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

"Yes, he's trying to bribe me with this. I'm not that stupid, I won't be bribed by him. Uncle Chen, let me show you, this can even fly with me."

Pei Xun demonstrated it to him once, running around the study.

Shen Yebai said worriedly, "Be careful, don't fall."

Hearing laughter from inside the study, Shen Yanli couldn't hide his disappointment. Looking at the cold name on the desk, he realized that all he had studied so hard for was to gain his father's approval. Since he was five years old, his father had never liked him, never even glanced at him, and never even held him.

For the past eight years, he has lived with his great-grandfather since he was a child. He has never spent a single day with his father, except during the Chinese New Year when the family reunites and he has the opportunity to sit next to him and eat with him.

He would only come to Bai Ze to have his father sign his name when he got full marks in all subjects, hoping to hear his father praise him, even if it was just one sentence.

But it seems that no matter what he does, his father is never satisfied, no matter how well he does it.

None of them are as good as the little boy in the story, who can win his father's favor so easily.

He also wanted his father to play with him.

I sat next to my father and practiced calligraphy.

She also wanted to have dinner with Bai Ze.

These things are perfectly normal for his father, but they always seem to be difficult for him because his father never seems to like him. No matter how well he does or how often he is ranked first, he will never get his father's approval.

"Young Master Yanli, you have done very well. There is no need to feel disappointed. It is getting late, you should go back."

The laughter inside only intensified his sorrow. "Is he... that woman's child with Father?"

Xie Huai's expression changed drastically. "Young Master Yanli, you can't say things like that."

Just then, the study door suddenly opened, and Shen Yebai appeared, slapping him across the face. "If I hear you say that again, I'll break your legs. No matter how good your grades are, if your character is flawed, you're not fit to be the future heir of the Shen family."

"Go back to the old house and kneel in the ancestral hall. You are not allowed to get up without my permission!"

Shen Yebai's slap left a clear mark on his face, but his expression remained calm and expressionless. "I apologize to Father for what I just said."

"I just don't understand, if he's not my father's child, why do you treat him even better than you would treat him well?"

"I don't know what my mother and I did wrong. Why have we never received your approval all these years? If you don't like my mother either, why did you give birth to me?"

"Father, I am your child."

“I don’t like an outsider child taking away my family. You should be with your mother, and you should…go and spend time with her.”

His mother told him from a young age that as long as he studied hard, he would gain her approval.

But... it doesn't seem to be like that.

No matter how hard he tried, he could never compare to the woman his father loved and the child she bore.

He had seen her before. That woman would come every year during the Spring Festival. She was very beautiful, the most beautiful person he had ever seen, and no one could compare to her.

This child was born to that woman…

His father would secretly visit him, prepare thoughtful gifts for him every year, and celebrate his birthday without fail.

It seemed that his father would give him anything he wanted.

But in the past eight years, he has never been hugged by him.

"Get out!"

...

No sooner had Pei Xun left Yulong Bay than Pei Zhan's phone sounded an alarm, alerting him that the target had left the safe zone.

Pei Zhan opened his phone and saw the child's location, which was near Bai Ze. He knew the child wouldn't stay home alone and wouldn't behave. To prevent what happened to the child's mother in the past from happening to him, Pei Zhan added precise positioning to the bracelet.

He's very clever; the watch Jiang Hua gave him can pinpoint his location, and this time he deliberately didn't wear it.

Pei Zhan, who had just come out of the conference room, asked, "Has Huahua been in contact with Shen Yebai these past few days?"

Kagel shook his head. "No, Mayor Shen and his wife haven't seen each other for five years since that wedding banquet. Even when he goes to the Shen family to deliver gifts, Mayor Shen doesn't show up in front of his wife."

Pei Zhan: "Did Huahua ask anything?"

Kagel answered truthfully, "No. I think the lady must have guessed something as well."

"Madam is also unwilling to mention this matter."

After all, what happened five years ago is not a pleasant memory for the lady.

Outside the elevator.

Zuo Xiangnan caught up with Pei Zhan, who was waiting for the elevator. He walked up to him and made a request, "President Pei, I would like to formally apply to stay and work for you again."

Pei Zhan: "Aren't you working for me right now?"

