Chapter 18 "Help me draft a divorce agreement..."
Hearing his voice, Luo Yunqing felt a sense of relief and breathed a sigh of relief.
What? It's right here.
But—"Why is your voice so soft? Are you feeling unwell?"
Two sharp breaths, clear enough to penetrate the phone, reached my ears.
He felt as if he had been waiting for a long time, or as if it had been a momentary lapse of attention, when he heard a "No".
Nothing different from usual.
"You, you're not lying to me, you're not feeling well, you absolutely have to go see a doctor."
"Yes, I know."
After a few seconds of silence, Luo Yunqing still felt something was wrong. "Chen Zhao just mentioned you last night. What happened last night?"
“Last night…” Pei Yanli glanced at the person by the bedside who was hanging his head and not speaking, and smiled with all his might, “I stayed up a little late last night, and I just fell asleep from exhaustion.”
"No wonder Chen Zhao was so hesitant and stammering."
I guess I wasn't originally planning to tell myself.
"You can't stay up late, it's bad for your health," Luo Yunqing said, her dark circles still visible under her eyes, her tone unconvincing.
Pei Yanli hummed in agreement again, then changed the subject, asking, "Is there something wrong at this hour?"
Luo Yunqing held her face, tilted her head and blinked twice.
I just told him not to stay up late, but he's almost cross-eyed from staying up so late himself. It's really unacceptable.
“It’s nothing serious, it’s just…” Remembering Yang Ying’s words, Luo Yunqing murmured softly, “It’s because we’re getting married soon, and I’m nervous, so I wanted to call you for a bit… If you’re sleepy, you can go back to sleep, I won’t bother you.”
Pei Yanli hung up after two shouts.
He leaned back heavily, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his neck.
Chen Zhao looked over, about to speak.
Pei Yanli: "Telling him about this will only make him worry, so don't tell him."
Put down the phone and ask again, "What happened?"
His health isn't great, but he's not so bad that he'd collapse from a gust of wind.
Chen Zhao sighed, "The old man sent people to investigate overnight and found that it was reed fluff that had blown into the house. The respiratory specialists said that if this kind of crop is inhaled into the lungs, it can easily trigger coughs and asthma. In severe cases, it can cause inflammation, worsen the condition, and even... endanger life."
He was lucky to survive this time, and he was also able to immediately summon so many authoritative experts; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
That window.
Chen Zhao hurriedly said, "Boss, I remember that window was clearly..."
"Didn't you shut it off?"
Chen Zhao was taken aback, then nodded repeatedly, "Yes! I turned it off."
“The southwest wind was only level 4 last night.” Pei Yanli took the towel he had been holding and wiped the sweat from her neck. “It’s not an easy thing to blow the window open.”
more than.
Chen Zhao poured him another glass of warm water and said, "There are also reed fluffs that have blown into the room. Yesterday during the day, I clearly told the greenhouse not to send any more flowers or plants recently."
The yard is also cleaned every half day.
"Who brought them there?" The Pei family only had so many people; Chen Zhao didn't even need to think twice. "It was the eldest son's branch, the eldest master!"
Pei Yanli took two sips of water to moisten her throat, closed her eyes, and said, "Don't make things up without evidence."
"But it's obviously them, there's no one else but them!" Chen Zhao became angrier the more he thought about it.
Not content with causing that car accident, they've pulled this stunt now.
"I'll tell the old man right away."
"Don't rush," Pei Yanli called out, "Let's see how Uncle Zhang's investigation is going."
…………
Each courtyard of the old house has at least two surveillance cameras installed near the entrance.
The security department spent a long time checking the surveillance footage frame by frame, and finally found that around 11:30 pm last night, a shadowy figure sneaked into the Second Master's yard.
Wearing a black T-shirt and walking very carefully along the bushes, she was not easily noticed unless you looked closely.
The butler immediately summoned all the servants and had them compare the blurry images one by one.
We identified approximately five similar characteristics.
"Are you going to step forward yourselves, or do I have to drag you out myself?" Butler Zhang's sharp gaze swept over everyone.
Everyone looked at each other, completely bewildered.
Nothing was moved.
"Nobody here, right?" He held up the image and swung it at them twice. "Then I'll notify the tech department to fix the image in this surveillance footage. Once it's fixed, we'll hand it over to the police!"
As soon as he finished speaking, one of the boys turned noticeably pale.
Butler Zhang immediately focused on the person, "Xu Qi, why are you trembling? Is that you in the surveillance footage? What are you doing in Second Master's courtyard in the middle of the night!"
Just then, Chen Zhao returned from the hospital to check on the situation. "Uncle Zhang, how is it?"
Butler Zhang pointed.
"This one?" Chen Zhao had a deep impression of it. "Isn't this the gardener who carried reeds yesterday?"
