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

Unexpectedly, she didn't take anything with her.

Is she really willing to part with the 50,000 yuan she has left?

Or is it a case of playing hard to get, hoping to gain more?

He asked Xie Huai to investigate any overlooked clues, but they were found to be completely clean, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Seeing the empty bowl and chopsticks beside him, Shen Yebai asked, "Where is she?"

Hongmei said, "Ever since you made the young master kneel in the ancestral hall all night as punishment, his fever has subsided, but he is still a little weak. He just finished his homework, took his medicine, and fell asleep in his room by himself."

This child was born prematurely, before he was even a month old, and was frequently sick in the period immediately following his birth.

It was Xu Xiangjun who took care of the child day and night. After the child grew up, his health improved slightly, unlike before when he would get sick from a gust of wind.

The phone beside me vibrated.

Shen Yebai picked up the message and glanced at it.

...

At noon, the sun was high in the sky, and sunlight streamed through the windows high up in the theater, casting slanted beams of light, but it could not dispel the dullness and oppression that permeated the entire space.

As she walked to her seat, Shen Yebai quietly walked to her side.

The seats were arranged neatly, exuding a deathly stillness and desolation.

On the stage, the curtain was half-drawn, and a lone lamp hung in the center of the stage, emitting a dim and swaying light that cast a somber hue over everything around it.

Occasionally, dust particles dance in the light, like fragments of time, slowly drifting down.

A scene all too familiar.

Five years later, I returned, but my state of mind was no longer the same.

Nothing here has changed.

The two suddenly sat down, and the performance on stage began.

The moment the curtain rose, everything that had happened over the years flashed through Jiang Hua's mind, all the people involved. It was like a movie playing rapidly in her mind until the very end.

The play begins and continues until it ends.

During that time, the two did not exchange a single word.

"sorry."

This apology came five years in the making.

In Shen Yebai's heart, there was something he had suppressed for many years that he wanted to say to her, but he was cowardly running away.

Five years ago, Shen Yebai could never forget that wedding. Because of him, he hurt her so much that she vomited blood and fell into a coma. She trusted him so much, yet he still hurt her deeply.

His supposed mastery of the situation ultimately became a double-edged sword that hurt her.

It made it impossible for him to face her.

After so many years, Jiang Hua couldn't help but feel emotional turmoil. She couldn't say she forgave him, and he couldn't say he was sorry to her.

"You don't have to say you're sorry."

"You don't need to feel sorry for me. You wouldn't have done this without Pei Zhan."

"Actually... I've never hated you."

Her voice echoed in the empty theater.

Shen Yebai was slightly shaken, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes, an indescribable sense of guilt and sorrow.

After the actors on stage left, only the two of them remained.

“If Pei Zhan hadn’t done so many things to hurt and sadden me, I wouldn’t have had no trust in him at all, and I certainly wouldn’t have shot him.”

"Our relationship was torn apart by a lack of trust between us, which was easily broken by just a few words from anyone. At that time, our relationship was indeed not very strong."

Lie to her, get close to her.

It's all for Zhou Xu.

Even on their wedding day, Jiang Hua believed that his claims of love were nothing but a lie.

She nearly collapsed when the lie was exposed.

Because she couldn't accept the betrayal of the person she loved.

That was how it was in my past life.

Even if I were to live another life, it would still be the same.

How could she possibly accept that?

"Whether it's you, Zhou Yan, or... Xu Zhoulan, Song Qingran... none of their schemes were ever without reason."

"I believe in cause and effect, and I also believe that... if you do something wrong, you really have to pay the price."

"So I bore it, and I accepted the price. Not only me, but everyone is bearing it."

"In all of this, if you try to trace who is right and who is wrong, no one can remain unscathed, but it's all meaningless."

"So many years have passed, and I'm tired of it all. I don't want to dwell on it anymore."

"I'm doing very well now, aren't I?"

"The Jiang family is stable now, so there's no need to scheme anymore. I have Ah Xun and Pei Zhan, and I'm doing very well... I don't want anything else to disrupt this balance."

“I’m not someone who lives in the past. The past… means absolutely nothing to me.” Jiang Hua looked at the man beside her. In fact, he hadn’t changed much in the past five years; only with age did he exude a more mature charm. His cool aura made him seem even more unapproachable and intimidating.

"If you feel guilty towards me, or feel sorry for me."

"I accept your forgiveness."

"But I also hope you can accept what Pei Zhan did to you."

Shen Yebai slowly turned his gaze to her, meeting those eyes that he had wanted to avoid countless times, and remained silent: "..."

"Even without Xu Xiangjun, we would never have had this opportunity."

