He was the man who had saved her at the club last night.
He was actually a member of the Cheng family.
Shen Qingli hurried two steps forward.
The bodyguards quickly blocked her.
Shen Qingli anxiously called out, “Mr. Cheng, please wait!”
The man turned his head at the sound and lifted his eyes.
The depths of his eyes held a trace of unfamiliar, bone-chilling coldness. The lowered outer corners of his eyes carried a sharp, aloof edge as his gaze fell silently upon Shen Qingli.
He raised a hand slightly.
The bodyguards released their hold on Shen Qingli.
Gratitude shone in Shen Qingli’s clear eyes as she quickly walked up to the man.
It was only when the shadow overhead fell over her that Shen Qingli suddenly realized the man standing before her was even taller than Pei Wendu.
Her breathing grew a little lighter. With gratitude, she said, “Sir, thank you for taking me to the hospital last night.”
The man cast her an indifferent glance. “There’s no need.”
Shen Qingli clenched her fists.
She had to seize this final opportunity.
Pressing her lips together and mentally preparing herself, Shen Qingli asked cautiously, “Sir, the necklace you bid such an exorbitant price for—could you sell it to me?”
The instant the words left her mouth, Shen Qingli’s fingertips had clenched until they turned white. She was afraid of being too abrupt, and even more afraid that he would reject her outright.
Unexpectedly, a delicate velvet box appeared in the man’s hand.
His fingertip brushed over the box’s subtle pattern unintentionally before he placed it in Shen Qingli’s palm.
Shen Qingli stood frozen in place.
The thing she had longed for was in her hand, yet she did not dare accept it.
The man glanced sideways at the assistant beside him.
Tang Zhou quickly presented a business card. “Miss Shen, this is our master’s card.”
Shen Qingli accepted it.
She lowered her eyes.
The business card was made of cool-toned charcoal-black specialty paper. It felt substantial in her hand, while the design had been created entirely with gilding. Under the light, it shimmered with a layer of shifting, fragmented luster, like a work of art.
Centered at the top was the man’s name: Cheng Yanli.
Shen Qingli quickly said, “Mr. Cheng, I’ll contact you soon and deliver the money to you!”
Cheng Yanli’s gaze dropped, fixing on Shen Qingli’s trembling eyelashes, as light as butterfly wings.
His voice was low. “Shen Qingli.”
Shen Qingli froze, caught completely off guard.
How did he know her name?
Then Cheng Yanli’s low, hoarse voice sounded beside her ear. “Xu Yeping is my older brother. Tomorrow morning, bring Xu Xiaoye to the address on the back of the card. We’ll discuss changing Xu Xiaoye’s custody.”
Cheng Yanli was actually Mr. Xu’s younger brother!
He intended to fight her for custody of Xiaoye!
Shen Qingli quickly held the necklace out to him. “I won’t trade Xiaoye for a necklace.”
Before she could finish speaking, the door to Private Room Three opened.
Pei Wendu walked straight over with Song Mingyan.
Song Mingyan looked at Shen Qingli in surprise. “Why are you here, Sister?”
Pei Wendu had not expected to see Shen Qingli here either.
He frowned slightly.
His gaze swept over Shen Qingli and Cheng Yanli. Only after noticing the hearing aid she wore did he speak. “Lili, did you come to see Mr. Cheng? Is something wrong?”
Shen Qingli fell silent.
She had not expected Pei Wendu to go so far for Song Mingyan.
Wasn’t he the one who hated asking others for favors the most?
Back then, because Pei Wendu loathed having to bow and scrape while asking for help, she had been forced to exchange her own marriage for the leverage that allowed him to walk into the Pei family with his head held high…
Shen Qingli looked at Pei Wendu. “Naturally, for the same reason you came to see Mr. Cheng.”
Pei Wendu’s expression darkened.
He stepped forward and reached for Shen Qingli’s hand, but she turned aside and avoided his touch.
Pei Wendu grasped at empty air.
At that moment, he happened to meet Cheng Yanli’s mocking gaze. Pei Wendu could only straighten his body, adjust his tie, and say in a deep voice, “Mr. Cheng, hello. I’m Pei Wendu of Pei Group.”
Cheng Yanli glanced at Pei Wendu.
His gaze looked down upon all living things—indifferent and distant, yet carrying a heavy pressure. An innate arrogance and nobility seemed to seep from his very bones.
Seeing that Cheng Yanli had no intention of speaking, Pei Wendu continued, “Mr. Cheng, it’s like this. I’d like to pay a high price for the Black Jade Necklace you just bought. I wonder whether you might be willing to part with it.”
Cheng Yanli’s sharp gaze swept over Pei Wendu and Song Mingyan, who stood intimately close together. The corner of his lips suddenly curved into a cold arc, and his voice was unhurried. “Mr. and Mrs. Pei truly are deeply devoted to each other.”
Pei Wendu’s face turned dark. “Mr. Cheng, you misunderstand. She’s my younger sister. This is my wife.”
He gestured toward Shen Qingli.
Cheng Yanli looked enlightened. “My apologies. The Cheng family has strict family rules. Adult siblings are expected to avoid suspicion.”
