Qiao Chuchu said, "Second brother just gave it to me. He said it suits me."
Pei Yuan's face darkened. "Did he mention how much it cost?"
She scratched her head. "Over a hundred million, I’m not sure of the exact amount."
Pei Yuan’s expression instantly fell.
Someone called out during the video conference, "Mr. Pei? Mr. Pei?!"
Pei Yuan, his face grim, noticed the entire meeting room waiting for him to speak. He took a deep breath and adjusted his tone, saying to Qiao Chuchu, "Come over tonight. There’s a caretaker bed in my room; you can stay here."
Qiao Chuchu thought she misheard. "I should stay with you?"
Pei Yuan’s eyes darkened, and he coughed weakly. "You used to stay with me when I was sick before. Don’t you want to this time?"
He lowered his eyelashes, his tone tinged with loneliness. "I’ve been staying alone all this time."
Qiao Chuchu suddenly felt guilty. "Stop talking. I’ll stay with you."
She turned to leave. "Finish your meeting first. I’ll come back afterward."
Pei Yuan’s gaze lingered on Qiao Chuchu’s retreating figure. He unmuted himself, his voice now cold and sharp. "Continue."
With his other hand, he picked up his phone and sent a message to Pei Che: «I saw you making several calls the other day, asking someone to bring that ring from abroad. I thought you were giving it to someone special, but it turns out it was for Qiao Chuchu.»
Pei Che replied quickly: «Don’t be sarcastic. Pei Buxian is going crazy in front of me right now, almost smashing things.»
«Oh, really?» Pei Yuan sneered. «Then tell Pei Buxian to smash whatever he wants. I’ll cover the cost.»
Pei Che: «Since when did you become so jealous, big brother?»
Pei Yuan: «And since when did you start hiding things from me, second brother? We’ve never kept secrets when giving gifts to Qiao Chuchu before.»
Pei Che: «I wasn’t hiding. I gave it openly, so you all saw it, didn’t you?»
Pei Yuan: «?»
-
Qiao Chuchu finished calling her driver in the hallway and scratched her head.
She felt that since moving back, her relationship with her brothers had changed, becoming harder to understand.
She hoped she wasn’t just being overly sensitive.
Zhang Old Lady suddenly appeared out of nowhere, walking up to her. "Qiao Chuchu, aren’t you ashamed of passing off your brother as your husband?"
Qiao Chuchu was startled. "Why are you here?"
Zhang Old Lady sneered and pointed down the hallway. "My room is right there."
Qiao Chuchu glanced at the room and wasn’t surprised.
Her apartment was in a mid-to-high-end complex, and Zhang Old Lady lived upstairs, so she was obviously well-off too.
However, the Zhang family had a terrible reputation.
Her eldest son was a CEO with multiple mistresses, some even bold enough to show up at their doorstep while pregnant.
The wife was so furious she demanded a divorce, and they had a loud argument downstairs, with her pulling her husband’s hair and yelling.
Zhang Old Lady defended her son, saying that since he was rich, he could do as he pleased.
Qiao Chuchu had no goodwill toward the old lady or her family, so she responded coldly, "You’ve said your piece. Now you can leave."
But the old lady wasn’t ready to go. She snorted disdainfully. "Pretending your brother is your husband, putting on an act in front of an old lady like me. Does your mother know you’re so shameless?"
Qiao Chuchu’s face turned icy. "Say one more word about my mother."
The old lady looked her up and down mockingly. "I didn’t say anything about your mother. I’m saying you’re shameless, that you’re poorly raised, and that you dare to shout at your elders!"
Qiao Chuchu opened her mouth to retort!
But Pei Yuan, who had quietly stepped out of his room, suddenly grabbed her hand.
She looked at him, confused. "What?!"
Pei Yuan calmly asked Zhang Old Lady, "You look familiar. Are you the mother of Boss Zhang from Feiyang Group?"
Zhang Old Lady puffed up with pride, a smug smile on her lips. "You’ve got a sharp eye. Yes, Boss Zhang of Feiyang Group is my eldest son."
Qiao Chuchu was puzzled. "What? Is her son a business partner of ours?"
Pei Yuan smiled and held her hand. "No, he’s not worthy."
Qiao Chuchu: "?"
Zhang Old Lady: "?"
Pei Yuan looked at Zhang Old Lady. "Your son was in front of me just the other day, passionately presenting his new plan for an hour, hoping I’d fund him."
"I’ve looked into it. His company isn’t doing well, and he’s in desperate need of money to stay afloat."
Pei Yuan’s lips curled into a mocking smile. "I was still considering it, but maybe I should give him my answer now."
Zhang Old Lady’s mouth twitched, and she rolled her eyes in disbelief. "You’re lying. My son would never beg someone as young as you!"
"My surname is Pei," Pei Yuan said, his smile turning cold, an intimidating aura radiating from him. "In Lan City’s elite circles, only my brothers and I bear the surname Pei. If you haven’t heard of me, perhaps it’s because you’re not at the right level."
Zhang Old Lady froze, her brow furrowing with growing unease.
But she still didn’t know who the Pei family was.
She still thought… there was some exaggeration here.
Pei Yuan continued leisurely, "Your son is quite impressive. He drank himself to the point of stomach bleeding with my subordinates just to get a meeting with me and beg for investment. He even gifted me a collector’s-grade imperial jade. What a shame."
Zhang Old Lady choked. "What do you mean?"
Pei Yuan didn’t answer her. Instead, he pulled up a number on his phone. "This is your son’s number, right?"
Zhang Old Lady’s face paled, and she looked scared. "What are you going to do?!"
Pei Yuan smirked and dialed the number. "Boss Zhang, this is Pei Yuan. I’ve reconsidered your proposal, and I don’t think it’s viable."
The other end seemed to be frantically asking something.
Pei Yuan’s tone was calm but cutting. "Your mother insulted my sister, saying she was poorly raised and acting like she’s above her as an elder."
He narrowed his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "There are only a few families in Lan City who can claim to be elders to the Pei family. It seems your family is one I’ve never heard of, so I won’t be needing to fund you. I’ll be sure to share this good news with all my business partners. I look forward to the day your Zhang family surpasses the Pei family. That’s all."
Without waiting for a response, Pei Yuan hung up and gave Zhang Old Lady a polite smile.
Zhang Old Lady’s phone suddenly rang.
She looked dazed as she answered it, only to be met with a roar that echoed through the hallway: "Are you out of your mind?! How dare you offend the Pei family!!! You’ve ruined all my hard work!!! Are you trying to kill me?! I drank myself half to death just to get a meeting, and now it’s all gone because of you! Ruined!!!"
Zhang Old Lady’s face turned deathly pale as she trembled and looked at Pei Yuan.
Pei Yuan smiled, wrapped an arm around Qiao Chuchu’s shoulders, and said, "Let’s go, little sister. I’ll pick out a New Year’s gift for you."
Qiao Chuchu obediently followed him, her hands clasped over her heart, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
[Big brother is so cool!!!]
