Su Yi subconsciously looked up at the sound, her hand tightly gripping her phone betraying her emotions.
After returning to the company, it was already after work. As soon as Su Yi got out of the car, she saw Pei Yanli’s car speeding away.
Her brows furrowed slightly. Suddenly, a Porsche stopped in front of her.
“Get in.”
Su Yi froze for a moment—this was the first time she had seen Chen Yu drive such a luxury car.
She knew Chen Yu’s family was well-off, but just this month alone, she had already changed cars several times.
Still, anyone who could enter Dihao Group usually came from a good background.
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a private club. As soon as Su Yi entered, she saw a couple in the shadows kissing.
She instinctively stepped back, but Chen Yu grabbed her wrist.
“Babe, you’ve never been here?”
“Mm.” She really hadn’t been to a place like this.
Before, when she was sent abroad, Su Yi only thought about how to survive. After having Nian Nian, she had to support her, so she studied day and night, spending her spare time tutoring others. She was exhausted every day and barely had time to go out.
“Perfect, I haven’t been here either. Let’s explore together,” Chen Yu said, pulling her further inside. “Don’t be afraid. I booked a private room—it’s just the two of us. And I checked; this place is very safe… Don’t look at the bar downstairs, the upstairs is for VIPs only, and the security is very strong.
Xiao Yi, I know your husband treats you badly. These days, there are plenty of men out there. Let’s find a new father for Nian Nian. Don’t wrong yourself like this.”
“……”
Chen Yu was close to her and knew she had a daughter.
But Su Yi had never mentioned her husband, so Chen Yu naturally assumed.
Most likely, they were on the verge of divorce but couldn’t fully separate because of the child. Still, there was no need to spend the rest of her life for a man she didn’t love.
Su Yi wanted to explain, but after thinking it over, she decided that letting Chen Yu misunderstand was better.
After all, Nian Nian truly didn’t have a father.
It wasn’t much different from being divorced anyway.
The crystal chandelier cast fragmented light across Su Yi’s eyelashes.
Chen Yu dragged her through the crowded, clinking and noisy crowd. The deafening electronic music mixed with suggestive laughter filled her ears as men and women danced freely on the floor.
She followed Chen Yu into a private room, finally cut off from the noise outside—quiet at last.
“What are you spacing out for?” Chen Yu handed her an ice-blue cocktail. “Try this, it’s just like juice.”
Su Yi looked at the blue flame in the glass. She had heard alcohol could ease sorrow. Since she rarely drank, she also wanted to try.
She took a sip. It was sweet and indeed tasted like juice.
“Try this one too, it’s good as well.”
Su Yi took another sip—this one had a lemon fragrance, very refreshing.
“You don’t know, these past two days while you were gone, Miss Qin has been coming to the company every day. I think something good is about to happen.”
Chen Yu looked at Su Yi, not noticing anything wrong, and kept talking casually.
“Do you think President Pei is also cold-faced when he’s with Miss Qin? It’s hard to imagine what he’s like in bed…”
Su Yi’s slender fingers held the cold glass, absentmindedly tracing the condensation on it.
A sudden wave of bitterness surged in her heart.
Chen Yu’s words were like a needle, precisely piercing the calm she had been trying to maintain.
Even a man who looks so abstinent and self-controlled in public—what is he like in bed?
She lifted the glass and drank. The spicy liquid slid down her throat, bringing a burning sensation, and only then did she realize she had picked up the wrong drink.
“Su Yi?” Chen Yu patted her shoulder. “Your face is so red. Is the drink too strong?”
Su Yi came back to her senses. “It is a bit spicy.”
“Then drink this one, it’s sweet.”
Chen Yu was already slightly drunk, smiling as she leaned on Su Yi’s shoulder. “Xiao Yi, look over there—the one in the suit. Doesn’t he look like President Pei?”
Su Yi subconsciously followed her finger.
The door of the private room wasn’t closed, and coincidentally, neither was the other side.
Pei Yanli leaned casually on the leather sofa. The crystal chandelier’s light fell across his sharp features, while Qin Songyin was pouring him a drink.
The scene was unusually harmonious.
Su Yi’s fingers suddenly tightened. Condensation on the glass slid down her wrist.
The blue flame in her throat burned into bitterness—though it had just tasted sweet like juice.
Qin Songyin’s manicured fingers rested on Pei Yanli’s shoulder, her red lips almost touching his ear.
Light from the chandelier flickered across his brow bone, splitting his expression into something dark and unreadable.
Su Yi stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom…”
Chen Yu, half drunk, pulled her back. “Don’t go… look, President Pei is standing up too.”
Su Yi didn’t hear her. She only felt unbearably hot and needed to clear her head.
In the bathroom, she splashed water on her face, finally cooling down slightly.
Her phone in her pocket rang. At this time, Nian Nian rarely called.
The voice on the other end was broken and unclear.
“Miss Su, is Nian Nian in trouble?”
Her heart tightened instantly.
“Miss Su, Nian Nian vomited today and is getting IV treatment at the hospital. Don’t worry, she’s stable now. She was even playing just a moment ago—my student he—!”
“I want to talk to her.”
“Ma…ma…”
Hearing that soft, weak voice, Su Yi felt her heart ache unbearably.
“Sorry…”
…Mom didn’t protect you.
“Mom…”
She could no longer speak. After saying a few words to the caregiver, she quickly hung up, afraid she would cry out.
A sudden wave of dizziness made her stagger, knocking over a wine rack. Her phone fell to the ground.
Amid the sound of shattering glass, someone caught her by the waist.
A familiar scent of cedarwood rushed toward her.
She looked up and met Pei Yanli’s sharply constricted eyes.
He narrowed his gaze slightly, loosening his grip a little, but still holding her, looking down at her.
“Did you come here with your husband?”
At this moment, the alcohol hit her fully. Her mind was filled with the voices of the caregiver and Nian Nian and she couldn’t process his words.
She only felt utterly useless.
“Pei Yanli…”
Her voice carried a faint sob.
The man had just let go of her shoulder, but before she could stand properly, her knees weakened and she almost fell. He pulled her back and pressed her against the corner.
Su Yi trembled slightly, unable to stand steadily, and bumped into him.
Her foggy mind became even more chaotic. Looking at the man she had dreamed of for so long, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips.
Her kiss was a clumsy assault, completely disorganized.
When she bit his lip, she tasted blood, but he remained motionless—only his hand by his side slowly clenched, veins bulging beneath his suit sleeve.
Pei Yanli finally lost patience. “Su Yi! Have some self-respect.”
Su Yi fell into his arms, crying as she tugged at his tie like an anxious cat rubbing against him.
“Pei Yanli… please help me…”