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

As the two were chatting and laughing, a strong scent of perfume wafted over.

Jiang Chu arrived late, wearing high heels; it was already 10:30 in the morning. Today, she was wearing a bright pink suit, carrying a new bag, and swayed gracefully through the public office area, exuding an inexplicable sense of superiority.

As she passed Shu Hua's workstation, she suddenly stopped.

Jiang Chu's gaze fell on Shu Hua's light blue Chanel-style dress—a limited edition piece from this season, not yet officially released in China. Jiang Chu had inquired at the boutique last weekend, and the sales assistant said there was only one in the entire city, and it had already been pre-ordered.

Her expression changed slightly.

She had noticed Shu Hua long ago. This colleague had impeccable taste in clothing and used expensive items, even better than her own. This subtle overshadowing aura made Jiang Chu very uncomfortable.

"Shu Hua?" Jiang Chu stopped and spoke first.

Shu Hua looked up: "What's up?"

Jiang Chu's gaze lingered on the diamond ring on her ring finger for a moment, then he feigned surprise and covered his mouth, asking, "You're married?"

Shu Hua didn't really want to talk to her, but out of basic politeness, she still hummed in response.

"You're married?" Jiang Chu feigned surprise. "You look younger than me, don't you? I'm twenty-five this year, you must be under twenty, right?"

"Twenty-three."

"So you got married so early?" Jiang Chu looked Shu Hua up and down. She changed the subject, her tone becoming inquisitive and slightly sarcastic. "Could it be... that you married some big shot? It's quite rare to see someone settle down so young."

The implication in those words couldn't be clearer.

Several colleagues nearby had already pricked up their ears and were secretly glancing over here.

Shu Hua leaned back in her chair. She was in a good mood today and didn't want to argue, but Jiang Chu's sarcastic tone was really making her uncomfortable.

"Miss Jiang is overthinking it," Shu Hua said calmly. "I don't need to be with any rich guy."

"Oh?" Jiang Chu raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over her clothes. "That outfit of yours must have been expensive."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Yao Zhiyao was about to speak when Shu Hua stopped him with a look.

Shu Hua slowly stood up, and the aura she had cultivated since childhood inadvertently revealed itself.

"First of all," Shu Hua said clearly, "my husband is indeed well-off, but I'm wealthy myself. So there's no question of me being a kept man."

"Secondly," she said, her gaze sweeping meaningfully over Jiang Chu's dress, and she chuckled, "Miss Jiang, this dress of yours... seems to be from last year's collection, right? This spring/summer's new collection doesn't seem to have this design."

The office fell silent instantly.

Jiang Chu's face flushed red instantly: "What do you mean?!"

"It wasn't anything," Shu Hua blinked innocently. "I was just saying it casually. What, Miss Jiang, are you offended?"

"Besides, I think I used it, but I wasn't sure, was I?"

Jiang Chu was so angry her chest heaved, but she couldn't utter a single word. She was indeed wearing last year's model, because she hadn't managed to snag this year's limited edition. She had intended to wear it to show off, but she hadn't expected to be exposed so readily.

Finally, she stomped her foot angrily, threw down the words "You wait!", turned around and rushed back to her cubicle, slamming the door shut with a "bang".

As soon as she closed the door, Yao Zhiyao immediately leaned over:

"Sister Hua, you're so cool!"

Shu Hua smiled but didn't say anything.

But a hint of coldness flashed across his eyes.

She is not someone to be trifled with. She doesn't cause trouble, but she's also not afraid of trouble.

As soon as she got off work, Shu Hua went straight home.

I got home just after six o'clock, and Aunt Chen was already busy in the kitchen.

"Aunt Chen," Shu Hua put down her bag and went into the kitchen, "I want to... learn to cook a dish."

Aunt Chen paused for a moment, then smiled broadly: "For the master?"

Shu Hua nodded, her ears turning red: "He's coming back tonight. I want to surprise him."

"Okay, okay!" Aunt Chen quickly wiped her hands. "What do you want to learn?"

"Something simple." Shu Hua looked at the dazzling array of ingredients, a little intimidated. "I haven't cooked much."

In the end, I chose scrambled eggs with tomatoes—it sounded the simplest.

However, in practice, it's not like that at all.

"Cut the tomatoes into small pieces so they release their juice more easily," Aunt Chen demonstrated, her knife skills deft and precise.

Shu Hua took the knife and carefully held the tomato down. With the first cut, tomato juice splattered out. With the second cut, the knife tip slipped.

"Hiss!" She pulled her hand back, and a small cut appeared on her left index finger, from which a bead of blood immediately oozed out.

Aunt Chen was startled: "Oh dear! Quick, a band-aid!"

After disinfecting and applying a bandage, Shu Hua looked at her wrapped fingers and felt a little frustrated.

"Madam, why don't I do it?" Aunt Chen said with concern.

"No need." Shu Hua shook her head, her eyes stubborn. "I'll try again."

So, after two failed attempts, the third plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes finally managed to be passable. Although it looked ordinary, it tasted alright.

Aunt Chen cooked all the other dishes. Shu Hua even decanted a bottle of red wine and prepared candles.

Just past 8:30, she became restless and couldn't resist picking up her phone to check.

It's already nine o'clock... My phone is still silent, and there's no familiar sound coming from the doorway.

Didn't they say it had already landed? Even if there was traffic congestion on the road, there should have been news by now, right?

She picked up her phone and sent a message: 【Why aren't you back yet? Is there traffic?】

No reply.

9:10.

She posted another message: 【Where are we? The food's getting cold.】

There has still been no reply.

9:20.

Shu Hua dialed the number directly.

"Hello, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

Hang up and dial again.

Still no one answered.

She stared at her phone screen, and the initial excitement in her heart slowly cooled down.

Finally, at 9:30, my phone vibrated.

Pei Yanzhou: [Sorry, there's an urgent matter at the company, I need to go back first.]

Shu Hua stared at the words, her finger hovering over the screen for a long time before finally typing: 【When will you finish? I'll wait for you to come back before we eat.】

Pei Yanzhou: [About an hour. Eat if you get hungry.]

Shu Hua: [It's okay, I'm not hungry right now, I'll wait for you a bit longer.]

Putting down her phone, the candlelight on the dining table suddenly seemed somewhat lonely. She got up, left the table, nestled into the sofa, and turned on the TV. Shu Hua stared at the screen, but didn't hear a single word.

The TV programs have changed.

Shu Hua unknowingly fell asleep on the sofa.

After an unknown amount of time, my phone beeped with a notification sound.

Shu Hua woke up almost instantly.

She eagerly clicked on it, but when she saw that short line of text, she felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of ice water.

Pei Yanzhou: [Sorry, Hua'er. I probably won't be able to come back tonight. You go to sleep first, don't wait for me.]

Just one line of text.

Shu Hua stared at it for a long time, so long that the screen automatically turned off.

She turned it on again and looked at it once more.

Then she slowly buried her face in her knees, and tears welled up without warning.

She wasn't usually a crybaby. Spoiled by her parents since childhood, she'd never experienced much hardship. But after being with Pei Yanzhou, she found herself crying more and more often.

I cry when I'm happy, I cry when I'm moved, and now... I cry when I'm wronged.

It seemed as if all my emotions were being swayed by him, fluctuating wildly, filled with anxiety and uncertainty.

She didn't like this feeling.

I don't want to at all...