Shen Yebai already knew the answer.

But his heart still aches.

“You bear the honor and future of the Shen family on your shoulders. But I don’t want to see you trapped in the past because of me.”

"I've said it before, I'll always be on your side."

"Brother Ye Bai."

Shen Yebai: "Okay."

Hearing her forgiveness in person, Shen Yebai let go of the obsessive guilt he had been trapped in for the past five years.

Skipping over the heavy topics, for the first time, the two looked at each other and smiled again.

At this moment, they finally let go of the past completely.

When Jiang Hua mentioned Ah Xun, she learned that the child had another side to him.

Since Ah Xun started attending a private early childhood education kindergarten at the age of three, Shen Yebai has been in contact with him. "Ah Xun is very smart and sensible."

"They're just a little mischievous; a little discipline won't hurt them."

Jiang Hua was somewhat troubled, "But he only listens to you and never listens to Pei Zhan. The two of them rarely communicate; people who don't know the situation might think they're enemies."

Shen Yebai: "Just tell him to be patient."

Jiang Hua chuckled and said, "I haven't met Ayan yet. If you have time, I'll have him and Qianqian come and keep Axun company."

Pei Zhan also quite likes this child.

“Last time, Ayan beat up Axun. After he learned what pain was, he had someone he was afraid of.”

“Ah Xun has also become much more well-behaved.”

Shen Yebai did not refuse, and responded calmly, "Mm."

The phone in the bag suddenly rang, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet theater.

She took out her phone, and Pei Zhan's name was flashing on the screen.

Shen Yebai's gaze unconsciously drifted to the phone screen.

Pei Zhan called at this exact moment, as if he had planned it all along. She hung up impatiently, but the phone rang again and again…

Shen Yebai looked at Jiang Hua: "Aren't you going to answer?"

"Do not care."

Jiang Hua simply turned off the phone.

After a brief chat, the two agreed to send Ayan and Qianqian to the Huo family tomorrow to keep Axun company for a few days.

As soon as Jiang Hua stepped out of the gate, she saw the familiar car, which drove up from a distance and stopped beside her.

Kagel got out of the car and opened the back passenger door. After she got in, Pei Zhan looked at Shen Yebai's car in front of him with the eyes of someone looking at an enemy.

"I just went to a meeting at the company, and you let me leave Mrs. Pei alone, and she ran this far?"

"What did we talk about?"

Jiang Hua took out a makeup mirror from her bag, touched up her lipstick, and then slowly said, "What I talk about is none of your business. It's my personal freedom. I won't talk about it if I don't want to."

I don't see you, and you tell me everything.

Jiang Hua seemed to be deliberately keeping him in suspense, not letting him know the truth.

She seemed to be in a good mood after meeting with Shen Yebai.

As she put away her makeup mirror and lipstick, she was suddenly pulled into his arms by a strong force. He pulled her back firmly, and Jiang Hua fell against his chest, meeting his deep eyes beneath his strong brow bone. In his dark eyes, there was a nonchalant and unexpressed emotion.

The man cupped her face, his thumb gently tracing the corner of her fiery red, alluring lips. "Of course. This is Mrs. Pei's freedom; I have no right to interfere."

"But haven't the two of them been staying for a little too long?"

Pei Zhan waited for her for more than two hours outside the theater.

Including the time she spent meeting with Shen Yebai, it lasted a total of three and a half hours.

He never gave up his wicked intentions. During his absence for five years, he took advantage of the situation and managed to win people's hearts. His child almost recognized his thief as his father.

"Good to know, now let me go."

With the driver and Kagel both present, Jiang Hua, unlike before when she could do whatever she wanted, felt somewhat uncomfortable being watched by two extra pairs of eyes.

Struggling to get up.

Kagel closed the privacy partition between the front and rear seats, creating a secluded space in the back that was invisible from the front and even more so from the outside.

His affection, mixed with tenderness, was like a black hole, drawing people in without them even realizing it. When she met his gaze and saw him slowly lean down, Jiang Hua's heart was still pounding. Just when Pei Zhan thought he was about to do something to her, he slowly closed his eyes.

But after waiting for a long time, the passionate kiss she had imagined did not fall.

It took me a long time to realize that I had been tricked.

Jiang Hua opened her eyes and met those teasing eyes. A surge of anger rose in her heart again. She sat up angrily, pretending that nothing had happened, and said, "Fine, if you don't want to kiss me, then forget it."

"Anyway, I'll have plenty of time to meet with Shen Yebai."

"If you don't want to kiss, then don't kiss for the rest of the week."

Let's see how long you can keep up this act.

