The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 432 - 431: Occupying Territory

As she entered the restaurant, Shen Mingzhu was thinking of finding an excuse to leave, when she heard Yan Su ask her, "Has the person you’re meeting arrived? If not, come with me and meet President Lan. She’s also self-made in industry, a very famous female entrepreneur from Bincheng. She owns seven or eight factories with over ten thousand employees."

"She built her business from scratch just like you did. You two should have a lot in common."

Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu immediately put the man out of her mind and followed Yan Su to meet the wealthy businesswoman.

With Yan Su acting as a go-between, and sharing a similar entrepreneurial experience, Shen Mingzhu hit it off with Lan Linghua right away and they enjoyed a delightful conversation.

After the meal, Lan Linghua, who couldn’t handle her liquor, left first.

Yan Su looked at Shen Mingzhu, "What about the person you were supposed to meet?"

Under the influence of alcohol and in good spirits, Shen Mingzhu no longer hid the truth and told Yan Su about her date with Pei Yang.

Yan Su did not tease her but instead reminded her to take some food over to Pei Yang.

Shen Mingzhu, without being polite, asked the waiter to bring a meal box and packed up some of Pei Yang’s favorite foods.

...

By the time Shen Mingzhu entered the room, the man’s tall figure was lying on the bed, turned away from the door as if he were asleep,

The light in the room was dim, the curtains were drawn firmly shut, and only the bedside lamp cast a soft orange glow.

Shen Mingzhu quietly closed the door, placed the packed meal on the cabinet, then sat on the edge of the bed to take off her shoes, intending to rest for a while.

She had never been good at holding her liquor, and after drinking several glasses with Lan Linghua, she felt dizzy.

She had only removed one shoe when a burning hot body pressed up against her back.

"You..."

Shen Mingzhu turned around, but before she could speak, the man kissed her.

"Have you been drinking?"

"Mhm."

"I was waiting for you eagerly, and you still found time to go drinking with others."

Pei Yang bit her at the collarbone as if to punish her.

Shen Mingzhu wasn’t angry, cupping the man’s face with her delicate palm, she patiently explained why she was late.

As soon as she finished talking, she intended to get up and bring over the packed meal, but Pei Yang held her by the shoulders, "I don’t want to eat."

"You’re not hungry?"

"Hungry."

But it was a different kind of hunger.

...

"Did you visit my uncle?"

"Mhm."

Shen Mingzhu, cozy as a kitten in his arms, closed her eyes and reveled in the rare peace and quiet.

Busy with work during the day, taking care of the kids at night, the couple had not been alone like this for a long time.

"My uncle gave me a big red envelope, bought a gaming console for Ziheng, and got a dress and a doll for Guoguo."

"How is my uncle’s health?"

"He’s doing very well, his complexion is rosy, and he’s full of energy. I spoke to him about it, asking him to come over during the Spring Festival."

"Mhm."

Pei Yang tightened his embrace and kissed her forehead, clearly grateful and happy that Shen Mingzhu had visited Pei Ke and invited him to come back to Fengcheng.

He was always someone who valued relationships deeply.

This was something Shen Mingzhu knew all too well.

"Do you want to hear some good news?"

Shen Mingzhu opened her eyes.

Pei Yang’s lips curved into a smile, "The branch sold over fifteen thousand three hundred boxes of mooncakes this year."

Shen Mingzhu immediately perked up, sitting up straight, "How did you do it?"

Pei Yang, supporting her lower back, teased her, "Call me something sweet first."

Shen Mingzhu leaned in and kissed his face generously, "Tell me quick!"

Pei Yang, satisfied, promptly shared with Shen Mingzhu the methods he had used to expand the business in Rongcheng.

"I haven’t spent much time in Rongcheng, and without any connections or background, it’s hard to sell anything even if I ran my legs off visiting businesses one by one."

"We needed help, but it was too late to hire salespeople and the investment would have been significant, so I approached Guo Xin and her group of sales clerks. I gave each of them two boxes of mooncakes and treated them to a meal, asking for their help in selling them."

"For every box they sold, I gave them a 20-cent commission, with the potential for more if they sold more."

"More than half of the over ten thousand boxes of mooncakes were sold by them, especially by Meng Qi. Her brother-in-law became the manager of the department store this year, and she alone sold over four thousand boxes."

"I calculated her commission at 25 cents per box and gave her an extra twenty boxes of mooncakes as a bonus. She was so happy she said she’d continue to help us sell mooncakes next year."

Shen Mingzhu gave a thumbs-up, "Impressive!"

"Impressive in what way?"

Half-leaning against the headboard, Shen Mingzhu replied with a playful twinkle in her eyes, "That’s hard to say, as I haven’t tried anyone else’s, I can’t compare..."

Before she could finish, Pei Yang pinned her down, biting his teeth as he asked, "You want someone else? Haven’t I satisfied you enough?"

Seeing how angry the man got, to the point where his hair seemed to stand on end, Shen Mingzhu couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

"I was wrong~"

With her face blooming like a spring flower and eyes as gentle as autumn waters, she smiled at him, dissipating any anger that remained in Pei Yang’s heart.

Still, he felt a desire to do something to her, so he lowered his head and left a roselike mark on her snowy, delicate neck.

It was like a dog marking its territory with urine.

When it views a place as its territory, it leaves a mark, telling other dogs, ’This place is mine.’"

Although Shen Mingzhu couldn’t see it, she knew what he was doing and couldn’t help but rub the bitten spot, feeling annoyed.

"How am I supposed to go to work now?"

Pei Yang held her in his arms like a doll, "Then don’t go to work. Let’s just stay in this bed and live out our lives here."

Shen Mingzhu snorted, "I don’t want that."

"Why not?"

Staring at your face all the time, I would get sick of it.

This thought she dared not voice. If she did, she couldn’t fathom how the man might lose his mind.

"I also have some good news to share with you."

"You’re pregnant?"

"Wishful thinking."

Shen Mingzhu rolled her eyes at the man, then told him about the total number of mooncakes she had sold recently.

Pei Yang praised her for being impressive with a smile.

But Shen Mingzhu keenly sensed his frustration and disappointment.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and said softly, "This time I relied on luck and relationships. If it weren’t for Zhong Qing and Yan Su’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to sell even ten thousand boxes. But you’re different; you sold those numbers based on real skill. Your achievements are way more significant than mine."

Pei Yang looked down at her, "Are you trying to flatter me?"

Shen Mingzhu also looked up at him, her eyes gently curving, "Do you want me to flatter you?"

"Yes."

Shen Mingzhu leaned in and kissed his lips, "I’ve been able to keep moving forward because I have you behind me. I’ve always firmly believed that no matter what happens, you’ll be with me to face it. Even if you do nothing, just your presence gives me hope and strength to face life and the future."

"Husband, thank you."

Pei Yang’s brows showed his pride, but he coyly responded, "Just saying ’thank you’ with your mouth isn’t very meaningful."

Shen Mingzhu playfully tapped on his abs as if playing the piano, "Then, what if I say ’I love you’?"

Pei Yang’s breathing paused for a moment, he turned his head, gazing at her intensely without blinking.

Shen Mingzhu tapped his firm nose, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What you just said, say it again."

Shen Mingzhu flipped over to straddle his hips, whispering in his ear like a seductive siren, "There’s no point in just saying it..."

... The following content is not suitable for children ...

Three days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Shen Mingzhu brought twenty thousand boxes of mooncakes to deliver to Yan Jing.

"Madam, we’ve counted everything. There are five hundred extra boxes of mooncakes," the butler said.

Hearing the butler’s words, Yan Jing looked towards Shen Mingzhu.