57: Let me stay by your side, as a favor you owe me.

Pei Yanxiu had lived on his own since he was very young. Pei Qing'an's oppressive presence made him feel uncomfortable living under the same roof as him. After dinner, he made an excuse to take Shang Zhi out for some fresh air and pushed her wheelchair to the park.

He only felt relieved when he breathed in the outside air.

"I never thought our CEO Pei could be so cowardly," Shang Zhi teased, looking at Pei Yanxiu's helpless expression.

"I used to hate some of his actions, but I gradually realized that I had grown into his image without even realizing it. Xixi, you're right. I always control you under the guise of doing what's best for you. I want to change, but I'm powerless to do so. Sometimes I don't even know if what I'm doing is right or wrong."

Shang Zhi felt a pang of sadness.

Sometimes she felt that she shouldn't criticize him. She knew that he was always thinking of her, but she just couldn't stand it. She wasn't a puppet; how could she be obedient all the time?

Perhaps this is an unsolvable problem between the two of them.

“Back when we first got together, you especially liked to drag me to the park and stay there for an entire afternoon, watching the passersby and admiring the flowers. You had a really good appetite back then, and you would always ask me to buy a ton of snacks to take with you. I was always worried that you would overeat, but you would always say that you weren’t full.” Pei Yanxiu sat down next to a park bench and carefully parked Shang Zhi’s wheelchair.

"Back then, I felt that time was very long, and a vacation could last a long time. Unlike now, time seems to pass in the blink of an eye."

"You're only twenty, but you talk like you're forty or fifty," Pei Yanxiu said, smiling at her.

"Uncle Pei, do you know how important you are to me? Really important. I think if I hadn't met you, my life and everything about me would be very different. I am so grateful to you."

“I know you didn’t ask Wan Jia to help Ruikang to make money. If you wanted to make money, you wouldn’t have bothered with this. You’re just doing this to help me, I know.”

“I have received a lot of guidance from you since I was a child, including this Tiancui project. Many times I just couldn’t have done it without you. I know I owe you so much.”

“I will give you whatever you want, and I will give you as much as I can. I can return the money and the house you gave me. Go back. Wan Jia needs you. Look how worried your father is. You can’t just abandon everything for my sake.”

"Are you done talking?"

"Um."

“I won’t go back, Sisi, at least not until your foot injury heals.”

"Consider it a debt you owe me. Let me stay and be by your side. That way, we can wipe the slate clean of everything we've been through, okay?"

Shang Zhi felt an inexplicable urge to cry. There was clearly love between them, but they just couldn't love each other properly. What went wrong?

“But if you stay here, Dad will be unhappy.”

"It's okay, he'll get used to it. People always have to learn to grow."

Shang Zhi used to not understand why two people who clearly loved each other couldn't be together. After experiencing some things in the past two years, she slowly came to understand that managing a relationship is harder than being in love, and loving each other in a way that both people can accept is even more difficult.

"Xixi?" Shang Zhi turned around and saw Yu Qing calling her. He looked at Pei Yanxiu with some excitement when he saw her.

"Why is Xixi like this? What did you do to her?"

"What right do you have to question me?" Pei Yanxiu was also unhappy about being criticized like this, and he was full of resentment and had nowhere to vent it when Yu Qing happened to walk in.

"You did something bad to her, and anyone can question you about it!"

"What did I do to her? Do you have any evidence? If you don't have any evidence, don't make baseless accusations here. This is a society governed by law. I can sue you for defamation."

Shang Zhi was anxious to separate the two, but the situation was completely out of control. Yu Qing couldn't listen to what Pei Yanxiu was saying and punched him.

However, he was no match for Pei Yanxiu and was defeated after several rounds of fighting.

"Stop fighting! Can't you all talk things out?"

Neither of them responded. Pei Yanxiu simply laid Yu Qing down on the ground and pushed Shang Zhi's wheelchair away.

He completely ignored Shang Zhi's protests.

"Don't go! You can't just beat someone up and leave like that!"

"You should at least check if he's alright!"

"He won't die." Pei Yanxiu said irritably on the way back.

It was clearly Yu Qing who started it; he was overestimating himself and provoking them. Since he dared to provoke them, he should be able to bear the consequences.

What does "can't die" mean?

"He's not going to die, he's not going to die. I only hit him a few times, and he didn't even bleed. What could possibly happen to him?"

Shang Zhi was speechless. She picked up her phone to call Yu Qing, but before she could find Yu Qing's number, Pei Yanxiu took the phone away.

What exactly do you want?

"The doctor said you need to rest well and not worry about these things. I'm doing this for your own good." He stood beside her, and when she looked up at him, he seemed even taller than usual. He had a smile on his lips, but his eyes held an unquestionable gaze.

She knew he wouldn't change; he would always be the same old jerk.

"Why don't you just buy a cage and lock me up, with my hands and feet locked, so I can stay by your side every day?"

"Good idea, if you'd like."

"You're a madman!"

When they got home, he pushed her back into the bedroom and asked her if she wanted him to run a bath for her. Shang Zhi was still angry and told him to get out.

Pei Yanxiu's tone was cold and hard as he held her legs firmly with both hands. He didn't understand what she was angry about. Even if he were an animal, let alone a person, he would still get angry if he saw a woman invading his territory. This was perfectly normal.

“Let me remind you, we are still husband and wife, and I am your man, aren’t I? Why are you siding with outsiders? If you don’t know how to talk to your husband, I can teach you.”

His hand moved down her shoulder, his eyes burning with desire that threatened to engulf her.

His fingers traced circles around her weakest point, and Shang Zhi kept her lips tightly pressed together until his kiss pried them open.

“We are one, aren’t we? If you’ve forgotten, I can help you feel it again.” His warm breath tickled her ear, sending a shiver down Shang Zhi’s spine.

He carried her to the bed with practiced gentleness. They knew each other very well; he knew how to make her happy and how to make her unable to resist.

Stop, just as we're about to reach the clouds.

"Kiss me." He turned to look at her, a hint of pleading in his eyes.

She kissed his wrist, a heavy kiss that almost broke his skin. He wouldn't let her have an easy time, so she wouldn't let him have an easy time either.

He watched her movements, watched her leave marks on him, and he liked it very much.

It doesn't matter if it hurts.

Afterwards, he carried her into the bathtub, and as his body slowly immersed itself in the water, her hands involuntarily gripped him.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly through the misty air, but Shang Zhi did not respond.

"What's wrong?" He wasn't about to let her off the hook. He lifted her chin with his index finger and repeated the question from before.

He liked this feeling.

And so, she found herself forced to depend on him.