43: He was mine in life, and he is mine in death.

Liang Shuyin pursed her lips and remained silent.

Back then, she did do things that wronged him, but Pei Qing'an was working abroad most of the time, and she was living alone in Hong Kong, feeling very bored. It's not hard to understand why she would look for some entertainment when she was bored. It was just that she accidentally got pregnant with Pei Wang, making him a laughing stock in the industry, which enraged him.

Pei Qing'an wasn't like this when he was young. He was very obedient to her, and when she went out, he would coldly prepare hangover tea for her. Later, their relationship became increasingly difficult to reconcile, and Liang Shuyin admitted that she had brought it on herself to some extent. But he had already retaliated against her, and besides, so many years had passed, what was the point of bringing it up again?

She just felt annoyed.

Ultimately, she wasn't the kind of virtuous and gentle woman he knew; she had been like that ever since he first met her.

"If you're still not satisfied with me, we can get a divorce," Liang Shuyin sighed softly.

"Don't even think about it! You think you can go out and have fun after the divorce? You're mine in life and in death, you're mine forever. Don't even think about leaving my side." Pei Qing'an sneered, his eyes turning a terrifying crimson.

He would never let Liang Shuyin go; he would cling to her for the rest of his life, whether it was love, hate, or pain, until death do them part.

He heard her gasp, and vaguely recalled that year when he had narrowly escaped death in Thailand, opened the door full of anticipation, and saw those two pairs of panicked eyes. He dealt with the scoundrel on the spot, and when Liang Shuyin tried to leave, he locked her in the house, cutting her off from all contact with the outside world.

Liang Shuyin protested and struggled, but to no avail. Over the years, she had long since resigned herself to her fate, only hoping that her two children could grow up well.

She and this old pervert are probably going to torment each other until they grow old.

“Children have their own lives. They are not us, and you can’t impose your experiences on them. Just because we are unhappy doesn’t mean they can’t be happy. They’re grown up now, not puppets in your hands. It’s only right that they have their own thoughts.” Pei Qing’an listened to her words and remained silent.

Pei Yanxiu took Shang Zhi to the north. Although he didn't explicitly state the reason, she could vaguely sense that Hong Kong had been rather unstable lately, and he wanted to take her there to avoid the situation. Shang Zhi had never seen such heavy snow before. On the way from the airport to the hotel, in some places the snow was even above her knees.

The moment I got off the bus, I felt a bone-chilling cold.

Shang Zhi kept refreshing Tian Cui's messages the whole way, and only felt relieved after confirming them many times.

"Don't look anymore. Once the cave is repaired, the rest of the construction will continue smoothly. It's alright." He took off his coat and put it on her, then squeezed her fingers, which were red from the cold.

Pei Yanxiu received several phone calls along the way, one of which was from Pei Qing'an, who was yelling at him so loudly that Shang Zhi couldn't avoid listening. Shang Zhi was a little worried, but Pei Yanxiu told her that everything was fine.

It wasn't until the two of them returned to their room that Shang Zhi felt like she had come back to life; her limbs were no longer as stiff as before. He seemed to be lost in thought, looking at some message on his phone.

"Is Daddy unhappy?" Shang Zhi snuggled into his arms, wrapped in a blanket.

"It's okay, I can handle it."

“Uncle Pei, I heard from Mingyu that the construction of Tiancui will be completed in about three more months.”

"That's about right. There may be some minor adjustments later."

Three months. After three months, we will be completely free. Shang Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are you thinking about?" Pei Yanxiu took off his clothes and reached out to pinch her chin.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking that I've caused you a lot of trouble these past few days. Thank you, Uncle Pei."

"You're lying, that's not what you were thinking." Shang Zhi was slightly taken aback, blushing a little. She couldn't understand how he had seen through her.

She could never understand it.

"I've told you before, Xixi, be good and stop trying to lie to me." He pulled her into his arms, and she gently bit his shoulder.

He carried her to the bed and forcefully entered her. Shang Zhi felt his body was very warm, and his embrace dispelled the chill of the night, making her feel very comfortable.

