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

Every second of waiting felt incredibly long.

Shu Hua was in so much pain that her whole body felt cold, yet she was also sweating profusely, and her consciousness was becoming hazy. She thought groggily, if only he were here… He would hold her tightly in his arms, gently rub her stomach with his warm hands, soothe her softly, pour her hot water, and make her feel less uncomfortable…

As soon as Aunt Chen received the call, she immediately got up and came over from her room.

When she entered the room, she saw Shu Hua curled up on the bed, her face pale, her forehead burning hot, her whole body soaked in cold sweat, and she was in so much pain that she could barely speak.

Aunt Chen's heart skipped a beat. She immediately called the family doctor, then wrung out a hot towel to wipe the sweat off the girl, and then went to boil ginger and brown sugar water.

The family doctor arrived quickly and, after examination, confirmed that the fever was caused by acute dysmenorrhea. He gave Shuhua an IV drip to relieve pain and reduce fever, and prescribed some medication.

Aunt Chen brought over the prepared sugar water and fed it to Shu Hua. The medicine slowly took effect, and the pain finally eased somewhat, but she was still weak and dizzy.

Aunt Chen stood by, looking at Shu Hua's haggard appearance, and couldn't help but say, "Madam, shall I call the master? He needs to know about your condition."

Shu Hua shook her head groggily, her voice hoarse: "Don't hit him. He's so busy with work, don't bother him. I'll just take a nap."

As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears. She didn't want him to worry, didn't want to be a burden to him. As Mrs. Pei, she had to be sensible and understanding.

But... people are made of flesh and blood. In such a vulnerable and painful moment, she couldn't completely control the selfish desire in her heart to have someone by her side and to rely on someone.

She is human too; she also feels wronged and wants to be cherished and pampered by the person she loves.

Aunt Chen sighed as she watched Shu Hua pretend to be sensible despite her obvious discomfort, and didn't insist any further.

The night was exceptionally long. Shu Hua's fever hadn't completely subsided, and her lower abdomen was still aching. It wasn't until after four in the morning that her temperature finally came down, and she was finally able to fall asleep without feeling so uncomfortable.

The next day, Shu Hua slept until after 10 a.m.

The rain was still falling outside the window. She moved her body and felt that the pain in her lower abdomen had mostly subsided, but she still felt a little sore and weak all over, and her head was a little dizzy.

Her first instinct was to reach for her phone. She had been feeling terrible last night, and after getting an IV drip, she had slept soundly and hadn't had a chance to check her phone at all.

She unlocked the screen and, sure enough, there were several pinned unread message notifications. She quickly opened them.

Pei Yanzhou's message was sent at around 5 a.m., when she had just recovered from her fever and fallen asleep.

Pei Yanzhou: [Sorry, I just saw the message. I've been really busy these past few days and haven't been checking my phone often.]

Pei Yanzhou: [There have been some unexpected issues with the project that need to be addressed, which may cause a few more days of delay. If all goes well, I should be able to return to China next week.]

Pei Yanzhou: [You need to eat well, sleep well, and take good care of yourself. Don't worry about me. Okay?]

The last message, sent a few minutes later, consisted of only five simple words: "I miss you too."

The words "I miss you too" instantly blurred Shu Hua's vision as she stared at the screen.

The grievances I had been holding back, the helplessness of enduring pain and fear alone last night, the loneliness and longing of the past two weeks... all these emotions instantly broke down all my defenses at this moment.

Tears welled up without warning, rolling down in large drops and instantly soaking the pillowcase.

He saw it. He knew she was waiting for his message, he knew she was worried. He missed her too.

She knew she shouldn't cry. He was so busy, yet he still found time to reply to her messages and say he missed her. But the more he did that, the more intense the loneliness and longing that had been suppressed for so long surged within her. She gripped her phone, buried her face in the pillow, and wept silently, her shoulders trembling slightly.

After crying for a long time, she slowly calmed down, sniffed, and replied to the message with a single word: 【Okay.】

Less than ten seconds after sending the message, my phone suddenly vibrated—it was a video call from Pei Yanzhou.

Shu Hua was startled and hurriedly sat up. She tidied her messy hair in front of the phone, wiped away the tears on her face, took a few deep breaths, and tried to make her voice sound normal before answering the call.

The screen lit up, and Pei Yanzhou's face appeared on the other side. The background seemed to be a hotel room. He was wearing a white shirt with the top two buttons undone. His face showed obvious signs of fatigue, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes remained deep and focused when he saw her.

"Hua'er," he said, his voice coming through the receiver, a little hoarse than usual, but still familiar.

Just those two words were enough to make Shu Hua's tears, which she had barely managed to stop, start flowing again. Her nose tingled, and her eyes reddened. She quickly lowered her head, not wanting him to see.

"What?" she asked in a muffled voice, with a slightly nasal tone.

Pei Yanzhou immediately sensed something was wrong. He frowned slightly, leaned forward instinctively, and magnified the face on the screen: "What's wrong? Are you crying?"

When he asked her that, she sniffed and couldn't hold back any longer.

"Mmm..." she admitted, her voice thick with emotion and broken with grievance, "Pei Yanzhou, I... I miss you so much. Can you come back soon..."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Pei Yanzhou looked at the person on the screen with red eyes, a pale face, and slightly trembling lips. His heart felt like it was being tightly gripped, and a sour pain spread through him.

How he longed to fly back to her side immediately! But the matter here was too far-reaching, and the branch company's management had made serious mistakes. He had to stay and handle the situation; he couldn't leave for even a moment.

He was about to explain and comfort her when he heard Shu Hua say haltingly on the other end of the phone:

"I'm sorry, I know it was wrong of me to say that, I shouldn't have been so sentimental. You're so busy with work..."

She couldn't continue, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"But...but I just really miss you...I just want you to stay with me..."

"Just for a little while... that'll be enough..."

The grievance, dependence, caution, and suppressed sobs in that voice pierced straight into the softest part of Pei Yanzhou's heart.

Pei Yanzhou's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped his phone. He wished he could reach through the screen and hold her tightly in his arms.

"Hua'er, listen to me," he said patiently. "I promise you, I'll go back as soon as I've finished dealing with things here. At most, a week, I promise."

He paused, his gaze fixed on her: "Now, tell me, what exactly happened? Don't hide it from me."

Shu Hua sobbed for a moment before whispering, "It's nothing serious, just last night... I had a slight fever and a stomachache. I'm much better now..."

"Fever? Stomach ache?" Pei Yanzhou's brows furrowed even more. "Have you seen a doctor? What's your temperature now? Is it still in pain?"

"I saw it. Aunt Chen called the doctor, and I got an IV drip and some medicine. My fever is gone, and my stomach feels much better..." Shu Hua confessed honestly, not daring to hide anything under his piercing gaze.

Pei Yanzhou's face darkened. When he wasn't by her side, she was sick and in pain, but she could only endure it alone, and didn't even dare to tell him, for fear of disturbing his work.

This realization made his chest feel tight, and a surge of emotions mixed with heartache, self-blame, and helplessness welled up inside him.

"Hua'er." Pei Yanzhou's tone softened. Looking at her tear-streaked face, his heartache almost overflowed. "I'll have your mother come and take care of you these next few days. Tell your mother and Aunt Chen what you want to eat or do."

"If you're not feeling well, don't go to work. Stay home and rest, get better, and wait for me to come back. Got it?"

Shu Hua nodded: "Okay... I understand."

"And also," Pei Yanzhou looked at her intently and said, word by word, "Hua'er, you never need to apologize to me."