Chapter 19: She Waited for Pei Shijin to Come Back Crying and Beg Her Part 4

“Long time no see~” Song Zonghui’s hair was combed impeccably, not a strand out of place.

She wore a neat professional outfit, but exhaustion showed in her eyes and heavy dark circles. Anyone could tell she was a corporate slave beaten down by work.

“Long time no see.” Pei Shijin hugged her friend. “You look really tired.”

“Sigh, those old fogeys in the department just pick on us juniors. Lately, one of the old timers is up for a title promotion and makes us work overtime sorting materials for her.” Song Zonghui’s resentment spilled out the moment she opened her mouth.

“Working is tough.” Pei Shijin had done part-time jobs in university and encountered all sorts of weirdos, but she gritted her teeth for the pay.

“Haha, it’ll get better after a few years.” Song Zonghui quickly reined in her complaints, not wanting to dump negativity on her friend. “What about you? Why come to Haicheng at this time?”

Pei Shijin had only told her friend she was coming, not the reason.

“I’m divorced.” At those words, Pei Shijin’s eyes dimmed. She deliberately kept up her earlier lighthearted smile, but Song Zonghui immediately sensed the sadness in her tone.

“Is Little Mingzhu okay?” Song Zonghui patted Pei Shijin’s shoulder.

“Mm, she’s very good and understanding.” Thinking of Little Mingzhu made Pei Shijin feel even more guilty.

“Come on, come on. I’ll treat you to hotpot. There’s a great place.” Song Zonghui changed the subject and grabbed Pei Shijin’s suitcase to go.

Pei Shijin hurried to catch up, and the two walked side by side, as if back in the old days.

“Wrong way, to the parking lot.” Song Zonghui pulled back Pei Shijin, who was heading toward the subway, and grinned. “My senior sister is out on a business trip and left her car with me to rack up some mileage.”

“That Senior Sister Sun?” Pei Shijin and Song Zonghui didn’t chat every day, but they talked often enough. When Song Zonghui had just joined her research group in her first year of grad school, her small advisor was irresponsible and exploitative, but Senior Sister Sun had helped her out.

“Yup.” Song Zonghui twirled her car keys. “My driver’s license is finally getting some use thanks to her.”

At the self-serve hotpot restaurant, Song Zonghui showed the staff their group-buy voucher and paid the deposit.

“The beef here is super fresh, and the braised chicken feet are spicy and delicious. You’ll love it.” Song Zonghui looked ravenous, her elite vibe completely gone.

Back in university, they only ate buffets when dining out—one meal could replace five.

“Haha.” Pei Shijin laughed. “Then I’ll eat more beef, but no chicken feet for me. I’m on meds right now.”

“What?” Song Zonghui grabbed Pei Shijin’s wrist directly. “Your pulse is so complicated.”

As a Beta, her studies focused only on Betas. Though largely similar, the gland was a magical organ.

“Just a minor issue, getting treated.” Pei Shijin’s open and relaxed smile convinced Song Zonghui it was nothing serious, and the pulse wasn’t too weak, so she didn’t press further.

“Then you better take good care of it. What a shame—the chicken feet here are amazing. I’ll have to enjoy them alone for now.” As she spoke, Song Zonghui went to grab a plate and pick food.

“I’ll treat you next time.” Pei Shijin walked with her for a bit. Song Zonghui filled her plate and returned to the table, while Pei Shijin wandered the restaurant on her own.

This buffet’s group-buy price was 158, much pricier than the 58 ones from university, but the quality and variety were way better too.

Despite living with the Lu Family for so many years, Pei Shijin had only eaten their meals when she first arrived.

She had tried delicacies from land and sea, but she couldn’t get used to them. She couldn’t taste the freshness they raved about—only blandness.

Later, she stuck to nutrient paste and completely lost the ability to taste ingredients as they were.

A wild boar can’t eat fine bran—that was Pei Shijin’s self-assessment. She was still suited to these flavor-bomb foods piled with seasonings and essences.

“Huh, isn’t this Madam Lu? Hello, I’m Cheng Xuanyang, head of Shangyang Technology. We met once last year at Ms. Lu’s birthday banquet.” Cheng Xuanyang was there with her daughter and hadn’t expected to run into Pei Shijin.

“Hello, I remember you. Yixue went on a business trip to Shangyang Technology not long ago,” Pei Shijin replied with a smile, making small talk.

She wondered when Lu Yixue would announce their divorce.

Or maybe, for Little Mingzhu’s sake, she never would?

Pei Shijin pushed these unfounded thoughts down.

Cheng Xuanyang was delighted inwardly. Pei Shijin remembered her—maybe President Lu had casually mentioned her at home. Her thigh-hugging skills were pretty good after all.

After some flattering chit-chat, she saw Pei Shijin’s friend return and tactfully left.

“Who was that?” Song Zonghui asked.

“Someone working with Lu Yixue,” Pei Shijin said.

Since it involved Lu Yixue, Song Zonghui considerately dropped it and pulled Pei Shijin to browse other areas.

