Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“What did you say?! The project was snatched away last time because of Pei Ge?!”
Pei Shishi’s family of three sat in the huge living room with varying expressions.
“Yes. Pei Ge is the reason why the project was snatched from our Pei family.” There was none of the usual gentle look on Pei Shishi’s face for it was exceptionally black today.
“That’s impossible! Do you think I don’t understand how much Pei Ge is worth? How can such a useless piece of trash have the ability to do that?” Liu Yan disagreed with her daughter.
“That’s right, daughter. Maybe, you got it wrong.” Pei Zhenghui also did not believe her. “Shishi, Ge Ge doesn’t have such ability. Also, even if Ge Ge, that child, is truly capable of it, she will never treat our family like that. We are, after all, her blood relatives.”
Pei Shishi glanced at her parents and lightly sighed. “Dad, Mom, you guys don’t know… Ge Ge, she…”
“Hm?” Liu Yan and Pei Zhenghui looked at their daughter questioningly.
“… She has changed. She is no longer the Pei Ge we know.” A sorrowful expression flashed past her face and her eyes turned watery, looking as if someone had bullied her.
Waves of anxiety rose inside Liu Yan, who had always doted on her daughter. “What’s wrong, Shishi? Did your cousin bully you?”
“No.” She shook her head lightly.
“It must be! You child have always protected that stupid lass since young! Tell mom honestly; did she find trouble with you again because of Zhuoyang?!” She sat beside her daughter and asked this with a look of distress and displeasure.
“Mom, don’t mention Zhuoyang to me right now. I – I really want to cancel my engagement with him at the moment!” Pei Shishi aggrievedly bit down on her lip.
How could Liu Yan and Pei Zhenghui remain calm at this?
“You child, what nonsense are you spouting?! Zhuoyang is such a good child! Without even bringing up his family background, that child truly treats you extremely well. He will definitely be a good husband after marriage.”
“That’s right, Shishi. It’s normal for couples to have small squabbles; you should not mention breaking up easily.”
Compared to Liu Yan, who truly thought for Pei Shishi’s sake, Pei Zhenghui placed a higher priority on the benefits that they could have.
The Pei family and Zhou family are currently working on so many projects together, and it was about time to start reaping the benefits from those projects. If the two families were to split up, the losses would be something both families would be unable to bear.
“He treats me well? I think he only has eyes for Pei Ge today!” Pei Shishi, who had been faking it all along, raged for real at the reminder of what had happened earlier.
She was unable to earn Ji Ziming’s love, so she went for the next best option, which was Pei Ge’s then-boyfriend, Zhou Zhuoyang.
However, that high and mighty man she would forever be unable to grasp was now Pei Ge’s boyfriend!
Furthermore, the man she had snatched and was merely a second option to her actually still longed for Pei Ge.
A ball of fire would blaze in her heart every time she thought of this. Jealousy was about to burn away all of her rationality.
“Haven’t I told you two time and time again that that stupid lass shouldn’t be taken lightly?! Look at how she’s clinging to our Zhuoyang now that she knows he is rich! She’s so shameless!” Liu Yan did not listen to the rest of Pei Shishi’s explanation before starting to badmouth Pei Ge.
One really could not tell that Pei Ge was her blood-related niece from the way she badmouthed her.
“Dear, Ge Ge shouldn’t be that bad.” Pei Zhenghui frowned at the way his wife badmouthed his late brother’s only daughter.
Noticing that her husband was still standing up for Pei Ge, Liu Yan immediately flared up at him, “What do you mean by ‘not that bad’?! Do you think that mother-daughter pair is good?! Hur hur! In those years when your brother was rich, he did not even think of letting you go for the ride! Now, after you became rich, this pair of mother and daughter is sticking on us like leeches!”
Pei Zhenghui did not expect his wife to include him in her scolding and was totally stunned.
With a cold harrumph, Liu Yan continued, “When your brother died, you were silly enough to help him pay for his debts and even supported those two useless mother and daughter! Look at what is happening now; that damn lass actually dares to bully our beloved daughter! If you still help that mother-daughter pair this time, you’d better watch out for what I will do to you!”
