Pei Shaoze was irritated by her wooden attitude. His face immediately darkened as he furrowed his brows and said coldly, "Come here."
Su Banxia paused in her movements, shifting her feet slightly but not daring to approach.
"Come here!"
Pei Shaoze's voice rose a notch.
"What... what is it?"
Su Banxia slowly stepped forward, asking weakly.
In front of him, she was just a coward!
"Your cup is empty."
Pei Shaoze's expression showed displeasure.
"I'll go get some water right away."
Su Banxia quickly grabbed the cup and turned to leave the office.
Pei Shaoze strode over and blocked her path. "So eager to get rid of me?"
"Huh?"
Su Banxia's mind went blank for a moment. He was the one who said the cup was empty, and now he was stopping her from filling it.
What a difficult master to serve!
"Secretary Su, it seems your daily work isn't quite up to par. What, do you think Dingsheng can't keep you?"
Pei Shaoze raised an eyebrow, his voice icy.
Su Banxia gave an awkward smile. "I'll make sure to pay attention to such details in the future."
"You'd better!"
Pei Shaoze spat out these words angrily before storming out the door.
Leaving a bewildered Su Banxia standing there with the cup in her hand, at a loss.
She really couldn't keep up with this man's train of thought, completely unsure where she had gone wrong again.
With the tyrant gone from the office, even the air seemed fresher. Su Banxia steadied herself, returned to her desk, and buried her head in processing documents.
The morning passed easily, and Su Banxia let out a slow sigh of relief.
At lunchtime, Su Banxia naturally headed to the HR department, intending to find Fang Shiqing for a meal, but instead bumped into Zhang Shanshan.
"Secretary Su."
Zhang Shanshan paused mid-step, looking at the woman before her, a hint of a smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
Su Banxia frowned for no apparent reason, her expression unreadable.
The atmosphere grew awkward. Su Banxia never responded to Zhang Shanshan's greeting.
When Fang Shiqing came out and saw this scene, her heart sank. She forced a smile and walked over. "Banxia, you're here."
"I came to check on you. Seeing you're fine puts my mind at ease."
Su Banxia nodded indifferently, didn't linger, and turned to leave.
Watching her retreating figure, Fang Shiqing felt a pang of unease. She understood Su Banxia's implication all too well, but she couldn't bring herself to act on it just yet.
"Did I do something to upset Secretary Su? She doesn't seem to like me much."
Zhang Shanshan said casually.
Fang Shiqing gave an awkward smile, caught between her two friends.
After a quick lunch, Fang Shiqing grew more unsettled the more she thought about it. Eventually, she got up and went to find Su Banxia. After all, some things were better discussed openly.
"Banxia."
Fang Shiqing knocked on the door and walked calmly into the office. Seeing the figure buried in a pile of documents, she felt a twinge of anxiety. "Still mad at me about what happened at noon?"
Hearing this, Su Banxia paused in her work. "I don't want to repeat myself."
"I know you're looking out for me, but you also know that between Shanshan and me..."
"I see you calling her 'Shanshan' so affectionately. Since you're so close with her, why come here to annoy me?"
Su Banxia's face darkened, and her movements grew heavier.
Fang Shiqing's heart trembled. She cleared her throat and said slowly, "Think about it—Shanshan has been kind to me. I can't just be ungrateful. Banxia, we..."
"How long will you keep being stubborn? Do you have to wait until Zhang Shanshan hurts you like Lin Haoran did before you stop?"
Su Banxia, fueled by anger, blurted everything out.
As soon as she finished, she realized she had said too much. Her expression turned awkward. "Sorry, I didn't mean that."
"I know you have a grudge against Shanshan, but Banxia, can you give me some time?"
Fang Shiqing bit her lower lip, looking at her earnestly.
Honestly, between the two friends, her heart had always leaned toward Su Banxia. Her feelings for Zhang Shanshan were more about gratitude and guilt.
Seeing her like this, Su Banxia knew nothing she said would make a difference. She sighed inwardly. "Think it over yourself. Saying too much would just be pointless."
Fang Shiqing lowered her head silently, and they said no more.
Watching Fang Shiqing leave, Su Banxia sat in the office, her emotions tangled. She held the documents but couldn't focus on them.
Pei Shaoze returned from a meeting and walked into the office. Seeing her slumped over the desk with a weary expression, he furrowed his brows slightly.
Feeling the low pressure emanating from him, Su Banxia shuddered. She looked up and forced a smile at Pei Shaoze, then casually picked up a document and pretended to read it intently.
"Looks like Secretary Su has some free time lately."
Pei Shaoze stared at her coldly, the chill in his demeanor making her jolt.
Noticing her expression, Pei Shaoze's gaze sharpened. He tossed a file onto her desk.
"The company has a new collaboration with the Qin family. There's a lot to organize. I hope Secretary Su can show some initiative in her work."
Looking down at the file, Su Banxia dared not refuse. She quickly nodded in agreement.
The collaboration with the Qin family was still in its early stages, so everything had to be started from scratch. This meant Su Banxia's workload increased significantly, leaving her dizzy with tasks almost every day.
Finally, after a long day, Su Banxia sat nervously in Pei Shaoze's car as they went to pick up the two children.
"Godmother?"
Back home, Su Guoguo had barely stepped inside when she was startled by the person in the living room.
Following Su Guoguo's gaze, Su Banxia was also a bit surprised. She instinctively looked at the man beside her, her eyes complex.
Sensing their surprise, Fang Shiqing cleared her throat and explained slowly, "Mr. Pei was worried that Lin Haoran would keep harassing me if I stayed alone, so he brought me here too."
"That's great! Godmother is moving in with us!"
Su Guoguo's face lit up with joy.
It had been so long since she'd seen her godmother, ever since her mom and godmother had been on bad terms.
Seeing the two children, Fang Shiqing was genuinely happy. Though being a third wheel here felt a bit awkward, at least the kids kept her company, so it wasn't too uncomfortable.