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

Even disregarding the friendship between the Shen and Jiang families, Pei Zhan would still consider the bond between Jiang Hua and Bao'er, so the gifts he sent were all of high quality. Jinsha Shallow Bay rarely had guests, and Bao'er was the first. To entertain her, the servants made a lot of snacks and desserts, with hundreds of different flavors. Even just one bite of each was enough to make her feel full.

The maid led her into the hall, where the dazzling array of pastries piled high was not only pleasing to the eye but also overwhelming. "Are these all for me?"

"Yes, Miss Shen."

"You can sit down and eat slowly. There's no need to rush. Madam will probably have to wait a little longer before coming downstairs."

Shen Bao'er nodded, "Alright then."

Shen Bao'er was also picked up by them. They said Hua Hua missed her, so she didn't eat breakfast. She pushed Shen Bulu away, got into the car that came to pick her up, and came here because she was hungry.

She picked up a pastry with her bare hands and tasted each one, while the servants stood by to serve her.

Some time later, the maid saw the person coming downstairs, bowed her head, and said, "Sir."

"Miss Shen has arrived."

Pei Zhan, dressed in dark casual clothes, came down with Kager following behind. Kager reported on the day's itinerary. Shen Bao'er was too busy eating to even glance at him. The living room was large. Pei Zhan went to the main living room, sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, and read the newspaper. He had obviously just taken a shower, his hair was half dry. The man had a rugged appearance, thin lips, and a sharp look in his eyes that exuded the aura of a superior. Even when no one was around, an invisible pressure spread around him, making it hard to breathe.

The servants were naturally afraid of him, unlike when they faced the lady upstairs, who was able to relax several times. Apart from having a bad temper, the lady was not bad in any other way.

Some are picky eaters, and the lady likes to go barefoot. It takes coaxing to get her to put on shoes. After a while, if you're patient, the lady will only frown and won't get angry at them.

The servant immediately brought over a pot of tea, and the aroma of tea filled the air.

"What does Madam usually drink?" The cold voice, though it was just a casual question, instilled a sense of fear in the listener.

The maid's heart skipped a beat at this question. "Madam usually likes rose tea with a little honey, saying it's good for beauty and skin."

"Brew a pot of tea and wait for Madam to come down."

Maid: "Yes, sir."

When Shen Bao'er heard the sounds coming from the other side of the living room, she slowed down her eating of snacks and became more reserved and demure. She also straightened her back. Shen Bao'er usually acted this way when Shen Yebai was at home.

My older brother is quite strict; he even controls my meals, even though I'm not at home.

But I always feel like I have a sharp edge behind me.

Jiang Hua heard from the maid that Bao'er had arrived after she left the room.

She had just finished showering and was applying lotion. She used the excess lotion on her hands to wipe her neck. She quickly went downstairs and saw the man sitting on the sofa.

Shouldn't he be at work by now?

"Where's Bao'er?" she asked him.

Pei Zhan looked at the newspaper without looking up. "It's next door. I just arrived."

Maid: "Madam, Miss Shen is waiting for you in the side hall."

Jiang Hua turned her head away, too lazy to even glance at him, and went to find Bao'er. She ate her snacks alone. "Bao'er, when did you arrive? Have you been waiting for a long time?"

Why didn't you call me?

Shen Bao'er secretly leaned close to Jiang Hua's ear and said as if she were complaining, "I came a long time ago. Look how much food I've eaten. I've tasted it for you. Hua Hua, this is the best. You should try it."

Jiang Hua narrowed her eyes, then smiled slightly. Seeing the pastry handed to her, she took a bite and said, "Wait for me, I'll go change my clothes and I'll be down soon."

"Oh okay."

Jiang Hua left the side hall and instructed the servants to close the door to the main hall so that Bao'er wouldn't see that unpleasant face and feel uneasy while eating. In fact, Jiang Hua could sense that Bao'er could usually scold Pei Zhan in front of her, but now Pei Zhan was reserved in her presence.

In the past, Shen Bao'er would have confronted Pei Zhan long ago, neither of them giving way to the other.

Jiang Hua changed out of her nightgown and into a casual dress, her hair in a low ponytail. She sat with her, eating and drinking tea, and they talked about many things, mostly recent events at school.

"After Xue Ruyao went to jail for accumulating a lot of debt, Song Qingran was also expelled from school. However, she probably doesn't know yet. I only heard about it from them at the last class reunion."

