Su Banxia felt both flattered and anxious. Seeing that her little scheme hadn’t worked, she grew impatient but decided to take things one step at a time. At worst, she could just pay Fang Shiqing some rent—after all, she was the kids’ godmother. She couldn’t possibly watch her and the children end up homeless, could she?
Unexpectedly, Pei Shaoze drove straight toward his villa. Su Banxia had been on this road a few times before, so she remembered it well.
“President Pei, this is going to…” “Home.” Pei Shaoze didn’t say another word and simply pulled the car into the villa.
“Mommy, we’ve been here before!” Guoguo exclaimed as soon as she saw the villa, recalling how she’d admired the big house last time. Su Banxia nodded. She’d been here plenty of times herself!
Pei Shaoze, rare to see him smile, lifted Guoguo out of the car and then grabbed their luggage. “Perfect, no need to unpack. Just move right in.” With one arm holding Guoguo and the other carrying the bags, he headed inside.
Su Banxia stood frozen for a few seconds before reluctantly pulling Haohao along to follow.
“Hello, President Pei. Hello, Miss Su. Hello, little master and little miss.” The chorus of greetings stunned Su Banxia. Wasn’t Pei Shaoze the type who liked living alone? Why were there so many servants now?
As if anticipating her confusion, Pei Shaoze turned around. “When we’re both at work, who’s going to look after the kids?” “We don’t want them looking after us. I only want Mommy.” Haohao didn’t appreciate Pei Shaoze’s gesture and refused outright.
Pei Shaoze gave an awkward smile, took his hand, and crouched down in front of him, speaking softly. “From now on, Uncle will pick you up with your mommy. She’ll spend more time with you too. With these aunties here, your mommy won’t have to get up so early every day to make you breakfast and be so tired.”
Su Banxia rarely saw him this gentle. Thinking back to how he usually treated her, she just shook her head.
Haohao’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Really? But you promised me last time and didn’t keep it.” That made Pei Shaoze break out in a cold sweat. The kid remembered that incident so clearly—he really shouldn’t underestimate a child’s memory.
He nodded repeatedly. “Really! Last time was Uncle’s fault. From now on, your mommy will come to work with me, and I won’t let her tire herself out anymore.”
Watching Pei Shaoze grovel like this, Su Banxia found it amusing. Unable to bear seeing him humiliated further, she quickly scolded Haohao. “Alright, Haohao, take your sister to rest.” After all, the kids had woken up early today and must be tired.
Seeing this, Pei Shaoze immediately called over a servant. “Aunt Li, take Guoguo and Haohao to their rooms.” “Yes.” An older woman with a warm smile approached the children.
Once the kids went upstairs to rest, the living room was left with just Su Banxia and Pei Shaoze, making things a bit awkward. “President… President Pei… thank you so much… I’ll pay the rent here…” She stammered, not daring to meet his eyes.
Pei Shaoze didn’t seem concerned. “You pay? That’d take forever, wouldn’t it?” Stung by his sarcasm, Su Banxia protested. “President Pei!” Without another word, he grabbed his car keys and headed out. “I have to go back to the office. You rest for now. If I come back and you’re not here, you know the consequences.”
Su Banxia nodded numbly. There was no way she’d dare to run now! He’d even caught her at the airport, let alone anywhere else. Besides, she really had nowhere else to stay.
At the office, Fang Shiqing had been waiting impatiently and finally saw Pei Shaoze. “President Pei!” He stopped, surprised. He rarely interacted with Manager Fang. Why was she seeking him out today?
“Manager Fang? Something wrong?” His cold tone lived up to his icy reputation.
Fang Shiqing felt embarrassed but, after a moment’s thought, spoke up. “Has Banxia really left?” Pei Shaoze found it odd. She lived with Su Banxia and was her close friend—she should know best whether she’d left. Even if he’d intercepted her halfway, knowing Su Banxia, she’d have contacted Fang Shiqing immediately. Yet Fang Shiqing seemed completely in the dark.
“Aren’t you the one who knows best whether she’s left or not?” Though Fang Shiqing knew it wasn’t convenient to discuss this with Pei Shaoze, she had to ask for news of Su Banxia. “We had a little falling out, so…” Pei Shaoze grew curious. What could make Su Banxia so angry she’d fall out with a friend? “What happened?” “It’s about that contract. It really got lost at home. She thought Shanshan stole it, but it turned out she accidentally dropped it under the bed. Here’s the contract.” She handed the contract to Pei Shaoze, looking troubled.
Pei Shaoze didn’t take it, just glanced at it. “Manager Fang, with such a thick crease, are you stupid or what? You think she accidentally dropped it under the bed?” It was clearly deliberately pressed under the bed. Since Su Banxia was responsible for that contract, she had no reason to do this and invite his criticism.
Fang Shiqing clearly didn’t understand. “President Pei, what do you mean?” Pei Shaoze knew a bit about their situation anyway. If not for Su Banxia, he wouldn’t bother with this.
“How long have you known Secretary Su? And how long have you known Special Assistant Zhang? Who would you trust more? And how is this so coincidental? If it’s not her, not you, then who else could it be?” Even an outsider like Pei Shaoze could see it so clearly, yet Fang Shiqing still couldn’t believe it.
“She… she has no reason to do this…” She always believed Zhang Shanshan wasn’t a bad person and wouldn’t do such a thing. Plus, she didn’t know where Su Banxia’s room was, and she’d been with her that day! But she had known Su Banxia longer than Zhang Shanshan, and what Su Banxia had done for her went far beyond Zhang Shanshan taking a knife for her. She suddenly realized she might have truly misunderstood Su Banxia.
In the office, Yan Xin was handing work reports to Pei Shaoze for review. Without Su Banxia, the office was unusually quiet.
“Yan Xin, how many years has Special Assistant Zhang been with the company?” His sudden question caught Yan Xin off guard.
“Several years now. Why?” He only remembered Zhang Shanshan had been with him a long time, but he wasn’t sure exactly how many years. After all, making it to special assistant wasn’t easy.
“Nothing. Just treat your special assistant well. Don’t let her leave any leverage with me.” Pei Shaoze said flatly, leaving Yan Xin baffled. Special Assistant Zhang usually did good work, and more importantly, after she risked her life to take a knife for Fang Shiqing, Yan Xin’s opinion of her had only improved.
“Shaoze, don’t joke. Special Assistant Zhang is not only diligent but also has impeccable character. Ask Manager Fang if you don’t believe me.” Yan Xin laughed, clearly not taking it seriously.
Pei Shaoze said nothing more, but he already had his suspicions. He didn’t know what kind of person Special Assistant Zhang was, but anyone who dared to frame someone on his team was definitely no pushover!