He stormed up to the person and demanded, "Why did you do this?!"
"Why?" Now that she'd been discovered, Xu Qi had nothing to fear. She stared up at him with a sinister look. "My dad's still lying unconscious in the hospital. Why is he perfectly fine?"
Chen Zhao: "Your dad?"
“This is Old Xu’s child.” Butler Zhang then explained, “He’s the driver who picked up Second Master from the airport when he returned to China. Didn’t they get into a car accident together?”
"What does that have to do with the boss? The boss is a victim too!" Chen Zhao's chest heaved with anger as he grabbed Xu Qi by the collar. "Are you out of your mind?! Instead of looking for the other party to take responsibility, you're looking for the boss?"
At only 170cm tall, Xu Qi was like a little chick in his hands. He lifted him up, his cheeks flushed red from lack of oxygen. "If my dad hadn't gone to pick him up, that wouldn't have happened!"
"You hold a grudge against the boss because of this?" Chen Zhao sneered, shoving the person aside. "You were the only one who did this? No one else did it?"
Xu Qi was pushed to the ground by a strong force. He subconsciously glanced to the left and looked towards the door. Chen Zhao followed his gaze and saw the First Madam coming over with Pei Hengzhi.
She really is the first wife!
"There is no one else, only me."
Chen Zhao slowly turned around, frowning. "What did you say!"
Xu Qi met his fiery gaze defiantly, her neck stiff: "I said it's just me. Go ahead and send me to the police station, whatever. Anyway, if my dad doesn't have a good time, then Master Pei won't have a good time either!"
“Your father was employed by the Pei family, and the relationship between them was one of employment.” Butler Zhang took two steps closer and lowered his eyes. “If a car accident occurred during the period of employment and was not caused by the Pei family, it is considered a work-related injury. According to regulations, the Pei family has already provided corresponding compensation. Second Master even subsidized you with an additional two million after covering all medical expenses, and he also made an exception to allow you, who couldn’t find a job, to come to the Pei family.”
He paused, then his voice suddenly rose: "And you! Not only did you blame this on Second Master, but you also plotted to harm him! Now, the Pei family is officially dismissing you. Send you to the police station!"
…………
“I’m absolutely certain that he glanced at Pei Hengzhi, and he definitely had a hand in this!” Chen Zhao brought the results back to the hospital, looking utterly defeated. “But that kid went to the police station and insisted that he did it himself.”
What kind of bewitching potion did Pei Hengzhi give him?
After taking her blood pressure, Pei Yanli lowered her rolled-up sleeves, remained silent for a long time, and then turned to ask Tang Yajun, "Can I be discharged now?"
"Sure, sure." Tang Yajun handed over a mask. "You still need to be careful about protection in the fall."
"Thank you." Pei Yanli took the mask and put it on, then said to Chen Zhao, "Let's go to the company."
Inside the vice president's office.
Upon seeing him arrive, Pei Wenxian paused for a moment, then smiled and strode closer, "Why are you here at this hour? How are you feeling? Are you alright?"
"Much better." Pei Yanli turned her head to the side. "Chen Zhao, you can go out now."
When only the two people remained in the room, the atmosphere became noticeably tense.
Pei Wenxian chuckled twice, his tone indifferent: "You... can't drink coffee, how about warm water?"
Pei Yanli looked at him and nodded.
He drank one cup of water after another, still showing no intention of speaking. Pei Wenxian couldn't sit still any longer and asked, "Second brother, what brings you here today?"
“I was only five years old when my mother passed away.” Pei Yanli lowered her eyes and slowly stroked the edge of the paper cup. “I remember during that time, I had nightmares every night, and my older brother would brave the wind and rain to come to my room to comfort me.”
Pei Wenxian sat down on the sofa opposite him and chuckled softly.
Then someone said, "My older brother used to love me very much. Even after Xiao Heng came along, he still treated me the same way, even better than he treated Xiao Heng... When did he change?"
Pei Yanli put down her cup, interlaced her fingertips together and rested them on her lap. "Was it because I finished high school textbooks in elementary school, or because I went abroad for more than ten years and won numerous awards, or... did my father intend to hand over the Pei family business to me to manage?"
Did Pei Hengzhi really know nothing about all this?
Or was it already tacitly agreed upon?
The hand resting on the sofa twitched slightly.
Pei Wenxian did not answer any of them, but only asked, "Did you come here today just to say this?"
Pei Yanli: "Does my older brother particularly dislike me now?"
I hate him so much that I wish he would just disappear.
After the voices faded away, the room returned to silence.
Receiving no answer, Pei Yanli turned her wheelchair to leave. Just as she turned around, a very faint "hmm" came from behind.
