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

But she didn't want to leave. She hadn't yet fulfilled her dreams here, hadn't yet proven to him that she hadn't let him down. She used to think Pei Zhan was just a domineering, autocratic, and inhumane bastard who would only lock her up and treat her like a caged bird. But from some point onward, Song Qingran gradually began to change her opinion of him. Working under him, witnessing his decisive and efficient actions, navigating every business negotiation with ease, she saw a side of him she had never seen before—a side that seemed to suggest he was always meant to be this way…

He has his own marriage, but Song Qingran has never seen his wife. On his ring finger, he always wears a silver ring that he never takes off.

Thinking he was unfaithful to his marriage, Song Qingran accompanied him to various events, and many women were attracted to him—daughters of wealthy families, celebrities, models, and all sorts of women. He rejected all of them, and he would always talk about having a wife. He never hid the fact that he was married and kept his distance from everyone.

She used to avoid him like the plague, and she hated him so much, but in fact, Mr. Pei is a really good person.

Well, it was indeed her fault in this matter, and no one else can be blamed. She thought that she could help the school's studio by using her connections. As for the jewelry repair, it was because they were too inexperienced that they got into this mess.

Song Qingran shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's my fault... I've disappointed you."

She bowed deeply to Pei Zhan, her voice trembling slightly.

“Mr. Pei, all of this was caused by this incident. I understand what kind of consequences it would have if it had escalated. It’s already a blessing that Ayao and I are all safe and sound. I don’t dare to ask for anything more. I will… listen to you and go back to school to do what I should do.”

"I'm still young, and I still have a chance to make up for everything. In the future, I will definitely come back."

"Next time... I definitely won't let you down."

Pei Zhan looked at Song Qingran, whose behavior and every move were exactly like hers, and his deep eyes gradually dimmed.

At the same time, another voice echoed in my mind.

"I'm sorry, brother, I didn't do well on the test. It's all because Xiaopang kept talking to me during class. Next time... I'll definitely get a perfect score to show you."

At that moment, there was a knock on the office door.

Pei Zhan: "Come in."

Zuo Xiangnan pushed open the door and entered, holding a uniform in his hand. "It will take almost an hour for the clothes from the mall to be delivered, so I'm sorry to trouble Miss Song to wear this one from the studio for now."

Song Qingran said, "No need. Even if I am no longer an employee of Jiang's, I shouldn't be here. This is your private office, and it's... inappropriate."

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Pei. It's nothing for me. I can just go back and change it."

Goodbye, Mr. Pei.

After quickly finishing her sentence, Song Qingran turned and left the president's office. Perhaps her shoes were uncomfortable, because she seemed to stumble as she left. Song Qingran never imagined that she would appear in front of him in such a disheveled state.

What they're doing is definitely inappropriate.

After Song Qingran left, Zuo Xiangnan did not make the decision to let her stay.

"The jewelry restoration matter was initiated by Mrs. Mo, who contacted Miss Song. Since she is an employee of Jiang's, I don't think she would be unaware of the terms of the internship contract. I only found out after looking into it... Miss Song withdrew from the jewelry restoration studio from the very beginning. The people in the studio did try to get Miss Song to use her connections to bring benefits to the studio, but... Miss Song refused them all."

"However, Miss Song had no dealings with Mrs. Mo in this matter. She only said that she met the jewelry repair studio through Miss Song in order to give Shen Wanrou an explanation."

Pei Zhan: "I know." He uttered three words casually.

"President Pei, you know?"

Pei Zhan: "Song Qingran has the ability to become the top liberal arts student at the Imperial University. She should also understand the rules of the internship contract. If she really dares to use the company's resources to bring resources to the school's studio, she knows the pros and cons. No one would ruin their future for a studio that has nothing to do with them. How could she not know the abilities of those students in the jewelry restoration elective class? They simply don't meet the restoration standards. If she really did that, she wouldn't be back at the company today."

The Jiang family's cultivation of her surpassed that of the school, but with Song Qingran's qualifications, it would not be difficult for her to obtain a full scholarship from the school and secure a place to study abroad.

The path is one's own choice; it remains to be seen whether Song Qingran can persevere in the field of jewelry design.

If she can't even handle this much setback, then it just means... she's not suited for this path.

