Standing Next To You-Chapter 546: Peace offering

The way Fei Chuan’s entire expression froze when he saw her. The way he instinctively moved to follow her.

It all pointed to one thing—that woman meant something to him.

Melanie felt her heart crack.

Had Fei Chuan ever looked at her that way?

She didn’t know why that woman had run away, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. But something in her gut told her that the connection between them was deeper than just friendship.

After all, Fei Chuan wasn’t the type to let a woman get close to him so easily.

All this time, Melanie had believed she was special to him.

But now... she wasn’t so sure.

Because it seemed that someone else had already taken that place in his heart.

And that realization made her want to cry.

....

"Madame."

A young man’s voice interrupted the silence around her. Bei Sangyun instintively looked up and saw a young man in a butler’s uniform.

"Are you lost? Would you like me to help you find your way?"

Bei Sangyun quickly set aside the items she was carrying and wiped away her tears. She stood up, though her legs felt numb and unsteady. Still, she forced herself to decline the young man’s offer.

"It’s okay. I have someone waiting for me. Thank you."

"Alright. The village is safe, but still, would you allow me to accompany you while you wait for your companion?" The young man removed his suit jacket and handed it to her. "It gets cold at night. Please wear this for now."

Bei Sangyun rejected his offer. She couldn’t help but suspect this overly kind stranger.

However, she couldn’t spare a moment to dwell on his intentions—her mind was too preoccupied with Fei Chuan and Melanie.

A short while later, Driver Chen arrived, and Bei Sangyun got into the car.

As the vehicle pulled away, the young butler let out a sigh. He slipped his suit jacket back on and turned toward Fei Chuan’s villa.

But then, he noticed something on the ground.

The woman had left behind her bag.

She must have been too distracted to realize she had forgotten it.

"...So that’s the ’friend’ who’s been delivering food to Master," he muttered to himself. "Then who’s the other woman?"

He recognized Driver Chen, the person who picked up the woman who was squatting on the ground earlier—he was the same person who had been bringing food for the past week.

He had assumed the ’friend’ his master had been exchanging gifts with was the beautiful blonde woman who visited today. But now... it seemed to be the other beautiful woman instead.

So this was a love triangle?

Both women were stunning. Well, what could he say? His master was an exceptionally handsome man.

But the real question was—who held his master’s heart?

The woman he had just accompanied?

Or the woman his master had asked him to follow... to ensure her safety?

.....

"Did she get home safely?" Fei Chuan asked the moment the young butler arrived.

The young butler was still standing at the entrance, momentarily stunned to see his master eagerly waiting for him. A thought seemed to solidify in his mind, and he looked at Fei Chuan with a knowing expression.

"She left with her driver."

"...I see." Fei Chuan hesitated for a moment. "...How was she?"

"I found her squatting on the ground. Oh, right—she forgot this. I think it was meant for you."

Fei Chuan paused, appearing unsure whether to accept the item or not. In the end, he turned away.

"It’s not mine. I’ll ask Assistant Chen to send it to her house later."

"But if she came all the way to your house with food, doesn’t that mean it was meant for you?"

Fei Chuan abruptly turned back and eyed the bag. "Food?"

"It looks like she made it herself. I noticed her fingers were covered in bandages—just like Madame Melanie’s. Anyway, if you don’t want it, Master, you can give it to me."

Fei Chuan immediately responded, "No."

Realizing he had spoken too quickly, he cleared his throat and corrected himself. "This should be returned."

"I understand, Master. I’ll place it on the kitchen table and inform Assistant Chen so he can return it later." The young butler bowed and excused himself.

Fei Chuan was left alone in the living room, silent, lost in his own thoughts.

.....

It was late at night when Fei Chuan quietly made his way to the kitchen. His eyes landed on the bag the young butler had mentioned earlier.

He had tried to ignore it, convincing himself it didn’t matter. But his mind refused to rest. Images of Bei Sangyun running away kept replaying in his head.

What was she doing there? Was she really coming to his house?

And why was she bringing food?

More importantly... why had she run away?

He told himself it was useless to dwell on it. Yet in the end, he had left his bedroom and come here.

Maybe if he checked the food, his mind would finally quiet down. He wanted to believe it wasn’t for him. No—he needed to deny the foolish thoughts that still clung to the woman who had once hurt him.

Fei Chuan opened the package and found several containers inside. As he picked one up, a small note fluttered to the ground.

He bent down, picked it up, and immediately recognized Bei Sangyun’s handwriting.

[You might not want to listen to me, and I understand if you don’t want to talk. Still, I want to apologize for hurting you.

I know my apology won’t erase the wounds I left behind, but I hope you’ll allow me to make up for what I did. I want to show you that I truly care about you and that my feelings are sincere.

This isn’t much, but I hope you’ll like it.]

Fei Chuan stared at the note for a long time.

So it was meant for him.

But what did it matter?

They were over. Done. There was no going back. He had moved on. He would never trust or love her again.

Because she couldn’t be trusted.

Even at the end, she had spun lies and made up stories to confuse him. He would be a complete fool to forgive her—to pretend that everything was fine.

His fingers curled tightly around the note before he crushed it into a ball and tossed it into the trash. Then he grabbed the container, intending to throw it away as well.

But just as his hand hovered over the garbage can, the young butler’s words echoed in his mind.

"It seems she made it herself. I saw her fingers covered in bandages..."

Fei Chuan clenched his jaw.

So what?

He wanted to throw it away.

But his fingers wouldn’t let go.

Frustrated, he slammed the container back onto the table and let out a low, irritated groan.

He glared at it as if willing it to disappear.

But after a long silence, he exhaled sharply and made a move.

He opened the container.

A familiar aroma greeted him, and for a moment, he froze.

This was one of his favorite dishes.

The same dish Grandma Bei rarely cooked for him—because it was too complicated to make.

Did she... cook this?

He opened another container.

Another favorite. This was the dish he used to eat all the time back in high school.

He opened the third.

It was the same meal from his favorite food stall—the one he used to stop by on his way to Tian Shen High.

Fei Chuan stared at the food in silence.

This wasn’t something a beginner could cook perfectly on the first try.

How many attempts had she made? How much time had she spent just to get one dish right?

His fingers curled into a fist.

So what if she made my favorite dishes?

That didn’t change anything.

They might not even taste good. They might not even come close to what he remembered.

He wouldn’t eat them.

What if she had poisoned it?

But even as those thoughts crossed his mind, his hand had already reached for a spoon.

He took a bite.

His eyes widened slightly.

Then he took another.

And another.

Before he realized it, he had finished the entire first container.

His stomach felt full for the first time that night.

And strangely... so did the emptiness in his heart.