Her originally smooth and fair face was now covered in patches of red rash, with tiny, glistening bumps visible upon closer inspection.
Because her skin was so fair, it looked especially pitiful and frightening.
She had been perfectly fine just moments ago, what had happened?
Feeling their gazes, Pei Kexin quickly reached up to touch her face.
As she touched and scratched, she murmured, "What's wrong? My face feels a bit itchy, I scratched it a few times. Did something happen? Did I break out in bumps?"
"My body itches too."
Saying this, she lifted her arm to look.
Her arm, just like her face, was covered in patches of red rash.
Seeing herself like this, Pei Kexin was also a little stunned.
Could she be having an allergic reaction?
She hadn't had an allergic reaction in years.
"Are you allergic?"
The manager's first thought was this.
"Did you eat something wrong just now? Are you allergic to anything?"
Allergic to what?
Pei Kexin thought back. When she was twelve, she had overeaten at a New Year's Eve dinner, consuming several pieces of yam. She ended up in the hospital.
That was her only history of allergies.
She couldn't help but think of the lunch Zhan Jingchen had bought for her.
"Did the dishes you bought at noon contain yam? I'm allergic to yam."
Zhan Jingchen had no idea about this.
He didn't even know what yam was, let alone that she was allergic to it.
"You never said anything, how would I know? If you're allergic, don't just stand there, let's go to the hospital!"
With that, he pulled out his chair, grabbed his car keys, and was about to leave.
Pei Kexin checked the time; it was almost time for work.
"We've already announced it, there's an all-hands meeting this afternoon. How can I go to the hospital now? It's fine, it's just an allergy, I won't die. We can go after the meeting."
"After the meeting? He said it would take several hours. Look at your face, what's happened to it? Can you hold out until then?"
Pei Kexin picked up her bag, found her cushion compact, and opened the mirror to examine her face.
It was indeed red and a little scary, no wonder it had been itching so much.
But scary or not, that was how it was.
The time was already scheduled, she couldn't possibly stand up the entire staff.
"It's fine. I'll say something if I can't bear it."
With that, she started applying cushion to her face, trying to cover the red patches.
But with such a large area, how could it be covered so easily?
Zhan Jingchen watched her attempt to conceal it, his brow furrowing in impatience.
"It's just a meeting, what's the difference if it's a day earlier or later? Just say there's a last-minute issue and ask them to postpone it. Come on, let's go to the hospital."
Pei Kexin remained seated.
"No, it's not about a day earlier or later, it's a matter of principle."
"We just acquired the company, and if we bail on everyone, what will our leadership team look like? It's fine, I'll just look a bit ugly, that's how it is."
Saying this, she stopped trying to cover it, closed the cushion compact, put it back in her bag, and extended her hand to the manager.
"Quickly, let me examine you, you check me."
The manager, a straightforward man, didn't know what else to say and obediently did as she asked.
Zhan Jingchen looked at the dense red patches on her arm, gritting his teeth in anger.
"Then I'll go buy you medicine, you hold on for now."
Pei Kexin looked up. "No, you can't leave either. You're the company's vice president, you have to speak too. I've written a speech for you as well."
Zhan Jingchen was extremely agitated.
"What speech? It's all just empty platitudes, do you think I can say that? With the two of you, it's enough. I don't care."
With that, he turned and left.
The manager knew his temper and didn't expect him to speak. So, he left, and together with Pei Kexin, they made arrangements and went to the first-floor lobby.
All the employees were lined up waiting. They, along with a few senior executives, went onto the stage.
Zhan Jingchen, unsure if she was indeed allergic, called a doctor he knew and consulted him carefully about the symptoms before going to the hospital to get the medicine.
It took him over an hour to return. By then, Pei Kexin was already speaking.
He stood at the back of the crowd and watched for a while. Pei Kexin's condition had worsened since he left.
Not only was her entire face flushed red, but it had also started to swell, making her look like a pig's head from a comedy movie.
He had intended to let her finish her speech before giving her the medicine, but Pei Kexin's script was very long. It took him several minutes to get through the part about Zhan's acquisition of Pei's.
Fearing she might faint on stage as she spoke, Zhan Jingchen finally couldn't hold back. He rushed back to the office, crushed the medicine, dissolved it in a teacup, stirred it well, and returned to the venue with the teacup.
Pei Kexin indeed hadn't finished speaking. He disregarded everything else, strode through the crowd, and walked over to her.
Ignoring the many eyes watching, and whether Pei Kexin would accept his gesture, he walked up to her side and handed her the teacup.
Clearly, Pei Kexin was momentarily distracted by his actions.
But she reacted quickly. While still speaking, she calmly glanced at the teacup.
Seeing that the tea was a thick, milky white, as if something had been steeped in it, and thinking that Zhan Jingchen wouldn't harm her, she pretended to casually take it.
Then, seizing a moment between sentences, she picked up the cup, took a large gulp, and handed the teacup back to Zhan Jingchen.
Zhan Jingchen, under everyone's gaze, took the teacup and left the venue again.
A small commotion arose from the crowd.
The female employees were pleasantly surprised by Zhan Jingchen's sudden appearance, but they hadn't expected him to be there to bring water for Pei Kexin.
It was as if he were her assistant, handing it to her so smoothly, watching her drink it, and then leaving...
This was the young master of the Zhan family, after all!
Pei Kexin actually had such a good relationship with Young Master Zhan!
Everyone couldn't help but speculate.
"What's going on? Pei's has been acquired, and not only did President Pei not leave, but she's also so close to Young Master Zhan. Could there be something fishy going on?"
"It's possible. After all, she's the eldest daughter of the Pei family, and she's beautiful. Perhaps Zhan's acquisition of Pei's is just the foundation for their marriage alliance."
"Marriage alliance? Don't be ridiculous. You all know she's not the biological daughter of the Pei family. Why would the Zhan family, with such a good background, enter into a marriage alliance with a fake socialite?"
"But she's capable, young, and beautiful, and she navigates her way through men with ease. Otherwise, how could the sales department have achieved such good performance under her leadership these past few years? I used to think those men just hadn't seen the world, but I never expected that such a young and handsome young master like Zhan would fall for her charm."
"Hey, let me tell you. Yesterday, I saw in the group chat that a few assistants from the administrative department said they saw the two of them being intimate in the office after work last night. President Pei even touched Young Master Zhan's face."
"What? Touched his face? Could it be that the two of them really have something going on?"
"There must be something. It wasn't just one person who saw it; several people did. She's really something, isn't she? Could she become our boss's wife in the future?"
"Oh my god. If that really happens, I really want to learn from this woman."