"Mommy, why are you treating Auntie like this!"
A cold voice came from upstairs. She looked up and saw Haohao frowning at her, clearly dissatisfied with her actions.
Su Banxia was a bit surprised—she hadn't wanted the child to witness this. "Haohao! Didn't I tell you to take your sister to the room?"
Her tone carried a hint of anger.
Haohao seemed to understand her meaning. "Guoguo didn't come out. It's just me."
"Haohao, you don't understand."
She let out a soft sigh and lowered her gaze.
Haohao walked toward her, speaking earnestly, "I know Auntie has been good to us and good to Mommy, but Mommy hasn't been good to Auntie at all."
What he saw was Auntie always taking care of them, while Mommy was so heartless. He didn't know what had happened, only that a few days ago they were laughing and talking, and now it had come to this.
Su Banxia stroked Haohao's head. She knew Haohao had always been sensible and smart.
"Your Auntie will only believe it when she's been hurt. Go do your homework. Mommy won't ignore Auntie—she'll always be your Auntie."
Haohao nodded. He knew his mommy, though a bit clueless, was still kind at heart. Even if she was being cold to Auntie now, he believed she wouldn't truly abandon her.
At the villa's entrance, a woman was being stopped by the security guard.
"Let me in. I'm the Executive Manager of Su Corporation!"
"Miss Su, only residents can enter. Even if you're the top manager of Dingsheng, I can't let you in. You know who lives here," the guard said helplessly.
Su Sinian was furious. She had gone to Dingsheng to see Pei Shaoze, but was always told he wasn't in or wouldn't see her. She'd finally tracked down his residence, only to be blocked again.
Fang Shiqing rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears threatening to spill, and noticed someone arguing at the gate from a distance. At first, she paid no mind, but as she got closer, she realized it was Su Sinian.
She was about to take a detour when Su Sinian spotted her. "Shiqing, what are you doing here? Do you live here?"
Hope flickered in Su Sinian's eyes. If she really lived here, she could use her identity to get in.
But that seemed impossible—Fang Shiqing was just a manager at Dingsheng, hardly qualified to live in a place like this. Still, hope lingered in her gaze.
Caught off guard by the question, Fang Shiqing stammered, "No... no... I'm... I'm visiting a friend."
Though she didn't know who Su Sinian was looking for, she knew this woman wasn't someone to mess with.
Su Sinian's interest was piqued. "What kind of friend lives here?"
Fang Shiqing's friends were usually from the same social circle—how could they afford to live here? That made her curious.
She couldn't tell Su Sinian that Banxia lived here, so she mumbled vaguely, "You... you don't know them..."
Su Sinian's hope faded. Since she couldn't see Pei Shaoze, she'd have to find Su Banxia again to deal with the Su family matters. She knew Su Banxia and Fang Shiqing were close, so Fang Shiqing must know where Banxia was. "Where's Banxia?"
"At home," she said calmly.
Hearing that Su Banxia was home, Su Sinian brightened and moved closer. "Perfect, I'll go with you. I'll visit her and see your two kids. You left in a hurry last time, and since you're Banxia's friend, I should treat you well too. By the way, who's the children's father?"
Last time, Su Banxia said the kids were Fang Shiqing's, but looking at their features, Su Sinian didn't believe it. Going with her today would let her see whose children they really were and also ask Su Banxia for help again.
Fang Shiqing froze, unsure why she suddenly brought up the children. Recovering, she quickly explained, "The children's father? He's abroad—hasn't been back in years!"
She couldn't let her find out they were Su Banxia's children.
Su Sinian felt she'd touched a sore spot and looked awkward. "Sorry, I was hoping to find someone, but the guard won't let me in, so I thought I'd visit Banxia and your kids instead."
"Banxia is very busy!"
Hearing she wanted to see Banxia, Fang Shiqing quickly spoke up. Not only had Banxia already moved out, but even if she were still home, she wouldn't let Su Sinian visit her.
Su Sinian frowned slightly. "Huh? What do you mean?"
She couldn't see Pei Shaoze, and now she couldn't even see Su Banxia?
Seeing her confusion, Fang Shiqing repeated herself: "You'd better not bother Banxia lately. She's busy. I have things to do, so I'm leaving now."
With that, she walked past her and headed out. Su Sinian tried to call her back but failed, stomping her foot in frustration.
Just as she was about to leave, a luxury sports car drove in. Coincidentally, she remembered Pei Shaoze had a similar car. She paused and waited nearby.
"Welcome back, President Pei."
The guard greeted the person in the car respectfully, confirming Su Sinian's suspicion that it was Pei Shaoze.
She stepped directly in front of the car until Pei Shaoze stuck his head out.
"President Pei!"
"Miss Su, that's a unique way of risking your life," he mocked, his face full of disdain.
Su Sinian blushed at his words. "President Pei, can we talk?"
If Pei Shaoze hadn't refused to see her, she wouldn't have come all the way here.
"What, is it about the Su family again?"
Pei Shaoze didn't get out of the car, just kept his head out, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Su Sinian put on a pitiful look. "Why did you suddenly end the cooperation?"
Anyone else might have been moved by her act, but Pei Shaoze had no interest in her.
"Since when do you get to question how I do things?"
His hoarse, low growl made Su Sinian flinch. She knew Pei Shaoze was unpredictable, but his brilliance was undeniable—which was why she was so drawn to him.
"Sorry, President Pei, but our cooperation was going well. You shouldn't have ended it because of my mother's matter..."
Ever since Su Sinian's mother went to propose a marriage to Pei's elder and angered Pei Shaoze, their partnership had ended.
At the time, Su Sinian wasn't worried—there was still Lin Tongze's strong company. But now that the Lin family was struggling, she had no choice but to come back to Pei Shaoze.
Hearing her ask about the reason for ending the cooperation now, Pei Shaoze laughed. "Su Sinian, it's been a while since we ended things. You didn't come to me earlier—why now? What's wrong?"
"I only recently found out about the company's situation. President Pei, could you..."
She couldn't reveal her true intentions, so she made up an excuse.
Pei Shaoze wasn't a fool. He'd guessed from her first request to see him, but he just didn't want to bother. The Su family, a business that only leeched off others for profit, wasn't worth his time.