Report to the president, the lady doesn't want you anymore

Everyone was surprised to hear He Li's words, thinking to themselves: I didn't expect him and Gong Jin to be old acquaintances! He Li smiled and said, "He Li, it's been years, and you still look the same." He recalled that He Li had once traveled to a foreign country for six months to further his studies. During that time, he met many outstanding individuals, Gong Jin being one of them. Back then, they had deliberately concealed their true identities from each other, but unexpectedly, over the years, they both became powerful figures in their respective fields.

Because of this old friendship, when the two began to talk, the atmosphere was particularly harmonious, as if old friends were reuniting. However, throughout the conversation, both Gong Jin and He Li tacitly avoided mentioning the current collaboration.

Huo Mian, standing nearby, watched as the two chatted happily, yet they still hadn't touched upon the key topic of cooperation. She couldn't help but feel extremely anxious.

You know, if this cooperation can be successfully concluded, it will be of great significance to him. At this moment, the butler, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly raised his head, glanced at the wall clock, and then quietly reminded him, "Sir, it's time for dinner now. You can prepare it."

Everyone followed the butler's gaze and saw the clock hand had already reached twelve o'clock. At this moment, He Li seemed to have just come to his senses, as if waking from a dream. He smiled apologetically and said, "Ah, look at me. I was so engrossed in chatting with people that I completely forgot about the passage of time. By the way, why hasn't Xiaoxiao returned yet?"

He Li keenly caught the unconcealable tenderness in Gong Jin's eyes when he mentioned the word "Xiao Xiao". Gong Jin's mouth curled up slightly, and his eyes became particularly gentle, as if the whole world was left with only the woman called "Xiao Xiao".

"Sir, the young mistress probably hasn't returned from Miss Ge Yu yet," the butler replied respectfully. Hearing the name Ge Yu, He Li couldn't help but glance at Gong Jin. Back then, Ge Yu's deep affection for Gong Jin was well known. However, from the butler's words, it became clear that the woman named Xiao Xiao was Gong Jin's true love.

"I never thought you'd get married. Remember who was it that declared you had no interest in romance?" He Li could no longer suppress his curiosity and took the opportunity to tease Gong Jin. Hearing this, Gong Jin, far from being annoyed, smiled even brighter: "Haha, we haven't officially gotten married yet, but Xiaoxiao and I are having a grand wedding next month. That's why my family calls her that in advance. It's true I just haven't met anyone who could make my heart flutter before." As he spoke, Gong Jin's face was filled with happiness and satisfaction, and anyone could easily see that his love for his fiancée was deep in his bones.

Just as everyone was moving to the restaurant and about to take their seats, a deafening cannon suddenly exploded in the air. Immediately afterwards, a cheerful and loud shout suddenly rang out: "Gong Jin, happy birthday!"

Xiaoxiao had returned home half an hour earlier. She tiptoed into the kitchen and carefully hid the cake, which had taken so much time and effort to create, in a corner of the dining room. The cake was exquisitely shaped, like a work of art, adorned with fresh fruit and frosted flowers, and exuded an alluring aroma.

After finishing all this, Xiaoxiao quietly came to the butler, with a mysterious and excited smile on her face. She lowered her voice and said to the butler, "I want to give Gong Jin a big surprise!"

After she finished speaking, she winked mischievously. However, what Xiaoxiao did not expect was that when she was waiting for Gong Jin to show up with great joy, she found that there were more than just Gong Jin coming to dine with her today.

Looking at the bustling crowd in the restaurant, Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel a little surprised and nervous, but at the same time, she felt a surge of anticipation. After all, this surprise might become even more memorable if more people witnessed it.

Everyone shuddered at the sudden salute, their hearts leaping into their throats. When they finally recovered and took a look at the person before them, they all gasped. The woman stood there, graceful and elegant. Her stunning beauty, graceful figure, and the charm that emanated from her every smile and frown were remarkably similar to the deceased Gu Yan. It felt as if this was Gu Yan herself, resurrected from the dead!

"Ayan..." He Li stared at the woman before him with eyes wide open, a look of astonishment on his face. His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how. After a long moment, he finally took a few steps forward, as if awakening from a dream, trying to get a better look at her face. However, before he could get close, a figure rushed over like lightning, grabbing the woman tightly in his arms.

"Xiaoxiao, you really scared me to death." Gong Jin laughed happily and gently stroked Xiaoxiao's hair, his eyes full of doting. Then, as if he suddenly discovered something, his eyes passed over Xiaoxiao's shoulder and fell on the cake behind her. In an instant, a smile of surprise and joy spread across his face, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement: "Did you prepare this specially for me?"

