After Trying To Pursue The Cold, Elegant Beauty. I Ended Up Being Flirted With Instead - Chapter 42

The Aggrieved Ms. Li

Pei Xiubai seemed to snap awake from a deep dream, her eyes trembling slightly.

She parted her lips, staring at Wen Zhu for several seconds. The drunken haze seemed to be somewhat dispersed by the night wind, and that moment of panic was swiftly concealed by a layer of mockery.

She gave a cold laugh and opened her mouth: “Giving you her sincerity.”

Sincerity.

These two words, spoken by Pei Xiubai, carried an unspeakable sense of absurdity.

Wen Zhu relaxed her tightly furrowed brow, said nothing, and turned to walk into the guesthouse.

From the second floor, Wen Zhu looked down at the lonely figure below.

Pei Xiubai stood by the entrance for a long time, until the cold wind blew more fiercely, only then did she finally turn and leave.

But Wen Zhu’s heart remained unsettled for a long time.

Pei Xiubai had clearly let something slip just now. Although she desperately tried to cover it up afterward, that kind of reaction was undeniable.

What exactly did Li Zhiyun give her back then?

She desperately wanted to call right now and ask for clarity, but looking at the time, it was already too late.

She suppressed the doubt in her heart.

She would wait until they met later to ask in person.

Wen Zhu’s plan was sound, but unexpectedly, she couldn’t spare any time over the next two days.

Pei Xiubai seemed determined not to let her go and directly ordered Secretary Sun to find every possible way to call her back to work.

“Is this Secretary Wen? It’s me…”

When Wen Zhu received Secretary Sun’s call and heard the hesitant and exhausted voice on the other end of the line, she still agreed.

She and Secretary Sun had worked together for many years, and their relationship had always been good.

“Okay, I’ll be back tomorrow.”

The next day, upon returning to the company, the intern, Bingbing, rushed up to Wen Zhu with a look of surprise the moment she entered the office.

“Sister Wen Zhu! You’re finally back!”

But that surprise lasted only a few seconds before Bingbing’s face fell. Pointing to the mountain of files piled on Wen Zhu’s desk, she was on the verge of tears: “Sister Wen Zhu, thank goodness you’re back. President Pei piled several projects’ wrap-up work onto me. I really can’t handle it all…”

Looking at the stack of files taller than herself, Wen Zhu knew she had burdened Bingbing.

She patted Bingbing’s shoulder, her voice steady: “It’s alright. You go take a break first. Leave the rest to me.”

After sending Bingbing away, Wen Zhu sat down and immediately started working.

Near noon, the office door was pushed open.

Pei Xiubai personally walked in, carrying a thermal food container.

Wen Zhu didn’t lift her head, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

“Qingqing, how has your morning been?” Pei Xiubai placed the food items one by one on the coffee table.

A hint of nostalgia shone in her eyes. “It used to be you who brought me food. Today, I’ll bring some to you. Come and eat first.”

She seemed to have forgotten the events of last night and the unpleasantness of the previous period.

She used the tone they shared when they were still intimate.

“I won’t eat, take it away,” Wen Zhu refused, still staring at the computer screen, not turning her head.

Pei Xiubai’s fingertips, which were setting down the food, suddenly tightened and turned slightly white.

She was rarely ignored so completely.

Especially by Wen Zhu.

In the past, the moment she suggested eating together, Wen Zhu would be happy all day and arrange everything in advance.

A wave of grievance surged up, and Pei Xiubai almost turned and walked away.

But looking at Wen Zhu’s impassive profile, she forcefully suppressed her anger.

She had made up her mind to win Wen Zhu back.

She knew that Qingqing still cared about her she was just still angry. After all these times, when had she ever truly left?

As long as she persisted a little longer and coaxed her more, she would eventually change her mind.

Thinking this, the expression on Pei Xiubai’s face softened again.

“No matter how busy work is, you must take care of yourself first.” She walked over, her voice very gentle, and reached out to pull Wen Zhu’s wrist: “Be good, come and eat first.”

Wen Zhu was double checking a crucial data point. The other company was urgently requesting it and needed it before the end of the workday.

After a morning of work, she hadn’t even had time to drink water, and the string in her mind was taut.

Seeing that Pei Xiubai wouldn’t leave and was even trying to physically pull her, the long-suppressed emotions instantly rushed to her head.

With a “smack,” she abruptly shook off Pei Xiubai’s hand.

