Chapter 916

Pinebrook, Zhongcheng Group. The overworked CEO Beckett, who had been slaving away at the company to the point of barely seeing his wife, could finally take a break. Because Pei Chuan was back. "Did you hear? President Pei took his annual leave to go on a honeymoon." "Oh my god, a man as perfect as our President Pei—what kind of woman could be so lucky?" "Who knows? There were even rumors that President Pei was into Mr. Beach, staying devoted and working tirelessly for him, not caring even after Mr. Beach got married. So many companies tried to poach him, but he never left." The employees huddled together, gossiping like they were following some wild celebrity ship. **CEO’s Office.** Beckett, who had been abandoned at the company for over three months, shot Pei Chuan a resentful glare as the latter stood there looking guilty. "Oh, so President Pei remembers his way back?" Zhan said sarcastically, slamming a stack of documents onto the desk. "Now that you're here, does that mean I can finally take a break?" Pei Chuan hurried to placate him. "Yes, yes, go rest right away. Look at you—you're exhausted." The past few months had left Zhan completely drained. Raised in privilege, he had never been subjected to such grueling work before. Pei Chuan, the born workhorse, had always handled everything for him—big or small. Apart from major decisions, Zhan rarely lifted a finger. And Pei Chuan indulged him without complaint. After all, he owed him. However, Pei Chuan's absence over the past three months wasn't entirely without its silver lining—at least it made Beckett realize just how indispensable Pei Chuan was to him. "So, care to explain where you've been for the past three months and fifteen days?" Beckett grumbled like a resentful housewife. "Anyone would think some company lured you away with a fat paycheck. If you wanted a raise, you could've just said so." Madeleine, who had been quietly sipping her coffee nearby, couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "Hello? I hold shares in Zhongcheng. Where exactly would I run off to?" Pei Chuan chuckled, casually twirling the wedding band on his finger. "Got married. And, well… took a honeymoon while I was at it." "…" Beckett eyed him with deep skepticism. "Who on earth managed to rope you into something so out of character?" "Beckett, are you interrogating a suspect?" Madeleine quickly interjected, stepping between them with an amused smile. "Pei Chuan, when are you introducing us to your wife?" "You both know her already. She's busy today—packing at home. Her flight's tonight, so I’ll pick her up, and we can all grab dinner tomorrow," Pei Chuan replied breezily. Madeleine gaped at Beckett. "We *know* her? Oh my god… which lucky girl is it?" But then it struck her—something didn’t add up. There weren’t many single women in their shared social circle. Beckett, however, seemed to have pieced it together. He studied Pei Chuan for a long moment, his expression… oddly knowing. "Who is it? I *have* to know," Madeleine pressed, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. Beckett clapped a hand over her mouth. "Save the questions for tomorrow…" With that, he dumped all the pending work on Pei Chuan and whisked his wife away. Even after leaving the office, Madeleine kept muttering under her breath, "Just who *is* Pei Chuan's wife?" Beckett cleared his throat. "I'm not sure either..." But he had a bad feeling about this. ... At Fu Wenxi's residence. Fu Wenxi's pregnancy was beginning to show, though not prominently due to her retroverted uterus. Since being discharged from the hospital, Bai Heming hadn’t dared to stay at home. Taming Fu Wenxi was no longer something he could risk lightly. Rather than trying to control her, he found it far easier to manipulate the more compliant women outside. This, at least, gave Fu Wenxi the peace she needed to assess the current state of Schroeder family Corporation. Fu Zhengchao’s ties to the notorious Third Master Han had led to the seizure of most of the company’s assets, leaving it in shambles. Restoring it to its former glory seemed nearly impossible. Still, with Bai Heming’s backing, Schroeder family Corporation managed to stay afloat—for now. From the beginning, Fu Wenxi and Bai Heming had been using each other. Bai Heming wanted Schroeder family Corporation—to take it over under the guise of marriage and secure its shares. By now, the upper echelons of the company had largely accepted him, given that the Bai family was the only powerful ally the Schroeder family could cling to. Everyone else had already fled to avoid association. *"When are you divorcing him? The baby’s almost here. You can’t seriously expect my child to call that bastard ‘Dad,’ can you?"