The Fake Daughter Want to Be Villainess - Chapter 55

Jiang Shu became anxious all on her own.

She lowered her head and didn’t look at Pei Wang, focusing intently on fiddling with the corn scraps on the ground with her toes.

She heard Pei Wang let out a soft laugh, and then he replied generously, “Yes.”

Jiang Shu didn’t expect him to be so candid, and the interrogation she had mentally prepared suddenly got stuck.

She froze for a moment and stammered, “Huh?”

Pei Wang even crouched down to be at her level, lifting his eyelashes to reveal his light-colored eyes: “I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”

Jiang Shu was completely taken aback.

She stared blankly into Pei Wang’s eyes for a moment before widening her own in surprise: “Waiting for me to ask?”

Jiang Shu couldn’t understand: “Why?”

Pei Wang smiled again.

His features were elegant, always carrying a bit of aloofness typical of a wealthy young man, but when he smiled, his brows relaxed, bringing a youthful warmth to his demeanor.

He raised his hand and lightly tapped her forehead: “Stop pretending to be foolish.”

Jiang Shu widened her eyes, wanting to retort. What do you mean pretending—she wasn’t pretending at all—

But before she could voice her protest, she felt a gentle touch on her wrist; Pei Wang straightened up and placed his hand in front of her.

He spoke softly, “Let’s go; we need to find the Director to submit our tasks.”

Jiang Shu stared at his palm for a moment.

Suddenly, she understood.

Pei Wang had intentionally made sure the program team captured that moment; he knew she would see it and would guess his feelings—after all, he wasn’t hiding them at all.

He had been waiting for her, for her to confront him about his feelings.

Jiang Shu bit her lip.

The hand that Pei Wang extended felt more like a question; he was waiting for her answer.

Waiting for her to hold his hand or to push him away.

Jiang Shu leaned calmly against the wall.

Earlier, she had clung to Pei Wang, playing the victim and acting spoiled.

Jiang Shu placed her hand in Pei Wang’s palm and softly called out to him, “Brother.”

Pei Wang clasped her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

He led her downstairs, where they found the person in charge to get their tasks stamped, then headed to the village entrance.

At the village entrance, only a staff member was present. Jiang Shu approached to submit her task and casually asked, “Where’s the Director?”

The staff member took the card, pulled ten dollars from a drawer, and waved his hand enviously: “The Director thought it was too hot here and went inside.”

Right next to him was a fan, but he was still sweating profusely. As he picked up a bottle of water from the ground and was about to drink, he noticed Jiang Shu staring at him intently.The staff member’s actions paused. He looked around and then pushed the mineral water to the edge of the table: “Would you two teachers like some water?”

The lunch set included vegetable soup, but the amount of moisture in it was completely insufficient.

Jiang Shu showed a surprised expression: “Can we drink it?”

The program team actually provided things for free!

She bent down to grab the bottle of water when the staff member gently tapped the table.

He leaned in a bit and quietly reminded her, “The Director said it’s not permitted to give it; you two should drink quickly.”

As the staff member leaned in, he caught sight of Pei Wang and Jiang Shu’s hands intertwined under the table.

He was momentarily stunned, then suspiciously withdrew his gaze: “Have you chosen your tasks?”

Jiang Shu drank a bit less than half of the bottle of water, then handed the mineral water to Pei Wang, stepping aside: “You pick a task.”

Since hearing about Pei Wang’s impressive performance that morning, Jiang Shu no longer trusted her luck.

Pei Wang flipped through the cards and casually pinched one: “The rules for the new task have all been patched up.”

He showed it to Jiang Shu: “All tasks require the guests to complete them independently.”

At the bottom of the task explanation on the back of the card, there were a few handwritten notes: the task could only be executed by program guests.

Jiang Shu felt a bit disappointed: “Does that mean we can’t earn many points in the afternoon?”

Pei Wang put the card back and chose a new task.

He comforted Jiang Shu: “The points earned in the morning are already enough; every point in the afternoon is extra.”

He placed the selected card in Jiang Shu’s palm: “Shall we do this one?”

It was a task to help an elderly person clean their yard.

It also offered a modest ten points.

Jiang Shu thought the task was acceptable; she nodded and then looked at the staff member: “We would like to purchase our accommodation for tonight in advance.”

“We want a regular guesthouse.” Jiang Shu stood in front of the program team’s sign, trying to see what information was available: “Are the two regular guesthouses the same?”

The staff member pulled out a brochure: “Not the same.”

“You are the first to purchase accommodation, and as a reward, you can know all the information about the houses.”

The brochure featured a few real photos. Jiang Shu skipped the ones with bright sunlight, private bathrooms, and large beds, and directly looked at the regular guesthouses.

The regular guesthouses were located in villagers’ homes, with two guesthouses available—one at the east end of the village and the other at the west.

The one at the east end was occupied by two elderly people, while the house on the west side housed a young family. The east-end house was smaller and older, with only one room left for guests, whereas the west side was newly renovated, with updated facilities and two rooms available.

This truly required no choice.

Jiang Shu pointed to the house on the west side and turned to Pei Wang: “Shall we stay here? We can each have a room.”

Pei Wang lightly lowered his eyelashes: “At the same price, I feel there shouldn’t be such a large disparity between the two guesthouses.”

He placed his hand on Jiang Shu’s hand: “I think the west-side house might have some hidden pitfalls.”

Pei Wang lifted his eyelashes, looking gently at Jiang Shu: “What do you think?”

His expression was calm, and his tone was steady, with each statement reflecting rational analysis. He didn’t conclude but instead asked for her opinion.

Jiang Shu felt swayed. Following Pei Wang’s line of reasoning, she thought: “That makes sense.”

The program team indeed seemed like the kind of people who would set such small traps.

She pointed to the guesthouse on the east side: “Then let’s stay here.”

Pei Wang did not dispute. The staff member glanced at their hands intertwined and then took the hundred yuan that Jiang Shu handed over.

He retrieved a red card: “This is your check-in voucher; please keep it safe.”

The check-in voucher was quite simple, containing the detailed address of the accommodation, with the staff member filling in their names at the bottom right corner.

The staff member handed the card to Jiang Shu, emphasizing: “You can check into this house at any time.”

The implication of this statement was subtle.Jiang Shu blinked and turned her head to exchange a glance with Pei Wang before finally taking the card and thanking the staff member.

She subtly tugged at Pei Wang’s hand: “Shall we go check out this house first?”

The two of them walked away together.

The staff member watched their departing figures, furrowing his brow as he thought for a moment, then he couldn’t help but tap another colleague: “Do you think your brother and sister would hold hands?”

The colleague looked at him in confusion: “Of course not.”

“Still holding hands,” he chuckled awkwardly. “My sister usually opts to twist off my skull with one hand.”

The staff member complexly turned back.

He glanced again at Jiang Shu and Pei Wang, who had walked far away—

They really weren’t holding hands anymore; Jiang Shu was playfully slapping Pei Wang’s arm, making it seem like they were teasing each other… oh no, they were just horsing around.

The staff member dreamily withdrew his gaze.

Perhaps the way siblings from wealthy families interact is just different from theirs.