"Of course not, Chun Chun, that's not what I meant!"
"Whatever you mean, stop wasting my time with your nonsense! Don't say I, Zhan Jing Chun, don't pick up trash. Even if you stay in the entertainment industry for another 100 years, I still won't look at you! Talking to you only dirties my mouth and ears."
"This is your last warning, get lost, or I'll make sure you don't know how you died."
With that, she glared at him with a fierce, unfamiliar look, and turned to walk back.
Peng Fei thought about it carefully.
They hadn't been in contact for a year. He hadn't visited her when he was at his peak in the entertainment industry, nor had he given her a single cent when he earned money. Now that he was in trouble, he came looking for her. It was natural for her to be suspicious.
Regardless, seeing her today and being able to speak to her was already a great gain.
Her slender figure weaved through the pedestrians, walking alone, appearing both lonely and vulnerable.
Peng Fei followed her at a distance, all the way back to the villa entrance.
Zhan Jing Chun turned back and glared at him fiercely again.
"Are you still following me? Do you think I really wouldn't dare to kill you?"
Peng Fei, pale and weak, tried to explain to her again.
"I truly have no ill intentions, Chun Chun. It's been a long time, I just wanted to see you."
"I won't get close to you, won't hurt you, and certainly won't follow you home. You can rest assured. As long as I see you are safe and doing well, I'll leave."
Late-blooming affection is cheaper than grass.
Let alone making such insincere empty promises.
Zhan Jing Chun found it disgusting.
Bad luck.
If she had known she would run into him, she wouldn't have come out to buy cigarettes!
To prevent him from shamelessly lingering, Zhan Jing Chun went to the security room and instructed the guards.
Soon, she left, and two tall, burly security guards came out and pushed Peng Fei's shoulders.
"What are you doing here? Non-residents are not allowed. Move along, get out. Keep lurking around and we'll call the police!"
Peng Fei could only go to the other side of the road.
But he was still reluctant to leave, wanting to watch her a little longer, even if it was just her back. Every extra second was a gain.
As she walked, Zhan Jing Chun's figure stopped again behind a green tree at the corner.
Immediately after, wisps of white smoke rose from behind the tree.
Perhaps she didn't want her family to know, and she had lit another cigarette outside...
In just over ten minutes, it was her third cigarette.
How could Peng Fei dare to leave?
She hated him so much, and she was treating her body so poorly. If he didn't clarify things with her, if he didn't let her vent her resentment, Peng Fei would never find peace.
He had just said he wouldn't bother her, but now he was going back on his word.
He decided to wait and find an opportunity to speak to her again, determined to make things clear.
Whether it was intentional avoidance or a return to her reclusive nature, Zhan Jing Chun didn't go out for the next two days.
As the New Year approached, the weather turned extremely cold.
Although Nancheng didn't have snow, the knife-like wind that whipped past felt unbearable.
Peng Fei had no clean clothes and nowhere to stay. When he was tired, he would curl up and lean against a tree to sleep. When he wasn't sleepy, he would get up and move around.
He stayed by that tree for a full two and a half days without eating or drinking, and it was only at noon on the third day that he saw her again.
She came out alone, but this time she was wearing casual clothes.
Peng Fei didn't dare to follow her from behind; he kept his distance across the road.
As expected, she went to the same shop again and bought another pack of cigarettes.
In just two and a half days, she had finished a whole pack?
Just like last time, as soon as Zhan Jing Chun put the cigarette in her mouth, before she could light it, Peng Fei rushed over again.
Seeing that he still hadn't left, Zhan Jing Chun was even angrier than last time.
"Are you sick? Is this ever going to end? What are you still doing here? Don't you feel satisfied unless I kill you?"
Peng Fei had waited for her for two or three days, and his mouth was full of sores from anxiety.
Knowing that Zhan Jing Chun wouldn't speak to him nicely, he hardened his heart, grabbed her arm, and snatched the cigarette away.
"When did you start smoking? You just bought one two days ago, and now you're buying another, and you've already finished that pack? That's too fast!"
"Your family doesn't know, do they? How can you treat your body like this? You're not allowed to smoke anymore!"
With that, he forcefully crushed the cigarette pack and threw it into a nearby trash can.
Zhan Jing Chun stared at his hand, and after two seconds, she reacted and slapped him across the face.
"Who do you think you are? What right do you have to control me? And you threw my things away? You're dead, Peng Fei, just wait. I'm calling someone to deal with you right now, you're going to die!"
As she spoke, she pulled out her phone to find a number.
Having reached this point, for the sake of her health, Peng Fei feared nothing.
"Fine, you call. Whether you call your brother, your sister, or your parents, I don't care. As long as it helps you quit smoking, I'm willing to be beaten to death. Go ahead and call."
His words startled Zhan Jing Chun.
"What do you mean? Are you planning to tell my family about this?"
Peng Fei said with utmost determination, "That's right. Smoking is harmful to health, and I can't just watch you continue like this!"
Staring at his "righteous" face for a few seconds, Zhan Jing Chun felt both annoyed and amused, and put her phone back.
"Are you threatening me? So you didn't leave earlier because you were waiting to catch me in the act? Are you short of money and want to extort money from me? How much do you want?"
Peng Fei could see her annoyance and bad mood. She wasn't unwilling to talk nicely; she was pushed to this point by him.
He felt truly terrible seeing a pampered young lady like her reduced to this state because of him.
"Chun Chun, I know you're doing this all because of me. I hurt you, made you upset, and you're acting out to vent. I'm sorry."
"I'm not extorting anything, I just want to "extort" a few minutes of your time. Please listen to my explanation, please don't be angry anymore."
"If you're really angry, you can hit me, scold me, or even stab me a few times. But please, don't treat yourself like this."
"Really, seeing you like this is worse than killing me."
Looking at his "pained" expression, Zhan Jing Chun couldn't help but recall that video and what he had said in it.
She was truly confused.
He was sometimes incredibly good to her, and other times he deliberately provoked her.
She didn't know what to think or what to do with him anymore.
"Are you done?"
Seeing that her tone had softened slightly, Peng Fei quickly said.
"Can we talk somewhere else? It's too conspicuous here. I'm just a nobody, I don't have anything to fear, but you're different. I don't want others to look at you with strange eyes."
For some reason, Zhan Jing Chun followed him a few steps towards the corner.
They stood under a secluded large tree, and she looked at his haggard face with cold eyes.
"After you apologize, you'll leave, right? Fine, speak, and then get lost."
Peng Fei thought about it again. His vocabulary was limited, and he didn't know what else to say.
"There's nothing between me and Wang Li. The reason I did that that day... In short, saying more is useless. It's all my fault. Hit me, hit me hard, wherever you want, as long as it makes you feel better."
"If that doesn't work, and you think your hands will get dirty, I can hit myself for you."