“Dear, what are you talking about?” He felt displeasure at the way his wife acted like a shrew.
He was now the CEO of a big company, so he really disliked his wife acting like a superficial and crude shrew.
Pei Shishi, who was sitting at the side and acting pitiful, was also frightened by her mother’s behavior.
She did not expect her mother to hold this much grudge against Pei Ge’s family.
“Mom, it’s fine. Ge Ge didn’t bully me. Don’t be like this.” She suddenly felt tired inside. None of her pitiful acts ever worked when it came to her mom.
“You, child, have always been sensible since young. Alright, I know that you find mom frustrating, but who am I doing this for?” Liu Yan obviously noticed that her husband and daughter were unhappy with her and instantly felt wronged.
Pursing her lips, she looked at her mother while feeling stifled inside.
She did not understand why her mother never improved even after all these years. She was clearly the CEO’s wife right now, yet she still did not have a trace of elegance in her. One would really feel ashamed to be in her company outside.
She could not even compare to Pei Ge’s mother, Zhang Manhua. Sometimes, she even felt that it would have been better if her mother was not Liu Yan.
“Mom, I know you’re doing this for me, so don’t be sad,” she gently soothed her mother.
Liu Yan was a person who was easily placated, so her anguish quickly dissipated under her daughter’s reassuring words.
“It’s great that you know. Next time, you definitely have to protect yourself against Pei Ge, that damn lass. That stupid lass is really ambitious! Otherwise, she wouldn’t resign from our Pei family’s company.” Liu Yan pouted.
Pei Shishi smiled and nodded but did not comment.
“Mom, I want to eat the dessert you make! Make me a bowl, please!” She decided to change the topic by acting cutesy to her mother.
“Sure, sure, sure! Mom will go cook it for you now!”
Pei Shishi sighed in relief at her departure.
It was finally time for the main dish.
“Dad, what I said moments ago are all true.”
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Dad, what I said moments ago are all true.”
The father and daughter were the only ones left in the spacious living room, which had significantly quieted down with Liu Yan’s departure.
Pei Zhenghui put down the teacup in his hand. Although he saw his daughter’s solemn expression, he still did not wholly believe her.
After all, the project that they had failed to get last time was not easily accessible to just any people. If it were not for their relationship with the Zhou family, their Pei family would also not have the chance to fight for the project.
Thus, how would Pei Ge, a lady with little to no presence, managed to get into contact with such a huge project and even mess it up for them?
“Dad, I know you that don’t believe me, but I am really telling the truth.” Seeing her father’s doubtful look, she sighed helplessly.
If she did not meet Pei Ge today, she herself would not believe her words.
However, today, she did not only meet Pei Ge but also that high and mighty man.
She did not link Pei Ge at first with the loss of that huge project last time.
When she saw Ji Ziming princess-carry Pei Ge out of the banquet hall, as though she were a precious treasure, she had an epiphany and finally put two and two together. She was able to link the project that they had thought they had in the bag but ultimately lost to her cousin.
After deliberately asking around about it, she could hardly believe her ears. It was not coincidental that their Pei family had lost the project. Instead, someone had made it that way on purpose.
That someone was Ji Ziming.
“Dad, do you know which company snatched away that project from us?” She stared earnestly at her father.
“Which company? Of course, I know!” Pei Zhenghui was instantly agitated by her question and snorted disdainfully. “It is that Chenguang Real Estate that our Pei Family Real Estate used to always reign over in the past!”
“That’s right. It is indeed Chenguang Real Estate.” She nodded her head. She did not participate in the project bid, so she did not know the particulars in as much detail as her father.
“Then, do you know where Pei Ge is currently working at?” Although she seemed to say this indifferently, her fists still tightened at the mention of her cousin’s name.
“Ge Ge? This… I really can’t recall. She seems to be… working as a small assistant at a real estate company.” Pei Zhenghui thought for a while but still could not remember where Pei Ge’s current job was.
