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

As Jiang Hua came downstairs, she heard something about Huo Tingshan, and some confused words.

"It's nothing, let me see which one you're holding."

She went over and sat down next to her father, helped him put it on, and zipped it up. "I never thought that after all these years, Dad could still fit into it."

"Of course, your mother bought me a lot of clothes back then, and I couldn't bear to throw any of them away. In order to be able to wear them, Dad has been exercising all the time." Jiang Weiguo's physique is indeed still the same as when he was young. Even though he is almost fifty years old, he looks like he is only in his thirties. Jiang Hua still looks more like her father in terms of her eyebrows and eyes, and her temperament is also like Jiang Qingcheng's.

Xu Qiulan: "Sir, dinner is ready."

Jiang Weiguo looked noticeably more energetic and spirited in that coat.

In the study that evening, Jiang Hua sat on Pei Zhan's lap, continuing to read the letters she hadn't finished reading on the cruise ship. "What exactly did you and Dad talk about before dinner? I heard about Huo Tingshan. What did he do this time?"

Pei Zhan: "It's nothing. Chairman Jiang was just worried that I would become like him in the future, unable to resist external temptations, so he said some warning words."

Jiang Hua simply nodded and didn't say anything more.

"It seems that Mrs. Pei doesn't care at all."

Jiang Hua rested her chin on her hand, her slender fingers turning a page with a nonchalant expression. She said, "Those who love you will always love you, and those who don't... well, they just won't love you anymore."

“Not all men in the world love Mom as consistently as Dad does. As for you… I don’t care. You should think about how to behave well in front of Dad and try to get your position back. Don’t let Zuo Xiangnan take over your position. I don’t have a second person to marry your assistant.”

These words made Pei Zhan frown. "I'm not dead yet, and Mrs. Pei is already thinking about remarrying?"

"Remarriage... is probably out of the question. I'll have to find a son-in-law to marry into the family." Jiang Hua's tone didn't sound like a joke. She knew why she had married Pei Zhan; it was an obvious fact, and she didn't need to use any high-sounding words to cover it up.

Born into such a wealthy and powerful family, whether one is an heir or a daughter, they are all merely tools to expand the family's interests.

Marriage is inevitable for everyone; otherwise, how can the family business, which has lasted for thousands of years, be continued and passed down from generation to generation?

Shen Yebai wouldn't have tried so hard to stop Shen Bao'er from being with Duan Qingfeng back then.

Shen Bulu was a spoiled brat, and Shen Yebai initially looked down on him. However, the main reason he eventually agreed to Shen Bulu's marriage to Bao'er was that Shen Bulu was the heir to Shen's Bank. The marriage between the two families was a strategic move to consolidate their own positions and interests.

The Shen family valued the Shen family's status, while the Shen family valued the immense wealth the Shen family brought. They were mutually dependent, and the marriage between the two families had long since transcended love; suitability was enough.

However, Bao'er was still lucky. Even if she didn't like Shen Bulu, at least Shen Bulu was devoted to her.

Pei Zhan chuckled. He had just gone to the unnecessary trouble of saying those things.

"I do have this plan, to let him manage the acting president of this region in China."

Jiang Hua paused, glancing at Pei Zhan behind her. "You gave him your seat, what are you doing?"

Pei Zhan: "The domestic market is less than one-tenth the size of the international market. The Jiang family's businesses cannot only develop domestically. So... I asked you before if you wanted to come abroad with me and live there for a while."

“I’ve said it before, I won’t leave my dad’s side, or my grandpa’s… There are too many people here, and I don’t want to leave with them.”

“I mean, after Chairman Jiang passes away, and we take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days, would you... be willing to leave with me?”

Meeting the man's affectionate gaze, Jiang Hua's heart was momentarily in turmoil. "That's many years from now. Dad will live to be a hundred years old. By then, I'll be an old woman too."

"No matter how many years have passed, no one's beauty can compare to even a fraction of Mrs. Pei's."

Jiang Hua was almost fooled by the deep affection in his eyes. She looked away and said, "It's too early to talk about such things now. Let's talk about it later."

After a long pause, Jiang Hua said, "Unless you stop making mistakes, I might consider going abroad with you."

As he spoke, Pei Zhan took out a card from his suit pocket. "If I make another mistake that makes Mrs. Pei angry, can I use this to get her to forgive me once?"

This card is a forgiveness card that Jiang Hua drew for him on the cruise ship. There is only one of these cards, and it is a one-time trial opportunity.

"A series of fundamental errors, such as infidelity, having an affair, having an illegitimate child, etc., are all invalid."

