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

"what are you doing?"

A mark appeared on her neck, a faint pink trace, clearly visible just below her ear, easily seen by anyone. "You..."

"Are you looking for death?" Jiang Hua turned around angrily, raising her hand to slap Pei Zhan across the face, but the man easily grabbed her slender wrist and gently pulled her close, their bodies pressed together. Feeling her softness, he lowered his eyes and said, "Mrs. Pei, come back early when you've had your fun."

"I send you."

Jiang Hua: "No need."

Pei Zhan ignored her words and said, "I'm going to change my clothes."

Jiang Hua frowned and went back to her room to try to cover the hickey on the back of her neck with foundation, but found it was completely futile. She had no choice but to cover it with layer after layer until it was almost invisible before she was satisfied and put it down.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The maid opened the door and came in, holding a cell phone. "Young Madam, your cell phone has been ringing for a while. It seems like someone called you."

"I understand, just leave it."

Jiang Hua thought it was Bao'er calling.

Jiang Hua had just applied her foundation when her phone rang again. Without even glancing at it, she pressed the answer button. "Brother, what do you think of that contract with King Group?"

"Oh, right, there are other details I think need to be added. When do you have time, I'll come to the Jiang family to talk to you."

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Hua was slightly taken aback. When did Zhou Yan start calling Pei Zhan "brother"?

Jiang Hua leaned back, looking at herself in the makeup mirror. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with curly wisps of hair falling beside her ears. She crossed one arm and held the phone in the other. Her cool and beautiful eyes held a captivating quality. "Brother? How come Pei Zhan is supporting you again now?"

"Jiang Hua?! It's you? Why are you holding someone else's phone? Where's Pei Zhan?"

Jiang Hua smiled, her red lips curving upwards, and then pursed her lips again, telling her, "Your brother went to find Song Qingran but left his phone behind."

Pei Zhan came out of the study and happened to see Jiang Hua holding her phone, which she threw on the table. Jiang Hua's reflection in the mirror showed her standing up coldly and leaving the room. Knowing Jiang Hua's temper, Pei Zhan could tell at a glance that she was angry.

Pei Zhan stepped forward, picked up the phone with one hand, and opened the call log…

His phone has a feature set to automatically record every call.

Pei Zhan personally drove him to the Shen family's old residence. Jiang Hua remained silent the whole way, but he spoke first, "Zhou Yan is also from Wuchuan. I met her before I joined the Jiang family."

This sentence seemed to be an explanation to her about the phone call that had just taken place.

Jiang Hua frowned. "You can do whatever you want outside, but don't bring back any sexually transmitted diseases."

“I only have work-related matters with her. Xiang Nan will send you my daily schedule, Hua Hua… You know, I simply don’t have that much time to do anything else.”

Jiang Hua merely glanced at him indifferently. Pei Zhan noticed her gaze and realized that there was not a trace of trust in her eyes.

Those eyes seemed to be saying, "See if I believe you?"

Jiang Hua didn't say a word to her until they arrived at the Shen family's old house. When the car stopped, Jiang Hua went to open the door and found that the lock was not open. "Open it."

"Wait."

"What are you doing?" Jiang Hua's eyes were already starting to show impatience with him when she saw Pei Zhan reach out. "Nothing, just fixing your hair."

"All right."

Last night, Pei Zhan said, "From now on, all call recordings, including all messages, will be synced to your phone, and you can see them anytime."

"Tsk, you country bumpkin, when did you become so narcissistic? I don't think any normal, ordinary person would be interested in your affairs. I think... your Song Qingran and Zhou Yan would be interested."

Pei Zhan: "You used to..."

"Shut up!" Jiang Hua knew what he was going to say. He just wanted to tell her how strong her possessiveness towards him used to be. She was even willing to cause a scene at the company for him, just to drive away all the women around him.

Pei Zhan's unintentional remark precisely hit Jiang Hua's sore spot: "The past is the past. Now... in my eyes, you mean nothing."

"You can play with any of the women outside, I won't stop you."

"But be mindful of the limits."

Jiang Hua's emotions were always uncontrollable. Pei Zhan looked at her, then suddenly looked away, finally saying helplessly, "I'll come pick you up when it's over."

"unnecessary."

Jiang Hua opened the car door and left.

When Bao'er saw the person who came, she hurriedly ran to the outside of the old house and happily hugged her.

After Pei Zhan turned the car around, the car's Bluetooth rang. It was a call from Kagel, and he answered it.

Pei Zhan: "Speak."

Kagel spoke in broken Mandarin: "The young master's instructions have all been completed. As for the madam, I think she needs some time to take over the fact that you and Miss Jiang are getting married."

"However, Madam has made it clear that as long as Miss changes her temper and restrains her nature, it is not impossible for her to enter the Huo family. Nothing is more important than the young master's choice."

