The air grew heavy, but Li Yueting no longer dared to smash bowls and plates like he did during their previous breakup.
Pei Yan’s anger had dissolved into a puddle of water, quietly waiting for sunlight to dry it up.
And Fu Huaizhou, at this moment, was that very light.
“Xiao Yan, I-I’m sorry.”
After saying this, Li Yueting pushed the door open and fled in embarrassment.
Pei Yan had worked all day and hadn’t even had a sip of water since afternoon.
After being harassed by Li Yueting right before leaving work, the moment he left, she relaxed her guard and nearly collapsed, her legs giving way beneath her.
Fu Huaizhou swiftly caught her in his arms: “What’s wrong? Did he hurt you?”
After recovering for a moment, Pei Yan’s mind felt somewhat sluggish as she asked an unrelated question: “How did you get in?”
Fu Huaizhou was momentarily stunned before helping her to a chair: “Spare key.”
“That assistant He Tiantian,” Pei Yan sighed, “How did you get her to open up?”
Fu Huaizhou: “…I just glanced at her.”
Pei Yan: “…”
The photos on the desk were still scattered messily. Pei Yan gathered them neatly and said: “I’m sorry for involving you in this again today. I’ll treat you to dinner another time to make up for it. For now, could you let me be alone?”
Fu Huaizhou pressed his lips together, the earring in his pocket still twirling between his fingertips.
“Alright,” Fu Huaizhou said, “I happen to have a dinner engagement tonight. I’ll take my leave first.”
Pei Yan wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries either. He Tiantian, being quite perceptive, escorted him all the way outside.
After seeing Fu Huaizhou off, she returned to the office.
When Pei Yan’s office door knocked with that gentle rhythm characteristic of He Tiantian, she called out “Come in.”
“Yan-jie, I’ve let everyone else leave. Should I take you home?”
Pei Yan shook her head: “You can leave too. I’ll have the driver come pick me up later.”
He Tiantian: “Alright then. If you need anything, just call me. Don’t stay alone too late.”
A warm feeling rose in Pei Yan’s heart as she gave He Tiantian a gentle smile: “Okay.”
After He Tiantian left the studio, her sharp eyes spotted a familiar Bentley Mulsanne at the end of the street.
“That looks like Mr. Fu’s car,” she muttered to herself, “But didn’t Mr. Fu already leave?”
He Tiantian stood on her toes for a better look, but could only make out a blurry figure in the driver’s seat. She wasn’t sure if it was Fu Huaizhou.
Fu Huaizhou had naturally seen He Tiantian too. He waited until she left before driving up to the entrance of Pei Yan’s studio.
He did indeed have a dinner engagement tonight, but he had just canceled it.
Lu Qianshan was completely baffled – Fu Huaizhou rarely changed decisions once made.
He was like an ancient emperor who never altered decrees arbitrarily.
Yet now, for Miss Pei’s sake, he was acting like a besotted ruler.
Sitting in his car, Fu Huaizhou fingered the diamond earring.
For a moment earlier, he had considered returning it to her before leaving, but at the last second he hesitated.
At least it would serve as an excuse to see her again later.
Pei Yan stayed in her office for nearly four hours. During those four hours, she did nothing but curl up in her chair, going through mementos of her past with Li Yueting.
There were photos and videos, totaling less than a hundred items.
Li Yueting rarely showed his full face in them.
Pei Yan deleted each one as she viewed them, yet still ended up crying until her makeup ran.
Her tears weren’t for missing Li Yueting, but for pitying herself – that her first relationship had turned out so terribly.
In her heart, Pei Yan cursed every ancestor in Li Yueting’s family line.
She was inside, while Fu Huaizhou was outside.
Time slipped by quietly, and before she knew it, it was already ten o’clock at night.
Her phone on the desk buzzed twice. Pei Yan picked it up and glanced at it—it was actually a message from Fu Huaizhou, asking if she had eaten.
Her stomach rumbled a few times; she really was hungry.
Judging by Fu Huaizhou’s question, did he mean that if she hadn’t eaten, he would bring her food?
Pei Yan shook her head. What was she thinking?
Fu Huaizhou had left four hours ago.
