Pei Heyan was sitting in front of his desk, the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose making his emotions unreadable.
"See you tonight."
That sentence was taken as an acknowledgment of Wen Tang's driving later that evening, and only then did Lu Nianxin leave, contented.
Once she was out of sight, Wen Tang, carrying documents, walked in and placed them on the desk upon seeing Pei Heyan.
"These are the documents that require your review. I've placed those needing signatures on the top."
Wen Tang reported in a structured manner, her face devoid of emotion, a stark contrast to her demeanor the night before.
Pei Heyan listened to the report from the person in front of him and grabbed her wrist, "Feel wronged?"
His voice was deep, his cool fingertips gently caressing a small patch of skin along her wrist, and his fingers lightly lifted the collar of Wen Tang's shirt in a smooth motion.
Wen Tang composed herself and avoided the touch, her attempt to withdraw her wrist halted under Pei Heyan's intimidating gaze.
She took a light breath and spoke softly, "No."
Pei Heyan's eyes seriously scrutinized her, his tone even, "Nianxin has been coddled by her family since she was young, always raised that way."
As he spoke, Pei Heyan retracted his hand that had been restraining Wen Tang's wrist and straightened his shirt.
"Your job tonight is to drive, and the overtime pay will be deposited into your salary account."
Wen Tang's eyes dimmed, and she replied softly before turning and walking out.
Her straight back only slumped against the wall after the office door had completely closed behind her.
The notification sound on her phone rang out promptly, a message from the bank showing her account balance. Four hundred thousand had been deposited.
Four hundred thousand for a night's overtime, that seemed like a fair deal.
Wen Tang gave a self-deprecating smile, her fingers tightened around her phone, and then she strode away from the company.
In the evening, Wen Tang arrived at the Lu Family's gate as agreed, waiting.
Gazing at the imposing gate before her, Wen Tang's fingers began to tremble slightly, involuntarily, as she didn't dare think about those dark days, even though so much time had passed.
Lu Nianxin, seeing Pei Heyan's Cullinan stopped there, ran over happily, but when she gleefully opened the car door, her eyes flickered upon spotting Wen Tang in the driver's seat.
Her lips immediately curled up, her arms crossed as she stood and commanded Wen Tang condescendingly, "Our family's drivers always open the door. Doesn't the Pei Group train their drivers?"
The words were clearly meant to belittle Wen Tang, who surprisingly complied, exiting the vehicle to open the door for her, bowed slightly to usher Lu Nianxin into the car, even taking the care to place her bag properly.
Watching this scene from the back seat, Pei Heyan spoke coolly, "You're quite adept."
Wen Tang pulled out a smile but did not answer. Lu Nianxin leaned against Pei Heyan as soon as she got into the car, snuggling into his embrace.
"Of course, you've trained her well."
Suddenly, as if something occurred to Lu Nianxin, she feigned shock, "Secretary Wen has been with you since she graduated from college, right? Haven't you thought of promoting her after all these years?"
Talking about promotion was just a ruse, but wanting to send someone away was the real intent.
"Promote to where?"
Pei Heyan did not outright refuse.
Lu Nianxin could tell what Pei Heyan had in mind, her coquettish face suddenly fell.
"The longer some people stay, the less content they are, the more they want. Our arranged marriage is a settled matter. If any unpleasant rumors were to spread, it's not just the Lu Family that would lose face."
"She wouldn't dare."
As he said this, Pei Heyan glanced forward once.
He understood the temperament and nature of the person he had personally mentored.
Wen Tang now possessed all that he was willing to give away, and if he didn't want to, no one could get the slightest benefit from him.
The conversation between the two people behind her came into Wen Tang's ears clearly, the stabbing pain in her heart causing her to grip the steering wheel tightly.
In Pei Heyan's eyes, she was just a little cat or dog he raised, everything depending on his mood.
The car soon arrived at the lover's restaurant downstairs, and Wen Tang skillfully reversed into the parking space.