"But the young master has given the young mistress a complete copy of everything he owns without reservation. Does this mean he doesn't intend to continue hiding his identity?"

Pei Zhan: "Kagher, she... will find out sooner or later."

"Whether she finds out or I tell her, the facts will not change."

Kagel didn't understand his thoughts and simply obeyed, saying, "Young Master has his reasons for doing this."

"Like my master, I only hope that the eldest young master will return to the Huo family as soon as possible and inherit everything."

...

As Jiang Hua approached the entrance, she saw members of the Mu family sitting on the sofa, chatting with several elders of the Shen family. When they saw Jiang Hua, their eyes were filled with undisguised hostility.

It happened recently at a French restaurant.

Sitting next to Madam Mu was the second matriarch of the Shen family, who was also Bao'er's maternal grandmother.

Madam Mu said apologetically, "I came here abruptly to apologize to Bao'er with Shishi. It was Shishi who was unruly, and I have already punished her after we got back. I hope... this matter can be resolved peacefully and will not affect the relationship between our two families."

On the other side, Grandpa Shen was playing chess with Father Mu, chatting occasionally. They were enjoying each other's company and looked like they were already related by marriage.

"Huahua, come in quickly."

Upon hearing Bao'er's voice, everyone's attention was drawn to Jiang Hua.

Jiang Hua's beauty is renowned in Beijing's social circles, which is undeniable. Her family background is also remarkable, largely due to Jiang Huai. Although the Jiang family and Jiang Hua do not have any contact, Jiang Hua is still Jiang Huai's granddaughter, and blood is thicker than water, which cannot be changed.

Jiang Huai was highly respected, and everyone in the political circle wanted his support. However, this old man Jiang was always incorruptible and devoted himself to his work on cultural and intangible cultural heritage, never getting involved in these struggles.

If he makes an exception and mentions it even once, his meteoric rise to prominence will be just around the corner.

However, over the years, no one has yet been able to make an exception for him.

"Huahua is here?"

Jiang Hua called out, "Grandma."

"Make yourself at home once you're here."

"Ah."

There weren't many polite words, just a casual remark. This sentence seemed insignificant, yet it couldn't help but make people feel that it was profound.

Most people who come to the Shen family are cautious and reserved, thinking carefully before speaking. The Shen family exudes an invisible solemnity and authority, after all, the Shen family's status is such that even relatives who are related to the Shen family do not dare to move around freely in the Shen family.

Seeing too much makes one seem frivolous, as if they haven't seen anything good, and shallow. Not saying too much, on the other hand, makes one seem to lack boundaries in the home, which can be unpleasant.

Not to mention the Mu family.

No matter how reckless Mu Shishi is outside, when she comes to the Shen family, she has to sit properly and behave herself.

Jiang Hua didn't have any particular feelings about the Shen family. She just felt that they had too many rules and always said things she didn't like to hear. So, after she grew up, she didn't like to come to the Shen family's old house.

Bao'er: "Brother, he's not back yet. We'll have to wait a while."

Jiang Hua went to the kitchen and found the refrigerator to get something to drink. When the maid saw the iced milk in her hand, she quickly came over and said, "Miss Jiang, the young master instructed that you cannot drink cold drinks. Let me heat it up for you. It will be ready soon."

Jiang Hua: "It's nothing."

"By the way, do you still have the peach blossom wine from last time? I'll make some peach blossom wine and glutinous rice ball soup tonight."

"Also... something light."

"The dishes last time were still a bit too salty."

Jiang Hua made some requests without any hesitation.

The maid nodded with a smile and replied, "Don't worry, the young master has already given instructions on everything Miss Jiang mentioned."

Mu Shishi muttered to herself, "She really doesn't treat herself like an outsider at all."

"Shishi, what are you saying?"

"If you're bored sitting here, you can chat with Miss Jiang. You young people have common topics to discuss."

Before Jiang Hua could speak, Shen Bao'er stepped forward and said, "Who wants to talk to you?"

"I think you weren't taught a lesson enough last time."

"Don't come any closer to us."

Shen Bao'er is the apple of the Shen family's eye. They only have this one little princess, and everyone dotes on her. If she says anything wrong, no one dares to say anything against her.

Madam Shen smiled and said, "They grew up together, so they have a good relationship."

That's all there is to it when it comes to talking.

"One's temperament is hard to change in a short time."

"Madam, you flatter me. Miss Bao'er is straightforward, honest, and adorable. She has no ulterior motives. I'm just afraid that some people might take advantage of this and do something bad. I'm even more afraid of those with ulterior motives."

It's clear, whether openly or secretly, who this statement was meant for.

