Chapter 3

At that point in the story, Aunt Ming couldn’t resist rolling her eyes. “Mother and daughter were both little vixens. All they ever did was study how to wrap men around their fingers.”

Aunt Ming had entered the Pei household with Pei Fuli’s biological mother.

It was only natural that she couldn’t stand Pei Yingying and her mother.

Completely engrossed, I grinned and pressed her. “What happened next? Did Dad and Aunt Yingying end up together?”

Aunt Ming scoffed. “Like hell they did. Pei Yingying was far too skilled for that. She knew that, to a man, what he can’t have will torment him far more than what he can.”

And so Pei Yingying and Pei Fuli remained entangled in an undefined relationship for years, until Old Master Pei discovered it.

The old man had done something outrageous himself by marrying his friend’s wife, but he refused to let his son be equally outrageous.

Pei Yingying may have been an unrelated stepdaughter, but she had been entered into the Pei family register as his daughter.

He would not permit the scandal of a romance between brother and sister.

To separate them, he cut the knot cleanly and arranged an engagement between Pei Fuli and Su Jiaoyue.

Pei Fuli initially intended to refuse, but Pei Yingying said she wanted them to remain brother and sister for life. Su Jiaoyue was also the bride both his parents approved of, so in the end, he silently accepted the arrangement.

Su Jiaoyue had secretly loved Pei Fuli for years. Knowing nothing of the Pei family’s history, she thought she would finally be with the man she loved and was deliriously happy.

But the next few years brought her nothing but pain.

Anyone with eyes could see how differently Pei Fuli treated Pei Yingying.

At first, Su Jiaoyue could still deceive herself. After it happened too many times, she could no longer pretend. She was preparing to break off the engagement when disaster struck the Pei family. The company’s cash flow collapsed, leaving it on the brink of bankruptcy.

Misfortune came in pairs. Old Master Pei also fell gravely ill and was admitted to intensive care.

With the Pei family teetering on the edge, Pei Yingying suddenly married a wealthy man who had loved her for years.

They had a whirlwind wedding, and she moved to Canada with her husband.

The blow crushed Pei Fuli, leaving him unable to recover.

At that critical moment, Su Jiaoyue stepped forward.

She and Pei Fuli registered their marriage and held a lavish wedding, publicly announcing their union to the media. The Pei and Su families rapidly formed a business alliance, and with the Su family’s financial support, the Peis weathered the crisis.

After marriage, Pei Fuli seemed like a different man. The unruly young heir transformed into someone steady and reserved.

He doted on Su Jiaoyue beyond measure.

He never trapped her at home as a full-time wife. Instead, he supported and encouraged her to pursue the career she loved.

They soon had a child: Pei Ci.

In all those years, Pei Yingying returned only once. Her mother died, and she came back with her husband for the funeral.

At the service, brother and sister behaved like strangers. Su Jiaoyue, who had been on edge, finally relaxed.

From that point on, Pei Fuli appeared to have forgotten Pei Yingying completely.

Which raised the obvious question.

After more than a decade apart and such a deep rift between them, why had my sentimental father-in-law not only gone to the airport himself when Pei Yingying returned, but also defended her so fiercely?