Chapter 227 It Seems Like an Old Friend Has Arrived

Pei Ziheng took a few steps forward, and Xia Ling backed away warily.

His low voice: "Tell me, how do you know?"

Her mind went blank, and she blurted out in a hurry: "Li Lei said it." Anyway, Big Boss Li was celebrating the Spring Festival on an overseas island, so she didn't believe that Pei Ziheng would really ask him.

"Li Lei?" Pei Ziheng's eyes dimmed, "He's checking me?"

Xia Ling remembered that Li Lei vaguely mentioned that he was investigating Pei Ziheng before, and also warned her that Pei Ziheng was too dangerous and told her to stay away. Xia Ling didn't know how far Li Lei's investigation had gone, but she wanted to get over the current difficulties first anyway.

"You are his competitor and enemy in the mall. It is normal for him to check on you." She tried to remain calm.

"Really?" Pei Ziheng's voice was very calm. After a while, he suddenly asked, "Isn't it for you?"

Xia Ling was slightly startled, then turned her head and said, "We broke up." Under the dim street lights and fine snow, her expression was pale and dejected. Her thin woolen coat was fluttering in the night wind, and there was a smooth wind and snow. He poured it into her neck.

Pei Ziheng frowned imperceptibly.

"Why did you come out wearing so little?" He took off the long scarf he was wearing, stretched out his hand and wrapped it around her neck. As he got closer, he saw a purple bruise on her neck, as well as dots of hickeys, which were shocking on her fair skin. "Who did it?" His voice suddenly became deeper. For some reason, the moment he saw these traces, his heart throbbed violently, and his nameless rage aroused, wanting to tear the person who hurt her into pieces.

Xia Ling subconsciously covered those ugly marks with her hands.

He held her wrist and pulled her hand off despite her resistance. Those hideous and terrifying traces were exposed to his sight again. His eyes were cold: "Li Lei?" Did Li Lei kiss her, quarrel with her, pinch her and torture her, and finally drive her out of the house?

He imagined the scene in his mind, and his nameless anger became even more intense.

Xia Ling bit her lip and said nothing. Does it matter who did it? Anyway, she has nothing to do with the Li family anymore.

Her wrist was held by him, the familiar touch and warmth. She wanted to throw it away, but for some reason she couldn't muster the strength, so she saw Pei Ziheng slowly wrapping the long scarf around her with his other hand, wrapping it around and around to cover the traces.

"Go to my place and I'll help you take care of it." His voice was gentle.

She shook her head, not wanting to involve her too much.

The wrist that was held tightened.

Ignoring her resistance, Pei Ziheng pulled her out of the stage. On the deserted street, a black Rolls-Royce was parked silently, covered with plain white snowflakes.

He pulled Xia Ling into the car and told the driver to drive.

Uneasiness and fear arose in Xia Ling's heart: "What do you want to do?!"

He glanced at her.

Xia Ling started to open the car door: "Let me out!" The memories imprisoned by him came back, making her panic. It was clear that a lifetime had passed, and she knew that he could no longer recognize her, but she couldn't help but be afraid.

Her panicked look made his heart ache.

I remembered that before Xiao Ling died, during the year she was imprisoned, she showed such an expression countless times. She was terrified and helpless. She had endured too much harm and torture but didn't know how to get rid of it. If there was a regret medicine in the world, he would not do that to her. At least in the last year of his life, he would make her happy and stop crying secretly behind his back.

Pei Ziheng's thoughts were far away. At that time, Xiao Ling did not dare to cry in front of him.

People with Stockholm Syndrome will only be grateful to their abusers, but will not be afraid or cry. Whenever she showed signs of pain, he would think that the training was not adequate, and he would torture her even harder. Over time, he would even deprive her of the right to cry. On the bed, she didn't dare to cry out in pain, and within his sight, she didn't dare to cry.

The villa where she was imprisoned was equipped with many surveillance cameras, with 360-degree coverage and 24-hour surveillance.

Once, he was a little confused, why did Xiao Ling take so long to take a bath every time? It wasn't until she fell from the stage and died, and he could only rely on those surveillance videos to live in memories, that he discovered that every time she took a shower, she would bury her face in the water for a long time, and her thin shoulders would twitch slightly. .

Every time before leaving the bathroom, she would carefully remove the red marks under her eyes.

Pei Ziheng hated himself. How far had he pushed her to make her even mourn so tremblingly?

If he was given another chance, if she could survive...

Xiao Ling, his Xiao Ling, deserves the best and all tender care.

He looked at the girl who looked exactly like Xia Ling in front of him and softened his voice: "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you, I promise. I just want to take care of you."

These words reached Xia Ling's ears, causing her panicked movements to slowly calm down. She turned to look at the man in front of her, and he said that he just wanted to... take care of her? Thinking of their first encounter many years ago in her previous life, the little Xia Ling timidly raised her head and asked the tall man next to her: "Brother Pei, why did you adopt me?"

What was his answer at that time?

Just like today, with a low-mellow and gentle voice, I just want to take care of you.

Tears oozed from the corners of his eyes.

"You lied." She suppressed the cry in her voice.

"I'm not going to lie to you." He said softly, "You are wearing so little and you are injured on your neck. You will definitely catch a cold standing in the wind and snow like you just did. Come back with me and I will let the family doctor treat you. Treat your injury and ask the nanny to make something for you to eat. You are celebrating the Chinese New Year, just treat it as a favor to me?"

I haven't seen him speak in such a low voice for a long time.

Just like many years ago, every time she lost her temper, he would patiently coax her.

Maybe it was because she was too tired today, or maybe it was because people tend to miss the past when they are fragile. By some strange coincidence, she nodded.

Pei Ziheng smiled gently.

Xia Ling stopped clamoring to get out of the car, and for a while, the car became silent.

The two of them were not familiar with each other at first - at least in this life, "Ye Xingling" was very unfamiliar with Pei Ziheng. After calming down, she didn't know what to say. The air-conditioning in the Rolls-Royce cabin was as warm as spring. The comfortable form and the soft leather seats under her body made Xia Ling more and more relaxed. Unknowingly, she closed her eyes. Eyes fell asleep.

The first good dream in days.

She dreamed of the brilliant afternoon sunshine and irises blooming everywhere when she was in the orphanage many years ago. She won a fight with some older children, turned around and looked up to see a handsome man standing behind the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor. A man as majestic as a god, he stretched out his hand to her, Xiao Ling, let's go home with me...

In her sleep, she tilted her head slightly.

Her small palm-sized face rested on the shoulder of the man next to her. The soft woolen jacket was probably very comfortable, so she rubbed it unconsciously, adjusted her position, and fell asleep deeper.