"Mr. Bai, please wait," Pei Qinghan nodded indifferently, no emotion decipherable from his face. Bai Lun felt somewhat apprehensive. Could his naive daughter really hold on to such an enigmatic man? "Mr. Pei, please make sure to visit our home when you have the time. Our Xiangxiang is just a straightforward girl; we’ll have to rely on you to look after her from now on," Gu Chunrong said with a beaming smile that reached her eyes, looking at Pei Qinghan as if he were a son-in-law, growing more and more pleased as she watched. Bai Xiangxiang’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "Mom...." "Let me see him out," she said and, taking Pei Qinghan by the arm, turned to leave. At the doorstep of the Bai Family, Bai Xiangxiang reluctantly clutched at Pei Qinghan’s sleeve, her little face full of reluctance, "Qinghan, I really don’t want to be apart from you. When can I see you again?" Her girlish demeanor was so tender it melted the heart. Pei Qinghan frowned subconsciously and withdrew his sleeve, disliking physical contact with others, even if this woman meant something special to him; he still wasn’t fond of the sensation. "We’ll talk about it later." Bai Xiangxiang’s face stiffened for a moment before quickly regaining her smile. "Okay then, remember to call me once you get back. Don’t work too hard, and I’ll come visit you when I have the time," she said with the consciousness of a girlfriend. Pei Qinghan glanced at her, his gaze landing on the butterfly hair clip she wore by her ear, momentarily lost in a daze. In that moment, Bai Xiangxiang’s cheeks were cloaked in a misty enchantment as she looked at him, as if harboring a myriad of sorrowful sentiments and emotions. Sighing, she threw herself into Pei Qinghan’s arms: "Your embrace always makes me feel so secure...." Pei Qinghan gently pushed her hands away, pausing before asking, "Have I ever held you before?" Bai Xiangxiang playfully punched his chest, "Now you mention it, we were so young back then, utterly shameless." A casual glance to the side and he spotted a tall figure standing not far away, appearing to be bending over to speak to a girl. The person was quite tall, completely obscuring the girl’s figure. From his angle, all he could see was the girl’s hair tips dancing in the night wind and a glimpse of her earlobe, luminous as jade, carrying a kind of hazy beauty that gently stirred his heart. He tilted his head, trying to see the person’s face, a strange sensation pulling him, an urgent desire to behold her full appearance... Just then, the young man opened the car door, and the girl ducked inside. Suddenly, a headlight from behind illuminated the scene, blinding him and causing him to squint. When he looked again, all he saw was a fluttering hem of a skirt as the car door shut. A tinge of loss involuntarily colored the depths of his heart. Bai Xiangxiang looked up from his embrace, "Qinghan, what’s wrong?" Following his gaze, she could only see a car slowly driving away and the figure of a young man watching it leave from the roadside. "It’s nothing," Pei Qinghan pushed her away. At that moment, a black sedan pulled up beside him and Fu Bai stepped out from the passenger side, opened the back door with a slight arch of his brows. Without a word, Pei Qinghan bent down and got into the car. "Goodbye, Qinghan," Bai Xiangxiang waved. Pei Qinghan nodded slightly, "It’s late, go back and rest." Despite the simplicity of his words, Bai Xiangxiang’s smile instantly brightened up, shining effervescently in the night. Pei Qinghan quietly withdrew his gaze and rested his hands on his knees. Fu Bai smiled at Bai Xiangxiang, "Congratulations, Miss Bai." The remark made Bai Xiangxiang laugh shyly, Fu Bai raised his eyebrows, turned, and seated himself in the passenger side. The car slowly disappeared into the night. Bai Xiangxiang clenched her fists secretly, her heart racing with excitement. Although Pei Qinghan was still impassive, it was progress compared to before; at least he wasn’t resisting her closeness. Given time, she would step by step capture his heart, and then he would never be able to leave her. Thinking of something, she turned quickly and walked back into the villa. Her eyes shifting, she looked towards the young man walking at a diagonal behind her. The young man was holding a sleeping child—it was her aunt’s son Bai Xi. Feeling her gaze, the young man looked up, raising his eyebrows and smiling gently at her. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel⁂fire.net Even though the smile seemed harmless, Bai Xiangxiang couldn’t help feeling a little shiver of fear. She knew this young man; he was the Third Young Master of the Ning Family, and also the current head of the Ning Family, her aunt’s lover’s nephew, and most importantly, the man who had tried to kill Pei Qinghan in the bar that night. The enemy of Pei Qinghan was her enemy too.
