"You said it was nothing, but even while drinking, Mr. Pei couldn't help but keep an eye on you."

Following Ni An's gaze, Ming Yao turned around and met Pei Zhao's burning gaze.

The moment their eyes met, she quickly looked away, her heart pounding in her chest.

Oh no, oh no.

Pei Zhao must still have her in mind!

"My stomach isn't feeling well, I need to go to the restroom." Mingyao didn't dare linger, and turned to leave without looking back.

Ni An watched her retreating figure, hesitant to speak, then pouted somewhat disappointedly, "Mr. Pei is probably more interested in me."

She rested her chin on her hand, looking at Pei Zhao, who was being besieged by his colleagues, with little interest.

"Mr. Pei, you've already drunk Xiao Li's wine, you can't not drink mine, can you?"

A heavily made-up female colleague offered him a glass of wine with a fawning expression. Pei Zhao smiled perfunctorily and accepted the glass, saying, "I'll drink it."

The female colleague who successfully toasted him was both surprised and delighted. She flaunted her figure with seductive eyes, hoping to get Pei Zhao's attention.

Little did she know that Pei Zhao didn't even glance at her; his eyes and thoughts were all on Ming Yao.

Where are they?

When he looked again, only Ni An greeted him with a radiant smile; Ming Yao was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing this, Pei Zhao lost his appetite for drinking and eagerly searched for that figure in the crowd.

I finally saw Mingyao at the entrance of the Sky Garden. She spoke with a waiter for a few words and then left.

"Where is she going?" Pei Zhao murmured, staring intently at Ming Yao's figure.

The female colleague said shyly, "Mr. Pei, I'm right here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Zhao pushed her and the people surrounding him aside expressionlessly, saying, "Excuse me, please make way." After saying that, he ignored his colleagues who were trying to curry favor with him, stared at Ming Yao's receding figure, and strode away.

Just as he was about to reach the entrance of the Sky Garden, a figure darted over.

Pei Zhao ignored him, but unexpectedly the person crashed straight into his chest.

"Yes, I'm sorry."

The woman's exclamation forced Pei Zhao to look away from Ming Yao's disappearing figure.

He frowned, his eyes blazing with barely concealed anger. "What are you doing?!"

The low growl was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly silencing the surrounding noise.

Countless gazes turned to Xia Kexing.

Meeting Pei Zhao's furious gaze, Xia Kexing's pupils contracted and her face turned pale instantly. "Mr. Pei, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

From the start of the dinner party, she had been looking for an opportunity to toast Pei Zhao, to thank him for his help during the job interview.

However, Pei Zhao was constantly being toasted by obsequious colleagues, so she could only remain still and wait for her chance.

Finally seeing Pei Zhao push aside his colleagues and walk away alone, Xia Kexing seized the opportunity, holding a wine glass and jogging along, ready to stop him and offer him a toast.

Unexpectedly, just as she ran up to him, Pei Zhao bumped into her as if she didn't exist, spilling the wine all over him.

Xia Kexing's breath hitched, her eyes reddened, and her clear black and white pupils welled up with tears. "President Pei, please don't be angry, I..."

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" Pei Zhao was furious.

It's all that blind woman's fault that he couldn't catch up with Mingyao!

"If 'sorry' was enough, why would we need to call the police? Besides, are you even worthy of this outfit?!"

The sky garden was completely silent; everyone held their breath and stared at Xia Kexing with varying expressions.

Their eyes held a mixture of schadenfreude, pity, and mockery, but mostly they were simply looking forward to a good show.

Xiao Pei is like a little emperor in the Haichang branch. Why do you have to do this to upset him? Isn't that just asking for trouble?

Xia Kexing clenched her fists, buried her head even lower, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into immediately.

"Mr. Pei, what can I do to make you stop being angry?" she asked, her voice trembling with tears in her eyes, her voice filled with grievance and sobs.

Pei Zhao stared in the direction Ming Yao had disappeared, his anger flaring up. "Can't you just disappear from my sight?!"

His words pierced Xia Kexing's heart like sharp blades.

Pei Zhao completely ignored Xia Kexing, not even giving her a second glance.

"Tsk tsk, serves him right!" a colleague mocked. "Did he really think he could get in by using Young Master Pei's connections and climb the corporate ladder?"

"It's the 21st century already, how come people still dream of Cinderella and Prince Charming?"

"She used to act all high and mighty, mocking Su Xueya as a vixen, but now she's trying to seduce CEO Pei herself. She's been slapped in the face!"

"To put it bluntly, her previous mockery of Su Xueya was just jealousy because Su Xueya was beautiful and had the ability to seduce men."

"Haha, wouldn't she be even angrier if she knew that President Pei was pursuing Su Xueya?"

"Sigh, I really envy Su Xueya. She's married and still managed to hook up with such a handsome man like CEO Pei. Why can't I have that kind of luck?"

"Aren't you all curious about who Su Xueya's husband is? He's so mysterious about it."

The colleague who was just enthusiastically mocking Xia Kexing completely forgot about Xia Kexing after talking about Su Xueya.

Their mocking words were like poisonous vines, tightly binding Xia Kexing, making her body cold and unable to breathe.

Xia Kexing's tearful eyes churned with hatred and resentment.

It's Mingyao again!

She clenched her teeth and fists, her eyes flashing with a fierce light.

Sooner or later, she will expose Mingyao's true colors and make her pay the price!

Xia Kexing took a deep breath, barely suppressing her burning anger.

Ever since she was reprimanded by Manager Zhang last time, she has learned to be patient.

"Su Xueya, I will deliver the fatal blow when you are at your most triumphant!"

Xia Kexing said through gritted teeth.

Mingyao, who was enjoying a quiet moment in a secluded corner of the fertile land, couldn't help but shiver. "Why is it so cold?"

She sighed, took out a lip gloss from her bag, dabbed it twice on her plump lips in front of the mirror, and then took out her phone to check the time. Fifteen minutes had passed.

Pei Zhao was probably too busy with his colleagues to pay attention to her.

Thinking of him, Mingyao couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

She thought Pei Zhao had forgotten about her, but she didn't expect him to stand up for her and shield her from drinking.

According to the timeline, Pei Zhao's destined girlfriend should have appeared by now, so why is there still no news?

Mingyao was lost in thought as she slowly walked down the quiet corridor.

"Don't touch me! Let go!"

Suddenly, a woman's angry voice came from around the corner.

The sudden sound startled Mingyao, causing her to slow her pace. Then, a man's playful voice rang out, "I'm truly sincere towards you, why are you so angry?"

Mingyao pouted and turned away, not intending to linger.

She is not interested in other people's privacy, and she dislikes meddling in other people's business.

"Song Heng, I'm not interested in you! If you keep bothering me, I won't be polite!"

The woman's angry voice rang out again, and Mingyao's steps froze on the spot.

Wait, why does that voice sound so familiar?

Turning around, she stared suspiciously at the corner where the argument had come from.

"Interests can be cultivated. You'll be captivated by my charm if you spend some time with me."

Song Heng said with absolute certainty.

The woman scoffed, as if she had heard a joke, and said sarcastically, "Young Master Song has such a big fishpond, where would he find the time to cultivate an interest in me?"