Jiang Hua, sipping her milk, stood beside the old man watching them play chess. "Yes, the entire capital is full of scheming people who are trying their best to harm the Shen family. If it weren't for the Mu family's help behind the scenes, how could the Shen family live so peacefully?"

"I think the Mu family must have helped the Shen family a lot behind the scenes to get where they are today."

"You're right, aren't you, Great-Grandpa?"

Upon hearing this, the Mu family's expressions changed, and they were completely panicked.

Mu's father didn't even hold the chess piece properly before it rolled off the chessboard and fell to the ground.

Mu Shishi quickly stood up. "Jiang Hua, don't talk nonsense here."

Mrs. Mu was frantic and quickly pulled Mu Shishi to sit down.

She panicked and quickly explained, "I...I didn't mean that. I just wanted to remind Miss Bao'er to be careful of the people around her and not to be taken advantage of. I didn't mean anything else."

Mu Shishi: "Yes, especially Jiang Hua. She always orders Bao'er around, making her do this and that. Now everyone at school thinks Bao'er is Jiang Hua's sidekick."

"Say less," Madam Mu said, trying to stop her while quickly glancing at the expressions on the faces of the Shen family members.

The Shen family members, however, found the Mu family members' expressions quite interesting and remained silent with smiles on their faces.

Madam Mu: "I'm sorry, Madam. My Shishi isn't very good at speaking. Shishi, please apologize to the person quickly."

Grandpa Shen remained expressionless, only concerned with the chess pieces on the board. "Jiang girl, come here and let me see what characters are on this chess piece. We've been playing for too long, and my eyesight is getting a bit blurry."

“The chariot, the 'Ju' in 'Ju Xin An Su' (meaning 'uneasy' or 'distrustful'). Jiang Hua immediately raised her hand, “General, we win.”

Grandpa Shen shook his head. "Your chess skills are worse than a child's. If you can't improve, practice for another two years."

"You're right, I will definitely work harder when I get back," Father Mu replied, drenched in sweat.

"Jiang girl, come play a couple of games with me."

Outsiders only know that the Shen and Jiang families have a good relationship, but that's only because of Yue Lianyi and Jiang Qingcheng.

Actually, that's not the case. Jiang Huai and the Shen family members living in the old house are all close friends. Going back five generations, the Shen family and the Jiang family are also related by blood, a relationship that many people are unaware of.

Shen Bao'er, who was coming downstairs, overheard this. She came down angrily carrying a pile of snacks. "Mu Shishi, you're upset if I don't hit you, aren't you?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"So what if I'm Huahua's follower?"

"You're not even worthy of kneeling down to wipe my shoes."

"You're not allowed to come to my house again."

"You're so annoying."

She ran towards him, saying, "Huahua, have some snacks. These were all bought for me by my brother."

Last time she fought with Mu Shishi, her brother not only didn't punish her when he came back, but also brought her some delicious food.

She knew it was Huahua who had pleaded with her brother.

Huahua still gets the better word in front of her brother.

She was no longer made to write the family rules that she hadn't finished before.

Bao'er just wanted to cling tightly to Jiang Hua, her powerful backer.

A lackey? What's wrong with being a lackey?

There's no need to copy the family rules anymore.

"Huahua, I'll go get you some milk."

Seeing Shen Bao'er's excited appearance, the old lady just smiled slightly: "Ye Bai, Bao'er, and Hua Hua grew up together since childhood, and their relationship is extraordinary."

“From childhood to adulthood, other people rarely saw the three of them together at school. They mostly spent more time at the old house. In private, the three of them would often visit each other. It's understandable that they thought the Jiang family was just a casual acquaintance.”

Jiang Hua is in poor health and has rarely attended school since childhood, relying instead on private tutors.

After class, Bao'er would always run to Yulong Bay to find Jiang Hua.

Jiang Hua had no classes, so she went back to find Bao'er.

When Ye Bai doesn't have classes, he brings the two of them to the old house.

So all that was known was that the Shen and Jiang families had a good relationship, but no one knew that the deep friendship between the three was unparalleled.

Jiang Hua could come and go freely in the Shen family's old house.

She wasn't afraid of the people others were afraid of...

This statement was a slap in the face to those who wanted to sow discord.

In just ten minutes, Jiang Hua lost, while Grandpa Jiang lost several games of chess.

Shen Bao'er was unhappy. She grabbed the old man's Zhongshan suit and pouted, "Great-Grandpa, please let Huahua have a turn!"

"Huahua has never won."

"Alright, alright, I'll make her regret one more move."

Jiang Hua showed no sign of defeat; she simply rested her chin on her hand, her posture languid and casual.

But just then, a hand came into view. A man in a smoky gray suit, with jade-like fingers, moved a chess piece a few steps, and then a gentle voice said, "Place it here."