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

Xu Zhoulan followed her instructions, lifted her foot, and then cleaned up the burnt trash on the coffee table. She turned on the ventilation system in the villa, and after a while, the unpleasant smell dissipated. After dealing with these things, Huo Ling went to the kitchen to cook. She just wanted to finish quickly and then ask the old man to leave.

Kagel would come to check on her from time to time, and when he reported the situation to her older brother, she wouldn't know how to explain it.

Taking off her apron, Huo Ling waited until the last dish was cooked before placing it in front of him. "Eat quickly, then we'll go back." It was getting late, and if they kept dragging on like this, it would be dawn outside.

As she spoke, Huo Ling yawned.

There weren't many ingredients in the refrigerator, so I could only make some simple dishes. Besides a few vegetables, I made braised shrimp.

Huo Ling filled a bowl with rice, sat cross-legged on the ground right next to her feet, peeled a shrimp for herself, put it in her bowl, and was about to peel a second one when, with her eyes still glued to the TV series that hadn't finished playing, in the blink of an eye, a pair of chopsticks snatched her shrimp from her bowl. "Hey, my shrimp. No, give my shrimp back."

No sooner had he finished speaking than it went into Xu Zhoulan's mouth. "Keep peeling, it tastes good."

"How could you do this! You even steal things from a child."

"A child?" Xu Zhoulan laughed unrestrainedly and said, "Little Ling'er became a woman a few months ago, and she is no longer a child."

He was referring to the time when Huo Ling gave herself to her.

this person…

Huo Ling's cheeks flushed as he spoke those words so openly.

"No one has ever peeled shrimp for me before, so fine, you're lucky." Huo Ling said, moving away from him to avoid getting pinched again.

Then Xu Zhoulan got off the sofa, put down his chopsticks, and with his well-defined fingers, picked up a shrimp and began to peel it. After a while, a peeled shrimp appeared in front of Huo Ling and was placed in her bowl. "No one has been peeling shrimp for Xiao Ling'er, so I'll peel it for you."

“My sister-in-law said that people who offer help without asking for it are either up to no good. Uncle, I think I’ve made myself clear. We’re not a good match. Consider this our farewell dinner. Let’s eat quickly. After we finish eating, whether you go home or go find other girls is none of my business.”

"I don't think Uncle likes it either, being pestered like that, right?"

When Xu Zhoulan saw her eagerness to sever ties with him, her lively appearance made him smile, and he slowly said, "Except for Xiao Ling'er."

It seems I really need to have the bodyguards keep a close watch on this place tomorrow, so that this vixen won't come to her house in the middle of the night.

Huo Ling never expected that her words would lead Xu Zhoulan to peel a whole plate of shrimp for her, while he himself didn't eat much.

Huo Ling rarely had anyone accommodate her preferences because of her words. From childhood to adulthood, she always yielded to her mother and did things that would please her.

I don't know if my mother has returned to France.

"Finished?"

"Well, I'm full."

Xu Zhoulan, like a refined young nobleman, took out a tissue and wiped his oily fingers bit by bit. His movements were somewhat casual, which was pleasing to the eye. He seemed like a normal person now, but she didn't know why he would suddenly lose his temper. At that time... she could tell that this old man really wanted to strangle her.

Huo Ling leaned back, and Xu Zhoulan stood up. "I'll go wash the dishes."

Huo Ling was shocked and surprised. Had the sun risen in the west today?

"You should just leave it there; someone will come to clean it tomorrow."

Xu Zhoulan ignored her and went into the kitchen with the plate of food that was completely empty, then turned on the water in the sink.

Huo Ling was too lazy to move, so she lay down on the sofa. Who knew... she fell asleep while lying there, her heavy eyelids making it impossible for her to open her eyes.

She didn't know how long she had waited, but Huo Ling felt a lightness in her body during her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, but in her drowsy state, she felt that she was already lying on a soft bed, looking at the face that was so close to hers. The two of them were very close.

As she watched, Huo Ling lowered her guard and fell asleep...

Now everyone in the capital city knows that the Jiang family's daughter, who had been secretly married for many years, is now going to hold a grand wedding ceremony again. The Jiang family's daughter is marrying a man who was supported by Jiang Weiguo to become the president of the Jiang Group, but who has no background or status.

