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

Chapter 288 She shouldn't be so narrow-minded!

Design Department Tea Room.

"I really don't know who this Song Qingran is. She left, but now she's back. She's got some real power. Director Xu wants us to cooperate with someone who didn't even graduate from college. Could she have some kind of backing? Maybe she's our CEO Pei?"

"Impossible. We made such a big misunderstanding before, everyone thought Song Qingran and President Pei had something going on, but later... President Pei was in a hurry to clarify, and he clarified the news of his marriage in the company overnight."

"Hey, I really didn't expect that President Pei would actually end up with Miss Jiang. When President Pei was still an employee of the group, we couldn't even avoid him. We thought it was impossible for us to be together. I even lost two hundred."

"Me too…"

Then another person gave a wry smile and said, "Later we have to take our talented designers to familiarize themselves with all the processes in the design department. Just thinking about it gives me a headache. Instead of studying properly at this age, they're trying to steal our jobs."

"Who says otherwise! That Mrs. Mo used to be one of my clients, but now everyone's trying to curry favor with her. Payday is just around the corner, and my commission has been cut in half."

"Don't mention Song Qingran's name to me now. I get a headache just looking at her."

Song Qingran was standing outside the closed door of the tea room when she heard the sounds coming from inside. She unconsciously tightened her grip on the cup in her hand, her eyes lowered, making it impossible to discern her emotions.

"Qingran, someone is looking for you. You should go and see."

The sound gradually grew louder as it approached, and the people inside seemed to notice the people outside, their expressions changing one by one.

Song Qingran pretended not to hear and went to the reception room with a blank expression.

Upon seeing the person in the reception room, Song Qingran was taken aback and walked forward unexpectedly. "Aunt Xia? What brings you here?" Thinking of her identity, Song Qingran felt her heart pounding faster and she became inexplicably nervous.

After all, she was just an ordinary person. She never expected to be able to come into contact with so many important people in her life. Even she was... She always thought that this Madam Xia and Madam Bai were close friends, but she never mentioned her family. She thought... She never expected that the family members she never mentioned were all so mysterious, which is why she didn't talk about them to others.

“I didn’t come to see Auntie for a while, and I thought something had happened to you. I heard from Wenjing that you went back to Jiang’s. How is it? Is anyone bullying you here? If you’re not comfortable here, Auntie... I still have connections in the capital. I can help you find a better company. I guarantee you’ll earn more than you do here.”

“No…no need, Aunt Xia, I’m doing very well here. I thought I would never come back here, but I didn’t expect…I’m coming back in the end. Over the years…Mr. Pei has helped me a lot, and I owe him a lot. Even if I leave, one day I will still want to come back here, just to repay his kindness over the years.”

"Good girl." Xia He didn't expect her to be such a grateful person. "Don't overthink things here. Just do what you're supposed to do. I didn't come here today because I just wanted to see you."

"I asked Aunt Zhong to make some snacks for you. They are all local specialties from the capital. I noticed that they are no longer sold in many places, so I thought I would bring some for you."

Song Qingran was flattered and stood up to accept the gift, saying, "Thank you, Aunt Xia..."

"Then I won't bother you any longer, I'm leaving now."

Song Qingran: "I'll take you."

Xia He: "No need, you go ahead with your work."

As Xia He was leaving the design department, she suddenly remembered something. "Since we're already here, let's go up and see him."

"But the young master said it's best not to meet unless there's a specific reason. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to disturb him so abruptly?"

Xia He: "I'm his mother. What's wrong with meeting him? Does he want to lecture me?"

It was during working hours, and the elevator was not crowded. Xia He, accompanied by her maid, took the elevator to the president's office. Inside, Pei Zhan was having a meeting with five other members of his think tank when they heard a knock on the door.

The conversation abruptly stopped. Pei Zhan frowned slightly and looked at Zuo Xiangnan to the side. Zuo Xiangnan immediately said, "No one has made an appointment this afternoon!"

Pei Zhan: "Go and take care of it."

"Yes."

When Zuo Xiangnan went outside, he was surprised to see the woman outside. He had met her a few times before when he was with Song Qingran, and he still remembered her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Pei is discussing important matters. If you don't have an appointment, please wait in the reception room next door for a while. We will arrange a meeting with you after the meeting."

