Su Yi’s hand froze for a moment, as if something sharp had pierced her heart.
That name suddenly stabbed into the most fragile part of her memory—something she had long buried.
“Zhizhi, you don’t even know how to care for me.”
Su Yi stared at Pei Yanli’s face, her eyes deep and heavy. For a moment, she just sat there in a daze, forgetting to struggle.
The phone ringtone sliced through the memories like scissors.
She snapped back to reality and looked at the unfamiliar string of numbers on the screen.
It was Pei Yanli’s private number. Very few people could contact him through it, but anyone who did usually had urgent matters.
Right now, the phone was ringing loudly.
Su Yi glanced at Pei Yanli. He hadn’t moved.
Without pulling away her hand from his grip, she used her other hand to answer.
“Hello?”
The woman on the other end immediately froze, then asked with hostility, “Who are you?”
“I’m President Pei’s secretary. He has a fever and can’t take calls right now.”
“Where are you?”
The other party’s tone was sharp and forceful. Even without seeing her, Su Yi already disliked her.
“At President Pei’s home.”
“He has mysophobia and would never allow… Which one of his homes are you in?” Qin Songyin’s jealousy was obvious.
“Sorry, Miss, this is President Pei’s private apartment. I can’t disclose that.”
As a secretary, she had dealt with many women coming to see Pei Yanli over the past period. Sending them away was part of her job.
“I’m Pei Yanli’s fiancée, Qin Songyin. Are you sure you won’t tell me?”
Fiancée.
Su Yi’s body stiffened as she recalled the bouquet of roses from earlier that day—like a declaration of ownership.
“After I marry him, I will be Mrs. Pei. I’m a very petty person and I can’t tolerate my husband having a female secretary or assistant. You should know your place. At a time like this, you shouldn’t offend me,” Qin Songyin said softly, but every word carried pressure and arrogance.
Su Yi tightened her grip on the phone. “Sorry, Miss Qin. If President Pei wants to find you, he will call you himself. I can’t make decisions for him.”
“Ha, don’t be ungrateful! Believe it or not, I can get you fired tomorrow,” she threatened. “If you don’t tell me, someone else will. Just wait.”
Su Yi didn’t give her any face. Before she finished speaking, she directly hung up the phone.
She didn’t care about anyone here, and naturally, they couldn’t affect her either.
Qin Songyin’s expression stiffened. It was the first time someone had dared to hang up on her.
She decided she would find out exactly what kind of woman that was.
She called Old Master Pei’s butler and quickly got the address.
But when she arrived at Pei Yanli’s apartment, she couldn’t even get inside. She angrily pressed the doorbell. “Open the door!”
It wasn’t until the bell had nearly been worn out that the door finally opened.
“You know… President Pei—”
The moment the door opened, Qin Songyin’s carefully prepared accusation stuck in her throat.
The anger she had built up instantly cooled when she saw Pei Yanli’s face.
Since young, she had believed that when choosing a husband, he had to be handsome—just one look at his face and all anger would disappear.
“Who allowed you to come here?” the man said coldly, his hoarse voice distant.
“Your assistant said you had a fever and asked me to take care of you.”
Halfway through her explanation, she noticed his expression grow colder.
“She… misunderstood our relationship and thought I was your fiancée, so she called me here. I explained, but she said she was off work and had no responsibility to take care of you anymore. I was just worried…”
“Woof woof woof—!”
Suddenly, a golden retriever rushed out and pounced at her.
Qin Songyin was startled. She had feared dogs since childhood, especially large ones like this.
“This place doesn’t welcome you. Get lost.”
Bang—!
The door slammed shut right in front of her face, almost hitting her nose.
She was furious, but unable to lose control outside. She took a breath and spoke softly toward the door.
“President Pei, you… you’re still sick. Let me take care of you! It’s dangerous to be alone when you’re ill, and Old Master Pei is also very worried…”
But the soundproofing was excellent. No matter how much she spoke, Pei Yanli inside couldn’t hear a word.
He turned around and looked at the empty living room. If not for the dishes on the table, he would have thought Su Yi had never been there.
So eager to be with her husband?
So pressed for time?
He walked over and saw the golden retriever happily eating dog food. When he got closer, he noticed the bowl was full.
But the dishes on the table… were already cold.
She knew how to please the dog, but not how to please him?
He really didn’t understand what that woman was thinking.
“Woof woof…”
“Gave you a little kindness and you got bought off,” he said, dumping the dog food into the trash.
“Woof woof!”
The dog barked in protest, but remembering what Su Yi had told it earlier, it obediently lay down and stared at him while he ate.
The phone on the table vibrated. He answered.
“Hello.”
“Are you coming this year? I’ve prepared everything like before.”
“Yes.”
“This year marks the third anniversary of that little girl’s passing. According to local customs, it should be properly observed with family and friends… Does she have any relatives left? Over the years, besides you, no one else has visited her. She was alone in such a large cemetery… it would be better to have more people come, even friends…”
Pei Yanli’s eyes darkened, and his chest ached.
Friends?
Besides him, she had no friends at all.
…
Two days passed, and Su Yi didn’t see Pei Yanli again. According to Chen Chi, he had gone to handle private matters, so she didn’t ask further.
She was very busy these days, often working until midnight and then arriving at the company early in the morning.
A week passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day she could take a pregnancy test. She even took leave and went to the hospital for a blood test.
Blood testing was the most accurate and fastest way to confirm pregnancy.
Just after the blood was drawn and before the results came out, Pei Yanli called.
The hospital was noisy, and before Su Yi could speak, his deep, magnetic voice came through the phone.
“Where are you?”