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

Besides giving him a hard time, what else can he do?

This was Pei Zhan's most common trick. In an instant, the two seemed to have returned to how they were before. Jiang Hua also seemed to take advantage of Pei Zhan's current affection for her and trampled everything he had under her feet without any restraint.

Everything the Jiang family has now is given to them by Pei Zhan. Jiang Hua accepts it with a clear conscience and takes it for granted. For her, the relationship between her and Pei Zhan is more about exchanging interests than feelings.

The relationship had finally eased, and Song Qingran's interference had finally disappeared, but now... Shen Yebai has appeared, easily turning their relationship into irreparable pieces.

Pei Zhan looked at her with deep, dark eyes, seemingly at a loss for what to do with her. "Help you? The Shen family couldn't even handle the Wang family, so what makes them think they can help the Jiang family?"

Mentioning this, Jiang Hua seemed to recall some unpleasant memories. "At least Shen Yebai has always been on the side of the Jiang family. Pei Zhan... when I wanted everyone in the Wang family to die, you didn't choose me first. I asked you to help me, and you refused! You only care about me and the Jiang family when you like me. When you don't like me, the Jiang family, I... are nothing to you at all."

"Because I've seen what you can do when you're ruthless." In the end, Jiang Hua's trust in him, even now, still has a gap, and it has never eased. It's just that the two of them have been pretending to forget the past and living one step at a time until now.

"Pei Zhan, wouldn't it be better if we... maintained this kind of relationship and didn't expose each other?"

Pei Zhan: "So, in your eyes, our relationship has always been nothing more than mutual exploitation?"

"Even inferior to Shen Yebai?"

"Has it all been just an act all this time?"

"So-called feelings are nothing more than a means to control me, for the sake of the Jiang family?"

Jiang Hua felt the grip on her wrist tighten little by little, but she endured it without uttering a sound of pain. "Yes! My relationship with you is just an act. If I don't pretend to like you, how can I make you willingly stay in the Jiang family and let Dad become the richest man?"

“In my eyes, you are just a tool for the benefit of the Jiang family.”

"Is this answer satisfactory?"

After saying all that in one breath, Jiang Hua could clearly feel the anger and utter disappointment in Pei Zhan's eyes. He wanted to lash out, but instead of retaliating with hurtful words as Jiang Hua had expected, he did not.

Pei Zhan simply released her hand, saying, "If this is what you want, I'll grant your wish."

Jiang Hua's casual remark overturned all the sweet memories they had shared, turning them into a void. It was clearly just an angry outburst, but he took it seriously... He took his phone, turned around, and slammed the door as he left.

She was left standing there, a tearing pain shooting through her chest.

Hearing the sound of cars coming from downstairs, the car quickly drove away from Yulong Bay in just half a minute.

Hearing the arguing inside the room, Xu Qiulan rushed to Jiang Hua's room, her expression hesitant. "Miss, you were just saying that in anger. Why don't you explain it to Master Pei?"

"Let him go, and it's best if he never comes back." Jiang Hua turned around in a daze and saw the black suit jacket he was still wearing at the foot of the bed.

“Miss, it’s not like that. As long as it involves company matters, Mr. Pei will not be unable to distinguish right from wrong. Although I don’t know what you and Mr. Pei had an argument about this time, if it’s because of… Young Master Shen, I think… it’s not worth it.”

“No matter how good Young Master Shen is, if Miss gets sick or uncomfortable in the future, I believe that Young Master Pei will be the one to put everything aside and stay by her side. No matter how good Young Master Shen is to you, it's only because he needs the Jiang family’s help. I’ve also noticed that every time Miss and Young Master Pei argue, it’s because of the interference of other people.”

“There was interference from other people.”

"This time, I feel like Mr. Pei is jealous."

"The reason for her jealousy might be... that she feels that, compared to Young Master Pei, the young lady seems to trust Young Master Shen more, and also trusts the Shen family too much."

“I’ve heard some things from the master. In my opinion, no matter how bad Mr. Pei is, he’s always been doing it for the Jiang family. You’re married to Mr. Pei, and as husband and wife, we’re family. There’s no question of whether it’s for your own benefit or not. If Mr. Pei is good, then Miss is good too. No matter what Mr. Shen is like, he’s always an outsider. There are plenty of cases where brothers become enemies. When two families are on good terms, what matters most is who benefits whom. Miss, you might as well keep a close eye on Mr. Shen.”

"Young Master Shen said he just wanted Miss to do him a favor, and Miss readily agreed. Has Miss ever considered what Young Master Shen's real reason was for asking her for this favor?"