Zuo Xiangnan led her to the meeting room. Xia He looked around at the office environment, which was quite nice. "You're his assistant? Do you know how much his annual salary is? Is it enough to cover his expenses?"

"Is your workday tiring? Do you often work overtime?"

"I think your office building is too old. Haven't you thought about moving to a new office area?"

What do you usually eat?

The chattering voice sounded like a concerned elder asking questions. Zuo Xiangnan's mind was still a bit fuzzy and she hadn't reacted yet when she heard the door to the president's office next to the meeting room open and the think tank leaving the office.

Zuo Xiangnan led Xia He inside.

Pei Zhan sat at his desk. The figure that came into view made him look up. He waved for Zuo Xiangnan to leave, and Aunt Zhong... also left, leaving only the mother and son alone in the office.

"What are you here for?"

"I just wanted to come see you. Everything before was a misunderstanding. I thought you liked Qingran, so I thought I would hide my identity and see what my future daughter-in-law was like. I didn't expect... that you were already married... I just want you not to blame me." Xia He said in a somewhat humble tone.

Pei Zhan: "You shouldn't have come back. This place isn't suitable for you. I'll have someone from France come and pick you up in a week."

Xia He: "I can leave, but I must take Qingran with me."

Pei Zhan frowned. "Whatever you say."

"When will you be going home?"

Pei Zhan: "If you want to take Song Qingran back, I can't let Huahua see her. She's not in good health, and I don't want her to be emotionally affected."

"So... you've already made your choice between Jiang Hua and Qing Ran? What you did to Qing Ran before, how is that any different from deceiving her feelings? Besides... I've already agreed to accept her, and as the future matriarch of the Huo family, she shouldn't be so narrow-minded!" Xia He then added, "No matter what, you were the one who provoked her first."

Pei Zhan closed the document in his hand and looked at the person in front of him. "Huo Tingshan also has quite a few female confidantes. Do you need me to send them to him one by one and make him take responsibility for them?"

"I told you, don't come near me and cause trouble. Mrs. Xia should take my words to heart and heed my advice..."

These words seemed to have touched a nerve with Xia He. Her expression changed drastically. She never expected that the child she had finally managed to find would say such a thing to her face: "Are you willing to accept this?"

"Take care of your health; this is my... final advice to you."

Pei Zhan's voice was devoid of warmth from beginning to end; he had always been indifferent to family ties, let alone those of Huo Tingshan…

"Xiang Nan".

Suddenly, the office door outside was pushed open. "President Pei."

Pei Zhan: "See Madam downstairs."

Zuo Xiangnan: "Yes."

...

When Shen Yebai came to pick up Jiang Hua to go to Baize, he bought some desserts that Bao'er liked on the roadside. Today, the nanny was off, and Shen Yebai wasn't busy either. He planned to make wontons in the evening. Jiang Hua went upstairs to find Bao'er, but there was no response when she knocked on the door. She could only hang the food she bought on the doorknob and go downstairs.

As soon as Jiang Hua came down the stairs, she heard the door behind her open. She turned around and saw a hand reach out, touch the food, and then pull back, without showing its face.

Downstairs, Shen Yebai sat at the dining table, wearing a beige apron over a white coat, carefully wrapping wontons in his hands. His beautiful, slender fingers were still covered in flour. Jiang Hua had only ever eaten wontons that he had already wrapped; she had never seen him do it himself. Without wearing a suit and shedding his identity as mayor, Shen Yebai now looked like a stay-at-home husband. The outfit he was wearing today strangely matched his aura, and it seemed... he wasn't as scary as before.

Jiang Hua pulled out a chair and sat down next to him. "Teach me? I'll help you."

Shen Yebai: "Mm."

It started raining again outside, and a fresh, earthy scent wafted into the villa. The two chatted occasionally. It was Jiang Hua's first time cooking, and she was a little uncomfortable. She didn't know how to cook, and she was mainly afraid of getting her nails dirty. After making a few dishes, she gave up. Perhaps this young lady had been sitting for too long and felt uncomfortable with flour on her hands.

"I'm not doing it anymore, it's too much trouble."

