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

Pei Zhan sat casually at the conference table, his legs crossed, leaning back in his chair. He held the phone in one hand and placed both hands on the documents on the table, tapping them rhythmically with his index finger. He carefully considered Jiang Hua's words. He thought for a moment and then quickly realized that she would not say these things without reason under normal circumstances.

Something must have happened.

Pei Zhan smiled and said, "Mrs. Pei has the right to veto any decision the company makes at any time."

"What a pretentious act! Hurry up and send someone to pick me up, I'm starving." Jiang Hua said, then hung up the phone in a coquettish tone, completely disregarding whether the people in the office behind her had heard her.

"Professor Guo! Isn't Jiang Hua being too insulting? Who does she think she is? Does she really think she's the wife of the president of the Jiang Group? If she's like this, then we'll have no way to attract investment!" Xiaoyu complained inwardly.

Jiang Hua has been targeting them since their freshman year, and she still is. All she did was learn jewelry restoration a little earlier than them. What's so great about her?

Professor Guo sighed helplessly when he saw that they were still stubborn. "You...sigh, you still don't understand the meaning of jewelry restoration. I've done everything I could to help. If you keep making a fuss and something happens...then there really won't be anyone who can save you."

“I said a long time ago that Jiang Hua’s jewelry restoration skills are good enough to be taught, but you just wouldn’t listen.”

"Xue Ruyao, you and your studio staff repaired someone's jewelry worth over three million yuan into a defective product. The other party made it very clear that they wanted to sue you. If it weren't for the school's intervention, you would not only have lost three million yuan, but you would also have ruined your promising future and been burdened with a huge debt. It's all thanks to Qingran that you temporarily filled this hole with money."

"Don't take on a job you're not qualified for."

"Get to class right now!"

Xue Ruyao was still somewhat unwilling to give up. "Professor Guo, we have really changed. Since the accident, we have been working hard to learn and seriously understand the knowledge of jewelry repair. If you don't believe me, you can give us a test. We won't be so confused this time."

Professor Guo: "The school has given you more than one chance. If you want to rejoin the studio, go find Jiang Hua. The association and the studio are now hers."

"professor!"

Xiaoyu wanted to say something more, but Song Qingran walked out silently by herself.

Seeing this, the other two chased after him.

"Qingran, Qingran...why did you leave!"

"We agreed to work together to persuade Professor Guo."

Song Qingran had long lost the mood for this. "I'm sorry, Ayao. Maybe Professor Guo is right, we're just not cut out for this kind of thing."

"How could that be? Didn't we do a great job before? With you around, there have never been any mistakes. Are you just going to watch our association and studio hand over to Jiang Hua?"

"Qingran, I can lose to anyone, but it absolutely cannot be Jiang Hua."

Song Qingran: "Ayao, in the past, when something happened, it was never me who helped you solve the crisis; it was always Mr. Pei... who paid the bill for us behind the scenes."

"If it weren't for him, we... might not have made it through a year."

Song Qingran had always understood that without Mr. Pei, she was nothing.

I don't know when it started, but when something happens to me, the first person I think of is him...

I don't know when it started, but I gradually became dependent on him.

Song Qingran... what's wrong with you?!

Xiaoyu: "...This." She looked at Xue Ruyao beside her.

Xue Ruyao suddenly had a flash of inspiration and realized something. "Qingran, he helped us so much before, wasn't it all because of you?"

"He likes you so much... To put it bluntly, if you hadn't rejected him time and time again, he wouldn't have been seduced by that vixen Jiang Hua."

"Otherwise, you would be the president's wife of the Jiang Group now, and Jiang Hua would eventually be trampled under your feet!"

Song Qingran recalled the unspoken answer in her mind: But... to him, I was nothing more than a substitute for the person he loved most, hidden deep in his heart. All the kindness he showed me was because of a person named Zhou Xu.

It's just because she has the organs that she transplanted years ago in her body, and she happens to look similar to her.

He treated her only to make up for what Mr. Pei owed that girl.

She was never in my heart.

Jiang Hua... she is indeed very beautiful.

Even if Mr. Pei abandoned his wife, divorced her, and got together with Jiang Hua, they... were still a very good match.

Mr. Pei is young, promising, and successful in his career.

Jiang Hua... is the most beautiful woman Song Qingran has ever seen. No one can compare to her in terms of temperament or appearance.

“Ah Yao… Yuanzhou and I are already engaged. Mr. Pei was willing to help me back then because we didn’t know anything. Now… we’re not young anymore, we’re adults, and even if we do something wrong, we should take responsibility for ourselves.”

"Besides... he has already decided to marry Jiang Hua, that's his choice, and I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore."

Song Qingran finished speaking without any emotion, "Ayao, give up."

"We...can't compare to her."

It wasn't until Song Qingran saw her phone vibrate that she picked it up and saw the message: "I have something to do, I have to go now."

At this time, the elevator is already packed with people, so she has no choice but to use the emergency exit.

