Seeing Su Banxia's life getting more and more comfortable, how could Su Sinian's temper stand it? It didn't take long for her to take the initiative to contact Su Banxia again.
Su Banxia was in her office, intently reviewing the documents in her hands, when the ringing of her phone interrupted her thoughts. She casually swiped to answer, not bothering to check the caller ID, assuming it was just another business partner, and adopted a formal, businesslike tone. "Hello, I'm the personal secretary to President Pei of Dingsheng Group. How can I help you?"
"Personal secretary? Su Banxia, you really know how to flatter yourself!" Su Sinian was already in a bad mood, and the words "personal secretary" only stepped on her landmine, sending her into a rage.
"Miss Su?" Hearing her voice, Su Banxia frowned slightly, her hand holding the phone pausing involuntarily.
Su Sinian snorted coldly. "So you still remember I'm the young miss? I thought you'd climbed up the social ladder and forgotten your roots."
"Did you call to give me some instructions, Miss Su?" Su Banxia frowned, her tone icy.
"It's not that there's nothing. How's Secretary Su's life been lately?" Hearing her less-than-friendly tone, Su Banxia's brow furrowed further before she replied flatly, "Thanks to your concern, Miss Su, life hasn't been too bad."
"Tsk!" Su Sinian clicked her tongue. "Of course you're living comfortably, all lovey-dovey in Pei Shaoze's arms every day. How could life not be pleasant?"
"I don't understand what you mean. Mr. Pei and I are just ordinary colleagues. Please don't make baseless accusations." Su Banxia said coldly.
"Ordinary colleagues? You're living in his house, and you call that ordinary? Su Banxia, do you take others for fools, or do you think you're above it all?" Su Sinian sneered.
She had always looked down on Su Banxia. This woman was just a stray child their father had picked up—why did she have to compete with her for everything? In name, Su Sinian was the only legitimate daughter of the Su family, yet whenever something good came along, she had to share half of it with Su Banxia! She didn't need any sister; she only wanted undivided affection.
In Su Sinian's eyes, Su Banxia's existence was solely to take things from her—first their father's love, and now a man's affection.
Su Sinian's disdain stung Su Banxia. After all, what she said wasn't entirely wrong—her relationship with Pei Shaoze wasn't as innocent as she claimed! Thinking this, Su Banxia sighed and then said calmly, "I have no place to stay for now. Mr. Pei, being considerate of his subordinate, let me stay for a few days."
"Moving in with your whole family? Su Banxia, your nerve is thicker than most!" Su Sinian laughed coldly.
"Miss Su, is there anything else?" Su Banxia glanced at the pile of documents on her desk, growing annoyed.
Su Sinian fumed. "Don't put on that official air with me. Su Banxia, I'm warning you—don't try any tricks. If you mess up my plans, I won't let you off. Pei Shaoze can only be my fiancé. If you want to marry him, you'll have to see if Dad agrees!"
Hearing this, Su Banxia replied flatly, "My relationship with Mr. Pei isn't as close as you imagine. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up." With that, without waiting for Su Sinian to say more, Su Banxia immediately ended the call.
She tossed her phone aside, looking dejected. Pen in hand, she slumped over her desk, scribbling aimlessly on a blank sheet of paper. The word "Su Family" stood out sharply, stark against the white paper.
"Ah." Su Banxia sighed. She had always craved family affection. As a child, to win over Mrs. Su's approval, she'd braved the cold winter to travel far and buy her favorite snail noodles. Yet that gesture was met with utter disdain.
To build a bond with Su Sinian, she'd been endlessly accommodating, even going out of her way to look after her during school. Though Su Banxia was two years younger than Su Sinian, she often felt like the older sister, always taking care of the younger one.
She remembered as a child, whenever she felt wronged, she'd curl up alone in the dark and cry, knowing tears meant nothing in the Su family. The more miserable she was in the Su household, the happier they were! On the surface, she was the second daughter of the Su family, but in reality, her life was worse than the servants'.
When Pei Shaoze entered, Su Banxia didn't react. She kept writing "Su Family" over and over on the paper with her pen. Those two words held immense meaning for her!
Pei Shaoze didn't interrupt. Watching the words she wrote, he quietly stepped back out. He knew Su Banxia needed peace, and he gave her all the time she required, even if he didn't know what had happened.
Yan Xin was busy with work when his office door swung open. Assuming it was Zhang Shanshan delivering documents, he didn't look up, just pointed to a corner of his desk. "Put it there, and while you're at it, pull up this month's reports for me. I need to compare sales figures."
Pei Shaoze strolled slowly to the desk, placed his hands on it, leaned forward, and stared at him coolly. Yan Xin waited for the documents that never came, then instinctively looked up, meeting Pei Shaoze's gaze.
"Shaoze?" Yan Xin was startled. "What brings you here?"
"Not welcome?" Pei Shaoze raised an eyebrow.
"It's not that. You never come without a reason. Why aren't you holed up in your own office? What are you doing here?" As Yan Xin spoke, he grew wary, eyeing him suspiciously. The painful lessons from past run-ins with Pei Shaoze were still fresh in his mind. That man was too cunning—he didn't want to fall into his trap again.
"You're not planning to exile me, are you?" Yan Xin asked weakly.
"Are you so idle that all you do is let your imagination run wild?" Pei Shaoze frowned, straightened up, and sat down on the sofa nearby.
Yan Xin quickly scurried over, handing him water like a loyal dog. "How could I be idle? Just look at the files on my desk—you'll see how hard I'm working."
"So you're subtly criticizing me for being too harsh on the company's employees?" Pei Shaoze said coldly.
Yan Xin nearly choked. This guy's knack for picking fights left you speechless.
"How could that be? I'm just saying I've been working diligently, nothing else." Yan Xin chuckled cheerfully, though inwardly he was cursing. This living demon—he didn't want to see him for even a second!