"What angered Master Pei was simply that you trusted Young Master Shen too much, even more than he trusted him."

"In the end, it was still because of jealousy."

"The young lady is just too trusting of others."

Jiang Hua felt a lump in her throat, making it hard for her to breathe. "What kind of jealousy is he having? Hasn't he helped Song Qingran enough before?"

Xu Qiulan shook her head: "If Miss only remembers the past, similar things between you and Master Pei will happen again. Since you have chosen to let go, you shouldn't recall those unpleasant things from the past."

"Miss may not care about Young Master Pei, but she cannot mention him, much less speak of him."

"It can only be kept in your heart; if you say it out loud, the meaning will change."

“If you and Mr. Pei continue to distrust each other and speculate about each other, you will only drift further apart, and the gap between you will widen.”

"A few words from others can also cause discord between you and your husband."

"This is not a good thing."

"Miss, remember this: even if it's Young Master Shen, anyone who asks the Jiang family for a favor is someone who will definitely use the Jiang family to gain benefits."

"Human hearts are unpredictable..."

"If you trust people too much, you can be taken advantage of."

Jiang Hua doesn't understand social etiquette, let alone how terrifying people can be. This time, just because of Shen Yebai's intervention, the relationship that had finally eased up was once again in a bad state.

"I understand, Aunt Xu, you should go and rest." Jiang Hua was exhausted; it was always like this.

Xu Qiulan didn't know what else to say. "Miss, you should get some rest too."

In the early hours of the morning, past midnight, Jiang Hua lay in bed, half-asleep but not quite asleep. She heard footsteps approaching, the door opened, and a dark figure came in and got back into bed. He pulled the woman, who was still awake, into his arms. The man still carried the scent of cold air, and his arms, which were wrapped around her, were pressed against Jiang Hua's thin silk nightgown. The coldness seeped into the fabric, giving her a tingling chill.

In the darkness of the room, they could clearly hear each other's breathing, their heartbeats heavy and strong as they drew near.

"You are not allowed to meet with Shen Yebai in private from now on."

Pei Zhan knew she wasn't asleep, but Jiang Hua had no intention of paying him any more attention. She turned over, her back to him, and tried to remove the hand that was on her waist. No matter how she pinched it, the hand remained unmoved.

"If you're going to get out, then get out of here and somewhere far away."

"Do not touch me."

The man simply hugged the woman in his arms even tighter, saying, "Take Mrs. Pei with you tomorrow."

"Shen Yebai's goal is to use the Jiang family and do the Bai family a favor in order to gain support in the political arena. He's doing this for the Shen family. Mrs. Pei agreed so readily; even if she gets cheated one day, she'll still help Shen Yebai count the money."

“The Jiang family has withdrawn the lawsuit, but they will still pursue the compensation as usual.”

The person who left returned, and his words were clearly an attempt to reconcile, as if he were offering Jiang Hua a ladder to gracefully step down. However, Jiang Hua simply didn't like his attitude of being in control of everything.

Jiang Hua turned around, raised her leg, and kicked Pei Zhan off the bed. A loud 'bang' echoed in the dark room, accompanied by the man's muffled thud.

She sat up, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you're jealous, then be jealous. But if you come back with a long face next time, you might as well die out there."

After saying that, Jiang Hua didn't hear the man's movements under the bed. Thinking of his body, which hadn't fully recovered from the car accident, she said, "Hey, say something! Even if you're going to die, don't die in my room."

Jiang Hua got out of bed, barely able to see clearly through the faint light filtering through the curtains. Just as she stepped off, a strong force pulled her back. Before she could even cry out in surprise, everything went black, and she was pressed onto the soft carpet. Feeling the weight pressing down on her body, she met Pei Zhan's wolf-like, aggressive, and oppressive eyes in the darkness. His warm breath fell softly on her, saying, "Chen Yebai may be good to you, but to me, he's nothing but a hypocrite."

Jiang Hua: "He's a hypocrite, and what makes you any better?"

"Hmm... It seems Mrs. Pei still wants to be a stepmother. I almost forgot, the entire Jiang family will be renamed Shen in the future. Otherwise, how could we say that the Shen and Jiang families are so close? After all, Miss Jiang is very generous and is even planning to hand over all of the Jiang family's assets."

“You and Shen Yebai are in cahoots. I’m just an outsider and have no right to interrupt.”

Pei Zhan's words, taken literally, were no better than hers.

Jiang Hua: "If I don't live long, I'll consider giving you a share, so you won't waste your efforts in the Jiang family."

"You should be satisfied with these."

