“Not bad… it’s fine.”
Shu Yi’s ears turned red.
Just then, the phone in Pei Yanli’s pocket rang. He glanced at the caller ID, frowned, and was about to hang up when Shu Yi spoke first.
“President Pei, go ahead and take your call. I’ll head home first.”
Pei Yanli watched her retreating figure disappear, suppressing the restlessness in his chest before turning to leave.
Why should he care about her?
He got into his car. The phone was still ringing. He answered it, and a stern voice came from the other end.
“That girl from the Qin family said you didn’t even show up for the blind date. What could be more important than settling your lifelong matters?”
“A matter of life and death.”
“Whose life is so important? A Yan, you’re not getting any younger… You can’t keep going on like this. Are you still thinking about that woman who abandoned you?”
At the mention of Jiang Zhi, Pei Yanli’s expression instantly darkened. His grip on the phone tightened.
“She’s already dead, and you still won’t let yourself go? For a woman like that, look at what you’ve become. A Yan, don’t forget—she never loved you. She only treated you like an ATM. Do you know how much money she took from me—”
“That’s enough.”
It was rare for Pei Yanli to show such emotional fluctuation.
For the past three years, he had kept everything inside—never showing joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness on his face.
And yet tonight, just hearing Jiang Zhi’s name…
Elder Pei was furious. “Cough, cough… I don’t have many days left. Can’t you at least give me some peace? A Yan, there’s more than just her in this world. I think Miss Qin—”
“Worry less about me, and you might live to a hundred.” With that, he hung up.
Elder Pei held the phone, his brows clouded. Sitting on the sofa, he stared at the sand-flow ornament on the table. The sand seemed to be slipping faster than before—impossible to grasp. Reaching out, he knocked the ornament over.
He would never allow things to go out of control.
“Sir, the Qin family just called. Miss Qin is very satisfied with the young master and hopes to continue seeing him.”
The gloom on the old man’s face eased slightly. “Go tell the Qin family that A Yan is also very satisfied with Miss Qin. It’s just that he’s inexperienced in relationships and not good with sweet words. If they want to continue, Miss Qin should take the initiative.”
Pei Yanli drove back to his apartment. It was his private residence, rarely visited by others over the past three years.
As soon as he opened the door, a golden retriever rushed up to greet him.
For some reason, the dog was unusually excited tonight, circling him nonstop—as if he carried some pleasant scent.
Pei Yanli sniffed his clothes.
A faint fragrance—like gardenia flowers.
It must have rubbed off from when he held Shu Yi earlier.
For some reason, the image of Shu Yi holding that box of enhancement pills suddenly flashed in his mind.
Frowning, he pulled out a cigarette. White smoke curled upward, obscuring his handsome face, hiding his emotions.
After a few drags, he went to the shower.
He thought the scent would disappear after bathing, but all night, it felt like her presence lingered in his bed.
The scent made him restless. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and ended up taking another cold shower.
After coming out, he smoked two more cigarettes. Still unable to calm down, he took out his phone and called Chen Chi.
“My time at midnight doesn’t belong to you. Don’t even think about bossing me around.”
“Any news on the person I asked you to investigate?”
“The hotel surveillance was broken. I checked everyone at the dinner that night—no one has any purchase records… but anyway, give me a few more days.”
“Three days.”
“…A Yan, you’re more ruthless than a capitalist at this point. What, if you find her, are you going to marry her?”
“I won’t marry anyone.”
“What? Are you really planning to stay single your whole life because of Jiang Zhi? That woman dumped you. She was only using you, didn’t care about you at all—”
“Chen Chi, you’ve crossed the line.”
…
The next day, at the company office—
“Sister Shu! President Pei hasn’t arrived, and we can’t reach Assistant Chen either. The investment signing starts at 9, the R&D product review meeting is at 9:30, and the overseas video conference is at 10… what do we do?”
Hearing this, the other secretaries stopped what they were doing and looked at each other.
In all these years, this was the first time Pei Yanli hadn’t shown up—and even Assistant Chen was missing.
“Assistant Lin, Sister Shu only knows how to handle lawsuits. What do you expect her to fix?” Zhang Qianqian sneered from the side.
Recently, several candidates were shortlisted for the assistant position, including Zhang Qianqian, who had worked at the company for years. But in the end, Pei Yanli chose Shu Yi, who had just joined.
Ever since Shu Yi got promoted, Zhang Qianqian had disliked her and took every chance to mock her.
“She’s just a pretty face. You really think she—”
Before she could finish, Shu Yi looked at Xiao Lin. “Don’t worry. I’ve already arranged for Manager Zhang from Legal to host the Xinen International signing. As for the 9:30 review meeting, Manager Liu will handle it.”
“As for the 10 o’clock overseas conference, just connect as usual. I’ll attend on behalf of the secretariat. I’ll send the meeting records and recordings to President Pei and the vice presidents afterward.”
Hearing her plan, Xiao Lin instantly relaxed. “Sister Shu, you really think of everything. Ever since you joined, it feels like President Pei scolds us less.”
“Exactly, Sister Shu—you’re our lifesaver.”
Zhang Qianqian sat at her desk, listening to the flattery. “…Hmph. If I weren’t unmarried, would it even be her turn? Graduated from some unknown trash university…”
“Zhang Qianqian, Assistant Shu’s school is ranked top three in the world. What trash university? You should study more.”
“Yeah, didn’t you know? She worked at a top international law firm—earning over a million a year. Coming here as a secretary is overqualified.”
“A lawyer earning that much suddenly joins our company—don’t you find that strange? I bet she has ulterior motives toward President Pei. I’ve seen her taking folic acid recently—maybe she’s trying to get pregnant and secure her position.”
Zhang Qianqian grew more animated. “And after all this time, no one’s ever seen her husband pick her up. Maybe she’s not even married. Haven’t you noticed the marks on her neck? Obviously she has some long-term partner.”
“And you know what? One of our former partners, Wang Bin, was arrested last night—right near her place. Maybe she tried to seduce him, set up a trap, but the deal fell through, so she called the police. Someone like her…”