Chapter 89: If You Want to Accuse Someone, You Can Always Find a Pretext
After all, she wasn't familiar with Pei Shaoyin.
Su Banxia didn't ask further. Hearing the sound of the door opening downstairs, it was probably Pei Shaoze arriving.
Pei Shaoyin glanced at Su Banxia, then turned and left without another word.
Su Banxia said nothing. Soon after, she heard Pei Shaoyin's voice from outside, "I gave her the clothes. I'm leaving now!"
"Mm!" came Pei Shaoze's reply.
Su Banxia stood up from the bed and walked toward the bedroom door. It was getting late, and she needed to head back too. She wondered if Fang Shiqing had taken Guoguo and Su Hao home or brought them somewhere else to play.
As she reached the bedroom doorway, she ran into Pei Shaoze coming in.
"I—"
Before she could finish, meeting his dark, cold eyes made her heart skip a beat.
"What's wrong with you?"
Pei Shaoze's face darkened as he blocked her way back into the bedroom.
*Bang!*
The door slammed shut behind him with force.
Seeing him suddenly so angry, Su Banxia had no idea what she'd done wrong. She could only stare at him.
Pei Shaoyin, who was about to leave, jumped at the sound of the door slamming upstairs. She turned back, saw Pei Shaoze's bedroom door firmly shut, and paused briefly. "What's he planning?" She shrugged it off and left without a second thought.
Inside the bedroom.
Pei Shaoze closed in on Su Banxia with a grim expression. The shadow over his face made her afraid to even breathe. "President Pei, what's wrong?" she finally managed to ask in a small voice.
Pei Shaoze stared at her, his face icy, and tossed a file aside. "Su Banxia, you'd better give me an explanation!"
Su Banxia looked at the file, confused. "What's this?" she asked, picking it up to examine it closely.
The file was filled with negative information about Dingsheng. Pei Shaoze managed the vast company well, but some issues still existed. These were all internal company secrets, though—why was he showing her this?
She didn't understand and frowned at him. "President Pei, what does this mean?"
Pei Shaoze saw the confusion and lack of understanding on her face. He hesitated for a moment, then hardened his expression again. "Don't you find these things familiar?"
Su Banxia furrowed her brow but stayed silent.
What was he implying? She looked at him, puzzled. "Familiar?"
She examined the documents more carefully. Her eyes landed on a financial statement from Dingsheng. The more she looked at it, the more familiar it seemed—like one she'd picked up from the finance department before.
Seeing her fixated on the statement without speaking, Pei Shaoze's cold anger deepened. "Su Banxia, you gave these to Lin Tongze, didn't you?"
"No!" Su Banxia denied.
She had never taken these documents out of the office, so there was no way she could have given them to Lin Tongze. Besides, Lin Tongze wouldn't want them anyway. As for the rest, she'd never touched them.
Pei Shaoze sneered at her denial. "Su Banxia, dare you say you had no ulterior motive when you joined Dingsheng?"
She did—but it had nothing to do with these documents.
Su Banxia frowned, feeling trapped. She couldn't explain these things away.
Looking at him, she asked, "Who took these out?"
Pei Shaoze watched her act completely clueless, almost believing she had nothing to do with it. But given her relationship with Lin Tongze and what she'd done since joining Dingsheng, he had to admire this woman. Her acting was impeccable—truly masterful.
"Su Banxia, I'll ask you one thing: did you or did you not leak Dingsheng's information to Lin Tongze?"
Su Banxia lowered her head. She couldn't avoid this question.
A long, heavy silence filled the air. Su Banxia said nothing, and Pei Shaoze's gaze grew colder, more chilling by the second.
Finally, Pei Shaoze laughed—a laugh that was bitterly cold.
"Su Banxia, you should know very well what happens to those who betray me, Pei Shaoze."
Su Banxia wanted to say something but didn't know how. After a pause, she looked at him and said, "President Pei, I'll submit my resignation tomorrow—"
*Bang!*
A vase crashed to the floor as Pei Shaoze erupted in fury. "You think resigning is enough? Su Banxia, this is corporate espionage. Do you think a resignation letter lets you just walk away?"
"Does President Pei have proof that I gave these to Lin Tongze?" Su Banxia calmed down, lifting her eyes to meet his. "If you have evidence that I gave these to Lin Tongze, then do whatever you want with me. I'll accept it."
"Hah!" Pei Shaoze laughed in anger. "Su Banxia, do you really think I can't find evidence, or are you confident Lin Tongze will find a way to protect you? Hmm?"
He knew she had come to Dingsheng with a purpose. From the start, he'd had countless ways to force her out. He'd always thought that if he did his part well, she wouldn't go to such extremes. But he never imagined she'd leak Dingsheng's secrets to Lin Tongze, giving him the chance to strike a fatal blow.
Su Banxia didn't know how he felt about her, but she knew Lin Tongze would help her if necessary. Steadying herself, she looked at him fearlessly. "If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext."
"So I'm wronging you? Hmm?" Pei Shaoze was amused by this woman's defiance. He could easily find evidence linking her to these documents with a little investigation. Did she really think he wouldn't do anything to her?
Su Banxia fell silent. She still didn't know exactly what had happened, so she kept her words to a minimum.
"What's your real relationship with Lin Tongze?" Pei Shaoze didn't plan to investigate her, so he asked directly.
Su Banxia looked down. "No relationship. I don't know him."
"Su Banxia!" Pei Shaoze roared this time. "Do you really take me for a fool?"
Su Banxia was frightened by his outburst but forced herself to stay calm. "President Pei, I told you—if you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext."
Suddenly, Pei Shaoze grabbed her by the throat, his voice icy. "Su Banxia, you'd better tell me everything you know now. This is your last chance. Otherwise, I'll make you see what happens to those who betray me."
She hadn't expected him to get physical. His grip on her neck was tight, cutting off her breath, but she still looked at him with her clear, dark eyes, defiant. "Is President Pei trying to silence me?" she rasped.
Pei Shaoze narrowed his eyes, his suppressed rage intensifying. His grip tightened, and Su Banxia couldn't breathe. She struggled, but the harder she fought, the tighter he held on.
Fear crept in. She could feel that Pei Shaoze genuinely intended to kill her. Her eyes, usually so bright, reddened as she stared at him in disbelief.
Blinded by fury, Pei Shaoze's mind was filled with images of this woman and Lin Tongze together. The clearer the picture, the harder he squeezed.
When he noticed her struggles weakening, he looked at her. Seeing her reddened eyes, his heart suddenly ached. Abruptly, he released her.
Free at last, Su Banxia collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. It took her a long moment to recover.