As soon as Song Qingran entered the president's elevator, someone stepped out of the employee elevator behind her.

Zhou Yan crossed her arms and frowned slightly. How did she end up coming out of the CEO's office?

"Director Zhou?" A voice broke her thoughts.

Zhou Yan snapped out of her daze, smiled at Zuo Xiangnan, and said, "Long time no see, Assistant Zuo."

Zuo Xiangnan nodded. "President Pei, you have a meeting in your office in fifteen minutes. Do you have something to attend to?"

Zhou Yan: "It's nothing, just catching up. It's been so long, Assistant Zuo, you've gotten even more handsome."

Zuo Xiangnan nodded in response to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan, in her high heels, walked into the CEO's office. Her gaze immediately fell on the open door to the CEO's private lounge behind Pei Zhan, which had a hidden compartment. "You, this is..."

The last argument didn't damage their relationship.

To her, their arguments were nothing more than minor squabbles between family members, and she didn't take them to heart at all.

"What were you and Qingran doing just now?" The tone carried a hint of accusation.

Pei Zhan did not respond to this matter. "Is there something you need?"

"I'll be the main speaker at this meeting, so if I say anything wrong, please be lenient, bro."

"You have so little confidence in yourself?" Pei Zhan raised his wrist and glanced at the time.

"It's all because of you. You've been very strict with me and Ah Xu since we were little. You always want us to do everything to the extreme. I'm afraid... that you'll think I'm not capable enough to be the design director of King Group." Zhou Yan suddenly mentioned Zhou Xu, as if she was reminding Pei Zhan of something.

Actually... Zhou Yan just wanted to tell him that no matter what Song Qingran thought, she was just a fake.

No matter how similar they look, she could never be Ah Xu.

Pei Zhan raised his eyes and saw Zhou Yan in front of him. Her appearance had changed slightly, but he only glanced at her before closing the file. "It's almost time. Let's go to the conference room."

Zhou Yan stepped forward, leaning her hand on the man's desk and leaning slightly forward. "Brother, didn't you notice any change in my face?"

Pei Zhan said, "Ayan, this is the company. Be mindful of your behavior."

"This is during working hours. We can talk about it after get off work."

Zhou Yan straightened up and brushed her hair behind her shoulder. "Okay."

...

After taking a taxi back, Song Qingran did not return to Fengwu Mansion, but went back to her mother's side.

Song's mother was moved to a better-equipped single-story house, and Xia He even hired a nanny to take care of her.

Standing at the door, Song Qingran heard her mother's laughter coming from inside the house. She said those things in front of Mr. Pei, but she was only pretending not to care. How could she not care in her heart? Her face inevitably showed her low spirits. In order not to worry her mother, Song Qingran composed herself before taking out her key to open the door and go in.

Upon seeing her return, Song's mother happily went up to her, "Qingran? Why are you back? Don't you have to go to the company today?"

"My goodness, what happened to you? Why are you all wet?"

If she were lying, her mother would see right through her. Song Qingran turned her back and changed her shoes. "Ah, I'm fine. The team leader said that I was worried that my body wasn't fully recovered and I wouldn't be able to handle the intensity of overtime work, so he let me come back."

"I got caught in the rain on the way back, but I'm fine."

"Mom, I'm going back to my room to take a shower. Don't call me for dinner. I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm going to get some sleep."

"Alright, alright, go ahead. Tonight, Mom will cook your favorite dishes herself." Song's mother watched with suspicion as Song Qingran returned to her room and closed the door.

When Song Qingran woke up, it was already dark outside. She glanced at her phone and saw that she had received more than a dozen missed calls, all from Aunt Xia.

Song Qingran quickly called back, and the call was answered very soon.

"Qingran, why didn't you answer the phone? Auntie sent the driver to pick you up from work, but he didn't see you. Auntie thought something had happened to you."

Song Qingran got up. "Auntie, I'm fine... I'm home now. I'm sorry I made you worry."

Xia He: "Why did you come home all of a sudden? Is it... because you weren't happy staying here?"

"No, that's not it," Song Qingran explained anxiously. "I'm very happy to be with you. I just... haven't been back for a long time and wanted to see my mother, so I came back."

"Oh, I'm relieved to see you're alright. Auntie was worried because I thought something had happened to you. Remember to call me if anything happens in the future."

