Meng Yao felt like a mute person eating bitter herbs, unable to express her suffering.
Hong Jiaxi's proposal involved a base act of possessing her body, which made it difficult for her to speak of.
"Nothing."
Meng Qi asked in surprise, "Just talking? That's too anticlimactic, but it doesn't seem like his style."
Meng Yao had to say, "He just mentioned it casually, it wasn't a formal proposal."
"Then you didn't agree?" Meng Qi guessed from her state.
"I haven't made up my mind. I just feel like my feelings for him haven't reached the point of marrying him."
Meng Qi saw her dilemma and said, "Are you still thinking about Song Jiaping? Then you need to be clear. Once you marry Jiaxi, you can't think about Song Jiaping anymore. Just like you said about me, it's unfair to Jiaxi. Besides, marriage is not like dating. Once you choose, you must be loyal to him."
Meng Yao quickly denied it, "I'm not thinking about Song Jiaping anymore. This has nothing to do with Song Jiaping. I just always feel that Jiaxi is a bit, a bit... unsettling in a way I can't describe."
"Then is it your confidence in him or yourself?" Meng Qi advised her, "No one is perfect. If you're choosing a marriage partner, Jiaxi is already considered perfect. If you're not satisfied with him, you'll probably have a hard time finding someone better for you."
"Is he good to me?" Meng Yao asked blankly.
"Where do you think he's not good to you?" Meng Qi asked with a smile, "I see him doting on you, obeying your every word, serving you like a pampered princess. Isn't that good enough?"
"That's true." Meng Yao usually couldn't find fault with Jiaxi.
Meng Qi poured tea for both of them and said, "But it's up to you. My opinion might not be right."
Meng Yao hummed, slowly picked up her teacup, took a sip, and leaned back in her chair, the soreness in her body returning.
She forced herself to sit with Meng Qi for a while before finding an excuse to return to her room.
As soon as she got back to her room, she went to take a bath and discovered her body was covered in Jiaxi's marks. She painfully felt that her body and heart belonged to different men, as if she had been torn in half, no longer complete.
...
As soon as Meng Yao left the hall, Huangfu Sisong returned.
Hearing her father's voice, Meng Qi quickly stood up to greet him, "Dad, are you tired? I just brewed some tea, would you like a cup?"
Huangfu Sisong waved his hand and asked, "Weren't you at the group today?"
"I had an appointment with a client. After the meeting, I didn't go back to the group. I came straight back because I wanted to spend time with Mom," Meng Qi explained.
Huangfu Sisong hummed, but he didn't see Wu Xiufang in the hall and asked, "Then where is your mother? Why isn't she with you?"
"She was doing flower arranging with me this afternoon, but she said she wasn't feeling well and went back to her room to rest."
"Then I'll go check on her," Huangfu Sisong said and went upstairs to the room.
Meng Qi was left alone again. She idly poured herself more tea, feeling that the atmosphere at home was too cold.
Everyone had their own thoughts, and no one could liven things up.
...
Wu Xiufang had been feeling uneasy, her mind wandering in everything she did.
The mysterious person hadn't contacted her again during this period, and there was no news from Old Shi.
She truly feared waking up one day to find that everyone in Lancheng knew she was an imposter of the Wu family's daughter and all the bad things she had done.
She had been having such nightmares every night, which left her utterly exhausted.
She had told Meng Qi she was going back to her room to sleep, but she couldn't sleep at all.
Just as she was getting a headache, Old Shi finally called her.
"Hello, did you find anything?"
Old Shi replied, "Yes, I've found some clues. I think this matter should be related to the president of Aoxiang Group."
Wu Xiufang asked, "Is that Qin fellow causing trouble?"
"It should be. I checked the surveillance footage along the route. The person who impersonated a delivery man to deliver the package to you was a private detective, and he's been working for the Qin fellow. But I had someone follow that private detective for a while, and I haven't found them meeting again recently. I'll continue to have someone follow the Qin fellow and that private detective."
"Okay." Wu Xiufang couldn't understand how Qin Tianyi knew about her past.
She had never had any dealings with this person. She had only heard that there was some competition between the two groups, and that Qin Tianyi's wife was good friends with Daisy.
Could it be that Daisy's entanglement with Shaohua back then was orchestrated by them?
Were they the real culprits behind Shaohua's death?
Old Shi said on the phone, "Do you want me to have someone eliminate him directly to prevent future trouble?"
"Don't rush it yet. I need to meet him and confirm, to see what his intentions are," Wu Xiufang said resentfully. "If he's really playing me, we absolutely won't let him get away with it!"
"Who are you not letting get away with it?" a cold voice sounded.
Wu Xiufang looked over and saw that Huangfu Sisong had pushed open the door and was standing at the entrance at some point.
"Sisong, you're back." Wu Xiufang hung up the phone with a nervous expression.
Huangfu Sisong walked up to her and stared at her, asking, "Who were you just talking to, saying you wouldn't let someone get away with it?"
Wu Xiufang was stunned for a few seconds, but quickly reacted and said, "A person in charge of the charity foundation just told me that that nouveau riche Mrs. Liu said she would set up a fund for the disabled with the donation money, but she embezzled it herself. I was telling that person in charge that we can't let her get away with it. Not only should the donation money be recovered, but she should also be prosecuted for embezzling donation funds."
Huangfu Sisong stared at her for a good while before taking off his suit and sitting down, saying, "There have been so many troublesome matters lately. Since you are the president of that foundation, such things indeed cannot be tolerated."
Wu Xiufang hummed and asked him solicitously, "What happened? Did something happen at the group too?"
"Aoxiang Group snatched a financing deal from our group. It's not a big deal. But this Qin Tianyi is like an annoying fly, flying around our group's head all the time lately. I want to swat him, but I can't reach him. He also keeps snatching a piece of meat from under my nose and running away. It's infuriating."
Wu Xiufang feigned surprise and said, "How can someone be like that? That's really annoying."
But in her heart, she thought that this Qin Tianyi was clearly trying to go against them.
He must have sent people to investigate her because he wanted to deal with the Huangfu Group and Sisong.
It seemed Qin Tianyi wanted to replace their Huangfu family's position in Lancheng and become the richest man in Lancheng.
"As soon as I find Qin Tianyi's weakness, I'll make sure he has no place to stand in Lancheng!" Huangfu Sisong said with a gloomy expression.
"Alright, don't be angry," Wu Xiufang said with a smile, "Didn't we agree long ago not to talk about work when we get home? Wait here, I'll go see if the Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup I specifically cooked for you is ready. Drink some to calm your anger."
Huangfu Sisong liked her gentle and considerate nature. He nodded, and the pain in his temples eased considerably.
Wu Xiufang smiled at him and left the room to go to the kitchen.
Huangfu Sisong watched her retreating back. Although they were no longer young, and she was no longer the young girl she once was, they had gone through so many years of adjustments together. At this age, neither could leave the other.
The resentment he had towards her due to Shaohua's death had also dissipated. The tragedy had already happened and could not be changed. Blaming anyone was useless, so why damage their marital relationship?