When Pei Kexin appeared, Yao Dongzhuo, who was still on the phone, immediately hung up.
He strolled towards her with a relaxed gait and a smile.
Yao Dongzhuo had been thinking about this reunion ever since their last inconclusive parting.
"It has indeed been a long time. I didn't expect to run into you here today. Miss Pei, I hope you've been well?"
Pei Kexin waved the flowers in her hand at him. "Thanks to you, I'm fine."
"When we parted last time, you said you'd call me when you had time. Miss Pei is so busy, you've kept me waiting."
Pei Kexin glanced at the waiter, who had been listening intently and only then snapped out of it and walked away.
She smiled again and said, "Mr. Yao, you're quite the joker."
"You're so busy managing affairs, dealing with countless important matters every day, how could you possibly have time to wait for my call? Thank you for the flowers and wine today. Knowing you're busy, I won't bother you now. I'll find an opportunity to treat you to a meal later."
Yao Dongzhuo looked at the flowers in her hand with a hint of confusion.
"Thank you? Do you really think I would send something so vulgar and cheap? Miss Pei, have you mistaken the recipient?"
The flowers were procured by the club temporarily. They were not exactly elegant, but they weren't so bad that someone wouldn't dare to admit sending them.
Pei Kexin quickly understood.
Since Yao Dongzhuo didn't seize the opportunity to claim credit, it meant the good deed wasn't his doing.
If it wasn't his doing, but it was done in his name…
Jiang Jingchen, who lived by deception and trickery, indeed had some skills.
"They weren't from Mr. Yao? Then I must have made a mistake."
"The waiter made a special trip to tell me that a Mr. Yao was showing me favor. My mind went blank, and I immediately thought of you. My apologies for making a fool of myself."
She transferred the flowers and placed them on the trash can in the hallway.
"Since they were from an anonymous Mr. Yao, there's no need for me to take them back… Mr. Yao, do you need anything else?"
Yao Dongzhuo appreciated her drawing a line with other men.
Since it was still early and they were both free, he said, "Didn't you say you'd treat me to a meal when you have time? Let's do it now. Miss Pei, my private room is just here, please."
Pei Kexin hadn't expected him to be so eager. "But I saw you just now…"
Yao Dongzhuo spoke sweetly for no particular reason. "Is there anything more important in this world than having a meal with Miss Pei?"
Pei Kexin had just escaped a wolf's den and wasn't in the mood to deal with a tiger.
Besides, Fu Duoduo was waiting for her downstairs.
"…Mr. Yao, you're a master of romance. I can't handle you talking to me like this."
"Does Miss Pei mean that you're inexperienced in romance?"
"Mr. Yao, you don't often chat with ladies like this, do you?"
Yao Dongzhuo enjoyed talking to intelligent people, especially beautiful and intelligent women.
"Certainly not. Not everyone is worth it. Miss Pei is an exception."
Pei Kexin: "...It's better not to jump to conclusions too early, Mr. Yao. You haven't gotten to know me properly. After a few interactions, no man has been willing to see me as a woman.
Pei Kexin was quite humorous, and Yao Dongzhuo couldn't help but laugh.
"Can I interpret your words as you telling me that very few men can conquer you, and you've never had a chance to date before?"
These days, why were men so confident, one after another?
From the aloof Yao Dongzhuo to the glib Jiang Jingchen, and even Pei Zongrui in between, they all felt they were charming and brimming with confidence in front of women.
It was truly exasperating.
Seeing his happy laughter, Pei Kexin also smiled.
"The answers to reading comprehension always vary from person to person. If Mr. Yao insists on understanding it that way, I wouldn't dare to say you're wrong."
"Mr. Yao, you have sharp ears and eyes. You should know that our family has important matters to attend to today, making it inconvenient to socialize. Once things are settled, I will definitely treat you. I hope Mr. Yao can forgive my rudeness once more?"
Yao Dongzhuo's smile disappeared.
"I've heard some things about the Pei family. I was worried Miss Pei might be too heartbroken and intended to visit you personally to offer my condolences, but now it seems…"
"Leave your phone number. This is the first time in my life that I, Yao Dongzhuo, have chased a woman repeatedly for her contact information… There's no one I can't befriend."
Yao Dongzhuo had a notorious reputation, and Pei Kexin had heard of his ruthlessness in dealing with people and matters.
However, after two encounters, she found him to be quite tolerant of her. Pei Kexin knew when to stop pushing her luck.
She took out her phone and opened the dialer.
"It's my fault. Every time I see Mr. Yao, I have something to attend to, neglecting basic social etiquette. I'm truly sorry. Here, please input your number yourself. I will call you when I have time in the future."
Yao Dongzhuo took her phone with his two handsome fingers, spun it in his palm, and entered the number with one hand.
"Anyone whose name appears in my phone is no ordinary person. I offer my sincere heart to the bright moon. Miss Pei, please do not let me be disappointed."
Pei Kexin was sincere. "I wouldn't dare."
After entering his number, Yao Dongzhuo called it before returning the phone to Pei Kexin.
"I believe there's nothing you, Pei Kexin, wouldn't dare to do. You dared to distance yourself from me to my face, and who knows how you look down on me behind my back. But I'm determined to befriend you."
"I'll give you three days to handle your family affairs. If I don't get a call from you after three days, Miss Pei…"
————
Pei Kexin finally went downstairs.
Fu Duoduo, sitting in the lounge area, was anxiously waiting. Upon seeing her appear from the elevator, she rushed towards her like an arrow released from a bow.
"Oh my god, you're finally down! What happened? What happened? Did you completely trounce Pei Zongrui?"
Pei Kexin felt her strength drain and linked her arm with Fu Duoduo's. "It's a long story. Let's go out first, and we can talk on the way."
As they walked out together, Fu Duoduo was eager to share.
"Guess who I saw here? Speaking of which, where's your husband? Why haven't I seen him today?"
Pei Kexin was unaware of the matters behind Jiang Jingchen and only knew that he had extorted her in Harbin and that she disliked him now.
"It's normal not to see him. He's not really my husband. Don't mention him to me so often in the future."
"The old man is gone, and our relationship is over. If we meet again, we'll be strangers. But if you want to make a move, you can now."
Fu Duoduo: "..."
That night, Pei Kexin squeezed in and spent the night at Fu Duoduo's place.
The next day, due to many matters to attend to for the new company, the scheduled appointment could not be delayed, and Fu Duoduo got up to work.
Pei Kexin had no job, and she couldn't return to the Pei family. With nothing to do, she lay in bed daydreaming.
From the first time she saw the old man as a child, to her experiences in the Pei family, and then as she grew up, the old man's care and guidance throughout the years…
The more she recalled, the more she felt that the old man had treated her well. The more she recalled, the more her heart ached. The more she recalled, the more pitiful she felt.
Just as she was lost in thought, feeling so upset that she wanted to cry, her phone on the bedside table suddenly rang.
She listlessly grabbed it and swiped the screen casually. "Hello."
"Vice President Pei."
"Jiang Jingchen?"