Sweet Temptation! The Beauty in President Pei's Palm is Too Alluring

"No...no..." Zhang Li finally found her voice, scrambling to Pei Yanzhou's feet and trying to grab his trouser leg. "President Pei, I'm sorry, I know I was wrong! Please don't hand me over to the police. I'll never do it again. I'll leave Rongcheng, I'll disappear, I promise I'll never appear in front of you and Mrs. Pei again."

Pei Yanzhou looked down at her, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.

He lifted his foot and gently kicked away her hand that was trying to cling to him.

"You want a next time?" He crouched down, looking directly at her tear-streaked face. "Do you think you have the right to talk about a next time?"

"No...no more! Never again!" Zhang Li shook her head desperately, looking utterly disheveled.

Pei Yanzhou chuckled lightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Instead of begging me, you should beg for more money in your own account, enough to barely support you in finding a decent lawyer."

Zhang Li's tears flowed uncontrollably: "President Pei, please... I really know I was wrong..."

"However," Pei Yanzhou stood up and slowly buttoned his suit jacket, "you probably won't have that chance anymore."

Zhang Li was completely desperate.

Hefty compensation, imprisonment… She knew all too well the reputation of Pei Group's legal department. It was a team that struck fear into the hearts of its rivals, undefeated. Moreover, no law firm or lawyer would be willing to go against Pei Group's elite legal team for someone like her, a nobody with no background and irrefutable evidence.

Pei Yanzhou stopped talking and turned to leave, leaving behind a cold final sentence: "You should have studied law back then. At least you could... preside over your own trial."

The door slammed shut.

Zhang Li collapsed to the ground, stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly scrambled to her feet like a madwoman and began stuffing things into her suitcase.

She has to run away! She must run! Go abroad, hide for a while, and come back when things calm down...

But just as she zipped up her suitcase, police sirens blared outside.

Zhang Li rushed to the window and looked down—two police cars were flashing red and blue lights, and several police officers were getting out of the cars and walking into the building.

Her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.

It’s over.

It's all over.

-

The following day, at Yushuiwan Villa.

Shu Hua woke up naturally, and it was almost ten o'clock when she opened her eyes.

She lingered in bed for a while before slowly getting up.

The wound on my forehead has scabbed over, and my dizziness has subsided. The doctor said that with two more days of rest, I should be fully recovered.

Today is Thursday, and tomorrow is the May Day holiday. Jona sent me a message last night, telling me to rest an extra day, combine it with the holiday, and fully recover before going back to work.

Shu Hua was happy to have some free time. Pei Yanzhou went to the company early in the morning.

She was really bored. After eating the breakfast prepared by Aunt Chen, she played with the new member—the Angora rabbit "Tangyuan" that looked like a snowball—for a while.

"Aunt Chen, shall I take Tangyuan out for a pet grooming? We'll be right back." Shu Hua hugged the rabbit, blinking her big eyes, looking adorable.

Aunt Chen couldn't stand her like that. Considering that her husband hadn't said she couldn't go out, she smiled and agreed, only instructing the driver to keep a close eye on her.

So, Shu Hua, carrying her Tangyuan, took a car to a high-end pet store. She gave Tangyuan a full grooming session and bought a bunch of cute little toys. Looking at the refreshed and fragrant Tangyuan, Shu Hua was in a great mood.

After finishing, she sent a message to Chi Yuchu, inviting her to dinner.

After dinner, they went shopping for a while. But Shu Hua didn't buy anything; she just strolled around for a bit and then decided to go home.

It turned out to be rush hour, and the main roads were completely jammed. Driver Lao Liu glanced at the navigation and suggested, "Young Madam, how about we take a detour? Go through the old town; it might be faster."

Shu Hua didn't care: "Okay, Uncle Liu, you drive it however you want."

The car turned into an old street. The road was not wide, and there were old residential buildings on both sides. Downstairs was a whole street of vegetable market, which was bustling at this time of day.

This was Shu Hua's first time in a place like this, and she peered curiously through the car window. The vegetables looked fresh and the fruits were vibrant in color, appearing even fresher than those in the supermarket.

