No reconciliation, no forgiveness! Mr. Pei leaves with nothing.

"We met at a jewelry restoration skills competition held by Imperial University. I got first place and she got second place. After the exam, if she hadn't answered one question wrong, she would have been in first place."

"Sister, she's amazing too."

Huo Ling appeared very well-behaved in front of Jiang Hua, neither nervous nor timid. She wore a long ponytail, looking neat and proper. This was not their first meeting; they had met before in the flower garden, where she lived next door.

Upon seeing the familiar face in front of her, Jiang Hua did not expose her directly. Instead, she called her to the studio across the street, to Jiang Hua's private office. "Xiao Zhu, you can go out now."

"Huh? Okay." Jiang Zhu was a little confused, but then she just walked out without understanding what was going on. She closed the door and pressed her ear against it to listen, but she couldn't hear anything.

Jiang Hua: "What do your parents do?"

“I am an orphan who was later adopted. My father is in the foreign trade business and my mother is a housewife. My mother had a child before, but the child was kidnapped by human traffickers, which is why I was adopted.”

Huo Ling: This shouldn't be considered a lie, right? Dad is indeed in business. As for my brother... I'm sorry, brother.

"Wait two minutes." Jiang Hua sat down at her desk and found her competition results in the system. She could see the results of any competition related to jewelry restoration through the system. In the competition held at Imperial University, Huo Ling ranked second and Jiang Zhu ranked first.

"You're also at Beijing University?"

Jiang Zhu immediately nodded, "Yes."

The major is jewelry design, and the jewelry design curriculum now includes professional courses in jewelry restoration, but it is not a compulsory course. The main reason is that the threshold for this type of course is somewhat difficult for most people.

“Your grades are indeed good, but my studio only needs five people. I can give you a spot on the waiting list, with the same benefits as Xiaozhu. You are still in school, so your studies should be your priority. You can come over whenever you have time, and Fang Liang will tell you what to do.”

"Okay, sister, I understand."

A few minutes later, Jiang Zhu saw the person who came out and rushed forward eagerly, "How is Huo Ling?"

Huo Ling gave her an 'OK' sign.

"I knew you could do it."

"Sister, are you coming home for dinner today?"

Jiang Hua thought about how tomorrow was Saturday, and after some consideration, she nodded and didn't refuse.

Where Jiang Hua couldn't see, Huo Ling sighed inwardly. She took out her phone and quietly sent a message to one of the contacts in her address book: Mission accomplished successfully.

In the CEO's office, Pei Zhan was waiting for Jiang Hua to finish when he saw his phone vibrate and receive a message. He glanced at it and then deleted it.

Huo Ling put away her phone after seeing that the text message had been read.

"Sister, Xiaozhu... I won't bother you any longer. I'll head back now. I need to go to the library tonight to find some information."

Jiang Zhu: "Okay, be careful on the road."

Huo Ling was taking the staff elevator downstairs when it suddenly stopped on the 18th floor, and someone walked in from outside.

Assistant: "Director, this is the design department's latest sales report, as well as the latest design theme, which we are waiting for your confirmation."

Xu Zhoulan: We'll discuss this at tomorrow's meeting.

Hearing the familiar voice, Huo Ling immediately raised her head. "What a coincidence! Uncle, we meet again." The girl's bright eyes looked at Xu Zhoulan in front of her, who was dressed in a charcoal gray suit and exuded a charming and wicked aura. His slender phoenix eyes were dashing and amorous, and the mole on his nose was clearly visible.

The assistant sensed a sense of urgency. "Which department are you from?"

Xu Zhoulan waved his hand, "He's just a child."

Huo Ling glanced at her assistant beside her. The assistant had long, wavy hair, wore heavy makeup, and smelled of strong, pungent perfume. Her eyes held an inexplicable hostility. After looking past the woman, Huo Ling turned to the man beside her and asked, "Uncle, are you off work?"

"Young lady, am I very old?"

"Call me brother."

Huo Ling smiled and took Xu Zhoulan's arm. "If you call me 'brother,' you have to treat me to a meal."

"Brother, I want to eat Western food, but my family doesn't have enough money for living expenses, what should I do?"

Xu Zhoulan lightly flicked the girl's forehead with his finger. "Brother is rich, you can eat whatever you want."

"Director! But you..."