Zuo Xiangnan pursed her lips and said, "I want to go back to being your assistant and be by your side at all times."

Pei Zhan patted his shoulder, a smile playing on his lips, "What, are you still not satisfied with your current salary?"

Back then, Pei Zhan's annual salary was only a little over five million. He even gave up all his dividends and gave his only share to Jiang Hua. As an assistant, his annual salary plus year-end bonus and dividends were much higher than Jiang Hua's.

"No. I am satisfied with everything you have arranged."

"That's enough. I won't approve your transfer application. Managing the Jiang family is your job."

When the elevator arrived, Kagel followed Pei Zhan and they entered together.

Pei Zhan glanced at his expensive watch; it was almost time to pick her up from the mall. Not daring to be late, he went to the underground parking lot.

The bodyguard drove the car, and Jiang Hua sat in the back passenger seat touching up her makeup in front of the mirror. Looking at his outfit today, she said, "Didn't you just come back not long ago? Are you going back to the company again?" He was wearing the same smoky gray suit that she had given him years ago, with a silver pendant accessory on his chest.

"I don't stay at the company often, I just go to a meeting occasionally."

Jiang Hua: "Oh, okay."

"By the way, when you came to pick me up, didn't the child insist on coming with you?" Jiang Hua seemed to have thought of something amiss.

"Yeah, I didn't let him come over." After she finished touching up her makeup, Pei Zhan took her hand. "Are you cold?"

"Fortunately, the mall has heating."

Jiang Hua rarely gets to enjoy a relaxing shopping trip with Bao'er, and she gets to hold Qianqian, such a sweet and soft baby girl, like a strawberry-flavored cream cake, looking just like a doll. Bao'er and Shen Bulu also adore this child, and she wears a different princess dress every day in her wardrobe; those clothes are absolutely gorgeous.

In the morning, I can even braid her hair into pretty little braids.

Jiang Hua moved closer to Pei Zhan, hugged his arm, and rested her head on his shoulder. With this action, Pei Zhan guessed what she was thinking.

"Honey, let's have another one."

"How about having a girl?"

really.

The man, with his long legs draped over his shoulders, exuded an aloof and unapproachable aura. Without a second thought, he rejected her request, saying, "Don't even think about it."

He just didn't want Jiang Hua to take that risk. Pei Zhan could accept it; he and Jiang Hua had no children, and he wasn't willing to bear the cost of losing her to have this child.

"Do you want one? I'm recovering very well now. If you're worried, we can ask the doctor."

Pei Zhan knew that no matter how much he disagreed with what she wanted, he would not discourage her from pursuing it.

"Let's set a time later and talk about it then."

"Honey, that's so sweet." Jiang Hua rarely took the initiative, so she kissed his cheek.

Pei Zhan pinched her waist and moved closer to her. Looking at the lipstick smudged on the corner of her mouth, he used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the excess blemishes.

After returning to Royal Dragon Bay, Gou Dan managed to crawl back home through the dog hole before Jiang Hua returned. No one noticed that he had left home. In just one hour, the servants were all busy with their own things and no one noticed that he had left.

As soon as Jiang Hua got home, she couldn't wait to see her dog, Gou Dan. "Gou Dan! Pei Xun?" she called out twice, only to see a TV playing commercials and a large watermelon that hadn't been finished in front of it.

"Coming, coming! Mom, you're back!" Upon hearing the voice, Pei Xun, holding onto the railing, happily ran downstairs.

Upon seeing him, Jiang Hua squatted down, and Pei Xun immediately threw himself into her arms. "Dog Egg, why is your face so dirty? Did you go digging a hole in the back garden again?"

"Didn't Mom tell you that those dirty things have bacteria? You have to wash your hands after playing there."

Pei Zhan placed several large shopping bags on the table. Pei Xun happened to meet Pei Zhan's eyes, and looking guilty as if afraid that Pei Zhan would see through something, he immediately looked away.

Jiang Hua took his hand and went to the kitchen to wash his face with a tissue.

"I'm going to the study."

Jiang Hua watched his retreating figure as he went upstairs, then clenched her fist and coughed again. In fact, this wasn't the first time Jiang Hua had noticed him like this; his coughing frequency had been increasing recently, and it seemed like he hadn't recovered at all in the past few days.