"For the sake of... you didn't buy me the bag I wanted, and for these mistakes that made me angry, I can forgive you this once."

This card was like a life-saving charm for Pei Zhan, and he carried it with him at all times.

“Huahua…”

"Ah."

Pei Zhan: "Chairman Jiang's clothes..."

Before Pei Zhan could finish speaking, Jiang Hua's phone rang. "It's already ten o'clock, you can go to bed now." With that, Jiang Hua got up and went to her room…

...

Huo Ling, wearing an ill-fitting dark red striped shirt, sat on the bed, holding her phone and looking at the chat message box, her eyes occasionally glancing out of the room and asking, "It's so late, why hasn't he come back yet?"

When I was thinking about whether or not to message him, I realized that my behavior made me seem like I was actually in love with that older man.

Huo Ling did not return to Junlin Mansion, nor did she return to the villa her elder brother had arranged for her. Instead, she stayed at Xu Zhoulan's bachelor apartment, since her elder brother's attention was entirely on his sister-in-law.

They wouldn't bother with her for the time being, but Huo Ling, being bold, moved in.

The monotonous apartment was devoid of any warmth or human touch; it was cold and impersonal. Yet, there were clear signs of life there, as if it were his usual home.

Huo Ling never intended to have too much entanglement with this old man and wanted to give each other some space. Unexpectedly, after only a few months of knowing each other, they really seemed to be in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, and she moved into his house.

And his personal belongings—this feeling was somewhat subtle for her.

Huo Ling wasn't sure if their relationship could be considered boyfriend and girlfriend.

I guess so.

After the kiss, we went to bed.

Huo Lingxiang took the initiative to send him a message for the first time: When are you coming back? I'm hungry, bring me some late-night snacks.

In a corner of an abandoned factory in the capital, wait until the last crisp slap falls.

Bodyguard: "Young Master, he's already been slapped ninety-nine times and is unconscious. Should we continue?"

The phone vibrated with a 'buzz' sound. Xu Zhoulan looked at the message that had been sent, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. Only when he put his phone away did he slowly put his feet down. He stood up and walked to Xia He's side.

Seeing this, the people around her splashed a basin of water on her and woke her up.

Xia He slowly woke up, her vision blurred, unable to see the person in front of her clearly. "Since you like being slapped in the face so much, now it's fair to let you taste this flavor."

“What the eldest daughter of the Jiang family said is indeed true. You’ve been in the position of Mrs. Huo for so long that you’ve forgotten that you have lowly and base blood flowing through your veins.”

"You're just lucky; Huo Tingshan put you in this position."

"Looking at you like this, I really should let the heir of the Huo family see just how dirty the blood on his mother really is."

Xu Zhoulan took the silk handkerchief from the bodyguard beside him and wiped his fingers that had just touched her. Then, with his hands in his pockets, he turned and left the abandoned factory, his lazy voice saying, "Take her to the hospital. Don't let her die."

"Clean it up a bit more."

It was almost midnight when Xu Zhoulan finally returned. Hearing the door open, before he could even react, his vision went black, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. But when that soft body pressed against him, the previous chill vanished without a trace.

Huo Ling jumped onto him, her body held firmly in his arms. The man supported her hips. "Not asleep yet?"

"Uncle, didn't I ask you to bring me a midnight snack?"

"I'm starving to death."

Xu Zhoulan walked to the sofa and sat down, adjusting her position. He then took out a jade bracelet of emerald green from his pocket. "I brought you a gift. See if you like it."

Huo Ling was startled. Why did this bracelet look so much like the one her mother wore? Xu Zhoulan's gaze fell on the little girl in front of him, a playful smile on his lips. Seeing the change in her emotions, his lips curled up slightly, but something was hidden beneath the surface.

"This bracelet... looks just like my mom's, Uncle, where did you buy it?"

Xu Zhoulan put his arm around the girl's slender waist and looked at her wearing his clothes, which gave her a different kind of charm. "If you see something that suits you when we pass by the mall, I'll buy it."

Huo Ling didn't even try it on, but instead handed the bracelet back to him directly, saying, "I don't want to wear such an old-fashioned bracelet, it's too ugly."

"If you break it, I won't have the money to pay you back."

"My mother is in poor health, and our family can barely afford her medical expenses."

Xu Zhoulan smiled and did not expose her lie. He went along with her words, saying, "Tell your brother how much you want."

"Uncle, do you want to take me as your sugar daddy?" Huo Ling hooked her arms around the man's neck and looked at him with a smile.

"Call me brother..."

Huo Ling suddenly leaned close to the man's ear, her alluring, lively voice carrying a seductive undertone, and called out, "Brother."

