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

Perhaps it's because Jiang Hua hasn't had much contact with people growing up. She used to be outgoing and surrounded by all sorts of people, but these relationships were limited to drinking buddies. Very few of them could truly integrate into her life.

Most of the time, she is aloof and difficult to get close to. Half of the reason people get along with her is because of her temper, which is indeed not good. The other half is because people feel that she is not an easy person to get along with. In addition, she is cold and doesn't talk much, giving people a superior attitude. Most people don't dare to go up to her and talk to her.

She didn't have many friends. Apart from Xu Ma, she only ordered Pei Zhan around because Pei Zhan appeared in front of her more often.

There aren't many people who can tolerate her temper, and Pei Zhan is probably one of them.

Jiang Hua started ordering him around back in Haishi when she had him do her homework. Later, when he was transferred from Haishi to the capital, whether he was a department manager, a vice president, or now the president, Jiang Hua still ordered him around quite a bit.

He seemed quite patient with her…

It was probably when she was seventeen that a heavy snow fell that day, right after the New Year. She was home alone and woke up at two in the morning. The entire Yulong Bay was deserted and lifeless. That night, she suddenly missed a beef noodle shop that Ji Liangchuan had taken her to. She wanted to eat there, but couldn't find anyone in the middle of the night, so she called Pei Zhan.

The phone was ringing in her ear. Jiang Hua breathed out at the French windows and wrote the character "川" (Chuan). Half a minute later, the moment the call connected, his uniquely sleepy voice came through the receiver, "Who is this?" He was probably woken up by the phone, and his tone revealed a little bit of annoyance.

"What are you doing, Uncle Pei?"

Pei Zhan on the other end of the phone probably didn't expect Jiang Hua to call her so late. After a three-second silence, he spoke again, "Miss Jiang, is there something you need?"

"There's a beef and vermicelli shop near the junior high school. Go buy some and have it delivered to my house."

In the dark room, Pei Zhan picked up the phone. The light from the screen illuminated the man's deep features. His eyes, still heavy with sleep, glanced at the time…

"I'm talking to you, did you hear me?!"

"I told you to go buy it, so hurry up and go."

"If I don't get to eat within an hour, I'll know what I'm doing, right?"

Without waiting for his reply, Jiang Hua hung up the phone.

Half an hour passed.

When Pei Zhan appeared silently at her room door, Jiang Hua was still lying on the floor playing on her phone. She was genuinely startled when she saw him. In fact, she hadn't expected him to actually deliver it.

Jiang Hua's room was covered with expensive custom-made handmade wool carpets. He had just come from outside and hadn't changed his shoes yet. There were still a few unmelted snowflakes on his shoulders, and he looked cold. Jiang Hua rested her chin on her hand and turned her head to look at him. "Uncle Pei, I thought you weren't coming."

"You're so obedient."

Pei Zhan bent down, placed the still-warm beef noodles he was carrying on the ground, and left without saying a word, his expression not very good.

It was probably after that incident that Jiang Hua started ordering him around more and more frequently.

During a downpour or typhoon, I asked him to buy pastries from Zhouji.

On such a hot day, I made him go buy ice cream again.

He would order people around every few days.

Sometimes, I do torment myself.

During dinner, Jiang Hua didn't wait for him. After she finished eating, Pei Zhan's messy business at the company was still unresolved. So, Jiang Hua took a walk to digest her food while playing on her phone.

Just then, Shen Yebai's message popped up: Next time, you don't need to buy such an expensive gift for Bao'er.

Jiang Hua opened the chat window and started typing on her phone, unsure of what to say. She deleted a few words and finally replied with a casual remark.

Jiang Hua: Hmm, have you eaten?

Shen Yebai: Just arrived in Bai Ze.

Jiang Hua: Bao'er, are you home yet?

Shen Yebai: Yes, I just arrived.

Jiang Hua didn't know what to say to him, so she didn't reply.

After finishing his work at the company, Pei Zhan noticed that the downstairs area was empty and frowned slightly. "Where is Madam?"

The maid replied, "Madam just had dinner and said she was going for a walk."

"I'll go and bring the lady back right now."

Jiang Hua was never an obedient person. In the end, it was Pei Zhan who saw Jiang Hua swinging on the swing in the back garden and browsing the school heartthrob forum. His eyes were full of admiration for the opposite sex.

Pei Zhan: "So beautiful?"

Jiang Hua had already seen him. When he arrived, she said, "Hmm, it's alright."

"so so."

"I think Mrs. Pei finds it quite pleasing to the eye."

Pei Zhan reached out and took her phone. "Confiscate it for now. Go home and have dinner."