Pei Zhan smiled slightly, pulled Jiang Hua into his arms again, and whispered in her ear.

Jiang Hua blushed deeply.

He pushed her away forcefully, saying, "At your age, can't you have any shame?"

Her face was burning hot, causing her to look away uncomfortably.

Pei Zhan kept his word. After arriving at the Huo family's ancestral home, Jiang Hua tossed the bag in her hand to Kager.

She tried to run, but Pei Zhan wouldn't let her get away so easily. He stretched out his long arm and pulled Jiang Hua back into his arms. The movement was somewhat rough, and Jiang Hua bumped into his hard chest, unable to help but let out a soft cry. "Let me go!" Jiang Hua struggled, pushing Pei Zhan away with both hands.

Pei Zhan carried her out of the car and headed straight for the master bedroom upstairs.

At this time, Pei Xun was still taking a nap and wouldn't wake up for at least another hour and a half.

With the room door tightly shut, Pei Zhan took off his suit jacket, reached out and unbuttoned the two buttons of his black shirt, and pounced on her like a wolf.

Previously, Jiang Hua wanted to have another child together, so she would drag him to make babies every night. After a while, his body couldn't take it anymore, but Jiang Hua couldn't either.

"Pei Zhan, you've really gone too far."

Jiang Hua had nowhere to escape as she leaned against the door.

"We agreed to kiss for an hour, so it'll be an hour."

"I was just kidding. Kisses, kisses every day." Today, Jiang Hua wasn't wearing high heels, so she could only stand on tiptoe, cup his face in her hands, and give him a kiss. Her soft, warm lips pressed against his cool lips.

Honey, one hour.

Without stopping, her lips must have swollen to a certain extent.

Before Jiang Hua could even gasp, Pei Zhan's lips fell like a storm.

The kiss was aggressive and possessive; his hands gripped Jiang Hua's shoulders tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his body.

Jiang Hua initially struggled instinctively, placing her hands on Pei Zhan's chest and trying to push him away, but Pei Zhan remained unmoved and instead deepened the kiss.

Gradually, Jiang Hua's struggles became weak, and her hands unconsciously slid from Pei Zhan's chest to his arms, tightly gripping his sleeves.

Pei Zhan's kisses traveled from her lips to her cheeks and earlobes, leaving a burning mark on every surface.

Jiang Hua felt her mind go blank, as if all her strength had been drained away. She could only rely on the door behind her and Pei Zhan's arm around her waist to support her body.

Time seemed to stand still during that passionate kiss.

For an hour, they tirelessly kept taking.

Jiang Hua's breathing became rapid and disordered, her consciousness gradually blurred, and she could only feel Pei Zhan's hot lips and strong embrace.

Finally, after it was over, Jiang Hua collapsed into his arms, her face flushed, her eyes glazed, her lips swollen and red, and she was breathing heavily.

Looking at her like this, Pei Zhan's desire subsided slightly, replaced by a sense of satisfaction and deep affection.

He gently stroked Jiang Hua's hair and said in a hoarse voice, "From now on, you're not allowed to see him without permission..."

Jiang Hua nodded slightly. At this moment, she had no strength to respond further. Her brain was severely oxygen-deprived, and she could only let Pei Zhan hold her tightly, feeling his rapidly beating heartbeat.

The two were disheveled and sitting on the bed. There were lipstick marks on the man's chest. Jiang Hua was held in his arms, her arms wrapped around his waist, and half of her body was draped over him. "...I asked Shen Yebai to bring Qianqian and that child here to play with A Xun."

"When I grow up, I don't want them to become my enemies."

"I just wanted to use this opportunity to help them build a better relationship."

The lust in Pei Zhan's eyes had not yet faded. "Mmm."

Jiang Hua looked up at him and said, "Should we bring Xiao Ling's child along? Xiao Ling is busy, but the child won't be."

Pei Zhan: "You can make the decision."

Pei Xun didn't wake up until half an hour later. Jiang Hua didn't forget to bring up Pei Zhan's plan to make babies, and the two of them did it for another half hour.

I came out after taking a shower.

Pei Zhan went to his study to attend a meeting. After Jiang Hua came downstairs, she wore a loose nightgown with a light blue shawl draped over her shoulders. She sat down on the sofa and called Huo Ling. As usual, the call didn't go through. Just as she was about to hang up, a voice suddenly came from the other end of the line, "Hello, who is this? Are you looking for my mother? My mother isn't home today. If you need anything, you can tell me."

This sound…

It's him!

That child.

Jiang Hua's mind went blank for a moment, as if it had gone completely blank.

"... "

"If you don't say anything, I'm going to do my homework."

"Woman, speak!"