The Man in the Black Sweater - Chapter 15 — Matching Symptoms

Luo Xu understood then — she had begun to care about what a man thought of her.

He was the kind of man she’d never met before. She couldn’t say exactly what his strengths were, but she liked every single quality about him.

This man…
Would take her in and look after her just because of something his nephew said.
Would take her shopping because she felt insecure about not owning any designer clothes.
Would even offer to build a new doghouse because she secretly raised a puppy.

He was a workaholic — a man whose world revolved around his projects and plans.
He was cold on the surface but warm inside, mocking her intelligence one moment while helping her fit into this new place the next.
He was so handsome — in looks, in character, in temperament — that she lost all sense of direction around him.

How could she not care about how such a man saw her?
Even if it never became love, she wanted to leave this self-staged drama with dignity.

She hoped that one day, when he mentioned her in passing, he would say,
“Oh, that woman? She wasn’t bad.”

Just that — wasn’t bad — would be enough for her.

She stood on stage, lost in thought.
Tang You suddenly rushed up, hugged her tight, and planted playful kisses on her, probably thinking she sang even better than Don Juan himself.

Pei Heng spoke to her with a smile, but his words went in one ear and out the other — her mind was completely blank.

“Spacing out?”

Her eyelid twitched as she came back to her senses.
Pei Yan was pulling Tang You off her, looking at her with a gaze that carried a hint of concern.

She grinned foolishly, and it brought her whole self back to life.

The atmosphere soared to a new peak — more and more people took the stage to sing, some passionately, some humorously, all offering their blessings to Tang You tonight.

What good fortune, Luo Xu thought.
She herself had never once had a birthday party.

“You haven’t?” Pei Yan tilted his head at her.

Luo Xu blinked. “Did I say that out loud?”

Pei Heng nodded, laughing. “I can testify — everyone heard it.”

Luo Xu scratched her head with a sheepish “hehehe,” smiling awkwardly.

Pei Yan glanced at her and smirked. “So silly.”

Luo Xu lowered her head to eat her salad, while Pei Heng glanced at his older brother, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.

Some things — with time — quietly transform.
Water can ferment into wine.
Who can say what long, silent gazes might one day turn into?

Perhaps… family affection.
Or perhaps… love.

…..

Drinking too much water naturally made her need the restroom.
At the washroom door, Luo Xu ran into Pei Heng.

“Brother Pei Heng, can we talk for a minute?” she asked with a smile as she wiped her hands dry.

Pei Heng looked surprised. “I’ve never had anyone ask me to chat at a restroom door before.”

“Well, it just happened.” Luo Xu grinned.

He stepped aside to let her go first and asked with a smile, “How’s your stay at my brother’s place?”

“Very good. He takes good care of me.”

“He… takes care of people?” His tone was unmistakably surprised.

Luo Xu smiled, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking slightly. “Yes, he does. He’s very thoughtful.”

Pei Heng’s lips curved downward, his expression a mix of amusement and uncertainty.

Sensing the pleasant mood, Luo Xu casually said, “A month ago I was still in New York. I didn’t expect that now, here, I’d already have friends to talk to like this.”

“When Don Juan’s not around, we’re your friends,” Pei Heng said.

“Thank you.” Luo Xu tilted her head and smiled gratefully.

“Come to think of it,” he added, “I haven’t seen that kid in a long time either.”

“He’s been in New York all this time. You haven’t visited him?”

“No, I’ve been busy lately.”

“When was the last time you went?” Luo Xu asked casually, her hands tightening behind her back, though she wore an easy smile, as if it were small talk.

Pei Heng gave her a curious look. “Why are you asking that?”

“I just feel like… I’ve seen you somewhere before.” Luo Xu touched her nose and chuckled awkwardly.

Pei Heng already knew about her face-blindness from Pei Yan, so he wasn’t surprised. “I think it was around September…” He smiled faintly. “You can’t even remember faces — you sure you remember seeing me?”

September.
The pregnancy must have started around October.

“Just vaguely.” Her shoulders relaxed — a heavy stone lifted from her heart.

“But… maybe it was October. I’m not entirely sure.” Pei Heng frowned, trying to recall.

Luo Xu closed her eyes, holding her breath in her chest.

Pei Heng assumed that when she said she had seen him before, she must have mistaken him for Pei Yan. The two brothers looked alike, and for someone face-blind like her, it would be hard to tell them apart.

Trying to appear calm, Luo Xu brushed her hair back lightly and smiled. “How’s Sister Shen? I didn’t get to chat with her last time.”

“We broke up.”

“…Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine. It’s been a while.”

“…”

The air froze between them. Luo Xu couldn’t keep the conversation going, and by then, the banquet hall came into view.

She exhaled lightly. “I hope I can visit again sometime. Your house is really beautiful.”

“You’re always welcome.”

So even after meeting Pei Heng, she’d gained nothing useful. The child’s father was still a complete mystery.

If she could choose, she’d rather it be anyone but Pei Heng — even that cheating scumbag, Ross.
But some things aren’t yours to choose. Even if God once gave her the chance, that fleeting second of choice had long since passed away.

Pei Yan saw her standing at the doorway in a daze.
He put down his champagne and walked over. “Where did you go?”

