Chen Keqiao looked incredulous. "You have a friend that handsome?"
"Why are you looking at me with such suspicion?" An Ruo avoided her gaze. "Isn't it normal for someone as pretty as me to have such a handsome male friend?"
"I'm afraid he's not just a male friend, but a boyfriend."
"..."
"Girl, don't forget you're a married woman now. Doing something like this is asking for divine punishment!"
An Ruo helplessly rubbed her forehead. What could she do? She couldn't tell Chen Keqiao the truth.
With that loudmouth of hers, if she knew, the whole world would know!
"It's not as serious as you make it sound." An Ruo waved her hand and headed toward the classroom building.
"You've already got the future heir to the richest family—leave these cheap handsome guys for us single folks, okay?" Chen Keqiao shamelessly chased after her. "Give me his contact info. Your sister here is still single! You don't care about me at all!"
"I don't have his contact info."
Chen Keqiao raised an eyebrow. "How is that possible!"
"I really don't."
Chen Keqiao pouted. "Fine, if you're afraid I'll steal him, just say so. We're sisters; I wouldn't stoop to poaching your man."
"..."
"But listen up, the wealthy aren't like ordinary folks. Be careful when you're dating that Audi hottie. Don't let the Shen family catch you red-handed—do you still want to keep your title as the Shen family's eldest daughter-in-law?"
An Ruo thought of how the man had forced himself on her that morning and said petulantly, "If I can't keep it, so be it. Finding a pretty boy wouldn't be so bad either."
Chen Keqiao's beautiful eyes widened. "Oh, girl, you're something else. So soon you've picked up my fine qualities?"
"..."
"Wait, you're not messing with me, are you?" Chen Keqiao quickened her pace to catch up. "Did you have a fight with Mr. Shen?"
Something was off. Before, if she said even one bad word about Shen Xiaoxing, An Ruo would shut her down on the spot, a total husband-defending maniac!
Now she was actually entertaining the idea of running off with a pretty boy.
An Ruo didn't hide it. "We had a fight."
"No wonder you've been staying in that rundown apartment building these past few days. With a big villa to sleep in, you must be bored out of your mind!"
"I like it." An Ruo snorted, picked up her bag, and walked into the classroom.
Chen Keqiao stuck out her tongue behind her.
...
At the Lanyuan International Club.
In the private room, an eerie atmosphere hung in the air...
Gu Chao, rarely not working, sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, swirling a wine glass, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
He drank absentmindedly.
Sheng Nanzhou kept glancing at the man beside him, who radiated high pressure. He shrank his shoulders and clinked glasses with He Su.
It wasn't easy to get Dr. He together, but as soon as he walked in, he sensed the tension. The man pursed his thin lips, brows furrowed as if pondering some national crisis.
Just then, the door was rudely shoved open!
Huo Jinyan, devoid of any aristocratic elegance, strode in with an extremely dark expression, looking like someone had ruined his good time.
"What's got you so fired up today?" Sheng Nanzhou, relieved to see him like a savior, quickly moved to sit beside him.
"Some jerk interrupted my fun!" Huo Jinyan cursed loudly. "I had the girl on the bed, ready to take it further, and a phone call dragged me here!"
Sheng Nanzhou elbowed him, nodding toward the grim-faced man, and forced a laugh. "You're the young master of the Huo family—are you really worried about getting laid?"
With one word from him, beauties would line up to jump into bed.
"You don't know shit!"
Huo Jinyan glanced at the frowning, contemplative man. Strange, huh? He'd been subtly throwing shade, and the guy didn't even flinch, not lifting an eyelid.
"I asked you here to come up with ideas, not to spout nonsense." He Su hugged the freshly served fruit platter, eating leisurely with his legs propped on the crystal table, utterly relaxed. "In public, mind your manners."
"Dr. He, you're always resourceful. What problem can even you not solve?"
Sheng Nanzhou chuckled. "Relationship issues."
"Whose relationship issues? His?" Huo Jinyan's gaze landed on He Su, sneering. "That guy's love life is doomed—he'll die alone!"
"You son of a—" He Su snapped, nearly hurling the fruit platter at him.
Luckily, Gu Chao quickly stopped him.
The man sitting in the U-shaped sofa fluttered his thick lashes, casting a cold, commanding glare.
Huo Jinyan coughed lightly and immediately straightened up. "Bro, you need me for something?"
A real man knew when to stand tall and when to bow his head!
He knew when to play along.
His bootlicking act made He Su snicker. "Master Huo, you're truly a man of flexibility."
"..."
The man took a sip of wine and said in a low voice, "Think of a way to cheer up my girl."
"I only know how to sweet-talk women." Huo Jinyan laughed. "I can't handle kid stuff."
Shen Xiaoxing glanced at him sideways, lifting his lips in a smile. "Is that so?"
The smile seemed harmless, but only Huo Jinyan knew how deadly it was.
A gentle blade, lethal with every strike!
"You... pissed her off again."
The man rubbed his thumb against the glass's rim, a sharp darkness flickering in his deep black eyes.
Low background music played in the room.
After hearing the story, Huo Jinyan's expression shifted from surprise to shock to a frown, and he didn't say a word for a long time.
"Stumped you?" He Su scoffed. "You look like you've eaten shit."
Huo Jinyan scratched the skin under his eye, looking troubled. "If you ask me... the fault isn't even yours."
"This girl is way too unreasonable." He clicked his tongue. "She lost one kid, and it's not like Ah Xing did it on purpose. He's been coaxing her for days, and she's still pushing it!"
"..."
"Ah Xing, listen to me—don't go pick her up. I've seen plenty of women like her; they're spoiled by being doted on. Let her cool off alone for a couple of days."
The man's black eyes darkened. "I asked for advice, not useless crap like that."
"If you think I'm full of crap, I'll leave now."
He Su: "Don't leave. Run."
"..."
Gu Chao stepped in to mediate. "Alright, guys, let's figure out how to get her back. The situation's serious—Ah Xing can't deal with the Shen family and protect her at the same time. Right now, keeping her in the villa is the safest."
Sheng Nanzhou threw up his hands. "Even Ah Xing can't handle it. We're a bunch of useless amateurs."
"Since it's about protecting her, just get her back to the villa. If gentle doesn't work, go rough!" Huo Jinyan lounged back on the sofa. "Knock her out and carry her back. Is that so hard?"
This little problem wasn't worth ruining his fun.
He thought it was something major!
"Ah Xing treats her like a precious gem—he'd never go rough."
"This won't work, that won't work. I'm a Casanova, sure, but I can't handle a stubborn little girl, especially one who's immune to a stunner like Ah Xing!"
Shen Xiaoxing shot him a glare. "Useless!"