76: My wife is still young, please be understanding.

Whether Shang Zhi was willing or not, she could only submit to Pei Yanxiu's tyranny and obediently do her homework at the company. She gave this project a rather romantic name, Victoria Harbour Dream, imagining that in their hands, most of Hong Kong would be revitalized and full of new life when night fell.

When Shang Zhi is truly immersed in her work, she is very serious. The design department gave her several versions of the plan, which intertwined light and shadow with the times, and in her imagination, it was very grand.

"I don't think it'll work." But when she showed Pei Yanxiu her very satisfactory plan, he raised objections.

"Why? Have you seen the last few renderings? Don't you think they look good? I think they're better than the lighting plans in many cities right now. The citizens will definitely love them."

"Your plan will probably only appeal to tourists; local residents will have a lot of complaints. Hehe, it looks nice, I think it looks nice too, but it's not enough just to look nice. Your plan doesn't even have basic zoning, and the brightness in the residential areas is so high. If you really do this, residents will definitely complain about light pollution later. Also, the layout of many old buildings is different from the current ones. When you actually implement it, you may not be able to achieve it due to problems such as building structure, pipeline layout, and power load. Have you considered these practical problems? The excessively bright lights will affect residents' rest, and the glare will affect the driving safety of drivers. Have you considered these things?"

"Is all you care about is whether it looks good? Is that all you can think of? Even if you can't consider it yourself, can't you consider it for your subordinates? How do you manage and coordinate? Do you think the whole city is Disneyland? Just being dreamy is enough?"

"I didn't think that far ahead. This is just a preliminary plan, and besides, it's my first time working on a project like this." Shang Zhi gently bit her lip, a silent protest. She felt he was being too harsh on her; she would gradually mature.

"So what? You want me to tell you, 'Baby, it's okay, it's your first time, you did great!' Do you want me to give you a little red flower? You did such a bad job and you still want to take credit?"

"I don't want to hear you making excuses for me. I don't care if this is your first time or if you don't understand at all, Mr. Shang, please show some professionalism and stop making such a fool of yourself."

Shang Zhi was stunned by Pei Yanxiu's scolding and almost burst into tears, but his sharp gaze forced her back. She knew he wouldn't comfort her now; if she cried, he would only scold her more harshly. She also knew he meant no harm. If her father hadn't fallen ill and was still in charge of the company, she could have faced this later.

Life didn't give her much time, so he couldn't give her much tenderness or praise. At this moment, it wouldn't do her any good. He believed in her; she would eventually overcome the thorns. She was definitely not a delicate flower to be bullied.

This time, Shang Zhi didn't get emotional. She silently remembered his words, went back and checked the relevant information again, and asked the departments below to redo the plan.

However, this immature plan somehow got out and was directly criticized by the media as a waste of taxpayers' money and an aesthetic disaster. Many people even followed suit and started criticizing it without even reading it.

Shang Zhi learned the news at a business dinner. Nosy media immediately surrounded her, and for a moment she wanted to hide. In her confusion, he walked over from a distance and gently put his arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry, my wife isn't feeling well today, so I'll answer this question for her. The current plan is just a preliminary idea, and there are indeed many immature aspects. We've listened to everyone's suggestions, so please wait a little longer. We will definitely deliver a satisfactory answer. I know many people say that our ideas are too unrealistic and impractical, but I also want to say that many possibilities are born from the impossible. Ideas should be a little unrealistic; they might bring unexpected good things."

"Human progress is born from these impossibilities, isn't it?"

Pei Yanxiu quickly eased the tense atmosphere. He had seen this kind of thing many times and didn't think it was a big deal. After the interview, he gave small gifts to the staff present and asked them to speak well of Shang Zhi. He also told them that if there was anything bad, they could write it on him.

“My wife is still young, and it’s normal for her to not think things through. Please don’t make things difficult for her. I’m afraid she’ll be upset if she sees bad news. I’m thick-skinned and can take the criticism. It’s okay.” Pei Yanxiu has put a lot of effort into his relationship with these media outlets over the years, so they naturally wouldn’t dare to do anything to him. Seeing how much he was protecting his wife, their reports on the matter turned positive.

His words resonated deeply with Shang Zhi. She hadn't expected him to say that today, especially since he had said the same thing before.

"When those reporters were interviewing me, I thought you would be truthful and tell me all my questions," Shang Zhi said softly when she got home.

“I’m being very realistic. You did a great job. I was just too demanding of you because I have a bad temper and a strange personality.” Pei Yanxiu pulled Shang Zhi’s hand and leaned her into his arms. Her hair was faintly illuminated by the moonlight. Shang Zhi felt like laughing when she heard his words, but also inexplicably sad.

Strangely, she didn't feel sad when he scolded her, but she started to feel sad when he praised her.

"Even if there is a problem, it is between you and me. We can resolve it behind closed doors. There is no need to make a fool of ourselves in front of outsiders."

Shang Zhi nestled into his arms, and his heart pounded rapidly.

"I suspect your uncle leaked this to the media. He also wants to seize resources, and since he can't do it openly, he has to resort to these underhanded methods. You need to be more careful with your work in the future and keep things confidential. Don't let this happen again."

"I understand. Is there anything else you wish to tell me, Mr. Pei?"

"There's one more thing."

"Please speak."

"Xixi, I'm here for you, don't worry. Remember, no matter what happens, we can handle it, okay?" Shang Zhi's nose tingled again. Growing up by his side was really tough, but he gave her a great sense of security, allowing her to do things without worry.

She was relaxed, and that relaxation came from her complete confidence. Although she was often trembling with fear in his presence, she was still relaxed. Shang Zhi knew how rare this was. Everyone in this world lived a tiring life, but with the confidence he gave her, she could live a little more easily.

He rigorously pushed her to grow, helping her to receive flowers and applause in front of others, never letting housework hold her back, and always reminding her of her responsibilities.

He didn't want her to grow into a so-called qualified wife, because that didn't mean much. He wanted her to grow into a qualified business leader, to participate in the competition. Shang Zhi understood the significance of all this. From a young age, she had seen many bright and beautiful girls who, after being given the role of wife, gradually retreated to the background, living in the world as an assistant, glamorous in public, but always at the mercy of their husbands in private.

In the end, she was blamed by her husband for not knowing anything and only knowing about household matters.

There are countless stories like this in their circle.

She knew that what he gave her was love; his discipline was love, his possessiveness was love, his reminders and criticisms were love—it was his unique love. Perhaps it wasn't the best love in the world, but it was the best love he could offer. She was never short of people who would say nice things, but he was the only one who would point out her problems without reservation and help her solve them.

She didn't like being a support, nor could she be. As the only daughter of a merchant, she had to shoulder her responsibilities, whether she wanted to grow or not. He liked watching her grow, liked watching her climb the ladder of success by stepping on his shoulders. As long as she could climb, he would support her until she went where she wanted to go.

"Uncle Pei, thank you. I know that without you, I would have no chance to get by in Ruikang."

"But I can't guarantee I won't make you angry in the future, so please bear with me if I do." Shang Zhi smiled and put her arm around his neck, her fingers gently tracing his abs. The atmosphere in the room became intimate. He loosened his tie, and she could clearly see his Adam's apple bob.

"It's okay, I'll forgive you, a thousand times." He smiled, took her wrist, and closed the door behind him. Moonlight streamed down, and their breaths began to overlap. At that moment, all they could hear was their lover's whisper.

"Be gentle."

"Beg me."