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

Chapter 303 Aren't you annoyed with me enough?

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Hua was already incredibly sleepy. Especially knowing it was Pei Zhan calling, she didn't want to say a word. In just a moment of drowsiness, Jiang Hua had completely fallen asleep. The phone next to her was still showing that the call was ongoing, and even though Jiang Hua didn't speak, the other end hadn't hung up.

Pei Zhan heard the even breathing coming from the microphone, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Good night, Mrs. Pei.

Jiang Hua was already fast asleep and didn't hear the sound coming from her phone.

She slept soundly until dawn. Hearing the noise outside the door, Jiang Hua got out of bed, opened the door, and saw Xu Ma tidying up the living room. "Miss, you're awake."

"Breakfast is ready, please have some."

When Jiang Hua isn't busy, she'll go back to Yulong Bay. If she doesn't want to go back, Aunt Xu will come to the apartment to help her clean and cook. She pulls out a chair, sits down, and takes a sip of the milk beside her. "Aunt Xu, you don't need to go through all this trouble every day. I can go buy something when I'm hungry."

Xu Qiulan knew Jiang Hua's habits, and the books on the tea table were all placed on the left side according to where she would easily reach them. "Young Master Pei said that he was afraid you would be too busy to eat, so he repeatedly told you to make sure that Miss eats on time."

"Also... Miss, please don't take off your bracelet. You should wear it every day so that if anything happens to you while you're out alone, Mr. Pei and I can know where you are every day."

Jiang Hua had heard his name for several days in a row, and her previously good mood suddenly turned irritable. She put down the milk in her hand, making a crisp sound as it hit the glass tabletop. "Aunt Xu, don't mention his name in front of me anymore. Don't you think I'm annoyed enough?"

Seeing her agitation, Xu Qiulan dared not speak further. "If Miss doesn't want to hear it anymore, I won't say anything more."

She took a few sips of porridge and left the bowl untouched. Back in her room, she picked up her phone from the bed and noticed it only had one bar of battery left. She then remembered that Pei Zhan had called her last night. Checking her call log, she found that the call had ended a dozen minutes earlier, meaning... the call had just ended when she got up.

She had to go out again today, and when she saw that her phone was out of battery, Jiang Hua frowned. "What a nuisance." She had no choice but to leave her phone at home to charge.

Jiang Group.

After seeing off a client, Song Qingran wanted to get a drink of water and catch her breath. She walked to the water dispenser, lost in thought, and before she knew it, her cup was overflowing. Just as she was about to turn it off, a hand had already switched it off. When Song Qingran looked over, Xu Zhoulan smiled knowingly and said, "You should know by now that Pei Zhan hasn't been at the company lately; he's returned to France. If nothing unexpected happens… I think he's probably going to become his successor."

“When Pei Zhan comes back, you probably won’t have the chance to see him again. After all… all of the Huo family’s businesses are overseas. The Jiang Group is just an insignificant part of the iceberg to the Huo family. As for the entire Huo family, let alone the top executives, not even you or I are qualified to meet the person in charge of the Huo family.”

"Do you know that fewer and fewer of the women have been visiting you lately?"

Song Mingzhu looked at him with confusion in her eyes, not understanding. Even though she didn't speak, Xu Zhoulan had already voiced her doubts for her, "Because... you have long since lost your value to them."

"Oh, I forgot. You don't know yet, but previously... Mrs. Ye from Huake Group ordered a jewelry design from you worth over 80 million yuan. Before she even had a chance to choose the pieces, she just called to cancel it. And it's not just this one order. In total... Jiang's Group has probably lost about 1 billion yuan."

Song Qingran's face turned pale instantly. "How...how could this be?"

Xu Zhoulan's lips curled into a wicked smile as he said, "This circle is a huge arena of fame and fortune. People are opportunistic, and the more power someone has, the more people will come to curry favor with them. Do you really think that all the wealthy ladies who have come to you to design jewelry for so long are doing so because they want your designs?"

"They're all after you because you're Madam Bai's adopted daughter!"

"If it weren't for the engagement banquet where Madam Bai publicly recognized you as her goddaughter, who would want to find an ordinary person with no background and only a lot of education?"

"In the end, you're still too young and don't understand the key interests involved. I should say you're naive..." Xu Zhoulan whispered the last sentence in Song Qingran's ear, emphasizing each word slowly, "Or... stupid?"

