To My Dear Mr. Huo

Li Qianxue did not appear to blame him when she said this. However, the mockery in her eyes was apparent.

Su Chenghui’s complexion instantly paled. Li Qianxue sneered, “You should remember what you did, right? I still remember some things clearly, even though they happened twenty years ago, I can still remember them clearly. I don’t believe your memory has failed to this extent, right?”

Su Chenghui was speechless, Li Qianxue continued, “Su Chenghui, in the past, I was blind, and all I wanted was your love. Later, I realized that I was very foolish. Because I overestimated myself, you had the chance to hurt me again and again. You even had the chance to hurt my child. Let me tell you right now. It won’t happen again, not in the future.”

“Qianxue, I didn’t –”

He wanted to explain, but he swallowed his words when he met Li Qianxue’s piercing eyes.

Li Qianxue stared at Su Chenghui’s face and her heart didn’t waver at all.

“Just because you said a few words of affection, and just because you admitted your regret, do I have to forgive you? Do I have to get back together with you? Su Chenghui, who gave you the confidence and courage to say such shameless words?”

“But I don’t believe a single word you said. You don’t have to say it.”

“Qianxue.” this situation was not out of Su Chenghui expectations. But when he truly encountered such a situation, he really felt a strong sense of helplessness.

“You… what exactly do I have to do in order for you to be willing to forgive me?”

“I will never forgive you. I never will.”

Li Qianxue didn’t mind clarifying herself. “No matter what you do or say, I won’t believe a word of it. No matter what you want, or what your purpose is, I won’t give in to you at all. Su Chenghui. After the divorce, you and I can only be strangers. If you are willing, then we will part ways and live in peace.”

“But if you are unwilling, or if you still want to obtain something that doesn’t belong to you, or if you still hope to use me, then you will only be faced with disappointment.”

“I don’t.” Su Chenghui hurriedly explained, “Qianxue, what I said is true. My feelings for you are serious. I –”

“I am also being serious.”

Li Qianxue interrupted him and her gaze suddenly became extremely piercing. “I am being serious. Su Chenghui, don’t do something that you and I will regret.”

“I’m not afraid to tell you that your words will not soften my heart. Even your precious daughter was not able to soften my heart.”

Precious daughter? Surprise flashed past Su Chenghui’s face. “You…You’re talking about Peizhen? What… what happened to her?”

“Does your heart ache? Are you feeling anxious?” Li Qianxue smiled, even though there was some bitterness hidden in the depths of her smile.

After all, she was the daughter she raised herself. Now she had become a tool to deal with Su Chenghui.

It was impossible to say that she didn’t waver at all. But this was the only way, and also the fastest way to force Su Chenghui to give up.

“You probably don’t know, right? Your daughter, Su Peizhen. She cried yesterday, begging me to acknowledge her once more and bring her back into the Su family. Don’t you think it’s funny?”

“Qianxue?” Su Chenghui’s body trembled, and he stood there in a daze.

Even though he had some disagreements with Su Peizhen previously because of some matters, she was still his daughter whom he had doted on for many years.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable? Su Chenghui, you deserve this. You’re the one who harmed her.”

“Do you know that when she begged me, she looked exactly the same as you just now? I should have recorded it for you to see. You two father and daughter resemble each other too much.”

“Qianxue, stop talking.”

Su Chenghui’s shoulders drooped down, and he looked dejected.

“Qianxue, Peizhen is actually innocent. Please don’t hurt her.”

The people he had wronged were not merely Su Qingsang and Li Qianxue. He had also wronged Su Peizhen.

She was right. He shouldn’t have given her such an identity and then cruelly threw her from such a high place.

He was a failure who had been making mistakes time and time again. He had let down too many people.

“Su Chenghui, if you don’t want me to hurt your precious daughter, then please stay away from me. I don’t want to see you, be it due to chance or intention. This is the simplest and most direct way of expressing myself. If it’s possible, please take a detour even if you see me in the future. Stay away from me, alright?”

