No reconciliation, no forgiveness! Mr. Pei leaves with nothing.

Pei Zhan noticed the gaze and lowered his eyes slightly to meet Jiang Hua's gaze. Jiang Hua seemed to be trying to see something in his eyes, but unexpectedly found that he had nothing in them except for calmness.

Despite it being a matter between the three of them, everyone was silent at this moment. Jiang Hua turned her gaze back to Song Qingran, whose eyes were already red and who looked pitiful. She bit her lip, retreating and struggling. It was obvious that she knew that her affair with Pei Zhan would be dishonorable if it were exposed, so she didn't dare to say a word.

Even her lackeys seem to know absolutely nothing, only blindly standing up for Song Qingran. It's hard to say whether to call her foolish or laughable...

Thinking about Song Qingran's importance in Pei Zhan's heart...

Jiang Hua instantly found it extremely boring.

"The person in charge isn't worried, but you maids are?" Jiang Hua, even without wearing high heels, is still half a meter taller than them. Now that she's wearing high heels, her height completely overshadows them. She leans down slightly to look at them. "What, are you so jealous that you can't stand to see me doing well?"

"Men are all inherently flawed; they're fickle and easily bored. I'm prettier than you all, and I have a better figure. If you don't like me, do you think you like me?"

"I didn't steal him, nor would I stoop to stealing him. Your Mr. Pei is right here. Let's see if Song Qingran can snatch him back!"

Jiang Hua smiled, her beauty captivating all the men present. Being beautiful is indeed a woman's asset, let alone a powerful man falling for a seemingly immature and undeveloped student. People are categorized, and people these days are becoming increasingly discerning. If others were given the choice, they would undoubtedly choose the best and most beautiful.

Jiang Hua stood up. "You can't compare to me in terms of family background, and you can't compare to me in terms of looks either. And you still say that I stole something from someone else? Sometimes, you should think about your own reasons and whether you have any self-awareness. Don't think that everything is yours."

Anyone who heard these words would feel utterly ashamed.

Jiang Hua's haughty and disdainful gaze deeply stung Song Qingran's heart. Yet, what she said was irrefutable; they were the ones in the wrong.

They were powerless to fight back. Jiang Hua turned around, took long strides forward, and naturally took Pei Zhan's arm. She glanced at him and said mockingly, "Junior Sister Song, if you don't come and snatch him away, I'm going to take him away. Don't say later that I didn't give you a chance."

Song Qingran stood up, her tone clear and firm, neither humble nor arrogant, her posture upright and composed as she calmly and steadily replied, "The rumors about Mr. Pei and me are all false. I have a boyfriend, he is my fiancé, and Mr. Pei... has absolutely nothing to do with me. We have caused you trouble today, and on their behalf, I apologize to you!"

sorry?

These three words are the cheapest things in the world.

Pei Zhan: "Clean it up."

Bodyguard: "Yes."

There were quite a few people filming around, and if this got out, it would definitely have an impact on the Jiang family.

Given Pei Zhan's style, his usual trick is nothing more than paying money to delete the video and lessen public opinion.

As they walked out of the mall, Pei Zhan hooked his arm around the woman beside him. Her waist was slender and straight. A gentle evening breeze carried the scent of her perfume to his nose. "Are you cold?"

Ignoring this feigned concern, Jiang Hua pushed away the person beside her, quickened her pace, and walked rather fast in front of him. "Back then, you grabbed me by the neck and told me not to cross your bottom line. Just now, I saw that you were quite tolerant. Were you planning to make a move against me all along?"

As I walked to the car and was about to open the passenger door, a strong arm appeared behind me and slammed the door shut. "I knew you'd handle it."

Seeing the hand beside her, Jiang Hua turned around, the man's face inches away. "What if I don't handle this well?"

"Actually, I'm really curious, what is it that made you love Song Qingran so much, but suddenly stop loving her?"

“You’ve said many times that Song Qingran is your bottom line, and that I shouldn’t touch her, because I can’t bear the consequences of doing so.”

"I want to know, back then... what would have been the consequences if I had actually done something to her."

Pei Zhan looked into her beautiful eyes and fell into a somber silence, because he couldn't tell her the truth. If she knew... she would be unable to accept it, just like he couldn't accept Ah Xu's death back then.