Shen Yebai just smiled slightly and didn't say anything. "It's okay, go wash your hands, I'll do it."

"Then... thank you for your hard work."

"Ah."

Pei Zhan returned to Jinsha Shallow Bay with a suit jacket draped over his arm. A maid took the jacket from his hand and walked into the hall. He glanced at the empty sofa and the time on his wrist. It was dinnertime for her. "Where's Huahua?"

"Madam has gone to Bai Ze."

"It was Mr. Shen who picked up Madam. She just left a little while ago and shouldn't be back for a while. Should we call her?"

Pei Zhan: "No need."

Jiang Hua returned to Jinsha Shallow Bay quite late. Looking at the time, it was already 9:30, almost 10:00. The villa was pitch black, and the lights in the upstairs rooms were off. She assumed Pei Zhan hadn't returned yet, and didn't think much of it. When she got out of the car, Jiang Hua pressed the fingerprint lock to enter. Feeling for the light switch on the wall, she changed her shoes and turned around. Suddenly, she saw a figure sitting on the sofa, which startled her. Seeing the cold dishes that had been sitting on the table for who knows how long, before she could say anything, she saw Pei Zhan… already getting up and going upstairs. His voice rang out from the stairwell, "There's soup left in the pot, remember to drink it."

Jiang Hua looked at his back, which seemed to exude a cold aura. Was he angry?

She knew this because Jiang Hua almost always looked like this when she saw him.

Jiang Hua didn't go to the kitchen. Seeing the leftover soup, she smelled a rich aroma of meat. The smell was familiar... something that Xu Ma couldn't make.

Jiang Hua had only eaten his cooking two or three times...

She has long forgotten what it tastes like now.

Pei Zhan's cooking skills are indeed excellent.

Jiang Hua had already eaten her fill at the Shen family's house and couldn't eat anymore. She didn't touch the food, put the lid on, and went straight upstairs. The two of them walked one after the other. As Jiang Hua was about to enter the master bedroom on the second floor, she suddenly felt a hand pull her up. Then, a dark figure pressed down on her. "I've been waiting for you for three hours."

Jiang Hua was clearly not in a good mood for him today, and said to him in a detached tone, "Three hours...is that a long time?"

"I was in a car accident, and I waited for you alone in the garden for half a year!"

Do you think it's worth arguing with me about this?

"Move aside, I'm going to take a shower. I didn't sleep well last night, I'm sleepy."

The moment Pei Zhan was pushed away, the man's eyes dimmed, and he didn't react, simply because he couldn't utter a single word in his own defense.

After Jiang Hua finished showering, she felt a little dizzy. She lay down on the bed and rummaged through the drawers and cabinets for medicine but couldn't find it. Then a hand helped her up. Pei Zhan sat on the bed and used the back of his hand to take her temperature. He felt that she had a slight fever. "I don't know when your dreams started. If you really can't forget them, I can help you find the best psychologist."

During this time, Pei Zhan noticed Jiang Hua's sullenness and depression. Because of this, the bright and flamboyant Jiang Hua suddenly became like a rose that was about to wither.

Jiang Hua glanced at him, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly before she lowered them, “…”

"Your temperature isn't too high, so you don't need any medicine. You can rest now. I'll stay with you for the rest of the night. If your temperature gets too high, I'll have the doctor come over."

Jiang Hua was so sleepy her eyes were already drowsy. After lying down, she slept very lightly. Pei Zhan's slight movement when he got into bed woke her up for a moment. She felt his rough palm on her forehead. Jiang Hua rarely caught a cold, but when she did, it was very serious. Her fever wouldn't go down for ten days or half a month. The constant temperature system in the villa was built specifically for Jiang Hua's special constitution. Now, they had only gone out for a short while...

At 4:30 a.m., Jiang Hua vaguely heard someone talking...

"The heart transplant surgery can't be delayed any longer. Ms. Jiang's immunity is weakened right now; even a slight cold could kill her at any moment, or in the worst case, cause her heart to go into shock... Even a cardiac stimulant can only provide temporary relief..."

Pei Zhan: "How long can it last?"

Doctor: "At most, we can try to maintain it as a last resort..."