"This is just a receptionist position at Jiang's Group, and hundreds of people apply for it every day. The minimum education level is a master's degree, not to mention... other positions, let alone the core design department of the entire Jiang's Group. Your previous monthly salary of over ten thousand was the salary of a regular employee of Jiang's Group. Who do you think paid you that money?"

"Song Qingran, don't you understand a fact by now?"

“When Pei Zhan loved you, he could give you everything. Now… his heart is no longer with you. You are not even as good as an ordinary person.”

“If it were before, your relationship with him… not to mention that my position would be yours in the future… he could even give you the entire Jiang Group to play with, as long as he’s happy.”

"Think about the Bai family, the Jiang family, the Shen family... who doesn't have to defer to the Huo family?"

"Song Qingran, if I were you, I would do everything I could to get close to Pei Zhan and find a way to become the matriarch of the Huo family, second only to the emperor."

Ordinary people find it hard to resist the temptation of money and power, let alone... when facing the Huo family, a family with absolute power.

Yes, how could Song Qingran not feel it? She had long understood what he was saying. In the past, many people flattered her and greeted her with smiles, but now she was being treated coldly, not only at the company, but also at school.

"Qingran, what's wrong with you lately?"

“Your previous designs were very inspired, with your own unique design style and ideas, but look at this now… I can’t give you a passing grade in this assessment. Go back and think carefully about whether you’ve been putting your heart into your studies lately!”

"He got in through connections, who can afford to offend him!"

"She has no ability, she frowns after saying a few words, and bursts into tears at the drop of a hat. People who don't know her would think I hit her. I don't even want to talk to her. This is the workplace, not school."

"They're not even as good as the second-place winner back then. I don't know how they got first place."

Song Qingran was almost drawn into the dark vortex in her heart, unable to extricate herself from it. Fortunately, the ringing of her cell phone on the table pulled her out of her reverie. She suppressed her emotions and looked at him with a cold gaze. "My mother said that one should be content and not covet what is not one's own."

"I'm doing very well now, Director Xu, please don't say things like that again."

Song Qingran left in a panic. Before she left, Shen Bulu watched her back with a half-smile, "Indeed, Lu Yuanzhou is also a good choice. He is currently at the height of his career, a famous lawyer, and also a member of the legal department of Huo's Group. He can indeed earn a lot of money in a year."

"His annual salary is enough to ensure you live a comfortable life after you graduate from university and marry him. But compared to Pei Zhan, the heir of the Huo family, you'll ultimately have to depend on the Huo family's approval."

"If you don't have some ambition, your life will just be like this."

"What do you say?"

Song Qingran was filled with complex emotions. Without saying a word, she left the place, almost as if fleeing. Everything in this world can be controlled, but the human heart is the only thing that is difficult to control.

Some emotions shouldn't have arisen, but those inexplicable feelings in her heart suddenly burst forth like a crack in her heart, no matter how hard she tried to suppress them, she couldn't close that crack that shouldn't have appeared.

Song Qingran didn't know what was wrong with her. As she fled the Jiang family, all she could clearly recall were the moments she shared with him during their time together.

Including, at any time...

Song Qingran, he's already married, you shouldn't be thinking about him anymore!

Feeling uneasy, I ran out of the elevator without noticing the path ahead. Suddenly, I felt as if my forehead had hit a hard wall. "I'm...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to."

When she looked up, she saw Lu Yuanzhou and the people around him. "President Wang, President Rong," she greeted them. Both of them were shareholders of Jiang's Group, and one of them was the chief lawyer of the legal department.

Just as Song Qingran was about to leave, her wrist was grabbed by the person next to her. Lu Yuanzhou sensed that she was trying to break free, but he did not let go. "I have some personal matters to attend to."

Seeing the awkward atmosphere between the two, President Rong smiled and said, "Let's go upstairs first."

"See you soon."

After the two left, Lu Yuanzhou led them to a quiet place. "So much time has passed. How long are you planning to ignore me? Aunt Song said you haven't been back for a long time. Where have you been lately?" These words made him unconsciously lower his tone, revealing a hint of humility.

Song Qingran hugged the man in front of her tightly, her voice trembling slightly, "Shall we get engaged?"

Lu Yuanzhou was shocked, but his heart was filled with joy. He hugged her tightly and said, "Okay."