"Qingran, don't overthink it. Ayao didn't mean it that way. We're happy for you that you're engaged."

"It's okay, we won't make things difficult for you. At worst, we'll just shut it down. It's just a run-down studio, we don't need it."

"However... this is our last chance. You've seen it, haven't you? We've really worked hard and improved ourselves during this time."

Before she could finish speaking, Song Qingran had already left.

"Qingran..."

The little fish called out to her.

Song Qingran did not stop.

As I stepped out of the teaching building, I realized it had started snowing.

In a short while, the ground was covered with a layer of silvery white.

Song Qingran looked up at the falling snow, feeling a faint sense of something missing in her heart. This emptiness, no matter what she did, had never been filled.

She reached out and caught the snowflakes, which melted before they even touched her palm, leaving them icy cold.

In the past... no matter if it was raining or snowing... as long as she didn't have an umbrella, she could see Mr. Pei's figure as soon as she took a step.

Song Qingran lowered her head and took that step with anticipation in her heart. But when she looked up, all she saw was a blank emptiness in front of her.

Do not…

She saw the Rolls-Royce with the license plate "京A" driving by, but the car didn't approach; instead, it stopped directly by the fountain.

Song Qingran looked over and saw Jiang Hua sitting at the door, playing with her phone. She was wearing high-heeled boots and the hem of her black coat was touching the ground. As she stared at her phone, she didn't seem to see the man who had gotten out of the car.

Zuo Xiangnan held an umbrella for Pei Zhan from behind. The man was tall and straight, with a gray striped scarf draped over his arm. He stepped up the stairs with an outstanding and upright posture, while Zuo Xiangnan waited below.

After Jiang Hua replied to the last message, her peripheral vision caught someone's eye, and she quickly looked up and put her phone away.

Her beautiful face held a displeased expression as she looked up at the person in front of her. "Tsk, why do you walk so quietly! How many times has this happened?"

"Why do you keep scaring me?!"

Pei Zhan gazed at her with deep, dark eyes, his gaze filled with doting affection. "Isn't Mrs. Pei's mind all on her phone?" As he spoke, the man wrapped a scarf around Jiang Hua's neck.

Jiang Hua reached out to tear it off, "I don't want this, it's too ugly."

Pei Zhan: "Beauty or your life?"

"Want to get sick?"

After weighing the options in her mind, Jiang Hua decided against it; being sick was indeed too unpleasant.

She complained to him, offering her opinion, "Next time, buy a nice scarf. This one is too ugly and doesn't match my look and makeup today."

"Okay, I'll pay attention next time." Pei Zhan knew she liked red, and she liked any bright color.

Jiang Hua put away her phone and stood up.

Pei Zhan took the umbrella from Zuo Xiangnan and held it over Jiang Hua's head. With his other free hand, he took her hand and put it in the warm pocket of his coat. "For this short distance, do you want to hold my hand the whole time?"

"Isn't it disgusting?"

Pei Zhan: "Then...we won't hold hands?"

Jiang Hua: "Fine, then I'll reluctantly let you hold my hand for a bit."

"Pei Zhan, walk with me a little longer. It's been so long since we've taken a stroll like this."

The man responded, "Mm."

Jiang Hua: "Aren't you busy today?"

"Why did you come here by yourself? Didn't I ask you to have Zuo Xiangnan come and take me?"

Pei Zhan: "I also want to spend more time with Mrs. Pei."

"I'm not very busy today."

Zuo Xiangnan, soaked by the snow, got into the driver's seat and drove very slowly behind them. Just as he was about to make a U-turn, he suddenly saw Song Qingran, who was standing there in a daze...

Upon seeing her, Zuo Xiangnan looked at her through a window and a hint of sympathy in his eyes.

In any case, President Pei's choice is now very clear.

President Pei has already done enough for her.

Everything right now is perhaps the best.

Zuo Xiangnan was also praying that nothing else would go wrong. Taking over the Jiang Group during this period almost cost him his life. He had surgery, and before he could even recover, he had to fly to France on a business trip... Sigh, this position is really not easy to hold. Being an assistant wouldn't be so bad.

At least in terms of salary and benefits, there are no problems.

When Xiaoyu and Xue Ruyao went downstairs, they saw Song Qingran, who hadn't left yet. They noticed that she was staring in a certain direction, and to onlookers, she seemed... a little sad.

Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment and then said, "Ayao... does Qingran still like him?"

Jiang Hua walked for a while, but then she couldn't go any further, so in the end Pei Zhan carried her out of the school gate.

"Aren't we being a bit too sentimental? Bao'er is still waiting for us at Xiangweiju."

Pei Zhan: "Then let them wait."

After being carried for a while, Jiang Hua suddenly said, "Pei Zhan... it seems like we've never been like this before." A time when they could be together peacefully, without getting angry or disgusted with each other.

Pei Zhan: "..."