Song Qingran obediently replied, "Yes, thank you for your concern, Aunt Xia. I'll remember."

"You should also get some rest and remember to take your medicine on time." Song Qingran knew that she was not in good health and needed a professional nutritionist to take care of her body.

When Song Qingran opened the email, she saw that it was from the HR department of Jiang's company, an email announcing her dismissal.

Because of the injury, Jiang gave her a considerable sum of compensation…

The compensation amounted to over 600,000 yuan.

However, she did not accept the money. The next day... after dawn, she went to the bank counter to process the refund.

She shouldn't have accepted this money in the first place...

Without Jiang's income, Song Qingran had no choice but to find another restaurant job. She had already survived such hard times before, so she could just start over.

Song Qingran never thought of relying on anyone to survive. No matter how good others were to her, she had to repay that kindness. If she just kept depending on others, her self-respect wouldn't allow it. She... still had many debts to pay off.

Aunt Xia, Bai's mother is very good... but she still doesn't belong to their social class. She's just an ordinary person. If she continues to sink into depravity, Song Qingran doesn't know if she will ever be able to get out of it.

She will eventually have to come back and come to terms with her life...

She couldn't fit into anyone's world, including the world of the rich; they weren't from the same world to begin with.

She felt that everything was already pretty good, at least... her mother was still by her side...

Song Qingran eventually found a part-time job at a coffee shop near the school. She signed a confidentiality agreement regarding the company, which stipulated that she could not disclose anything to anyone.

"Miss Song?"

It's the weekend, and because of a shortage of staff, Song Qingran went straight to work after successfully interviewing, and the store is busy right now.

Hearing the familiar voice, Song Qingran looked up. "Brother Xiang Nan? What are you doing here? Would you like something to drink? It's on me."

Zuo Xiangnan: "Whatever."

"Then, try our signature dish. I'll make it for you right now."

Today he came to prepare for the jewelry restoration exhibition hall and needed to deliver some items. Imperial University issued passes, and one car after another entered Imperial University, delivering valuable jewelry. Several world-famous pieces of jewelry are in the hands of the Jiang family and are never circulated to the outside world.

The jewels were being escorted by top-tier armed forces; losing even one piece would have unimaginable consequences, so a large number of bodyguards were deployed to protect the area.

All the jewelry on display was provided by the Jiang family. There will be quite a few other people who will be exhibiting at the same time. To be able to attend this exhibition, you will need a special quota.

I just don't know how President Pei managed to persuade Miss Jiang to agree to hold this exhibition...

The association was robbed, losing their only chance. Given Miss Jiang's temper, the fact that she didn't tear those people apart was already considered showing mercy.

Jiang Hua, a person who is aloof and intolerant of even the slightest imperfection, actually allowed this exhibition to be held...

Royal Dragon Bay, the Jiang family.

Jiang Hua didn't seem to have any intention of returning to Jinsha Shallow Bay. She stayed at home for several days and didn't go to school anymore. Jiang Weiguo no longer had any demands on her. He used to hope that she would study design well and get into the company, but now... thinking about her health, he lowered his standards again and again. Staying at home was not a bad thing.

Pei Zhan, who had never set foot in Yulong Bay before, also started living here with Jiang Hua. The originally cold and desolate villa finally had a bit of life for Jiang Weiguo.

Jiang Weiguo played Connect Four with the bored Jiang Hua. Perhaps because her father was letting her win, she captured several white pieces. "Huahua," Jiang Weiguo said, "Daddy wants to know what you think..."

Jiang Hua rested her chin on her hand, her eyes fixed intently on the chessboard. She couldn't understand why her father and that dirty thing Pei Zhan would enjoy playing such a boring game. She said with utter boredom, "What could they possibly be thinking? The purpose of this jewelry restoration exhibition is simply to let those uncultured people see the world and learn about the Jiang family's jewelry restoration tradition. It's so hard to pass down intangible cultural heritage from generation to generation."

"It's not something you can just pick up and touch after learning it for ten days or half a month..."

"You... really think that way?"

"if not?"

Just then, Jiang Weiguo saw Pei Zhan coming downstairs and stood up. "If you're bored and have nothing to do at home, let Pei Zhan keep you company. Dad's going to check on the fish in the lake..."

Jiang Hua: "..."