When Li Qianxue spoke to this point, she didn’t forget to flash a proud smile. “Of course, if you refuse, I don’t mind doing something to Su Peizhen. You should know that I am capable of doing so. After all, she wholeheartedly wants to be my daughter. She loves me and cares about me, doesn’t she?”

“Qianxue, I beg you. Don’t say it. You won’t. You’re not that kind of person. Peizhen, she’s also your daughter.”

“She’s not. My daughter is Su Qingsang. I hope you remember this.”

Li Qianxue took a step forward, she glared at Su Chenghui. “Su Peizhen is not my daughter. Let me tell you, even if I raised her for more than 20 years, and even if she has a mother-daughter relationship with me for more than 20 years… It’s still not enough to overcome the mistakes and sins you’ve committed. Did you think I’d show mercy to her just because of the mother-daughter relationship we shared in the past? You’re wrong.”

“I hate her as much as I treated her well and loved her back then. Because such affections were stolen by you and your daughter shamelessly. You stole the happiness and motherly affection that was supposed to belong to my daughter. Su Chenghui, let me express this clearly. After I found out what you did, I will no longer have any mother-daughter relationship with Su Peizhen.”

“Because if I still have feelings for her, then I can only do as you wish and give you another chance to toy with me. And I don’t want to give you such a chance.”

She had treated Su Peizhen well before, and now she hated her as much as she hated her. All of this was caused by Su Chenghui.

“Qianxue… I really didn’t. I…”

“Whether you did or not, I don’t care anymore. Just treat me as a petty person. No matter what you say or do, it can’t erase the hatred in my heart. So don’t waste your effort.”

Su Chenghui stood there motionlessly. He definitely knew how difficult this path was going to be beforehand.

But when he truly stepped on this path, he realized that its difficulty was much greater than he thought.

Li Qianxue refused to believe his words. No matter what he said, she would not believe it.

“Qianxue.” Su Chenghui stood there without moving. His eyes were filled with pain and regret. Li Qianxue was unmoved.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. She had long given up on Su Chenghui.

Even though she came close to wavering because of Su Peizhen, these emotions were suppressed when she recalled the grievances that Su Qingsang had suffered all these years.

This was also the reason why she could be so cold when she was confronted by Su Peizhen yesterday.

“I’ll repeat myself one more time. If you continue to pester me, I’ll go deal with Su Peizhen. You know it’s within my capabilities. I can do it.”

More importantly, Su Peizhen still had an attachment towards her. Even if she didn’t do anything, it was enough to hurt her.

She knew this, and so did Su Chenghui.

“Okay. I’ll go.” Su Chenghui’s shoulders drooped even more, and his whole person radiated a sense of dejection.

“Qianxue, I’ll go. I only hope that you won’t hurt Su Peizhen for the sake of the mother-daughter relationship you shared with her in the past twenty years.”

Li Qianxue stood still, but her eyes became colder and harsher. Don’t Hurt Su Peizhen? So she could let Su Peizhen hurt Su Qingsang?

She was indeed the child of another woman. Su Chenghui, ah, Su Chenghui, where did you get the face to say that you love me?

After Su Chenghui left, the room became quiet.

Li Qianxue’s figure was straight. She looked at a certain spot expressionlessly. She seemed to have thought of something and her face turned ugly.

However, this ugly expression did not last long.

She used to be as gentle as water, but now, her heart was as hard as a knife.

She was not wrong.

..

Huo Jinyao stared at the document in front of him and a faint smile appeared on his face.

The mantis stalks the cicada and the oriole follows behind. Huo Yifan had already entered his trap. He was just one step away from taking the bait.

Once he signed the contract, it would serve as irrefutable evidence. At that time, he wanted to see how his grandfather would protect the second young master of the Huo family.

“President Huo, what are we going to do next?”

