Chapter 57: Thought About, but Never Obtained
"Shut up!"
Ye Hengtian's cold voice cut through the air as his icy gaze swept toward Ye Lan in warning.
This whole matter, when it came down to it, was nothing but a farce.
The discussions were just about wrapped up, the drinks had been had, and the trouble had been stirred up enough.
Su Banxia excused herself to use the restroom, slipped out of the private room, and found a spot to get some air.
Pei Shaoze's way of doing things was becoming harder and harder to read.
In the hallway, as the night deepened and the nightlife kicked off, quite a few young people passed by. Su Banxia was a beauty—the kind that couldn't be hidden even with deliberate efforts to look plain.
So, standing in the corridor, she was bound to become a sight.
Men turned their heads to stare; women speculated... a working girl.
Honestly, she hated being stared at.
So she found a spot—a corner by the stairwell.
Most people didn't like coming here, and they usually took the elevator, so it was quiet.
Su Banxia sat for a while, breathing in some fresh air, when a tail followed her.
Her ex-boyfriend.
Ren Yuan.
His nerves had been inexplicably on edge all night. He'd just stepped out for a smoke and hadn't expected to run into Su Banxia.
When they saw each other, he looked at her and smiled. "Is this the restroom?"
Su Banxia didn't feel like talking to him, so she stood up to leave.
But as she passed him, her wrist was grabbed. "Su Banxia, let's talk!"
As he spoke, he blocked her path.
Shaking off his hand, Su Banxia laughed. "Talk about what?"
"You and Pei Shaoze!"
Ren Yuan lit a cigarette, took a drag, exhaled, and looked at her, waiting for her answer.
"Talk about what? Me and Pei Shaoze—it's exactly what you saw!"
Su Banxia was annoyed. Why did he care about this anyway?
Ren Yuan had once liked Su Banxia—the kind of liking where you think about someone, yearn for them, but never get them.
That was how he felt now.
It was clear that Su Banxia no longer had any feelings for him, maybe even some disgust. He didn't dwell on her reaction and said, looking at her, "Do you really think, with your background, even if Pei Shaoze treats you well, he'd marry you?"
"What background?"
Su Banxia smiled, looking at him as she asked.
"One so ordinary it's barely worth noticing."
He said it, his tone laced with a hint of disdain.
Su Banxia felt like laughing but held it in. She looked at him and shot back, "And you? What's your background?"
If she remembered correctly, this man came from an ordinary family too, didn't he?
Gu Feifei at least had parents who were businesspeople with some money, while he had nothing.
Her question caught Ren Yuan off guard for a moment. "General manager of Gu Corporation. I have my own career, my own future!"
Su Banxia nodded. "Tsk, tsk, not bad, very promising. Gu Corporation... if I'm not mistaken, it's a small company that doesn't even rank in the third tier of Yanshi, right? And isn't Gu Corporation from Gu Feifei's family?"
Seeing Ren Yuan's face darken, she smirked. "Ren Yuan, when it comes to birth, I really don't see how I'm worse than you. We're both from ordinary backgrounds. How did you find a sense of superiority over me? And do you really think that after sleeping with Gu Feifei for a few years and keeping her happy, you'll turn into a golden boy and climb the social ladder?"
"You..."
Ren Yuan hated her words but couldn't find a way to refute them on the spot.
Su Banxia sneered. "I, on the other hand, studied abroad on my own merit and got into Dingsheng. As for me and Pei Shaoze, I didn't suck up to him, and I didn't seduce him. He treats me well and dotes on me just because he likes me."
"Can you guarantee he'll like you forever?"
Ren Yuan asked, having finished his cigarette.
Su Banxia shook her head. "No, and I haven't thought about forever. I'm not you. I don't need a woman to change my life. I can change it myself."
With that, she turned to leave.
But when she saw him following her, she decided not to go.
She made a gesture for him to go ahead, signaling Ren Yuan to leave.
This conversation didn't seem to have done Ren Yuan any favors, so he snorted and said to Su Banxia, "Su Banxia, the day you come begging me is still ahead!"
"Take care, no need to see me off."
"Hmph!"
No matter the era, people always seemed to face similar problems.
Birth...
Su Banxia felt like laughing. The Qing Dynasty had fallen three hundred years ago, and talking to her about birth was just ridiculous.
Seeing that time was about right, Su Banxia got up to leave. She needed to get back early tonight to be with the two kids.
Otherwise, those little ones would be furious with her.
At the corner, she nearly ran into Ye Lan.
The woman's beautiful eyes burned with anger as she glared at her.
"Miss Ye, something wrong?"
Forced back a few steps, Su Banxia frowned and asked.
Ye Lan truly loathed this woman right now. Her dark eyes fixed on her as she said, "Su Banxia, Brother Shaoze is mine. Don't you dare try to take him away!"
Su Banxia held back the urge to laugh and looked at her. "Are you standing here to threaten me?"
"Mind your own business!"
Ye Lan had disliked this woman from the moment they met.
Su Banxia paused and looked at her. "Miss Ye, has anyone ever told you you're childish? Or... stupid?"
"Su Banxia, you're asking for it!"
Ye Lan, enraged, grabbed Su Banxia's clothes and shoved her hard.
Su Banxia stumbled back a few steps, steadied herself, and looked at her.
She really was pretty dumb.
Didn't they say rich kids were supposed to be smart?
Ye Lan hated Su Banxia. No need to say it—this woman had appeared and, in just a few days, had Shaoze brother completely infatuated.
"Witch!
You'd better stay away from Brother Shaoze from now on, or the Ye family has plenty of ways to make your life miserable."
She'd always gotten whatever she wanted since she was a child.
Why did she have to be thrown into a tizzy by this woman over Shaoze brother?
Su Banxia was genuinely exasperated by her threats. She gave a slight nod. "I'll be waiting."
With that level of intelligence, this was all she could manage.
Not wanting to waste more words, Su Banxia turned to leave.
Ye Lan blocked her.
Su Banxia looked at her. "Miss Ye, any more warnings?"
"You..."
Ye Lan's face reddened with anger at her arrogant attitude. She glared at her. "Get lost!"
Leaving the stairwell, Su Banxia headed to the restroom. Pure bodily needs.
When she came out, she unexpectedly ran into Ye Hengtian.
The man had a cigarette between his fingers, leaning sideways against the wall. The smile was still on his face, but it gave off the impression that he was someone who knew how to scheme.
Their eyes met. Ye Hengtian raised an eyebrow and stubbed out his cigarette.
He looked at Su Banxia. "Miss Su takes her time in the restroom."
Su Banxia didn't feel like talking to him much, so she just gave him a few words. "Constipated."
This answer caught Ye Hengtian off guard, and he couldn't help but smirk, genuinely laughing.
Following behind her, he said, "No wonder Pei Shaoze likes you. I like this straightforward personality too, and you're a beauty."
Su Banxia stopped and turned to him. "Too bad, you've missed your chance."
Ye Hengtian chuckled. "That's not certain. To a man, a woman is just a few years of novelty. Once that's over, Pei Shaoze will naturally get bored. Besides, you're a mother. He probably won't stick with you for long, right?"
Su Banxia abruptly stopped and turned to face him.
Ye Hengtian was following her and hadn't expected her to stop so suddenly. He had to pull up short, nearly crashing into her, but he managed to control himself.