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

"Your physical condition is not suitable for pregnancy."

Jiang Hua's lips curled into a cold smile. "The doctor said it's okay, so what right do you have to interfere in my affairs?"

Even if you get pregnant, then what? You give birth?

“What about the risk? Even if there’s a 50% chance, I would never let you take that risk because of a child.”

"If I have to give up my life for this child, I'd rather not have it."

Jiang Hua put down her chopsticks, placing them on the table. "But I want them."

"For the sake of the Jiang family, no matter the risk, even if it means trading one life for another, I will give birth to this child. I'm telling you... even you can't stop my decision."

Pei Zhan softened his voice. He knew her personality and that no one could change any decision she made. "If you really want a child, you can have him adopted from the Huo family and we can raise him together."

"I can also consider her as my future heir. Anyone is fine as long as you like."

Anyone can do it?

Thinking back to his past life, the two children he had with Song Qingran were simply because he felt that she couldn't get pregnant and couldn't give birth to the heir he wanted, so he secretly kept a mistress outside. After all these years, Song Qingran finally had two sons with him.

Jiang Hua still can't forget Song Qingran's voice on that phone call...

“You are you, and I am me! Pei Zhan… I don’t believe you love me that much, and I don’t believe you can really not give birth to an heir for the Huo family for my sake. The Huo family has such a large fortune that the Jiang family can’t compare to it, and you certainly wouldn’t want to see your family line end up without anyone, right?”

Pei Zhan felt a sense of helplessness: "Huahua, if I really wanted a child, I should have told you about your ability to conceive four months ago during that checkup."

Jiang Hua stared at him for a few seconds, "You knew all along!"

Pei Zhan told her, "Yes."

"All I want is for you to live well, and all I think about is our future. Without Xu Zhoulan and without the hidden dangers around us, I have never thought about returning to the Huo family. If I really wanted to go back, it would be to inherit the position of Huo family heir now."

"All of Huo Tingshan's illegitimate sons are eyeing this position. If it threatens your safety, I have no choice but to do this."

After Huo Tingshan's incident, Pei Zhan's first task was to eliminate Huo Tingshan's illegitimate children who couldn't be brought to light. He had to be ruthless and leave no room for compromise; only in this way could their existence cease to pose a threat.

Many times, there are things he has no choice but to do.

Pei Zhan grasped the back of her hand, slowly tightening his grip. "I don't need any heir."

"The life and death of the Huo family is none of my concern."

All I want is for you to be alive and well.

Jiang Hua looked at him with confusion, looking into his eyes, trying to understand how much of his words were true and how much were false. She lowered her eyes and looked at her hand, which he was holding tightly, and her heart slowly softened. "Yes, your Huo family has many members, so you don't need to worry about the heir. But you have never thought about me."

"The Jiang family... only has me left!"

"In the future, you can live without me. There will be many women around you, and you can choose to have children with them."

"But I had no choice."

"Do I still think I should trust you?"

"You'd better not interfere in the child's affairs. This is a matter for the Jiang family and has nothing to do with you."

"I will continue to take the medicine."

"It's only been a year..."

"I will definitely give birth to this fourth child."

"The child is mine alone, and has nothing to do with you."

This was Jiang Hua's choice, and no matter what Pei Zhan said, it was probably superfluous to her.

"Okay." Pei Zhan finally gave in to her decision.

"If you want to have a child, we will."

"Don't be angry, okay?"

Jiang Hua then gave him a kind look. After the meal, the maid brought the freshly brewed medicine to her. Pei Zhan held her, and Jiang Hua sat on his lap, drinking with her. He then instructed the maid to fetch some sweets, dried fruits, and candied fruit, saying, "The maids here are not as good as Xu Ma. I will have her take care of you tomorrow."

Xu Qiulan watched Jiang Hua grow up and knew every detail of her life.

"Is it painful?"

Pei Zhan lowered his hand to hold her loose long hair, then looked up at him silently. Pei Zhan understood her gaze; it was probably a rebuke. He took her hand and helped her brush her hair aside. The medicine had to be drunk while it was hot, as it would affect its effectiveness if it cooled down. Jiang Hua drank it in very small sips, always waiting until the medicine was almost cold before finishing it.

The man held her with one arm around her waist, while his other hand held his phone, replying to company emails. Jiang Hua kept her head down, and Pei Zhan occasionally checked to see if any of her hair had gotten into the bowl. Jiang Hua glanced over and saw him open unread emails, all of which were strings of English text.

Aside from some technical terms, Jiang Hua could basically understand the contents of the document, but after a few glances, she felt sleepy.

