He didn’t ask his grandfather or parents because he knew they wouldn’t want him to be involved with Fu Qing Li. But he felt that, under the current circumstances, this was the right thing to do.
His grandfather had arranged the engagement and had taken her in because of the benefits she might bring, so he should treat her well. Given the current situation, all he could do was try to make amends.
“Ding—” The elevator doors opened.
He had arrived at his floor.
Pei Xiyue stepped out and looked at the tightly closed door. Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and knocked.
After waiting a moment, there was no response.
He glanced at the time; it was nine o’clock. He hadn’t come too early, so she should be up by now, right? He knocked again, this time louder than before.
Still, there was no reply.
Pei Xiyue began to feel something was wrong. The romantic thoughts in his head gradually shifted to disturbing news about single girls being mistreated, making him knock even harder.
The loud banging echoed through the hallway, so loud that the neighbor next door opened the door and said, “Could you please be quieter?”
Pei Xiyue hurriedly said, “Sorry, sorry! Do you know where the person living here has gone?”
The neighbor shook his head. “I don’t know; I’ve never seen her.”
Hope faded from Pei Xiyue’s eyes. He stopped knocking; if she was sleeping like a log, then there was no one in the room. He wanted to call Fu Qing Li, but he had deleted her number a long time ago, so he had no choice but to call Pei Mingjiang.
As soon as the call connected, Pei Xiyue explained the situation.
Pei Mingjiang’s voice changed. “Don’t worry; I’ll call her right now.”
Pei Xiyue nodded and hung up, suddenly realizing when had his grandfather become so concerned about Fu Qing Li?
That kind of concern wasn’t superficial; it came from the heart.
Pei Mingjiang truly was worried. Although he understood that Fu Qing Li might not be friendly toward the Pei family at this time, her previous obedient and humble attitude had left a deep impression on him. He knew that her recent outbursts were likely a way to release years of pent-up frustration. After making enough noise, she might just leave, possibly planning to gradually sever ties with the Pei family.
So, he deliberately sent money her way, called her regularly to check in, and invited her back for meals.
This child, no matter how upset she was, still had a soft heart and could surely rebuild some relationship with the Pei family, especially since Pei Xiyue would eventually take charge of the family.
This was an investment. She had potential, and Lin Hengzhi would pave a good path for her, ensuring high returns. Therefore, he no longer dwelled on the minor grievances from years ago.
But this does not include anything happening to Fu Qingli!
Once she gets into trouble, all the previous investments would be a waste!
Pei Mingjiang quickly dialed Fu Qingli’s homeroom teacher. He needed to know when she disappeared. However, when he heard the reason from the teacher, she said, “Oh? You didn’t know? Fu Qingli signed up for the Olympiad competition. The preliminary round is this Saturday, and she’s gone with the teacher leading the team.”
“The Olympiad competition?!” Pei Mingjiang, though older, was still in touch with current events and immediately understood what it was. He was even more astonished.
While grades can be improved with effort, proficiency in Olympiad mathematics cannot be achieved in a short time; it requires a certain talent for mathematics!
The homeroom teacher smiled and said, “Yes, this child is too reserved; she didn’t even mention it to you. It was Teacher Chen from the Olympiad class who discovered her talent. It’s a pity we didn’t notice it earlier. She’s also quite gifted in physics. If we had discovered it sooner, she might have participated in both competitions.”
Physics!
Pei Mingjiang felt a jolt in his heart. He didn’t know whether to be happy that Fu Qingli was more talented than he had imagined or to be jealous of Lin Hengzhi. Is this inherited talent?
Even after a generation, could she still excel in the same field?
He bit his lip, forcing himself not to say anything inappropriate. After a few seconds, he smiled and said, “Well, this child told me half a month ago that she wanted to focus on her studies. So I rented a place for her in a nearby apartment complex. I only contacted her by phone, and I didn’t expect her to participate in the Olympiad without telling me. She worried me…”
The homeroom teacher said, “She’s just a kid, focusing on her books every day. She must be very disciplined. Likely, she got so absorbed in studying that she forgot to tell you. Right now, she’s taking exams. You can call her in the afternoon and have a good chat. Today’s kids have a strong sense of pride.”
“Yes, yes, I understand.” Pei Mingjiang was particularly agreeable. Since Fu Qingli was fine, he seized the opportunity to ask in detail about her situation at school. After listening, he felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
She possessed excellent talent, was sufficiently self-disciplined, and was willing to work hard—such a child would surely thrive!
After hanging up, Pei Mingjiang called Pei Xiyue back. “No need to worry; Ah Li is participating in the Olympiad competition.”
Pei Xiyue expressed the same surprise. “The Olympiad competition? How is that possible?!”
Pei Mingjiang chuckled lightly. “You underestimated her. With her talent, even Teacher Chen from the Olympiad class praised her, saying she had a chance to win first prize.”
Pei Xiyue’s expression changed; after the shock, he didn’t share Pei Mingjiang’s excitement. Instead, it felt like a bucket of cold water was thrown over him.
Fu Qingli participated in the Olympiad, which meant everything she said before was true—she wasn’t just pretending!
The bet was already over; she had won. The stake was that he would automatically avoid her and not appear in the same place.
