A Villainous Childhood Sweetheart At Four And A Half - Chapter 5

Pei Hanying had originally thought that she would not go out for the next few weeks.

After all, every time she went out, she ran into Ning Song and that bastard Ning Cheng. If she could not afford to provoke them, could she not at least hide?

But that idea was shattered by her own hands the very next day.

For no other reason than this: when she woke up the next day and had just pulled open the curtains, Pei Hanying was dazzled by the stretch of silver-white snow outside the window.

In just one night, the back garden, which had still held a bit of greenery, was now covered in a thick layer of snow.

There was also a layer of snow accumulated on the ground.

At this moment, goose-feather-like snow was still falling in rustling flurries. At a glance, everything was almost a vast expanse of white.

Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise. After leaving her room, she immediately ran downstairs with thudding little steps.

In her previous life, Pei Hanying had been a true southerner. Whether for school or work, she had always stayed in the south.

She had lived for more than twenty years but had hardly ever seen snow. Hail, on the other hand, she had seen a few times. So toward snow, she carried the same longing most southerners had.

After being reborn in the womb, she had been too young during the first two years and was rarely taken outside in cold weather. It was not until she could walk that she was allowed to go out and look at the snow for a little while after it fell.

Although the temperature was cold when it snowed, Pei Hanying felt she could endure it.

This was also the first snow of the year. Pei Hanying wanted to go outside and have a look.

After telling Pei Yuan this, Pei Yuan did not agree immediately. Instead, she told Pei Hanying to eat breakfast at home first.

There was a blizzard today, so the company had a day off. Pei Yuan and Chao Qing did not need to go to work either.

That meant she also had time to stay home and accompany her daughter.

After hearing Pei Yuan’s words, Pei Hanying obediently nodded. After washing up, she finished breakfast with great enthusiasm.

Pei Hanying ate slowly when eating by herself. Pei Yuan was a little faster than her. By the time she finished eating, the woman was already sitting on the sofa and reading a financial magazine.

After swallowing the last mouthful of small wontons, Pei Hanying’s cheeks had been steamed rosy by the heat.

After wiping her mouth, she walked up to Pei Yuan and acted spoiled. “Mommy, I want to go outside and play in the snow~”

Pei Yuan lifted her eyes, moving her gaze from the magazine to the little one’s face.

Looking at the little girl’s eyes sparkling with broken light and her fluttering lashes, her heart softened slightly.

“Go change into a thick set of clothes first. If you catch a cold, you won’t be allowed to go out again after this.”

Pei Hanying raised a smile. “Okay~ Mommy should go change clothes too.”

She chose a white down jacket, wore thick pants, and changed into snow boots. Then she stood at the door and held out her hand to Pei Yuan, waiting for her to take her hand and bring her outside.

Pei Yuan was wearing a black coat. Even with her face bare and plain, she looked cool, elegant, and graceful.

Pei Hanying held her warm hand and asked very thoughtfully,

“Mommy, aren’t you cold wearing so little?”

Pei Yuan squeezed her daughter’s soft palm and smiled as she shook her head.

“I’m not cold.”

Pei Hanying thought about it and felt that made sense. After all, Pei Yuan had always worn little in winter.

Could this be the legendary rich person’s coat, the kind where wearing just one piece was enough to keep warm?

Pei Hanying wanted to wear one too, but Pei Yuan would not let her wear so little. Such double standards.

Thinking this, the little girl puffed her cheeks lightly.

The snow in the yard had already piled up several centimeters thick. When one stepped down, it was already compressed beneath the foot.

Snow grains clung to her snow boots. At this moment, snow was still drifting down through the air, and before long, it fell all over people’s heads and bodies.

Knowing that Pei Hanying liked snow, Pei Yuan had specially told the maids to set aside one area and leave it uncleared.

This patch of space was just right for the little girl to play in the snow.

Pei Hanying tilted her head up to look at the snow filling the sky, then stretched out her palm. Gentle snowflakes landed on her hand, then quickly melted away.

Only a bit of cold sensation remained in her palm.

Before long, her exposed fingers and palms turned bright red, and even her snow-white little face was reddened by the cold wind.