Jiang Hua has been allergic to these densely packed texts since she was a child. Unless it's something she doesn't like, this is the situation she's in now.

A moment later, Pei Zhan swiped his phone, tapped a few times on the screen, dialed a number, and spoke fluent English, meaning that the report he had just submitted should be sent back for redoing. Pei Zhan glanced down at the person in his arms, and his words still showed some restraint.

Once he gets busy, he rarely has a moment to relax.

He had just hung up one call when another one came in. The voice on the other end of the line was reporting the errors in the report.

Jiang Hua put down her spoon, took a sip of the jujube syrup, and tried to dilute the sweetness in her mouth.

Suddenly, her chin was gripped by that hand, forcing Jiang Hua to lift her head. He was still on the phone. Meeting those deep, dark eyes, he leaned down and covered her lips with his. The moment his lips touched hers, they were warm yet tinged with a coolness. Jiang Hua's eyes were still open, her trembling eyelashes brushing against the man's cheek. She didn't recover for a moment. Their lips intertwined, and he pulled the date out of her mouth. Perhaps he still hadn't tasted enough of her, because the kiss deepened. Jiang Hua bit him, and they rubbed each other stickily.

The voice on the phone continued, and Jiang Hua could hear it too. She glanced at his phone, placed her hand on his chest, and tried to push him away, but his strong hand gripped the back of her head and pressed it even deeper.

When it was over, Pei Zhan had bitten a small hole in the corner of his lower lip, which bled a little. His lips were stained red, but he looked rather handsome.

That kiss took away the bitterness in her mouth, leaving only a faint sweet scent of red dates.

The call was disconnected at some point. Jiang Hua frowned slightly, her eyes filled with resentment, and she breathed heavily. She watched as he lured her away with his sweet treat, her Adam's apple bobbing as she ate it.

"Want more?" A hint of desire flickered in his eyes.

This is something I'm saying, but I don't know what it's implying.

But his appearance made Jiang Hua's face inexplicably burn. She pretended to be expressionless and looked away, saying in a coquettish voice, "Disgusting."

Pei Zhan picked her up and carried her upstairs.

The door to the master bedroom was pushed open with a foot, and the entire bedroom was filled with the familiar scent of rose incense emanating from Jiang Hua. The fragrance was subtle and alluring, mixed with a hint of sandalwood.

Pei Zhan went to run the bathwater, and when he came out, Jiang Hua was already fast asleep on the quilt.

He stepped forward and casually unzipped the back of her dress. Jiang Hua opened her eyes slightly but let him do as he pleased.

"Hand out."

Jiang Hua lazily reached out and took off her dress from the sleeve, unhooking her bra as well. In this state, she was too lazy to wash herself. The medicine had a sleep-inducing and calming effect, so she felt sleepy very quickly. With her eyes closed, she was too lazy to move.

Pei Zhan understood that the medicine was working. "Huahua..."

"Hmm," Jiang Hua responded vaguely.

"I quit smoking and drinking three months ago."

"Ah."

“For the next year, I will turn down all drinking parties. If you want to have a child, we should have one this time.”

"Um…"

Jiang Hua reached out and pinched Pei Zhan's face. "Don't bother me."

"Sleepy."

If her health doesn't recover by the end of the year, Pei Zhan will accept his fate; if she insists, he won't agree...

He couldn't possibly bear the cost of losing her just because of a child.

He certainly wouldn't live in the pain of losing his wife like Jiang Weiguo...

Seeing that she was really asleep, Pei Zhan quickly washed her, applied shower gel, rinsed off the foam, dried her body, put on a silk nightgown, and then put her in bed.

When Jiang Hua woke up, Pei Zhan was already awake. She rested her head on his arm, while he silently replied to messages with his other hand. When he noticed that she had woken up, Pei Zhan glanced at her in his arms, and after replying to the last sentence, he turned off his phone and placed it on the bedside table.

"woke up?"

Jiang Hua subconsciously and habitually ordered him, "I want some water."

Pei Zhan, wearing a bathrobe, asked, "What do you want to eat today?"

Jiang Hua closed her eyes and reached for her phone under the pillow. "Whatever."

"it is good."

When Pei Zhan left the room, Jiang Hua received countless email messages. Seeing the familiar account instantly cleared her mind.

Ji Liangchuan: Where are you?

Did he do anything to you?

I've been looking for you.

I don't want the Jiang family, I don't want the shares, I can give up everything, let's leave, okay?

Even if you don't say it, you want to try a simple life.