* In the bedroom, Li Jingyu cornered her against the door. Bai Yu had brought Li Jingyu into Fu Wenxi’s home under the pretense of a break-in and needing someone to care for Bai Heming. With Bai Heming not returning, this naturally pleased Li Jingyu. "You think it's appropriate to barge into my room, brother-in-law?" Fu Wenxi teased, eyeing Li Jingyu with amusement. She enjoyed riling him up—like provoking a furious guard dog. True to form, Li Jingyu bristled, gripping her chin and pressing his lips to hers in a rough kiss. "Fu Wenxi," he growled, "I don’t care about anything else, but the child and you—you *will* be mine." Leaning against the wall, Fu Wenxi tugged at his collar with a smirk. "Patience. It won’t be long now… Shen Rou and Tang Jinzhou are already entangled, and Bai Heming is getting desperate. I just need to use Tang Jinzhou and Shen Rou to eliminate him first." For Fu Wenxi, Bai Heming’s usefulness was nearly spent. Li Jingyu stiffened, realization dawning. She had first exploited Bai Heming’s greed for the Schroeder family, securing a marriage alliance—letting him use the Bai family’s influence to stabilize the Schroeder family and prevent its collapse. Then, she leveraged her pregnancy to secure bail and serve her sentence outside prison. Now, she was stoking Bai Heming’s paranoia and Shen Rou’s avarice, turning the three against each other in bitter rivalry. Using Tang Jinzhou and Shen Rou to remove Bai Heming—the final threat. And then, seizing the opportunity to file for divorce… Everything unfolded precisely as Fu Wenxi had orchestrated. There was no denying it—Fu Wenxi was frighteningly brilliant. A formidable opponent, one to be wary of. Li Jingyu exhaled sharply. No wonder… Madeleine and Beckett had both warned him—if Fu Wenxi ever truly set her sights on using him, he wouldn’t stand a chance. He once would have gladly let Fu Wenxi use him, but now... perhaps not anymore. His wife was truly formidable, terrifyingly so—and utterly clear-eyed. "Scared?" Fu Wenxi caught the shift in Li Jingyu's gaze. "Think I'm using you? Using this child?" Li Jingyu averted his eyes and stayed silent. "If you're scared, then stay away from me," Fu Wenxi said coolly. She had always been capable of cutting everything loose with chilling clarity... Li Jingyu glared at her, frustration simmering. But what others saw as coldness was merely Fu Wenxi's armor—nothing more. From childhood, as a girl in the Schroeder family, the only way she could get what she wanted was through her own relentless effort... She feared loss, feared abandonment, so she made sure she was always the one to walk away first. Fu Wenxi lived by one rule: hurt others before they could hurt her. She lifted her gaze to meet Li Jingyu's, though deep down, she too feared being left behind—yet she couldn't stop herself from lashing out with cruel words. Li Jingyu's throat moved slightly as he swallowed hard. Fu Wenxi expected him to storm off in anger, but after a long pause, he stubbornly blurted out two words: "I won't!" The sheer audacity in his tone made it clear—he wasn't going anywhere, no matter how hard she tried to push him away. "I'll have my brother stir things up between Tang Jinzhou and Shen Rou." Jingyu Li shamelessly clung to Wenxi Fu, puckering his lips for a kiss. Suddenly, Bai Yu's panicked voice rang out from the hallway, deliberately loud. "Brother! You're back so suddenly? Why didn't you give us a heads-up..." Wenxi's brows furrowed slightly, and Jingyu froze mid-action. Clearly, now wasn't the right time to tear down the facade completely. Without hesitation, Wenxi shoved a reluctant Jingyu into the closet.