Pei Hanying crouched down and grabbed a handful of snow.

Her palm was icy cold, and even her body began trembling a little from the chill.

She lifted her head and looked at Pei Yuan standing to the side, her eyes bright and shining.

“Mommy, let’s build a snowman together.”

Pei Yuan looked at her and gently closed her eyes for a moment, holding back the urge to carry the child back inside.

She let out a soft breath. In the end, she still helplessly crouched down and allowed the corner of her coat worth hundreds of thousands to be stained with snow.

The freshly fallen snow was far too loose and scattered, so it could not really be shaped into a proper snowman.

Holding handful after handful of snow, Pei Hanying’s palms were nearly frozen numb. In the end, what stood on the ground was a somewhat ugly snowman.

Pei Hanying puffed her cheeks, feeling that it was not very pretty.

She was just about to ask Pei Yuan to build another one with her when Pei Yuan saw through her intention. After wiping her own palm, she wiped Pei Hanying’s hands too.

As if mentioning it casually, she said, “Didn’t you say last year that you wanted to go skating? I heard that Jinhe Garden’s lake froze over this year, and the property management has built an ice-skating area there. Do you want to go take a look?”

Hearing this, Pei Hanying instantly nodded.

“Okay!”

In the past, she had only tried roller skating, and even then, she had stumbled around and could not stand very steadily.

But she still wanted to try ice skating. Besides, she had heard Chao Qing say that Pei Yuan was good at skating. Back when she was in school, she had even been captain of the figure skating team.

Seeing that the little girl’s attention had quickly been diverted, Pei Yuan let out a breath of relief and led her toward the skating rink.

It was cold today, and many parents in Jinhe Garden were worried that their children would catch a cold if they went out, so there were only a few little children at the skating rink. Most of the people there were older children.

Pei Hanying had Pei Yuan, who was more professional, teaching her. With Pei Yuan carefully supporting her, she quickly got the hang of it and could make a few laps around the rink.

After taking the child around for a few laps and seeing that her daughter’s originally rosy face had now been blown bright red, Pei Yuan called for a stop. She took her to change shoes and prepared to bring her home.

Pei Hanying had played enough and had also started to feel the cold. Her body trembled slightly.

Only after Pei Yuan held her in her arms and she buried herself against her chest did she feel a little warmer.

Pei Yuan held her daughter. Originally, she was going to walk left, but after feeling the trembling child in her arms, she thought for a moment and chose another path instead.

This path led toward the backyard, and the distance was a little shorter.

When Pei Hanying finally recovered a little and lifted her head, she discovered that under the silver-white decorations of snow, the road in front of her looked somewhat unfamiliar.

She blinked, her body turning a little stiff. After looking up at Pei Yuan, she asked quietly,

“Mommy, is this the road to the backyard?”

Pei Yuan gave a sound of acknowledgment. Seeing that the little girl’s expression seemed a bit strange, she felt somewhat puzzled.

“What’s wrong?”

Pei Hanying weakly hugged her mother tighter and shook her head somewhat listlessly.

“Nothing.”

It was just that later, your passerby-daughter might run into the great villain from the book again.

Maybe she should simply not lift her head the whole way, Pei Hanying thought.

But surely it could not be that coincidental, right? Surely she could not run into Ning Song every single time.

Thinking this, Pei Hanying felt she was as pitiful as an NPC who refreshed at fixed times.

Could it be that the world’s consciousness wanted to use her happiness and the villain’s suffering as a contrast, so the villain would develop jealousy toward her?

Thinking of this possibility, Pei Hanying sucked in a cold breath and silently commented: how vicious.

Pei Yuan was one meter seventy, with long strides, and she walked quickly. Very soon, they reached the part of the backyard close to Ning Cheng’s house.

Even though Pei Hanying did not want to face it, she still lifted her head and glanced toward the entrance of Ning Cheng’s house.

Compared to most of the mansions in Jinhe Garden, the place Ning Cheng and the others lived in looked like a cramped, narrow servants’ room.

Her gaze swept past the Ning family’s doorway. She did not see Ning Song.

Pei Hanying unconsciously let out a breath of relief.

