Volume 1, Chapter 130: Confusion

At 8:00 PM, seeing that Song Qingyu had not yet returned, Pei Jingmo gave her a call. Due to past events, Pei Jingmo suffered from mild PTSD. When Song Qingyu failed to answer, he was frantic with worry; he dialed Xie Changhe’s number while rushing out the door.

"Mr. Pei?"

"Manager Xie, are you all still working overtime?"

"No, we left at the usual time today. What's wrong? Is Qingyu not home yet?"

Pei Jingmo’s expression was grim. "No. When was the last time you saw Qingyu?"

"She said she was going to the archives to look for a book before I left," Xie Changhe said, feeling a surge of anxiety. "Something hasn't happened to her, has it?"

"Check the surveillance footage. I need to know exactly when she left."

Hearing the commanding tone in Pei Jingmo’s voice, Xie Changhe felt a bit annoyed. "Mr. Pei, our company's surveillance—"

"If anything happens to Song Qingyu, you won't need to worry about being a manager anymore."

The call ended. Xie Changhe sat there, stunned for a long while. He looked down at his phone; it was indeed Pei Jingmo’s number, but why had he heard the voice of CEO Gu? Before he could dwell on it, he handed his child to the nanny and told his wife, "I have an emergency."

Using the CEO’s name to access the surveillance footage made the security guards incredibly efficient. Upon reviewing the footage, they discovered that Song Qingyu had never left the Tianqi building.

"She might still be inside!"

Pei Jingmo rushed into the building with practiced familiarity, followed closely by a breathless Xie Changhe. Xie Changhe watched him cautiously. If he were to put a mask of CEO Gu on this man, wouldn't he be exactly like the CEO? He tentatively asked, "CEO... CEO Gu?"

Pei Jingmo cast him a cold glance. "Manager Xie is a smart man. He should know what to say and what not to say."

*Good heavens.* The implications were massive; Xie Changhe’s brain was struggling to process it. Wasn’t Song Qingyu’s husband a construction worker? How did he become the CEO? So, Song Qingyu really was the CEO’s "white moonlight." But if they were already married, why keep it a secret from her? Xie Changhe realized in an instant that it must be because the Gu family did not accept her. *It’s over,* he thought, *I’ve stumbled upon a terrifying secret. Will I be silenced?*

Reaching the twelfth floor, Pei Jingmo spotted Song Qingyu’s coat and phone. "CEO, the archives are this way. Damn it, some bastard blocked the door."

Xie Changhe pulled away the mop blocking the door. Before he could even open it, a blur of motion swept past him—Pei Jingmo had already shoved the door open and rushed inside.

They found Song Qingyu huddled in a corner, curled up on a pile of books, shivering violently with her arms wrapped around her knees. Pei Jingmo’s breath hitched. He ran over, took off his coat to wrap her in it, and scooped her up.

"Qingqing—"

Song Qingyu was blue with cold, her lips purple. Hearing Pei Jingmo’s voice, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, her hands trembling as she reached up to wrap them around his neck. Her teeth chattered as she whispered, "I... I knew you would come to find me."

"I'm sorry, I'm late."

Song Qingyu shook her head, leaning into his chest. "No, you were faster than I thought."

Pei Jingmo didn't dare waste a second, carrying her out of the archives.

"CEO..." Remembering that Song Qingyu did not yet know Pei Jingmo was Gu Yuandong, Xie Changhe corrected himself immediately. "Mr. Pei..."

Pei Jingmo gave Xie Changhe a cold look. "Manager Xie, I never expected such bullying to exist in your company. Please ensure this is investigated thoroughly and provide my wife with a proper explanation."

"Yes, yes, of course. Please rest assured, Mr. Pei."

Xie Changhe prayed fervently that Song Qingyu would be alright. If the CEO's wife were harmed in his department, the CEO would surely skin him alive.

—

Song Qingyu had only just recovered from a cold, and this ordeal caused her to spike a fever. It was worse than the last time, leaving her drifting in and out of consciousness. Pei Jingmo kept an unblinking, sleepless watch over her. Seeing the needle inserted into her delicate veins made him frown in agony, his expression becoming more terrifying by the second.

