The white wall was instantly stained with blood. Peng Fei's first reaction wasn't to look at his hand, but to clean the wall.
"I'm sorry, I made your wall dirty."
Fortunately, the Zhan family was wealthy, and the paint used was high-end, feeling smooth and glossy to the touch. It turned out to be scratch-resistant.
The dirt stuck to it, and it came off with a light wipe of the hand.
Zhan Jingchun then noticed his hand was bleeding.
Strange, she hadn't used much force, just a touch. How did his hand start bleeding?
Could it be that he was injured while saving the fire?
She didn't care about him, but as a normal person, she instinctively asked.
"What happened to your hand?"
Peng Fei didn't want her to see the wound and hid his hand behind his back. But the blood was flowing too much, and his sweater wasn't stain-resistant. Blood accidentally smudged onto the sweater, looking glaringly obvious.
Zhan Jingchun hated him for acting like this.
When he should speak properly, he wouldn't, and when he shouldn't, his words were more piercing than the last.
"I only pushed you gently. It shouldn't have injured your hand, right? Don't think about extorting me."
Peng Fei: "...No, how could it? It has nothing to do with you."
Zhan Jingchun snorted and glanced at his sweater again, her thoughts involuntarily drifting elsewhere.
"Did your girlfriend buy you that sweater?"
Given Peng Fei's taste and his income, he couldn't afford such good quality clothes.
She had noticed it as soon as he entered the house. All the clothes he wore were of very good quality, not at all like something he would spend money on.
Before, Zhan Jingchun had naively thought that he had earned money and perhaps, with great effort, bought it for himself.
Now it seemed, it was from another woman!
Truly charming.
Peng Fei was bewildered by her question.
"Girlfriend? I don't have a girlfriend."
Zhan Jingchun sneered, "You've learned to do things without admitting them? You think by denying her existence, you can have something happen between us again? How ridiculous."
"Don't say I'm not interested in you. Even if I were, I despise Chen Shimei the most. Stop disgusting me here."
The hand injury didn't make Peng Fei feel uncomfortable, nor did Zhan Jingchun's disdain for his spitting near the food.
But when she called him Chen Shimei and accused him of having another girlfriend, Peng Fei couldn't stand it.
"Why would you think that? I already said I don't have a girlfriend. My mind is only filled with you. Don't you believe me?"
Seeing him still quibbling, Zhan Jingchun exposed him.
"Don't think I didn't hear what you said to Auntie. You were just describing your girlfriend vividly, and now you deny it, saying your mind is full of me? Peng Fei, do you take me for an idiot?"
Peng Fei recalled what he had said by the kitchen and finally understood what Zhan Jingchun was referring to.
Coupled with her series of reactions, he suddenly felt relieved.
He even began to happily fantasize, wondering if she was jealous.
"Chun Chun..."
"Chun your head! I told you you're not worthy of calling my name. Get out!"
"Don't forget what you did to me before. I'm magnanimous and won't hold it against you, yet you're showing your lowest self in front of me? Be careful, if you anger me, I can easily frame you with a charge that will keep you locked up for life!"
Peng Fei knew she had the ability, but even if she sent him away, he needed to explain.
"I don't have a girlfriend, really. Auntie just said she wanted to introduce me to one, so I had no choice but to make something up. Don't believe me? Go and check! Go to the factory where I used to work and ask!"
Zhan Jingchun's hair bristled, and she went silent for a few seconds.
"What factory? Working in a factory? You went to work in a factory?"
Peng Fei seized the opportunity and quickly recounted some of the events that had happened since she left.
Zhan Jingchun sized him up from head to toe, disdainfully.
"You even participated in a model competition? A few compliments on your physique, and you actually think you're a model? Look at your own level. Are you planning to stay in Nan City?"
Peng Fei could never feel confident in front of her and blushed at her insults.
"They didn't say my physique was good. I was just trying to earn more money. I know you're not short of money, but I couldn't think of a better way to compensate you. When I earn money, I'll give it all to you."
Knowing she wasn't short of money, yet wanting to give her money?
Zhan Jingchun couldn't be bothered with him. "If you really have that intention, take it back to develop your hometown. Let more children go to school, provide more job opportunities for the villagers, let them experience the vast world outside, and abandon all those ugly customs. That would be your atonement for your past actions. Don't mention these things in front of me again. I will never forgive you anyway."
Peng Fei listened guiltily, "I know. No matter what I do or say, you won't forgive me. I don't deserve your forgiveness, and I deserve this. But if you're not short of money, can you tell me what you lack, so I can at least do something for you? Otherwise, my conscience won't be at ease."
Zhan Jingchun said, "If you do all those things I just mentioned, then I'll consider you a human being."
Peng Fei quickly pledged, "I will definitely do it! I'll risk my life to earn money and do as you say!"
Zhan Jingchun disliked seeing him like this. "Alright, alright. You act so imposing and dignified in front of others, why do you act so submissive in front of me? Don't think this will make me pity you. Let me tell you, no woman likes a weakling. Human nature is to admire strength, especially women. The more you act like this, the more I'll dislike you."
Peng Fei felt so manipulated by her that he almost wanted to crawl into the ground. He bit his lip and stopped speaking.
His hands were clenched into fists, and the wounds split wider, dripping red onto the floor.
At least she knew he didn't have a girlfriend, and after scolding him, the atmosphere in her heart felt much better. Just as she was about to return to her room, she saw the red on the floor behind him.
"What happened to your hand? Why is it bleeding so much? Look at my floor."
Peng Fei looked down and showed an embarrassed expression again.
"Sorry, I'll wipe it for you."
He was actually going to wipe it with his bare hands.
Zhan Jingchun was truly exasperated. "Stop, stop, stop! Aren't you afraid of getting dirty? Don't move, I'll get some paper!"
She quickly ran into the room, grabbed a box of tissues, and pulled out a stack of paper.
Peng Fei couldn't bear to let her dirty her hands, so he took it to wipe. Zhan Jingchun then saw that three of his fingers had very deep wounds.
"It doesn't look like a burn. What exactly happened? How did you get like this? It's so uniform. Did a knife cut you? Did Xiang Siyuan do it?"
Peng Fei didn't explain. His ears were red from her scolding.
Seeing him squatting there diligently wiping the floor and remaining silent, Zhan Jingchun was so angry she wanted to hit him again.
"I'm asking you, are you mute? How did you injure your hand?"
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered the kick she gave him at the kitchen door.
Peng Fei was chopping vegetables at the time. Could it be...
Zhan Jingchun's ears also turned red.
"You pig! You injured your hand and didn't say anything, yet you still cooked for them? Aren't you afraid of getting it into the food and disgusting people?"
"Get up, stop wiping! Auntie will clean it later. Hurry and bandage your hand!"