…………
Wow! The grand prize!
"I heard it can be used to earn two academic credits."
"Such a happy thing..."
"Are you thinking of going to celebrate again?"
With only two classes in the afternoon, Luo Yunqing took a nap for more than three hours. When she woke up, she felt refreshed and her dark circles had faded considerably.
Stepping into the drama club's activity room, I saw everyone excitedly discussing where to celebrate, looking at the trophies in the display case against the wall.
"Hey junior, you're here!" Yang Ying pushed through the crowd and ran over in a few steps. "We've been discussing how to celebrate, we're going to rent a villa for a party and barbecue!"
“Okay.” Luo Yunqing had no objections.
"But you're not a big drinker," Yang Ying said worriedly, but after less than two seconds, she added, "That's okay, you can just drink a soft drink."
Luo Yunqing nodded and looked around. "Where's Senior Xia Lin? Is she...is she going?"
"Oh, her?" Yang Ying opened her chat with Xia Lin, covering her mouth and giggling, "She's in her dorm working on her thesis proposal."
Popeye: I got beaten back again (sob sob sob)
Popeye: You guys go ahead, but remember to pack some leftovers and barbecue scraps for me, just so I can pretend I went (crying).
After replying to the message, Yang Ying went to count the number of people and casually added, "Pei Hengzhi isn't going either, saying his injury hasn't healed yet."
Luo Yunqing: "That's wonderful."
Yang Ying paused on her phone, glanced left and right, and whispered, "You hate him too, don't you?"
Luo Yunqing raised an eyebrow in surprise: "You too?"
Yang Ying nodded emphatically twice, complaining furiously: "One minute they say the character I gave him is bad, the next minute they say he has too many lines. They make me revise each drama more than ten times, and then... they tell me the first version is the best!"
If it weren't for the fact that he was a rich young master, Yang Ying would have been so angry that she would have slapped the script in his face.
Luo Yunqing listened patiently as she finished vomiting, and commented, "That's true, it's really infuriating."
"Right, right?" Yang Ying thought darkly, "You're getting married in a couple of days and becoming his second aunt. You should teach him a lesson and show him what wickedness and evil are."
"good."
Luo Yunqing smiled and agreed without saying a word.
Once everyone else had finished packing, we set off together.
Some people went to the supermarket to buy ingredients, while those who knew how to cook went to the villa to set it up.
Luo Yunqing was picking through the fresh produce with three or four other people when her phone suddenly rang.
Upon closer inspection, it was Pei Yanli!
He smiled and accepted it.
"Junior, how about we buy some more shrimp? This little bit will probably be devoured in no time... Are you on the phone? Oh, okay."
You Jianan pulled the plastic bag and walked away in two steps.
"Xiao Luo, who was that just now?"
“A senior from the drama club, who is also my current roommate.” The loudspeakers in the fresh produce section were constantly announcing price reductions, which hurt people’s ears. Luo Yunqing quickly left the area before saying, “The performance at the party won an award! And it was the grand prize. After receiving the award today, everyone said to celebrate by renting a villa and having a party. So, a few other classmates and I went to the supermarket to buy groceries.”
"Um."
"The club president didn't come today, she's busy with her thesis. Pei Hengzhi didn't come either, it's so good that he didn't come." Luo Yunqing chuckled, "Nobody in the club likes him."
"Xiao Luo."
"Um?"
There was a brief silence on the phone.
"It's nothing, have fun, just drink less."
"No, I won't drink it today." Luo Yunqing shook her head. "I'll drink juice."
"Okay, that's settled then."
Pei Yanli put down her phone and looked up out the window.
Until Chen Zhao came in.
He said, "All the reed fluff and fluffy flowers in the greenhouse have been removed. The old man has also increased security around the yard, with shifts every two hours. In addition, he has agreed that you can move out after the wedding."
“Even if we move out…” Pei Yanli gave a self-deprecating laugh: “Between brothers… there really is no solution.”
"You still have the boss's wife!" Chen Zhao hurriedly took two more steps forward. "From now on, the boss's wife will be your closest person."
Pei Yanli: "You're right."
It's good to think that way.
Chen Zhao let out a long, deep breath.
The boss looked really off just now, even worse than after the car accident. Luckily, luckily we have the boss's wife now.
Fortunately, I didn't say "I like you" out loud.
A smile slowly crept across Chen Zhao's face as he stared incredulously at the person's back.
"boss?"
"He now has friends, classmates, things he likes to do, and everything is going in a positive direction. He is no longer the helpless boy he was at the birthday party."
"Boss, what are you saying?"
Pei Yanli thought about it for a long time. Now that he had basically broken ties with his elder brother, how long could he hold on with this body?
It's better not to drag him down.
"Help me draft a divorce agreement."
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