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

This wasn't the first time Jiang Hua had asked this question, nor did it come out of nowhere. Pei Zhan sensitively noticed her affected emotions: "The dead cannot be compared to the living."

"Even if Mrs. Pei's hypothetical scenario were true, my answer to you would only be two: maybe yes or maybe no. If she were still alive, maybe I would be in Wuchuan, maybe I would have started my own business, maybe... I would have come to the capital and met you."

"Even if she's still alive, and I've met you again, how do you know that the moment we met, we wouldn't end up together?"

"These various hypothetical conjectures are nothing more than needless worries."

“You don’t need to listen to what others say, but rely on your own feelings. Mrs. Pei doesn’t need to pay attention to what they say.”

Jiang Hua took his words to heart, "That means you don't have very good feelings for her either!"

"What about Zhou Xu?"

"Does she like you?"

“You’re not related by blood. She must have been quite dependent on you when she was little. You’ve been like an older brother and a father to her. People like you are the most capable of manipulating a little girl’s mind.”

"I don't believe she doesn't like you."

Because no one understood this feeling better than Jiang Hua. Just like when she liked Ji Liangchuan, his presence was like a habit—a habit of his company, a habit of feeling his presence. At first, Jiang Hua only saw him as a brother, but as she grew older, this relationship, devoid of blood ties, slowly transformed into romantic love. Gradually, like a spider web, it crawled into every corner of her being, turning into possessiveness, selfishness, and a desire to have him by her side forever.

Love is, in fact, determined by genes. Some people are genetically predisposed to love someone so intensely they're like moths drawn to a flame. Others, however, are incapable of love; indifference is ingrained in their bones, like a stone that can never be warmed or melted. Their expressions and responses lack any sense of love. It's not so much that they can't love, but rather that they're overly rational…

Pei Zhan glanced at her, put away the nail clippers, and said, "At such a young age, what can she understand about love!"

Jiang Hua crossed her legs and sat up straight. "You don't understand that the younger you are, the deeper your obsessions become."

"Hmm, I really don't understand. Perhaps... Mrs. Pei could tell me about your deepest concerns!"

He approached with an aggressive aura, and Jiang Hua flinched back, but then one hand cupped the back of her head, his fingertips running through her soft hair. His eyes flickered, and he turned his head to press his lips to her luscious, alluring lips, his warm breath washing over her, gradually filling the air with an ambiguous atmosphere. "Hua Hua..."

Jiang Hua breathed softly, listening to his seductive voice calling her name. Her heart started beating faster and faster involuntarily. This kind of heartbeat was chaotic and erratic, an emotion she had never felt before. It was as if a sweet taste was spreading in her heart.

She slowly met his deep gaze.

"Even if she hadn't died, I would still have met you, and I would have fallen for Mrs. Pei again!"

If we consider countless possibilities, even if Zhou Xu hadn't died, he wouldn't have stayed in Wuchuan forever. Even without the Huo family, given his ambition, he would have slowly climbed up to a position unattainable by anyone else, and gone to the capital... to the place where she was.

Jiang Hua was born to stand at the top of the pyramid; she will not fall into the dust and tarnish this delicate rose from the greenhouse. She is born this way and deserves all the best in the world.

Pei Zhan will not remain stagnant forever. Wuchuan is not his final destination. Meeting her may be a little later, but sooner or later, Pei Zhan will go to her world.

They will inevitably meet again in the capital.

Even if it happened again, the loss of consciousness would make him fall for her again.

In the end... he will also be her Mrs. Pei!

When his kiss landed, Jiang Hua opened her eyes, and in that instant, it felt as if all the roses in her heart had bloomed across the fields, and a gentle breeze made the branches tremble...

A week later, I went with my grandfather to attend Shen Yebai's engagement banquet.

The wedding banquet was held at the Kyoto Grand Hotel. There weren't many guests, but they were all people who were on good terms with the Shen family. Shen's father was still in the hospital a few days ago after a car accident, and Yue Lianyi didn't attend either. Xu Xiangjun was the only one who greeted the guests.

Xu Xiangjun, dressed in a well-fitting cheongsam, was gentle and graceful, nodding and smiling at Jiang Hua.

Jiang Hua smiled and responded.

The old lady held her great-great-grandson, beaming from ear to ear. Several elders of the Shen family were probably satisfied; if they hadn't agreed, they wouldn't have come today.

