Pei Song'an leaned toward him, his shadow abruptly falling over Li Shu's eyes. A lean, muscular college guy a little over six feet tall like Li Shu was already a rare find, but he was no match for the man before him, who stood nearly six foot three and bore down on him like a mountain.
Li Shu's spine stiffened.
Pei Song'an actually put on very few airs most of the time. He wasn't the sort who constantly acted high and mighty in novels, so whenever he suddenly displayed even a hint of aggression and sharp perception, Li Shu always got a fright.
Still, not being overbearing and knowing when to stop also seemed to be required courses for a privileged heir.
Pei Song'an withdrew his probing gaze and picked up the dog food and half a bottle of mineral water Li Shu had forgotten on the ground. "A new teahouse opened down the street."
"What do you mean?" Li Shu pulled back his frozen hand.
"Steamed buns leave you smelling of food. After breakfast, I need to go back to campus to see one of my major-course instructors."
Li Shu stared at Pei Song'an's back, a little baffled by how he had suddenly become so easygoing, and hurried after him. "You're letting me off just like that? Aren't you going to interrogate me some more?"
Pei Song'an opened the car door and let Li Shu get in first.
"You're certainly strange, but so far, you don't appear dangerous."
"Have you ever kept an animal at home?"
"When its behavior is beyond your control and it's liable to cause trouble, there are generally two choices."
Surrounded by the scent in the car that belonged solely to Pei Song'an, Li Shu felt dazed. "What two?"
"Throw it out." Pei Song'an made no attempt to disguise his gaze. "Or keep it where you can watch it."
Why did this privileged heir seem unexpectedly easy to talk to?
Li Shu mulled it over some more, then suddenly caught on and slapped his thigh. "Wait, dude, are you treating me like Zhaocai?"
"I hope you won't cause trouble."
"Sit properly." Pei Song'an glanced at Li Shu, who was slumped to one side, and a vein in his temple twitched. "Look at how you're sitting. You'll hit your head."
On the way back to campus after breakfast, Pei Song'an even got Li Shu two extra boxes of custard buns and a portion of steamed egg to go.
"Pei Song'an, how much was breakfast? Let's split it."
"No need."
His scarf dangled loosely around his neck, and his fair, sunny face wore a frown. Li Shu showed not the slightest awareness that he was still hitching a ride in the other man's car.
"Are you looking down on the measly bit of money in my pocket?"
Pei Song'an didn't care who paid the bill. What mattered to him was what information he could get out of the meal, such as Li Shu's urgency in pushing him to return to campus, and the further understanding of Li Shu he gained from what he said.
But those words still made him lower the tablet in his hands and turn to look over.
Ultimately, he and Li Shu simply saw things from different perspectives. At least for now, Li Shu's intentions weren't bad.
"You saved me last night. You shouldn't have to pay for breakfast."
Li Shu didn't pick up on the subtle shift in the man's attitude. Accepting that explanation, he leaned his face toward the car window and urged him on clumsily. "Let's hurry back to campus. Teachers start work a week before students. There should already be someone in the office by now."
Pei Song'an glanced at the back of Li Shu's head.
At five minutes to eight in the morning, Li Shu finally watched Pei Song'an walk into the teachers' office with his own eyes.
Li Shu didn't follow him inside. Teachers had made him nervous since he was little, and when he got nervous, he tended to turn robotic. He sounded very robotic when he spoke to Chen Yannan, for instance.
Whenever he thought about how Chen Yannan knew of the original owner's undisguised crush, Li Shu, who had come along afterward, couldn't help getting goose bumps when facing him.
"What an ordeal this has been."
"When is Pei Song'an coming out? I still want to go hiking. I heard the protective charms at the temple on the mountain really work. I've got to get one."
"This is a high-risk job now, too. I won't feel safe without one."
"Right, right, and I'll pray to the bodhisattva while I'm there. Ask for a blessing so I can pass the CET-4."
With his forehead against the wall, Li Shu kicked the baseboard with a series of thuds while grumbling to the system. He faintly heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind him.
Wrapped in a black trench coat, Shen Muwen rounded the corner from the stairwell. The upturned corners of his eyes carried a vigorous, unrestrained air. He resembled his mother, and a small scar on his brow bone lent a touch of menace to a face that could be called beautiful.
He was no stranger to Li Shu.
Pei Song'an carrying a boy away last night had caused quite a stir. Shen Muwen had also been caught out and received two slaps from his father.
Shen Muwen walked up beside Li Shu. "Pei Song'an's pet?"
Li Shu: ?
Hey.
Who are you calling a dog?
Suddenly-
The office door, which had remained tightly shut, was pushed open from inside. Pei Song'an walked out with his coat draped over his arm, the dark green hand embroidery on its cuff flashing past Li Shu's eyes.
He glanced over Shen Muwen and Li Shu, his lashes concealing his sharp, indifferent eyes, then said to Li Shu, "Let's go."
Just two simple words, yet Li Shu felt Pei Song'an's presence at full force. Several tall, long-legged male leads from TV dramas immediately sprang into his mind.
A man overflowing with testosterone who looked at people as though they were dogs.
Terrifying, but Li Shu truly envied him.
The thought that he could only be a cannon-fodder bottom even after transmigrating into a novel with no romantic pairing made Li Shu lose it.
Still, upset or not, he obediently followed this hundred-million-worth fragment of gold coins. "I don't know him."
Pei Song'an said, "I know."
"You believe me? Heh, you've got good taste."
"Good thing you came out in time, though. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known what to say to him."
Pei Song'an said, "Shen Muwen is sick in the head. Stay clear of him when you see him."
Li Shu made a couple of sounds of agreement and followed Pei Song'an out of the teaching building. "If there's nothing else, I'll get going..."
"All done? It seems getting me a spot in the competition matters a lot to you."
At those words from Pei Song'an, Li Shu completely panicked. He thought for ages but still couldn't work out an answer that wouldn't sound clumsy. "Huh?"
"I knew about the economics competition. I originally planned to come over after tidying my dorm room, just as the teachers started work. But I happened to run into you today, and the teacher happened to reach the office half an hour early."
"Add in Shen Muwen, who just showed up at the door, and if I'd stuck to my original plan, I would have lost that spot."
Pei Song'an's gaze was intensely oppressive. Setting the pace, he advanced step by step, then pulled Li Shu back just before the back of his head hit the glass door.
The veins on the back of his hand stood out clearly. His palm was broad and warm, his prominent knuckles slightly reddened by the cold. He looked as though he could kill someone with a single punch.
The tightening pressure in the man's voice made Li Shu's heart pound.
Please.
At least leave me my underwear, bro.
"Pei Song'an, I..."
"What? Are you going to try to explain yourself?"
Li Shu stole a glance at him. "No, I left my dog food in your car. I still have to feed Zhaocai tonight."
Pei Song'an drew a breath. "Fine."
Just great.
But soon, thinking that Shen Muwen had most likely already taken an interest in Li Shu, he frowned slightly, then relaxed his brow.
"Don't go out tonight. I'll have someone take Zhaocai to a pet shop. If you miss him, go feed him during the day."
Li Shu: Not listening, not listening. So I'm not allowed out at night? Who are you to boss me around? I'm going out anyway!
Before you continue