“We don’t have to do anything else.” Huo Jinyao smiled, he placed the document back into Yang Wenchang’s hands. “We just need to keep an eye on them and make them lower their guard. Then, we’ll wait for them to sign the contract. We just need to put the contract in front of grandfather.”

Yang Wenchang glanced at Huo Jinyao, and hesitation could be seen on his face.

Huo Jinyao seemed to understand what he was trying to say. He spoke calmly, “What? Do you think I’m too soft-hearted? Do you think I should just hand over the evidence to the board after they sign the contract? That way, Huo Yifan will never be able to rise again?”

If that was the case, Huo Yifan would have to leave Tian Domain. He would not be able to maintain a firm hold over the position as vice president of Tian Domain Group.

Yang Wenchang remained silent. That was indeed what he thought.

“In fact, I want to do that too.” Huo Yifan glanced at him with an indifferent expression. “But, grandfather won’t like it.”

“Grandfather is old. He values relationships. He won’t like to see us siblings fight.”

Yang Wenchang stopped talking. With Grandpa Huo’s personality, that was indeed possible. If Huo Jinyao really did that… Grandpa Huo would probably feel that Huo Jinyao was being too cruel and merciless again.

“Just take it as a lesson for him.” Huo Jinyao respected Grandpa Huo. “If he still doesn’t know how to restrain himself, then I certainly won’t be polite anymore. This time, he can consider himself lucky.”

He only hoped that Huo Yifan would not be too stupid. Did he really think that he could do whatever he wanted unscrupulously?

If that was the case, then don’t blame him for being impolite.

Yang Wenchang nodded and recalled another matter. “Oh right, our company’s anniversary is coming up. The activity schedule has been released. President Huo, take a look at this plan.”

Anniversary celebration? Huo Jinyao remembered that Li Qianxue and Su Chenghui were both in Rong City.

Although he did not want to interfere in the matter between Su Chenghui and Li Qianxue, he could help Su Chenghui for the sake of Su Qingsang.

“Prepare two VIP invitations. I’ll need them when the time comes.”

“Yes.”

“As for the flow of events, I won’t look at it in too much detail. It’ll be more or less the same as last year.”

After Huo Jinyao asked Yang Wenchang to leave, he suddenly thought of something.

Since Su Chenghui and Li Qianxue were both coming to the anniversary celebration, Huo Yifan would definitely bring Su Peizhen along.

If that was the case, there would be a good show to watch.

..

In the boutique, Su Qingsang lowered her head and stared at herself. Then she looked at Li Qianxue.

“Mom, this one?”

“No, try on that one again.”

Su Qingsang held the clothes in her hands and said helplessly, “Mom, I’ve tried on seven or eight already.”

“Of course, you have to try it out. You’re attending the Tian Domain Group’s anniversary celebration. It can be considered your first official appearance since you came to Rong City. Your image must be perfect.”

As she spoke, she placed a white gown in Su Qingsang’s hands and said, “Be good, go and try on this one too.”

Su Qingsang took the gown and glanced at Huo Jinyao, who had been standing by the side.

It was all his fault. He had made her try on gowns for no good reason that day. It had been more than an hour and yet, a decision had yet to be made.

Huo Jinyao met Su Qingsang’s reproachful gaze and smiled lightly.

“Alright, just listen to Mom.”

Su Qingsang had no choice but to take the gown and go back in.

Li Qianxue turned around and glanced at Huo Jinyao with a rare look of admiration in her eyes.

“You’re quite patient.”

“Of course.” Huo Jinyao accepted Li Qianxue’s compliment graciously. “It’s my honor to be able to accompany the two beauties. Mom, aren’t you going to give it a try?”

“Qingsang is the main character. Pick out her clothes first.”

“That’s fine too. Mom, you’ll wear a dress of the same color as Qingsang. You’ll look just like a pair of sisters.”