She thought it was just a common cold and that she would get better soon.

But it's been almost half a month since he came back, and Jiang Hua hasn't seen any signs of improvement in him.

Jiang Hua discovered it, but dared not ask; she was afraid…

She was afraid it would be bad news.

His eyes held a deep, lingering worry.

How could someone who has been bedridden for three years possibly be completely unharmed and fully recovered?

"Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Pei Xun noticed the change in her emotions; her mother seemed to be feeling unwell, and this made Gou Dan feel uneasy as well.

After Pei Zhan went upstairs, he gave Kagel another instruction: "Have all the hospitals in the capital coordinate their statements and not give anything away. Regardless of whether her health is good or bad, tell her that she has no chance of getting pregnant again, and dissuade her from the idea."

"Just like eight years ago, when your wife went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to divorce you, and the staff told her there was a three-month cooling-off period?"

Pei Zhan: "Otherwise?"

A month-long cooling-off period isn't a very long time for her.

Knowing her personality, for the next month, she would simply find a quiet place to hide herself away. Not wanting to see him, she would stay in one place and wait for the month to pass.

If it were three months, Jiang Hua wouldn't have that much patience, and Jiang Weiguo would be even less likely to let her stay outside alone for three months. Besides, she squandered the money in her bank account, and if it were frozen, it wouldn't be enough to support her for three months.

"I never expected that Madam would actually believe it."

Even if she didn't believe it, before she understood, Pei Zhan would dispel her thoughts in a short time; he had never thought of separating from her.

Upon entering the study, Kager did not approach further. Pei Zhan sat at the table, coughing a few times with a handkerchief covering his lips. The veins on his forehead, which were bulging with suppressed pain, seemed to be causing him some discomfort. He removed the handkerchief, revealing a patch of blood on the blue part of it. Before the metallic taste in his throat could dissipate, Pei Zhan took out some medicine from the drawer, swallowed it, and managed to feel a little better.

I locked the drawer when I put the medicine back in, just in case.

For dinner, Dad made fish head soup himself.

Pei Zhan was the last to come downstairs.

Jiang Hua, still feeling uneasy, saw that he seemed alright, though she could vaguely see that his face was somewhat pale. She slowly walked to her seat and sat down.

Today, Jiang Weiguo was holding Pei Xun while they ate, giving the two a rare opportunity to sit side by side.

"Aunt Xu, serve Mr. Pei a bowl of fish soup."

"Okay, sir."

Xu Qiulan took the bowl, and Jiang Hua said, "I'll do it."

"Alright. Miss, come on over."

Pei Zhan had always done these things for her; this was the first time Jiang Hua had ever done so.

Pei Zhan was somewhat surprised as well.

Pei Xun was unusually quiet.

Just now in the kitchen, his mother told him that his father hadn't come home all these years because he was injured outside and hadn't recovered yet, and that he shouldn't talk back to his father anymore.

Dog Egg sat quietly on Jiang Weiguo's lap, drinking the fish soup his grandfather fed him, his big eyes looking at him.

At the dinner table, Dad and Pei Zhan were talking about company matters. Jiang Hua listened quietly to them. Pei Zhan would occasionally put food on her plate and serve her a bowl of rice. As he talked, she ate, and before she knew it, she had eaten almost three bowls.

When her father brought up her relationship with Pei Zhan again, both of them fell silent.

"The people from the Civil Affairs Bureau came to your door to process your death certificate, which effectively made you divorce Huahua."

"When do you have time, go and reissue the marriage certificate, or have them come to your home. That way, you and Huahua won't have to make another trip."

Pei Zhan looked at the people around him and said, "I'll go along with her."

Jiang Hua rolled her eyes at him, "It's like I'm the one who's determined to marry you."

"If you're not in a hurry, then I'm not in a hurry either."

Let's talk about it later.

Jiang Hua put down her spoon. "I'm not eating anymore, I'm full."

Pei Xun twisted his body and got off Jiang Weiguo, saying, "I'm not eating either."

Seeing the mother and son leave in a huff, Jiang Weiguo shook his head helplessly, then looked at him and asked, "What are your thoughts on remarrying Huahua?"

"It's not appropriate for her to be with you without any official status or recognition."