An hour had passed by the time Chen Yi returned to the Xiao Family.
From a distance, he saw Xiaodie standing at the entrance, peering in another direction.
Pei Guanli was squatting beside her, digging the big toe of one pearly-white foot into a bluestone slab as if trying to exfoliate the sole.
She was muttering, "Brother-in-law will be fine, really. Just trust me this once."
Without turning her head, Xiaodie said, "I don't."
She clearly remembered the time Pei Guanli went to the poetry gathering at Guiyun Academy, promised to be back soon, and then disappeared for hours.
"Hey, why don't you trust me? Brother-in-law, he..."
Pei Guanli looked up and saw Chen Yi approaching. A smile instantly brightened her round face. "Brother-in-law, you're finally back."
Hearing her voice, Xiaodie kept looking the other way. "This is the third time you've tried to trick me. I'm not falling for it."
