Chapter 21

Li Shaoze stared at the entrance where Pei Qian disappeared from. His headache was gone as quickly as it came. He shook his head heavily and felt really tired. He didn't know why he suddenly became ill when he came to this country.

Everything was fine when he was in Country E. Nothing was out of ordinary and life was routine.

Li Shaoze inwardly decided not to stay too long here or else he would really suffer. When he turned around to go back to his room, he found Li Junfeng standing nearby in the corner.

Li Shaoze's heart beat faster and he suddenly felt another sense of unprecedented guilt.

"About your lover, I'm sorry. I was surprised," he said, instinctively trying to justify his overly sensitive reaction.

Li Junfeng didn't have any say but he just shook his head. He then said, "I know you didn't mean it. But please be nicer to any woman from now on. It's not nice to do that to others,"

Li Shaoze nodded lightly but he kept it in his heart. He knew he wasn't adept in this. He lacked social security and felt disconnected form human relationship. And he was stubbornly aware that despite that, it still didn't hinder his life so far.

However, he knew Li Junfeng wouldn't like him staying this way forever either. That was why he thought he should at least try to change. For his brother's peace of mind.

Li Shaoze went to the bedroom and lay down. Li Junfeng didn't follow him and he had some time to reflect. He sighed with a tired face.

Li Junfeng had died and left him behind. He was fine being disconnected from anyone before. He could live well in Country E by himself. But what about now?

For this, Li Shaoze felt very guilty. The guilt seemed to be gnawing at him and it became inexplicable. Maybe he could try to get along with Pei Qian for the sake of his brother. He was still thinking about it when Li Shaoze felt himself drifting off to sleep due to fatigue. Behind him, Li Junfeng stood and observed silently.

***

"I heard you came home early. You took half a day off?" Pei Zeyan asked as he drank a soup.

Pei Qian had just finished eating, and when she was about to consume her dessert, she heard her brother asked. Her parents who were also dining together looked at her and had the same curious eyes, laced with a touch of concern.

They must have been curious since it was just her third day at work after a time off. They thought it might be too much for her to handle.

Pei Qian didn't want to worry her family so she decided to be honest, "I visited our new neighbor across the lake,"

Xu Hua, who was Pei Qian's mother raised her eyebrow and seemed interested, "New neighbor? The one who purchased the unit across our backyard?"

"Yes. We actually got acquainted at Junfeng's funeral. Brother knows him too," Pei Qian glanced at Pei Zeyan.

Once he got the meaning, he looked slightly surprised, "Is it Junfeng's older brother?"

Pei Jin who had been silent also became interested, "The one who disappeared abroad?"

Everyone in the upper circle seemed to know Li Shaoze, Pei Qian thought silently and she nodded to her father.

"I heard from others that he's back. It seems to be true,"

"So he bought the house across the lake?" Xu Hua asked, showing a bit of interest as she smiled.

"Yes. He came up to me to introduce himself at the funeral but I didn't know he's our new neighbor. We were surprised when we encountered each other by the lake some time ago,"

Pei Qian then told her family how she had saved his number later because she thought they could get in touch since he was Li Junfeng's only brother. She didn't mention anything about his strange ability to see ghosts.

"I see," Pei Jin uttered slowly.

"So he's staying here for good?" Xu Hua asked again. There seemed to be zero prejudice in her tone of voice when she said this.

The same could be said for Pei Jin and Pei Zeyan. They were so calm even though they knew there were some rumors floating about Li Shaoze in the upper circle. But they indeed were a little curious about what he was currently doing though. The Pei family only valued productive and informative people so they usually wouldn't think bad about others before they evaluated their achievements and inner value.

Pei Qian just shrugged to her mother's question. She also wasn't close to Li Shaoze, so she couldn't say anything.

"Then what is he currently doing now? I think I want to know this lad," Pei Jin suddenly said with a slight smile. Because he had a great evaluation for Li Junfeng, he also thought that blood ran deeper than water. Li Shaoze should be even more outstanding since he was older. His expression indicated that he already thought positively about Li Shaoze.

"I called him this morning for the first time, and he straightforwardly said to relay any information the next day. He sounded like a higher up somehow. But I'm sure he isn't working for Li Group," considering Li Shaoze's relationship with the Li's was rocky, which everyone knew, it was safe to assume he actually had established himself abroad after 12 years of disappearance.

Pei Qian's deduction actually hit the nail. She was so used to people in the higher order giving instructions to the lower ones. She herself was a vice president of a big company. So she knew immediately when she encountered one.

Also, Li Shaoze's aura and the way he carried himself really didn't fall short of those male leads she saw in TV series.

Pei Zeyan kept his silence all the way while finishing his fish soup, but he inwardly agreed with his sister. He still could remember Li Shaoze even after more than a decade since their graduation. That was how big Li Shaoze's impression on him.

"Oh, I seem to remember Junfeng once mentioned this brother of his during Christmas two years ago," Xu Hua suddenly exclaimed.

Li Junfeng would sometimes disappear to go abroad to visit Li Shaoze. But he would go only during off-season. But there was one time when it was supposed to be their Pei family dinner for Christmas eve, and he didn't attend. At the time, Li Junfeng decided it would be cool to visit Li Shaoze during holiday season for once so that they could hang out more.

The amount of time he flew over in a year was actually less than three, but everytime he went there, he would be like a kid on a field trip.

"That's right. Where did he say he went to? Country E, right?" Xu Hua sounded proud when she was able to recall this particular memory.

"I wonder what kind of industry he was involved in," Pei Jin was well aware that Country E's economic growth and business development were very rapid and ever-changing.

Hearing her parents discussing over a certain someone they had never met, she shook her head. Pei Qian shrugged and ate her forgotten dessert slowly.

"Oh! You said he's unwell. We should send some tonics and health products. Yes, we should also send some house-warming gifts," Xu Hua began to chatter excitedly. She said it as if she was acting like a good elder and neighbor who was loved by all.

"No need for that since I've already sent him some fruits and healthy lunch boxes," Pei Qian interjected, which made Xu Hua become pouty.

"But I want to see Junfeng's older brother. He should be handsome just like Junfeng, right?"

"You can't. Didn't your daughter said he's unwell. Why would you go and bother him?" Pei Jin raised his eyebrow.

"Then we should invite him here instead! We'll invite him once he's back to health," somehow Xu Hua was overly excited with her own one-sided plan but nobody said anything. That was just her personality.

The family of four continued to chatter in harmony and the atmosphere was serene. Pei Qian lowered her head and realized that when her family mentioned Li Junfeng's name casually, she didn't feel sad that much and was able to talk normally, unlike before.

This was a good thing.

Pei Qian felt that her parents and brother were no longer trying to walk on eggshells around her. She inadvertently smiled at this thought. Having mentioned Li Shaoze many times but not associating him with Li Junfeng directly, was a good improvement. Thinking that Li Shaoze was also the indirect reason for this little accomplishment, she was a little thankful to him.