Shen Bao'er, who had been waiting at Xiangweiju for almost an hour, rested her chin on the dining table, drooling as she looked at the fragrant food.

Finally, just when she was starving, Jiang Hua appeared...

This dinner was originally organized by Shen Bulu to appease Bao'er, but unexpectedly, Pei Zhan also came.

In the private room, Jiang Hua and Bao'er sat at the central round table, with Pei Zhan beside them, serving Jiang Hua food. His phone, which was next to him, rang with a call, but Pei Zhan didn't even glance at it before immediately silencing it and turning it over...

"Huahua, what brings you here? Weren't you here to have dinner with me today?"

Jiang Hua: "You didn't say that you brought Shen Bulu with you either."

Shen Bao'er: "Who brought him? He wanted to come here himself."

Jiang Hua nodded but didn't say anything. The meal was quite strange; none of the four of them spoke much, probably because they were all a little reserved.

At the Royal Dynasty Club Hotel, Shen Bulu provoked Pei Zhan, and the two fought. However, Shen Bulu lost the fight, and the two became enemies.

Behind the scenes, Shen Bulu had been causing trouble for Pei Zhan quite a bit. At first, it was just minor squabbles, but eventually, something happened. Shen's father came to Yulong Bay and, in front of his father, made Shen Bulu and Pei Zhan reconcile, and only then did the matter between the two of them come to an end.

Bao'er was afraid of Pei Zhan.

The strangest one was Shen Bao'er. The two of them used to get along well, but now they act like strangers. Bao'er seemed to be deliberately ignoring him. Even when they touched hands or wiped each other's mouths, Shen Bao'er would avoid him.

"Um...no."

"I won't eat the food you put on my plate, I don't like it."

"Don't touch me."

Shen Bulu was probably also annoyed by Shen Bao'er's attitude. He put down his chopsticks and left, looking rather unhappy.

Jiang Hua took the tissue Pei Zhan handed her and wiped the dessert she had just touched with her fingers, which still had cream on them. "I'm going to wash my hands."

Jiang Hua walked out of the private room and went to the restroom. Shen Bulu was smoking at the door. When Jiang Hua came out of the restroom, she was washing her hands at the sink.

"Did you and Bao'er have a fight?"

Mentioning this, Shen Bulu was completely bewildered, and threw away the cigarette butt in his hand, "No... what are you women thinking? Why do you change your minds so suddenly?"

Shen Bulu told her about what had happened in the past few days.

Jiang Hua couldn't explain it at first, but when she lowered her head and shook the water off her hands, she suddenly realized, "...Bao'er doesn't think that I like you and that's why I'm deliberately ignoring you, does she?"

Shen Bulu: "Holy crap, Jiang Hua! You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Don't get me into trouble!"

“I’ve always treated you like a brother, how could I possibly be interested in a tigress like you?”

Jiang Hua chuckled, "You just wait... I'll turn around and withdraw all the money my family has from your Shen's Bank, then you'll behave yourself."

"Oh dear, my dear lady. Look at my mouth, I was just kidding, just kidding." Shen Bulu immediately backed down.

He really should back down. Most of the cash flow of Shen's International Bank comes from Jiang's, including the rest of Jiang's assets in China, which also pass through Shen's Bank.

Ever since Shen Bulu took the position of heir, looking at the Jiang family's wealth, including the assets in Jiang Hua's account now, damn it... it really makes him envious.

Pei Zhan is a monster. I've seen people who know how to make money, but I've never seen anyone who knows how to make money like this.

The Jiang family is now the largest customer of Shen's Bank.

Without the Jiang family, this is... no different from cutting off a major artery.

"No, Shen Bulu, you haven't explained to Bao'er yet that what you said in the Royal Dynasty private room was just a joke during a game, have you?"

"Holy crap! No way. She wasn't there!"

Jiang Hua touched up her makeup in front of the mirror, looking quite pleased. "You need me to find the reason for such a small thing? Shen Bulu... are you just a nobody?"

Shen Bulu suddenly realized, "I knew it! Why did Bao'er suddenly want me to spend more time with you? She just wanted to set us up!"

Jiang Hua was too lazy to bother with these two people with low IQs. Forget it... Compared to Duan Qingfeng, Shen Bulu was passable.

After she and Pei Zhan left Xiangweiju, Pei Zhan took her back to Yulong Bay.

On the way back to the company.

Pei Zhan looked at the incoming caller ID on his phone, hesitated for a long time, and then chose to answer.

Song Qingran made more than a dozen calls before finally getting through to him. When she heard his deep voice on the other end, she felt a strange mix of emotions. She thought... he wouldn't answer her calls anymore.

"Is something wrong?"

“Mr. Pei…I…” Song Qingran looked at the two people beside her, bit her lip, and finally forced herself to speak, “I’m sorry, Mr. Pei, I know I shouldn’t bother you anymore.”

"It's hard to explain over the phone, I... could we meet in person?"

"It will only take five minutes!"

"OK?"