He glanced at her heart, then looked away briefly. Pei Zhan gave her an explanation that she might find hard to believe: "People's hearts change. Just like Mrs. Pei said, Mrs. Pei is beautiful and has a great figure. No man would refuse her."

"Moreover, the Jiang family is powerful and influential. If I lose my job as the president of the Jiang Group, then I will have to make Mrs. Pei squeeze into a 30-square-meter rental room with me."

The man's voice was magnetic and deep, with a seductive quality. The deep eddies in his eyes seemed capable of bewitching the mind. It was because of these eyes, which were so similar to Ji Liangchuan's, that Jiang Hua gradually developed feelings for him.

The night wind tousled her hair. Jiang Hua tucked it behind her ear, her smile mocking, "You..."

As the last character was uttered, the next second, Jiang Hua felt the person in front of her press down, her vision was blocked, and her lips felt a warm, moist touch…

Just then, the bodyguard and driver who were supposed to pick up Song Qingran arrived. The three of them walked together and immediately saw the two people kissing in front of the black car not far away, without any regard for pedestrians. Song Qingran felt an invisible hand gripping her heart, making her feel suffocated and unable to breathe.

For some reason, I suddenly remembered the things that happened between them.

In the brightly lit, flower-filled corridor, Song Qingran felt her heart race as the man's intense presence drew near. "Mr. Pei... you're too close."

“Miss Qingran, we should go back now. Your classmate’s wife has arranged other vehicles to pick them up and take them back.”

"Shameless bitch, Jiang Hua, you just wait." Xue Ruyao still had the signed documents for the establishment of the Jewelry Restoration Association in her hand. She dug her fingers into them hard, her eyes filled with hatred. "She's just a lowly prostitute who only knows how to use her body to get ahead. What's so great about her?"

Xiaoyu said irritably, "You were so kind to Qingran before, making her desserts by hand, and now she's trying to steal your boyfriend. Was what you just said to Qingran to upset him?"

Xue Ruyao: "It must be. If he weren't Qingran's boyfriend, why would he take Qingran to school every day and let her get into the Jiang Group?"

"Qingran, let me tell you, if he comes back to you and begs you to get back together, you must not agree to it easily."

The two cars were not too far apart.

Song Qingran's heart felt as if it were shattered beyond repair. She didn't know what they had said, but she simply told the bodyguard beside her, "Let's go." Her tone was clearly dejected.

Pei Zhan drove back to the hospital. Jiang Hua's face was all scrunched up, her bad mood written all over her face. She opened the passenger side mirror and saw that her lipstick was completely gone, and her lips were covered in lipstick, which she couldn't wipe off with a tissue. "You filthy thing, are you a dog?"

Pei Zhan turned to look at the woman beside him, "Mrs. Pei is quite strong too." Then he continued to look ahead and drive.

"Mrs. Pei? Now you know how to call me Mrs. Pei? How cowardly of you to call me that in front of Song Qingran?"

"Is it because you're afraid... that if she finds out my identity, it will deeply hurt her?"

"Honestly, I'm already looking forward to seeing what kind of expression Song Qingran will have when she finds out about our relationship... You know, she was trying to please me before so that I wouldn't tell anyone about you two."

"The person she went to such lengths to silence was actually Mrs. Pei."

"Pei Zhan... do you think it will be fun?"

Pei Zhan knew that she was capable of such a thing, and the consequences... were predictable.

His long silence instantly cooled Jiang Hua's initial expectations. She had known him since she was eighteen and had pursued him relentlessly for two years before they finally got married in the third year. That was just his temperament; when he talked about things he was unhappy about, Pei Zhan wouldn't argue with her, he would just remain silent. This kind of behavior is the most common form of emotional abuse between couples.

He said nothing, simply because he was afraid...

Because she's Jiang Weiguo's daughter, and he's just an ordinary person with no connections, she could have her father remove her from her position at the company whenever she was unhappy. However… that was in the past…

Now... Pei Zhan is different. His position is getting higher and higher, and he has climbed to a position that no one can reach. He is so terrifying that even his father does not dare to make any rash moves against him.

He didn't say anything; the answer was already obvious.

After so many disappointments, Jiang Hua had given up on him.

Ultimately, he was still concerned about Song Qingran's reputation. If it really came out, not only would Song Qingran be unable to stay at Imperial University, but the company and he would also be affected. Perhaps... Song Qingran might even commit suicide if she was provoked.