"Later, that girl named Xiaoyu, her family was heavily in debt, and people would come to her door every now and then, demanding that she pay back the money. She probably couldn't pay it back, so she dropped out of school."

The jewelry repair studio that was previously thriving, with the support of the Jiang family, never expected that the members involved in that studio would end up like this.

"Madam, please have some tea."

Jiang Hua sipped her rose tea, which had a sweet taste. Thinking about what had happened before, she never imagined that things would end up like this. Song Qingran was expelled from school... Jiang Hua lowered her eyes, staring thoughtfully at the rim of the cup, her fingertips tracing its surface.

At first, Pei Zhan poured all of Jiang's resources into her, simply because Pei Zhan cared for her and out of consideration for Zhou Xu...

Zhou Xu... Jiang Hua didn't know whether to believe him or not, whether this person really existed or was just a lie woven by Pei Zhan.

Whoever he loves, he can have everything.

Song Qingran was no exception.

Now Pei Zhan holds the absolute power that men crave most. Whatever Song Qingran wants, Pei Zhan will pluck the stars and the moon to deliver to him. No wonder he has the money to buy a lavish lifestyle...

All she has now is what Song Qingran had left over from before.

Previously, Pei Zhan forcibly took what he wanted from someone, and Song Qingran... refused to be a third party and repeatedly rejected him. And now...?

Will Song Qingran still have the same mindset as before?

Jiang Hua still remembers those words: if Pei Zhan wants to be with her, he has to divorce her.

It's possible that Song Qingran would be willing to humble herself and become his concubine even if Pei Zhan didn't divorce her. After all, Song Qingran had already quietly given up on Lu Yuanzhou and fallen in love with Pei Zhan.

When the car exploded, Pei Zhan may not have seen it, but Jiang Hua witnessed it. At the moment of the explosion, Song Qingran protected him and was willing to take the harm for Pei Zhan.

Jiang Hua recalled that scene and found it funny. She took a sip of tea.

Shen Bao'er looked at her and asked, "Huahua, what are you laughing at?"

Jiang Hua: "It's nothing. Song Qingran may have lost her bright future, but there are plenty of people who will put it in front of her."

"She's just a jewelry designer. If someone is willing, building a jewelry empire for her is just a matter of a word."

Shen Bao'er took a sip of her drink, swallowed the food in her mouth, and looked at the tightly closed door next door. "You mean him?"

“Like father, like son. Huo Tingshan is surrounded by all sorts of beautiful women, so how much better can he be?”

During his time in France, Huo Tingshan truly broadened his horizons; girls of his age, young enough to be his daughters, all flocked to him, eager to follow him.

Men are all like that. Over the course of decades, how can they possibly keep their hearts with one person? It gets boring and tedious, and they always want to seek some excitement.

Jiang Hua always felt that the same thing would happen again, that she would be trapped here and watch him, just like in her previous life, surrounded by beautiful women outside.

In such a wealthy family, apart from having a marriage, everyone else goes their own way. Jiang Hua has seen and heard too much about these sordid things, and she thinks that's just how it is.

We're all just ordinary people with desires. After a while, we'll get tired of the same person. Self-discipline and propriety? That's just a joke.

"Where is Ji Liangchuan? Is he... alright?"

Thinking of him, Jiang Hua felt a strange, indescribable emotion.

Shen Bao'er: "Yes, I saw him with Uncle Jiang last time. He's managing the Jiang Group now, Shen Bulu told me. But... he's not in a good state, he... seems to be sick."

It would be a lie to say that Jiang Hua felt no emotion when she thought of him.

In any case, I am the one who has wronged him.

During the time Pei Zhan was away, Jiang Hua was truly devoted to him, but she couldn't leave this place and couldn't fulfill the promises she had made to him.

She struggled with the fear of loss and couldn't help but overthink. She endured repeated torment, but eventually, she resigned herself to her fate.

It's like reliving your past life's experiences all over again.

"Huahua...are you unhappy?"

Jiang Hua's lips curled into a slight smile, her gaze falling on Bao'er. Perhaps not wanting to transfer her bad mood onto Bao'er, she said in a very calm voice, "No."

"It's good that you and Shen Bulu are doing well."

"What happened to Duan Qingfeng? What became of him later?"

Shen Bao'er: "Him!"

"Not so good. He got a position by relying on his brother, but his glory didn't last long. Apparently, someone reported him for bribery and corruption, and he was dismissed, investigated, and imprisoned."

