The man’s tall figure suddenly stiffened.
“…baba…”
“Niannian, don’t randomly press the phone.”
Beep, beep, beep—
The call was hung up.
All Shu Yi could hear was a buzzing in her ears as she slowly opened her eyes.
The man beside her was burning hot. Shu Yi’s face instantly turned pale. She instinctively stepped away, lifting her gaze—only to meet the man’s dark, gloomy eyes.
That look… she hadn’t done anything outrageous just now, right?
“President Pei, I…”
“…I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”
Shu Yi didn’t even know what he was angry about.
She licked her lips and could only apologize first.
After all, that always worked on him.
The flames rising in Pei Yanli’s chest were instantly extinguished by her sudden apology.
At that moment, the phone in his pocket vibrated. Suppressing his emotions, the man picked it up and answered smoothly. “We’re waiting for you. Why aren’t you here yet?”
“Not interested.”
“It’s already so late—what could you possibly be busy with? We’re all waiting for you—”
“Do me a favor.”
After hanging up, Pei Yanli turned to look at Shu Yi.
She looked small and frail, pitiful in her current state.
“Can you still walk?”
Realizing what he meant, Shu Yi didn’t dare stay alone with him any longer. “No need to trouble you, President Pei. I can go home by myself.”
The man frowned slightly. “I don’t have a habit of abusing my secretary.”
The moment Shu Yi got into the car, she regretted it. Being in the same enclosed space as Pei Yanli made her feel uncomfortable all over.
She was afraid that, in a moment of heat, she might just pounce on him.
So she took out her phone and lowered her head to scroll through the news. Soon, a trending headline caught her eye.
[Xinyuan Technology suspected of bid-rigging; multiple cases involved. Suspects arrested this evening.]
[This rich second-generation brat has been in jail before. Not only did he fail to learn his lesson, he even dared to do this again—chemical castration is recommended.]
Shu Yi instinctively glanced at Pei Yanli, who was driving. At the same time, the man looked at her. The photo on her phone screen was large enough for him to immediately see the text.
It was all about Wang Bin.
“Now you’re scared?”
Shu Yi shook her head. She wasn’t afraid of Wang Bin—she was afraid of the man in front of her.
Since returning this time, she had heard many rumors about him.
Everyone said he was ruthless, merciless, someone who even turned against his own family…
If he found out what she had done to him, would he use those same methods on her?
And if he discovered Niannian’s existence, he would definitely take her away, wouldn’t he?
“Are you afraid of me?”
“I’m not.”
The man let out a cold snort. Seeing Shu Yi deliberately keeping her distance, an inexplicable irritation rose in his chest.
He didn’t even know where that emotion came from—he just couldn’t suppress it.
His cold gaze shifted away from Shu Yi’s pale face as he tossed out two words, “Address.”
“Xiangshan Street.” She casually gave a nearby address, just wanting to get out of the car as soon as possible.
As soon as the car stopped, Shu Yi thanked him and hurried out, walking quickly inside.
“Xiao Yi?”
The man was dressed in a light gray suit, carrying the scent of alcohol—clearly just back from a business engagement.
Shu Linyuan’s gaze landed on Shu Yi first.
After not seeing her for years, she had changed a lot. She had grown out of her once youthful appearance, now carrying a gentle charm that made it hard to look away.
“That man just now—was he your boyfriend?”
Shu Yi immediately denied it. “No.”
“Then is he someone you’re seeing? Xiao Yi, even if…” Shu Linyuan frowned. So late at night, the two of them together—if not a couple, then likely something ambiguous.
“What does that have to do with you?”
Sensing her coldness, Shu Linyuan spoke again, “Xiao Yi, when did you come back to the country? Why didn’t you go home? You didn’t even tell us.”
“I came back for something urgent. I’ll leave again in a while.”
Shu Yi’s head was still throbbing. She strode forward, but didn’t see the path clearly and stepped on a stone, her body staggering.
“Careful.” The man quickly reached out to support her arm.
But in the next second, Shu Yi shook him off directly, as if he were something disgusting.
“Let go of me.”
“Xiao Yi, do you have to speak to me in such a distant tone? When we were kids, you weren’t like this.”