Su Banxia walked to his office, found the car keys, and left with them.
Pei Shaoze watched her go, a strange feeling stirring in his heart for a moment.
Then he thought, her sudden behavior was probably because of the weekend when she hung up on him. As his personal secretary, it was normal for her to realize that.
Even so, Pei Shaoze still felt a peculiar emotion inside—almost sweet.
Su Banxia drove out of the company basement and headed straight to Pei Shaoze's villa.
She was back in less than an hour.
When she entered the office, she saw Pei Shaoze sitting at his desk in a black bathrobe. Su Banxia paused briefly, then handed him the clean clothes. "President, your clothes."
Pei Shaoze was still reviewing documents and didn't look up. After a long moment, he slowly set down the papers and fixed his gaze on her. "Su Banxia, do you know how long you were gone?"
A bit guilty, she replied, "Less than an hour."
"How long does it take to drive from the company to Yicheng Shanshui?"
He asked, his face expressionless.
"Fifteen minutes," Su Banxia said.
"Hmph!"
Pei Shaoze let out a cold laugh. "A thirty-minute round trip, and you stretched it into an hour. Su Banxia, do you think I have nothing to do and can just wait for you in the bathroom for an hour or two?"
He was angry.
Su Banxia lowered her head, speaking honestly. "I'm sorry, President Pei. I drove too fast on the way there and had a little accident, so I got delayed."
This time, she wasn't lying. Her driving skills weren't great, and in her rush, she'd scraped another car.
Scraping Pei Shaoze's car was bad news.
Pei Shaoze had been furious, but when he heard she'd had an accident, he paused, furrowing his brow. "Are you okay?"
He stood up and took the clothes from her hand.
Su Banxia was taken aback, shaking her head with her head down. "I'm fine, but your car..."
She didn't dare continue. It was a Maybach—a single scratch could cost her a year's salary. This year's pay was probably gone.
After a moment's thought, she ventured, "President Pei, does your car have insurance?"
Seeing her expression, he could guess what she was thinking.
He glanced at her, noting she seemed unharmed.
A mischievous urge to tease her took hold. He grabbed the clothes, his face cold, and walked straight into the private bedroom attached to the office.
Su Banxia, not daring to press him, waited quietly for him to speak.
Pei Shaoze deliberately took his time changing, emerging at a leisurely pace.
When he came out, Su Banxia looked at him with her clear, dark eyes and asked again, "President Pei, does your car have insurance?"
Pei Shaoze, now dressed, stared at her seriously. "No."
Su Banxia: "..."
Did luxury cars not come with insurance?
Her heart sank, and her face fell.
Pei Shaoze savored her expression before saying, "I'll have the car sent to the 4S shop for repairs tomorrow. When the bill comes, just pay me directly."
With him being so blunt, what could Su Banxia say?
She could only nod obediently.
Inwardly, she prayed the repairs wouldn't cost too much. She was broke and had two kids to support.
Seeing her look so miserable, Pei Shaoze smiled faintly, the gloom of the past two days lifting.
But watching her dejection, he felt a pang of sympathy and almost said something.
He held back, though. This woman needed to learn her lesson.
Because of the car incident, Su Banxia had little to say to Pei Shaoze.
That afternoon.
After work, since Pei Shaoze's car had been sent to the 4S shop for repairs and the company only had one vehicle left, he had to ask Yan Xin to drive him home.
Su Banxia had planned to go back with Fang Shiqing, but Lin Haoran came to pick her up from the office.
So she had no choice but to drive Fang Shiqing's car home.
At the restaurant, Fang Shiqing and Lin Haoran chatted animatedly. After dinner, they went out for a walk.
It seemed everyone followed the same order in love: chatting, eating, shopping, and traveling.
When two people clicked, they teamed up to chase away loneliness, enjoying each other's company. Maybe that was what love was.
Fang Shiqing didn't overthink it. She just felt good being with Lin Haoran.
So, she went with it.
They strolled along the moat, the man handsome and the woman gentle, drawing envious glances from passersby.
"What does love look like in your imagination?"
Fang Shiqing suddenly asked as they walked.
Lin Haoran paused, thinking. "When I was young, I thought it was passionate, something you'd die for. Now, I think what we have is probably love."
Fang Shiqing couldn't help but laugh.
Their love seemed too ordinary and dull, as if they'd just found someone to chat with and pass the time.
"President Fang!"
Someone called from behind.
Fang Shiqing turned, surprised to see Zhang Shanshan. "Executive Assistant Zhang!"
Zhang Shanshan caught up with them, smiling lightly. "What a surprise to see you here."
She glanced at Lin Haoran beside Fang Shiqing, her look turning suggestive. "And this is?"
Fang Shiqing smiled, introducing him. "My friend, Lin Haoran."
Then she turned to Lin Haoran. "This is my colleague, Zhang Shanshan."
Simple introductions all around.
Though Fang Shiqing didn't know about the issues between Zhang Shanshan and Su Banxia, she instinctively felt uneasy around her.
They chatted briefly until Lin Haoran's phone rang.
He glanced at it, looking tense, and said to Fang Shiqing, "I need to take this."
He stepped aside to answer.
Zhang Shanshan watched him go, a faint smile on her face. "Your boyfriend is really handsome."
Fang Shiqing chuckled. "He's not my boyfriend."
"You're blushing!"
Zhang Shanshan teased. "Looks like I should start preparing a red envelope."
It was clearly just a casual remark.
Zhang Shanshan didn't rush off, and Fang Shiqing had nothing else to do, so they continued chatting idly.
After a while, Lin Haoran returned, his expression grim.
He looked at Fang Shiqing. "Something urgent came up. How about I take you home first?"
Seeing his troubled face, Fang Shiqing shook her head. "No need. My colleague is here. You go ahead, and we can leave together later."
Zhang Shanshan chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Lin, go handle your business. Shiqing and I will walk around here."
Lin Haoran hesitated, then said to Fang Shiqing, "Get home early. Be safe tonight."
Fang Shiqing nodded, reminding him, "Drive carefully."
They said their goodbyes, and Lin Haoran walked away.
Zhang Shanshan smiled at Fang Shiqing. "So concerned—doesn't seem like just a friend."
Fang Shiqing gave an embarrassed smile and said nothing more.