Su Banxia snapped back to attention, slightly stunned and not yet fully processing things. She looked at him and asked, "What?"
Pei Shaoze frowned. "Still can't forget Ren Yuan?"
"No!"
She retorted, then lowered her gaze and said flatly, "Thanks for earlier."
If he hadn't come out to help her out of that situation, she didn't know how long those two would have pestered her.
Pei Shaoze furrowed his brow but said nothing.
After a long pause, Su Banxia sighed. "Everyone goes through a phase of being blind when they're young. It's just part of the experience, I guess."
Not sure what crossed Pei Shaoze's mind, he suddenly looked at her and asked, "Does your current husband treat you well?"
Su Banxia nearly blurted out that she didn't have a husband, but then she remembered her relationship with Pei Shaoze and quickly nodded in a fluster. "Mm-hmm, he treats me very well."
Pei Shaoze frowned, a hint of displeasure flickering in his eyes.
But he didn't say much.
After a moment, he asked, "Where do you want to eat?"
"Just drop me off. It's getting late."
Su Banxia spoke, her mood not great.
Pei Shaoze ignored her and said, "There's a new restaurant opened in Nanyuan. Let's go check it out."
This was rare good temper from Pei Shaoze.
But Su Banxia didn't appreciate it. She simply said, "Stop up ahead. I'll take a cab home."
She really wasn't in the mood to have dinner with him.
"Screech..."
A long, grating sound of brakes filled the air. Su Banxia, caught off guard, lurched forward.
Thankfully, she had her seatbelt on. After tilting at a sharp angle, she was yanked back into place.
Steadying herself, she looked up at him, her clear black eyes glaring. "President Pei, this is attempted murder."
Pei Shaoze glanced at her, expressionless. "Are you dead?"
Su Banxia: "..."
What the hell kind of person was this?
"Su Banxia, your current status is that you're my woman. Don't go against me casually, or else..."
Pei Shaoze restarted the car.
This time, he didn't ask Su Banxia. He simply drove straight toward Nanyuan.
Su Banxia was so angry she almost laughed. Since when was she his woman?
"President Pei, do you always joke like this?"
Who could possibly be his woman? Did he think he was an emperor?
Unmoved by her sarcasm, Pei Shaoze snorted dismissively. "You staying at Dingsheng is basically your tacit agreement, isn't it?"
Su Banxia: "..."
She was speechless for a long moment.
After a pause, she said, "President Pei, I got into Dingsheng on my own merit. I stay because I like the job. None of this has anything to do with you."
"I'm the president of Dingsheng. How internal employees are handled is my call."
Su Banxia was completely shut down by that one sentence.
Right.
He was the president of Dingsheng. A person in power could decide how to handle internal employees however he wanted.
At that moment, Su Banxia truly felt what it was like to be the fish on the chopping block.
Already stewing with frustration, being treated like this by Pei Shaoze pushed her over the edge.
Her temper flared, and she snapped, "Stop the car!"
Pei Shaoze ignored her and kept driving.
Furious, Su Banxia lunged to stomp on the brake herself. The steering wheel jerked, and she was flung hard against Pei Shaoze.
As luck would have it, she ended up sprawled across his lap.
The position was far too suggestive.
Pei Shaoze stopped the car and looked down at the woman lying across his crotch. For a moment, inappropriate images flooded his mind.
If Su Banxia were to...
The thought alone stirred a reaction.
Su Banxia, thrown off balance by the sudden stop, struggled to get up. She suddenly felt something against her cheek...
Realization dawning, she looked down.
Right at the spot below Pei Shaoze's waist, even through the black suit pants, she could clearly make out...
Su Banxia: "..."
Was this man an animal?
To have that kind of reaction at a time like this.
Startled, she jerked upright, but in her haste, the back of her head smacked into the steering wheel.
Pei Shaoze wanted to stop her, but it was too late.
Seeing her wince in pain, he inexplicably wanted to ask if it hurt.
But then he thought, she deserved it.
So he stayed silent.
After all this chaos, neither of them was in the mood for dinner anymore.
He spoke coldly, a command. "Get out."
Su Banxia rubbed the sore spot on her head, her face pale with anger. She didn't want to spend another second in that car.
She opened the door, ignored the rain outside, grabbed her bag, and dashed into the downpour.
Inside the car, Pei Shaoze watched her retreating figure coldly, a knot of anger tightening in his chest.
"Ungrateful woman."
He spat out the words and started the car.
Out on the street, Su Banxia ran through the rain for a stretch before finding a spot under an awning to take shelter.
She planned to hail a cab home, but after standing by the roadside for ages, she still couldn't get one.
As the rain grew heavier, Su Banxia grew anxious.
Her phone was dead. If she didn't get home soon, her two kids would be worried sick.
But with no cab in sight, she was stuck.
About ten minutes later, a black Bentley pulled up beside her. Curious, she watched as the window rolled down.
A handsome face appeared inside—it was Yan Xin.
Seeing him, Su Banxia was surprised.
Yan Xin got out, holding an umbrella, and walked over to her with a smile. "Banxia, what are you doing here?"
Su Banxia forced a smile, a bit helpless. "Ran into someone unreliable, so..."
She shrugged and didn't elaborate.
Yan Xin didn't press. He smiled and said, "I was just passing by and have nothing going on. Want me to give you a ride?"
Under the circumstances, refusing would have seemed overly coy.
Thanking him, Su Banxia got into the car.
After Yan Xin started the engine, his phone rang. He glanced at Su Banxia apologetically. "Sorry, I need to take this."
Su Banxia nodded and smiled, not asking questions.
Answering the call, Yan Xin said with a hint of mischief, "Who's this? What do you want?"
On the other end, Pei Shaoze's cold voice cut straight to the point. "Did you pick her up?"
Yan Xin, intent on making things difficult for Pei Shaoze, replied, "Didn't find her. I drove around, but it's too desolate out here—not a soul in sight. The rain's getting worse. No idea where she ran off to."
As he spoke, he noticed Su Banxia looking at him curiously. He smiled, hung up, and turned to her. "Let's go."
Su Banxia, hearing his words, thought he was still looking for someone and asked worriedly, "You haven't found them yet. Maybe..."
"No need."
Yan Xin had already started the car.
Su Banxia was about to say more when Yan Xin's phone rang again.
This time, he just glanced at the caller ID and turned the phone off.
Su Banxia grew concerned. He was supposed to be looking for someone, so why...
"President Yan, your business..."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it."
With that, Yan Xin drove straight toward Su Banxia's home.
Though worried, Su Banxia said nothing more.
Because Yan Xin hadn't answered the call, Pei Shaoze's handsome brow was tightly furrowed as he watched the rain pour harder outside.
His mind was a mess.
He called Yan Xin a few more times, but the phone was already off.