A soft, emotionless chuckle came from above. "If Miss Jiang really dies, it's just a matter of him saying a word if Shen Yebai wants to take everything from the Jiang family. After all, the will and property notarization have already been drafted. The biggest beneficiary is the Shen family. Since... Miss Jiang has made up her mind, I also have to play my role as a tool properly."

"After all, in Miss Jiang's heart, how can I compare to Shen Yebai?"

"I have nothing to say about your unconditional trust in Shen Yebai."

"I hope that the people you trust will never betray your trust."

After saying this last sentence, Pei Zhan got off her, carried Jiang Hua back to bed, and covered her with the blanket. "I'll sleep in the study tonight."

"have a good rest."

Shen Yebai's purpose was nothing more than to use the Bai family's affairs to sow discord between him and Jiang Hua, thinking that he could succeed in this way.

Shen Yebai overestimated himself and underestimated Pei Zhan. Even if he and Jiang Hua divorced, Shen Yebai would not be her choice. He... just didn't want to let him have his way.

Jiang Hua tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep a wink all night. It was all because of that damned Pei Zhan…

As dawn approached, Pei Zhan emerged from his study. Inside the wardrobe were countless suits of the same color but different styles, taking up only a tenth of the entire walk-in closet and wardrobe. He occupied just a corner, shirtless, glancing at the still-sleeping figure in the mirror. He buttoned his black shirt, changed his clothes, checked the time on his phone, and left the room.

Downstairs at Yulong Bay, a black luxury van was parked. Pei Zhan sat in the passenger seat, the man who hadn't slept all night, resting for a moment with his eyes closed.

Kagel: "The master was very angry after he found out that the young master had burned down the Huo family's old mansion."

Pei Zhan: "Then don't come back."

“Young Master, no matter what, the Huo family mansion will be yours in the future. Even if it's to prevent the master from returning from France, you shouldn't do this.”

Pei Zhan remained silent.

Huo Tingshan was indeed furious, but he was also gratified, because among his many sons, only his son was most like him in his manner of doing things.

Xia He learned from the police that the Huo family's house had been burned to the ground overnight due to a mysterious fire. She was so angry that she fainted and was taken to the hospital. However, the result was that it was just an accidental fire, and the specific cause still needed to be investigated.

Jiang Hua had only been asleep for a little over four hours when she came downstairs at noon. The dark circles under her eyes startled Xu Qiulan.

"Young Miss, what's wrong with you?"

Jiang Hua: "It's nothing."

"Where's Dad?"

Xu Qiulan: "The master has gone for a walk. He told the young lady to have lunch first and not to wait for him."

Jiang Hua pulled out a chair and sat down, noticing the delicate pastries on the table. "These things?"

Xu Qiulan: "Young Master Shen had these delivered this morning, saying that these are all things that the young lady likes to eat."

"By the way, Young Master Shen also said that he will help Miss find a studio. If Miss is free, she can call Young Master Shen anytime, and he can accompany her to see it."

Immediately afterward, Jiang Hua's phone, which was on the table, vibrated. It was a message from Bao'er. Jiang Hua opened the message and saw that it contained her location address.

"This is the studio address my brother and I picked out for you. It's very close to my brother's office. If you finish late, you can call my brother and he can drive you back."

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."

"Okay, I've already paid your rent for a year."

As she was speaking, Shen Bao'er sent her a payment message, giving her no time to refuse.

On the other hand, he didn't make a sound.

Pei Zhan's words last night completely affected her emotions, causing her to not get enough rest. She had dark circles under her eyes, felt dazed, and even felt irritable.

By the afternoon, Jiang Hua could no longer bear it. She went to a lawyer to draft a new contract, put on makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes, and went to the Jiang Group.

As Jiang Hua entered the CEO's office, a secretary who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a black pencil skirt uniform and carrying documents, came out. Upon seeing her, the secretary immediately greeted her as if she were afraid of her, "Good afternoon, Miss."

Jiang Hua didn't even glance at her before walking straight into the CEO's office.

"Anything else?" Pei Zhan asked, signing the document with a pen in his hand.

Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Zuo Xiangnan whispered a reminder, "President Pei, it's Miss Pei."

Pei Zhan stopped what he was doing after signing the document.

Zuo Xiangnan walked out on her own.

"Didn't go to school?"

As she spoke, Jiang Hua stepped forward and tossed the document in her hand in front of Pei Zhan. He opened it and saw a drafted will.

"Miss Jiang has already drafted her will before she's even dead?"

"Share transfer?"

"Didn't you discuss this with Shen Yebai?"

Does he know? Does he approve of you doing this?