I Want a Lifetime with You
Chapter 325

When Li Heng tilted Pei Huan's chin up and bored his burning gaze into her eyes, she was overwhelmed by a wave of emotions.

The past three years were hard for her too. The fact that he wasn't there for her every time she needed him when she jolted awake from a nightmare made her feel resentful of him as days passed. When the last straw broke the camel's back, she finally left him.

Sensing that Pei Huan was hurting, Li Heng whispered, "Huan, are you okay?"

Pei Huan shoved him away as soon as Li Heng called out to her. As she regained her senses, she glared coldly at him and warned, "Things between us are long over. If you think you can reconcile with me, you are so wrong. Over my dead body!"

Not able to bear his presence without remembering her sorrowful past, Pei Huan ran out. Li Heng could only watch her leave. After staring wistfully after her for a long time, he went in to see Bao.

His mind was whirling with ideas on how to get Pei Huan back, but it was impossible to solve the massive amount of misunderstandings between them.

The frown on his face turned into a smile at the sight of Bao in deep sleep. Despite Pei Huan denying that Bao was his child, he knew she was lying.

As for He Beiting...

Li Heng narrowed his eyes. He thought that He Beiting was familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was.

Shi Nuan was preparing the ingredients for the hotpot when Pei Huan made her way to the kitchen as if she had seen a ghost.

"What is it, Huan?"

Pei Huan took a deep breath to calm herself down. She watched in awe as Shi Nuan chopped the vegetables skillfully. Ignoring Shi Nuan's question, Pei Huan exclaimed, "I didn't know you are good at cooking!"

"Well, you know now." Shi Nuan nodded her head and searched her eyes while continuing with the food preparation. "Is Bao asleep?"

Pei Huan nodded and went over to Shi Nuan's side. "Let me help you."

"Sure." Shi Nuan shifted aside to make room for Pei Huan. "Do you know how to cook too?"

"Yes. I had to take care of my own meals back when I was in Jiang City. After giving birth to Bao, I usually prepare his meals to make sure that he's getting the nutrition he needs for his growth." Rinsing the vegetables, Pei Huan continued, "You and my brother seem to be quite chummy together!"

Shi Nuan smiled at the remark. "So, that time when you didn't allow Bao to go to the amusement park... Is it because something bad happened to him before?"

Pei Huan shuddered as the sudden change of conversation brought back unpleasant memories. She remained still and quiet for a moment before giving Shi Nuan a slight nod. "Bao was nearly kidnapped when he was two. After that, he became less talkative and more fearful of other people."

"Is that so?" Shi Nuan was surprised. "Bao doesn't seem to be afraid around us and Li Heng."

Noticing Pei Huan tense up when she mentioned Li Heng, Shi Nuan pursed her lips and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you by mentioning him, but..."

"I know." Pei Huan smiled helplessly. "I didn't come back here and expect anything less, but..."

"But what?"

"I thought he would have already been married, you know, since he had... He had someone else before."

"Did he?" Shi Nuan was perplexed by the notion. "Are you sure? Li Heng has been waiting for you all these years! From what I know, he has never stopped looking for you! I may not know what happened to both of you in the past, but there's one thing that I can be sure of, and that is that you are the only one he loves."

Shi Nuan could tell that Li Heng was deeply in love with Pei Huan, or he wouldn't have waited so many years for her.

Not wanting to delve deeper into the topic, Pei Huan hurriedly changed the conversation and asked, "How did you and my brother know each other? Does the Fu clan know about you?"

Shi Nuan hesitated before replying, "Our encounter wasn't exactly romantic... To be honest, it was quite a rollercoaster ride, but he treats me well. We were married secretly at first, but now that the Fu clan know about me, they aren't exactly pleased with my existence."

Pei Huan snorted. "It doesn't matter. It's not as if you married the whole Fu clan! As long as my brother loves you, everything will be fine."

Li Heng overheard Pei Huan and Shi Nuan talking when he came down from upstairs. He listened for a long while before making his way to the living room.

Su Shaoqing was the first to arrive that night. He didn't even bother to change his uniform after ending his shift at the hospital. Upon entering the living room, he exclaimed, "This smells really good, Mrs. Fu!" Shi Nuan came out from the kitchen. Seeing that Su Shaoqing was alone, she asked, "Where's Li Heng?"

"Yes?" Li Heng appeared at the entrance to the backyard.

"Speak of the devil. I thought you've gone somewhere else. Please wait for a moment, as we will be starting dinner as soon as Yan is back."

"Hey, what about me?" Su Shaoqing demanded. “I'm here too! Why aren't you informing me to wait?"