Jiang Hua, arm in arm with Pei Zhan, followed behind her grandfather to the banquet. They sat at the same table as the hosts, including members of the Huo family. The greeters led them to the two empty seats at the head of the table.

Most of those present today are from the political arena, each with a special status. The Huo, Chen, and Jiang families are sitting at the same table, and Pei Zhan, representing the Huo family head, should indeed sit in the main seat.

These occasions, filled with high-ranking political officials, were generally less relaxing for Jiang Hua than business banquets, which also had a serious and oppressive atmosphere.

Bao'er and Shen Bulu sat at another table. When Bao'er met Jiang Hua's gaze, she pouted pitifully, "Waaah... I can't sit with Hua Hua anymore." The Huo family rarely attended such banquets, but today was an exception. Even Huo Beishen and Yue Simiao came, along with Wen Man and Huo Nanqing, and their families filled most of the main table.

Jiang Hua smiled, waved to the waiter behind her, and the waiter bent down to listen to her message. In the end, Bao'er, holding the unfinished dessert, sat down next to Jiang Hua and happily swayed her body.

The engagement banquet was not too complicated. Shen Yebai led Xu Xiangjun to toast the guests, and that was the end of the banquet.

Wherever the Huo family goes, their subordinates inevitably come to chat and make friends. Even at the height of the Wang family's power, they dared not provoke the Huo family. The Huo family is mysterious and low-key, rarely interacting with people outside the Huo family. If any member of a branch family were to step out, it would be a battlefield, and no one would dare to disregard their authority.

Jiang Hua wasn't used to dealing with people in the political arena, so she made an excuse to leave.

Pei Zhan leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't run around."

By the swimming pool behind the banquet hall, Jiang Hua lay on a chair, and Bao'er, Yue Simiao, and Wen Man followed her out and lay down as well. The four of them chatted idly.

The one who complained the most was Yue Simiao, who said, "...I have some bad news for you all, I'm pregnant." Hearing this, she sounded utterly hopeless.

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at each other, and Jiang Hua said, "Isn't this a good thing?"

Yue Simiao: "Oh no! Mistress, ever since the head of the family handed over all the company's affairs to that bastard Huo Beishen, he leaves early and returns late every day. The first thing he does when he gets back is to ask me to sleep with him. He doesn't even go to the little star's place anymore. When I ask him, he says he's busy and doesn't have time. He only comes to me when he needs to satisfy his physical needs."

"They're never gentle at all, it hurts like hell."

"It made me feel like I was dying."

"It's no different from a breeding pig."

Wen Man: "Be content. He's impotent! I've been married to him for four years, and he's never even touched me. We only see each other three times a year. I'm living like a widow!"

“If it weren’t for our child, I would have divorced him long ago.”

I heard that Huo Nanqing has been promoted and is now the chief superintendent at a young age. Jiang Hua saw him in a photo of the Huo family wearing a black uniform. He has strong features and dark skin. He looks very penetrating, probably because he has been trained in the military for many years. I met him once at the last family banquet. He doesn't talk much, is quite tall, and doesn't look like he is impotent.

Jiang Hua: "..."

Jiang Hua glanced at Bao'er, who looked completely bewildered. She and Shen Bulu were probably in a casual relationship. Shen Yebai was very strict with her and wouldn't let her stay out overnight. Shen Bulu, on the other hand, was thinking that he could rise in status through his son.

"Let me tell you, the main reason why men don't pay their dues when they come back is that they have someone else outside."

Wen Man said, "Come on, he's boring, rigid, and stubborn. He can't say a word for ages. Two years ago at a nightclub, a woman approached him, and before she could even speak, he grabbed her, pinned her to the table with a grappling move, handcuffed her, and sent her to the police station to interrogate her about whether she was a spy or an agent. He even investigated her entire family history for three generations."

"Sigh, that poor girl was locked up for seven days."

"She just wanted to seduce him, what did she do wrong? After she was released, she became a freak."

Yue Simiao: "It's not normal, really... none of the men in the Huo family are normal."

Wen Man: "Mistress, what about you?"

"How is the head of the family?"

Both of them had been in contact with the Jiang family before, so they were very approachable. Since they were the same age, they got along quite well. However, they were also mindful of boundaries and kept things within limits.

Jiang Hua laughed, "Pretending to be something you're not!"

He never tells a single truth.

“Bao’er understands.”

