Chapter 18
Qiao Chuchu felt suffocated and quickly turned her head away.
Pei Yuan and the others walked past her one by one.
Pei Youchuan blocked her path and teased her, "Little Eight, say goodbye to your brother~"
She gave him a big, exaggerated eye roll.
Pei Youchuan pinched her cheek, forcing a smile, "Say goodbye to your brother!"
Qiao Chuchu mumbled, "......Bye."
Pei Youchuan let go, satisfied, and walked away.
Qiao Chuchu rubbed her sore cheek.
【Is Pei Youchuan going through a rebellious phase again, teasing me like this.】
Pei Youchuan waved at her with a smile and turned to leave, disappearing from her sight.
In the living room, only she and Pei Che remained.
Compared to the previous commotion, it was now unusually quiet.
She felt her awkwardness rising again.
Among all the brothers, Pei Che was the most reserved and quiet.
She never felt awkward when she was with Second Brother before.
But now, after all the foolish things she had done, being with Second Brother, who was so quiet, made the air feel heavy.
Qiao Chuchu looked at the empty courtyard and awkwardly said, "Uh... Second Brother."
Pei Che was looking at his phone, completely ignoring her.
She scratched her head, "I guess you don't want to be with me either. About the meeting just now... I think we should rethink it, so I'll leave first."
【After all, this family hasn't had a place for me for a long time.】
Pei Che's thumb paused on the phone screen, "Stay."
Qiao Chuchu stopped and turned back, puzzled.
Pei Che sat on the sofa, his long legs bent, his eyes like an unfathomable abyss, "Go back to your room."
Qiao Chuchu was surprised and awkwardly laughed, "Uh... it's not necessary, Second Brother. I know you all don't like me, and I know I've done a lot of wrong things. I think we should keep a safe distance—"
"Go. Back. To. Your. Room." Pei Che put away his phone and commanded her directly.
Qiao Chuchu frowned, sensing something was off.
Pei Che's gaze at her was dangerous.
But she still tried to reason, "Second Brother, I know I scared you all earlier. I promise I won't cause trouble again! I really can't stay in this house anymore. I don't want to stay. I feel weird living with you all, it might involve your privacy or something."
Pei Che's face suddenly darkened.
Qiao Chuchu quickly backed down, "I'll go upstairs right now."
Pei Che put away his phone, expressionless, and followed her.
Qiao Chuchu glanced back at him, feeling a chill run down her spine, and quickened her pace.
Pei Che followed her calmly.
Apart from his cold, handsome face, his behavior was like that of a creepy ghost.
Qiao Chuchu's palms were sweating, not knowing what he was up to.
She almost tripped on the stairs and nearly fell, looking back in panic.
The light from the living room cast a faint glow into the corridor. Pei Che stood at the boundary of light and shadow, looking up at her.
She was even more frightened and stumbled into her room, locking the door without hesitation!
Pei Che put his hand in his pocket, revealing a noticeable scar from a wrist cut, hidden in his pocket, and slowly ascended the stairs.
Qiao Chuchu listened to his footsteps, her palms sweating.
She was afraid of Second Brother.
Pei Che was born to be the master of the house.
Cold, quiet, with a perfect physique.
He was a man who could be described as beautiful, with delicate features, cat-like narrow eyes, pale skin, making the teardrop mole under his eye stand out, and well-defined lips that curved slightly upward.
Despite having such a smile, his expressionless face was still eerie.
He was meticulous and ruthless in his actions, decisive and efficient.
She always felt that beneath Second Brother's calm exterior lay a twisted madness.
Pei Che used to be a heart surgeon, extremely skilled, but for some reason, he hadn't performed surgeries in the past two years, only dealing with medical investments.
The reason she found Second Brother terrifying was that before they fell out, she once asked him why he wanted to be a doctor.
Back then, Pei Che was still a teenager, looking at her with a calm gaze.
—"I like hearts because they control life and death. I can witness a heart struggling to beat, and I can either help it or destroy it."
Despite saying that, Pei Che never failed. He established himself, became renowned, and became a sought-after elite doctor among patients' families.
Even after so many years, she still remembered the chill that ran down her spine when she heard that answer.
Suddenly, the door handle of her room turned halfway down.
Qiao Chuchu looked terrified at the door.
The man outside tried to turn the handle twice but couldn't open it.
Qiao Chuchu felt short of breath, biting her lower lip, not making a sound.
After a while, it was quiet outside.
She let out a sigh of relief.
But then the sound of keys clinking came from outside.
The lock turned.
"Click!" The sound of the lock opening.
The door slowly opened.
Qiao Chuchu backed away in terror!
Pei Che walked in as usual, "You forgot your door can't be locked from the inside."
As he spoke, he calmly put away the key.
Qiao Chuchu noticed a detail.
Pei Che's car key... was tied together with her room key.
Seven years.
Her room key had always been kept with his car key.
【...How could I forget? The distance between my brothers and becoming a yandere is only one step away from my death in front of them. They're already hidden yanderes.】
Qiao Chuchu's palms were sweating, and she lowered her head, "Uh... yes, I forgot."
She pretended to be relaxed and looked around her room, "My room hasn't changed."
Her room was filled with items left from seven years ago.
She wiped her finger on the table and left a thick layer of dust.
The dust almost covered her fingerprints.
It wasn't hard to guess; after she was kicked out, no one had cleaned this room, and it had been neglected.
She awkwardly brushed off the dust, "This room hasn't been cleaned, it's not livable. I think it's more convenient for me to stay outside, after all these years, right?"
Pei Che let out a cold laugh, "No."
Qiao Chuchu expected it, still trying to persuade, "There's no reason why not. I won't try to kill myself again, and I won't cause trouble, I—"
Pei Che's voice grew colder, "Qiao Chuchu, don't push your luck."
Qiao Chuchu was surprised, "What?"
Aliali: 67549988bd5e46c308a2a5d3She just turned around when the lights in the room suddenly went out.
Qiao Chuchu reached for her phone but remembered she had left it in the living room.
Pei Che was blocking the door.
The light from outside cast a faint glow, but it was hard to see clearly.
She could only notice Pei Che's dark eyes reflecting tiny sparks, like a vast, burning net.
She was trapped in it, feeling unable to breathe.
Pei Che stood in the shadows, half of his cold, sculpted face illuminated by the cut light, devoid of any emotion.
"Why do you come and go as you please?"
Pei Che's voice was like a sharp bone scraper, calmly scraping every inch of her body.
"What do you take this family for?"