Lin Yao stared at the red booklet in her hands, only now fully realizing that she was a married woman.
“What’s wrong? Having regrets?” Huo Boyan noticed Lin Yao fixated on the marriage certificate and spoke with a hint of mockery.
Hearing his words, Lin Yao gave a bitter smile and shook her head self-deprecatingly. “No, you helped me. I should be thanking you, not regretting it. Besides, you’re the richest man now—marrying you makes me the wife of the wealthiest man.”
“Wife of the wealthiest man?” Huo Boyan sneered. “I only married you because Grandfather kept pressuring me to get married. I married you just to appease him. Don’t delude yourself into thinking you’re truly my wife!”
Her mention of “wife of the wealthiest man” grated on his ears. This woman really would do anything for money, he thought, feeling a surge of anger.
So that was it—no wonder he agreed to lend her ten million, with the condition that she marry him.
“In that case, Mr. Huo, you don’t plan on making me your wife for life, do you?” Lin Yao observed his expression and asked tentatively.
“Hah!” Huo Boyan’s face darkened as he let out a cold laugh, not answering her question.
He motioned for Lin Yao to follow him into the car. Seeing his angry demeanor, she didn’t dare ask more and obediently sat beside him.
Lin Yao followed Huo Boyan to the Huo Corporation and into his office.
It had to be said—the richest man was indeed the richest man. Even his office was larger than her entire shop. Compared to his office, her shop was nothing but a shabby little place.
Outside the office, Qin Hao had already received the news and was waiting at the door. He handed Lin Yao a document. “Madam, please take a look. This is the agreement between you and Mr. Huo.”
An agreement? What other agreement was there?
Lin Yao took it and opened it. The first page bore four bold characters: “Marriage Agreement.”
In simple terms, the agreement stipulated that Lin Yao could not reveal their marriage to anyone without Huo Boyan’s permission.
She could not cheat or have excessive contact with other men.
She had to live with Huo Boyan and obey him in all matters.
She had to act affectionately with Huo Boyan in front of Old Master Huo.
She could not disclose their contractual marriage to anyone who knew they were married.
During the agreement period, they would have a sexual relationship like a normal married couple.
In dangerous situations, she had to protect Huo Boyan’s safety.
If she violated any of these terms, she would have to compensate Huo Boyan thirty million.
After reading the contents, Lin Yao realized that every clause in the agreement targeted her alone—none applied to Huo Boyan. Typical capitalist!
“Mr. Huo, all these terms are directed at me alone. That’s not very fair!” Lin Yao said angrily to Huo Boyan, who was sitting at his desk.
“Fair?” Huo Boyan laughed. “You want fairness?”
“Yes, it’s unfair! All these terms only apply to me. You’re also part of this agreement—shouldn’t you be bound by it too?”
“What do you want, then?” Huo Boyan stared back at her, his imposing presence making Lin Yao shrink back in fear.
But she mustered her courage and spoke up. “Since I can’t cheat, you shouldn’t either. And I want to know—how long will our marriage last? I assume you don’t want to be tied to me for life, do you?”
Lin Yao was clever to toss the question of how long she didn’t want to be tied to Huo Boyan back to him, letting him set the deadline himself.
Not cheating was something Huo Boyan could easily abide by. His upbringing had taught him never to betray his wife—it was one of the Huo family rules. Even if Lin Yao hadn’t brought it up, he would have followed it.
As for the deadline…
Huo Boyan had proposed marriage purely to appease his grandfather. He was even worried that Lin Yao, a woman who loved money, might cling to him.
After some thought, Huo Boyan said, “I can agree not to cheat. The deadline will be five years! After five years, the agreement ends, and you won’t have to repay the ten million.”
Five years was well within Lin Yao’s acceptance range, and on top of that, she wouldn’t have to repay the ten million afterward. She agreed immediately.
Qin Hao, who had been listening to their conversation, inwardly admired Lin Yao. Having worked by Mr. Huo’s side for so many years, he had rarely seen any woman dare to set conditions with him.
Soon, Qin Hao prepared a new agreement. Lin Yao reviewed the terms once more before signing what felt like her own contract of servitude.
Qin Hao brought the agreement to Huo Boyan for his signature, but Huo Boyan didn’t even glance at it.
Instead, he addressed Lin Yao, who was sitting on the sofa looking at him. “Go back and pack your things to move in with me. From now on, you must live with me.”
“Move today? Where do you live?” Lin Yao watched him, noticing he showed no intention of signing. She thought to herself that a man of his stature as a CEO wouldn’t likely deceive her.
“The driver downstairs will go with you and take you there. Just bring your clothes.”
With that, Huo Boyan ignored her, tossed the agreement aside, and picked up a file from his desk to start working. Seeing how busy he was, Lin Yao had no choice but to leave.
Qin Hao escorted Lin Yao to wait for the elevator. When the doors opened, a beautiful woman stepped out.
Lin Yao didn’t pay much attention, assuming she was an employee, but she couldn’t help marveling inwardly—were all the women at Huo Boyan’s company this stunning?
Su Yuqing glanced at Lin Yao inside the elevator and felt a twinge of unease. She turned to Qin Hao, who was still nearby, and asked, “Who is she? Why did she come out of Boyan’s office?”
Qin Hao maintained his composure in front of Su Yuqing. “She’s here to sign an agreement with Mr. Huo.”
Inwardly, he thought he wasn’t lying—after all, the lady was indeed there to sign an agreement with Mr. Huo.
So it was just about signing an agreement. Su Yuqing relaxed, then looked at the lunchbox in her hand and said, “Is Boyan in his office? I brought him lunch.”
“Yes, but did you have an appointment with Mr. Huo?”
Qin Hao blocked Su Yuqing’s path, preventing her from entering.
However, Su Yuqing, the young lady of the Su family, was not one to be easily placated. Spoiled since childhood, she had known Huo Boyan since they were young and had always harbored feelings for him. Since when did she need an appointment to see him?
“An appointment? Since when do I need an appointment to see Boyan? Get out of my way!”
Su Yuqing glared at Qin Hao angrily and shouted.
“I’m sorry, Miss Su. Without an appointment, you cannot enter. Please don’t make this difficult for me.”
“Open your eyes and see who I am! How could I possibly need an appointment to see Boyan?”
“If you keep blocking me, I’ll have Boyan fire you!”
Su Yuqing pushed Qin Hao aside in a huff, ignoring his attempts to stop her as she barged straight into Huo Boyan’s office.
“Miss Su, Mr. Huo is busy right now, you can’t go in…”
Qin Hao hadn’t expected Su Yuqing to shove him aside and could only trail slowly behind her, calling out but not actually stepping forward to block her.
Su Yuqing flung open the door to Huo Boyan’s office. Huo Boyan looked up at her, his face showing annoyance at being disturbed.
“What is it?”