“The restroom.”

He glanced toward Pei Heng, who had just walked off in the opposite direction, then looked back at her. “Don Juan will be back soon.”

Luo Xu’s heart gave a tremor. Why mention that out of nowhere?
Was he hinting… that her time here was almost over?

“Is that so.” She curved her lips into a faint smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Did you run into some trouble?” Pei Yan asked.

Luo Xu looked up at him seriously. “How do you always know everything?”

“Because your face says, ‘I’m confused.’ Even if I wanted to ignore it, it’s hard.”
He traced a small circle in the air, his finger stopping lightly at the center of her forehead.

Luo Xu took a step back and let out a small laugh. “You’re so smart, I bet you’ve never done something stupid enough to scare yourself to tears, huh?”

“That depends on how stupid,” he replied.

“What if I said… the baby in my belly isn’t Don Juan’s?”

Pei Yan: “…”

“Ha!” Luo Xu pointed at him and laughed. “See? I scared you, didn’t I!”

Pei Yan frowned. “That kind of joke isn’t funny.”

“So now you understand my confusion, right? That kind of ‘shock’ — even you’re surprised.” Luo Xu spread her hands helplessly.

Pei Yan said calmly, “Rather than standing here lost in confusion, why not start solving it?”

“How?”

“Start from where the problem began.”

“And what if the result turns out shocking?”

“What’s the worst it could be?”

“That the people I care about… will look down on me,” Luo Xu said, looking straight at him, as if searching for an answer in his eyes.

Pei Yan didn’t disappoint.
“If that person cares about you too,” he said, “he won’t look down on you.
But if you mean nothing to him, then no matter how bad it gets — to him, it’s just another outcome.”

Luo Xu lifted her head. The crystal chandelier’s light poured down her face like sunlight on a beach — and suddenly, the whole world seemed bright again.

The worst outcome… is just an outcome.

As always, he helped her find the answer.

Luo Xu smiled faintly.
If the child’s father really turned out to be Pei Heng, that wouldn’t be so bad —
at least the baby would be good-looking.

Like him.
And like him.

…..

Luo Xu’s closest friend was probably Monica.
She sent her an email describing everything — the entire process, her suspicions, and her eventual acceptance.

Monica’s reply was brief:

“I don’t think it’s the person you suspect — because you reject him.”

Luo Xu asked:

“Why? All the clues point to him.”

Monica replied:

“You reject him, darling. You don’t sleep with someone you reject. Physiologically, you wouldn’t even be able to reach climax.”

Cold sweat broke out on Luo Xu’s back.
She typed back:

“Maybe I remembered that night wrong? Maybe I didn’t actually enjoy it?”

Monica didn’t reply immediately this time — she was probably back in class.

Luo Xu lay on her bed, staring blankly at her phone, while Ross rubbed against her side.

Monica was right — the body doesn’t lie.
She never had that kind of feeling toward Pei Heng. Her whole being had rejected him.
It wasn’t that he was unattractive, but she didn’t feel that overwhelming rush, that wave that sweeps everything away…

Something just didn’t add up.

She was face-blind, yes — but not heart-blind.

When you’re close to someone, it’s never like that.
Closeness means wanting to approach them, wanting to know them more, to fit into their life, to be drawn to them — like Newton’s law.

Gravity.

That person should have a pull — strong, undeniable — like… like Pei Yan’s pull on her.

Luo Xu suddenly sat up straight, her eyes wide as saucers, horror flashing through them.

“Pei Yan!”

She threw off the blanket and jumped out of bed, running barefoot out the door.
Gripping the railing, she hurried downstairs, scanning around frantically.

Uncle Cui was checking the doors to make sure everything was locked. Seeing her suddenly appear, he asked,
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“Uncle, did Mr. Pei go to New York in October?” Luo Xu clutched the back of a nearby chair, her fingers almost snapping the wood.

One second. Two seconds. She could almost hear the ticking of a clock inside her head.

“No, he didn’t. He was on a business trip in Europe.”

“He didn’t?”

“That’s right. I remember it clearly. The European merger deal was finalized in October — precisely because Mr. Pei went there himself.”

“The whole month?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t feel too disappointed. After all, that possibility had only ever been her imagination.
Now that it was confirmed false, it wasn’t like a bucket of cold water over her head — it just made her realize she must be losing her mind.

She was crazy — crazy enough to think there might be some inexplicable connection between them.

Gripping the railing, she slowly made her way back upstairs, each step heavy.
The emptiness that followed excitement was draining.

But for just one brief second… she had truly thought it might be him.

Later that night, Monica saw Luo Xu’s messages and sent a single line in reply:

You must be falling in love…

Goosebumps spread across Luo Xu’s skin, and she shivered — as if something potent had just been injected into her veins.

She had been denying it all along, but it never worked.

Yes… maybe she had fallen for this man.
That’s why she started imagining that they had once been intimate — imagining that there was some invisible, tangled connection between them.

They say people in love develop a kind of delusion — seeing every event, every coincidence as somehow tied to him.

The symptoms matched perfectly.
The disease had reached the bone.

It seemed… Luo Xu’s world had truly fallen into love.