QTIMP -Chapter 116 Character Persona – Money Loving (Part 26)

Shen Xuan frowned and said, “Si Qiu, think carefully. No matter how many dark corners exist in a person’s mind, they usually only choose to hurt themselves to suppress those nasty thoughts. So, even if someone is bad, how bad can they really be? There’s an old saying: judge by actions, not by thoughts. Jingzhou might occasionally have a fleeting negative thought about something he cares for, but he has never done anything harmful to you. So please, for this one aspect of him, be a little kinder to him.”

Si Qiu didn’t fully understand this kind of internal-conflict personality, but she could understand how his condition had formed. Besides, she didn’t have zero feelings for him.

Just as Shen Xuan said, no matter how severe his condition looked on the medical report, he had never once harmed her.

On the contrary, he tried to be gentle with her, supporting her choices in every way.

After thinking for a moment, Si Qiu nodded.

Pei Jingzhou came out with a towel, drying his hair, seemingly oblivious to everyone else in the room, and sat directly beside Si Qiu. Then he carefully touched her hand; seeing she didn’t recoil, he slowly lifted it.

His usually expressionless face showed a slight, controlled smile, as if restraining himself from grinning too broadly.

Si Qiu sized him up, reached out to touch his forehead, and finally held up two fingers in front of his eyes. “Which number is this?”

“Two.”

Not bad—he wasn’t an idiot. She didn’t like fools. Of course, a bit of simplicity in front of her was fine, but she had no patience to take care of someone being tricked outside.

Across the table, the other two people exchanged glances, not understanding why Si Qiu thought the boss was silly. They hadn’t seen the look Pei Jingzhou gave them—so cold it could freeze someone.

Hmph. Did they think they were going to be third wheels? He was just worried she couldn’t handle him alone if he relapsed. If he ever really hurt Si Qiu, he’d blame himself to death afterward.

When she went shopping, she had ordered a nourishing soup. Shen Xuan served a bowl to Pei Jingzhou, then to Si Qiu—but Pei Jingzhou snatched hers away.

He served the soup himself, placing it in front of Si Qiu.

His attentiveness made the two subordinates suspicious; had his brain gone wrong? After getting slapped, he was acting so doting.

Thinking of this, the two suddenly recalled other things. Having grown up abroad, they had seen unusual hobbies before, and both shivered.

Observing them with unusual eyes, Pei Jingzhou looked increasingly like his old self. After all, even if his childhood wasn’t happy, he had received plenty of care.

Back then, forget about feeding others—eight or ten people would take care of him at once, and his expression never changed.

Now, taking care of someone else brought him such joy. The two really felt unnecessary.

After finishing the meal, they quickly packed up and left. Of course, the bodyguards at the door changed shifts but didn’t leave.

Once alone, Si Qiu realized that his previous attentiveness had actually been controlled. Unfortunately, after the two left, Pei Jingzhou immediately clung to her.

“Qiuqiu, I brought you jewelry from abroad, and also the coral you mentioned wanting before. I picked ones with especially good quality. Do you want to take a look?”

In this world, money was always what attracted Si Qiu the most; anything valuable came second.

“Then show me what you’ve got!”

Seeing her interest, Pei Jingzhou finally felt a bit at ease. Si Qiu was still willing to accept his things. From his understanding of her, if she truly wanted to leave him, she would never take anything from him.

As long as she was willing to take his things, everything else could be negotiated. He might not have many other skills, but when it came to making money, he certainly had some talent.

Having grown up in the Pei family, an old-money household, he had no shortage of connections. So if he wanted to obtain rare and valuable items, it was still possible.

Si Qiu thought for a moment, then pretended to take something out of her suitcase—but in fact, she was taking rewards from the system.

Two small jade flowerpots, about 20 centimeters in diameter, were filled with the pearls she had collected earlier, and coral was inserted into the pots.

The two identical ornaments, under the lighting, reflected a soft glow unique to gemstones—so beautiful it was mesmerizing.

Si Qiu placed them on either side of her vanity and adjusted the other decorations. Finally, she picked up the larger jewelry box.

There were two jewelry boxes on his vanity: the smaller one held delicate, everyday pieces, while the larger one stored slightly more expensive items. The most precious pieces, of course, were kept in her spatial pocket.

Even though she wouldn’t stay in the next world, in this world, only her spatial pocket made her feel truly secure.

Taking out the larger jewelry box, she pulled out the bottom drawer, which contained some loose stones. Si Qiu then carefully arranged the items Pei Jingzhou had brought back according to color, quality, and material.

Then came two sets of finished jewelry. Si Qiu held them up in front of the vanity mirror, admired them enough, and then returned them to the large jewelry box.

One had to admit, Pei Jingzhou was generous. Each of these items alone—even a single gemstone—was incredibly rare, yet he had given them all to her at once.

Although she now had money of her own, it was one thing to have your own wealth and another to receive someone else’s gifts.

Pei Jingzhou felt reassured seeing her happily handling the items. One person had received gifts and earned big money—happy and excited. The other felt love regained, secure, happy, and thrilled. He had thought everything would naturally follow from there—but on the bed, he was unexpectedly rejected.

“Honey, I’m a little tired. You’re injured too. Let’s leave it for today. Can we wait a couple of days?”

Pei Jingzhou’s voice was slightly downcast. “Are you tired from playing, or from traveling? Since you’re tired, rest first.”

He wrapped her in the blanket and then held her from behind. Si Qiu was indeed a little tired and began to drift off. But as she was half-asleep, she suddenly felt dampness around her neck.

She thought it was her imagination, but the dampness gradually became obvious. Suddenly fully awake, she struggled under the blanket and turned around after quite a while.

Under the dim light, she cupped Pei Jingzhou’s face and, sure enough, tears slid down like clear crystals. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Pei Jingzhou hugged her tightly, trying to hide his embarrassment. “It’s nothing. Did I disturb your sleep? Sleep now, I promise I won’t move.”

Si Qiu shifted for a long time but was still held tightly in his arms. She asked softly, “What’s really going on?”