Shen Qingqing turned to look at Pei Xi, her eyes sharp, "Go quickly!"
Pei Xi took a step back, compromising, "Fine, I'll go."
He turned to leave. Shen Qingqing looked at Pei Ji, who gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, "Even if he buys it back, I won't eat it."
"You're making things difficult for yourself."
Shen Qingqing wiped his sweat with a clean gauze. "I know you have principles, but at this moment, principles are useless. What we need is to survive."
Pei Ji gritted his teeth, silent, his face stubborn.
Shen Qingqing said softly, "Do you know what your mother told me the most before I came?"
The word "mother" finally softened Pei Ji's expression slightly.
"She repeatedly told me to make sure to bring you back safely." Shen Qingqing knew she had found Pei Ji's soft spot and said softly, "She said her greatest worry was your safety. Even if you were crippled or useless, she still wanted to see you alive."
For a mother, what she wanted was that simple.
As long as her child was safe, everything was fine.
Pei Ji's face showed pain, "It's not that I don't want to live, it's just..."
Shen Qingqing patted his shoulder, "I understand, I understand your pain. But Pei Ji, in the face of life, all this impetuousness is nothing."
Pei Ji gritted his teeth fiercely, tasting blood in his mouth, before finally nodding slightly, "I understand, I won't do this anymore."
Shen Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief.
Pei Ji's temperament was too strong. Although he usually seemed quiet, even a little nonchalant, such people often hid the deepest.
She was genuinely worried that Pei Ji might do something impulsive.
Soon, Pei Xi returned.
He threw the painkillers he bought in front of them, looking down with a blank expression, "The medicine is here. You obediently copy the books. If you ask for anything else, we'll die together!"
He hated this feeling of being manipulated.
Clearly, he was the captor, yet Shen Qingqing always got what she wanted.
Shen Qingqing ignored him, gave Pei Ji the medicine, and after about twenty minutes, the effects kicked in. Pei Ji's pale face gradually eased.
He seemed to be in less pain.
Pei Xi looked at Shen Qingqing, "Come out with me."
She didn't move, "What is it?"
"There's something to discuss."
Shen Qingqing glanced at Pei Ji. He shook his head and forced a smile. She got up and followed Pei Ji out the door. This was the first time she had seen sunlight in the two days she had been confined.
She squinted slightly, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin.
Pei Xi stood beside her, watching her, "Come with me."
Shen Qingqing froze, "What?"
"Come with me," Pei Xi repeated, but the seriousness on his face told others he was not joking.
"I can give you what you want."
Shen Qingqing found it both amusing and exasperating, feeling like she had heard a joke. "Are you still playing with me?"
"No."
"Why should I go with you?" Shen Qingqing took a step back, "I have a husband, children, and family. Why should I go with you?"
She asked twice.
Each time, she reminded Pei Xi that he was alone, and Shen Qingqing had a happy family, making it impossible for her to leave with him.
Pei Xi said expressionlessly, "But if you don't want to leave, you have no choice."
Shen Qingqing was noncommittal, "That's my business."
"I'll let Pei Ji go," he suddenly said.
Shen Qingqing remained unfazed.
"But you have to stay." Pei Xi thought of her caring for Pei Ji, and malice filled his expression. "I'd like to see how you'll choose when only one of you can leave."
"You won't see what you want to see."
Pei Xi raised an eyebrow, asking with interest, "Do you know what I want to see?"
Shen Qingqing didn't bother to answer.
It was nothing more than human greed and selfishness, the choices made in the face of death and freedom, often revealing one's true thoughts.
Pei Xi was truly a wicked person.
He wanted to see them turn on each other.
Suddenly, a scream echoed from the warehouse. It was Pei Ji's voice. Shen Qingqing's face changed, and she turned sharply to look at Pei Xi.
"You set me up?"
Pei Xi chuckled, "Just teaching him a lesson. Don't rush."
Shen Qingqing clenched her left fist and punched him in the face. Pei Xi hadn't expected her to attack and was caught off guard.
He stumbled back a step, raised his hand, and wiped his mouth, which was bleeding.
He grinned, but felt a numbness, as if he couldn't feel anything. He sneered, "That punch of yours was really fierce."
He even felt like his teeth were slightly loose.
Shen Qingqing turned and ran into the warehouse without a word. She saw a tall, burly man pinning Pei Ji to the ground and about to strike.
He raised a fist, about to hit Pei Ji's face.
Shen Qingqing rushed over and, with all her might, kicked the man away. The man crashed into an oil drum and then fell to the ground, lying there motionless.
He was knocked unconscious.
Without looking at the man, she bent down to check on Pei Ji. His already broken arm had worsened. Anger surged within her. She turned and saw Pei Xi strolling in leisurely.
He had a relaxed smile on his face and walked at a leisurely pace, as if strolling in a garden.
But Pei Ji lay there, wishing he were dead.
Shen Qingqing's gaze fell on the notebook on the ground, already filled with much copying.
Pei Xi also noticed her gaze. His expression changed, and he said sternly, "You'd better not act rashly. If you anger me, you..."
There would be no good outcome.
He couldn't finish the sentence before the woman decisively picked up the notebook and tore it to shreds!
She then flung the torn pages at him. One fragment hit his face. It was very light and didn't hurt at all, but he felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
It was like a slap across his face.
He gritted his teeth and strode forward, only to see Shen Qingqing glaring at him fearlessly. "Pei Xi, I'm warning you one last time. If you dare to lay a hand on him again, you won't get what you want!"
Pei Xi's lips trembled with anger. He wanted to speak but couldn't, desperately suppressing his rage.
Shen Qingqing's gaze was as cold as the frost of a winter day. "I don't want to waste words with you. I'll only say this once. If you don't believe me, you can try me. I'm not afraid of anything."
Pei Xi gritted his teeth, the taste of blood growing stronger in his mouth.
He didn't know if he had bitten his own lip or if the spot she hit was bleeding.
Neither was willing to back down, and the atmosphere became tense. Finally, Pei Xi took a step back. "I won't touch Pei Ji, but from now on, you must copy with all your might."
Shen Qingqing said coldly, "Understood."
She truly detested this man, not even wanting to look at him anymore.
Pei Xi glanced at Pei Ji, a murderous glint in his eyes, but ultimately said nothing and left for the bank.