"Well, of course! I have been preparing for this surprise for half a month. How about it? Do you like it?" Xiaoxiao glanced at Gong Jin coquettishly, with a faint blush on her cheeks, as beautiful as the peach blossoms blooming in spring.

At this moment, He Zhao and Zhao Qingqing simultaneously turned their gazes to each other. The moment their eyes met, they were filled with unspeakable confusion and shock. The person standing not far away looked exactly like Gu Yan, yet their every move and gesture revealed a completely different style from the Gu Yan they remembered so deeply.

"Um... let me go first, there are so many people watching here." Xiaoxiao's voice was as thin as a mosquito, her cheeks were as red as the clouds, and her shyness was fully revealed. Hearing this, Gong Jin finally loosened his arms that were tightly hugging Xiaoxiao as if waking from a dream.

"I'm so sorry, everyone. My Xiaoxiao is quite shy," Gong Jin explained apologetically to the crowd. But before he could finish his words, a figure swooped down like a gust of wind, reaching Xiaoxiao in the blink of an eye. It was He Li! His breathing was rapid, his chest heaving violently. His eyes were fixed on Xiaoxiao, his hands gripping her delicate shoulders like iron tongs.

He Li's voice trembled slightly as he spoke, his voice trembling with emotion. "Gu Yan, you are Gu Yan, right?" Faced with such a sudden situation, Xiao Xiao's mind went blank, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of inexplicable panic. She stared blankly at the man before her, only to see the corners of his eyes flushed red, as if he had just experienced a drastic change.

"He Li, what are you doing? Let her go!"

With an angry roar, Gong Jin rushed forward and without hesitation reached out to grab He Li's tightly clenched wrist, trying to pull it free.

However, He Li seemed to have lost his mind. He ignored Gong Jin's actions and still held Xiaoxiao's shoulders tightly, refusing to let go.

Xiaoxiao has never been able to bear such a tense and depressing atmosphere. At this moment, she looked at He Li in horror. Suddenly, her mind seemed to be struck by a flash of lightning, and countless blurry images surged in her mind like a tide.

It was a horrifying sight: scarlet blood splattered wantonly, interweaving and overlapping with the endless dark sea, like a terrifying painting.

In an instant, fear took over Xiaoxiao's entire body and mind. She could no longer suppress her inner panic. She suddenly opened her mouth and let out a shrill scream.

"Bad guy, go away! Go away!" Xiaoxiao's sudden manic behavior made Gong Jin, who was standing beside him, panic instantly.

At this moment, he no longer cared about the so-called etiquette and rules, and had only one thought in his mind - to protect Xiaoxiao.

A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he clenched his right hand into a fist. With lightning speed, he swung a fierce blow towards He Li. This punch, filled with anger and worry in Gong Jin's heart, hit He Li's cheek hard.

Then he quickly stretched out his arms, hugged the trembling Xiaoxiao tightly in his arms, and gave her the greatest comfort with his broad chest.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid...those are just terrible nightmares. Xiaoxiao, I'm here, I will always be with you."

Gong Jin gently stroked Xiaoxiao's back and soothed her in a soft voice, as if he wanted to use his warm voice to dispel the haze that shrouded Xiaoxiao's heart.

No one could have expected that things would take such a sudden turn for the worse!

Everyone stared in amazement at the woman named Xiaoxiao in front of them. She seemed to be controlled by some mysterious power and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.

The trembling became more and more intense, which was frightening.

Suddenly, Xiaoxiao pounced on Gong Jin like a madman, opened her mouth without warning, and bit Gong Jin's shoulder hard.

Gong Jin was caught off guard, and sharp pain instantly spread throughout his body, but he resisted the urge to push Xiaoxiao away. The people around him panicked, not knowing how to deal with this sudden situation.

Just as the situation was becoming increasingly chaotic, the Gong family's family doctor finally arrived in a hurry.

He quickly took out a sedative from the medicine box and skillfully injected it into Xiaoxiao's body.

As the medicine slowly took effect, Xiaoxiao's originally tense body gradually relaxed, and the teeth that were clenching Gong Jin's shoulders also slowly loosened.

Finally, she lost all her strength like a deflated ball, fell limply to the ground, and fell into a deep sleep.

Gong Jin ignored the pain in his shoulder. He carefully picked up Xiaoxiao, gently placed her on the bed, and carefully covered her with a quilt.

After everything was settled, he turned and walked out of the room. However, when he appeared in front of everyone again, his expression had changed drastically.

The gentle and elegant Gong Jin disappeared, replaced by a man with a gloomy face and cold eyes.

His deep eyes were like the water in a cold pond, icy and chilling, making people shudder. It seemed that his previous gentle and friendly demeanor was just a hypocritical mask he used to deal with the outside world, and at this moment, this sinister and cold appearance was the real him.