"They..." "Old Master Pei told me, don't think having a child changes anything. The heir of the Pei family will never acknowledge someone of low birth as his mother."
A bitter smile flickered across Su Banxia's lips.
At the end of the day, it was her status that wasn't good enough.
Knowing her unspoken troubles, Fang Shiqing had no choice but to drop the subject.
The food arrived quickly, and the two of them swiftly changed the topic using the dishes as an excuse.
It had been a long time since they'd dined alone together as sisters. Over this meal, they chatted about many youthful memories, and before they knew it, the hour grew late.
Glancing down at her watch, Su Banxia finally stood up to leave.
"Banxia."
Fang Shiqing suddenly tugged at her sleeve.
Su Banxia understood and immediately paused, following Fang Shiqing's gaze.
There, Yan Xin and Zhang Shanshan were walking over, chatting and laughing, looking very close.
"No wonder she was so nervous about that lunchbox earlier—it was to fill her sweetheart's stomach."
Su Banxia gave a faint smile.
"Don't say that. I asked Shanshan—she doesn't like Yan Xin."
Fang Shiqing explained.
Doesn't like?
Su Banxia smiled. Now she finally understood why Zhang Shanshan had thrown away the things she made—she was afraid of being outshone.
"Let's go."
Su Banxia tugged at Fang Shiqing's sleeve, and the two left together.
By the time they returned, the night was already deep. The two children were asleep under the nanny's care, and Pei Shaoze was sitting in the living room.
As soon as she stepped through the door, Su Banxia couldn't help exchanging a glance with Fang Shiqing.
Her intuition told her that what awaited her next wouldn't be simple.
"Um, Banxia."
Seeing this, Fang Shiqing quickly cleared her throat. "I just remembered I forgot to notify someone about coming to work tomorrow, so I'll head to my room first."
"Shiqing..."
Su Banxia watched helplessly as Fang Shiqing cowardly slipped away, gritting her teeth and cursing her inwardly.
That meal today was a waste, and so were all these years of friendship!
"How long do you plan to stand there?"
Pei Shaoze closed the magazine in his hand, his gaze sharpening, his emotions unreadable.
"Mr. Pei..."
Su Banxia's mind was in a mess as she shuffled forward slowly.
"Where did you go?"
Pei Shaoze's voice was icy cold.
He had gone to the company to find her but hadn't seen her.
"I went to eat with Shiqing."
Su Banxia lowered her head, speaking weakly.
"Is Fang Shiqing that important to you?"
Pei Shaoze's face was cold.
Su Banxia froze. Why did that question feel oddly familiar?
"It seems the documents I gave you weren't heavy enough, Secretary Su. Don't you think?"
Hearing his chilling words, Su Banxia couldn't help but shiver, then shook her head: "I'm sorry, I, I..."
"There's still a lot of finishing work on the Qin Corporation project. Since Secretary Su is so free, why not go help Zhang Shanshan handle it together?"
Pei Shaoze snorted coldly.
"I..."
Su Banxia bit her lower lip hard, feeling truly wronged. She hadn't done anything, so why was she the one left looking so pitiful?
Pei Shaoze paused, then continued: "Manager Fang should find something to keep her busy too."
"Don't."
Su Banxia quickly refused, but when she saw the chill in Pei Shaoze's eyes, she swallowed her words.
The coldness radiating from Pei Shaoze made her dare not move.
As she watched the demon enter the study, Su Banxia finally relaxed her tense nerves. But looking back on the day's events, she really had no idea how she'd offended him!
Thanks to Pei Shaoze's deliberate targeting, Su Banxia was so busy that morning she barely had a moment to rest.
She barely made it to noon, and just as she was about to go eat, Zhang Shanshan brought in another pile of documents.
"Secretary Su, this is from Mr. Pei..."
"Put it there."
Su Banxia gritted her teeth, her face cold.
Pei Shaoze was doing this on purpose!
But that was fine—she'd just go against him!
Fueled by stubbornness, Su Banxia returned to her desk, lowered her head, and started going through one document after another.
The sky outside gradually darkened. Su Banxia looked at the empty pile of files in front of her and let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't eaten a single grain all day, but she'd finally finished her work.
Just as she stood up to leave, her vision suddenly went black, and then she knew nothing more.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying in a hospital, the sharp smell of disinfectant filling her nose.
"Banxia, you're awake?"
Fang Shiqing's voice was a bit emotional.
"What's this?"
Su Banxia struggled to sit up, feeling her head heavy.
Seeing this, Fang Shiqing let out a breath: "The doctor said you hadn't eaten all day and were under a lot of stress, so you fainted."
"I see."
Su Banxia felt rather embarrassed.
"Honestly, no matter how angry you are at Mr. Pei, you can't hurt yourself like this. Your body is so weak."
Fang Shiqing scolded her.
Luckily, Pei Shaoze had found her in time. If he'd been any later, the consequences would have been hard to imagine.
Su Banxia's eyes darted around the room, and she furrowed her brows slightly. Before she could speak, Fang Shiqing said first: "Mr. Pei went to get your prescription. He'll be back soon."
"He didn't give you a hard time, did he?"
Su Banxia's face flushed slightly as she quickly changed the subject.
Fang Shiqing had helped her with the documents, which should have angered Pei Shaoze. From what she knew of him, he wasn't usually so easygoing.
"He did increase my workload, but since you're sick, I came to see you instead."
Fang Shiqing gave a faint smile.
Just as they were talking, Pei Shaoze walked in from outside.
Seeing this, Fang Shiqing stood up and took the thermos beside her, heading out.
She didn't want to be a third wheel here.
"I finished the documents. There shouldn't be any mistakes, right?"
Su Banxia looked at the cold-faced demon in front of her and spoke weakly.
"Does going against me make you feel good?"
Pei Shaoze's voice was icy, the chill radiating from him dropping the temperature in the room significantly.
"I didn't, I..."
Su Banxia was so nervous she had no idea what to say.
"Damn it!"
Pei Shaoze's fingers clenched into his palms, making a cracking sound.
This woman knew she had low blood sugar, yet she still didn't take care of herself.
"I was just worried about work. I was afraid I wouldn't finish, so I..."
Su Banxia explained weakly.