After breakfast, Jiang Juyou lingered by Pei Zongzhi’s side, following him to the company.
"I have a very important meeting today, little one. You’ll have to amuse yourself in the office," Pei Zongzhi said.
Jiang Juyou nodded. "I’ll be good, I promise."
Pei Zongzhi gave her an extra look upon hearing this—a look of extreme distrust. It reminded Jiang Juyou of the time she had promised to keep him company in the office, only to vanish into thin air a moment later. That incident had left him worried sick for hours. At the time, Jiang Juyou had gone to the police station to find Shang Muye.
Shang Muye and Zhou Die had gotten into a fight and were taken to the station, where they required someone to stand surety for them. Having been raised in a protected, greenhouse environment, Jiang Juyou had panicked at the mention of the police station and a fight, rushing off without a second thought. She had caused her brother nothing but worry.
"Brother, I was wrong last time. From now on, I will never again for the sake of Shang Muye..." She trailed off. Facing the stoic, accustomed expression on Pei Zongzhi’s face, she had no choice but to swallow the rest of her words. She would prove it with her actions instead.
*Buzz, buzz.* Her phone vibrated.
Jiang Juyou pulled it from her bag. Pei Zongzhi had ordered a new wardrobe for her; she was currently wearing an outfit he had picked out himself: a simple, crisp, warm-yellow top paired with a vintage washed-blue denim skirt, finished with a red shoulder bag. As for Pei Zongzhi, he remained in his usual custom-tailored suit, with only the slightest variation from the previous day.
Jiang Juyou had always thought Pei Zongzhi was as stiff and formal as their parents, yet when it came to her clothes, he dressed her according to her own tastes, not his.
Lost in thought, she answered the call without checking the caller ID.
The cold, casual voice of Shang Muye came through. "What did you want when you called yesterday?"
Jiang Juyou’s body stiffened instantly. Her gaze met Pei Zongzhi’s for a fleeting second before she hung up the phone.
"I... I didn't see who it was. I won't ever answer his calls again," she stammered.
Even the driver in the front seat raised an eyebrow. Was she actually serious this time? In the past, no matter how angry Jiang Juyou was, she had never hung up on Shang Muye.
On the other end, Shang Muye stared at the disconnected line, stunned for a moment, though he didn't dwell on it.
"Well? She’s definitely coming, right?" Zhou Die asked with a laugh. "I told you, why bother calling? A text message would have been enough to get her here."
The two were planning to go racing, and Zhou Die had suggested bringing Jiang Juyou along. Since she had hung up on him yesterday and hadn't reached out since, he assumed she must be angry. After all, they had been friends since high school.
"She hung up on me," he said, his tone dismissive. He didn't seem to care.
"Hung up?" Zhou Die mused. "Probably because her brother was standing right there..."
Zhou Die glanced over. Beside her, Shang Muye lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around his cold, handsome face. The bruises on his jaw and around his eyes were still visible.
"Who even beat you up like that?"
"Can't find them. There were no cameras in that area."
"You should show your face to Jiang Juyou," Zhou Die teased. "If our little princess of Jing City sees you like this, she’ll hunt those people down for you in a heartbeat."
"Let's go." Shang Muye tapped his cigarette, ash falling away.
Zhou Die was taken aback. "Not going anymore?"
"It’s boring. No point." Shang Muye was a man who craved excitement. He had intended to go racing today, and bringing Jiang Juyou along would likely have drawn more attention. The title "Little Princess of the Jing Circle" was no exaggeration; mention her parents or her brother, and no one in Jing City dared to cross her. He didn't know why she had hung up, and he didn't really care, but he felt that if she wasn't coming, the whole thing would be rather dull.
...
At the office, Pei Zongzhi put on his "iceberg" mask—the one that terrified everyone, a stark contrast to his demeanor around Jiang Juyou. The employees watched as she trotted along behind him. Their President walked in front, his pace a bit faster than usual, looking somewhat displeased.
The two receptionists watched them step into the private elevator.
"Why is this little ancestor back again? Heavens," one whispered.
"Tell me about it. Last time she disappeared without a word, President Pei was so worried he nearly turned the whole company upside down. She's such a handful."
"But I hope she causes a scene again. Last time, the bonus was ten thousand per person—that’s a whole month's salary, you know!"
"Exactly! Let her make a scene! I’d be happy to let her turn the company upside down again!"
"Jiang Juyou, stay here and be good," Pei Zongzhi said.
"If you take my phone, what am I supposed to do? It's so boring!" She reached for her phone, reluctant to let it go.
Pei Zongzhi handed her his own. "Play with mine."
Jiang Juyou took it, opening her mouth to say something else, but then the door opened. A staff member pushed in a cart filled with all her favorite snacks. Before she had become obsessed with Shang Muye, she had spent all her time at Pei Zongzhi’s side; he kept her clothes here, along with all her favorite treats.
Pei Zongzhi left the office with her phone, followed by his three assistants and two secretaries. Jiang Juyou clicked her tongue, observing the formation—her brother really didn't like women, even his secretaries were all men.
She looked at his phone. "I don't even know the password..."
She tapped it a few times, and to her surprise, it was her birthday. Realizing there was nothing on his phone meant for entertainment, she started downloading a bunch of casual games.
Meanwhile, Pei Zongzhi sat in his meeting, staring blankly at the pale pink phone case in his hand. *She hung up on Shang Muye today... Was she being serious?*
Pei Zongzhi pursed his lips, trying to focus on the executive report, but his mind kept drifting back to that phone call.
After a while, his male secretary glanced at his own phone and leaned over to whisper, "The assistant in your office just sent me a message... Miss Jiang asked him to tell you she has something to take care of and needs to step out for a while."
Pei Zongzhi froze for a moment. Then, he let out a cold, sharp laugh, feeling as though he’d been plunged into an ice cellar. He had been foolish enough to actually believe her. The girl was lying to him again! Only this time, her tactics were much more sophisticated—she had even hung up on Shang Muye.
He gripped the pink phone case tightly. He lifted it and entered the password. The password had changed—it was no longer her birthday. With a cold expression, he tried Shang Muye's birthday.
It was correct.
"Heh."
He opened the messaging app. He was still on her blacklist.
He unblocked himself and sent a message: *Little sister, you said you had changed.*
Jiang Juyou stared at the message, her heart racing. She had forgotten one thing: the jade pendant her brother had given her was with Shang Muye, and she had to get it back. When he had given it to her, her brother had told her it was meant to keep her safe. The first time she had gone to watch Shang Muye race, she had been so worried about him that she had given it to him.
She couldn't tell her brother about this. He already didn't trust her; if she told him, he would only be angrier and trust her even less.
She gritted her teeth and typed back: *Brother, I'm sorry, but this really is the last time I will ever look for him.*
The other side remained silent, with no reply for a long time.