We can go somewhere where nobody knows us, and we can get back together and live a peaceful life.

Can you reply to my message? I'm really worried about you.

...

The figure sank down beside the bed, appearing as if lurking in from behind.

Jiang Hua slowly came to her senses, put down her phone, sat up, the taste of water still lingering around her lips, and a glass straw. "I want to go back today."

"I want to... be alone."

Pei Zhan smoothed her still slightly messy hair, which she had just woken up, and said, "Mmm."

"If you want to come back, just give me a call and I'll come pick you up."

Pei Zhan, being cautious, noticed the subtle change in her expression. It was best he didn't ask further. She had slept well last night, her complexion rosy, her lips naturally red. Pei Zhan went to the dressing room and helped her choose a dress for her—very conservative…the skirt reached her ankles, and the sleeves were long. Jiang Hua had just finished washing up and was doing her skincare routine, still wearing her silk pajamas. Seeing the dress he took out, she glanced at him silently. Pei Zhan also met her gaze. “This style is quite old,” he said.

"I do not like."

"I think it's a good fit, especially if it rains and gets cold today."

Jiang Hua glanced out the French windows at the clear blue sky.

She was too lazy to pay attention to him anymore.

Holding an eyeliner pencil, she applied makeup, drawing a line at the corner of her eye. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, her striking features, bright and captivating, alluring yet refined, resembled a seductive enchantress. "Don't you have anything to do?" she asked.

Jiang Hua was wearing the same black chiffon dress Pei Zhan had chosen for her. The neckline was trimmed with lace, making it breathable and comfortable. The skirt had two layers of opaque fabric up to her ankles, and the cinched waist accentuated her figure. Pei Zhan stood behind her, skillfully braiding her hair. Jiang Hua remained seated, looking at her serious reflection in the mirror. "Pei Zhan," she said, "I know you have bad taste, and sometimes your aesthetic sense is a bit low. Do you think this looks good?"

Jiang Hua felt it was a bit mismatched, but it was all thanks to her face that it wasn't ugly. There was also a red lace headband in her hair, tying her long hair up and draping it over one shoulder.

Pei Zhan: "Very beautiful."

Jiang Hua: "Okay."

Anyway, she really does look good in anything.

As Jiang Hua stood up, Pei Zhan hooked his arm around her waist from behind and pulled her back slightly. He leaned down, his warm breath brushing against her snow-white neck, causing a slight pain mixed with a tingling sensation. Jiang Hua closed her eyes briefly. In just a few seconds, Pei Zhan looked at the masterpiece he had left behind, a smile playing on his lips, and kissed the mark again. "Madam... remember to come home early."

"I'll wait for you." His voice was low and hoarse, close to his ear.

...

Kagel acted as the driver, personally taking Jiang Hua to Yulong Bay. Pei Zhan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the cars drive away and disappear from sight before withdrawing his cold gaze.

Jiang Hua took out her phone and replied to a message: See you at home.

The other party replied almost instantly: Okay.

Jiang Hua took out a makeup mirror from her bag, tilted her head to look at the mess he had left on her neck, and slammed the mirror shut in anger. "I'll settle the score with you when we get back!"

"Madam need not worry about that young master Ji."

"How did you know?" Jiang Hua raised an eyebrow.

Kagel: "As your and your master's personal butler, I must naturally be aware of everything about the lady at all times."

“Miss, you don’t need to feel burdened. Master also knows that you went to Yulong Bay alone this time to deal with matters with Young Master Ji.”

"Master has also considered Young Master Ji's situation and how much Madam cares about him. This time, on the trip to Yulong Bay, Master will fulfill all his requests."

"Consider it compensation for him."

Jiang Hua: "Do you think he would even look at these mundane things?"

"He is pure and refined, and looks down on these things."

Kagel simply smiled and said, "Without these, Madam would only become fish to be fought over by the powerful and wealthy in the capital. Madam is beautiful, but she will also have to accept the backlash that beauty brings. Without power, she cannot be protected; without money... Madam will only see a bunch of people who have lost their humanity for money, who will stop at nothing to disregard family ties!"

Kagel had seen many things like this.

"Even if the lady dislikes her master, even if she doesn't have a master..."

“But some things cannot be changed, and only the master can give them to you.” Jiang Hua: “You are his person, so naturally you will speak up for him.”

Kagel: "I'm just analyzing it from an objective perspective."

"I'm sorry to have upset you, Madam."

Jiang Hua gave a soft hum and said nothing more.

The car slowly and smoothly came to a stop outside the Yulong Bay villa...