Chapter 38

Lu Mimi had wanted to make a surprise visit to the Pei family in order to not make them lose connection with each other. Li Junfeng had passed away but she still didn't want the collaboration between Li Group and Pei Holdings to be for naught. So she came here after deliberately waiting for a perfect time.

But when she arrived, she saw Li Shaoze in front of the Pei residence! Her old mind was too shocked to think clearly as to why he was here. But then, she saw Xu Hua coming out and grabbing his hand to come inside.

Lu Mimi was so angry. Why was the Pei's acting so nonchalantly with Li Shaoze? Were they originally close? Li Junfeng was the one they were close to, not Li Shaoze! Li Junfeng was their son in law, not Li Shaoze!

At first, Lu Mimi didn't instantly barge in, she calmed herself down and dialed her husband. Li Qinfeng was so angry that he told her to stop whatever Li Shaoze was planning to do at the Pei's. He even berated her that she was too slow and dumb! How could she stand being told off by her husband? Her pride was torn.

Hence, the present situation came to be.

"You shouldn't have come back! You should have just gone back to where you belong, now follow me out! We need to talk," Lu Mimi acted uncivilized.

At first, she had wanted to act dignified. But when she saw Li Shaoze sitting together at the dining table, having a pleasant conversation and a harmonious atmosphere with the Pei's, she suddenly felt disgusted. She hated him from the moment he was born, so how could she stand the thought of him sitting over there at Li Junfeng's place in the Pei household?

So incorrigible!

Now, she decided to tear all pretenses and shouted like a shrew.

"What's with the fuss, madam Li? Don't you think you're being so rude in our house?!" Pei Zeyan was so dumbfounded when he heard her nasty words.

"Ha! Why are you welcoming him here! This is my son's place, you are his in laws!" Once Li Junfeng heard this, he didn't know what else to feel but to just hear his heart break over and over again. His face turned ugly and he was barely able to look at Li Shaoze's expression.

He felt so ashamed by his mother's shameful conduct in front of the Pei family. How could she do this??

Li Shaoze didn't react to anything Lu Mimi said. As if it wasn't directed at him. But he still felt embarrassed that this situation was seen like a play by the Pei's. Li Junfeng had asked him to get along with Pei Qian and the Pei family. But now he was giving them bad impression. He felt he had failed Li Junfeng.

"Come out and let's talk," he said curtly. Then he faced Pei Jin and Xu Hua, his expression showed that he was remorseful. Other than that, he showed nothing on his face.

Li Shaoze bowed slightly towards Pei Jin and Xu Hua before he walked out of the house. He passed by Lu Mimi as if she was air and this made her face turn unsightly. She clenched her fists so hard that her manicured nails were pierced into her flesh, creating hideous red marks.

Li Shaoze didn't want Lu Mimi to know that just across Pei residence was his house, so he walked elsewhere. Just a little bit over the lake, he stopped. Lu Mimi was behind him, cursing him out multiple times.

She ran after him and stopped just in front of him, about to slap him in the face, but Li Shaoze was faster. He snatched her hand and pushed it away. The little contact made his skin crawl as unpleasant memories came unbridled inside his head.

"You-!" Lu Mimi faced Li Shaoze who was already taller than her and she felt unreconciled. Li Shaoze was just a kid manipulated under her thumb before. Ever since he was born, he was the prey and she was the hunter.

But now that he was older, he became stronger. He would show an expressionless face in front of her and would look at her as if she didn't matter in his eyes.

Lu Mimi was so mad with the disregard in Li Shaoze's eyes as she spat, "Ha! Now that you're older, you think you can get the upper hand against me? Nobody was on your side before and no one would be in the future! You think you can forget everything in the past? Dream on! You're an abomination! You and your mother-"

"Stop it!" the one who arrived was Pei Qian. She glared at Lu Mimi as if she was an enemy. Li Shaoze pursed his lips, feeling uncomfortable with Pei Qian's appearance.

