Atmosphere Shredder

Gepu, who rarely wears an apron, was busy at the table. By yesterday, he had finished all his work and achieved good results.

Neo, the president of Listoan, personally received him and will nominate him as Junior Partner of the Listoan Group at the quarterly meeting at the end of this month or the beginning of next month.

As a mere partner, he receives more in bonuses from the group each quarter than his current annual salary.

In fact, he knew that Neo and the Board of Directors approved it to shut him up. During this period, he had helped the Group Company handle a lot of accounts and plugged many loopholes.

These loopholes usually don't pose a significant problem, since Listoan is a pillar business group in Sabine City. Even if it does run into trouble, as long as it's not a nationally shocking issue, the Sabine City and even the State Government will protect Listoan Group to the death.

But when these loopholes are linked to the Heng Hui Group scandal, which involves senators and could even implicate the Presidential Cabinet, even a small problem can become a deadly dagger stabbing into the heart.

In dealing with these accounts Gepu performed exceptionally well, finally managing to get the ledgers to a satisfactory level.

Now that his work was finished, Neo personally gave him a bonus to thank him for his overtime work, and he was also promoted accordingly.

After all these things were over, he finally had time to resolve some minor conflicts within the family.

During this time, he noticed changes in his wife Vera, but he didn't do nothing and let things take their course. He hired a detective agency that had partnerships with the Listoan Group to investigate whether there was an affair between Vera and Lin Qi.

What comforted him was that his wife remained loyal to him. Although Lin Qi, that young man, sometimes didn't seem like a good person, they always maintained a bottom line in their interactions.

Today, he cooked dinner himself, partly to reward himself for his hard work during this period, and partly to resolve some family conflicts.

He believed his wife would understand his predicament, and he also knew that Vera had attended the party after Lin Qi's auction, although she had only attended the first half. But everyone was an adult and knew what was going on in that house.

She should understand that human will cannot change the birth of certain things, and refusal is often not about telling others that one is virtuous, but about expressing a different stance.

How could he, in such an important position in such a crucial department, possibly be far removed from others? He adjusted the tableware on the table and the napkin folded into a heart shape, then nodded in satisfaction.

He also inspected the gifts he had prepared as an apology: a diamond necklace worth over three thousand yuan and a platinum bracelet. The romantic atmosphere was so strong that the air in the room seemed to be filled with a sweet scent.

The sound of a key being inserted into the lock came from outside the door. Gepu quickly changed his clothes and hid the gifts. These were all surprises. He even turned off the lights in the dining room.

He walked to the entrance, opened the door, and greeted his wife with a smile. The two stood facing each other for a moment, one inside and one outside the door.

Gepu's expression quickly changed. The wind blew in the door the moment it opened, bringing not only the cool summer night breeze but also the smell of alcohol.

He asked, "Have you been drinking?"

A single sentence broke the silence between the two. Vera, carrying the gift bag Lin Qi had given her, walked in and nodded. "I had some with dinner."

Gepu frowned. "I didn't know you were going to eat out."

In the Bayer Federation, dinners are served late and are quite formal.

Generally speaking, businesses and factories finish their workday around 6 p. m., and with the time people need to get home and other factors, most families don't start eating until around 7 p. m.

Gepu knew that Lin Qi's auction would end a little late, and he had made sure to allow himself some time. At this moment, he couldn't help but raise his wrist to look at the exquisite watch on his wrist; it was only a little past eight o'clock.

Vera wasn't in a good mood. I don't know why, but before she opened the door, she had a smile on her face, along with an expression that was hard to tell whether she was regretting it or just happy. She felt that she shouldn't have kissed Lin Qi at the urging of others.

But the moment she opened the door and saw her husband Gepu's face, her emotions... well, not exactly depressed, but rather calm and composed.

As she walked upstairs, she nodded. "You know now?"

"I thought you would come back for dinner, so I prepared a special dinner!" Gepu chased after him. Was the romantic dinner he had planned for so long going to end like this?

