Su Yi looked at the landline number on the screen. It rang twice in a row before she answered.
“Hello, is this Su Yi?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“Hello, this is the blood test department of the Municipal Central Hospital. Because there were too many blood samples collected today, your test result was mixed up with another patient’s. Your result is: not pregnant. We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused. The hospital…”
After that, the staff continued speaking at length, but Su Yi was no longer listening.
Only one sentence echoed in her mind.
—Not pregnant?
How could a hospital of this size make such a mistake?
What should she do now?
She had already told Pei Yanli she was resigning. If she changed her mind so soon, what would he think of her?
By the time Pei Yanli got into the car, Su Yi still had that awkward, overly polite smile on her face.
“Um… President Pei…”
She carefully chose her words, trying to see if she could somehow retract her resignation.
But seeing his cold expression, she didn’t dare say it directly.
“What is it?”
“Nothing…”
Forget it.
Not today. She would talk about it another time.
Soon, they arrived at the hotel. Su Yi took her key card and went upstairs.
Lying in bed, she tossed and turned but couldn’t fall asleep.
She wasn’t pregnant—but Nian Nian couldn’t wait.
The resignation process would take a month.
Within that month, how was she supposed to get pregnant with Pei Yanli’s child? She couldn’t possibly force him again, could she?
He would never give her another chance.
And worse—he was the kind of man who held grudges. If he found out, she would have no way out.
Just as she was completely at a loss, her phone rang. It was a call from the driver, Xiao Zhang.
“Assistant Su, President Pei is drunk. Could you come take care of him? He’s acting a bit off today. I’m worried something might happen if he’s alone.”
“…Alright.”
The room was lit by only one dim lamp. The yellowish light, mixed with the faint smell of alcohol, filled the space. The moment Su Yi stepped inside, she felt slightly dizzy herself—as if she had also been drinking.
“Get out—!”
Su Yi frowned slightly. “President Pei, it’s me.”
“You too. Get out.”
She ignored him and walked straight to his side, glancing at his open collar and his strikingly handsome face.
Pei Yanli truly had an impeccable appearance—even when he spoke coldly, it was hard to get angry at him.
“President Pei, you’re drunk. I’ve had someone prepare some hangover soup. It’ll help you feel better.”
He didn’t respond, eyes closed, his expression unpleasant.
Su Yi sighed.
That temperament… it was exactly like Nian Nian when she was sick.
She softened her tone, as if coaxing a child.
“President Pei, if you’re uncomfortable, should I feed you?”
It wasn’t the first time she had fed him before anyway.
She scooped a spoonful of hangover soup, blew on it gently, and brought it to his lips.
“It’s not hot anymore… you can drink it.”
Before she could finish speaking, he grabbed her wrist and pinned her down on the sofa.
The scent of whiskey mixed with ambergris pressed down on her. She saw the bloodshot veins in his eyes, like cracks forming in ice.
She had seen this face up close many times before—but at this moment, she felt strangely dazed.
“Who are you?”
“President Pei, I’m Su Yi. You’re hurting me…”
The moment the man opened his eyes and clearly saw her face, he shoved her away.
Su Yi fell onto the sofa beside her, her hand landing on a thin booklet.
She instinctively looked down, but before she could see clearly, he snatched it away.
“Get out.”
Her gaze fell on his slightly trembling hand—the one holding the diary.
“President Pei… your hand is bleeding.”
Only then did Pei Yanli slowly shift his gaze. Following her line of sight, he focused on his own hand gripping the diary.
Under the light, there was indeed a small fresh cut on his thumb, seeping faint blood.
It was barely noticeable—but under alcohol and emotional turmoil, it meant nothing.
Yet it had stained the only few visible words on the diary.
“Go find someone to restore this notebook.”
“President Pei, your hand…”
“It’s fine.”
Su Yi glanced at him but said nothing more. She took the diary he handed over. The dried blood had turned dark brown across the page. No one knew what was inside this book for him to treasure it so much.
Soon, she brought in a document restoration specialist. After examining it, the man shook his head.
“To restore it exactly is impossible. It’s too old. We can only do a partial recovery…”
From the other side, Pei Yanli said nothing. Su Yi responded, “Alright, please do your best.”
Everyone knew—this diary, half-decayed as it was, could only be restored so far.
The restorer put on gloves and began carefully working.
Within half an hour, Su Yi was already drowsy. She brewed a cup of tea and handed one to Pei Yanli.
“President Pei, it’s late. You should rest.”
“No need.”
“…”
Time passed. Eventually, the restoration was completed.
“This is the best we can do,” the specialist said. “If it’s very important, keep it safe. It’s been damaged by liquids—fortunately, it hasn’t been eaten by insects…”
Pei Yanli’s brows furrowed tightly. He took the diary. Some of the restored words were clearly visible.
But then… he suddenly recalled the handwriting he had seen in the hospital room before. Compared to this, it was instantly obvious—
They were not written by the same person.
His temple throbbed violently.
Alcohol and this discovery blurred his vision.
He pressed hard against the edge of the coffee table, the rough wood feeling unreal under his fingertips.
He thought it was just the alcohol making him dizzy.
Otherwise, how could it possibly be two different handwritings?
He grabbed a glass of water and drank it, trying to sober up.
But the cold liquid sliding down his throat was followed by a sweet orange lip balm flavor—cloyingly sweet.
He stared at the cup in his hand, now marked with a faint lipstick print, his knuckles turning white.
He had just drunk from Su Yi’s cup.
He stood there, looking toward her.
She was asleep on the sofa, her posture obedient and quiet.
The cup slipped from his fingers and shattered onto the carpet.
The sleeping figure moved slightly. Her brown hair slid over her shoulder, revealing the back of her neck.
There was a faint scar there, shaped like a crescent moon.
Under the light, it was unusually clear.
Pei Yanli stared at it, his eyes darkening.
In intimate moments, he often felt a similar mark on Jiang Zhi’s neck—slightly raised, crescent-shaped.
Just like this one… very, very similar.
Unconsciously, he raised his hand.
At that moment, Su Yi opened her eyes and looked over, startled by the sound.