Every time she came to this place, she was turned away at the door. Why could Su Banxia, that bastard, just waltz right in?
"Su Banxia! What kind of seductive tricks do you have to bewilder Pei Shaoze like this?"
Su Sinian was nearly losing her mind.
She was supposed to be the eldest daughter of the Su family, so why did Su Banxia always steal the spotlight?
Burning with rage, Su Sinian stormed home, her face dark and twisted, completely stripped of her usual poised and virtuous demeanor.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her expression, Su's mother couldn't help but ask nervously.
"Mom..."
Su Sinian threw herself into her mother's arms, pouring out all her grievances.
Su's mother paused for a moment, then gently patted her back and soothed her softly, "Good child, what happened?"
"That bitch Su Banxia is now living in Pei Shaoze's house, and she's brought two kids with her!"
Su Sinian was at a complete loss.
"What did you say?"
Su's mother was equally shocked.
Though she had suspected that Su Banxia and Pei Shaoze had a close relationship, she always thought it was just Pei Shaoze looking for a fling. Who knew they were this serious?
Su Sinian sobbed indignantly, "I tried to get into that place, but they wouldn't let me in no matter what. Why can Su Banxia just waltz in without any trouble?"
"Don't panic. Maybe she's just delivering documents to Pei Shaoze?"
Su's mother quickly tried to calm her.
"Delivering what documents? Have you ever seen a secretary deliver documents to her boss's home?"
Su Sinian was frantic, her voice thick with tears.
"Calm down. Maybe things aren't as bad as you think."
Su's mother kept comforting her.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Su Sinian sat up straight: "No wonder I ran into Fang Shiqing there that day! So the friend she mentioned was Su Banxia! She and Pei Shaoze have been living together for a while!"
"What do you mean by that?"
Su's mother asked anxiously.
"Mom..."
Tears streamed down Su Sinian's face as she briefly recounted what happened that day, her anger growing with every word.
A flicker of malice passed through Su's mother's eyes: "That bitch is just like her mother—both of them are good at seducing people!"
Hearing the implication in her mother's words, Su Sinian looked up at her: "Mom, what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing. I will never allow that bitch to stand in the way of my daughter's future. Don't worry, I'll do everything I can to make sure you marry into the Pei family with honor!"
Su's mother's face was full of determination. Her daughter deserved a talented young man—how could she let Su Banxia, that bastard, outshine her?
"Really?"
With her mother's support, Su Sinian immediately calmed down.
Su's mother sneered coldly: "The Pei family still owes the Su family a favor. I don't believe they'd be willing to sacrifice their reputation to marry a woman like that. Didn't you just say that little bitch has kids?"
Seeing her mother's expression, Su Sinian snapped back to reality, a wide smile spreading across her face.
At the villa, Su Banxia was taking care of the two little ones, watching over them as they finished their homework before coaxing them to sleep.
Rubbing her sore shoulders, Su Banxia turned to head back to her room. As she passed the study, she noticed the light was still on and paused.
Through the crack in the door, she could clearly see Pei Shaoze's profile.
They say focused men are the most handsome, and at that moment, that's exactly how Su Banxia saw Pei Shaoze.
Watching his fingers fly across the keyboard, she quickly slipped into the kitchen, thoughtfully made him a glass of milk, and brought it to the study.
"Hmm?"
Pei Shaoze's movements paused briefly as he glanced up at her sideways.
Su Banxia turned her face away, cleared her throat awkwardly, and said slowly, "Don't get the wrong idea. I just feel bad for imposing on you by staying here, so I wanted to do something to make up for it."
"Secretary Su is getting quite adept at being a personal assistant."
Pei Shaoze's words carried a hidden meaning.
"Drink the milk while it's hot. It'll get fishy if it cools down."
Su Banxia kept her head down the whole time, not daring to look at him.
After saying that, she quickly turned and left. Her almost fleeing figure caught Pei Shaoze's eye, and a faint, attractive smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
The next day—
Everything seemed to return to normal. Su Banxia's days revolved around the company, school, and home in a monotonous routine.
She thought everything was back on track, but a call from Su Jin shattered her peace.
"Dad?"
Su Banxia's grip on the phone tightened involuntarily, her heart leaping into her throat.
"When did you come back?"
Su Jin's voice sounded weathered.
"I've been back for a while."
Hearing this, Su Jin frowned: "Why haven't you come back to the Su family in all this time?"
"I've been busy with work lately and neglected family matters. I'm really sorry."
Su Banxia forced herself to say, her palms sweating.
"Since you're back, make some time to come home. I haven't seen you in a long time, and I miss you."
Su Jin sighed and said slowly.
Hearing this, Su Banxia felt both surprised and uneasy. She didn't want to set foot in the Su family at all!
But she had to obey Su Jin's words.
When there was no response from the other end, Su Jin's face darkened: "What, is there a problem?"
"N-no."
Su Banxia quickly shook her head, then paused and said slowly, "It's just that I've been really busy with work lately. It might take a while before I can come back."
"You should be free this weekend, right? I'll have Aunt Li prepare your favorite dishes. Even if you just come back for lunch, that would be fine."
Su Jin softened his tone and said gently.
With the conversation pushed this far, Su Banxia had no choice but to nod: "...Okay."
After hanging up, Su Banxia felt dazed. The Su family was a nightmare for her, and she dreaded facing it.
When Pei Shaoze returned from his meeting, he saw Su Banxia staring blankly at her desk and couldn't help but frown.
"It's almost time to pick up the kids. How much longer are you planning to stay in the office?"
"Huh?"
Snapping back to reality, Su Banxia nervously checked her phone and quickly stood up: "I'm going now."
"Wait."
Pei Shaoze glanced at her casually, then picked up the keys from the desk: "Nothing much at the company today. I'll go with you."
He didn't want this woman to run into any more trouble on the way. Seeing her pale face, he guessed she must have encountered something.