Reborn to Redeem: Their Abusive Love
Chapter 31: Zone 3 Regardless

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Zone 3 Regardless

Chen Shihua knew he did not like that appellation, but as time passed, he could not help but blurt it out, as if under some spell.

"Bro Pei," he changed the way he addressed him, nonchalantly adding, "Seriously though, so many pretty girls like you, what kind of girl do you like?"

The warm March sun splintered into spots. Such questions seldom arose in Pei Zhen’s life. Recently, the increased number of confessions left him inexperienced in dealing with such matters, handling them less gracefully and adequately than needed. All he remembered was Xu Si saying to treat girls with courtesy, relying on years of social training to decline. Thus, his refusals seemed all the more aloof and pure, making it less sad for those on the receiving end, unable to quell the fondness in their hearts.

He drank water from his cup in sips, swallowing the odd dryness in his throat.

"I don’t have one I like."

"Hey, I wasn’t suggesting you pick one of them. I’m talking about types. What type of girl do you think is the best, the kind you admire the most? Tell me about it," Chen Shihua pressed.

Pei Zhen glanced at him. Leaning listlessly against the back of the chair, he closed his eyes for a moment. His thoughts diffused on this question while his calm heartbeat began to sense the onrush of the spring wind and the rustling sound of the bustling air currents in the midday breeze. He spoke with an indifferent look, his tone disinterested.

"I admire mature, gentle, sharp ones, like my aunt, for instance."

Chen Shihua’s smile faded. He blinked, resting his hands on the table, lips pursed, deep in thought for a long time before returning to the classroom and telling the girl at his desk, with whom he got along well, "I asked him for you, so stop dreaming and give it up. He likes the type like the Xu Family’s young miss."

The girl at his desk choked up, her eyes widening. "Be clear, what kind?"

Chen Shihua thought for a moment, then said, "Pretty, a bit fierce too, and she can hit people. Hey, don’t look at me like that; nobody wants this kind of thing to happen, right?"

"..."

Then, the rumor spread further and further, with many students curious about what kind of person the Xu Family’s young miss was. So much so that anytime Pei Zhen went home, they would follow him out of the school gates, even chatting up Butler Ge if Pei Zhen happened to leave late.

Pei Zhen felt truly sorry for this. "Sorry, Butler Ge, park the car a bit further away next time. I’ll get this sorted out as soon as I can."

"It’s no trouble at all; your classmates are all very cute," Butler Ge would joke. "The young miss is busy recently; once she’s less busy and comes to pick you up, they won’t be so curious anymore."

...

「And so.」

When Xu Si came by in her sports car, she rolled down the window and witnessed such a scene. The youth pinched a black patent leather school bag between his slender fingers, cornered against the wall by two enthusiastic girls confessing their feelings, his delicate, smoke-gray eyes downcast, pondering something unknown, though it was clear he did not wish to agree.

Bathed in the evening light, Xu Si sat in the driver’s seat, watching with interest for a full two minutes before stretching out her slender fingers to honk the horn and stepping out of the car.

"BEEP BEEP—"

It was in that brief moment that everyone present noticed Xu Si’s arrival.

She donned a loose, vintage black leather jacket that reached just below her calves, with a black knitted undergarment and a low-key designer chain bag in hand, her hair softly curled. Leaning lazily against the car, the night on Hong Kong Island added a hue of ambiance to her demeanor.

She smiled at them, her eyes shimmering with a misty glow. "Azhen, say goodbye to your classmates, and then let’s go home."

The city’s sultry air slowed down in that moment.

Witnessing such a scene, the boy was stunned for a moment, his expression slightly cooler, though his ears tingled with heat. Bypassing the girls, he left behind a simple, "Goodbye."

He turned and walked away.

Someone whispered behind him.

"I didn’t notice last time, but she must be the Xu Family’s young miss. She’s so pretty!"

"I heard Pei Zhen calling her aunt, but she seems almost our age."

"When I was in my second year of senior high, she was already an upperclassman, and she was beautiful even then, always chased by boys confessing their feelings. It seems that good-looking people all end up in the same family."

「In the dimly lit car.」

Xu Si pushed the speed to 120 mph, gripping the steering wheel, speeding on the open city avenue.

Recalling the scene just now, she glanced at Pei Zhen. "Our Azhen is quite popular at school, huh."

The young man faced the neon lights coming through the car window, his delicate eyebrows and eyes blending into the night. He parted his lips and hesitated before saying, "It’s okay. I sometimes feel a bit troubled by it."

Xu Si rested her hand on the steering wheel, paused, then said, "It’s just puberty. If I were in your class, I’d definitely admire you too. Our Azhen is quite outstanding. But back in my class, there were no such handsome boys; it was just others who liked me. If you don’t like someone back, just reject them. And if you’re going to date early, just make sure it doesn’t affect your studies."

His deep gray eyes suddenly opened wide, bursting with light. He looked steadily at her, curving his lips slightly, then shifting his gaze away with precise accuracy.

"Aunt, the school does not approve of early dating."

Xu Si laughed. "Mhm, to be honest, I don’t really approve of you dating early either."

Pei Zhen’s eyes curved as if to swallow the stars of the night. "Okay, I’ll listen to my aunt."

After a long while, he added, "Thank you for coming to pick me up, Aunt. I feel very happy."

Xu Si was slightly taken aback, then said with a smile, "Then I’ll come more often."

She then remembered something else.

On Hong Kong Island, there isn’t a winter break; instead, there’s a ten-day annual leave and a fourteen-day Easter holiday. Tomorrow is Easter.

On a whim, Xu Si asked, "So, you don’t have to go to school tomorrow, do you?"

Pei Zhen nodded. "The school said we get fourteen days off."

Xu Si’s lips curved, and she turned the car around. "How about a short trip, then? I’ll take you to see the sea. Otherwise, I might not have time later. This winter, besides being busy with work, Xu Si also had to attend classes at school."

Pei Zhen nodded with a smile, his expression even containing a hint of indulgence, which made Xu Si pause in thought for a moment.

After driving for several hours, Xu Si’s wrists had gone numb. When they arrived, she let Pei Zhen get out of the car first, parked the car properly, and walked over to him, keys in hand.

That day, the waves at Hong Kong Island’s bay were rough, rising more than a meter high in the dark night, seemingly about to swallow something on their advance, retreating only to leave muddy foam behind.

In the quiet twilight, the moonlight was hazy like fog woven from silver gauze, the sound of the waves ebbing and flowing, able to carry away human thoughts.

The young man stood on the beach, looking at a distant part of the city that stood alone, yet was bustling with activity. Faintly hearing screaming noises, he asked curiously, "Aunt, what place is that?"

Xu Si followed his gaze and frowned. "How did we end up here?"

Pei Zhen was curious. "Is there something wrong?"

Xu Si’s coat shielded her from all the cold wind, but she still felt a continuous draught seeping in, chilling her to the bone.

"That place is called the Underground City. It’s a well-known lawless area on Hong Kong Island."

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