everything around, including the father who had waited at the dining table for a long time.
At this time, the servants were not present, and the vast villa was left with just the two of them engaged in a silent battle.
Seeing his son about to leave after changing shoes, Pei Donghan’s face, which he had struggled to keep composed, finally showed strain.
"Come and eat first; you’re already late, a little longer won’t make a difference."
The driver, who had been waiting at the door for a while, tugged at the corner of his mouth, wanting to laugh but not daring to.
It was always Chairman Pei who yielded first in these father-son cold wars.
The formidable Chairman Pei that everyone at the company feared was, in fact, an unyielding loving father in his private life.
The son skips classes, no problem, studying requires a balance between work and rest.
The son races cars, no problem, someone’s always watching behind him to prevent accidents.
The son consistently scores low on tests, no problem, he’ll work harder next time.
The son sends his teacher to the hospital, even less of an issue, a building donation can solve it, or two if one isn’t enough.
Thus, Pei Yan became what he is today.
And all of it, just because three years ago this villa lost its mistress.
After his wife left him, the Chairman put all his longing into this one and only offspring.
Spoiling his son rotten, perhaps, was also a way to numb himself from the failure of his marriage.
Among the sighs of onlookers, there seemed to be a sense of relief.
Fortunately, despite the young master misbehaving for so many years, he had at least been polite to the servants, never sending them to the hospital.
In the end, Pei Yan still did not stay to have breakfast with his father, saying before leaving, "Starting next week, I’m moving out to live on my own; I’ve already found a place, I’ll send the address to your phone in a bit."
Upon hearing this, Pei Donghan’s face darkened immediately, ready to oppose, when a string of addresses popped up in his WeChat.
He picked up his cellphone and saw them, and after a short moment of surprise, he fell silent.
