Extreme Pampering
Chapter 171: You Are My First Love.

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: You Are My First Love.

Pei Yu’s pajamas were useless, for Shen Zhiyi had spilled hot cocoa all over her hands, sticky and messy, so she had to go to the bathroom to wash them.

The light here was bright, casting her brows and eyes in sharp relief. She had taken off her coat upon entering, and now she was wearing a long knitted dress, making her appear altogether soft.

Pei Yu leaned against the doorframe watching her, still feeling it was unreal. He hadn’t expected Shen Zhiyi would come. He had been thinking about how to wrap things up here quickly so he could rush back to see her.

"Why are you always looking at me?" Shen Zhiyi wiped her hands dry, and seeing that he had taken off the stained pajama top, exposing his bare upper body, she joked on purpose, "Are you trying to seduce me?"

Pei Yu had missed her a lot these past few days, and now that she was standing right in front of him, his pent-up longing transformed into tender affection, softening the normally cool features of his face with an imperceptible warmth.

He opened his arms and embraced Shen Zhiyi, "Did you come looking for me because you missed me?"

This was something he hadn’t dared to imagine.

The two of them were actually very busy. He was often running around out of province or country, and Shen Zhiyi, while filming movies and recording shows, was also traveling all over the place, and once she left, it was often for many days. Pei Yu often told her he missed her, but she rarely said similar things. Even if she did, it was probably just to appease him.

"Yes," Shen Zhiyi was held tightly by him, her cheek against his warm chest, able to hear his steady and strong heartbeat, making her fluttering heart settle down as well, "I missed you a lot."

Pei Yu kissed the top of her head, his eyes clearly filled with a smile, as if he were very delighted, "It’s so rare that Miss Shen isn’t busy with work but came to see me. Aren’t you afraid of neglecting important matters?"

"Who says seeing you isn’t important?" Shen Zhiyi felt the kiss he placed on the top of her head, and as a tit-for-tat response, she gently pressed against his chest, which only made the arms around her waist tighten further.

"It’s a bit abnormal," Pei Yu looked down at her, feeling that Shen Zhiyi tonight was softer than at any other time, and he could feel that this softness was a privilege granted to him. Pei Yu was of course more than willing, he just wasn’t sure if he had done anything to make her happy.

He smiled faintly, his fingertips caressing her cheek, "So nice it feels a bit unreal."

It was a scene that would only appear in his dreams.

His gaze dropped, tender and endearing, filled with many silent emotions. Shen Zhiyi, being so intently watched by him, felt her heart swell and her eyes sour with strain.

She leaned on his shoulder, not letting him see her face, and said with feigned ease, "What’s so unreal about it? Isn’t it only natural that I treat you well?"

Pei Yu, pleased by her sweet talk, curved his lips slightly, "Honeyed words."

He still didn’t give up on inquiring the reason for her unusual behavior, asking leisurely, "Is there something you need my help with?"

Shen Zhiyi rarely asked for his help, and actually, Pei Yu was very willing to be at her beck and call. He wanted to be useful to her, wanted more of her love, more of her care.

"No," Shen Zhiyi rubbed her eyes against his shoulder, complaining dissatisfied, "Do I need a reason to be nice to you?"

Pei Yu, with his upper body bare, easily felt the slight dampness on his shoulder, furrowing his brows and tipping Shen Zhiyi’s chin up to make her look at him, indeed seeing her eyes brimming with tears.

Although she tried hard to hold back the tears, her lashes were still wet.

Pei Yu’s mood for jesting was gone, his brows tightly knitted, wiping away the tear drops on her eyelashes with his fingertips, "Why are you crying?"

He frowned, as if blaming himself, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Shen Zhiyi, who had been holding back, felt overwhelmed by his worried gaze and the warmth of his fingertips. As soon as she spoke out, a teardrop fell, landing on the back of Pei Yu’s hand, scalding the tips of his fingers.

"It’s not because of you," Shen Zhiyi said and then contradicted herself, "No, it is because of you."

Because he said nothing, because he kept such an important thing hidden, because his love for her was far more than she had ever imagined.

"Okay," Pei Yu replied gently, "it’s my fault."

He hated to see her cry, even if it was fake; he would skip any scene where she cried. If he dreamed of her tears, it would haunt him for days.

Now, seeing her tears, he couldn’t find a way to console her and took all the blame upon himself. He kissed her lightly, comforted her, humbled himself, and hoped that Miss Shen would feel sorry for Pei Yu and stop crying.

Shen Zhiyi knew he was afraid of her crying. After shedding a few tears, she tried hard to hold back the rest, her breathing slowly steadied while in his embrace.

"Pei Yu," she wiped away the tear traces on her face herself, using a bit too much force that left a red mark, and said with a crying voice, "I love you."

Her tears pained Pei Yu. It was as if she felt wronged, or as if she thought Pei Yu had treated her badly, yet still, she professed her love for him.

"I know," he said softly, "I love you too."

Shen Zhiyi stared at him, "You don’t know."

"If you knew how much I love you, you wouldn’t lie to me, you wouldn’t hide that we had met before."

Pei Yu visibly stiffened, having never imagined that she would find out about this.

"You..." He wanted to ask how Shen Zhiyi found out, but then felt that the question wasn’t important at the moment. After a brief silence, he still apologized, "I’m sorry."

"I don’t want your apology," Shen Zhiyi hugged his neck, her cheeks burning from crying as she pressed against him, "I’m the one who should be saying sorry."

She blinked, shedding another tear, and said with sadness, "I’m sorry, I forgot about you."

She never knew then that what she thought was a fleeting encounter would become the love of her life.

"It’s okay," Pei Yu soothed her back, as if he didn’t mind at all, "I didn’t even show my face then, nor did I do anything for you. It’s normal you don’t remember."

"But it’s not fair to you," Shen Zhiyi wiped away her tears, "you never forgot me."

"Zhizhi," Pei Yu thought back to long ago, his gaze softening, "you attracted me back then, you were my first love. It would have been strange if I forgot you."

He never sought fairness with Shen Zhiyi, he didn’t even expect her to love him as much as he loved her.

He only wanted to be the only one for her.

"Pei Yu," Shen Zhiyi thought about what she heard from his father, "don’t keep blaming yourself for not taking me away back then. It wasn’t your responsibility, and no one would expect such a sacrifice even for a first love."

Back then, she was genuinely a burden.

Pei Yu didn’t respond for a while; he would never be able to make peace with this because after he left, his Zhizhi truly suffered a lot.

"I love you," Shen Zhiyi repeated continuously when he stayed silent, "I really love you very much."

She loved the him who she reunited with, the Pei Yu who, even if he hadn’t taken her away from the mountain, still found many ways to treat her kindly.

Pei Yu smiled silently, "Okay, I believe you."

Even if he couldn’t come to terms with it, he seldom dwelled on it anymore.

What mattered was the present.