This person really knew how to sweet talk. Li Qianxue glanced at Huo Jinyao.

“You don’t have to suck up to me. As long as you treat Qingsang well, it’s good enough for me.”

“Mom, you’ve really wronged me. I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, ask someone else later. Who would believe that you could give birth to a daughter as old as Qingsang?”

Li Qianxue finally smiled. She glanced at Huo Jinyao with a rare look of satisfaction.

Su Qingsang came out in that white gown. She was already exhausted.

Li Qianxue took a step back and looked up and down before shaking her head. “Change it. This one is not as good as the gold one.”

“Here, try this one again.”

“Mom.” Su Qingsang could not take it anymore. She stared at Huo Jinyao pitifully.

Huo Jinyao smirked and took the dress from Li Qianxue. He walked up to Su Qingsang.

“This is the last one. After you try it on, we’ll help your mom pick out the dress.”

He winked at Su Qingsang, and Su Qingsang immediately understood what he meant.

She took the dress from him helplessly. She made a face at him before returning to the fitting room.

The exchange of winks between the two did not escape Li Qianxue’s eyes.

She noticed it and was very pleased. No matter what, she was happy that her daughter and son-in-law shared a good relationship.

With Huo Jinyao’s protection, Su Qingsang would not need to follow in her footsteps for the rest of her life.

..

When Huo Yifan entered the room, he smelled the faint scent of alcohol in the room.

He took off his suit jacket and placed it aside. When he entered the room, he discovered Su Peizhen sitting on the sofa in the living room.

There were a few bottles of red wine in front of her. One of the bottles had already been opened, and she had drunk most of it.

At that moment, Su Peizhen was holding a wine glass in her hand and was partially reclined on the sofa. Her hand was gently twirling the glass in her hand.

Her slightly narrowed eyes were filled with confusion. When she saw him enter the room, she didn’t say a word. She simply picked up the wine and took a sip.

“Isn’t it boring to drink alone?”

Huo Yifan went forward and sat down next to her. He reached out to grab the glass in her hand and poured himself a glass. “If you want to drink, why didn’t you wait for me?”

“Why wait for you?” Su Peizhen glanced at him. “You’re going to sign the contract with the other company, right? Shouldn’t you be keeping an eye on them during this period of time? Why are you back so early today?”

“You also mentioned that you were going to sign the contract. Since you’re going to sign the contract, it’s basically done.”

Su Peizhen glanced at him. She didn’t appear too proud of herself. “Why do I feel like this matter is proceeding too smoothly?”

“Isn’t it good that it’s proceeding smoothly?”Huo Yifan put his arm around her waist. “Look, you’re smart, and with my resources, isn’t it normal for things to go smoothly?”

Su Peizhen blinked at him and didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, she took another glass from the side and poured herself a glass of wine.

Huo Yifan watched her move and drank a mouthful of wine. Before she picked up the glass, he leaned over, kissed her lips, and downed the wine.

Su Peizhen didn’t like his actions. After she was forced to drink the wine, she pushed him away.

“What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?”

Su Peizhen was indeed in a bad mood.

She had stayed at Huo Yifan’s place for two days. However, she didn’t receive another call from Xiang Caiping.

Li Qianxue didn’t call her, and neither did Xiang Caiping. It was as if her two mothers had abandoned her.

She felt her heart suffocate. There was a kind of suffocating pain.

She used to think that Li Qianxue would never give up on her, but she was wrong.

Later on, she thought that Xiang Caiping would never give up on her, but she was wrong again.

Now, everything was finished. Because of her small action, her two mothers didn’t want her anymore.

Su Peizhen recalled how well Xiang Caiping treated her for the past five months. She thought she did not care.

But when she really lost her, she realized that she was not as calm as she thought she would be.

It turned out that she still had expectations for Xiang Caiping. It turned out that she was not as indifferent to Xiang Caiping as she appeared to be.