His niece clearly told them more than once where she was working at, but he could not seem to take note of it.
Pei Shishi was not surprised that her father could not recall this detail about her cousin. While he seemed to dote on her cousin on the surface, the truth was actually the total opposite.
If she had to name the person whom she was most similar to, then she would say with a hundred-percent certainty that it was her father.
“Pei Ge is now working at Chenguang Real Estate.” Pei Shishi picked up a teacup from the side table and took a sip, slowly revealing the news to her father.
Pei Zhenghui did not pay much heed to this, however. “What does it matter if that lass is working at Chenguang Real Estate? She is just a mere small assistant.”
“Then, what if… I tell you that she is now the girlfriend of Chenguang Real Estate’s CEO?” She sneered and said this in a tone filled with mocking.
Never in her wildest imagination did she consider the possibility that the woman whom she had looked down on her entire life would actually be able to grab Ji Ziming!
Pak! The moment she finished speaking, the cup in her father’s hand immediately slipped down and clamored against the side table.
The cup was fortunately sturdy and only made a clattering noise without breaking on the table.
“This! How is that possible?! How is it possible for Ge Ge, that lass, to be Young Master Ji’s girlfriend?! Who is Ji Ziming? How can he possibly take a fancy to your cousin?” Pei Zhenghui could not believe his ears. He was aware that Chenguang Real Estate had been acquired, and that it was the prince of the Ji Group, Ji Ziming, who had made the acquisition.
Ji Ziming’s identity and position was way higher than his soon-to-be son-in-law. He was a true blue blood from a powerful and influential family, so how would he even have eyes for the plain Pei Ge?
“Yes… Who is Ji Ziming and who is Pei Ge? How could he fall for her…” Pei Shishi’s eyes lost their focus as she muttered this.
“Shishi, are you sure you didn’t get it wrong? How can it be Ge Ge?” He still did not want to believe it and shook his head in denial, frowning at his daughter.
“No, I didn’t make a mistake. It’s really the truth. Ji Ziming admitted it himself in today’s banquet. This news will probably spread in every circle in the high society by tomorrow.” Regaining her senses, she reluctant said this.
“This…” Pei Zhenghui was at a loss for words. He originally thought that the son-in-law her daughter had found was already good enough, but his ordinary-looking niece unexpectedly managed to grab a real blue blood within the capital for herself!
“Who could have expected…” After muttering this for a while, his face suddenly lit up.
It is a good thing for my niece to be the girlfriend of that Ji family’s prince! This is great news!
Pei Shishi could easily tell what her father was thinking from his expression alone.
“Dad, don’t celebrate too early. Pei Ge being the Ji prince’s girlfriend may not necessarily be a good thing,” she lightly said, pouring a bucket of cold water to her father’s festive mood.
“The more powerful Pei Ge becomes, the more dangerous it is for our family.”
The connotation of her words immediately dampened Pei Zhenghui’s happy mood.
‘The more powerful Pei Ge becomes, the more dangerous it is for our family.’
Her words repeatedly echoed in his mind, his face turning uglier with each repetition.
That’s right… It is not necessarily good for my niece to become powerful. If… she finds out about…
“Dad, what are you thinking now? Why is your expression so ugly?” Noticing her father’s expression becoming grimmer by the second, she asked wonderingly.
“Oh, I was just thinking what role Ge Ge has in us failing to acquire that big project.” He righted his mind and schooled his expression into a normal one before looking at his daughter seriously.
“Because…” she paused and then continued, “Ge Ge misunderstood me. She thought that I did something wrong to her, so she told Chenguang Real Estate’s CEO Ji. Maybe, Ji Ziming snatched away our project to avenge his girlfriend.”
Pei Ge, at this moment, knew nothing about the hurricane brewing in the Pei family’s living room as she was deep into her sweet dreamland.
She did not know that a whirlwind that would wreak havoc into her family would soon be upon her.
