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

Sometimes she really wanted to crack open this man's head and see what was inside.

Fortunately, Pei Yanzhou knew when to stop and started talking about serious matters.

"I've heard about the situation in the design department." His tone became serious. "I've already had someone handle things with Vice President Jiang. Inform Jiang Chu to complete his resignation procedures next week."

Qiao Na was taken aback: "President Pei, this..."

"The Pei Group is not a place for child's play," Pei Yanzhou said coldly. "The design department will begin renovations this afternoon. Empty Jiang Chu's office and restore it to its original state. What the department needs is collaborative creation, not special treatment and idlers."

"Okay, Mr. Pei, I'll arrange it when I get back this afternoon," Qiao Na replied immediately.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: Jiang Chu's little cubicle was doomed.

"Hmm," Pei Yanzhou nodded, picked up his cup of tea, took a sip, and then looked at Shu Hua, who was trying to keep a low profile, "Director Qiao can go back now."

"Shu Hua, stay behind and give me a detailed report on the latest progress of your group's 'Starry Night' series project. There are some details I need to confirm."

Jona became increasingly puzzled.

She always felt there was an ambiguous atmosphere between Shu Hua and President Pei... But both of them were married, and neither seemed like the type to mess around. Maybe she was just overthinking it?

"Yes, President Pei." Qiao Na stood up and nodded to Shu Hua.

The office door closed.

There were only two people left in the room, along with a "glutinous rice ball" that was sleeping in its nest.

Shu Hua immediately bristled, glaring at Pei Yanzhou angrily: "Pei Yanzhou, what exactly are you trying to do?! Do you know what you're doing...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Pei Yanzhou had already stood up, walked a few steps to her, bent down, and placed his hands on the armrests of the sofa on both sides, trapping her between the sofa and his chest.

He lowered his head and looked at her cheeks, which were slightly flushed with anger, and her bright eyes. The serious demeanor he had shown in front of Jona had vanished without a trace, leaving only an overwhelming tenderness and smile in his eyes.

"What do I want to do?" he repeated softly, his breath brushing against her cheek. "I miss my Mrs. Pei."

"By the way," he said, a light kiss landing on her brow, his voice tinged with danger, "ask someone, baby, who gave you permission to wear such a short skirt to work?"

Before he finished speaking, his hand was already on her thigh, giving it a light squeeze.

Shu Hua trembled slightly: "Where is this skirt short? It's knee-length, a normal style, okay? Pei Yanzhou, you're so old-fashioned!"

"Feudal?" Pei Yanzhou raised an eyebrow, but instead of withdrawing his hand, he took the opportunity to grasp her wrist as she slapped him, gently rubbing his thumb against the inside of her delicate wrist.

"Yeah, right," Shu Hua scolded him, "You're being so old-fashioned right now, aren't you? You have such outdated, old-fashioned thinking, you have absolutely no sense of aesthetics!"

Pei Yanzhou stepped back a little, sat down next to her, and reached out to pull her into his arms.

"Hua'er, I never interfere with your clothing choices," he said earnestly. "Because you are an independent individual, you have your own aesthetic sense and your own pursuits, which is normal, and I respect that."

Shu Hua was taken aback.

"But Hua'er," he looked down at her, his eyes gentle and honest, "please understand, I am your husband, I am also a man, and I also have my own selfish desires. I also have... less-than-'gentlemanly' possessiveness. If I see others looking at you with eyes I don't like, I will be unhappy and uncomfortable."

His voice softened further: "So, could you please, beautiful and generous painter, consider the selfishness of this 'old-fashioned,' 'stingy husband'? At least, don't be angry with me for it, okay?"

These words came from a man who was always assertive and decisive. There were no commands, no coercion, just a frank and honest expression of his feelings, a request for her understanding.

Shu Hua's heart softened upon hearing his words. A bittersweet feeling welled up inside her.

She suddenly felt... that Pei Yanzhou was so cute.

He was so cute that she couldn't help but want to laugh, tease him, and... kiss him.

She reached out and cupped his face in her hands, her eyes sparkling: "Pei Yanzhou, how can you be so cute?"

Pei Yanzhou clearly hadn't expected such a comment. In his thirty years of life, no one had ever used the word "cute" to describe him. He felt that this word was completely unrelated to him, even... a bit absurd.

He frowned slightly, trying to correct him: "Cute?" What does that word have to do with him?

"Yes, cute!" Shu Hua nodded vigorously. "I'm not angry with you. I can understand what you're thinking."

She added softly, with a hint of coquettishness, "But I'm just... a little bit unhappy."

"Because of me?" Pei Yanzhou asked.

"Mmm." Shu Hua nodded, her hands that had been cupping his face sliding down to his shoulder, her voice lowering, "We agreed to keep our marriage a secret... Of course, I don't mean I care about you or think you're not presentable! Absolutely not!" She quickly clarified, afraid he would misunderstand, "I just simply want to work quietly, rely on my own abilities, and do things I enjoy."

At this point, she sighed softly, somewhat distressed: "But it seems that things never go as planned."

Ever since she joined the company, she's become the center of attention. Some people envy her, some are jealous, and some find fault with her. She just wanted to go to work casually, kill some time, and experience the life of an ordinary office worker, but people and things kept coming her way.

Seeing her dejected appearance, Pei Yanzhou tenderly pulled her out of his arms and let her sit sideways on his lap.

"Hua'er," he looked into her eyes, "I want to change my mind."

Shu Hua looked up: "Hmm?"

"Before, I thought that keeping our relationship private was a way to protect you. I thought that you could have a relatively simple working environment at Pei's, unaffected by my identity, and that as long as you were within the company's boundaries, you wouldn't be harmed," Pei Yanzhou said.

"But the truth is, I misjudged the situation. I didn't think things through and failed to protect you, which instead put you in unnecessary trouble and even caused you harm."

He looked into her eyes, his voice tinged with emotion: "I'm sorry, Hua'er."

Shu Hua's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

She was always easily moved to tears in front of him, and she couldn't stand hearing such words.