“Pei Xiubai!”

Wen Zhu called out those three words with ringing clarity.

It was the first time she had called her by her full name in such anger.

Pei Xiubai froze completely where she stood, her hand left hanging in mid-air. The stinging sensation of being rejected still lingered on her fingertips, and her heart felt an even deeper sense of grievance.

Wen Zhu took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling heavily.

“If you’re genuinely worried about me not eating and affecting my health, then either don’t assign me so much work, or hurry up and approve my resignation!”

Her voice trembled slightly. “Don’t exploit me on the one hand and then pretend to care about me on the other!”

“I don’t need it!”

After all these years, she was truly fed up!

The moment the words were spoken, the emotional buildup in Wen Zhu’s chest seemed to instantly find an outlet.

She felt a wave of relief wash over her.

She didn’t look at Pei Xiubai’s expression, sat back in her chair, put her fingers back on the keyboard, and continued to deal with the urgent file.

Would Pei Xiubai feel aggrieved?

Certainly.

No one knew better than her the inherent arrogance of Pei Xiubai.

But so what?

Had she suffered less grievance at Pei Xiubai’s hands over the past two years? Did Pei Xiubai ever come to comfort her then?

The office was terribly quiet, broken only by the crisp sound of the keyboard.

Pei Xiubai stood rooted to the spot, slow to react.

How did Qingqing become like this?

She had already swallowed her pride, personally brought her food, and apologized; wasn’t that enough?

A dull ache spread from her heart, making it difficult for her to stand steady.

It was impossible for her to reduce Wen Zhu’s workload.

Wen Zhu was completely focused on resigning now. If she conceded, Qingqing would truly disappear from her life forever.

However, having always been proud, looking at Wen Zhu’s icy-cold back, she couldn’t bring herself to try and drag Qingqing to eat again.

Finally, she forced a smile, her voice dry: “Since you’re busy, I’ll go now. Qingqing, tonight… I’ll come back to find you for dinner.”

Wen Zhu worked until past 4 PM before sending the compiled data to the other company.

She leaned back in her chair, letting out a long breath, and only then realized her back was stiff.

Looking around, the office was empty. Pei Xiubai had left at some point.

Only the exquisite thermal food container remained on the coffee table, silently asserting its presence.

Wen Zhu pressed her stomach, feeling a little uncomfortable. She frowned and called her assistant in.

The intern, Bingbing, quickly pushed the door open and cautiously asked, “Sister Wen Zhu, is something wrong?”

“You’ve been busy for so long, thank you for your hard work.” Wen Zhu pointed to the thermal food container on the table. “Go down to the convenience store and buy me something to eat, and then you can take off early. Also, please throw these things away.”

Bingbing followed the direction she was pointing and instantly recognized the logo on the lunch box.

It belonged to a top five-star hotel in the city, the kind where you had to book a week in advance, she heard.

Just… throw it away?

But looking at Wen Zhu’s calm face, she didn’t dare ask another word, picked up the thermal container, and hurried out.

Soon, Bingbing returned with two rice balls and a cup of hot milk.

Wen Zhu ate slowly. With the cold rice in her stomach, the feeling of discomfort subsided considerably.

Before she could catch her breath, the computer dinged, indicating a new email.

It was a new work assignment.

Along with the work email came a message from Pei Xiubai.

[Tongcheng Tower revolving restaurant, 7 PM, Qingqing, I’ll wait for you to have dinner together.]

Wen Zhu closed her eyes, slowly took a breath, ignored it, and tossed it aside, then directly clicked open the work file.

In the evening, the sun set.

At the top of Tongcheng Tower, the city’s neon lights converged into a brilliant river of stars beneath her feet.

Pei Xiubai had changed into a black gown that best showcased her figure, sitting by the window. Her appearance was truly outstanding, attracting many glances in the restaurant the moment she appeared.

People had already approached her to strike up a conversation and ask for her contact information.

Pei Xiubai refused quickly every time, simply replying coldly: “I have a girlfriend.”

She checked her phone from time to time.

At 6:30 PM, the screen finally lit up.

Pei Xiubai’s heart skipped a beat, and she picked it up almost instantly.

But the name flashing on the screen was “Jiang Xinxin.”

She frowned and swiped to answer.

From the other end of the line came Jiang Xinxin’s weeping voice, full of suppressed despair.