Lu Nianxin got out of the car first, and as she passed the driver's seat, she slightly turned her head, "You wait here for us, don't neglect your duty by leaving your post without permission, or I'll dock your wages."
Pei Heyan followed her out of the car, frowning as he looked around, from Wen Tang's angle, it appeared he was checking for paparazzi.
Lu Nianxin's popularity was not low at the moment, the restaurant had already been booked out, and she put on her sunglasses, fully armed, linking arms with Pei Heyan and walked gracefully.
By the time they finished eating, two hours had passed, and it was now lightly snowing, turning the street corner white in an instant, and the snowflakes also covered the road.
The woman was causing a scene, the man was laughing, what a beautiful scene for a perfect couple.
After getting in the car, Lu Nianxin was clearly in a good mood, "Jing Er has set up a gathering, just waiting for the two of us."
After Pei Heyan got into the car, he closed his eyes and softly instructed Wen Tang, "Drive."
Pei Heyan in the backseat had his long legs crossed, the tailored trousers reaching just to his ankles, his gold-rimmed glasses nowhere to be seen; the overall impression he gave off was one of abstinence and nobility.
But beneath such a facade, who could perceive the madness he once had in bed?
Lu Nianxin's attire seemed carefully matched, a pale blue princess dress paired with Mary Jane shoes, sitting next to Pei Heyan she looked exactly like a delicate young girl.
Wen Tang looked at the address on the navigation, her gaze suddenly darkening.
Pei Heyan owned shares in this hot spring club, and had taken Wen Tang there long ago, the treatment in that top VIP suite was the first time Wen Tang had ever enjoyed.
Recently, Lu Nianxin had been changing boyfriends frequently, and to her surprise, she hadn't been to that place for a long time.
Wen Tang drove the car skillfully to the front door, where the young master named Jing Er was already waiting.
Upon seeing Pei Heyan emerge with Lu Nianxin, he hurried up to greet them, "Brother Yan, Sister Nianxin!"
Jing Er was one of Pei Heyan's few good friends in the circle, a welcome that Wen Tang had never experienced while with Pei Heyan.
When Jing Er glanced at Wen Tang in the driver's seat, his eyes showed no waves, as if he saw a stranger, instead, he cozied up to Lu Nianxin's side.
Before leaving, Pei Heyan didn't give any instructions, so Wen Tang waited quietly in the car according to routine.
She didn't know how long had passed, the sky had already darkened thoroughly, Wen Tang was drifting off when the ringing of the phone suddenly startled her into sitting up.
Pei Heyan's indifferent voice came through the receiver, "Return to the company and bring the bottle of Cabernet from the top shelf of the wine cabinet in the cold storage. Within half an hour."
Before hanging up the phone, Pei Heyan suddenly issued a time command.
The hot spring club was in the suburbs, more than ten kilometers away from the company. Although there was no traffic, half the distance was mountain roads and navigation was difficult under the dark sky.
But given Pei Heyan's temper, Wen Tang could only do her best.
The mountain road was rugged, and Wen Tang drove very carefully for the first half of the trip. Once she came down from the winding mountain road, she floored the gas pedal and raced on the highway.
The unusual speed of the vehicle had already alarmed the relevant departments. Just as they were about to send someone to pursue it, they recognized the familiar license plate and tacitly pretended not to see it.
When Wen Tang returned to the club with the wine, forty minutes had already passed.
The front desk recognized Wen Tang's face and said without waiting for her to ask, "President Pei is in the private room on the top floor."
The pity and sympathy in the eyes of the receptionist stabbed Wen Tang's heart, but she composed herself and walked past as if nothing had happened.
Wen Tang passed through the corridor, and before she could step forward to call the elevator, the door of the private room behind her was suddenly opened from the inside.
A drunken man staggered out, and upon seeing Wen Tang in her professional attire in front of him, he was immediately captivated and couldn't take his eyes off her.
"No wonder they say this club is worth a thousand gold per night, even the servers look so remarkable, come and drink with me!"