98: Chapter 98 Young Master Pei, is your lock broken?
Pei Yunxiao stared at the red "Verification Failed" notification on the fingerprint lock screen, his mind going blank, leaving only chaotic thoughts of "Who am I? Where am I? Should I just vanish on the spot?"
Had all those pretentious actions from just now turned into a joke?
Am I experiencing a social death?
Refusing to give up, Pei Yunxiao spat hard on his fingertip and rubbed it haphazardly on the hem of his high-end custom suit, which he usually cherished too much to let a single speck of dust touch.
This imported custom suit, worth over 800,000 yuan, was now being used as a hand towel, leaving a conspicuous wet mark.
He clenched his fists and took a deep breath. His fingertips were still trembling slightly, but he braced himself and pressed his finger against the fingerprint lock once more.
The screen lit up and then dimmed. The few seconds of waiting felt like half a century. "Beep—Fingerprint verification failed."
The cold mechanical voice rang out again like a slap, striking Pei Yunxiao hard across the face.
The surrounding flattery vanished instantly. The air was so still that he could hear the "thump-thump" of his own heartbeat and the sound of the distant fountain.
Dressed in his heavy suit, cold sweat trickled down from his temples, soaking his collar and making his hair stick to his skin. His current state of distress was a world away from the "wealthy young master" who had just stepped out of the car.
"What's going on, Young Master Pei? Why doesn't your lock recognize you?" Yellow-hair scratched the back of his head, his tone full of confusion.
But to Pei Yunxiao's ears, these words sounded like intentional sabotage. In Yellow-hair's eyes, Young Master Pei was the owner of this villa; it was too strange that he couldn't even open his own door.
Li Na and Wang Ting exchanged a glance, the admiration in their eyes gradually being replaced by suspicion.
The scene of the 870,000 yuan bill at Zhanghua Mountain Villa suddenly flooded their minds.
Young Master Pei couldn't afford to pay back then, and it was Song Zhiwei who settled the bill. Now he couldn't even open his own fingerprint lock. Could it be... there really was something wrong with Young Master Pei's identity as a rich second-generation heir?
"The lock must be broken!" Ruan Shu hurriedly rushed forward, shielding Pei Yunxiao as she smiled at the crowd. "The locks at Young Master Pei's house are imported; they occasionally have minor glitches. It's normal! Young Master Pei, how about calling the butler to fix it? Or use a spare key to open it?"
As she spoke, she shot Pei Yunxiao a meaningful look, hoping he would quickly smooth things over.
Pei Yunxiao's face turned the color of pig liver. He clenched his fists tightly. Where would he get a spare key?
Only the Song family and core servants like Butler Wang could open the fingerprint lock of this villa. He had been able to enter before because Song Zhiwei had a soft heart and let him record his fingerprint.
But he didn't know that Song Zhiwei had already instructed Butler Wang to delete his fingerprint, just waiting to see him make a fool of himself today.
"Maybe... maybe it's because my skin has been peeling lately, so the fingerprint isn't clear." Pei Yunxiao forced an excuse, his eyes darting around as he didn't dare look at the crowd. "We can just wait for the butler to open it. Everyone, don't worry yet."
Seeing Pei Yunxiao's helpless state at the fingerprint lock, Song Zhiwei curled her lips, her tone laced with blatant mockery. "Young Master Pei, this is the 'own villa' you mentioned. How is it that you can't even open the door? Could it be that the lock has recognized the wrong owner?"
These words were like a needle, precisely piercing Pei Yunxiao's heart.
He jerked his head up. The moment he saw Song Zhiwei, his pupils constricted, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back—why was she here? He clearly hadn't invited Song Zhiwei, precisely because he was afraid she would expose him like she did at Zhanghua Mountain Villa!
Scenes from Zhanghua Mountain Villa instantly flooded his mind: the 870,000 yuan bill, the humiliation of kneeling, the questioning looks from everyone...
