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

Besides a skylight, the room contained only a bed and a table. The room was made of reinforced concrete and was surrounded by detectors and 24-hour patrols by the military. It was surrounded by mountains and peaks, so even if he wanted to escape, the environment made it impossible for him to get out.

In the empty room, after it was over, Xu Zhoulan picked up the prison uniform from the floor, intending to help her with some basic care. Huo Ling frowned with disgust, pulling her legs back in resistance. "You want me to use my hands?"

"It's none of your business." Huo Ling tried to get up, but he pressed her down. "After all this time, does little Ling'er still dislike her brother?"

Huo Ling looked away uncomfortably. "It's unclean, it can cause infection."

Xu Zhoulan raised an eyebrow. "Clean isn't dirty. When Xiao Ling'er came to see me, I had already taken a bath."

Hearing him say that, Huo Ling slowly relaxed. Sensing her tacit consent, Xu Zhoulan raised an eyebrow and curled his lips. He seemed to be doing it on purpose, rubbing her sensitive areas a few more times.

Before he could make his next move, Huo Ling, her mind in turmoil, pushed him away, picked up her dress from the floor, and zipped it up. "I'm leaving."

“I thought… Xiao Ling’er came because she couldn’t bear to leave her brother.”

Huo Ling turned to look at him, her eyes filled with a unique emotion.

"Looking at her brother like that, has Little Ling'er fallen in love with him?"

He still spoke with that same glib tongue. It seemed like he had no sincerity towards anyone, yet many people were still infatuated with him, wanting to get love from him, hoping he would turn over a new leaf and settle down for them. Even though they knew it was impossible, they still rushed to his side like moths to a flame, courting their own destruction.

His features bear the shadow of his father, as well as Aunt Qianxue's captivating and affectionate eyes; he inherited most of his traits from Aunt Qianxue.

"Yes."

Upon hearing the girl's affirmative reply, a fleeting, almost imperceptible look crossed the man's eyes, vanishing quickly.

"I love you, but never. I will never be your enemy."

"I will bear this feeling alone; it has nothing to do with you." Because of Aunt Qianxue's death, he was blinded. No one had the right to make him let go, not even his older brother... who had the right to forgive him for everything he had done.

"I will leave the capital and do what I should do. You stay here and atone for the mistakes you made."

"Xu Zhoulan, we... will never meet again."

Huo Ling stepped forward, tiptoed, and gently placed her lips on the man's. Seeing the stunned look in his eyes, his dark pupils slowly contracted, reflecting the image of the girl in front of him, as if leaving a mark.

…Consider it a farewell.

The room was dimly lit. He was shirtless, wearing only black trousers, and the bruises on his body were clearly visible. He hadn't changed at all during this time, except that his hair had grown a bit longer. The wisps of hair on his forehead covered his long, narrow eyes with creases at the corners, which were like peach blossoms. He still looked the same, nonchalant and indifferent to everything. The slight curve at the corner of his mouth was quite devilish, but his eyes, no matter when, were always cold and indifferent, never showing any other emotion.

At that moment, the man followed the girl's retreating figure, staring at her back.

Huo Ling picked up the shackles from the ground and stepped forward. She was like a judge, personally putting shackles representing punishment on a criminal and sentencing him.

As she stepped out the door and got into the car, under the cover of night, a single, crystal-clear tear silently rolled down the girl's cold, pale face…

A slow, painful feeling began to creep into her heart. Xu Zhoulan was indeed not a good man; he had many women around him, and she was just one of them. She knew he wasn't a good choice, but she still fell in love with him.

We shouldn't have met, but that's exactly what happened. Even if all of this was premeditated, I don't regret it at all. I can control my actions, but I can't control the sinking of my consciousness.

I will accompany you to atone for your sins with your elder brother, and also... your sister-in-law's child.

She couldn't bring herself to ask her older brother and sister-in-law for their forgiveness.

She couldn't stop and stand still for him alone; that would only lead to nothing.

...

I woke up a little late this morning. Around 11 or 12 a.m., the servants had set the table. A man dressed in a black suit, with a watch buckle and black leather shoes with red soles, slowly walked down the stairs. He glanced around and his gaze landed on that figure. "What time did you come back last night?"

"Do you know you still have classes?"

Huo Ling lowered her head and fell silent. "I'm sorry, big brother."

