With nothing to do, Su Banxia glanced around the room and noticed a pot of thriving little daisies on a gray tatami bookshelf in the corner. She couldn't help but walk over and touch them with her hand.
The sound of water in the bathroom stopped. Su Banxia turned around and saw Pei Shaoze coming out of the bathroom. The man was completely naked.
Pei Shaoze naturally saw her. Noticing her staring at his body, he frowned slightly. "If you like it, you can stay and try it tonight!"
Su Banxia watched as he grew aroused, her face flushing slightly, but she remained remarkably calm as she turned her back to him. She said, "President Pei really knows how to let loose!"
This was clearly sarcasm. Pei Shaoze just sneered. "Why are you so shy?"
Pervert!
Su Banxia didn't want to argue with him. Suppressing her temper, she said, "President Pei, can I borrow your car? It's hard to get a taxi around here, and it's inconvenient for me to go home now."
"The tires are broken and need to be sent for maintenance tomorrow. Borrowing it to you probably won't work."
With that, Pei Shaoze turned to find some clothes and put them on. Looking at Su Banxia's back, he said, "It's getting late. Thanks for bringing me back. You can stay here for the night."
"No need!"
Su Banxia didn't know how much truth there was in his words. The car was fine when they came back—how could it just break down? But she really didn't want to face this man right now. She simply said, "Since President Pei's car is broken, I'll find another way."
With that, she turned to leave. Pei Shaoze moved faster, blocking her path at the door, his face darkening. "What other way? Walking back? Or having Yan Xin come pick you up? Huh?"
As he spoke, his aggression grew. Su Banxia could feel his anger, but she wasn't in a good mood either. So she didn't intend to accommodate him. Instead, she looked up at him, cool and distant, with a hint of detachment. "Thank you for your concern, President Pei. I'll figure out how to get back."
With that, she tried to leave. Suddenly, Pei Shaoze bent down and hoisted her over his shoulder. Su Banxia felt a dizzying spin, and then he threw her onto the bed. Before she could react, he pinned her down.
Startled, Su Banxia struggled frantically. "President Pei, please—ah!"
It was already June, the weather hot, and she was dressed lightly. Su Banxia was both flustered and humiliated, unsure what to do. In her panic, she blurted out, "Pei Shaoze, I'm already married. If you don't care about ethics and morality, don't drag me into it!"
Pei Shaoze's body stiffened slightly, then he slowly lifted his gaze. His dark eyes, consumed by desire, fixed on her. "From the moment you decided to stay at Dingsheng, Su Banxia, you lost the chance to refuse me."
"You—"
Su Banxia was furious. Clutching desperately at Pei Shaoze, she cursed loudly, "Pei Shaoze, you bastard!"
She didn't want to talk to him anymore. She simply closed her eyes.
The next day.
Pei Shaoze woke up first. He shifted slightly, sensing someone beside him, and turned his head. What came into view was the woman's delicate, sleeping face. Fragments of the previous night flooded back into his mind, and he couldn't help but frown. He had really drunk too much.
"Buzz, buzz..."
A phone vibrated. Su Banxia was jolted awake. Half-asleep, she fumbled for her phone but couldn't find it. Forcing herself to shake off the drowsiness, she opened her eyes and was met with Pei Shaoze's dark gaze. She froze for a moment, felt a brief awkwardness, then scrambled out of bed to find her phone.
The call was from Su Hao. As soon as she answered, the little boy said sternly, "You didn't come home last night." It wasn't a question but a firm statement.
Noticing Pei Shaoze's unwavering gaze on her, Su Banxia whispered into the phone, "Sweetie, I'm sorry. Mommy last night—"
"If you're not coming home in the future, you need to let me and Guoguo know you're safe, or we'll worry."
Su Hao spoke seriously. She didn't need to imagine it—she could picture his little adult demeanor on the other end. Su Banxia nodded and apologized several times.
She put down the phone and looked toward Pei Shaoze. Seeing him silently get out of bed and head to the bathroom, Su Banxia rubbed her forehead, gathered her clothes from the floor, dressed, and left the villa directly.
When Pei Shaoze came out of the bathroom, he found Su Banxia was already gone. Anger flared inside him. Did this woman really like leaving without a word after sleeping with someone?
He walked to the bedside table, picked up his phone, and dialed Su Banxia's number. It rang a few times before she answered. "President Pei, do you have any other instructions?"
Her deliberately distant and polite tone only fueled Pei Shaoze's fury. "Get lost..."
He spat out the single word coldly and hung up. This woman really didn't know what was good for her.
When Su Banxia returned to the apartment, Fang Shiqing had already taken the two kids to school. Her whole body ached, and she had no mood to go to the office. She called HR to take the day off, then went into the bathroom to shower and collapsed onto the bed like a corpse. But for some reason, she couldn't fall asleep.
The scenes from last night kept replaying in her mind, driving her crazy. When it came to what happened between a man and a woman, if she hadn't been willing last night—if she hadn't half-heartedly given in—Pei Shaoze wouldn't have done anything to her. But she had acquiesced. That wasn't like her. She had let a man sleep with her, half-resisting, half-accepting.
The more she thought about it, the more agitated she became. In desperation, she went downstairs to the supermarket, bought a bunch of alcohol, drank heavily, and then passed out on the bed.
At the Dingsheng building.
In the CEO's office.
Pei Shaoze checked the time for the umpteenth time, then glanced at Su Banxia's empty seat. It had been half an hour since work started, and there was still no sign of her.
An hour later, Pei Shaoze called Su Banxia. The phone was off. His handsome brow furrowed, and he decided to summon Fang Shiqing directly.