After making that decision last night, Song Qingran felt her emotions gradually calm down. She kept telling herself that no matter how good someone was, they wouldn't be hers. She already had Yuanzhou, and she would never fall in love with someone who treated her as a substitute.

Absolutely not!

She told herself silently…

...

"Hello, are you Ms. Jiang Hua?"

On her way to Xiangweiju, Jiang Hua suddenly received a phone call.

Jiang Hua: "Mm."

"Here's the thing, about four months ago, your husband renovated your wedding room at Aijia. Now the renovation is complete, and you need to come and inspect it in person. If there are no problems, you'll need to sign off on it."

Without even thinking, Jiang Hua immediately changed her mind and said, "Sorry, I'm not the person you're looking for. You've dialed the wrong number."

She had just hung up when the other party called back.

If she had known, she shouldn't have brought her phone with her; it was already out of battery.

Seeing that he wouldn't stop, Jiang Hua simply picked up the phone directly, "I told you, don't look for me! If you want to look for someone, look for the person who signed the agreement with you."

“Ms. Jiang, we have no choice. The workers’ final payment has been overdue for several days. If you don’t sign, we can’t settle the workers’ wages. This is also a company policy. Now, because of your order, some people have started to make a fuss. Everyone is just trying to make a living. I beg you, can you make an exception and just sign for the inspection?”

The garden, the first house Pei Zhan bought for his marriage with Jiang, became a shackle and a prison for her after they got married. For Jiang Hua, this place brought her only unforgettable pain.

Jiang Hua hung up again: "Turn around and go to the flower garden."

She had never returned to the garden since leaving; this was the last time!

Upon arriving at the garden, the manager of the house renovation downstairs was already waiting. When he saw the person getting out of the car, he personally opened the car door.

"Didn't you say you were going to sign?"

"You can give it to me now."

Manager: "The documents are all upstairs. Ms. Jiang, I'll have to trouble you to come upstairs with me. Don't worry, after you sign, I'll contact Mr. Pei to settle the remaining balance."

Jiang Hua went upstairs and entered the wrong password several times; she...forgot it.

Seeing this, the manager quickly said, "Ms. Jiang, the password has already been changed to your birthday."

The moment the door opened, the place, which was originally gray, monotonous, and devoid of any warmth, was now completely unrecognizable after the renovation. In fact, Jiang Hua had almost forgotten what it used to look like.

She walked in slowly and saw that the floor, the living room, the kitchen, and even the curtains on the French windows were no longer the unsightly gray, but... she liked bright and colorful styles. Even all the decorations, the coffee table, the sofa, the TV, the kitchen... were completely unrecognizable from their original state.

"Miss Jiang, if you are satisfied, you can sign here."

Jiang Hua's face showed little emotion. After picking up the pen, she had just finished the first two strokes of the character "Jiang" when she suddenly changed the stroke, turning the two characters into three...

"this…"

"Ms. Jiang, your signature is required."

Jiang Hua tossed the pen to him, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I've signed it. Whether you want it or not is up to you."

Every second she stayed there, all she could think about were the six months she had spent alone in the garden recovering from her injuries—a painful and long period of time…

She wouldn't even deign to glance at it again; some things, once erased, can't simply be treated as if they never existed...

Just then, Jiang Hua's phone rang. Seeing that it was a call from overseas, she put it to her ear and answered. The familiar voice didn't surprise her at all.

The manager received the signed documents and left immediately, afraid of any further delay.

His voice came softly from the phone, "Do you like it?"

Jiang Hua said sarcastically, "Having grown accustomed to living in Jinsha Shallow Bay, do you think I would even consider a place like Huayuan? I don't think this place means anything to me!"

"If you have this money, why not just transfer it directly to my account? If you can buy it back once, I can sell it again!"

“Pei Zhan…”

"My past with you is nothing but pain and unbearable. You shouldn't have gone to such lengths to bring me here. Besides... it's disgusting to my eyes!"

Jiang Hua hung up the phone expressionlessly. As soon as she turned around, she saw a tall girl in a pleated skirt leaning out of the door, looking at her with a scrutinizing yet amazed gaze. The girl spoke in a very familiar tone, "Sister-in-law, sister... you're so beautiful!"

"I live right next door to you."

"My name is Huo Ling. I'm an exchange student from Imperial Capital University, and I moved here not long ago..."