? Su Banxia arrived at the café she had agreed to meet Lin Tongze at, half an hour late. As soon as she entered, she spotted Lin Tongze sitting by the window. The man was handsome, with an outstanding aura, dressed in understated yet elegant attire. Sitting in a place like this, he drew considerable attention. Especially from the many beautiful women around. Su Banxia noticed it the moment she walked in and teased him, "I’ve become the enemy of every woman in this café now." Lin Tongze smiled faintly. "You’re the envy of all the ladies." "Should I be proud of that, Mr. Lin?" The two were old friends. During Su Banxia’s years in France, Lin Tongze had taken care of her, so their relationship was close. Joking like this came naturally. After ordering coffee, Su Banxia got to the point. "Are you really planning to cooperate with Dingsheng?" "What do you think?" He asked back, a hint of amusement in his eyes. Su Banxia thought for a moment and shook her head. "Not very likely!" Lin Tongze nodded, smiling lightly. "Go on, tell me more." Su Banxia considered carefully and analyzed, "Your visit to Dingsheng today was just to feel out Pei Shaoze, not to genuinely collaborate. You want to disrupt his rhythm?" Lin Tongze nodded. "Banxia, you’re very sharp." Su Banxia frowned, puzzled. "Why? There’s not much conflict in your development directions." "No particular reason." Taking a sip of coffee, a faint trace of hostility crept into Lin Tongze’s eyes, clearly directed at Pei Shaoze. Su Banxia didn’t know what past grievances they had, and she wasn’t the type to pry endlessly. After a pause, she asked, "When are you going back to France?" "Probably in a while. Do you have time in the next few days? I want to take Guoguo and Xiao Hao out for a walk." Lin Tongze stirred his coffee. Su Banxia lowered her gaze slightly. "Pei Shaoze’s suspicions of me are growing. I can’t take leave anytime soon." Lin Tongze frowned, nodded, and didn’t say more. After a moment, he added, "I’ve sent people to handle things on my end. It shouldn’t be long before you can leave Dingsheng." Su Banxia nodded, took a sip of coffee, glanced at the time, and said, "It’s getting late. I still have things to do, so I’ll head off." Lin Tongze looked at her. "Let’s have dinner together later." "Next time." Su Banxia was already preparing to stand up. "After this period." Lin Tongze stood up before her, grabbed her arm, and said, "It won’t take much time for a meal. Your stomach isn’t good; you’ll get pain later." With that, he raised his hand to call the waiter and began ordering. Having known her for six years, he was thoroughly familiar with Su Banxia’s preferences, so even without asking what she liked to eat, he could easily pick out dishes. Seeing she couldn’t talk him out of it, Su Banxia let him have his way. Just then, her phone buzzed with a text message alert—probably from Pei Shaoze—but she ignored it for the moment. The food Lin Tongze ordered arrived quickly: steak. As Su Banxia picked up her knife and fork, the plate in front of her was lifted away by Lin Tongze. She was momentarily stunned, watching him elegantly and gracefully cut her steak. She couldn’t help but smile. "If I were eighteen now, I’d probably be charmed by a gentleman like you and fall head over heels." Lin Tongze looked at her with a faint smile. "What, I can’t charm you anymore?" Su Banxia chuckled softly. "Mr. Lin, you’re really getting better at sweet talk these days." "If my words move you, then they’re sweet talk. If not, they’re just nonsense." He handed the cut steak to Su Banxia as he spoke. Su Banxia lowered her head with a smile and ate quietly. Luckily, they were close friends and both single; otherwise, if others overheard, it would be quite awkward. Having spent many years in France, Lin Tongze had excellent dining etiquette. They ate in silence, as was proper. Su Banxia checked the time and realized it was getting quite late, so she prepared to leave. Lin Tongze offered to see her off, but she declined. She was heading to Pei Shaoze’s place, and if he saw her with Lin Tongze, she probably wouldn’t be able to stay at Dingsheng anymore. Outside the restaurant, Lin Tongze had no choice but to hail a taxi for her, saw her in, and only left after she drove off.
At Yicheng Shanshui Villa District. Su Banxia arrived after a half-hour cab ride. In this wealthy neighborhood, taxis needed the owner’s permission to enter, and from the gate to Pei Shaoze’s villa was a long walk. Walking there would be too far. Reluctantly, she called Pei Shaoze. After a while, the person on the other end answered, his voice icy. "Speak." Su Banxia held back her frustration, steadied her breath, and said, "Mr. Pei, could I get permission from the gate? It’s quite a walk from here to your place, so I’d like the taxi driver to take me in." Pei Shaoze’s reply came through a few words. "Give him the phone." Su Banxia handed the phone to the guard. She didn’t know what Pei Shaoze said, but when she got the phone back, the call had ended. The guard looked at her and said, "You can go in." The taxi stopped in front of Pei Shaoze’s villa. Su Banxia paid the fare and got out. The villa’s front door was unlocked. Su Banxia glanced around and then entered. The living room was dark, lit only by dim, warm-toned lights. She scanned the area, her gaze landing on Pei Shaoze on the sofa. The man wore a gray-blue bathrobe. Perhaps because he had just showered, his hair was still slightly damp, making him look even more alluring and cold. Su Banxia walked over to him and noticed a wine glass and several empty bottles beside him. He’d been drinking? She looked at him. "Mr. Pei, are you okay?" Pei Shaoze lifted his eyes to her, said nothing, and took a small sip of wine. Seeing he seemed fine, Su Banxia decided to ignore him, muttering inwardly, "Drunkard." Then she looked around the villa, planning to clean up and leave. But before she could take a step, Pei Shaoze grabbed her and pulled her into his arms without warning. Su Banxia’s eyes widened in shock as his handsome face loomed close to hers. "Mr. Pei... mmph!" Before she could finish, her mouth was covered. The kiss came out of nowhere. Pei Shaoze was slightly tipsy, and the moment his lips touched hers, he was completely intoxicated. Su Banxia’s mind raced as he kissed her. What did Pei Shaoze mean by this? Was he using the alcohol as an excuse? She pushed against him, struggling, and said, "Mr. Pei, you’re drunk!" Pei Shaoze looked at her, his gaze dark and low. Su Banxia couldn’t understand what was going on with him and tried to create distance, but his grip on her tightened. After a long moment, he spoke, his breath laced with alcohol. "How many other men do you have, huh?" Other men? Su Banxia froze, frowning. "Mr. Pei, you’ve had too much to drink!" She tried to break free, but he held her firmly, his deep, dark eyes fixed on her as if to devour her. "Does being my woman make you that unhappy, huh?" He leaned in, attempting to kiss her again, but Su Banxia turned away. He was drunk now, and even if he weren’t, he wasn’t exactly clear-headed. "Mr. Pei, you’re drunk!" If she could hit someone, Su Banxia wouldn’t hesitate to punch this man right now. Pei Shaoze ignored her words, flipped her over, and pinned her beneath him, looking down at the woman in his arms. His gaze lingered on her lips, her eyes, her fair cheeks. The more he looked, the more he seemed to like her. He lowered his head, leaning in to kiss her. Su Banxia knew clearly that she had made the same mistake before. She didn’t understand Pei Shaoze, and he had no real interest in her. This situation was just a burst of hormones. It could happen with anyone. So, what she needed to do now was keep her distance as much as possible. Otherwise, when the time came for her to leave Dingsheng, she didn’t want to be tangled up in too much. Her eyes caught sight of a water glass on the nearby table. She reached out, grabbed it, and splashed the water directly into Pei Shaoze’s face.