Chapter 209: We Stop Here
The jewelry box was only the size of a palm and square in shape. Pei Lingxuan could roughly guess what was inside with just one glance.
She curled her lips, looked up at Zhou Limin with a half-smile, "Boss Zhou, it's time to change our relationship."
Zhou Liming placed his index finger on the jewelry box and slowly brought it to Pei Lingxuan.
"Open it and take a look. If what's inside is what you want, I will put it on you myself."
"Okay." Pei Lingxuan agreed readily, picked up the jewelry box and opened the lid.
“…”
Her guess was correct. The thing in the jewelry box was indeed a ring, a big, shiny diamond ring.
The ring is very beautiful. If it wasn’t given by Zhou Liming, she would probably like it very much.
What a pity.
"Xiaoxuan?" Pei Lingxuan saw the ring but did not react. Zhou Liming was a little nervous and could not help but call Pei Lingxuan.
"Hmm?" Pei Lingxuan responded softly but did not raise her eyes.
He leaned forward slightly, unconsciously approaching Pei Lingxuan: "How is it? Is this what you want?"
“……” Pei Lingxuan did not answer. She took the ring out of the jewelry box and held it up to the light to examine it carefully.
Although diamond rings do not maintain their value, they are the dream of many girls. Pei Lingxuan is no exception.
It is bright and shining, symbolizing purity and eternity. Since she was very young, Pei Lingxuan has always fantasized about receiving a diamond ring when she grows up.
Now, this fantasy has come true, but the person who gave the ring to her is not the one she expected.
"Hmph..." She curled the corners of her lips, uttered a light sneer, and put the ring back into the jewelry box.
"...What's wrong?" This action startled Zhou Liming's heart, and anxiety and fear almost instantly enveloped him.
"Xiaoxuan, don't you like it?" He asked nervously, suppressing his restless heartbeat.
But Pei Lingxuan did not answer and asked instead: "Mr. Zhou, how much is this ring?"
"...Why are you asking this?" Zhou Limin frowned in confusion.
Pei Lingxuan did not explain, but asked stubbornly: "The diamond on the ring is so big, it must be very expensive, right?"
Zhou Liming looked at her, unsure what she meant by asking this question. But looking at her unhappy expression, Zhou Limin could vaguely feel that she was not very happy.
"It's not very expensive." Zhou Limin pretended to be calm and said, "I bought this ring from a friend. After the discount, it cost less than 100,000 yuan."
"Less than 100,000..." Pei Lingxuan pondered this sentence carefully. After a moment, she suddenly smiled and said, "Boss Zhou is really generous. He can spend so much money on just a ring."
Zhou Limin: "Xiaoxuan, I can't buy this ring..."
"One hundred thousand!" Pei Lingxuan suddenly raised her voice and interrupted Zhou Limin. "Boss Zhou, do you know what one hundred thousand means to the Pei family, which just went bankrupt?"
"...Ah?" This question was asked without any context, and Zhou Liming had no idea how to answer it.
"Heh..." Pei Lingxuan sneered and didn't expect him to answer.
"One hundred thousand." Pei Lingxuan kept emphasizing this number. "When the Pei family first went bankrupt, my brother sold all the valuable things in the house and used the money to pay off debts and employees' salaries. After all that, he had less than ninety thousand yuan left in his pocket."
"And he has to use this 90,000 yuan to support his family, children, and studio, and to settle those old employees who have been with him for seven or eight years. He even has to take out some from time to time to pay off those scattered debts!"
"If my sister-in-law hadn't sold all her luxury goods in time and dragged her unborn child around to look for a job to earn money, my Pei family would have been starving under a bridge long ago!"
“…”
After these powerful words, Zhou Limin was completely stunned.
But he was stupid not because he was shocked, but because he completely didn't understand why Pei Lingxuan suddenly said this.
What does this have to do with him? The Pei family is bankrupt, isn't it normal for them to live in poverty?
"Xiao Xuan." He still kept smiling and patiently asked Pei Lingxuan, "Why did you suddenly bring up this? Is this related to our topic tonight?"
His voice was very soft, with a hint of confusion in his tone, as if he had completely forgotten how the Pei family had gone bankrupt.
All of Pei Lingxuan's emotions froze on her face, and the resentment and unwillingness she had just felt instantly turned into deep powerlessness.
"Mr. Zhou is really a forgetful person." She took out her cell phone from her bag, took out the photos of Zhou Liming and Lu Yibai's private meeting that she had taken during this period, and put them in front of Zhou Liming.
"It's no secret that Lu Yibai is plotting against the Pei family. Mr. Zhou, you are so close to Mr. Lu, don't tell me that you don't know the inside story of the Pei family's bankruptcy."
"..." Zhou Liming looked at the photos on the phone, and the smile on his face froze into frost bit by bit.
There were five photos in total, and each one was very clear. He could not argue that he had a close relationship with Lu Yibai.
Pei Lingxuan stared at his face and slowly took back the phone: "Mr. Zhou, let me make a bold guess. Were you also involved in the Pei family's bankruptcy?"
"I, I didn't!" Zhou Liming lied without any confidence. He placed his hands on the dining table, clenched his fingers together, and squeezed so hard that his arms trembled.
"Xiaoxuan, I didn't, I didn't participate!" He defended himself in vain.
Pei Lingxuan raised her eyelids slightly and looked at Zhou Limin with a look full of sarcasm: "Boss Zhou, you really don't have it?"
"I..." Zhou Liming choked and suddenly couldn't say the rest of the lie.
The facts were clear, and Pei Lingxuan didn't force him to admit it. To her, it no longer mattered whether he admitted it or not.
"Boss Zhou, our Pei family cannot coexist with Lu Yibai. We cannot coexist with you either."
"As an accomplice in the scheme against the Pei family, how dare you openly confess your love to me and ask me to be with you? What do you think of me, Pei Lingxuan?"
"Xiaoxuan..." Zhou Liming stammered, trying hard to save something, but Pei Lingxuan didn't give him a chance.
Pei Lingxuan pushed the chair away and stood up, glancing down at Zhou Limin: "Zhou Limin, the little bit of love you gave me is nothing in my eyes. Anyone who hurts my family is my enemy, Pei Lingxuan."
"This is the end of our relationship. When we meet again, you and I will be enemies who cannot tolerate each other!"
After saying this, Pei Lingxuan's long-suppressed heart was finally relieved.
She took the bag from the table, took out her cell phone, keys and some small items, then threw the bag at Zhou Liming.
"Take the things you bought! I don't want them!"
After saying that, he turned around gracefully.
"Xiao Xuan!" Zhou Limin kicked the chair away and rushed over from the other side of the dining table, grabbing Pei Lingxuan's hand, "Xiao Xuan, don't leave! Listen to me——"
“Let go!”
A cold male voice suddenly appeared, interrupting Zhou Liming's plea.
Before Zhou Liming could react, a strong hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.
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