Ultimately, no matter how mature Huo Ling's mind is, she is still just an eighteen-year-old girl. Seeing her like this, she glanced at Pei Zhan and said, "Don't bring your attitude of lecturing your subordinates home. Why are you being so fierce? You're the one who's fierce."

"Ignore him, it's good that he's alright."

"Next time you want to go, go earlier and don't come back too late," Jiang Hua said, putting some food into Huo Ling's bowl.

Huo Ling: "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Pei Zhan pulled out a chair and sat down. The words Jiang Hua spoke were the same ones Jiang Weiguo often said to her.

Jiang Weiguo: "I don't care what you do outside or what trouble you cause, you have to be back by 8:30 p.m.

As long as the person is safe, even if they make a huge mistake, it doesn't matter.

Pei Zhan: "There will be no next time."

Huo Ling: "I understand, brother."

The atmosphere at the dining table remained silent, as always.

After a while, Huo Ling put down her chopsticks, stood up, and said, "I'm full. Big brother and sister-in-law, I'm going to school now."

Jiang Hua replied, "Okay, go ahead. Be careful on the way. If you need anything at school, you can ask Bao'er."

"I understand, sister-in-law."

After Huo Ling left, Jiang Hua saw her like this and couldn't bear it any longer. "If it really doesn't work..."

Pei Zhan interrupted her directly, saying, "Anyone is fine, except for Xu Zhoulan."

"I won't allow it either."

"What I mean is, imprisoning Xu Zhoulan and keeping her locked up in the villa 24 hours a day won't hurt us, and secondly... she can do whatever she wants with her. What if she gets tired of her and doesn't like her anymore?"

Pei Zhan glanced at Jiang Hua quietly, then a slight smile appeared on his lips. "Hmm...that's a good idea. When Mrs. Pei decides to leave and falls for someone else, I'll take this approach."

Jiang Hua felt like she had shot herself in the foot. "Pei Zhan, you dare to try treating me like that!"

Pei Zhan: "...Um, I wouldn't dare."

Jiang Hua: "It's hard to say whether he'll fall for someone else. Actually, I think Xu Zhoulan is quite handsome, aside from being a bit of a womanizer. To be fair, the Huo family has really good genes."

"Mrs. Pei, please eat your meal."

She ate very slowly, chewing each bite carefully. Pei Zhan waited beside her while she finished eating, and could handle most of the company's affairs at his convenience.

After Jiang Hua finished eating, Pei Zhan left for the company. Huo Ling had no classes in the morning, but her afternoon classes wouldn't end until four or five o'clock. Jiang Hua felt a little sleepy after eating, so she went upstairs for a nap.

...

In the shaded garden of Junlin Mansion, Xia He was trimming flowers and plants. Aunt Zhong said something to her, and Xia He stopped what she was doing, frowned, and handed the garden shears to a maid. "Did Xiao Ling really say that?"

Aunt Zhong nodded, "There's no reason for the eldest young lady to hide what she said from the madam. Miss Song is indeed engaged to a man named Lu Yuanzhou. The wedding date was set while the eldest young master was seriously injured abroad. According to the investigation, we found out that Miss Song and he were childhood sweethearts and had a deep relationship. Back then, she rejected the eldest young master because of her fiancé."

"Now it's probably because she knows that Madam wants to matchmake Miss Song and the young master that Miss Song thought of having relations with him this morning, wanting to make it a fait accompli. It seems... Miss Song really doesn't like the young master anymore."

"In order to dispel the rumors, she did not hesitate to jump off a building to prove her innocence with the young master. She was just afraid that her fiancé would misunderstand. Otherwise, she would not have gone to such lengths."

Xia He: "The person who is worthy of him can disregard family background, but must be pure in heart and mind."

"Since she has lost her virginity, let's just let it go."

"If you can't force it, then let her be."

Aunt Zhong seemed to remember something and added, "What the young lady means is that Madam doesn't really need to take Miss Song as her goddaughter. The life-saving grace can be repaid in other ways."

"After all, Madam will eventually return to Mr. Song's side; she can't keep Miss Song with her all the time."

The two walked into the hall one after the other. Xia He sat down on the sofa, and the maid immediately placed the stewed bird's nest in front of her. "What a pity, Qingran is such a good girl."

"If I leave the capital, I'll be doing a good job for that bitch Jiang Qingcheng's daughter."

"Her mother failed to become the matriarch, but she did."

“I want to see how long she can be so smug. I hope... she can outlive her mother.”