Unsure how to reply, she was still hesitating when another message from Fu Huaizhou came through: 【Come out. I’ll take you to eat.】
Pei Yan was stunned. Come out? Was he outside?
After a moment of daze, she abruptly stood up, grabbed her bag from the nearby cabinet, and pushed open the office door.
Just as she stepped out of the company, Fu Huaizhou’s black Mulsanne was domineeringly parked on the street in front of her studio.
Fu Huaizhou pushed the car door open and got out. Pei Yan paused mid-step.
He was really here?
“You…” Pei Yan instinctively glanced around, “You didn’t wait here the whole time, did you?”
She had been in the office for nearly four hours.
A flicker passed through Fu Huaizhou’s eyes: “No, I just finished a dinner meeting and realized I hadn’t returned your earring yet, so I stopped by your studio.”
Pei Yan patted her chest: “You scared me. I thought you really waited here for four hours.”
Fu Huaizhou handed her the earring and asked, “Shall we go eat?”
Pei Yan shook her head: “No need to trouble yourself. I’ll head back on my own.”
She didn’t want to go home and planned to have a drink instead.
Fu Huaizhou glanced back: “Is your driver here?”
Pei Yan: “No, it seems I really should start driving to work myself next time.”
“Let me take you. It’s not the first time anyway, and I wanted to ask you about the photos.”
Pei Yan’s refusal stuck in her throat—after all, he was the other person in the photos.
After only two seconds of hesitation, Pei Yan got into Fu Huaizhou’s car again.
“I initially guessed that the paparazzi or Gu Jingyi accidentally took those photos of us. What did Li Yueting say?” Fu Huaizhou asked.
Pei Yan replied, “Since our families haven’t publicly announced the cancellation of the engagement yet, the paparazzi thought Li Yueting and I were each doing our own thing. He spent 15 million to buy the photos from them.”
Fu Huaizhou: “I thought so too. The reason he paid for them is partly because he cares about his reputation, and partly probably for your sake.”
Pei Yan gave a faint smile: “Perhaps.”
As Fu Huaizhou slowed down to enter the straight lane, Pei Yan suddenly reminded him, “Turn left.”
Fu Huaizhou instinctively turned the steering wheel and entered the left lane.
Just then, Pei Ying called, asking why she hadn’t returned yet.
Pei Yan explained, “Sis, I forgot to tell you—I’m going back to Haitang Bay tonight, not Xihe Garden.”
After a few words of advice, Pei Ying hung up.
Pei Yan pressed her fingers against her eyes. With her tear-stained appearance, going back would surely lead to a “confess and be lenient” interrogation.
“I’m going to Moonlight for a drink. Want to come? My treat,” Pei Yan said, turning to Fu Huaizhou.
Fu Huaizhou replied softly, “Okay.”
Gu Jingyi wasn’t at the bar tonight, but someone else arranged for Fu Huaizhou and Pei Yan.
It was the same private room as last time. When Pei Yan entered, her cheeks flushed slightly.
What a coincidence—why was it this room again?
Did Gu Jingyi not have any other rooms here?
Pei Yan tried hard to maintain her composure. Not long after, a pile of desserts was brought in.
Fu Huaizhou slightly lifted his chin: “You haven’t eaten dinner, have something to fill your stomach first. You shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach.”
Pei Yan was indeed hungry and didn’t stand on ceremony with him.
Pei Yan usually didn’t drink alone, but today she was truly depressed and unconsciously drank too much again.
…Three hours later, Second Miss Pei was once again lying on the floor.
Fu Huaizhou sighed softly, stood up and walked over to her, saying gently: “Second Miss, it’s time to go home.”
Pei Yan hugged a pillow and responded softly.
Fu Huaizhou had no choice but to pick her up in his arms again.
An hour later, Fu Huaizhou sighed as he looked at the villa gate of Haitang Bay.
Second Miss Pei didn’t seem to have told him which building or unit she lived in.
Fu Huaizhou glanced at the peacefully sleeping Pei Yan in the rearview mirror and chuckled: “Do you trust me this much, daring to get drunk in front of me?”
The sleeping Pei Yan naturally couldn’t answer him.
Fu Huaizhou’s gaze softened slightly, as if talking to himself: “Since that’s the case, I’ll take you home with me.”