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

The next morning, Shu Hua woke up very early, or rather, she hardly slept at all.

She sat in front of the dressing table, looked at her haggard reflection in the mirror, and forced a smile.

Never mind, I don't want to wear makeup today.

She picked out a simple outfit from the walk-in closet, casually tied her hair into a low ponytail, grabbed her bag, and prepared to leave.

She planned to take Tangyuan to get a treatment, and also go out for a walk herself, which would be better than staying in this empty house that still held the lingering sense of loss from last night.

I had just stepped out of the walk-in closet when I looked up and froze.

Pei Yanzhou was standing in the bedroom. He had clearly not slept all night, and there was obvious weariness in his eyes.

The two locked eyes.

Shu Hua's heart ached bitterly. But then, the grievances and disappointments that had accumulated last night surged up instantly. She looked away, pretending not to see him, and walked straight past him.

"Hua'er." Pei Yanzhou reached out and grasped her wrist.

His palms were warm and familiar.

"Where to?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

Shu Hua struggled for a moment, but couldn't break free. She could only turn to the side, her face cold: "It's none of your business."

"Are you angry?" Pei Yanzhou turned to face her, looking down at her. "I'm sorry, I apologize. There really was an emergency last night..."

"You don't need to explain," Shu Hua interrupted him, her voice flat. "I understand. Work is important, and it's an unexpected situation, I understand."

Pei Yanzhou frowned slightly: "Then why are you still angry?"

"I don't know." Shu Hua turned her face away, not wanting to see the weariness and apology in his eyes that softened her heart. "Anyway, I don't want to talk to you right now. Let go of me, I'm leaving."

"I send you."

"No." She refused decisively. "I can go by myself. You should rest. Haven't you been resting well all this time?" Her words sounded like concern, but the coldness in her tone was obvious.

Pei Yanzhou looked at her, who was clearly sulking but trying to appear calm, and felt as if something was stuck in his heart.

He is always decisive and direct in his actions, never dragging things out when solving problems, and he treats relationships the same way.

We must not let the problem escalate.

"Hua'er." He released her hand but stood in front of her. "If you have any problems, if you have any complaints or dislikes about me, you can just say it. We'll settle it face to face."

He lowered his voice: "I don't want there to be any misunderstandings between us, and I especially don't like you keeping it all bottled up inside."

Shu Hua looked up at him. The bloodshot eyes and serious expression in his eyes were like a thorn, making her feel even more uncomfortable. Her pent-up emotions found an outlet; she took a deep breath and simply spoke:

"Okay, then I'll tell you."

"Um."

"I don't like how I feel right now." Her eyes welled up with tears again. "I feel like I've started to become insecure lately. I've gotten used to depending on you. I seem to be becoming more and more clingy, less and less like myself."

"But all I want is for you to spend more time with me, to talk to me. It's not an unreasonable request, is it?" She sniffed. "But you're always busy, every single time! Every time I need you, you're not there. I don't like this, I don't like it at all!"

Pei Yanzhou's Adam's apple bobbed, as if she wanted to say something, but she continued speaking instead.

"Last night too..." Tears finally fell, but she didn't wipe them away, just staring at him. "We clearly agreed to come back and have dinner together. I waited for you for so long, and you just dismissed me with a single text message..."

She became increasingly aggrieved as she spoke: "Pei Yanzhou, you big bad guy. I never want to like you again..."

That last, childish, defiant remark, mingled with her rolling tears, struck Pei Yanzhou's heart. His heart ached, ached, and tightened.

He reached out to hug her, but his phone rang at that moment.

Pei Yanzhou frowned and ignored him.

But the ringing persisted, over and over again.

He had no choice but to pick it up and glance at the screen.

"Excuse me," he said, hanging up the phone and looking at Shu Hua. "I need to take this call, it'll be quick."

Shu Hua looked at him, tears streaming down her face.

"It's always like this," she said, choking back tears. "Pei Yanzhou, don't you even have time to say a word to me?"

She wiped away her tears and walked past him, saying, "Never mind, you answer the phone first. I need to take Tangyuan to get a treatment."

After saying that, he opened the door and left without looking back.

Pei Yanzhou stood still, raised his hand and pressed hard on his brow.

Exhausted, helpless, and a little... powerless.

The phone rang again. He took a deep breath and answered, "Speak."

……

Chi Yuchu stayed up all night filming last night and had just woken up. With messy hair and sleepy eyes, she opened the door and was startled by Shu Hua standing there.

"Hua Bao?" Chi Yu Chu instantly snapped out of her daze. Seeing Shu Hua's red and swollen eyes, her heart leaped into her throat. "What happened? What's wrong? Come in quickly!"

She pulled Shu Hua into the house and closed the door.

As soon as Shu Hua entered the room, tears welled up again. She hugged Tangyuan and cried out, "Chu Chu..."

Chi Yuchu quickly pulled her to sit on the sofa, poured her a glass of warm water, and took the glutinous rice balls from her and placed them aside. She put her arm around Shu Hua's shoulder: "Don't cry, don't cry, talk slowly, I'm here."

After Shu Hua finished speaking haltingly, Chi Yu Chu sighed and took out a tissue to wipe her tears.

"I understand, Bao," Chi Yuchu said. "You're too deeply involved right now, becoming more and more dependent on him. What you need is companionship, care, and the security of being cherished. But right now, he clearly can't provide that."

She looked at Shu Hua's red, tear-filled eyes and said, "But when it comes to matters of the heart, it's really not appropriate for outsiders to interfere. Especially in your situation, he is Pei Yanzhou, the president of Pei's Group. His status dictates that a large part of his time doesn't belong to himself, or even to his family."

"I know..." Shu Hua nodded, choking back tears. "I understand all these principles. I've told myself countless times to be understanding, to be considerate, to be a good Mrs. Pei... But Chu Chu, here..." She pointed to her chest, "it still hurts here, I still feel wronged. I can't control it."

"This shows you really love him, silly girl." Chi Yuchu ruffled her hair. "You only care when you love someone, and you only feel sad when he ignores you. That's normal, it's not you being dramatic."

"What should I do now?" Shu Hua looked at her blankly. "I don't want to argue with him, but I can't pretend nothing happened either."

Chi Yuchu thought for a moment and said seriously, "Once he's done with this busy period, you two should sit down and have a good, serious talk. Tell him clearly how you truly feel and what your needs are. Also, listen to his difficulties and thoughts. Being together isn't just about being understanding and sensible; it also requires compromise and finding a way of getting along that you can both accept."

"If he really cares about you, he'll find a way to adjust, even if it's just a little bit. If he feels your demands are a burden..." Chi Yuchu didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

Shu Hua remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding, "Mm."

Chi Yuchu hugged her tighter, her voice becoming lighter: "Alright, don't think so much. If men won't keep you company, your sisters will! Today, I'll take you out to have fun, eat delicious food, buy pretty things, and spend all your unhappiness! I'll stay with you as long as I want!"

Shu Hua finally stopped crying and started laughing.

She suddenly remembered something: "By the way, how are things between you and Ding Lun?"

When Ding Lun was mentioned, Chi Yuchu's expression stiffened.

"That's fine." She looked away.

Shu Hua held her hand: "Chu Chu, if you really like him, take the initiative. Ding Lun... if he didn't have feelings for you, he wouldn't have touched you at all."

Chi Yuchu was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly: "I know. But I'm afraid... it's because of a sense of responsibility."

The two leaned against the sofa, one troubled by love, the other shedding tears for love.