Suddenly, Jiang Hua was lifted into the air and picked up by him. "I'm full."

Pei Zhan: "Just keep me company, have some more food."

When the two returned to the hall, Xu Ma was carrying a bowl of freshly cooked chicken soup out of the kitchen.

Upon seeing the person return, the maid was very perceptive. She pulled out a chair and placed Jiang Hua on it. "Aunt Xu, when did you make the chicken soup?"

"It was Young Master Pei who gave the order. At that time, the young lady was still eating, and the chicken soup hadn't been cooked yet."

Jiang Hua nodded: "Where's Xiao Ling? Get some for her and take it upstairs."

Xu Qiulan said, "When I brought food to Miss Huo Ling, I saw that she was already asleep, so I didn't wake her."

Jiang Hua nodded thoughtfully, "Pour half out first, and we'll send it to her later."

"It's Miss."

Noticing Pei Zhan's silence, Jiang Hua looked at him and asked, "He's not your sister, aren't you worried?"

"Then you're pretty cold-blooded."

Pei Zhan: "It's enough that you're worried about me."

"She just needs time to think things through."

Xu Qiulan poured out half of the chicken soup, then ladled out another bowl and handed it to Jiang Hua. Pei Zhan took it and placed it next to Jiang Hua.

Jiang Hua took a spoon, lowered her head and took a sip: "Then you understand her quite well."

Pei Zhan: "..."

"Does Mrs. Pei think I don't understand you enough?"

Jiang Hua: "Then let me ask you, what do I like to eat?"

Pei Zhan: "Fish."

"..." Jiang Hua paused for a second: "I'll say you barely got it right."

Pei Zhan served her half a bowl of rice, just enough for three or four bites, and then picked up some vegetables for her. "In a while, I'll have someone dig an artificial lake, and then we'll raise the fish that Mrs. Pei likes to eat."

"Didn't you rebuild the old house? Why go through all this trouble?"

Pei Zhan grasped the key point of the sentence, and a slight smile appeared on his thin lips. "There will be."

Jiang Hua asked him a lot of questions later, and he managed to answer them, albeit barely.

The two dawdled for almost an hour before finishing their meal. Since Jiang Hua eats slowly to begin with, she ended up eating an extra bowl of rice without even realizing it.

After eating her fill, Jiang Hua took a shower, did some skincare, and then lay on the bed, too full to move at all…

Pei Zhan changed clothes in front of the wardrobe mirror without any hesitation. Seeing that his wounds had almost healed, but there were still some scabs, Jiang Hua sometimes felt that he was very lucky. He had never suffered such serious injuries before, and he seemed to be completely fine.

Aren't you going to go see her?

Jiang Hua lay on her side, propping her head up with her hand, looking at him with his upper body bare. She had to admit that Pei Zhan's physique was indeed quite good. He wasn't exactly fair-skinned; his skin was on the darker side, but not black either. His muscle lines exuded a powerful sense of masculine hormones. He had a broad back and a narrow waist, and was the more rugged type.

"There's nothing to talk about except for Xu Zhoulan."

Jiang Hua didn't say anything more. She and Pei Zhan rarely shared the same thoughts. A man like Xu Zhoulan was definitely not someone she could have.

Bored, she decided to take another look, but when she clicked on the post, she found a message popping up on the forum: "System under maintenance..."

Boring.

Jiang Hua checked Bao'er's social media page again. The website has over 60 million followers, and the posts are mostly about food or photos with Shen Bulu.

In one of the photos, the boyfriend who's working hard looks the most handsome.

The photo shows Shen Bulu in a meeting. From this angle, it should have been taken by Bao'er sitting to the side.

Below is a comment from Shen Bulu: Correction, it should be "husband".

Below are a string of blessings.

When Pei Zhan came out of the bathroom, Jiang Hua had her phone on the pillow, propping her head up as she played a game. She had tried three times to pass this level, but failed again. Then, a cool arm reached around her waist and pulled her into his arms.

He hugged her from behind and played with her.

Unexpectedly, Pei Zhan is quite good at games; he can pass the levels she can't on the first try.

Jiang Hua leaned on his arm, watching him play.

Have you played this game before?

Pei Zhan: "No."

Jiang Hua: "Do you think it's fun?"

Pei Zhan had never played any games before; this was his first time trying them. "First time, not bad."

Jiang Hua pointed, "I think we need to get rid of this."

Pei Zhan glanced down at her, handed her the phone, and Jiang Hua took it and started playing with it herself. She could play with it for now, and if things got too difficult, he could take over.

The two of them thus whiled away two hours.