Shi Nuan smirked. "I don't have to. You are the sort of person who shows up at dinner without an invitation." After making the sarcastic remark, she went back to the kitchen.

Su Shaoqing raised his eyebrows and looked back and forth between the kitchen and Li Heng. Finally, he asked, "Where's Pei Huan?"

"In the kitchen."

Su Shaoqing nodded and walked toward Li Heng. Nudging him with his arm, he whispered, "I can help schedule a DNA test with Bao..."

Li Heng's expression darkened as he turned to face Su Shaoqing. "No!"

Puzzled by Li Heng's defiance, Su Shaoqing blurted, "Really? Aren't you curious if Bao is your son? Isn't Pei Huan married to someone else..."

"I said no!" Li Heng snapped impatiently, "Don't you have anything else to do?"

Su Shaoqing shrugged. "I'm only offering to help because you're my friend." In fact, he didn't have any doubts about Bao being Li Heng's son because Bao looked identical to Li Heng when he was the kid's age. It wasn't apparent until they bonded over the past few days. Bao seemed to be very fond of Li Heng as well.

Since Pei Huan wouldn't admit that Bao was Li Heng's son, the best that Su Shaoqing could do was to suggest a DNA test to clear Li Heng of his doubts. Surely Pei Huan can't deny the results of the DNA test! As if guessing Su Shaoqing's thoughts, Li Heng glanced at him and warned, "You're not going to do it without my permission!"

Rolling his eyes, Su Shaoqing quipped, "Fine. You're such a boring person."

Then, hearing the distant sound of a car engine, he announced, "Chengyan's back!"

Having heard the knock on the door, Su Shaoqing moved toward it lazily and grumbled, "Chengyan, why can't you open the door yourself... Jingxiu?" Su Shaoqing widened his eyes in surprise when he saw Pei Jingxiu and the woman beside him. "Firecracker?"

Pei Jingxiu glanced at him. "What? Am I not welcomed here?"

Aware of Pei Jingxiu's dangerous glare, Su Shaoqing shook his head and gulped, "No, of course, you're welcome! Come in!" He turned to Ning Xi and asked, "Firecracker, why are you here?" Ning Xi ignored him and entered the living room with Pei Jingxiu.

Su Shaoqing smiled innocently and followed Ning Xi. "Well, Firecracker, you could have given me an acknowledging smile at least! After all, we've known each other for so long. Aren't you happy to see me?" "You're making such a fuss." Ning Xi cast him a sideways glance and snapped, "No wonder you're still single. I don't think anybody can stand you!"

Su Shaoqing choked at her sarcastic remark. He glared at her and retorted, "I'm single because I don't care, alright? Women are always at my beck and call. Are you having a crush on me, Firecracker?" When Su Shaoqing said that, the living room fell silent.

He froze when he sensed Pei Jingxiu glaring at him as if he had done something gravely wrong. Pei Jingxiu looked like he was about to kill him on the spot.

Ning Xi rolled her eyes and muttered something that had to do with Su Shaoqing's childishness before walking toward Pei Jingxiu, who glanced at her. "Have a seat."

Su Shaoqing felt hurt when he saw Ning Xi obeying Pei Jingxiu. "I'm not the only one single here, Firecracker. Jingxiu is also single, and he's older than me!"

Pei Jingxiu looked up at him. "Got a problem with that?"

"No! Of course not." Su Shaoqing didn't dare provoke Pei Jingxiu. "I'm going to the kitchen to help Nuan!"

Helping out in the kitchen was the best solution to avoid getting into trouble with Pei Jingxiu or Li Heng.

Pei Jingxiu glared after Su Shaoqing until he disappeared into the kitchen. He returned his gaze to Ning Xi and asked, "Do you like him?"

Appalled, Ning Xi shook her head vigorously.

"Alright." Pei Jingxiu gave her a curt nod and crossed his slender fingers before turning to Li Heng, who was opposite him. "Now that Pei Huan's back, what are you going to do?"

There was a long silence before Li Heng sighed. "It's been three years. Maybe some things are never meant to be." Levelling his gaze with Pei Jingxiu, he asked, "Aren't you supposed to go back to Sheen City?"

Pei Jingxiu frowned and replied, "Something happened to Aunt Ning Xin. I'm worried."

It was natural for Pei Jingxiu to feel attached to Ning Xin because she took care of him and Fu Chengyan when they were kids.

"Now that Huan's back, I'm sure she'll be fine." Li Heng was determined to look after her as well. "Did you do the DNA test?"

Li Heng knew the answer to his question as soon as he saw Pei Jingxiu's slight frown. "What's with the sloppiness?" Li Heng asked skeptically.