After saying that, she looked at him with eyes as bright as stars, as if filled with love: "Brother, do you like this?"

The man's charming face seemed to be coated with poison, and his eyes were fixed on her ample bosom. "I prefer the way you cling to me in bed."

"Tell your brother how much money you want."

"I raise you."

Xu Zhoulan slipped an unlimited credit card into her shirt; no PIN was required.

Huo Ling winked playfully and said, "Brother, if you want to take care of me, it's very expensive. Most people can't afford to support me."

"Really? How expensive?"

Huo Ling thought for a moment and said, "I want the best of everything in the world, just like my older brother does for my sister-in-law."

Even though Huo Ling was adopted by the Huo family, Huo Tingshan has never mistreated her over the years. Whether it's the material life she receives or her education, it's always been the best and top-notch. You could say that... whatever she wants, it's just a matter of her saying the word.

She wasn't after Xu Zhoulan's money; what she wanted was the feeling she got from him.

"Your elder brother?"

"Uh-huh."

"You talk about your older brother ten times a day, and it's always about him. Is he really that good?"

Huo Ling: "Of course."

“He can treat you like I do…” Xu Zhoulan’s voice lowered as he slowly approached her.

Just as he was about to kiss the girl, Huo Ling cupped his face, pushed him away, and quickly got off him. With her hands behind her back, she leaned down, her collar loosening, and met his gaze. "Brother, you're so silly. You can't even compare to Big Brother."

“He’s family to me, so of course my older brother is the best.”

As Xu Zhoulan reached out to grab her, Huo Ling gracefully dodged him. "Brother, I'm going to cook noodles. Do you want some?"

"Can you cook?"

"Of course, I can do everything."

“I noticed your refrigerator was empty, so I went to the supermarket and bought some things. Perfect timing… let me let you try my cooking.”

"I thought the eldest daughter of the Huo family was someone who never lifted a finger." Like that girl from the Jiang family, who couldn't do anything...

"Brother, what did you say?"

Xu Zhoulan: "It's okay, I'm going to take a shower."

As she watched the person enter the master bedroom, Huo Ling looked at the bracelet placed on the tea table and, for some reason, felt a sense of unease in her chest.

Maybe I'm overthinking it, but my older brother has already arranged for my mother to be sent back by private jet.

Besides, two people who have no connection, he couldn't possibly know my mother. I must be overthinking it.

Moreover... he couldn't possibly know his own identity.

In half an hour, Huo Ling had prepared a table full of dishes. Xu Zhoulan was wearing a bathrobe and slippers, with his still-damp hair pulled back. When he saw the man come out, Huo Ling went up to him and pulled him to sit down. "Try it quickly. Consider it a service you paid for."

"How is it? Is it delicious?" Huo Ling asked, resting her chin on her hands and looking at him with bright eyes after he took a bite.

Xu Zhoulan met her gaze, his expression deepening. He took a bite of rice with his chopsticks, then drank some water.

Actually, he couldn't handle spicy food, but seeing the expectant joy in the girl's eyes made him choose to accept.

"not bad."

"Do you often cook for your older brother?"

Huo Ling smiled and said, "No, my brother can cook for himself, and... he only cooks for my sister-in-law."

"I learned all my skills by reading books myself."

"Hmm~" Xu Zhoulan's voice rose a few decibels, "It seems your older brother is henpecked."

"how do you know?"

"Guess."

...

The next day, at lunchtime, Jiang Hua transferred the half-eaten bowl of rice she hadn't finished into Pei Zhan's bowl, then got up and sat down on the sofa. Xu Ma then brought out some cut fruit for Jiang Hua.

When Pei Zhan sat down next to her, Jiang Hua was watching a boring TV series and naturally put her legs on his lap. Without saying a word, Pei Zhan started massaging her legs.

After their marriage, the two were inseparable, 24/7. It was fine for two or three days, but after three or five days of this constant companionship, Jiang Hua started to get a little annoyed with him.

"Don't you have anything else to do every day?"

"Oh, I forgot. I'm unemployed."

"never mind."

Pei Zhan: "..."

Pei Zhan didn't know how to respond.

Just then, Pei Zhan's phone rang. When Jiang Hua saw who was calling, she thought he was going to get up and answer the phone away from her, so she pulled her foot back. Unexpectedly, Pei Zhan answered the phone right in front of her, holding it with one hand while keeping his other hand occupied with what he was doing.

"What is it? Speak!"

Kagel: "We received a call from France saying that they had not received the lady's plane. After checking the records, we found that the plane the lady was on was intercepted midway and was forced to return, landing in the capital city."