Jiang Hua smiled, her fingers curved to support her chin, and tilted her head to look at her. "Do you still like Duan Qingfeng now?"

Shen Bao'er shook her head, "I don't like him anymore. I don't know what was wrong with me before. I always felt that he was very, very good, and I don't know why, but I just liked him very, very much. Later... I think that's just how it is."

"Shen Bulu is a good person, but he's too clingy."

"I'm sorry about before, Huahua! I thought you liked Shen Bulu, but I found out later that you and Shen Bulu were just playing games."

Jiang Hua smiled but did not speak.

In his previous life, Duan Qingfeng had dealings with the Mu family. The Wang family also took advantage of Shen Yebai's constant control and was forced to marry into the Mu family. In addition, there was Duan Qingfeng, who, relying on Bao'er's affection, acted recklessly and wanted to step on Shen Yebai to rise to power. Almost everyone was besieged from all sides, and the Shen family was in a precarious situation, while the Wang family's power was so great that they could almost control everything.

Even the collateral branches of the Huo family dared not provoke them easily, and could only avoid their sharp edge...

Jiang Hua had no interest in any of these things, and didn't know the specifics of what had happened in her previous life.

I lived my life in a daze.

"By the way, Huahua, do you know who did the car explosion?"

Jiang Hua took a bite of the pastry, shook her head, and said, "I don't know, I'm not interested."

Pei Zhan didn't say anything, and she was too lazy to ask further. "Anyway, he never tells the truth, so asking him is pointless and a waste of time."

Shen Bao'er nodded, glancing sideways at Jiang Hua who seemed preoccupied, and sighed silently in her heart.

Huahua, I've never seen her happy.

Is it that you are sick?

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Bao'er's phone suddenly rang. Looking at the contacts flashing on the screen, there was no one else but Shen Bulu.

Actually, during this time, her phone vibrated no less than ten times, mostly with messages that Bao'er didn't reply to. This time, she called.

"Don't worry about it. He's been free lately, so he's started bothering me."

"Huahua, eat this. I think this is the best. I want to take some back for my brother to try."

"Hmm." Jiang Hua asked the maid to prepare more so that she could take them all back later. However, these things have a short shelf life and can only be kept for two days. The taste will change if they are kept for too long. "If you like them, I will have someone make them two or three times a week and send them back to Bai Ze."

"Yeah!"

Then, the phone rang, automatically hung up, then rang again, repeating this cycle over and over...

Bao'er couldn't take it anymore, so she had to go outside to answer the phone.

When Jiang Hua heard the sweet voices between Shen Bulu, it probably took up too much of her time. Finally, Jiang Hua stood up and said something to the maid.

The servant nodded.

Jiang Hua then left.

Three minutes later, Shen Bao'er returned to her seat, but Hua Hua was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Huahua?" she asked, her eyes searching.

The maid said, "Madam, I'm not feeling well today, so I'll go upstairs first. Miss Shen, if you need anything, you can go back now. Madam said she'll come to see you tomorrow at noon."

"I see! Okay then."

Maid: "A snack and a gift will be delivered to your home in a little while."

Shen Bulu was probably really worried about leaving Shen Bao'er alone. Before he could even wait for a car to take her home, he drove his flashy red Ferrari to pick her up.

In the car, Shen Bao'er threw the baby in her arms at his head. "It's all your fault. You called me so many times, and I didn't get to spend any time with Huahua."

Shen Bulu said, "Baby, I really have something to do tomorrow. I have to go on a business trip. I'll spend the morning with my best friend and the afternoon with my husband. It's fair. The restaurant reservations are all made, and I can't cancel them. Who knows when I'll see you again?"

Shen Bao'er said angrily, "If you call me like this again, I really won't talk to you anymore."

Shen Bulu: "Yes, yes, I was wrong, okay?"

Upstairs in the room, even the golden beams of light seemed unable to penetrate the barrier surrounding her. Jiang Hua stood in front of the French windows, hearing the door lock turn behind her and footsteps approaching. She picked up a book and turned to leave.

His rough palm gripped her wrist, his deep gaze falling on her face. "You've been avoiding me since last night, Huahua... how long do you plan to keep this up?"

Jiang Hua chuckled, looked up and met his eyes. "Pei Zhan, you're overthinking it. We see each other all the time, we're always at home, why would I avoid you? With a sugar daddy like you, I'm more than happy to be with you."

He was dressed in dark casual pajamas, and his demeanor was calm and composed, lacking some of his previous aloofness.