Pei Wendu’s face shifted between green and white, becoming extremely ugly. “…”
At that moment, Song Mingyan stepped forward beyond her station. “Mr. Cheng, Wendu and I happened to be on the way—”
Cheng Yanli’s voice was so cutting it was nearly harsh. “Was I speaking to you? What are you supposed to be?”
Song Mingyan had never imagined that Cheng Yanli would show her not the slightest courtesy. She bit her lip hard, her eyes reddening, and put on a pitiful expression. “Mr. Cheng, I really like that necklace…”
“You like it?”
Cheng Yanli let out a low laugh, the mockery in his voice undiminished. “Unfortunately, Mr. Pei arrived a step too late. The necklace has already been bought by Miss Shen.”
Shen Qingli was stunned.
The next second, she smiled and waved the box in her hand at Song Mingyan.
Song Mingyan bit her lip angrily, her fingertips clutching the hem of her clothes tightly.
Cheng Yanli slipped both hands into the pockets of his trench coat. Looking cold, solemn, and distinguished, he said something difficult to interpret. “Getting something isn’t the true skill. Holding on to it is.”
With that, the bodyguards led the way.
Without looking to either side, Cheng Yanli strode away with his long legs.
Pei Wendu had long heard that the Pei family’s newly appointed decision-maker was aloof and arrogant, and held no one in his eyes.
Now that he had seen him in person—
The rumors were indeed well deserved.
Pei Wendu closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, easing the displeasure caused by being repeatedly frustrated in front of Cheng Yanli.
Song Mingyan said to Shen Qingli, “Sister, can you give me the necklace?”
Shen Qingli sneered. “You’ve no shame at all, do you?”
Pei Wendu’s tone was helpless. “Lili, why do you have to be so cutting?”
Shen Qingli raised her head, a smile that did not reach her eyes on her face. “You want me to give it to her too?”
Pei Wendu lowered his eyes and looked down at Shen Qingli, his voice gentle. “Lili, in the two years we’ve been married, I’ve given you hundreds of gifts, and every one of them was more valuable than this necklace. A gentleman does not take away what another person loves. Since Mingyan likes it so much, let her have it for my sake.”
Shen Qingli slowly lifted her eyes and looked at Pei Wendu.
It was as though she were looking at a stranger.
Those eyes that had once been filled with love now held only cold red veins and ashes as gray and lifeless as death.
“Pei Wendu, when you were fourteen, you had a fever that turned into pneumonia. You had no money to pay the medical bills, so Grandma took her only dowry to the pawnshop. Song Mingyan isn’t even worthy of looking at it.”
Shen Qingli did not spare Pei Wendu another glance.
She turned around.
Her back was held perfectly straight. Step by step, her footsteps steady, she disappeared into the depths of the corridor.
Pei Wendu stood there in a daze.
A corner of his memories had been violently torn open, exposing the naked truth.
Song Mingyan had not seen Pei Wendu this silent and still in a long time. She gently tugged at his arm. “Brother, are you all right?”
Pei Wendu brushed her hand away. “I’m going back for a while.”
Jealousy churned in Song Mingyan’s heart. “Brother, are you still coming out to celebrate New Year’s Eve with me tonight?”
Pei Wendu’s voice was deep and hoarse. “We’ll see.”
Song Mingyan threw herself into Pei Wendu’s arms and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You still claim you don’t like her. She’s already gone, yet you’re still staring blankly at her back.”
Pei Wendu smiled faintly. “You’re overthinking it.”
Song Mingyan gave a heavy snort. “I don’t care. Next time, you have to bid two million for jewelry for me.”
Pei Wendu agreed. “All right.”
Song Mingyan pressed her advantage. “After the company goes public, I want to go see the aurora with you.”
Pei Wendu fell silent.
He frowned.
A long time ago, he had promised Shen Qingli that once the company went public, he would take her to Norway to see the aurora.
Song Mingyan’s fingers traced restlessly across Pei Wendu’s chest. She lifted her eyes in a pitiful manner. “I can hide during the day. You only need to sneak over to see me at night. I can’t bear to be apart from you for too long.”
Pei Wendu hugged Song Mingyan. “All right.”
By the time Shen Qingli arrived home, Xu Xiaoye had already been sent back by Old Madam Pei’s people.
Everyone else in the Pei family hated her and her son.
But the old madam was a good person.
She treated Shen Qingli well.
And she treated Xiaoye well too.
She often had the child brought to her little courtyard to stay for a while.
Recently, however, it had been happening especially often.
Shen Qingli knew perfectly well what was going on.
Grandma Pei wanted to hold a great-grandchild, so she had deliberately been creating opportunities for the two of them to be alone together.
Five-and-a-half-year-old Xu Xiaoye wore a hearing aid as he signed to Shen Qingli:
【Great-Grandma treats me very well. She said tomorrow is New Year’s Day, and I’m supposed to spend it with Mommy and Uncle, so she sent me home.】
Shen Qingli crouched down and rubbed Xu Xiaoye’s face. “Tomorrow morning, Mommy will take you to meet someone, all right?”
Xu Xiaoye obediently nodded.
After sending Xiaoye back to his room, Shen Qingli returned to the master bedroom.
She took the divorce agreement and a photocopy of the prenuptial agreement from the bedside table.
Then she put them together into a document envelope.
This was the gift she intended to give Pei Wendu at the listing ceremony.