Su Yi’s hand paused. It felt as if a thorn had suddenly pierced her heart.
That name abruptly stabbed into the most vulnerable part of her memory—something she had deliberately buried.
“Zhizhi, you don’t even know how to love me.”
Su Yi stared at Pei Yanli’s face, her eyes dark and heavy. For a moment, she sat there in a daze, forgetting to struggle.
The ringtone cut through her memories like a pair of 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 reach him through it, and those who could usually had urgent matters.
At that moment, the phone was ringing loudly.
Su Yi glanced at Pei Yanli. He still hadn’t moved.
Without releasing her hand from his grip, she answered with her other hand.
“Hello?”
The woman on the other end immediately went silent, then asked sharply, full of hostility, “Who are you?”
“I’m President Pei’s secretary. He has a fever and can’t take your call right now.”
“Where are you?”
The tone on the other side was extremely aggressive. Even without seeing her, Su Yi already disliked her.
“At President Pei’s home.”
“He has mysophobia and would never allow… Which of his homes are you in?” Qin Songyin said, jealousy clearly evident.
“Sorry, Miss. This is President Pei’s private apartment. I can’t disclose that.”
As a secretary, she had dealt with many women who came looking for Pei Yanli over the past few months. 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 thought of the bouquet of roses from earlier that day—a declaration of ownership.
“After I marry him, I’ll be Mrs. Pei. I’m a very petty person and I can’t tolerate my husband having a female secretary or assistant. You should be sensible. At times 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 see you, he will call you himself. I can’t make decisions for him.”
“Hmph, don’t be ungrateful! Believe it or not, I can have you fired tomorrow,” she threatened. “If you don’t tell me, someone else will. Just wait.”
Su Yi showed no courtesy. Before she could finish, she hung up directly.
She didn’t care about anyone here; naturally, they couldn’t affect her either.
Qin Songyin’s expression froze. 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 obtained the address.
When she arrived at Pei Yanli’s apartment, she still couldn’t get in and angrily pressed the doorbell. “Open the door!”
It wasn’t until the bell was almost worn out that the door finally opened.
“You know… President Pei—”
The moment the door opened, Qin Songyin’s prepared accusation stuck in her throat.
The anger she had built up instantly cooled upon seeing Pei Yanli’s face.
Since childhood, she had believed that choosing a husband meant choosing someone handsome—just one look at his face could dissolve all anger.
“Who allowed you to come here?” the man said coldly, his voice hoarse and distant.
“Your assistant said you had a fever and asked me to take care of you.”
Halfway through, she noticed his expression growing colder.
“She misunderstood our relationship and thought I was your fiancée, so she called me here. I explained it, 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 lunged at her.
Qin Songyin was startled. She had been afraid of dogs since childhood, especially large ones.
“This place doesn’t welcome you. Get out.”
Bang—!
The door slammed shut right in front of her, nearly hitting her nose.
She was furious, but couldn’t act out outside. She took a breath and spoke softly toward the inside.
“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 worried…”
But the soundproofing was excellent. No matter how 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 go back to her husband?
Not even a moment to spare?
He walked over and saw the golden retriever happily eating dog food. On closer look, the bowl was still full.
But the dishes on the table… were already cold.
She knew how to please the dog, but not him?
He really couldn’t understand what that woman was thinking.
“Woof woof…”
“Give you a little kindness and you’re bought over,” he said, dumping the dog food into the trash.
“Woof woof!”
The dog barked in protest, but remembering Su Yi’s words, it obediently lay down and watched him.
The phone on the table vibrated. He answered.
“Hello.”
“Are you coming this year? I’ve prepared everything as usual.”
“Yes.”
“But this year marks the third anniversary of that girl’s death. 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 come. She’s alone in such a large cemetery… it would be better to have more people come, even friends…”
Pei Yanli’s gaze darkened, his chest tightening in pain.
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 personal matters, so she didn’t ask further.
She had been very busy lately, often working until midnight and going to 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 tests were 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?”