The man's narrow eyes looked into the eyes of his angry assistant, who was stomping his foot, and a layer of ice seemed to freeze over them. The assistant, unwilling to give up, immediately shut his mouth.

When they arrived at the underground parking lot, Huo Ling took the man's arm and left, not forgetting to make a face at the woman in the elevator behind her.

Inside the silver Maybach, the man immediately picked up the girl beside him, slipped his hand under her skirt, and stroked her leg through the black fabric. "Does it still hurt?"

Huo Ling let the man's hands roam freely, her slender arms hooking around his neck, and she shook her head, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Why didn't you call me when you ran out of money?"

"You didn't tell me you were working at Jiang's!" Huo Ling said coquettishly, a little annoyed. "Uncle, are you planning to keep me as a mistress?"

"What do you think?" Xu Zhoulan's beautiful eyes were like poison, capable of capturing the hearts of many women with just one glance. Xu Zhoulan had many women around him, but none of them lasted more than three days. After three days, he would move on to the next one.

"I'm very expensive, and... my dad is the fiercest. I'm afraid he'll break your legs. Are you scared?!"

"If you're not afraid, why should I be?" Xu Zhoulan said, pressing the girl's hand against the back of her head, drawing her close, and kissing her pink lips. "Did you miss me?"

Huo Ling's body was not only supple, but also the most sensitive he had ever seen, especially such a simple and innocent girl. No one could resist Xu Zhoulan's teasing.

"think."

"Brother, you're amazing."

Xu Zhoulan deepened the kiss, his gaze sweeping over the elevator doors. In the confined space, he reclined the seat, allowing the person beneath him to lie flat. Watching the two figures emerge from the car window, Xu Zhoulan's eyes were dark and unfathomable…

Huo Ling: "Someone's coming!"

"Don't worry, he...can't see." Huo Ling's coat was taken off, revealing a thin shirt underneath. Xu Zhoulan held that slender arm, looked at her fair skin, and couldn't help but kiss it.

Before Huo Ling could catch her breath, the man pressed down on her again, robbing her of her breath.

Pei Zhan carried Jiang Hua's bag in his hand, his deep black eyes fixed on the slightly swaying car.

Jiang Hua: "What are you looking at?"

Pei Zhan: "It's nothing!"

After the car drove away, Xu Zhoulan realized it was already past get off work hours. If things continued like this, they would be discovered sooner or later. The lust in his eyes quickly faded. Huo Ling wasn't wearing much to begin with, and her shirt underneath had been unbuttoned at some point, revealing the marks he had left on her chest. Xu Zhoulan buttoned it up and helped her put on her coat. "I'm off tomorrow. I'll go there tonight?"

"Uncle, my brother will be angry if we go back late." After Huo Ling finished dressing, Xu Zhoulan grabbed her hand as she was about to get out of the car. "I'll take you home."

"No need, Uncle. There's a bus stop right outside. I can take it home by myself. Maybe we'll end up working at the same company in the future, and you don't want people gossiping about you, do you? I'm off, Uncle." Before leaving, Huo Ling kissed Xu Zhoulan on the cheek before getting out of the car.

Huo Ling was sending messages to the bus driver while standing in front of the bus stop sign.

However, inside the car parked in the shadows, Xu Zhoulan's aroused desire had not yet dissipated. He felt uncomfortable all over and had nowhere to vent it, so he could only endure it. He lit a cigarette and held it out of the car window. Only after he watched her get into the driver's car did Xu Zhoulan look away and throw away the cigarette butt.

A few minutes later, a woman in her early twenties, wearing a sexy floral dress and carrying a limited-edition handbag, opened the passenger door and got into the car.

"Who was that girl just now? She looked even younger than me. We agreed on a week, you can't be seeing other women so soon!"

Xu Zhoulan did not reply to her, but stepped on the gas and drove away from the Jiang Group to a suburban area on a mountaintop in the wilderness.

Upon reaching their destination, the car shook violently, and a woman's coquettish yet pleading voice could be heard from inside.

again and again…

To release one's desires without any emotion...

When Huo Ling returned to Junlin Mansion, Xia He greeted her, "Why are you only just getting back?"

"I'm going to my older brother's company." Huo Ling put down her bag, walked to Xia He's side, and affectionately hugged her arm. "Mom, please don't have such a strong prejudice against my sister-in-law. Sister-in-law..."