While being carried by Pei Yuan as they were about to return home through the backyard door, Pei Hanying glanced one more time toward the Ning family’s doorway. In the end, her sharp eyes spotted a figure behind the pittosporum shrubs near the entrance.

It was still snowing now, and there was a faint tendency for it to fall harder and harder.

Quite a few snowflakes had already landed on that figure. Curled up in one spot and trembling, she looked like a small beast licking its wounds alone.

Pei Hanying’s throat tightened slightly, and she felt somewhat worried.

It was so cold today. Ning Song would not freeze to death, right?

That idiot Ning Cheng—was there something wrong with his brain? How could he not let someone go home in weather this cold?

Pei Hanying cursed furiously in her heart.

She patted Pei Yuan’s shoulder. “Mommy, put me down.”

Pei Yuan felt a little puzzled, but seeing Pei Hanying’s insistent expression, she could only put her down.

After Pei Hanying landed on the ground, she walked a few steps to the pittosporum shrubs.

After stopping in front of Ning Song, she asked, “Are you okay?”

Ning Song had heard the footsteps long ago. After glancing over from a distance and seeing that it was Pei Hanying and her mother walking over, she hid farther behind the pittosporum shrubs.

She did not want Pei Hanying to see her in such a miserable state.

Now, hearing the girl’s voice fall by her ear, she did not react for a moment. Instinctively following the other person’s words, she lifted her head.

The few times Pei Hanying had seen Ning Song, her face had always been deathly pale.

But at this moment, the little girl’s cheeks were bright red.

—From the cold.

Snowflakes had landed on the top of her hair and all over her body.

Even her long lashes were hung with snow.

What she wore was still the same outfit from the previous times Pei Hanying had run into her. It was thin and oversized, exposing her neck and offering no protection against the cold at all.

Compared to the last time they had met, those beautiful eyes were also dim and dull now, without the slightest trace of light.

Ning Song met Pei Hanying’s gaze, and her hands, frozen almost numb, curled slightly.

The girl in front of her was probably around the same age as her. Her cheeks were rosy, and she was dressed cleanly and beautifully. Her long hair had been tied into a bun, with a diamond hair clip attached, making her look like a little princess.

She was indeed also the little princess held in the Pei family’s palms.

The two of them were too close, and the rich floral fragrance from the girl’s body also reached Ning Song’s nose. It was a warm scent that made one feel reassured and comforted when breathing it in.

Between them, there was a world of difference.

Ning Song had even been seen by the other girl so many times while being beaten. Even her self-respect had been pressed underfoot and crushed.

Inferiority instantly swept through her entire body. Ning Song bit her lip hard, holding back the tears that were about to fall.

She ignored Pei Hanying and buried her face between her legs again.

Ning Song did not want Pei Hanying to always see her unbearable and pitiful side. She was not trying to pretend to be pitiful.

Seeing her ostrich-like behavior, Pei Hanying froze.

She pressed her lips together. At this moment, she actually really wanted to turn around and leave.

In her heart, she warned herself countless times.

Do not casually let your kindness overflow. Why don’t you usually show this much kindness!

Now, facing a future great villain who might make your family fall apart and your loved ones die, you still want to feel sorry for her? Is your brain okay?

Countless angry scoldings flashed through her mind, but in the end, she still could not suppress it.

She braced her hands on her knees and poked Ning Song with a finger.

“Hey.”

The person she poked gave no reaction at all, yet Pei Hanying felt the burning temperature of the skin under her fingertip.

Her expression changed. She turned her head to look at Pei Yuan, who had followed over and was standing to the side, silently watching her.

“Mommy, she has a fever.”

Pei Yuan nodded. “You want to bring her back?”

Although she had some opinions about Ning Cheng, she also knew that the child was innocent. As for whether to bring her home, she left the choice in Pei Hanying’s hands.

Pei Hanying’s fingers dug into her palm. The sting still could not clear her muddled mind.

She closed her eyes. In the end, she turned her head and spoke to Ning Song as if staking everything on this one throw.

“Little cat, do you want to come to my house as a guest?”

Just this once.

She would soften just this once.