Some people felt a sense of regret, while others felt that the two families were not a good match. In fact, most people were not optimistic about the relationship.

Everyone thinks that the former president of the Jiang Group was a "phoenix man" who went to the Jiang Group for its wealth, and now that he has been dismissed, it would be unreasonable for her to marry him.

Most people warned Jiang Hua to be careful and not to be deceived.

Jiang Hua didn't need to worry about the wedding at all; her father and grandfather were handling everything. They were choosing an auspicious date and preparing her dowry. Jiang Hua felt a little helpless as she watched her father and grandfather discussing the guest list. "Dad, Grandpa... Pei Zhan and I have had our marriage certificate for several years now. A wedding is just a process; there's no need for such a grand affair. Even if I get divorced and remarry, it won't be my first marriage."

Jiang Weiguo: "This time is different."

Jiang Hua lay on the bamboo chair that her grandfather had woven by hand in the old Jiang family house. Jiang Zhu sat next to her on a small stool, peeling pine nuts for her and gently removing the skins before placing them on a blue and white porcelain plate. "Sister, eat," she said, feeding her herself.

"What's the difference? What does he have to offer?" If it weren't for her father insisting she be with Pei Zhan, they would have divorced long ago, and none of this would have happened. "I saw it on the social video app launched by the Jiang family; everyone's saying Pei Zhan is after our family's wealth, that he's a 'phoenix man'..."

"I think these people are really good at judging people; they're absolutely right."

“He doesn’t work now and bothers me at home every day, sigh…” Thinking about the balance in Pei Zhan’s salary card, I shook my head.

Jiang Hua was unaware, but they all knew perfectly well Pei Zhan's true identity.

Jiang Zhu also said, "Sister is right."

"We can't let my sister marry down and become his son-in-law. Right, sister?"

Jiang Hua: "Xiao Zhu is right, you're so good."

"I think you should have finished your exams by now. How do you think you did?"

Jiang Zhu: "Getting into Beijing University should be no problem. Brother-in-law, I've done all the test papers you gave me, and I found that the questions on this year's exam are very similar to those on the test papers you gave me. If nothing unexpected happens, I think I should be able to get 660 points."

At this point, Jiang Weiguo couldn't resist adding insult to injury, saying, "Hmm... this score is indeed enough. Huahua's score wasn't high back then either; she just barely passed by one point. If she had been one point short, she wouldn't have gotten in."

Jiang Huai: "Everyone has their strengths. Even if you don't go to Imperial University, you can still achieve great things in this field by inheriting your mother's jewelry restoration skills."

Just then, a black Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up in the courtyard of the Jiang family's old mansion. Kagel got out of the car and said, "As the young master instructed, take the young mistress to try on her wedding dress."

"Miss Jiang Zhu can also join as a bridesmaid."

After Jiang Hua left, Jiang Huai checked the guest list again. "You still haven't told Hua Hua about his true identity?"

Jiang Weiguo: "It's not the right time yet. Huo Tingshan sent a gift. He probably won't object to Huahua becoming the matriarch of the Huo family. However... Pei Zhan's mother probably won't be able to accept it."

Jiang Huai: "No one's path is always smooth sailing. This is their own business, and you have already done a lot for them. Let them handle what happens next."

"Pei Zhan is a smart man; he will protect her."

At the photography studio, Huo Ling was also temporarily pulled in to be a bridesmaid.

"Sister-in-law will definitely love these wedding dresses." These rows of gowns were all custom-made by Pei Zhan long ago, tailored to Jiang Hua's measurements. The sheer lace and trim on the dresses took almost a year to complete; even a small piece of the finished embroidery cost 100,000 yuan. You can imagine how astronomical this entire set is. Moreover, this isn't just one set; it encompasses almost every type of wedding dress design from around the world.

There are nearly several thousand wedding dresses, spanning from the first to the sixth floor, in all styles. You can imagine how staggering the prices must be.

"By the way, brother, have you heard anything from Mom? Why... did Kagel tell me that Mom didn't go back to France?"

Will Dad... come?