Meng Shuyao had learned her lesson. Today had been an accident; she rarely went out at night, and if she did, it was usually with friends.
“Why didn’t you call Brother Zhou?” Zhao Hesong still couldn’t restrain his gossiping heart. “Did you two have a fight?”
Did it count as a fight? Meng Shuyao wasn’t sure either.
What right did she have to fight with him?
“I… don’t think it’s really appropriate for me to go to him.”
Zhao Hesong didn’t understand. “What’s inappropriate about it?”
Meng Shuyao picked at her phone case. “Doesn’t he have someone for a marriage alliance? Of course it’s inappropriate.”
“Because of that?” Zhao Hesong couldn’t help letting out a low laugh. “You didn’t know he rejected it? If it’s something he doesn’t want to do, no one can force him.”
Meng Shuyao’s fingertips paused.
So he had rejected it.
“Anyway, I’ve known him for so many years, and you’re the first person to receive special treatment from him.” Zhao Hesong told her the truth. “If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t even be able to get close to him.”
Meng Shuyao’s heart was in turmoil.
That time when she accidentally kissed him, he had clearly been repulsed.
But before that, he had helped her again and again. He probably didn’t hate her.
“Is Mr. Pei still in Chicago?”
Zhao Hesong lowered his head and played with his phone. “Yeah. He should be back in Manhattan in a couple of days.”
Meng Shuyao pressed her lips together tightly and was silent for a while. “Can you tell me where he’s staying?”
Zhao Hesong glanced sideways at her. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
“There’s… a bit of a misunderstanding between us.”
No matter what, she wanted to explain what had happened last time.
Zhao Hesong hesitated for a moment. “Don’t say I told you.”
If he angered Pei Yuzhou, he wasn’t taking responsibility for it.
“Mm, I won’t.”
When they arrived at the school, the car stopped.
Meng Shuyao thanked him again. “Thank you for sending me back, Mr. Zhao.”
Zhao Hesong didn’t take it to heart. “It’s nothing.”
Meng Shuyao got out of the car, went to the dormitory, and asked the dorm supervisor for a new key.
Back in her room, she simply cleaned her wound, took a shower, and went to sleep.
She was so exhausted from all the trouble that she fell asleep before long.
The next day, she got up very early.
She had to go to the embassy to replace the relevant documents.
Lately, perhaps due to some policy change, document processing had become very strict. All the submitted materials had to go through layer upon layer of review, and it took most of the day just to finish the procedure. The documents would take seven to fifteen working days to be issued.
She could only explain the situation to her professor and personally apologize to Ms. Kasa when the time came.
By the time she came out of the embassy, it was already four in the afternoon.
She walked aimlessly down the street.
The bustling voices of the crowd intertwined with the sound of traffic beside her ears, all forming a fast-paced melody.
Passing by a small park, she found a bench and sat down to rest. She opened her phone and, almost instinctively, tapped into her chat with Pei Yuzhou.
The last message was from May 16th. They hadn’t contacted each other for more than half a month.
She stared blankly at the screen.
Thinking back to how angry he had looked that day, she started to retreat again.
That icy, fixed gaze had made her shudder.
A news notification automatically popped up at the top of her phone: “The market value of the medical company under Hers Group reaches a new high. Its core business covers high-end medical drugs and equipment in fields such as cardiology and neurology. Current CEO Kerwin Hers is dedicated to promoting innovation in medical technology and market expansion…”
Only then did Meng Shuyao realize that the largest medical company in the United States was also his.
She pressed her phone dark, got up, and ran in the opposite direction.
If she didn’t go find Mr. Pei today, she might not have another chance.
-
A little past six in the evening, the sky was gray and murky. The clouds were heavy, and a chill clung to the air.
In the study, Pei Yuzhou had just ended an online meeting with senior management. He leaned against the sofa, flipping through documents.
The phone on the table kept vibrating.
Mark picked it up for him. “Sir, it’s Miss Meng.”
Pei Yuzhou didn’t lift his eyes. His voice was low and cold. “Hang up.”