Now that she realized this, what was the point? Xiang Caiping no longer wanted her.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.” Su Peizhen shook her head. She did not want to talk about these things. “Keep a close eye on the cooperation. I have a feeling that Huo Jinyao is not as simple as you think.”

“Don’t worry. I heard that his mother-in-law is here. He didn’t even go to work today and went to accompany his mother-in-law. From how he’s been behaving, I believe he won’t be able to stir up any trouble.”

Mother-in-law? Wasn’t that Li Qianxue?

Su Peizhen’s mood became more and more gloomy. Huo Jinyao knew how to be a good person. He took time off from work to accompany Li Qianxue.

Was he trying to help Su Qingsang curry favor with Li Qianxue?

As this thought flashed through her mind, Su Peizhen dispelled the thought that Huo Jinyao harbored suspicions against her and Huo Yifan.

With Huo Jinyao’s current state, everything was probably incomparable to Su Qingsang, right?

Speaking of which, she was about to marry Huo Yifan. She didn’t believe that Huo Jinyao could really endure it.

“You seem rather unhappy that Huo Jinyao went to accompany his mother-in-law?” Huo Yifan suddenly approached Su Peizhen. “Speaking of which, that mother-in-law of his was formerly your mother, right?”

The ridicule in Huo Yifan’s words caused Su Peizhen’s expression to change slightly again. She sneered and took the wine glass from his hand before drinking the wine in one gulp.

She looked up at him with a cold gaze. “Yes. His mother-in-law was formerly my mother. So what? If you think I’m a powerless and pitiful illegitimate daughter, you can abandon me. I won’t beg you to take me in.”

Su Peizhen put down the wine glass and stood up, as if she was going to leave.

Huo Yifan flicked wrist and pulled her into his arms.

“Look at you, you’re angry after just a few words? Who’s looking down on you? I love you more than words can say.”

“Love?” Su Peizhen sat on his lap and looked at the smile on his face. “You said you love Me?”

“What else could I have said?” Huo Yifan kissed her lips. “If I didn’t love you, why would I take the risk and use my position in the Tian Domain Group to make such a big gamble with you?”

Su Peizhen didn’t believe Huo Yifan’s words completely. She was only partially the reason why he was willing to make such a big gamble.

But it was clear to her that he didn’t want to be inferior to Huo Jinyao for the rest of his life, and that was the other half of the reaosn.

He had lofty ambitions, and everything he did was for himself.

“You don’t seem to believe me?” Huo Yifan leaned over and held her waist tightly in his arms.

“Looks like I have to do something to make you believe me.”

“What can you do?” Su Peizhen didn’t think that Huo Yifan would be able to get married with her right now.

“The Tian Domain Group’s anniversary is in two days. How about being my female partner?”

He whispered into her ear, “Speaking of which, I’ve never brought a female partner other than my secretary on the anniversary. You’re the first, don’t you feel honored?”

The anniversary celebration of the Tian Domain group was no small matter.

It wasn’t just Grandfather Huo. There were people in the Huo family’s business circle who worked with them. All the employees who had worked for the Tian domain group would be there.

It could be said that apart from those on duty, most of them would be present.

His willingness to bring Su Peizhen to the anniversary celebration was another form of affirmation of her identity. It was twice as formal as meeting her parents.

“Anniversary celebration?” Su Peizhen narrowed her eyes. “Huo Jinyao is working with the Li family. So, his mother-in-law should be coming too, right?”

“She should be coming.” Huo Yifan stared at Su Peizhen’s scheming eyes and suddenly broke into a grin. “What? Did you think of something?”

“Nothing. I’ll go.”

Li Qianxue thought so little of her. She believed that she had a motive for getting close to Huo Yifan.

Then she would let Li Qianxue see for herself. Even without the Su family and the Li family backing her up, Su Peizhen could still do well.

As for marrying into the Huo family, that was a simple matter.