Jiang Hua also knows how to weigh the pros and cons.

"Previously, you planned to bring Song Qingran into the company. I must say, every step you've calculated is truly unexpected. You always manage to do things perfectly. Song Qingran's reputation has been affected, and the Jiang family has been impacted as well. Now you are the rightful leader of the Jiang family, and you're adept at winning people over; everyone in the company is on your side."

"Ji Liangchuan just couldn't do that..."

This name seemed to have triggered a switch in Pei Zhan's emotions, causing a subtle change in his expression.

When Dad sent Ji Liangchuan to intern at the company, he happened to be in the sales department. At that time, no one knew his identity. He was always coveted by older women and men while selling jewelry. Jiang Hua secretly watched his actions. All of his sales performance was achieved by Jiang Hua using her connections in the industry. After this was exposed, Dad was furious.

Jiang Hua rested her chin on her hand, watching the scenery rushing past the car window, and calmly said to him, "He's so indecisive about everything..."

"The sentence he said most often was, 'Don't bully people.'"

"Pei Zhan, since you're so capable, how about I give you some shares in return, and you help me find Ji Liangchuan? Hmm?"

When Jiang Hua turned to look at Pei Zhan, the man who had been indifferent to him now had a frighteningly cold expression, yet he held back his anger. Jiang Hua smiled and said, "We all have people we like. Besides, I've been with Ji Liangchuan for over ten years, while the total time I've spent with you is less than four years. You can't compare to him."

She was just telling the truth.

Not only him, but also Shen Yebai.

For over a decade, Ji Liangchuan was the person who stayed by her side the longest, besides her father. Back then… she had no one else by her side but Ji Liangchuan…

The saying "childhood sweethearts can't compete with those who suddenly appear out of nowhere" simply means people are tired of their childhood sweethearts and there's no novelty.

Jiang Hua is different. She may seem frivolous, but she is actually a person who is loyal and devoted. She believes in the order in which things come and go. The main thing is that Ji Liangchuan has occupied a place in her heart for too many years, and no one can compare to him.

Just then, the car arrived at the hospital entrance. As soon as the car stopped, Jiang Hua opened the door and said, "Is it really settled?!" She didn't care about the expression on his face and got out of the car.

Before the Jiang family's retribution arrived, Pei Zhan already sensed that the retribution had fallen upon him first.

Seeing that figure enter the hospital, Pei Zhan's lips curled into a slight smile, filled with helplessness and irony. He calmly rolled down the car window, lit a cigarette, and watched the people coming and going ahead, his eyes gradually dimming…

What she wanted to know, Pei Zhan also wanted to know: Sixteen years ago, he was the one by her side, and how would she have reacted?

The root of all the missed opportunities lies with Ji Liangchuan…

Jiang Hua pressed the elevator button and was about to go upstairs when a group of nurses suddenly ran over pushing a medical cart. "Quickly notify Dr. Zhou, there is a patient here whose old illness has flared up and who needs surgery for internal bleeding."

Jiang Hua turned her head and saw a scene that made her scalp tingle. She couldn't see who was lying there, but she could see that his exposed arms were covered with burn marks. She moved forward to make way for him, and when she saw the woman next to him, Jiang Hua realized that this intellectual and elegant woman was the one she had met at Xiangweiju not long ago.

She didn't pay much attention. When she went upstairs to the ward, Jiang Weiguo was lying in bed reading the newspaper. Xu Ma placed the washed fruit on the bedside table.

"Miss."

"Hmm," Jiang Hua responded, then sat on the edge of the bed and glanced at the heart rate monitor next to her.

"The commotion at the mall was quite significant." Jiang Weiguo put down his newspaper when he saw the people who had arrived.

"What does this have to do with me? They're the ones who came to provoke me."

It's not surprising that Jiang Weiguo knew, after all, that shopping mall was invested and opened by the Jiang family in the past, and the jewelry stores upstairs and downstairs were also under the Jiang family's control. How could Jiang Weiguo not know what was going on?

"Dad is just worried about whether you've been taken advantage of."

"How could I possibly suffer a loss at their hands? But this time, I really did suffer a loss; my application to the association was rejected..."

"Rejected? Is that so? But I heard from your grandfather that he just signed the papers today, agreeing to the association's application?"