Mark didn’t know what had happened between them and could only do as he was told.
Not long after he hung up, the call came again.
“Could it be something urgent?”
Pei Yuzhou raised his eyelids and glanced at him. “What, are you very concerned about her?”
Mark didn’t dare. “I misspoke.”
Several muffled rumbles of thunder sounded outside the window, and the light gradually dimmed.
After the phone was hung up twice, it did not ring again.
Mark received a message. “Sir, the plane has been arranged. It may rain heavily later. Should we head to the airport in advance?”
Pei Yuzhou gave a very faint “Mm.”
“Then I’ll have the driver prepare the car.” Mark went to the balcony to make the call.
Just as the number connected, he unexpectedly saw the girl downstairs.
Meng Shuyao was standing alone outside the iron gate, her head lowered as she kept looking at her phone. There was a hint of dejection on her face, and her figure looked frail.
Mark returned to the study and spoke carefully. “Sir, Miss Meng is at the gate.”
Pei Yuzhou’s gaze stilled for a moment. Without changing expression, he said, “Tell her to go back.”
Outside, the wind swept past in sharp gusts. Branches and leaves swayed violently, and shadows of trees rippled.
Meng Shuyao looked up at the dark weather. Night was pressing low, brewing a heavy rain.
It seemed like every time she was in a bad mood, it would rain.
She had been waiting here for nearly an hour. She had called him, but he didn’t answer.
There was a light on upstairs. He should be home.
A moment later, the villa door opened, and someone came out.
Hearing the sound, Meng Shuyao raised her head and hurriedly spoke. “Mark, Mr. Pei is home, right?”
Mark walked toward the iron gate. “Miss Meng, you should go back. Sir won’t see you.”
Meng Shuyao gripped the railing. “I really have something to tell him. It’s very important.”
She was so anxious that her words were a little jumbled.
Mark understood Pei Yuzhou too well. “Sir’s decisions are very hard to change.”
Meng Shuyao refused to leave. “Then I’ll wait here until he agrees to see me.”
Mark couldn’t persuade her. There was nothing he could do, and he couldn’t manage it either, so he turned and went back into the villa.
Ten minutes later, raindrops began to fall, slanting and dense as they struck her body.
A Cullinan slowly drove over and stopped at the entrance.
Mr. Pei’s car. Was he going out?
After a moment, a familiar figure emerged from inside, elegant and tall as always.
He stood beneath the eaves of the corridor.
Through the curtain of rain, their gazes collided.
Mark opened an umbrella and held it above Pei Yuzhou’s head.
One in front and one behind, they strode forward on long legs.
Raindrops pattered against the umbrella.
The wrought-iron gate automatically slid open.
Meng Shuyao watched him walk over. Her lips moved, and sound came from her throat. “Mr. Pei…”
Her face was covered in beads of rain. Her hair clung together in a sorry state, and her top had been soaked into a darker shade.
Pei Yuzhou’s eyes were indifferent, his tone calm. “What act is this now? A ploy for sympathy?”
“I’m not.” Meng Shuyao’s voice trembled softly. “I just wanted to explain to you. That day, I was so desperate that I went to Allen. I’ve already made things clear with him. There’s nothing between him and me…”
Pei Yuzhou cut her off. “Who you want to go to has nothing to do with me.”
Meng Shuyao’s lashes were wet, and her vision was blurred by the rain. “I know I was wrong. I thought you hated me, so I didn’t dare go to you again.”
“Since you know I hate you, you shouldn’t have appeared here.”
She shook her head in denial. “That’s not true. If you hated me, you wouldn’t have helped me so many times before.”
Pei Yuzhou’s expression showed no ripple. “Helping you was merely convenient. If it were someone else and I happened to be in a good mood, I would help them too.”
Meng Shuyao didn’t believe it. “What do I have to do for you to stop being angry?”
Pei Yuzhou looked at her rain-soaked face. “This trick of yours is useless on me. If you want to stand in the rain, suit yourself.”