The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 727 - 726: Love Rival

Chapter 727: Chapter 726: Love Rival

In the cafe.

Pei Yang stared at the youthful and spirited face opposite her, her mind filled with turmoil.

She was indeed brooding and frustrated about the scene in the private room last night.

She was furious at the man’s arrogance and overconfidence, not knowing his limits, getting himself drunk to oblivace.

Had it not been for the birthday banquet, had it been Dai Mingfang who took Pei Yang away instead of her, and had Pei Yang gotten involved with another woman while intoxicated, she probably would have been unable to let go and forgive just like Pei Wenping.

The two would have had a huge fight, ultimately ending in divorce.

She was also angry at herself for previously ignoring Pei Yang’s mention of Dai Mingfang, confidently believing that she posed no threat to her family or marriage, letting such an unstable factor remain by her side.

If she and Pei Yang were really to reach the point of breaking the family apart, she also bore an undeniable responsibility.

This mixture of frustration and annoyance made her restless and lose her composure and rationality, leading her to abandon work and seek out Dai Mingfang.

Dai Mingfang, being several years younger and less patient, broke the tense silence first.

"President Shen, is there something you wanted to discuss with me?"

Shen Mingzhu smiled faintly, "What do you think could be the reason I came all the way to find you?"

In terms of negotiation skills, Shen Mingzhu clearly had the upper hand with just a few sentences.

"It wouldn’t be because I was a bit close to Brother Pei last night, would it?"

Dai Mingfang feigned surprise, "Sometimes what you see may not be the reality, Brother Pei was drunk last night, and I was just showing concern by helping him with the soup, that’s all."

Shen Mingzhu was slightly surprised: "In all the years I’ve been married to Pei Yang, he never mentioned he had a sister with the surname Dai."

Dai Mingfang explained, "I used that term just as a mark of respect and courtesy."

"He is the superior, you are the subordinate, in terms of respect you should be addressing him by his positional title, that’s also a professional decency for someone employed."

Dai Mingfang pursed her lips, clearly unwilling to accept.

Shen Mingzhu could understand, after all, she was a pampered and proud rich girl.

"Assistant Dai, being so considerate, must have often helped other men with their soup and water, right?"

Dai Mingfang could clearly hear the sarcasm in Shen Mingzhu’s tone, and her face looked very displeased.

"I’ve always heard that President Shen is intelligent, competent, kind, and magnanimous, I didn’t expect you to have a sharp and critical side too, rumors indeed can’t be fully trusted."

Shen Mingzhu quietly watched her, "I was just following up on your own words, the same words from your mouth are without guilt, but when I say them, they become sharp and critical, Assistant Dai really practices double standards."

Dai Mingfang’s expression changed several times,"President Shen, by coming to me, are you questioning Pei, President Pei’s trust, or lacking confidence in yourself? Or is there a problem between the two of you?"

Shen Mingzhu sipped her coffee lightly.

She liked the aroma of the coffee, but not its bitter taste.

"What do you like about him?"

Dai Mingfang was caught off guard by Shen Mingzhu’s direct question.

Shen Mingzhu asked again, "Let me rephrase, what qualities and characteristics do you find attractive about him?"

...

Unable to reach Shen Mingzhu by phone, Pei Yang turned around and called Chen Yi to ask about last night.

"Calling at this hour, you couldn’t have just woken up, could you?"

Pei Yang didn’t bother with Chen Yi’s teasing, "Who took me home last night?"

"Mingzhu, we helped you into the car, then she drove off by herself."

Pei Yang scratched his head, with fragmentary images flashing vaguely through his mind—he seemed to have hit his head in the car.

"I don’t even know how I got home, so it seems I don’t remember what happened in the private room either?"

"What happened in the private room?"

With undisguised schadenfreude, Chen Yi said, "A female employee surnamed Dai from your company was feeding you soup, and Mingzhu saw it."

Dai Mingfang fed him soup? Why didn’t he know about that?

"Don’t joke around."

"It seems you really forgot everything. There were a dozen or so people in the private room. Why don’t you call each of them and ask to clear things up?"

Hearing Chen Yi say this, Pei Yang became somewhat uneasy.

"Why didn’t you help stop it?"

"You looked like you were enjoying it."

"Nonsense, I was drunk!"

"Did Mingzhu make a scene?"

"What do you think!?"

Hearing his resentment, Chen Yi said, "You can’t blame anyone else for this. The alcohol was your choice, and you let people into the private room. Can you honestly say you had no idea about that girl’s feelings?"

Pei Yang was left speechless.

He knew about Dai Mingfang’s feelings, but that wasn’t something he could have stopped. Last night, letting Dai Mingfang sit in the large private room was Director Dai’s decision.

Director Dai held real power and had done him several favors. In the world of business, favors were unavoidable.

...

In the cafe.

Dai Mingfang didn’t avoid Shen Mingzhu’s question, "Yes, I like President Pei. He’s good-looking, has a good character, exceptional abilities, loyalty in love, and a sense of responsibility and duty. It’s just that I was born a bit too late. If I could have met him before he got married, I would definitely have fought for him."

Shen Mingzhu was non-committal, "All these are his good points. Do you know his shortcomings?"

Dai Mingfang challenged, "If given a chance, I would certainly like to find out."

Shen Mingzhu raised an eyebrow, "Suppose we get divorced, all his assets under his name go to me, including but not limited to the house, car, and most of the shares he holds in Hengxin. In other words, after the divorce, more than half of every dollar he earns from the company would go to me because I provided the capital to start Hengxin."

"Besides, the small portion of money he gets would still need to cover the children’s alimony and education fees, including when the two kids get married; as a father, he would still need to contribute money and effort. You said it yourself, he’s a responsible person, and even if divorced, he wouldn’t neglect his children."

"Simply put, if he divorces, aside from his person, you wouldn’t get anything."

Dai Mingfang retorted defiantly, "Connections, background, resources—I have plenty of them all in the Dai family. Supporting him to rise again would be easily done."

Shen Mingzhu chuckled lightly, "A woman’s youth is precious. Are you sure you want to spend it nurturing a man who botches the beginning and end? Are you sure my today won’t be your tomorrow?"

"Do you understand what Pei Yang is like in daily life? Can you accept his stinky feet, balding head, snoring, grinding teeth in his sleep, farting under the covers, and eating garlic chives dumplings without brushing his teeth?"

Dai Mingfang was dumbfounded.

Incredulously, she asked, "President Pei is balding?"

"He’s 34 now. Take a look down the street, how many men over 40 aren’t balding?"

Dai Mingfang couldn’t refute.

Because her own dad started balding in his thirties and had now become a Mediterranean with a beer belly, looking like he was five months pregnant.

Thinking that Pei Yang might end up looking like her dad in a few years suddenly made her feel queasy.

She opened her mouth to speak, but her gaze was caught by someone behind Shen Mingzhu.

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