"It's really good, and... didn't your brother already explain it to you? What happened last time was your sister-in-law trying to warn you not to get scammed."

"The child you sponsor is a vampire, constantly asking for money, and when you stop giving it to him... he even badmouths you behind your back."

“If we get angry with our sister-in-law over this and don’t like her, our eldest brother might not want to come back. Besides… you know what Dad is like; he hasn’t been involved in the Huo family’s affairs for a long time. Now it’s all our eldest brother who’s busy. In the future… we’ll have to rely on our eldest brother.”

"You don't want those women outside, along with your illegitimate child, to steal your brother's position as heir, right?"

Thinking of Jiang Hua, Xia He felt a headache coming on. "Your older brother and I have already discussed this matter. As long as she enters the Huo family and behaves herself and fulfills her role as the matriarch of the Huo family, I am not against accepting her."

"First of all, don't be like before, without any rules."

"It's really not as good as Qingran."

Huo Ling: "Song Qingran? Mom... Song Qingran is already engaged to another man, so it's obviously impossible for her to be with my brother anymore. Besides, everything that happened before was a misunderstanding. My brother loves his wife so much and is trying to force them to divorce. Mom... my brother will be angry."

"If he gets angry and refuses to accept the position of heir to the Huo family, then we will lose everything we have now."

“What’s so hard to accept? Dad has so many women around him. Compared to my older brother, he’s already much better off.”

"Let's just leave it alone, okay?"

Who can say otherwise? But she is Jiang Qingcheng's daughter. Her existence is like a thorn in Xia He's heart. The women around Huo Tingshan are just for fun. As long as he doesn't bring them back, Xia He, who is over fifty, can turn a blind eye. But when she thinks that he still has her in his heart, she is even more moved. She can't accept that her husband and son have both fallen for the Jiang family.

"Never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's eat now that we're back."

Half past eight in the evening.

Huo Ling came out of the bathroom and looked at the unread messages: Arrived home?

After hesitating, she replied: I just finished taking a shower, would you like to see, Uncle?

After sending the message, Huo Ling waited a long time for the man's reply. Thinking of his unsatisfied look, she couldn't help but laugh. Teasing him was indeed quite fun.

Huo Ling met him at a bar. She accidentally drank a drugged drink and was almost bullied when she bumped into Xu Zhoulan. Seeing his good looks, Huo Ling kissed him without thinking and said she was his girlfriend, and then the group left.

Finally... they had sex in the hotel room.

Normally a well-behaved girl, Huo Ling is overwhelmed by the rules of the Huo family every day. In public, she is obedient and sensible, and she also founded Qianhua Century. But behind the scenes... In order to release the shackles that bind her heart, Huo Ling did something so bold for the first time.

...

Lu Yuanzhou thoughtfully prepared a candlelight dinner at the hotel for their reunion, which was also the most luxurious hotel restaurant in the entire capital, with a meal costing around three thousand yuan per person.

In the quiet, private atmosphere, Song Qingran ate the steak that Lu Yuanzhou had cut for her. He did most of the talking, while she only responded indifferently, "When are we going back?"

Feeling dizzy?

Song Qingran nodded. She had only drunk half a glass of red wine. At first, she was fine, but later she was almost unable to continue.

Lu Yuanzhou called the waiter, paid the bill, and helped her leave the restaurant. When Song Qingran saw the button to go upstairs, her heart tightened inexplicably. "Aren't we... going back?"

"Yeah, I'm not going back. I've booked a suite. I've also told Mom. You're staying with me tonight."

Song Qingran's hand was held by the man, his palm was hot and she could feel the sweat on it. She was passively picked up by him and carried all the way to the presidential suite on the 18th floor.

Holding her, Lu Yuanzhou couldn't free his hands. "The room key is in my pocket."

Song Qingran found the room key, and the moment she opened it, she saw only roses scattered all over the floor, with romantic candles placed on the ground. "Do you remember what day it is today?"

"It's our... second anniversary of confirming our relationship."

"When you graduate, I will give you a grand wedding. There's still a year left... I will definitely make you my bride, for all eternity... I will only ever love you."

Candlelight flickered in her eyes, and as she listened to the whispered sweet nothings, Song Qingran remained calm. The man gently lifted her chin, leaning down to look at her. Song Qingran clutched the hem of her skirt and closed her eyes…