Chapter 5

r. Huo hasn't spoken yet.""Well then, should we have to wait for him to speak before discussing matters concerning our own family" Ji Lin glared coldly at them."Yes," Cao Fang replied respectfully, wi...Time passed by minute by minute, Fu Yan's whole body was stiff on the sofa, motionless.

I don't know how long I sat on the sofa. Huo Mingzheng brought a bowl of noodles to her, and seeing her astonished expression, he said, "Aren't you hungry"

He was surprised, thinking he wasn't staying here tonight.

And...

Looking at the bowl of noodles, which was fragrant and appetizing, Fu Yan's expression became even more complicated.

Ho Mingzheng glanced at her, seeing through her thoughts. "Cao Fang cooked it."

Fu Yan nodded silently. She also knew that Huo Mingzheng wouldn't possibly cook for her. In her impression, he didn't even know how to cook.

She was so hungry that she lowered her head to eat noodles, while Huo Mingzheng went to the balcony and lit a cigarette.

After dinner, my energy had mostly recovered. Fu Yan looked at the suitcase by the entrance hall and recalled what Song Qing˪ had said before leaving the Huo family.

Hu Mingzheng walked in from the balcony and saw her squatting beside the suitcase, stuffing things inside. She must have forgotten to take them earlier.

There are still many things she left behind in the house, all bought for her by Huo Mingzheng.

Everything that was taken away belonged to her. She didn't take anything of value.

Footsteps behind were getting closer.

Fu Yan closed the box and turned her back to Huo Mingzheng, "I don't want to be a third party."

"Huh" Huo Mingzheng sounded as if he hadn't heard clearly.

Fu Yan took a deep breath, "You're getting married and you're still keeping me around Aren't you making me your mistress"

She was afraid that Huo Mingzheng would say, "If you think so, there's nothing I can do about it."

But Huo Mingzheng said, "You're overthinking it."

Even that is not as good.

"Did I overthink it" Fu Yan repeated the question, standing up and turning to face the man she had loved for so many years, desperately trying not to let her eyes turn red.

"Grandpa has arranged a marriage partner for you, hasn't he"

This was the first time she had questioned him in such a tone.

His voice trembled, clearly holding back his emotions.

"Yes."

He didn't deny it.

Fu Yan's eyes instantly turned red, she averted her face, and her throat felt like it was being choked by a hand. She swallowed hard and said, "If I'm not a third party, then what am I"

He frowned. "I told you, you're overthinking it. This won't change anything."

How could he say something like that so easily

"That's what you think won't change anything," Fu Yan pulled up her suitcase, gripping the handle tightly, her voice choked with emotion, "Because to you, I'm unimportant."

"Want to play a game with me" The man grasped her arm, his fingers tightening their hold.

She has been brooding over what he said at the Huo family dinner.

Fu Yan pulled her suitcase tightly, feeling only a deep sadness. Even now, he still thought she was the one making trouble.

"Huo Mingzheng." She looked up at him, a tear glistening in the corner of her eye, like herself, stubborn and refusing to fall, painfully bright.

She looked into the man's eyes, her eye rims turning red slightly, and stammered, "What if I said I don't want you to get married"

Knowing full well this was a self-deprecating statement, she couldn't help but gamble on that one in a million chance.

Ho Mingzheng's eyes darkened noticeably.

Fu Yan laughed at herself, "Sure enough."

Huo Mingzheng grabbed her chin, lifting her up with his hand. He could clearly see the fleeting disappointment in her eyes.

He couldn't help but sneer: "Do you not want me to get married, or do you not want me to marry anyone else Fu Yan, look at your question, what answer do you want Do you know what you really want"

Huo Mingzheng's words were like a basin of cold water, thoroughly waking Fu Yan up.

Yes, their relationship is shady, and in some ways, it's not much different from having an affair.

That's why he said that his marriage wouldn't change anything about their relationship.

She realized the truth, her heart felt like it had been slashed, and her face turned pale.

Huo Mingzheng's thin lips pursed slightly.

She whispered softly, "I was wrong two years ago. I shouldn't have provoked you."

Hu Mingzheng stood above her, his gaze cold as the river in winter. "Regret it"

Emotionally overwhelmed, tears welled up in Fu Yan's eyes. She stubbornly refused to lower her head, "Yes, I regret it."

With a light chuckle, Huo Mingzheng lifted her face higher, his lofty posture making him appear like the star of the show, silently mocking her.

"It's still too early to regret."

The entrance hall was spacious, yet the air around it was frigid, so heavy that one could hardly breathe.

Suddenly, a ringtone broke the heavy silence.

This is Ho Ming Cheung's phone number.

Fu Yan felt the pressure on her chin release, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Huo Mingzheng picked up his phone, answered it, and walked towards the balcony.

A woman's voice could faintly be heard over the phone.

I don't know what the other person said, Huo Mingzheng remained silent throughout.

After hanging up the phone, he sat on the sofa for a while, took out his cigarette case, and lit a cigarette with one hand. The firelight illuminated his cold and stern side profile, like mountains layered in the night.

A gust of wind came, blowing the flames and extinguishing them.

He frowned impatiently, then turned and pulled the sliding door open with force.

As he passed by Fu Yan's side, his steps faltered, but he said nothing and left.

Outsiders have a high opinion of Huo Mingzheng. He took control of the Huo family at a young age, with decisive methods. Over the years, he has honed his ability to keep his emotions hidden, rarely showing any significant fluctuations in mood.

Was that woman he was with just now his fiancee

A sharp pain pricked at Fu Yan's heart, and a wave of sourness surged up instantly.

Ho Mingzheng probably won't be coming back. Fu Yan didn't return to her room, but instead lay on the sofa for the night.

The house was filled with Huo Mingzheng's scent, pervading every corner and reminding Fu Yan of him relentlessly.

As soon as I lay down, my mind couldn't stop replaying every detail of Huo Mingzheng over the past two years. Back and forth, again and again, I thought about his upcoming marriage.

The clearer your thoughts, the more energetic you become. I just took a short nap after 5 am, but I'm still groggy.

Until she was woken up by her phone ringing, she thought she was dreaming.

A phone call from the deputy director forced Fu Yan to put on a good face and take a trip to another city, over five hundred kilometers away.

Before that, the resort project she had been following up on encountered some problems, and it took three days to communicate and negotiate with the other party.

For the past three days, Huo Mingzheng hasn't contacted her, and she hasn't reached out to him either.

It was on the day of her business trip that Cao Fang mentioned Huo Mingzheng had picked out a car for her in the garage.

He went to see the car, about 300,000, very low-key. Huo Mingzheng's casually one car's down payment would be more than this price.

But for Yan, it was just right.

Huo Mingzheng was also considerate of her feelings, otherwise he wouldn't have stopped at this price point for a car if he had put his mind to it.

The car didn't need to be paid for.

If you've decided to break up, how could you possibly take his things back

Returning from a business trip to Nancheng, I was planning to go home for a good sleep. Then Song Qing˪ called and told me the time and place to have dinner.

Fu Yan only then remembered her mother mentioning introducing a suitor to her last time, just as she was about to decline, the doorbell rang.tle about her.Unexpectedly, her mind was quite astute and she understood his hint."You understand. The Huo family has a hundred years of reputation, something like this shouldn't happen." Elder Maste...