Shen Bao'er added, "He used to be extremely stingy."

“He’s so rich, but every time he goes out on a date with Huahua, Huahua pays.”

“Huahua also paid his rent for a year.”

The two were stunned by these words, and then shook their heads, "As expected, the patriarch is not a normal person either."

Actually, Jiang Hua had almost forgotten about this incident. It was only after Bao'er mentioned it that she remembered that during her time in Haishi, Jiang Hua had drunk too much and, not wanting her father to know, had gone to a bar to fool around. So she called Pei Zhan and asked him to pick her up.

Pei Zhan took her to the dilapidated rental room he had rented. At that time, Pei Zhan was showing his talent at the company. Although he was not highly educated, he was very capable, which made him the target of exclusion and discrimination. His salary was deliberately withheld for several months.

The landlord came to collect the rent and started yelling at the door, "Don't think you can get away with it by keeping quiet!"

"I know you're in there. I'm telling you, if you don't pay your rent today, I'll have someone tear down the door and kick you out!"

"I'm really unlucky to have run into someone like you, a country bumpkin from the countryside."

Jiang Hua woke up wearing his black shirt as pajamas. Hearing the cursing at the door, she looked at the man who had been sitting there all night without sleeping and asked softly, not daring to raise her voice: "Even if you're in a bad situation, you can't be so bad that you can't even afford the rent, right?"

Pei Zhan: "My salary has been withheld, I have no money."

Jiang Hua: "..."

In the end, Jiang Hua paid his rent for a year...

The landlord gave her the receipt after swiping her card. Jiang Hua turned around, shook her head, and stuffed the receipt into Pei Zhan's hand. "You don't need to pay this back. Consider it a reward for helping me with my homework."

"Uncle Pei, it's one thing to be poor, but you're also not ambitious. You'll never be able to find a wife in the future."

He claims to be poor, but he's actually the heir to the Huo family!

In the end, he married her.

Bad fate!

Jiang Hua didn't know what happened after that.

She returned to the capital and didn't contact Pei Zhan for a long time afterward.

They met again in the snowy mountains when he saved her. Jiang Hua had forgotten his name. They met again at the company in the capital. By then, he had been promoted by his father to general manager, and then gradually became vice president.

Now, no matter where you are, you can't escape him...

The banquet ended a little late. Jiang Hua, feeling sleepy, leaned on Pei Zhan's shoulder and looked at their hands clasped tightly together.

Since he resigned from all his positions, he has spent his days at home with her, doing nothing else. Life has been very ordinary, with not many things happening. It seems like the life of an ordinary person: sleeping, eating, and taking a walk hand in hand after meals.

We're practically inseparable, repeating the same things every day.

So peaceful.

This is too wonderful for Jiang Hua.

She thought she would get tired of it, but it seems... she gradually discovered that she was starting to crave this kind of life.

During the day they can do many things, and at night... Jiang Hua likes to sit with him by the lake in Yulong Bay, watching the sunset paint the sky red, and then watch it slowly set until it gets dark, waiting for the day to end.

This seems to be what she wanted.

She wanted him to stay with her, always, forever.

Even if you do nothing, just enjoy the tranquility of life.

Jiang Hua wanted to sleep, yet she also wanted to stay awake. For some reason, she asked this question.

"Pei Zhan, in the future... do you want a boy or a girl?"

His reaction was a little slow. As she drew closer, she felt her hand being gripped tightly. "It's all right," he said, his voice trembling slightly.

Children have always been a sensitive topic between them, including their future.

This is the first time.

Jiang Hua was too sleepy, and her voice was very soft: "I want a daughter, soft and cute, like Bao'er, very adorable."

Pei Zhan: "Okay."

Jiang Hua: "If it's a son, it's not impossible. They say sons tend to resemble their mothers more."

Pei Zhan: "Mm."

Jiang Hua: "Pei Zhan, I want to have many, many children, one is not enough."

"This way the house will be more lively. When I was a child, I was the only one in my family, it was so quiet!"

Pei Zhan spoke calmly to her, "One is enough. With us by his side, he won't be lonely."

Jiang Hua: "Pei Zhan, I'm so sleepy, why aren't we home yet?"

Pei Zhan: "It'll be soon, go to sleep."

Jiang Hua: "Give me a kiss, and I'll go to sleep."

His kiss landed gently on her forehead.

...

At Beijing Capital International Airport, a plane landed smoothly...