?
Pei Shaoyin thought for a moment, then smiled. "Last night I said I wanted to be friends with you because you don't have a crush on my brother. That means you're not boy-crazy. I think I've already explained that about girls like you. As for the other reason, it should be Brother Lin. You're Brother Lin's friend, so if I'm friends with you, I can get closer to him."
She paused. "I can see Brother Lin more often from now on!"
Su Banxia chuckled. She really didn't hide her intentions at all.
How straightforward!
The two sat by the roadside chatting for a while. It was getting late, and since neither had slept all night, they were starting to feel drowsy.
Pei Shaoyin slumped over, leaning against Su Banxia, and mumbled groggily, "Su Banxia, can I go to your place to rest?"
Driving back to the Pei residence was too far, and she really didn't want to drive.
Su Banxia was about to nod, but then suddenly remembered that her two little treasures were at home. Pei Shaoyin was, after all, Pei Shaoze's sister.
Guoguo and Su Hao looked so much like Pei Shaoze that even a fool would notice something, let alone this sharp little girl!
Su Banxia hesitated. "My place can't accommodate you."
"Why not?"
Pei Shaoyin sounded a bit aggrieved. "I don't need a big bed. Your bed can't be so small that two people can't sleep on it, right?"
Su Banxia nodded and looked at her. "You probably don't know this yet, but I live with my best friend. We're squeezed into a tiny place. It's already cramped, and if you come, it'll be even tighter!"
Pei Shaoyin's eyes widened as she looked Su Banxia up and down. "Come on, you're the executive secretary at Dingsheng! With your salary, in five or six years, you'd have enough for a down payment on a house in Yanshi."
As a secretary to the CEO, given how demanding Shaoze was, her pay couldn't be low.
Yanshi's housing prices were high, but Su Banxia was still considered a high-level white-collar worker, wasn't she?
It couldn't be as bad as she described, crammed into a small place with a friend!
Su Banxia looked at her and clicked her tongue. "That's where you're wrong, Miss Pei. You really don't know how the common people live. I just started at Dingsheng not long ago, and I haven't even gotten my first month's salary yet!"
"Didn't you know Brother Lin before? I heard he has a big company in France. He takes good care of you, so how could you be in such a tough spot?"
Su Banxia: "..."
Who said this girl was naive? She was way too sharp, wasn't she?
Letting out a sigh, Su Banxia put on a troubled expression. "President Lin does look out for me, but it's not that kind of care. Besides, I didn't say I'm struggling. I just came back from abroad and I'm still looking for a place. Since I haven't found anything suitable, I'm crashing with a friend for now."
Hearing this, Pei Shaoyin nodded.
After a moment, she looked a bit dejected, sitting on the ground with her chin propped on her hands. "Going back now is a hassle, and I'll definitely run into the old man at home. He'll start nagging me again."
Su Banxia smiled. "Second Master Pei?"
Pei Shaoyin nodded. "Yeah, exactly. That old man at home has nothing better to do than watch me all day."
Su Banxia thought for a moment. "Why don't you stay at President Pei's villa? He has one in Yicheng Shanshui. He's not there right now, so you can tidy it up for him while you're at it."
At this suggestion, Pei Shaoyin perked up and nodded. "Right, I can go to my brother's place!"
With that, she stood up and pulled Su Banxia to her feet. "Come on, let's go crash there tonight! I've never even been to his place!"
But then it hit her—her brother had this annoying habit. He didn't like people going to his spaces.
Suddenly deflating like a punctured balloon, she looked helpless.
Su Banxia noticed her energy plummet out of nowhere and didn't understand. "What's wrong?"
"You don't know this, but my brother has a cleanliness obsession. He won't let anyone stay at his place. Besides, we don't even have the keys!"
Su Banxia paused, then smiled. "Is that what you're worried about?"
She looked at her, eyes narrowing. "President Pei isn't in the country, right? I have the keys. I'll take you there."
What cleanliness obsession? Even his own sister had to deal with all these rules and quirks.
Su Banxia couldn't stand that about him.
Pei Shaoyin was stunned. "How do you have the keys to my brother's place?"
"I'm his work secretary and his personal secretary."
Su Banxia said it with a hint of resignation. "That's exactly why I end up in all this trouble."
If it weren't for that, she wouldn't know Pei Shaoze so well, and she wouldn't have let Lin Tongze pick up on unnecessary things from those files.
In the end, it was all because of knowing too much.
Pei Shaoyin let out an "oh," and eventually, Su Banxia went back to Dingsheng, got the car, and drove to Pei Shaoze's villa.
They arrived at the villa around six in the morning.
Su Banxia found the keys, and they entered. Pei Shaoyin glanced around the layout and muttered, "What a cold fish. Even his house is freezing."
Spotting a few flower pots on the balcony with sprouts starting to grow, she was a bit surprised. "This cold fish grows flowers?"
She asked Su Banxia directly.
Noticing the seeds she'd planted earlier had sprouted and were doing well, Su Banxia paused. "I did that. He didn't object."
Pei Shaoyin nodded. That made sense.
Exhausted from the sleepless night, Pei Shaoyin found a room, quickly washed up, and got ready to sleep.
Seeing Su Banxia on the balcony watering the sprouts, she asked, "Aren't you tired? We've been up all night!"
Su Banxia shook her head. "You go to sleep. I'll water these flowers a bit, then head to the office."
"After staying up all night, you're still going to work? Take the day off!"
Su Banxia smiled. "No need."
"Besides, I have a meeting today."
Pei Shaoyin didn't press further. Too sleepy to argue, she went back to her room to sleep.
...
At the Golden Splendor Club.
In a place like this, when a man brought a woman in, it was usually for entertainment—a plaything for men's amusement. There was no need for formal introductions.
Unless things weren't that simple.
Li Yi, a man of business, couldn't be unaware of this.
He paused slightly, his gaze shifting to Su Banxia, his smile still in place. "Hello, Miss Su."
Su Banxia, hearing Ye Hengtian's introduction, knew this man was Li Yi, the deputy general manager of CBE.
"Hello, President Li."
Since they were out for fun, everyone tacitly avoided saying much.
They settled onto the sofa. With Ye Hengtian's arrival, Li Yi stopped fooling around with the women and instead drank with Ye Hengtian.
Su Banxia naturally couldn't avoid drinking.
After a few rounds, Li Yi, who wasn't great at controlling himself, perhaps fueled by alcohol, casually grabbed Su Banxia. "Where's Miss Su heading tonight?"
The question carried heavy implications.
Instinctively, Su Banxia looked at Ye Hengtian, but he showed no sign of helping her.
Frowning slightly, she discreetly pushed Li Yi away, forcing a smile. "Home, of course."
Li Yi chuckled at that.
His eyes narrowed as he pointed at the other men. "See what they're up to?"