“President Pei! The news online… those anti-fans found the hotel where I’m staying! They… they sent me razor blades and dead rats!”

“President Pei, I’m really scared… can you come and stay with me… please!”

On the phone, Jiang Xinxin sounded incredibly distressed.

Ever since the day she told Li Zhiyun about her engagement with Wen Zhu, Xinxin’s eyes had always carried a hint of grievance when looking at her.

But Xinxin had a gentle nature and never said anything, which ironically made Pei Xiubai feel a slight pang of guilt.

She did have some appreciation and affection for Jiang Xinxin tough girls like Xinxin were rare.

In moments of intense emotion, she had even promised to give Jiang Xinxin a title, to make her girlfriend.

But all of this was conditional on Wen Zhu not making a fuss.

She wasn’t unaware of the online storm. Secretary Sun had supposedly dealt with one wave, but new negative stories quickly surfaced, clearly being fueled by someone behind the scenes.

Her first instinct was to suspect Wen Zhu.

This thought did not anger her instead, it sparked a trace of delight in her heart.

Wen Zhu targeting Jiang Xinxin didn’t that prove she still cared about her and still had feelings for her?

This notion gave Pei Xiubai a lot more confidence and a degree of indulgence.

If this would calm Wen Zhu down, then letting Jiang Xinxin suffer a little was fine; she would compensate her later tenfold anyway.

With that thought, Pei Xiubai offered a few casual words of comfort and then hung up Jiang Xinxin’s call.

Her most important task now was to appease Wen Zhu.

She waited with eager anticipation for Wen Zhu’s arrival, but time ticked by, minute by minute.

Ten minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour…

It was already a full half-hour past the 7 PM she had set. People around her had come and gone, and Wen Zhu still hadn’t appeared!

Her anticipation dashed, Pei Xiubai’s face gradually darkened.

She dialed Wen Zhu’s number, but there was no answer.

She called the office, and all she heard was a cold busy signal.

What on earth is Wen Zhu doing?!

Does she hate me that much willing to work overtime rather than keep our appointment?

Pei Xiubai’s expression became extremely grim. She turned and dialed Secretary Sun’s number.

“President Pei, is something the matter?” Secretary Sun answered almost immediately.

“Go back to the company now,” Pei Xiubai’s voice was like ice. “See if Wen Zhu is there. If she hasn’t left, bring her to the top of Tongcheng Tower!”

With that, she hung up the phone directly and tossed it onto the table.

She picked up the ice water in front of her and drank it in one go, just barely managing to suppress the anger in her heart.

Another half hour passed, and her phone rang again.

As soon as the call connected, Secretary Sun’s panicked and distorted voice came through the receiver, with loud background noise.

“President Pei! Something terrible has happened! I just arrived at the company and found Secretary Wen… Secretary Wen has collapsed on the office floor! I’ve already called an ambulance!”

“What?”

Pei Xiubai’s mind buzzed. All her anger was instantly extinguished as if drenched by a bucket of ice water, leaving only intense worry.

She abruptly stood up, her voice tight: “How is Wen Zhu? Which hospital did you call?! I’m coming right now!”

She grabbed her bag and suit jacket and rushed toward the elevator.

She had just gotten into her car in the garage and started the engine when her phone rang again.

Assuming it was Secretary Sun, she answered without looking.

“Hello?!” She answered and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat.

But the voice on the other end was unfamiliar and extremely anxious: “Is this Miss Pei? Something awful has happened! Please come quickly, Miss Jiang… she tried to kill herself!”

“Screech!”

With a deafening sound, the sports car that had just pulled out of the parking space halted abruptly, the tires scraping the ground with a sharp, piercing noise.

The million dollar luxury car hummed loudly in the basement garage.

Pei Xiubai suspected she had misheard and violently snatched the phone from the passenger seat: “What did you say?!”

On the other end, the crew member was startled by her tone, their voice trembling: “Miss Jiang… Miss Jiang attempted suicide! Just now, the director saw she hadn’t come out for a long time and asked us to look for her. The moment we opened the door, we found Miss Jiang had slit her wrists in the bathroom! There was so much blood, and she has already been sent to the hospital!”

Pei Xiubai gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white from the effort.

Why today of all days?

If Xinxin was also in trouble, then what about Wen Zhu?

The image of Jiang Xinxin’s red, teary eyes and the suppressed despair in her phone call flashed through her mind.

A human life was at stake!