Pei Xi curled up on the sofa in Si Ruohan’s office, checking the balance on her bank card.
Looking at the long string of zeros, then at the black card in her hand, and thinking about the villa she had just signed for, she couldn’t help but feel that getting married had instantly made her rich.
Becoming wealthy overnight—no more worrying about rent—was a surprisingly amusing feeling.
Sometimes she even worried for Si Ruohan. What if she had really been some kind of scammer and deceived him? Wouldn’t he have lost both his money and his heart?
He hadn’t even thoroughly investigated her, yet he had been so generous. He was truly bold.
Luckily, she didn’t have the nerve to deceive him. She had genuinely been unable to afford raising a child alone, which was why she went to him in the first place. But she never expected that Si Ruohan would actually agree to marry her. Since he had, she certainly didn’t want her child to be born out of wedlock.
As for how their relationship would develop in the future, she didn’t know. For now, she treated this marriage like a job—one with an exceptionally high return.
Even if she couldn’t win custody in the future, at least with money she could live close to her child. As the child’s mother, she would at least have visitation rights.
If it ever came to divorce, there was no way she could compete with Si Ruohan. He had both power and wealth—what could she possibly use to fight him?
Just as her thoughts were running wild, the office door opened. The sharp click of high heels echoed inside.
Pei Xi looked up and saw a girl in a white dress walking in. She hadn’t noticed her outside earlier. Was she an employee here?
The girl in white clearly thought Si Ruohan was inside. When she saw Pei Xi instead, she frowned.
“Who are you? Why are you here?”
Before Pei Xi could answer, hurried footsteps sounded from outside. A male secretary rushed in.
Seeing that nothing had happened and that Pei Xi was unharmed, he let out a silent sigh of relief.
When the president had gone to his meeting, he had specifically instructed them to take good care of Madam. If Madam had been bullied by Miss Guan, wouldn’t the president skin him alive later?
The secretary nodded politely at Pei Xi, then turned to the girl in white with a smile.
“Miss Guan, hello. Our president is in a meeting at the moment and isn’t here. If you’re looking for him, you may come back later.”
Miss Guan pointed at Pei Xi. “Then why can she wait here?”
The secretary smiled calmly.
“Oh, this one? This is our president’s wife. He personally brought her here, so of course she can wait.”
Not just wait—she could walk around the entire building if she wanted.
His smile carried a subtle edge. The last time this young lady had come with President Song, the president wasn’t in either. She had bossed him around, making him run back and forth to buy her coffee, acting as though she were the president’s girlfriend.
Well, now she’d misjudged the situation. The real Mrs. President was right here—personally acknowledged by the president himself.
As expected, the girl’s expression darkened.
“What did you say? She’s your president’s wife? Did he say that himself?”
The secretary nodded. “Yes. Our president introduced her to us personally.”
Miss Guan shook her head, disbelief written all over her face.
“How is that possible? When did Brother Ruohan get married? How come I didn’t know? You must be lying. I’ll wait here. I want to hear it from him myself.”
She simply couldn’t accept that Si Ruohan had a wife without her knowing. She even considered calling others to confirm.
Pei Xi hadn’t said a word since Miss Guan walked in. Seeing that the girl had no intention of leaving, she decided she didn’t want to stay either and followed the secretary outside.
Miss Guan looked quite spoiled and temperamental. Pei Xi didn’t want unnecessary trouble—and she was feeling a bit stuffy anyway, so she went out for some air.
The secretary was attentive. He led her to the company’s pantry, poured her a glass of juice, and brought out snacks. His service was impeccable.
As for Miss Guan in the office, he chose to ignore her. With such a temper, she probably didn’t have much appetite anyway.
When Si Ruohan finished his meeting, the secretary hurried over.
“President, Miss Guan is here. She’s in your office.”
Si Ruohan stopped. “Where’s Madam? Is she inside too?”
The secretary quickly took credit. “No, no. Madam is resting in the pantry.”
Si Ruohan looked satisfied. He had been worried Pei Xi might have been bullied.
“Good. You’ve worked hard. I’ll send you a red envelope later.”
The secretary beamed. “Thank you, President!”
The president’s office pantry was spacious and well-furnished. The sofa was incredibly soft.
Pei Xi had found a drama to watch, snacking leisurely, completely at ease.
When Si Ruohan saw her smiling, he relaxed. As long as she hadn’t suffered any grievance.
Why had Guan Xinyue come at this timing? What did she want?
Pei Xi sensed someone standing in front of her and looked up—it was Si Ruohan.
“You’re done with your meeting!”
She stood up a bit too quickly, and he immediately stepped forward to steady her.
“Yes. Have you been waiting long?”
She shook her head and briefly told him what had happened in the office.
“That Miss Guan is still waiting in your office. You should go check on her—maybe she has something urgent.”
Seeing it was nearly lunchtime, Si Ruohan took Pei Xi back to his office.
Guan Xinyue had known the meeting was over. She thought he would return directly—but he had gone to see that woman first.
“Brother Ruohan.”
He nodded in greeting.
She glanced at Pei Xi beside him. “Brother Ruohan, your secretary said this is your wife. Is that true? When did you get a girlfriend? Why didn’t we know? Do Uncle and Auntie know?”
He glanced at her coolly. “You know now, don’t you?”
She faltered. “I just… it’s too sudden. None of us heard anything. Your secrecy is impressive.”
Pei Xi remained silent, unsure of their relationship. Was this one of his admirers?
Si Ruohan introduced them.
“Let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Pei Xi. In a while, I’ll arrange a gathering and introduce her to everyone properly.”
Then he turned to Pei Xi. “Xixi, this is Guan Xinyue. Our families are close; we grew up together. There are a few others too—I’ll introduce them when we have time.”
Guan Xinyue looked at Pei Xi. “No need to wait. Let’s do it tonight. I just told Brother Shaojin and the others—they’re very interested.”
Since he would have to tell everyone eventually, Si Ruohan nodded.
“Alright. Set the place. We’ll be there tonight. Did you come to see me for something?”
She hesitated. Originally she had something to discuss—but compared to this, it seemed insignificant.
“No, I was just passing by. Since you’re busy, I’ll go first. See you tonight.”
After she left and Si Ruohan closed the door, Pei Xi leaned closer and whispered:
“Does Miss Guan like you?”
The way Guan Xinyue looked when she saw her—it was almost like catching someone in the act.
Si Ruohan denied it immediately. “Of course not. She already has someone she likes. Don’t talk nonsense.”
He then told Pei Xi about his childhood friends, since she would meet them that night and should be mentally prepared.
Besides Guan Xinyue, there were three others: Song Shaojin from the Song family, Bai Minglang from the Bai family, and Ji Huaiyu from the Ji family. Guan Xinyue was the only girl among them.
The four of them had been inseparable since kindergarten. Only when they went to university did they part ways. Ji Huaiyu attended a military academy, while the others went to Huaqing University.
As Pei Xi listened, the names sounded strangely familiar—like she had heard them somewhere before. But not at school, since they hadn’t attended the same one.
Before she could recall where she’d heard them, Si Ruohan stood up.
“Come on, it’s lunchtime. I booked a private restaurant. I’ll take you to try it.”
At the mention of good food, Pei Xi temporarily set aside her doubts.