After Bai Tao entered Pei Shi’s room, she thoughtfully poured him a glass of water and hung up his jacket. However, within a few minutes, Pei Shi issued an order for her to leave—

“You can go back now.”

The lighting in the hotel room was a dim, ambiguous yellow, making it difficult for Bai Tao to see Pei Shi’s expression clearly. His voice was low and slightly hoarse, sounding a bit unnatural.

Bai Tao leaned in closer and noticed an unusual flush on Pei Shi’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Without thinking much, she reached out to touch his forehead. Could he have a fever?

Before her hand could get close, Pei Shi quickly blocked it, clearly rejecting her touch.

Bai Tao was only trying to be considerate, but Pei Shi’s reaction made her unhappy. What was his problem? Her own husband, and he wouldn’t let her touch him?

Feeling defiant, Bai Tao became more determined to touch him. She quickly used her other hand to feel his forehead—no fever.

But why was his face so unusually red?

Bai Tao continued to feel his face, her hand trailing downwards, and somehow ended up touching his collarbone—

Pei Shi was wearing a bathrobe, and the slightly open neckline made his collarbone particularly noticeable. Bai Tao never thought a man’s exposed collarbone could be so sexy and captivating…

But Pei Shi quickly restrained her hand.

“Don’t touch me.”

His voice was filled with suppressed and restrained emotion, deep and rejecting.

Weren’t they supposed to be a loving couple? What kind of warning was this? Bai Tao had come to check if he needed care, without any other intentions. But now, seeing Pei Shi’s guarded look and stiff body language, she wondered what was going on. Was he treating her like a virtuous woman would a lecher?

Did he think she was lusting after his body?

Bai Tao, feeling rebellious, decided to be stubborn: “I want to touch you. What can you do about it?”

As she spoke, her hand reached out again, aiming to quickly touch him and gain a superficial advantage, just to scare Pei Shi.

According to her records, Pei Shi was very enthusiastic about their intimate life. Why was he so resistant now? Bai Tao stared at Pei Shi, trying to figure it out, and suddenly realized—

Pei Shi probably couldn’t handle alcohol well, which was why he never drank. Now, having taken a drink for her, he was likely feeling all sorts of discomfort…

Men hated being looked down upon by women.

People said alcohol affected men’s performance. Pei Shi, so defensive now, was probably afraid that if she hinted at intimacy tonight and he underperformed, it would damage his image in her eyes!

Understanding this logic, Bai Tao almost laughed. Pei Shi had nothing to worry about!

She quickly explained: “I just want to touch you, I don’t have any other intentions…”

“If you don’t have any other intentions, then don’t touch me.” Pei Shi’s voice came almost simultaneously, hoarse and full of restrained frustration, “Are you looking for trouble?”

?

“What trouble? Trouble with poor performance after drinking?” Bai Tao immediately clarified, “Don’t worry, I really don’t have any such intentions tonight! I’ll leave right away!”

However, just as she finished speaking, Pei Shi, who had been trying to get her to leave, suddenly sneered. As Bai Tao opened the door, Pei Shi pushed it shut again and pinned her against it. “Explain yourself,” he demanded, his voice carrying a mix of accusatory disbelief and anger. “Poor performance? What do you mean by poor performance after drinking?”

Pei Shi stared directly at Bai Tao, his eyes smoldering with suppressed anger. His breath was heavy, and in this position, Bai Tao was trapped in his embrace, his face mere inches from hers. Bai Tao’s face reddened immediately, feeling the room’s temperature rise to an almost suffocating heat. She could even feel Pei Shi’s breath—warm, moist, and ambiguous.

“Bai Tao, you never learn, do you?” Pei Shi murmured in her ear, lowering his voice. “Have you forgotten what happened the last time you made me drink?”

Frankly, Bai Tao had no idea. The past was a blank slate for her since she had transmigrated here.

Had she really made Pei Shi drink before? What happened afterward? Did he go on a drunken rampage? Was he a bad drunk? Was that why he avoided alcohol so much?

“Think carefully about how you begged me for half the night after making me drink.”

“What?”

Pei Shi released her and turned his gaze away, heading toward the sofa. He waved his hand impatiently at Bai Tao. “Hurry up and leave.”

“Huh?”

“I’m giving you a chance. Leave before I lose control and regret it.”

Lose control? Bai Tao was now convinced that Pei Shi must indeed go on a drunken rampage…

Seeing Bai Tao still standing there, Pei Shi seemed to lose his patience. He glared at her. “That drink Zhang Zhixing gave you was absinthe.”

“Absinthe? Is it harmful?”

“Absinthe typically has an alcohol content of over 50%, and thujone in absinthe has a neurotoxic effect. Besides the intoxication from alcohol, absinthe can cause hallucinations and stimulation.” Pei Shi’s voice was hoarse. “Because of these effects, absinthe is a popular aphrodisiac, and I don’t have a high tolerance for it.”

He glanced at Bai Tao. “Do you understand what I mean?”

Bai Tao was still confused. “Not a high tolerance?”

Pei Shi looked down. “It means that the aphrodisiac effects of absinthe are very effective on me.”

Pei Shi paused and added with restraint, “And the effects are very noticeable.”

This… Bai Tao glanced at Pei Shi and finally noticed how uncomfortable he seemed, suppressing his discomfort. His posture was different from usual, as if he were trying to hide something. Despite the loose bathrobe, Bai Tao took a quick look at his silhouette and her mind exploded—

This… This is a bit scary!

She needed to run!

“Sorry to bother you! Pei Shi, I’m leaving now!”

But just as Bai Tao was about to open the door, Pei Shi got up and pushed it shut once again.

Is this guy regretting and about to pounce on me like a hungry wolf?

Bai Tao thought it over. Although they had become a loving couple five years later, she still couldn’t accept it calmly right now!

Defending her purity was an absolute must!

Just as Bai Tao raised her hand firmly to push Pei Shi away, he grabbed her hand aggressively and gave her a fierce glare. “You better calm down,” he warned, gesturing for her to be quiet. He lowered his voice. “Did you hear knocking next door?”

As he mentioned it, Bai Tao listened carefully and indeed noticed knocking—it was coming from her own room at this hour. Who could it be, Sun Jing? Wasn’t she supposed to be asleep?

Pei Shi pushed Bai Tao aside and also glanced out the door. He frowned. “Don’t leave yet.”

Where could she even go now?

She was scared out of her wits. “How did he find his way here? Weren’t we discussing cooperation? How could he harass the assistant of the cooperating party in the middle of the night? And he even wanted to give me absinthe, which was originally meant for me…”

Pei Shi rubbed his temples, his expression grim. He walked back to the bar and took a sip of Perrier. “Big data has emerged as a trend in recent years, but the pricing of data system development actually has a lot of autonomy because it’s difficult to define whether a system development costs five hundred thousand or five million. Therefore, there are many cases of collusion between parties, and many second parties may not be professionals but relatives of the first party’s executives. There are always subtle connections like Zhang Zhixing’s. Companies can develop a unique business line through this, needing not only skilled data engineers but also a big tree to pull the business.”

“But because of this trend, the quality of practitioners varies greatly. People like Zhang Zhixing have no bottom line and often engage in unscrupulous practices, including offering special treatment to each other.”

“But I’m your assistant! How could he dare to do this? It’s so blatant!”