Last time there were only three to five people, and he almost faced social death. This time, his entire class was here, even the student union officers and teachers, along with a group of social loafers who followed him for free food and drinks. If his identity were exposed on the spot, he would never be able to show his face in Jiang City again!
"No, I absolutely cannot let her ruin my party!" He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, as he made a silent resolution.
"Song Zhiwei! Why did you delete my fingerprint?!" In a moment of desperation, Pei Yunxiao turned the tables, his voice suddenly rising as he tried to shift the blame onto Song Zhiwei. "Don't go too far! This is my house. What right do you have to delete my fingerprint?"
He intentionally shifted the blame for the "deleted fingerprint" to hide his embarrassment at not being able to open the door and to lead everyone to believe that "Song Zhiwei was intentionally making trouble."
After all, in everyone's eyes, he was "Young Master Pei," while Song Zhiwei was just a "servant's daughter." No one would doubt his words.
"What? Song Zhiwei deleted Young Master Pei's fingerprint?" Ruan Shu exploded immediately, pointing at Song Zhiwei's nose and shouting, "You're too bold! You're just a servant's daughter, yet you dare touch things in Young Master Pei's house. Are you tired of living?"
Yellow-hair also jumped in to help—last time he had ordered a 620,000 yuan bottle of romanée-conti and hadn't paid Pei Yunxiao back yet, so now was the perfect time to do him a favor.
He stepped forward and pointed at Song Zhiwei's face. "Song Zhiwei, don't think you can act lawlessly just because Young Master Pei has a good temper! Young Master Pei has been good enough to you, yet you dare do such a thing. You really are an uneducated bitch!"
He turned to Pei Yunxiao and said, "Young Master Pei, someone like this should be fired. Keeping her around is just asking for trouble; who knows what kind of tricks she'll pull in the future!"
Song Zhiwei was so angry at their insults that she laughed. She took two steps forward and asked in a cold tone, "Fine, Young Master Pei. Are you going to fire me?"
Pei Yunxiao felt guilty under her gaze. How would he dare fire Song Zhiwei?
If he pushed her too far and she announced on the spot that this was the Song family's villa, he would be completely finished.
But with so many people watching, he couldn't show weakness. He could only hold his ground, maintaining his high-and-mighty posture. "Song Zhiwei, I won't hold it against you... Everyone is watching now. Hurry over and open the door. Stop messing around."
That last "stop messing around" was whispered very low, with a hint of pleading, as if he were afraid those around him would hear the crack in his facade.
Song Zhiwei, however, acted as if she hadn't heard his concession. Instead, she widened her eyes and intentionally raised her voice so that everyone outside the gate could hear clearly, "No, no, no. Young Master Pei shouldn't just let it go!"
She pointed at the tightly shut villa gate, a mocking smile curling on her lips. "You should hurry and take your good friends into your villa for the banquet."
These words were like a thorn, piercing deep into Pei Yunxiao's heart. He stood there without moving further; he knew that even if he tried a hundred more times, the result would be the same.
Only then did Wang Cuihua fully realize that her son didn't want to stay outside; it was Song Zhiwei who had deleted his fingerprint!
Seeing the dense crowd outside and her son's flushed face, she felt both anxious and frustrated. If everyone found out that Pei Yunxiao couldn't even open his own door, the reputation of "Young Master Pei" would be completely ruined!
Ignoring Song Zhiwei's attempt to stop her, she rushed to the door and reached out to press the fingerprint lock, muttering, "Honestly, it's such a small matter, yet the children have to wait. I'll open it..."
"Nanny Wang, don't move!" Song Zhiwei's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying an unquestionable authority.
Outside the gate, Ruan Shu was stomping her feet in anxiety. She grabbed the railing and shouted inside, "Song Zhiwei! Don't go too far! Young Master Pei has been lenient enough with you. What are you playing hard to get for? Hurry up and open the door to let us in. Don't delay everyone's dinner!"
She was extremely anxious—if they couldn't get into the villa, her previous boasting about being the "mistress of Young Master Pei's house" would turn into a total joke.