His movements became increasingly rough, and her voice grew louder until Shang Zhi was completely exhausted and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep. When she woke up, Pei Yanxiu was in an international conference. The hotel was near a ski resort, so she texted him that she would go there first. She hadn't skied in a long time, but luckily the instructors at the resort were very professional and young; they were supposedly college students from a nearby sports school working part-time.

Young and handsome.

Pei Yanxiu finished his work and followed. He watched the two from a distance. The coach reached out to support her waist and correct her posture. When Xixi was about to fall, he would quickly grab her hand.

Her movements were so natural. He felt that she smiled sweeter with anyone else than with him.

Pei Yanxiu, fully equipped, walked to the two of them and said, "Coach, you've worked hard. I'll take care of the rest." His tone left no room for refusal, and Shang Zhi was first taken aback, then slightly angry.

But she only dared to throw a small snowball at his head in a fit of anger.

"What's wrong with you now, you old man!"

What did you call me?

Pei Yanxiu spoke with displeasure, and gently tapped her buttocks with his snow stick.

"I mean, it's just skiing, you don't need to worry about it." Knowing when to yield, Shang Zhi immediately changed her tune.

“I don’t like anyone touching you, you know that.” Pei Yanxiu stepped forward, and Shang Zhi thought he was simply unreasonable!

Shang Zhi wanted to say something, but she held back. Anyway, she still had three months left in her prison sentence. After three months, she could completely escape from his side. There was no need to upset him now.

"I understand, Uncle Pei, I'll do whatever you say." Shang Zhi herself felt like throwing up from hearing such obedient words.

But he believed her, and his gaze softened considerably when he looked at her.

-

【Ah Zhi, are you going back to school next semester?】 Back in her room, Shang Zhi saw the message Yu Qing had sent her.

Yes, I'll go back to class after the project ends.

After replying to the message, Shang Zhi went to the bathroom to take a shower, leaving her phone on the bed.

【Azhi, I'm waiting for you at school.】 Pei Yanxiu, who was sitting next to her, happened to see Yu Qing's reply and frowned as he opened it. After reading their conversation, Pei Yanxiu fell silent, his chest heaving violently.

"Uncle Pei?" Shang Zhi came out wearing a bath towel and leaned softly against his side. He wanted to laugh. He thought she had really settled down. It turned out that she was just pretending to be so obedient.

Once I've used myself up, I plan to run away.

She can never make herself at ease.

"Xixi, is there anything you want to tell me?" The scent emanating from her stirred his thoughts.

"No?"

Pei Yanxiu's chest heaved even more. He didn't mean to stop her from studying; he just disliked her attitude of keeping everything from him and refusing to tell him anything. He always wanted to find ways to isolate himself from her life.

He felt that he was going to be driven crazy by her sooner or later.

She should really have her wings clipped, so she won't have these crazy ideas.

"Uncle Pei, are you still having a meeting later? I'd like to use the computer." She needed to send a message to the professor in advance to apply for resuming her studies next semester.

"What are you going to do?" He guessed what she was going to do, but wanted to hear what excuse she would come up with, so he stared at her with great interest.

"I'd like to take some courses related to economics."

"What, you love studying so much?" He gently stroked her face, his eyes tender.

"Yes, being with you has inspired me, and I've really been studying a lot lately." Shang Zhi's eyes darted around, blinking constantly.

“Since you love learning so much, I’ll help you make a plan and guide you personally. Anyway, we don’t have much to do these days, so we can review things here. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the bookstore and buy some books; you definitely need to catch up on some knowledge.”

"There's a project review meeting tomorrow. You'll come with me, and remember to take good notes."

"No need, Uncle Pei, isn't this too much trouble for you?" Shang Zhi looked hesitant.

“No trouble at all. We are one team, and your progress will benefit both Ruikang and Wanjia.”

"Isn't that so?"

"Yes, but you're very busy with work. I can make my own plans, so let's forget it." Shang Zhi was a little annoyed. She should have come up with a different excuse today. Now she's gotten herself into trouble. If she falls into his hands, she won't have a good time.

"Uncle Pei, my mom said that Dad's health has improved a lot recently, and he should be able to go back to the company after the Tiancui project is finished."

"So I think you don't need to worry about me anymore. After Tiancui ends, Ruikang and Wanjia may not cooperate again."

Shang Zhi looked up, cautiously observing his reaction.