Volume One, Chapter 134: The Misfortune of Loss

The door opened with a loud creak. Startled, Song Qingyu immediately stood up upon seeing CEO Gu. "CEO Gu."

The bloodshed Pei Jingmo had envisioned did not occur. Nor did he see that expression of despair and fury he expected Song Qingyu to wear when looking at him. Seeing the Go board on the table, Pei Jingmo let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Gu Chengde glanced at him with an expressionless gaze. The father and son locked eyes, each look colder than the last.

"Miss Song, you may go now."

Song Qingyu nodded and looked toward Gu Chengde. "Chairman, since CEO Gu is here, I will leave you two to your game. I have work to attend to."

Gu Chengde gave a faint acknowledgment. As Song Qingyu left, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of Gu Yuandong and noticed that his temples were damp with sweat. He must have been desperate to see his father.

The door closed. Noticing the sweat on Pei Jingmo’s face, Gu Chengde said coldly, "Pathetic."

Pei Jingmo loosened his tie and walked over to sit opposite Gu Chengde. "You didn't just call Song Qingyu here to play Go, did you?"

"Hmph, her skills at the board are better than yours."

Pei Jingmo looked at the pieces on the board. "Aren't you about to win?"

"She has certainly mastered the games played in the corporate world."

Pei Jingmo knew that Xie Qingya loved Go, and Song Qingyu had accompanied her since childhood; through osmosis, she had become quite skilled. "She let you win because she respects you and doesn't want you to lose face. That’s her good nature, not some office politics."

Gu Chengde placed the final piece. "Whether she is good-natured or not is irrelevant to me. Because of her, you’ve turned the entire company into a state of anxiety and invited criticism. Do you have no sense of reflection at all?"

"Workplace bullying is a serious matter. Even if it weren't her, I would not allow such things to happen at Apocalypse Group. Or do you think it’s normal to be bullied in the workplace?"

The father and son began sparring the moment they met. Gu Chengde threw the chess pieces back into the box.

"Whether you have ulterior motives for her, you know best in your heart. The only reason she is still safely at Apocalypse Group is that you haven’t done anything out of line yet. I don’t want to target an innocent person, provided you are obedient. Her future depends entirely on your choices and your attitude."

"Tomorrow afternoon, you will take Rongrong to try on wedding dresses. It is time to put the engagement on the agenda."

Pei Jingmo’s face turned grim, his hands clenching into fists.

Xie Changhe was lurking nearby, watching the door to the Chairman’s office. Seeing Song Qingyu emerge, he immediately pulled her aside.

"The Chairman asked me to play Go with him."

"Huh? Just... that?"

Song Qingyu nodded, also finding it somewhat strange. Why would the Chairman suddenly decide to play Go with her?

"Besides the game, did he say anything strange? Or offer you a check or something?"

"What?" Song Qingyu looked bewildered. "Why would the Chairman give me a check?"

Xie Changhe wanted to slap himself. "I mean, was the Chairman's only reason to call you in to play Go?"

Song Qingyu nodded. "Yes."

Xie Changhe let out a massive sigh of relief. Seeing Song Qingyu’s puzzled expression, he gave a dry laugh. "That’s perfectly normal—"

"Is it?"

"The Chairman loves Go, but no one plays with him. He probably heard you were skilled and invited you to keep him company. How normal is that!"

Song Qingyu found this logical. "I suppose. But how did the Chairman know I could play?"

Xie Changhe broke into a cold sweat. "Oh, you must have forgotten. When you first came to me, I asked about your hobbies, and you mentioned Go. As an employee of Apocalypse Group, these things are recorded in your file."

Song Qingyu wore an "I see" expression. Thinking about it, with Gu Mubei in a vegetative state, Gu Yuandong busy every day, and the youngest daughter naive and sheltered, the Chairman must be lonely without anyone to play with. As young people, they should show more care for the elderly.

That evening, when Song Qingyu returned home and was about to knock, the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside, and she was yanked into the apartment by a powerful force.

A frantic, overwhelming kiss swept over her. Before Song Qingyu could react, Pei Jingmo grabbed the bag from her hand and tossed it onto the sofa, then swept her up into his arms and headed for the bedroom.

"Wait—"

Before Song Qingyu could speak, her lips were claimed again. Recently, things had been so sweet, and Pei Jingmo’s kisses were always gentle and lingering. But today, she didn't know what had come over him; his kiss felt like the time he had been drugged—as if he were trying to devour her whole.

His eyes were terrifying, and his aura was completely different from usual. Song Qingyu felt a flicker of fear. She didn't know what was wrong; was he angry because she hadn't answered his calls that afternoon? After returning to her desk, she had seen over a dozen missed calls from him, and when she called back, he hadn't answered.

"I went to see the Chairman earlier and my phone was on silent, so I didn't hear it. What's wrong?" she had texted him, and after a while, he had replied with a simple "Nothing."

The man who was supposedly "fine" was now acting like a madman, tearing off her clothes and kissing her body.

"Say it—"

Pei Jingmo gripped Song Qingyu’s slender waist tightly, as if he wanted to knead her into his own body so he would never have to worry about her leaving him again.

"Hmm? Say... say what?" Song Qingyu gasped, her mind reeling from his intensity.

"Say that you will never leave me."

Song Qingyu realized it then. Pei Jingmo was a deeply insecure man. Even though they had become true husband and wife and she had torn up that contract, he was always anxious and prone to fearing loss. Thinking that this might be a lingering psychological trauma from when she had previously rejected him, Song Qingyu tried her best to make amends. She patted his back gently, embracing him tightly even when his entry brought her discomfort.

"Jingmo, I love you. I will never leave you."

"Swear it."

Song Qingyu couldn't help but laugh. Exhausted by his intensity, she raised three fingers. "Fine, I swear. If I ever leave Pei Jingmo in the future, then let me—"

"Let Pei Jingmo die a horrible death!"

Song Qingyu: "..."

"I'm the one swearing, why would you be the one to die a horrible death!"

Pei Jingmo kissed her lips over and over. "If you leave me, it must be because I hurt you too deeply. I would deserve to die."

Song Qingyu cupped Pei Jingmo’s face with affection. "You don't know how happy and blessed I am to be with you. How could I not know how you treat me? I trust that you won't hurt me, and I will never leave you."

Pei Jingmo kissed her damp temples. "I love you. No matter what happens in the future, remember that I love you."

"Mm, I love you too."

Afterward, Pei Jingmo carried Song Qingyu to the bathroom to wash up, but the fire ignited again, and they were intimate once more in the shower. Serving her boss during the day and her husband at night, Song Qingyu felt she had gotten plenty of exercise, even without a gym session. Fortunately, Pei Jingmo knew how to dote on her and had prepared plenty of delicious food.

On Saturday, Song Qingyu finally went to visit Xie Liuzheng on set. The last time she intended to visit, she had been mistaken by Meng Yucheng and Chu Xingzhi as Gu Yuandong’s "white moonlight" and sent straight to his bed. This time, she finally made it to the filming location.

Xie Liuzheng hadn't been in a good state lately and kept fluffing her lines. The director, unable to watch any longer, gave her a half-day break to adjust.

"Zhengzheng, what’s wrong? Did something happen?"