"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. Huo Tingyun only wants my child, not me. As soon as I give birth, I'll be discarded like worn-out shoes."
"Even so... you still have the child as leverage, don't you?"
Sheng Yucen coaxed, "Do you want this child to fall into Huo Tingyun's hands? If this child follows Huo Tingyun, you'll never get custody back. Besides, Huo Tingyun has another woman in his heart whom he's never met!"
Sheng Yucen's words were like a basin of cold water, drenching Su Qi to the bone.
What Sheng Yucen said was true. She was indeed thinking about how to escape Huo Tingyun's control.
"Only I can help you, Su Qi. As long as I become the general manager of the subsidiary and gain some real power, I can help you."
Su Qi ate dinner without appetite. While showering, Sheng Yucen's words echoed repeatedly in her mind.
Currently, Xu Ruyun was struggling to cope with her own situation. Gu Tangxue had replaced Xu Linyun as a hot young actress. The company had been successfully established and was managed in an orderly fashion by Yang Tianhao, and her brother was also undergoing rehabilitation.
Everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction.
Su Qi took a bath towel, intending to dry herself. However, due to her pregnant belly, she couldn't reach certain spots, making it very difficult.
Just as she was about to call a servant to come in, the bathroom door was pushed open.
The man had returned at some point. He was still wearing a white shirt and suit pants, and had changed into slippers. Despite his casual home attire, he was so handsome that one look could leave you stunned and unable to react.
Su Qi was also stunned.
It wasn't because the man was too handsome, but because she was completely naked, and he had just walked in!
"Huo Tingyun! Get out!"
Su Qi threw the bath towel she was holding at the man.
Huo Tingyun chuckled softly, "What, shy again? We're an old married couple, can't I look?"
"Get out!" Su Qi tried to drive Huo Tingyun away.
"Don't move, I'll dry you." The man held her hands, took a dry, new towel, and carefully wiped the water off Su Qi's body, starting from her neck, then her waist, and especially her belly, meticulously drying every spot she couldn't reach.
"Hmm, your backside is still quite perky."
The man said meaningfully.
Su Qi's face flushed to the roots of her neck. "What nonsense are you talking about!"
The man smiled, "Just stating the truth."
This man was becoming more and more shameless. Su Qi grabbed her nightgown and, without even putting on shoes, walked out of the bathroom barefoot.
Before she could reach the bed, the man swept her up in his arms.
"Put on socks, be careful not to catch a cold."
The man placed her on the edge of the bed and, without anyone noticing, produced a pair of fluffy floor socks. As soon as Su Qi sat down, she felt her feet being held by the man, and then her soles felt the touch of the plush socks, along with the man's large palms, which had a rough texture.
Su Qi lowered her gaze, watching the man squatting in front of her, putting on her socks.
At this moment, they looked like an ordinary couple.
Something she had never dared to dream of was now happening in reality.
Why didn't she feel any happiness?
She desperately wanted to ask.
"Huo Tingyun, do you love me?"
"Huo Tingyun, do you love me, or the child in my belly?"
She lacked the courage.
She knew what answer she would receive.
For a whole year, she had been trying, throwing caution to the wind, and giving her all. But now, she had become timid.
"Alright, I still have some work to do. Sleep well."
Huo Tingyun tucked her in and, as an afterthought, turned off the bedside lamp and the floor lamp.
Su Qi kept her eyes open. After hearing the sound of the door closing, she slowly closed her eyes.
Su Qi was drowsily aware of the man's arm wrapping around her when he finished his work, regardless of the time.
Perhaps sensing that Su Qi was slightly awake, the man murmured softly in her ear.
"Can we be like we were before?"
Su Qi, who had been feeling sleepy, woke up completely upon hearing this sentence. Her mind had never been so clear.
"What do you mean?"
"You're still good to me like before, cooking and taking care of my daily life."
"You have a housekeeper. There are dozens of maids in the Huo family who will take care of you."
"You know that's not what I mean."
The man's voice turned a little cold.
Su Qi pretended to be oblivious, "You don't lack me, Huo Tingyun."
Knowing that Xu Linyun was not his childhood sweetheart, was he using her as a substitute until he found his true love?
Huo Tingyun, what do you take me for?
I am not a substitute for anyone, nor do I eat leftovers.
With a bang.
The sound of the door slamming shut.
Su Qi closed her eyes, her heart turning cold.
She was no longer the girl who yearned for love.
All her passion and affection had been extinguished by his cold words.
Perhaps separation was the best outcome for them.
For the next few days, Huo Tingyun did not come home, which gave Su Qi some peace.
However, thinking about Sheng Yucen's situation, she couldn't help but feel a headache.
On the fifth day, Su Qi made chicken soup and went to Shengshi Group.
Since the secretaries were replaced collectively last time, the new secretaries were polite and sensible. However, when they saw Su Qi arrive, they showed signs of distress.
"Madam, please wait a moment."
Su Qi frowned. What was there to hide?
She strode forward and forcefully pushed open the door to the top-floor office.
The office door was made of expensive wood and was very heavy. It required considerable force to push open. Su Qi was still holding the soup. The moment the door opened, she saw the scene inside.
Huo Tingyun's office was very large, easily one or two hundred square meters, with a floor-to-ceiling window that spanned the entire wall, about three to four meters high. It looked less like an office and more like a palace hall.
The office was designed by a well-known domestic designer, with a minimalist black, white, and gray color scheme. It was divided into several areas, even including a conference room, a reception room, and a lounge.
In front of the floor-to-ceiling window stood a man and a woman, facing each other. The moment the door opened, Su Qi saw the man embrace the woman. The woman let out a surprised gasp and threw herself into the man's arms. The woman's face instantly turned red. She tried to struggle out of the man's embrace, but he held her tightly, their bodies almost pressed against each other.
Su Qi felt as if she had been pricked by a needle, her fingers inexplicably aching.
Since the news of his engagement to Xu Linyun, Huo Tingyun had no scandals.
In the early days of their marriage, to spite the elder, Huo Tingyun would occasionally be rumored to be involved with models and actresses from the circle.
Su Qi couldn't help but find it amusing. What did it have to do with her? It was Huo Tingyun's freedom to do as he pleased.
Originally, she had come today to ask Huo Tingyun for a favor.