If only he could go back to the past, Pei Xiyue wanted to beat up his former self. Now that things had turned out this way, how could he face Qingli again?
Pei Xiyue’s face turned slightly pale, and he didn’t even know how to respond.
But Pei Mingjiang was still happy and didn’t mind. Instead, he teased, “I remember you never liked Ah Li. Why did you run to find her so early this time?”
Pei Xiyue’s pale face turned red again, and he awkwardly replied.
As someone who had been through this, Pei Mingjiang understood perfectly. He smiled satisfactorily and said, “Grandfather supports you a lot. October is Grandfather’s birthday, and it’s also the 20th anniversary of your parents’ wedding. The family is planning a big celebration. Why not combine it with your engagement banquet with Ah Li? That would be three happy events together, right?”
Pei Xiyue’s eyes brightened with a glimmer of hope, and he nodded. “Okay.”
As he got off the school bus, a group of students in uniforms looked exhausted. They were worn out from the exams and just wanted to go home and rest.
Qingli was the same. After getting off the bus and greeting her teacher, she headed straight to her rented place.
Teacher Chen was still yelling instructions. “Don’t study problems for the next few days. Rest well and eat well. You’ll do fine this time. I’ve prepared an upgraded version of the problems for you.”
“Okay,” Qingli obediently nodded and waved her hand.
On the way, she took out her phone and turned it on. There were many missed calls, all from Pei Mingjiang. Qingli casually deleted them and saw unread messages, which were also from him.
“Ah Yue came looking for you at your rented place but didn’t find you. He thought something happened to you and called me, his voice trembling. You didn’t even tell Grandfather you were going to participate in the competition. Thankfully, Grandfather knew to call your teacher. After the exam, remember to call Grandfather back.”
The tone was affectionate and gentle, just like a doting grandfather.
But Qingli wasn’t a dutiful granddaughter; she didn’t feel like returning the call.
Exiting the messages, she opened a food delivery app. After tiring herself out from the exams, she decided to treat herself to a luxurious meal!
By the time she returned to her rented place and took a shower, her food delivery had just arrived. As she was eating, Pei Mingjiang’s phone call came again.
He probably guessed that she had just finished her exam and wasn’t willing to return the call.
Qingli answered and put the phone on speaker while she ate, responding absentmindedly.
At first, Pei Mingjiang made a half-hearted attempt to sound caring, then said, “October is Grandfather’s birthday and also the anniversary of your uncle and aunt’s wedding. Ah Li, come back and join us?”
Qingli slowly replied, “Maybe not. I feel like my Aunt doesn’t like me and wouldn’t want me at her party. It would be such a downer.”
Pei Mingjiang’s smile froze for a moment, but he managed to laugh and said, “How could that be? Your aunt has always been like that; she doesn’t treat Ah Yue that well either.”
Qingli scoffed, “Are you joking? She looks down on me, and you know that. Let’s just skip it. I don’t want to see people I dislike.”
Pei Mingjiang tried every way to persuade her but couldn’t succeed, so he had to reveal his true intention: “Actually, Grandfather wants to give you a surprise. You and Ah Yue have had an engagement for years, and you’re about to turn eighteen. It’s time to formalize the engagement and let everyone know.”
Qingli raised an eyebrow. “Engaged? Pei Grandfather, are you mistaken?”
“How could that be?!” Pei Mingjiang immediately replied. “The engagement was set by me and your grandfather. Ah Yue agreed. That boy is proud and shy; he has liked you for a long time but was too embarrassed to say it. As soon as I mentioned it, he immediately agreed.”
“Really?” Qingli echoed, not revealing much. “But don’t forget I said I wanted to annul the engagement.”
“How can a marriage arranged by the elders be annulled so easily?” Seeing that she didn’t outright refuse, Pei Mingjiang sensed a glimmer of hope. He figured that the girl must have liked his grandson for years; he had seen it himself. Girls tend to be more emotional, and giving up wouldn’t be easy, especially now that his grandson had taken the initiative.
Qingli smiled but remained silent.
Pei Mingjiang listened to the sounds on the other end, guessing she was feeling shy. His grandson used to react the same way, and he felt pleased: “Grandfather will arrange the engagement banquet. I will make sure it’s a grand occasion!”
“Grandfather, I’m eating. I’ll hang up now.” Qingli’s voice softened a bit. After saying that, she immediately hung up.
Pei Mingjiang listened to the beeping on the line, feeling relieved. He turned his head and saw his eldest grandson, who seemed indifferent but was actually listening intently, smiling slightly. “Alright, Ah Li didn’t object.”
Pei Xiyue couldn’t help but smile but felt it was too eager and tried to suppress it. “Got it. I have other matters to attend to; I’ll go back to my room.”
He stood up from the sofa, but feeling excited, he didn’t go the usual way. Instead, he mimicked Qingli’s earlier movements, bracing himself against the sofa back, flipped over neatly, and after landing lightly, he ran a few steps to the staircase and dashed up.
His lively, youthful appearance made Pei Mingjiang genuinely happy.
Fortunately, his grandson had developed feelings for Fu Qingli; otherwise, with such a significant benefit at stake, he would indeed feel conflicted.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152