The next day, Ma Dandan arrived at the office in high spirits, eager to see Song Qingyu’s miserable state, only to find her gone. The archive door was open—who had let her out? A sense of foreboding washed over her.

"Hey, did you hear? They say Song Qingyu was bullied last night."

"The whole thing blew up. It even reached the CEO’s ears. He was absolutely furious, tore into Manager Xie, and vowed to root out the rot in the company."

Ma Dandan’s legs went weak. She had only wanted to teach Song Qingyu a lesson; how did it turn into such a big deal? She had blocked the cameras near the archives last night—no one should know it was her, right?

"Ma Dandan, come to my office."

Hearing Xie Changhe’s voice, Ma Dandan could barely stand. She walked into his office, trembling. "Manager Xie, did you want to see me?"

"Ma Dandan!" Xie Changhe glared at her, his voice booming. "Confess everything right now. Maybe, out of consideration for our past relationship, I’ll plead with the CEO to give you a way out. Otherwise, not even the gods can save you."

Ma Dandan licked her dry lips, feigning composure. "Manager Xie, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

Xie Changhe was deeply disappointed. He had cared about his subordinates, but since Ma Dandan was refusing to repent, he wouldn't hold back. "You locked Song Qingyu in the archives last night. She is now running a high fever and is unresponsive. If she makes it out okay, good. If anything happens to her, you can look forward to prison time!"

"Manager Xie, you can't frame me for something so big!"

"Frame you? You think just because you blocked the cameras, no one would know it was you?"

Ma Dandan refused to give up. "Manager Xie, I know I don't have the best relationship with Song Qingyu, but I have absolutely no reason to harm her."

Xie Changhe shook his head. "You like Lu Yuan, and you suspected Lu Yuan liked Song Qingyu, which fueled your jealousy and desire for revenge."

Ma Dandan’s heart skipped a beat. "I... I didn't..."

"You thought you were flawless, but you were the one who ordered the security guard to turn off the lights in the archives. Furthermore, other cameras in the company show you were the last person to leave the twelfth floor."

Ma Dandan felt a wave of despair. She stopped fighting, grabbing Xie Changhe’s arm. "Manager Xie, I know I was wrong! Please, for the sake of the many years I've worked hard for the Tianqi Group, you have to help me!"

Xie Changhe shook off her hand. "I gave you a chance, and you didn't cherish it. Besides, you hurt someone you shouldn't have. Once the CEO has spoken, no one can protect you."

Panicked, Ma Dandan ran to find Sheng Yuru. "Miss Sheng, you have to help me!"

Sheng Yuru looked at her coldly. "Ma Dandan, I thought you were a kind-hearted girl. I never expected you to bully a colleague. You’ve done something so vile that, let alone my cousin, even I cannot tolerate you."

The others who used to call Ma Dandan "sister" immediately turned their backs on her, fearing they would be implicated. Ma Dandan instantly became a pariah.

When Lu Yuan walked by, he gave her a look of utter disgust, which stung Ma Dandan’s heart. She rushed toward him, crying, "Lu Yuan, I love you! I did all of this for you!"

Lu Yuan pushed her away without a word, his face expressionless. "Disgusting."

Ma Dandan was completely crushed. With the CEO’s decree, she wouldn't just be fired; news of her bullying would follow her, and no major company would ever hire her again. She was filled with regret, but it was too late.

The others on the twelfth floor trembled in fear, thankful they had only disliked Song Qingyu but never actually done anything to her.

"It’s terrifying. Logically, this wasn't a huge incident. Why is the CEO so angry? He’s basically ruined Ma Dandan’s entire future."

"The CEO was a soldier; he hates this kind of thing most of all. Ma Dandan isn't being wronged."

"Is that so? But I feel like the CEO is being exceptionally protective of Song Qingyu."

Sheng Yuru’s face darkened. She scoffed, "What are you thinking? My cousin already has a fiancée, the daughter of the Lu Group, Lu Rongrong. How could he possibly be interested in a married woman like Song Qingyu?"

Despite her words, Sheng Yuru thought to herself, *Damn it... could my cousin actually be bewitched by Song Qingyu?*