At 10:30 p.m., Jiang Hua fell into a deep sleep without realizing it. Pei Zhan finished the difficult part and only then did he realize that she was asleep.

He turned off the phone screen light, turned around and placed the phone next to the bedside table, then turned off the light as well.

Jiang Hua was actually half asleep, but she could hear the sounds of him playing games.

After the lights were turned off and the room became quiet, Jiang Hua finally fell into a deep sleep.

We waited until almost 2 a.m.

Jiang Hua noticed the bedside slightly sag, and a lamp was lit by the bedside. She opened her eyes and asked, "What were you doing?"

When Pei Zhan had just gotten up, she was awake for a while, and it seemed that Kagel had knocked on the door.

"It's okay, go to sleep." Pei Zhan kissed her forehead. "Huahua~"

Jiang Hua, half-asleep, asked, "Hmm?"

Pei Zhan: "..."

Her mind was hazy, and she was overcome with sleepiness, so Jiang Hua didn't hear what he said.

The next day, the two slept until ten o'clock before getting up.

Jiang Hua actually woke up at seven o'clock, but he insisted on doing something in the morning, so the two of them were so tired that they slept for another two or three hours before finally getting around to it.

"Brother, sister-in-law~ Good morning." Huo Ling was wearing a white tracksuit, looking youthful and energetic. She had just returned from a run and stayed here for the night. Her complexion was noticeably better than yesterday when she looked listless.

Jiang Hua was still getting used to having another person in the house.

The cooking and dining arrangements at the villa are not always fixed and depend on Jiang Hua's wake-up time. This time, the two of them woke up relatively late, so this meal at ten o'clock served as breakfast.

"have you eaten?"

Huo Ling glanced at Pei Zhan, then said, "I got up early today and have already eaten."

Jiang Hua noticed her gaze.

"Do... I want to eat?" Huo Ling still looked at Pei Zhan's expression.

Jiang Hua: "Let's eat some more, we made quite a lot today."

Huo Ling chose to listen to those at the top of the food chain.

Pei Zhan took Jiang Hua's hand and sat down at the dining table, but Huo Ling sat down next to Jiang Hua. "What kind of cake is this? It looks delicious. Can I eat it?"

Pei Zhan: "Don't you know how to use chopsticks?"

Huo Ling awkwardly withdrew her hand. She had forgotten that she wasn't living alone and could do whatever she wanted. In front of her older brother, she still had to pay attention to some rules and etiquette.

Jiang Hua glanced at him, her eyes warning him, "Why are you being so fierce!"

"It's okay, it's just like home. Bao'er likes to eat with her hands too, it's fine."

"Thank you, sister-in-law. Then I'll... use my hand."

"Just be careful not to burn yourself."

Jiang Hua is actually a bit of a germaphobe. She gets her nails done and doesn't like her hands to get oily.

Every time she eats these, Xu's mother cuts them into small pieces so that she can eat them with chopsticks.

Huo Ling grew up abroad and was probably not used to using Chinese tableware. "Aunt Xu, ask the chef to make some Western food for lunch."

"Good lady."

Huo Ling: "It's alright, sister-in-law. I can eat anything."

"I don't choose."

Jiang Hua: "Just tell Aunt Xu what you want to eat."

"I understand, thank you, sister-in-law." Huo Ling seemed to have returned to her former self, her eyes bright and smiling.

The dinner table was quiet.

There's not much to talk about.

Pei Zhan returned to the company in the afternoon, and Jiang Hua and Huo Ling kept him company, so it wasn't too boring.

The two then invited Bao'er to go to the mall together.

The three of them didn't go into the store, but chatted casually.

Jiang Hua walked in the middle, and Bao'er hugged her arm. "Hua Hua, you have no idea."

"This Song Qingran is really infuriating."

"Yesterday, my brother dragged me to the municipal government building. In his office, while they were copying down the family rules..."

Both pairs of eyes turned to her.

“Someone called my brother, and the caller didn’t know who it was. They asked my brother to find a way to reinstate Song Qingran’s expulsion and get her back into school.”

"When she jumped off the building, it alarmed countless people, and many of them signed confidentiality agreements."

"It's all to keep things from getting out, for fear of making a big fuss."

Jiang Hua secretly made a mental note of Pei Zhan's actions.

Huo Ling: "It's Mom."

Jiang Hua looked at her.

Shen Bao'er: "Mom? Your mom? Why is your mom so good to Song Qingran!"

Huo Ling: "It's probably because of Song Qingran's pitiful background, plus the fact that she took a knife for her mother earlier."

"Mom...does really like her."

"I also plan to adopt her as my goddaughter."

Jiang Hua: "..."