"Yes."
Shen Zhiyi did not hesitate, "I will not see him."
ng Qiming tried to persuade her again, believing that a private settlent was best for her, at the very least she could benefit greatly in terms of compensation, "Zhiyi, I—"
"Mr. ng," Shen Zhiyi could guess what ng Qiming wanted to say, she wasn’t acting on impulse when she decided to deal with it this way, "Can you guarantee that your friend hasn’t done this before? Can you assure there are no other victims before ? If you can’t, then please stop trying to persuade . He deserves a lesson."
When she left yesterday, she asked Xiaodong to take away her untouched cup of juice. Upon testing, it was indeed found to contain traces of a sedative, which ant that the man had intended to drug her from the start. Because she didn’t drink it, he then turned to target ng Qiming with the drug instead.
That he was able to get the dication in such a short ti and make those preparations, Shen Zhiyi did not believe it was his first ti.
"...I understand."
ng Qiming did not try to convince her further, "Okay, we will do as you say, and should you need help, I am fully prepared to cooperate."
"Thank you."
"That is, I heard that Chairman Pei was also there yesterday," ng Qiming was out of sorts yesterday and not clear on what happened later. He was reminded by a friend today and realized this point, "Are you—"
Deciding to get back together?
"That’s my personal matter," Shen Zhiyi replied politely, "I would prefer not to share."
After a mont of silence, ng Qiming said no more, understanding that after this incident, whether Shen Zhiyi was with Pei Yu or not, he stood no chance at all, not even as a friend.
After hanging up the phone, Shen Zhiyi stared at the screen of her cell phone for a mont, lost in thought.
She had not received any ssages from Pei Yu since they parted ways yesterday.
To say she wasn’t angry would be a lie, yesterday he arrived with a series of accusations, and even turned frantic under the influence of alcohol. But anger aside, how could he not send any ssage at all?
For three straight days, other than eting with her lawyer to discuss legal matters, Shen Zhiyi stayed on the set filming, until the news of her being harassed hit the trending searches. That was when Director ng found out about the incident, scolded ng Qiming fiercely, turning the whole crew into onlookers of the drama.
After scolding his son, Director ng grandly gave Shen Zhiyi half a day off.
"Sister Zhiyi," Xiaodong was responsible for driving, "shall I take you ho?"
Shen Zhiyi nodded and bent her head to reply to ssages, as the harassnt issue had spread online, so friends who knew her reached out to check on her. Qin Xiaoran sent the most ssages, very concerned about her well-being. After Shen Zhiyi responded to a ssage, Qin Xiaoran called her directly.
"Are you really okay? Why didn’t you tell right away? I really want to beat soone up for this, what a piece of crap."
With a banquet to attend with her fiancé that evening, Qin Xiaoran was currently trying on evening dresses, her irritated voice prompting frequent glances from others.
"I’m fine," Shen Zhiyi leaned against the car window, catching a glimpse of the main Pei Group building outside and hesitating before speaking, "Have you seen Pei Yu these days?"
"Brother Pei Yu?" This was the first ti Qin Xiaoran had been asked about Pei Yu by her, "No, I haven’t seen him, but he should appear at tonight’s banquet, and Qin Fang will be there too."
"What’s the matter?" Curiosity piqued, Qin Xiaoran pressed on, "Do you need to see him for sothing?"
"Yeah," once she started, it got easier to continue, Shen Zhiyi responded openly, "There’s sothing I want to ask him."
"Then co to the banquet tonight. I’ll take you in," Qin Xiaoran was particularly enthusiastic, "Brother Pei will definitely be there."
Having nothing else to do that evening, Shen Zhiyi simply agreed. The bruises on her wrist had faded to almost imperceptible, but Pei Yu hadn’t contacted her at all, not even a single ssage. Rembering the way he looked at her when she left that day, Shen Zhiyi suspected he was doing it on purpose.
Intentionally avoiding her.
"Xiaodong," Shen Zhiyi said, "I have a place to go, I won’t be going ho first."
The nature of the dinner party was very social, and Qin Xiaoran followed her fiancé to et a few elders, occasionally glancing around the room.
Her fiancé noticed, "Who are you looking for?"
"Brother Pei Yu," Qin Xiaoran replied, not feeling entirely secure as she hadn’t spotted him yet, "He’s coming today, right?"
"He is," the man said, wrapping his arm around her waist, "Today Uncle Gu plans to introduce his youngest daughter to Pei Yu; he’ll definitely be here."
"What?"
Qin Xiaoran was shocked, "How co I haven’t heard about this?"
"It’s being kept a secret," the man said nonchalantly, "What if word gets out and Pei Yu rejects the idea? The plan is to create an opportunity for the two to et first."
Qin Xiaoran beca anxious and hastily tried to call Shen Zhiyi, just as Shen Zhiyi told her that she had already arrived, which made Qin Xiaoran’s vision go dark.
Should I not have let Sister Zhiyi co?
Shen Zhiyi waited downstairs for a while before Qin Xiaoran finally t up with her.
"Sister Zhiyi," Qin Xiaoran hesitated, speaking unnaturally, "It seems like Brother Pei Yu won’t be coming today."
She was not good at lying, and Shen Zhiyi saw right through her, "Is today not a good day?"
"Not exactly," Qin Xiaoran resignedly spilled the truth about the matchmaking situation, "It’s quite common, just a eting, with no other implications, but I was afraid you would see and get the wrong idea about Brother Pei Yu."
Shen Zhiyi nodded, showing no particular expression, "Then you might as well take inside."
Not many people were attending the banquet, but they all brought their families, and Qin Xiaoran only had ti to bring Shen Zhiyi inside before being called away to greet the elders, leaving Shen Zhiyi alone.
Shen Zhiyi then called Pei Yu.
"Brother Pei?"
In the private room, Qin Fang saw the lit-up phone screen, "Aren’t you going to answer?"
Pei Yu remained silent, his eyes fixed on the caller ID flashing on the screen, not moving even after the screen went off.
He dared not answer.
He was afraid she would bring up the incident from that night, there was no denying his misconduct; he had acted recklessly while drunk, doing the very thing she despised the most.
After sitting quietly in the private room for a while, an elder ca in and introduced his daughter who had just returned from studying abroad. Pei Yu felt soone sit beside him without even looking, brushed off his clothes, and walked out.
No sooner had he left than Qin Fang quickly followed, and several others who had co specifically to talk to him also stood up.
In the hall, Shen Zhiyi frowned at the missed call log and dialed a second ti. Soon, a ringtone sounded not far away.
She looked up to see Pei Yu, erging from a private room with several people. They were just a few ters away from her. Qin Fang was among them, his eyes showing surprise upon seeing her, whereas Pei Yu, leading the group, did not even glance her way, as if she were a stranger.
Without hesitation, Shen Zhiyi turned and walked away. Perhaps her steps were too quick; her figure abruptly swayed, and she crouched down, bending at the waist.
In just a few seconds, Pei Yu, who should have been walking straight ahead, appeared in front of her.
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