In the past, Pei Er had indeed been a very obedient child—so obedient that she almost never made mistakes.
Because Pei Er had sensed from a young age that her parents’ attitude toward her was different from their attitude toward her younger brother. At the time, she didn’t understand why, so she tried desperately to please them, yet they still didn’t like her.
If they were displeased, even a single sigh was enough to make the little Pei Er tremble with fear.
She had no choice but to be even more obedient, even more sensible, and be an even better child.
But they still found fault with her, criticizing her for not being perfect enough, not obedient enough.
It was only later that she understood—they simply didn’t like her, for no reason at all.
In this world, only her grandmother had ever been kind to her and cared about her.
But her grandmother was gone, and the inheritance she left behind had been taken away too.
Pei Er lay on this unfamiliar bed, her past before going abroad flashing before her eyes like a revolving lantern.
Whether it was due to jet lag or her thoughts being too tangled, she tossed and turned all night, only drifting off to sleep around six in the morning.
At ten, the alarm went off right on time.
She got up, put on a clean, light layer of makeup, and changed into a suit.
Pei Er had scheduled a meeting with the contact person from the partner company today.
While she was abroad, she had no idea that some people were spreading rumors that she had gone overseas to squander her grandmother’s inheritance, loafing around all day and doing nothing productive.
Quite the opposite—she had gone straight to New York for further studies right after leaving the country, and later met Pelin Hill, the chief designer of a renowned team.
That woman was her mentor and her teacher. She worked under Pelin while pursuing her graduate degree.
Not long ago, Pei Er had just received a promotion and a raise when she got the transfer notice.
The design team was going to collaborate with a domestic company, and Pei Er, being one of the rare Chinese designers on the team and a native of Jingshi, was “kindly” forced by her superior to return to China.
Claude’s words were high-sounding: “Er, you may be in America, but the blood running through your veins is Chinese. Go back—that’s where your homeland is.”
He didn’t give Pei Er any chance to refuse, and had even already bought her return ticket.
Pei Er knew it was because she had turned down Claude’s advances, and he felt humiliated, so he took the opportunity to make things difficult for her by shoving her into this project and kicking her back to China.
Now that she had been sent back this way, she probably wouldn’t be able to return to the New York headquarters anytime soon.
But Pei Er had never planned to settle down in America anyway. Being in a foreign land made her a stranger—nowhere felt as solid as standing on her own soil.
Just in time for lunch, Pei Er went directly to the restaurant address the partner company had sent.
Xiangyun Ju was an elegant, upscale Chinese restaurant.
Most of the patrons here were there for business. Many people hosted foreign clients in this place—it was refined and quiet, and while showcasing local culture, just sitting there instantly elevated one’s prestige with five thousand years of civilization.
When Pei Er arrived, the other party was already there, saying they would wait for her at the entrance.
The taxi pulled up, and a man in a suit walked over and gallantly opened the car door for her.
“Thank you,” Pei Er said.
When the man got a clear look at her, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. He paused for a moment, then quickly extended his hand.
“You must be Director Pei, right? Hello, I’m Ji Xiaoming, the planning director at Shengming.”
“Hello, Director Ji. I’m Pei Er.” Pei Er wore a proper smile and shook his hand.
“We’ll be colleagues from now on. If you need anything, just come to me.” Ji Xiaoming said with a smile, unable to resist stealing another glance at Pei Er.
Her skin was fair and clean, her eyebrows slightly curved, and her clear, limpid eyes held a calm composure. Her features were delicate and beautiful, with a head of jet-black long hair—she was a beauty with an extremely oriental temperament.
He remarked, “I didn’t expect Director Pei to be so young. I thought I’d mistaken you for someone else for a moment—it gave me a start.”
Although Pei Er held the title of Design Director at Lanna, coming back to China meant working on someone else’s turf. She was essentially fighting alone, a general with no troops.
The hostess, dressed in a cheongsam, walked with graceful steps and led the two of them inside.
They sat down by the window, and Ji Xiaoming handed the menu to Pei Er.
“Take a look and see what you’d like to order. After lunch, I’ll take you to the company for a tour.”
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
Pei Er took the menu and ordered two lighter dishes. Ji Xiaoming took the menu back and added four signature dishes and a soup.
Pei Er asked curiously, “Is someone else coming? You’ve ordered so much—isn’t that a bit extravagant for just the two of us?”
“No worries, it’s reimbursable.” Ji Xiaoming’s brow was relaxed and open, and he smiled with ease. “I’ve been working too much overtime lately. Thanks to Director Pei, I finally have an excuse to treat myself. Besides, our big boss is loaded—this is nothing to him.”
Pei Er smiled appreciatively. “Your company has good benefits.”
“Of course,” Ji Xiaoming said with a proud expression. “Our company is one of the best around. Do you know Shang Jia? The famous Young Master Shang is our chairman.”
Pei Er paused, a slight stir in her heart. “I’ve heard of him.”
“That man is a legendary figure, a darling of the Creator. Not only does he come from a distinguished family and have striking looks, but he’s also highly intelligent. He finished college three years early at eighteen, earned his master’s from Jing University at twenty, and at twenty-one, he steadily took over the family business. Having weathered countless storms, he’s still under thirty.”
Ji Xiaoming sighed in admiration.
Pei Er smiled faintly and nodded in agreement.
She turned to look out the window. The Suzhou-style garden was particularly elegant, with the scenery framed by the window and water below. She could see the branches of a crape myrtle tree slanting toward the pond’s surface.
As petals drifted down, they stirred a ring of ripples.
Midway through their meal, they suddenly heard a commotion outside the main hall.
Two hostesses straightened their collars, put on standard smiles, and strode briskly to the entrance to greet the guests.
Ji Xiaoming followed the sound and glanced out curiously. His face lit up with surprise, and he said excitedly, “Speak of the devil—that’s Chairman Shang!”
Pei Er instinctively turned to look and saw a man surrounded by a group of senior executives. His posture was as upright as a pine, his straight back standing out conspicuously.
It was Shang Zhixing.
Pei Er froze for a moment, a complex look flickering in her eyes.
The hostesses led the group around a corner and down a corridor, disappearing from sight in an instant.
This restaurant had a solid reputation and excellent privacy measures. It was frequented by political and business elites, most of whom had reserved private rooms and never crossed paths with regular customers.
Ji Xiaoming had just stood up, but seeing that the man had already left his line of sight, he let out a disappointed sigh.
“That’s the Chairman Shang I told you about. Forget it for now—next time I get the chance, I’ll introduce you.”
Pei Er slowly snapped back to reality. Her hand, holding the spoon, paused briefly as she gave an absent-minded reply.