Vera paused slightly, turning to the side and glancing back at Gepu who was catching up. "So what do you want to say now?" Her expression, under the dim light Gepu had deliberately created, carried an indescribable sense of mockery. "How about I eat some more?"

These words made Gepu feel very uncomfortable, but he still nodded. "I've been preparing for a long time. You can try my cooking; it might surprise you."

Vera hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "I'll go change my clothes..."

As she continued walking upstairs, Gepu didn't stop her this time. He could sense that his wife seemed to be giving in, which was good.

His gaze fell on the gift bag Vera was carrying. Although he wanted to ask some questions, he ultimately chose not to speak.

He believed that a normal, intelligent woman would know how to make a choice.

It's about choosing an entrepreneur who has no future, is good for nothing but good looks, and is destined to become a failure.

He chose to pursue a bright and promising future, becoming a partner in the Group Company and a respected figure with a respectable job and social standing.

Gepu, who has always dealt with numbers, is confident in this point, and can understand how realistic people's choices really are from the scumbags in the office who forget to write "Summary①" every day.

Soon, Vera came downstairs in a more casual outfit. Gepu frowned slightly. "I thought you would choose an evening gown, like the one I bought for you during the Spring Festival."

The evening gown that Gepu was talking about was a high-slit, backless, and open-chested gown. Not only would you need a great figure to pull it off, but you would also need a certain amount of courage.

Sometimes people in the lower classes find it hard to discern the true "propriety" of evening gowns, because these gowns can indeed evoke certain latent, blatant desires in people.

"This is more comfortable..." Vera had no intention of changing her clothes again. After going downstairs, she saw Gepu standing by the table pulling out a chair for her, walked over, and sat down.

This was a dinner to ease tensions between them. Gepu didn't want all the preparations to go to waste over some trivial matter, so he didn't dwell on the issue and started serving the food.

As he explained the dishes he had prepared, he told anecdotes about them. Women always like knowledgeable men. Young women may be fixated on a man's appearance, but women with life experience appreciate a man's talent more.

This was a great opportunity, a great chance to showcase his talent. He memorized everything he had read during the day and recited it with some of his own interpretation.

Just as he was about to pause and give Vera some context, a single sentence put him in an awkward position.

"Is it ready to eat?"

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, Gepu gritted his teeth and nodded. "Of course, I made all this so we could enjoy it together. Do you need me to help you cut the steak?"

"No!"

This was destined to be a rather unromantic dinner. Vera ate only a tiny bit of each dish, took a sip of her wine, and then picked up her napkin. "I'm done eating. It was a very good dinner..."

Gepu paused for a moment, then quickly took out the gift he had prepared. "Maybe today isn't the right time. Shall we go out to eat tomorrow?"

Under the lights, the diamond necklace and platinum bracelet shimmered with a captivating luster, but Vera showed no interest whatsoever.

She suddenly asked a question, "Have you ever used these methods to deal with those sluts who are willing to kiss your ass?"

With a single sentence, all the romance was shattered. Gepu placed the gift box back on the table, frowning as he looked at Vera. "That's all in the past. If you keep dwelling on this, the sun will never rise!"

Vera gave a mocking smile. "The past? Can you swear on your mother that you haven't touched another woman since that day?"

Gepu's parents divorced when he was young, and he was awarded to his mother, who worked hard to raise him and provide him with the opportunity to go to college.

Gepu, who was focused on making a name for himself, did not notice that his mother had actually been suffering from severe depression since the divorce.

Even in the summer, his mother would wear long-sleeved clothes and trousers. At that time, many traditional women did dress like that, but it wasn't for those reasons.

She simply didn't want Gepu to see the marks she had left on herself due to extreme depression. She didn't want her son to be distracted by her problems. Ultimately, after attending Gepu University's graduation ceremony, this poor woman ended her own life.

This also left Gepu with a lingering sense of guilt towards his mother; perhaps things would have been different if he had noticed her condition sooner.

Vera was well aware of this, and she struck Gepu directly in his weak spot.

After a pause of only about two seconds, Vera stood up and walked upstairs; she already knew the answer.

=①, Abstract: Sometimes this word is confused with shorts.