"Tell Huo Laosan and the others that I am hosting a family banquet tomorrow, and everyone must attend."

"If we don't give her a warning, I'm afraid that with her ungrateful and arrogant nature, if she stays by Pei Zhan's side, she won't be of any help, and she might even cause trouble."

Xia He: "Yes, Madam."

"Oh, right, tell Qingran to prepare to come with me too."

Xia He lowered her head: "Yes."

When Kagel relayed the news about tomorrow's family dinner, Jiang Hua was combing her long hair in front of her dressing table. She simply said two words: "I'm not going. I don't have an appetite if I see her."

"Going there won't bring any good things."

"Madam, you may have dodged it once, but you might not be able to do it a second time. You are the matriarch of the Huo family, and everyone in the Huo family should be mindful of your feelings."

"Madam, you can treat this family dinner as an ordinary meal, only there are more people, but it's no different from usual."

Jiang Hua thought about it carefully, "She wants to deflate my ego in front of the Huo family and humiliate me in front of everyone. As I said before, she really messed with the wrong person."

"Kagher, prepare a dress for tomorrow's banquet. I want it red, the redder the better."

Kagel: "Yes, madam."

Kagel reported the matter to Pei Zhan. Just a few minutes later, Jiang Hua had just gotten into bed when she received a call from Pei Zhan. At that moment, Pei Zhan was walking out of the president's office, followed by a team of six elite advisors.

"Speak quickly, I'm going to sleep."

Pei Zhan answered the phone with one hand, and with the other hand he raised his wrist to look at the time on his watch. It was 12:30, almost time.

"If you don't want to go, you don't have to go, I'll turn it down."

A rustling sound came from the microphone; it was Jiang Hua lying down and pulling the covers over herself. "Why not go? Not only am I going, but I'm also going to dress up beautifully."

"She's not targeting me, and I won't provoke her. I'll just finish this meal peacefully. If she doesn't want me to feel at ease, I won't tolerate it."

The elevator signal was weak. When the elevator doors opened, Pei Zhan didn't step inside. Instead, he finished his phone call. The meeting had lasted for more than two minutes, and no one behind him dared to urge him on.

"Ah."

"Alright, I'm going to sleep."

"Thinking about your mother, I feel annoyed even when I hear your voice now."

Pei Zhan: "..."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Hua closed her eyes and went to sleep.

When Song Qingran received the expensive, handmade custom-made dress, she was somewhat incredulous. "Did Aunt Xia give this to me? It's too valuable, I can't accept it. I haven't even had a chance to wear the dress Aunt Xia gave me last time. You should take this one back."

The other party said, "Miss Song, the Madam wishes to bring you to the Huo family banquet tomorrow. There will be many people attending, so you should dress appropriately. It's a matter of etiquette."

"The head of the family and his wife will also be there. Miss Song, please remember what I just told you. You must not embarrass your wife."

Song Qingran's heart suddenly jumped into her throat. She bit her lip and said, "I...I understand. I will definitely not let Aunt Xia down."

When Song's mother came out of the room, she had heard everything that was said outside: "At the Huo family banquet, that lady actually wanted to bring you along. Qingran, you must make sure to perform well then."

"Mom has suffered a lot in her life. All I want is for you to be healthy and safe, and then marry into a good family. That way, even if I die tomorrow, I can rest in peace."

"Mom, what are you saying! I've said it so many times, there's absolutely no way Mr. Pei and I can be together. Senior Jiang's family background is also quite good; they're a perfect match. I..."

"Even without Mr. Pei, any other member of the Huo family would do! Any one of them could ensure you a life of comfort and security. When Mom meets Madam Xia, I must thank her properly for taking such good care of you."

"Besides, you're almost of marriageable age. Just have her find you a man who's even better than Lu Yuanzhou as soon as possible."

“Sigh, Yuanzhou is not bad either, he's a lawyer, but I can’t forget the things he did to you. You remained chaste for him and rejected such a good man as Mr. Pei. Otherwise… you would be the matriarch of the Huo family by now, and no one else would have a chance. You waited for him to come back, and he slept with another woman. I wouldn’t even look at a man like that.”

"Mom, when the time comes, find a time to call off your engagement."

…Otherwise, you would already be the matriarch of the Huo family.

These words resonated deeply in Song Qingran's heart, and her gaze gradually drifted away, becoming somewhat absent-minded.

If she hadn't rejected him at the hotel, and hadn't said those things to him, would things be different...?