Su Banxia turned her face away, refusing to meet his gaze, and her silence only confirmed Yan Xin’s suspicions. A wave of bitterness surged in his chest. Though he didn’t know why Su Banxia wouldn’t let the child acknowledge Pei Shaoze, he respected her decision.
“Actually, Shaoze isn’t as hard to get along with as you think. If you communicate more, you’ll find he has his endearing moments too.” Yan Xin patted her shoulder and turned to leave the hospital.
Su Banxia stood there, lost in thought. By the time she returned to the ward, Zhang Shanshan had already taken her medicine and was ready to rest. Fang Shiqing quietly tidied up the lunch boxes nearby, offering Su Banxia a gentle smile.
The two walked home side by side. Just as they reached the stairwell, a familiar figure caught their eyes. Fang Shiqing paused, patted Su Banxia’s shoulder, and tactfully walked away alone.
“Mr. Pei…” Su Banxia instinctively turned her head away, perhaps because Pei Shaoze’s gaze was too intense.
“I saw your resignation letter,” Pei Shaoze said, his voice cold and unreadable.
“I’m truly sorry. As you said, if I want to be a qualified mother, I can’t focus on work, but if I focus on work, I neglect my child. I’ve been torn between the two these past few days, and in the end, I chose the latter.” Su Banxia blurted out everything on her mind in one breath.
Pei Shaoze stroked his smooth chin, his presence exuding an intimidating aura. “So, Secretary Su has forgotten our agreement?”
“I’ll pay you back the 13 million I owe you!” Su Banxia’s heart raced with anxiety.
Pei Shaoze stepped forward slowly, cornering her against the wall with no escape. He placed one hand on the wall, trapping Su Banxia in his embrace. “Secretary Su, do you really think you can get away from me now?”
“I’m the child’s mother, and everything I do puts the child first. Please don’t make things difficult for me, Mr. Pei.”
“Difficult?” Pei Shaoze let out a cold laugh. “Rather than me making things difficult for you, it’s more like Secretary Su is making things difficult for me. You caused such a big mess and want to just walk away without fixing it?”
Su Banxia’s heart sank, and she didn’t know what to say. Seeing her like this, Pei Shaoze couldn’t help but reach out and gently lift her chin. “From now on, I’ll give you enough time to pick up and drop off your child, but don’t even think about resigning!”
“Does Mr. Pei always act so impulsively?” Su Banxia was growing desperate.
“Does Secretary Su never take responsibility for her actions? You caused trouble, and you have to fully resolve it before you can leave!” Pei Shaoze’s gaze hardened, a chill flashing through it.
Su Banxia couldn’t meet his eyes, biting her lip and lowering her gaze. She wasn’t sure why she insisted on resigning—maybe to keep the child’s secret from him, or maybe she was truly fed up with his domineering behavior.
“From now on, I won’t force you to do anything you don’t like. But at the same time, I hope Secretary Su will show her own attitude!” With that, Pei Shaoze slowly released her and turned to leave.
Su Banxia stood there, still shaken, replaying Pei Shaoze’s words in her mind. The usually arrogant Pei Shaoze had actually made a concession to her—that surprised her.
“That’s it?” Fang Shiqing looked at Pei Shaoze’s retreating figure in surprise, then tugged at Su Banxia’s sleeve. “Did he do something to you again?”
“No.” Su Banxia shook her head, watching the direction Pei Shaoze had gone, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.
Fang Shiqing glanced at her suspiciously but, noticing the loss in her expression, didn’t press further. Su Banxia looked down at her watch—it was time to pick up the child. To avoid a repeat of yesterday’s incident, she quickly gathered her things and drove alone to get her child from school.
At the school gate, cars of all sizes filled the area. “Secretary Su.” Ye Hengtian stepped out of a black business van ahead.
“You?” Su Banxia’s eyes blazed with undisguised anger at the sight of him.
Ye Hengtian caught the emotion in her gaze and smirked. “Looks like Secretary Su is still holding a grudge over last time.”
“Mr. Ye, the grievances between us go beyond just one or two incidents.” Su Banxia gritted her teeth, glaring at the man before her. From the very first encounter with Ye Hengtian, she had never liked him—he always seemed too cunning and deceitful. But as time passed, she realized her judgment of people was quite sharp.
“So you’re blaming me for what happened to the child yesterday too?” Ye Hengtian curled his lips.
“I don’t have time to play word games with you, Mr. Ye. Besides, there’s nothing to say between us!” Su Banxia’s voice was stern as she subtly distanced herself from him.
Ye Hengtian clicked his tongue. “Miss Su is so protective of those two children. But do you think, even if you resign from Dingsheng Group, you’ll have the ability to guard them every step of the way?”
Catching the hint of threat in his words, Su Banxia looked at him warily. “Are you threatening me?”
“How could I threaten you, Miss Su? I’m just laying out the pros and cons for you.” Ye Hengtian wore his trademark smile.
Su Banxia instinctively clenched her fists. “How I protect my children is none of your concern, Mr. Ye.”
“So, it doesn’t matter if I inform your family about this?” Ye Hengtian’s lips curved into a sinister grin.
“Ye Hengtian!” Su Banxia’s heart tightened with panic.
“I just want to make a deal with you today. I can keep your secret and ensure your family doesn’t catch wind of it.” Ye Hengtian looked confident.
Su Banxia stared at him coldly. “What do I have that’s worth your effort to obtain?”
“I need you to put in a good word for me with Mr. Pei. Even if the Ye family no longer has a partnership with Dingsheng Group, I hope our friendship endures.” Ye Hengtian raised an eyebrow, pausing before adding, “I’m sure such a small matter is no trouble for you, Miss Su.”
“I never thought someone could stoop so low!” Su Banxia shot him a venomous glare.