"Uncle Liu, stop the car for a moment," Shu Hua suddenly said.

Old Liu pulled over, somewhat worried: "Young Madam, it's crowded and chaotic here..."

"It's nothing, I'll just go down and take a look." Shu Hua had already opened the car door. "Please find a place to park and wait for me, I'll be right back."

She got out of the car and walked into the bustling stalls.

As she walked to the corner at the end of the street, she saw a very inconspicuous little stall.

The stall owner was an elderly woman with gray hair, who looked to be over seventy years old. She sat on a small stool, with two bamboo baskets in front of her, filled with carrots. The carrots were washed very clean and neatly stacked.

But among the people coming and going, not a single one stopped to buy.

The old lady didn't call out to sell; she just sat quietly, occasionally glancing at passersby with expectant eyes, then lowering her head in disappointment.

Shu Hua's heart softened, and she went over.

She squatted down, picked up a carrot, and examined it. It was very clean, without a speck of dirt. "Grandma, how much is this carrot?"

The old woman looked up and saw a beautiful young woman, as pretty as a painting, squatting in front of her stall. Her eyes lit up, and she wiped her hands on her clothes somewhat awkwardly. "Young lady, these radishes are five yuan a pound. I grew them myself, and they're very sweet."

Shu Hua had no idea about vegetable prices. Just as she was about to nod and say "okay," an older woman carrying a shopping basket passing by overheard her and couldn't help but interject, "Oh, young lady, don't be fooled! These carrots aren't worth five yuan a pound! The good ones in the supermarket are only two or three yuan. This old lady is overcharging!"

The light in the old woman's eyes dimmed again, her lips moved, but she didn't speak.

The fruit vendor, unable to bear it any longer, said to Shu Hua, "Young lady, this old lady's vegetables are a bit expensive, but she has no choice. Her grandson has leukemia, and they can't even afford the surgery fees. Her son and daughter-in-law are working in another city, saying they're busy, but they don't really take care of her, and they can't send money back. It's just the two of them, the old lady and her grandfather, taking turns caring for her. The grandfather stays at the hospital during the day, and the old lady comes out to sell vegetables to raise money."

The old woman wiped her eyes, her voice choked with emotion: "Young lady, please don't blame me for the high price of my vegetables... I have no choice. Xingxing is only six years old, and his grandfather and I raised him since he was little... The doctor said the surgery will cost 200,000 yuan, where are we, an old couple, going to get that much money..."

Shu Hua's heart clenched instantly.

Looking at the old man's wrinkled face and his eyes, which were full of sorrow yet still clear, she felt a lump in her throat.

She took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to the old woman: "Grandma, please don't cry. How much more money do we need for Xingxing's surgery?"

"170,000..." The old woman wiped away her tears, "We borrowed from relatives and friends, but we only managed to scrape together less than 30,000. Xingxing can't survive without this money... He's only six years old..."

Shu Hua took out her phone, pointed it directly at the slightly yellowed transfer QR code, and without hesitation, entered the amount to transfer.

"Grandma," Shu Hua showed the old lady her phone screen, "I transferred 500,000 yuan to you. Please take good care of Xingxing with Grandpa."

The old woman stared wide-eyed at the long string of numbers on the screen, her voice trembling: "Five, five hundred thousand? Young lady, this...this is too much...we still need seventeen thousand more for the surgery..."

"Keep the rest," Shu Hua said, holding her hand. "You'll need money for follow-up treatment and living expenses. Here's what I'll do: add me on WeChat. If you have any questions later, you can contact me, and I'll help you get in touch with the best doctors in Huacheng."

Tears streamed down the old woman's face. She suddenly knelt on the ground, about to kowtow to Shu Hua: "Girl, thank you! Thank you so much! You are Xingxing's savior..."

Shu Hua was startled and quickly helped her up: "Grandma, please don't do this! It was just a small thing. I'm happy to be able to save Xingxing."

"I don't have a cell phone..." the old woman cried, "Only his grandfather does... Young lady, this money is already more than enough. I'll have his grandfather return the remaining 300,000 to you..."