Back at the table with their food, Song Zonghui watched Pei Shijin scald the beef and eat it plain, without dipping sauce, and felt a pang of sympathy.

They said marrying into a wealthy family meant a good life, so why had her friend divorced while ill?

But Song Zonghui remembered the bright eyes and deep love in Pei Shijin’s gaze when she spoke of Lu Yixue back then.

Maybe everyone had their own difficulties.

After eating, Song Zonghui took Pei Shijin home.

She rented a place five subway stops from the Sixth Hospital. Her original roommate had moved out in March, so she had taken over the whole lease.

Now it was perfect for Pei Shijin.

“I gave it a basic clean earlier. Add whatever you need. The old hag’s calling me again—I gotta go. I even took leave, but she insists they can’t function without me, and if something goes wrong, it’s my fault. What an idiot.” Song Zonghui had wanted to shop slowly with Pei Shijin, but a barrage of calls right after getting home and drinking water infuriated her.

“Go handle it. I’m not a kid who needs babysitting to get things done.” Pei Shijin said, “Don’t get mad. Getting sick from anger might mean going to that idiot for treatment.”

“Haha, you really know how to comfort people. Alright, I’m off. Here’s the key.” After handing over the key, Song Zonghui rushed away.

Pei Shijin watched Song Zonghui’s back and sighed. She wondered if their old dreams still had a chance of coming true.

Back during their internships, exhausted from exploitation, they had fantasized together about opening a small clinic and being their own bosses.

Snapping back to the present, Pei Shijin got to work tidying the room.

She was used to housework, so she quickly wiped down every reachable spot twice over.

The room had a single bed, two wardrobes, and a desk against the wall.

Small but fully equipped.

Pei Shijin was quite satisfied.

She sorted her belongings—clothes, books, and herbal medicine.

She hadn’t brought toiletries; she’d buy some later.

After finishing her room, Pei Shijin checked the bathroom and kitchen.

There was plenty of laundry detergent and toilet paper in the bathroom, so no need to buy those yet.

The kitchen was completely empty, with only an electric cooker and a water heater. The fridge was stocked full of frozen foods, instant noodles, rice noodles, and snail noodles.

It was obvious that Song Zonghui did not cook for herself.

Hospital work was busy; even if cooking saved money, there had to be time for it.

Pei Shijin’s internship did not start until July, so she had plenty of free time and decided to cook for the two of them.

The neighborhood had supermarkets—two to the south and three to the north. Pei Shijin asked around as she made her way to them and checked out the prices in each one.

After touring the neighborhood, Pei Shijin did not go straight home. Instead, she followed the navigation to nearby farmers’ markets for a look around.

By the end of the afternoon, Pei Shijin knew exactly where to buy what.

Her survival skills had not vanished during four years of luxurious living, and Pei Shijin was quite satisfied with that.

Meanwhile, after her morning anger subsided, Lu Yixue threw Pei Shijin to the back of her mind as she dove into work.

A workaholic did not bring personal emotions into her job.

The day’s work proceeded exactly as usual, right up until the end of the workday.

It was only when there were just three people at the villa’s dinner table that Lu Yixue truly realized Pei Shijin was not home.

She felt a bit troubled. If Mingzhu asked where Mama had gone, how should she answer?

She absolutely could not let Mingzhu feel abandoned; that would not be good for the child’s mental health. At the thought, Lu Yixue could not help but get angry at Pei Shijin again. Could a family and child really be discarded so casually?

She had no sense of responsibility at all.

Throughout the entire dinner, Lu Yixue worried about this. Fortunately, Mingzhu did not ask, which allowed Lu Yixue to breathe a sigh of relief.

After dinner, Lu Yixue pulled up some cartoons for Mingzhu to watch and then dragged Gao Ye’an into the kitchen.

Once the door closed, the kitchen and living room became two separate worlds.

“Do you know Pei Shijin ran off?” Lu Yixue rubbed her aching head. Day after day, she could not catch a break.

In her view, Pei Shijin and Gao Ye’an were in cahoots.

“Yes, isn’t this what you wanted?” Gao Ye’an was puzzled to see Lu Yixue so furious.

Lu Yixue truly did not want to talk to Gao Ye’an. “Haven’t you considered that Mingzhu might be sad or upset if she leaves?”

“If she misses Little Pei, she can contact her. Besides, she still has you and me.” Gao Ye’an said calmly.

“Heh,” Lu Yixue laughed angrily again, her tone sharp and biting. “That’s right. After all, back then you could casually toss me to Grandma and Great-Grandma.”

She was too lazy to waste words on someone so heartless. Lu Yixue yanked open the door and walked out.

The door slammed shut heavily again, and Gao Ye’an sighed in the kitchen.

She had consulted Dr. Feng. Letting Pei Shijin stay by A-Xue’s side was far too dangerous.

Otherwise, she would not have let Pei Shijin leave so easily.

Returning to Lu Mingzhu’s side, Lu Yixue already had a plan in mind. If Mingzhu asked, she would say Pei Shijin had gone on a business trip to another city.

Pei Shijin would come back eventually anyway.