Lu Mimi turned around to see her supposed daughter-in-law. Her frown deepened as she raised her voice, "What do you think you're doing, Pei Qian? You shouldn't get involved between our family matter,"

"Don't talk so righteously when you were the one who barged in unannounced inside our house," Pei Qian's voice was icy.

Pei Qian would never go around acting rudely in front of an elder, especially towards Lu Mimi who was Li Junfeng's birth mother and her supposed mother-in-law. But she felt an overwhelming sense of sadness when she recalled Li Shaoze's remorseful eyes when he excused himself earlier.

It wasn't his fault that the lunch was interrupted. He didn't do anything wrong. So why did he go away?

"You little- is this your way of talking to your elder, I'm Junfeng's mother!" Lu Mimi clenched her teeth and her voice was raised another octave.

"Junfeng would be embarrassed to have a mother like you. Don't you know how much he cares for his brother? Now you're disregarding him just because he's no longer here?" any topic about Li Junfeng was a soft spot for Pei Qian, she wouldn't let others undermine him.

Lu Mimi was taken aback by the hostile temperament from Pei Qian. This girl was always polite and gentle in front of her. She was the perfect bride for Li Junfeng. But now that Li Junfeng was gone, she thought she could show her attitude?

"You little bitch! Did Li Shaoze make you do this? What did he give you in return of taking his side? Or did you actually cheat on-"

"Enough!" Li Shaoze's hands were curled into fists. He was barely holding on to reason. He couldn't stay to listen to such insult. He could bear it but what about Pei Qian?

"I have nothing to say to you. When I disappeared from the Li's, you should've thought of me as dead," there was a dark glint under his eyes. Lu Mimi was so infuriated but she didn't say anything else. His momentum was enough to make her think twice.

She walked away as she gave a piercing glare, "Wait for me to settle this! Junfeng's father won't stand for it!"

She talked as if Li Qinfeng wasn't Li Shaoze's father.

Pei Qian saw her go away as she pursed her lips. She didn't know what to say. What would one feel if their family was the one they had to consider enemy? Their bad blood was much worse than she thought but it was also very one-sided.

Li Shaoze wasn't the one making an enemy out of his family. It was the Li's who hated him to the core and wished for his misfortune. She couldn't fathom how Li Qinfeng could be so partial. Wasn't Li Shaoze still his biological son? What was wrong with their family?

"I didn't mean to get you involved. I'm truly sorry," Li Shaoze didn't look Pei Qian in the eye. Instead, he bowed his head slightly before he turned around to go back home. There was a bitter aftertaste in his heart and he felt very complicated.

"Brother Li," Pei Qian didn't know what got to her, but since Li Shaoze had changed to call her Pei Qian, she felt it was natural to regard him as brother.

Li Shaoze stopped in his track as he felt his heart beat uncontrollably. The lingering trace of unpleasantness was obscured by the loud sound of his chest. Her soft voice calling him was all he could remember at this moment, making him feel ashamed.

He turned to face Pei Qian and the first thing he saw was a trace of anger and helplessness in her eyes. She wanted to help him but didn't know how to. She couldn't help him due to their status as mere acquaintances or worse, strangers.

The redness at the corner of her eyes seemed to be telling him that she wanted to be given rights to get angry on his behalf. She wanted to get to know him better so that they could help each other. And so that nobody would find faults in her trying to stand up for him.

Li Shaoze was frozen in place. He couldn't not know what she was implying. But at the depths of his heart, he was afraid.

Pei Qian wasn't someone he could afford to get close to.

Li Junfeng asked him to try getting along with her but Li Shaoze knew he wouldn't be able to fulfill it to the T. Once he felt this way, he would be forced to cross the line.

Li Shaoze didn't want to cross the line.

Pei Qian was his younger brother's fiancee. The one he loved.

What was Li Shaoze in their unfortunate love story?

"Please excuse me," Li Shaoze steeled his heart and made a decisive turn to his house. His face expressionless like the first time they met and it left Pei Qian feeling dismayed for the first time.

He never turned to look back. He ignored her silent invitation and request. It was as if he didn't need her to interfere.