"No need to return it," Shu Hua insisted. "You should keep it. It's for Xingxing's medical treatment, and he'll need it for school later."

The fruit vendor was also moved to tears, her eyes red as she said, "Grandma, please keep it. Xingxing has met a benefactor; this is his good fortune."

The old lady finally accepted it, holding Shu Hua's hand and repeatedly saying thank you. Then she picked up the bag, intending to put all the carrots into Shu Hua's bag.

"Girl, these are all for you...please don't find them offensive..."

"Grandma, I don't need that many," Shu Hua quickly stopped her, "You can keep them to sell tomorrow."

"No, that won't do," the old lady insisted on filling a large bag, then took out two things wrapped in corn husks from the basket. "These are corn cakes I made myself; Xingxing loves them the most. Girl, please don't mind..."

Shu Hua took it, opened the leaf, and inside were two golden corn cakes, still warm.

She took a bite; it was sweet, chewy, and had the fresh aroma of corn.

"I don't mind, it's especially delicious."

Grandma packed two more for her, saying she wanted to take them home for her family to try.

Before leaving, Shu Hua gave her grandmother a few more instructions, telling her to pack up her stall and go home to rest early before getting into the car.

-

Pei Yanzhou returned at six o'clock in the evening.

He didn't work overtime as usual today. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Shu Hua squatting on the living room floor, feeding the rabbits.

There was also a large bag of carrots on the ground.

Pei Yanzhou walked over and glanced at the furry little thing—it was holding a carrot with its two front paws, its little mouth moving as it nibbled on it, its pink nose twitching.

The more I look at it, the more I feel that this rabbit looks remarkably like Shu Hua.

The way she ate, her focused gaze, and her adorable, innocent look.

He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"You're back?" Shu Hua looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Want me to feed you? Tangyuan is very well-behaved."

Pei Yanzhou, unusually, did not refuse. He knelt down on one knee and took the carrot from Shu Hua's hand.

Tangyuan leaned closer, sniffed the carrot in his hand, and then continued gnawing. Her little teeth gnawed quickly, making soft "crunching" sounds.

"How was it?" Shu Hua asked, resting her chin on her hand. "Wasn't it quite interesting?"

"Hmm," Pei Yanzhou responded, scratching the rabbit's chin with his finger.

Tangyuan squinted comfortably, its ears drooping down.

After feeding the rabbits for a while, Aunt Chen finished preparing their meal. After the two finished eating, Pei Yanzhou, unusually, didn't go to his study to work, but instead stayed in the living room with Shu Hua to watch TV.

I watched the first half, but the variety show was really boring—a few celebrities were awkwardly chatting and laughing, and the script felt too obvious. After watching for half an hour, Pei Yanzhou picked up a financial magazine next to him and started flipping through it.

Shu Hua sat on the carpet, playing with Tangyuan in her arms. The rabbit was very well-behaved in her arms, not moving at all, letting her stroke its soft fur.

After watching the variety show for a while, Shuhua also found it boring, so she put Tangyuan back in its little house and picked up her phone to browse her WeChat Moments.

The May Day holiday is approaching, and social media is already buzzing with activity. People are posting pictures of plane tickets, hotel bookings, and travel guides. Everyone's getting ready to go on vacation.

Shu Hua has been feeling a bit bored staying at home and in the hospital these past few days. She also wants to take advantage of the holiday to go out and clear her head.

I just don't know how Pei Yanzhou has arranged things.

She put down her phone, moved over to Pei Yanzhou's side, and then lay down on his knees.

"Pei Yanzhou," she looked up, blinking her eyes, "how about we go out for fun during the May Day holiday?"

Pei Yanzhou looked up from the magazine, his brows furrowing slightly: "No, you've just recovered."

"No," Shu Hua started shaking his legs, "It's so boring at home, I'm practically turning into a mushroom. Let's go out and play for a while, even just for a day."

Pei Yanzhou looked at her without saying a word.

Seeing that he wouldn't budge, Shu Hua continued to plead sweetly, "Please? Pei Yanzhou~"