Pei Yueran just stood there blankly, shell-shocked. She could not come up with any retort. She briefly considered slapping him, but the rational part of her mind decided against it almost immediately.
Although she considered him a friend, he was first of all her boss and CEO of the company, so she had to treat him with respect.
Besides, rather than feeling angry, she felt very sad and hurt, like something had slammed against her chest. The tears came without warning but she blinked them back, trying to compose herself.
She wanted to respect him, but on second thought, respect be damned. No one had the right to talk to her like this, not even him!
After taking a deep breath, she looked at Li Chuanmo and said with a hint of sarcasm, "I'm very sorry Chairman Li. I don't know what I said or did to give you that impression about me, but I can assure you that you're mistaken. Although it's none of your business, I'm telling you that those offers of yours do not interest me in the slightest."
"And even if I was interested,...." She paused, then looked him up and down before continuing, ".... I would aim higher and better. Lastly, I don't mean to be rude, but you might want to see a psychologist one of these days."
It wasn't like she could think of someone better than him at the moment, but she just said what came to her mind in a fit of pique.
After saying all that, she bowed politely, walked out, and slammed the door.
She brushed past Min Shiyi —who was pretending to be deaf and blind— without saying a word.
Min Shiyi: This gossip is too juicy to keep to myself!
*****
Li Chuanmo regretted it immediately all the words were out of his mouth, but it was too late to take them back. His heart clenched when he saw the raw hurt in her eyes due to his words. His hands almost moved on their own accord, but he shoved them into his pockets instead.
He intensely disliked women, but in truth, Pei Yueran hadn't done anything to him. He knew he was projecting other people's actions and taking out his anger on her, but he couldn't help himself. It was all an excuse, he knew, but he didn't want to dig beneath the surface to unearth the true meaning of the feelings churning within him.
As she spoke, he just looked at her. Her eyes were golden again, those eyes that he saw frequently in his dreams. They flashed like fireworks on a dark night due to the intensity of her emotions.
When she walked out and slammed the door, it jolted him from his trance-like state. He raked his hand through his short dark hair as he paced about his office, agitated.
He had definitely screwed up.
He screwed up big time, but he wasn't sure how to go about correcting it, or if he even wanted to mend their relationship at all.
Perhaps, this was for the best.
*****
If it was only a suspicion before that Li Chuanmo and Pei Yueran were not on good terms, it had become very obvious to anyone who who cared to look. The tension had blown up into a total cold war. They no longer spoke more than necessary, and their easy friendship had become a thing of the past.
Whenever they stood in the same space, the air would be frigid. The people that had to bear the brunt of this change were the people that worked in close proximity with them —their PAs, secretary, and the various mangers and directors they held meetings with. They didn't even dare to breathe loudly in the presence of those two.
Naturally, it didn't take long for Li Qianye and Zhang Heying to get wind of what was going on. They were genuinely alarmed now. What could have gone wrong?
As they sat down on the loveseat in their bedroom, Zhang Heying called Pei Yueran. She picked on the third ring.
"Ran'er? How are you?"
"I'm fine, Auntie, and you? How's Uncle?"
"He's fine. He's here with me. Ran'er, what happened between you and Chuanmo?"
"Nothing Auntie."
"Nothing? Are you sure? I learnt that you both have even been coming separately for the past three lessons you have had with your uncle. Did something happen?"
"Everything is fine Auntie. Chairman Li has been very busy due to our recent projects, so we have been working separately recently. Besides, he was helping me out of his kind heart previously, but I have my own chauffeur, so it's normal that we come separately", she said, trying to sound calm and relaxed.
She didn't want to tell them anything. In her mind, she was just an employee they treated warmly, so she didn't want to report their son to them. Who knew if they would see her the same way Li Chuanmo did?
But Zhang Heying could hear the alienation in her voice keenly. For starters, she had stopped calling him Chairman Li awhile ago, but she was back to calling him that now.
And although she sounded calm and indifferent, Zhang Heying could hear something else in her voice —suppressed hurt.
"Alright Ran'er. I'm actually calling to ask if you can come over this weekend. I've not seen you in a while now, and I've missed you. Also, I will be celebrating my birthday on that day. Nothing elaborate, just a small party with my family and a few friends. Will you be able to make it?"
"Oh Auntie, that's wonderful. I'd love to come. Thank you for inviting me." Pei Yueran responded. She genuinely liked the calm, elegant and kind Zhang Heying.
"It's settled then. I don't need any gift, just having you around would be enough."
"Alright Auntie, see you on Saturday. Greet Uncle for me."
"I will my dear. Bye."
"You heard what she said, right?" Zhang Heying said, turning to look at her husband.
"Yes I did. Their quarrel must have been very serious. What can we do for them now?"
"That's why I invited her on Saturday. Li Chuanmo would be here too, so maybe they could talk it out." Zhang Heying said.
"Yes. By the way, that excuse of yours was brilliant", Li Qianye said, hailing her.
But Zhang Heying narrowed her eyes. "What excuse? oh, don't tell me you've forgotten that my birthday is on Saturday?"
"Wh-what? No-o, of of course not. H-how can I forget my sweet baby's birthday?" Li Qianye stammered and then ran away for dear life.
He really just forgot for a brief moment. He had even prepared her gift already, how could he have forgotten? He was just a bit absentminded as the conversation went on, so he missed what she told Pei Yueran.
Zhang Heying: "...."
was she that scary? she wasn't going to bite him, right?
No, it must be that Li Qianye is too dramatic!