Having thought this, he immediately acted on it.
He called the organizers to inquire about the timing of the final segment. The organizers were perceptive; upon hearing Huo Shengye’s question, they directly said it could be arranged earlier and asked Huo Shengye to set a time.
Huo Shengye didn’t hesitate, and soon, the time for the group photo was announced in the banquet hall—in forty minutes.
Not long after the call ended, the door was knocked, and Qiu Ye’s voice came through: “Huo Shengye, sister-in-law, dinner is here.”
Huo Shengye personally went to bring in the meal cart and arranged the dishes on the dining table himself.
His movements were swift and gentle, flowing seamlessly.
Wen Yuan was stunned.
Still in a daze, Huo Shengye walked over to her, “Should I feed Yuan’er?”
Wen Yuan had applied ointment to her hands; she had truly exerted herself earlier, and her entire palms were red. Her skin was delicate, visibly swollen. Using chopsticks or anything else would certainly be inconvenient and painful.
But feeding her…
Wen Yuan politely declined this kindness.
“No, no need, Mr. Huo. I’ll eat by myself,” Wen Yuan said.
Huo Shengye nodded and didn’t force her, “Alright.”
He went into the washroom to wash his hands. Wen Yuan couldn’t wash her hands temporarily, waiting for Huo Shengye to come out. He picked up some dishes, and she began to eat.
The dinner provided by the hotel was quite tasty. While eating, Wen Yuan remembered something—the Qiu family.
“Mr. Huo, there’s something I’d like to ask, may I?” Wen Yuan said.
Huo Shengye found it amusing; he had been so good to her, yet she still didn’t feel it? Asking a question was nothing, why so nervous?
But Huo Shengye didn’t say it out loud; his little rose needed delicate nurturing, to be pampered to bloom beautifully.
“Yes, what does Yuan’er want to ask? Just say it directly.”
As he spoke, Huo Shengye also served Wen Yuan a bowl of soup, “This soup is delicious; Yuan’er should like it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Huo. Um… I want to ask, can we also collaborate with the Qiu family?”
A flicker of amusement passed through Huo Shengye’s eyes. He thought Wen Yuan was truly naive, but Qiu Lening…
When Huo Shengye had his people investigate Wen Yuan, he had long noticed that she was naturally straightforward, and importantly, Qiu Lening was sincere toward his little rose.
The “Ya Hao Hotel” of the Qiu family in the capital had been among the top-ranked in the hotel industry in K Country over the past few years.
Actually, even if Wen Yuan hadn’t mentioned it, based on his previous thoughts, Huo Shengye had intended to collaborate with the Qiu family.
But now that Wen Yuan had raised it, the collaboration schedule should be advanced.
However…
At this moment, facing Wen Yuan, Huo Shengye still didn’t want to agree so easily; that would be too dull.
Huo Shengye’s expression slightly cooled, and he asked Wen Yuan, “Yuan’er has a very good relationship with the Qiu family?”
The Qiu family.
Wen Yuan caught the key phrase in Huo Shengye’s words.
The Qiu parents were alive, and under Uncle and Auntie’s care were three children: eldest brother Qiu Lexing, second sister Qiu Lezhi, and third child Qiu Lening.
The eldest brother was now the CEO of the hotel, the second sister was also a company executive, and the third child was her close friend.
Regarding relationships, naturally they weren’t bad. Qiu Lening, needless to say, grew up together, even chose the same place for studying abroad, with schools next to each other.
The eldest brother and second sister of the Qiu family were twins, the same age, and grew up together with her brother Wen You.
Such relationships were naturally very close, akin to family even if not blood relatives.
Moreover, the parents of both families had extremely good relationships, so…
Wen Yuan nodded several times, “Yes, we have a very good relationship.”
Immediately after, she recounted without any reservation how close her family was with the Qiu family to Huo Shengye.
Unexpectedly, after listening, Huo Shengye said, “How enviable.”
Wen Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.
Instantly, she regretted it. She had forgotten that most people from wealthy families lacked love.
Had what she just said provoked Huo Shengye?
It seemed so. Huo Shengye didn’t look too well, appearing rather displeased.
Wen Yuan was filled with regret when she heard Huo Shengye speak again, “I’ll consider this matter, but there’s a prerequisite.”
When it came to the Qiu family’s development, Wen Yuan wouldn’t let any opportunity slip by. She quickly asked:
“What’s the prerequisite? Please tell me, Mr. Huo.”
“The prerequisite is that I want Yuan’er’s relationship with me to be better than her relationship with the Qiu family.”
Wen Yuan was stunned.
Better? What did that mean? But, no, how was that even possible?
After so many years of affection and connection, how could it possibly be worse than her relationship with Huo Shengye?
Wen Yuan felt Huo Shengye’s demand was somewhat unreasonable.
But she didn’t dare to argue. Unexpectedly, Huo Shengye wasn’t finished yet and added:
“The judgment will be based on my feelings.”
When they emerged from the lounge again, the sky was pitch black, but the banquet hall was brightly lit. The young masters and ladies from various families chatted animatedly, creating a lively atmosphere.
Wen Yuan was still pondering what Huo Shengye had said during dinner.
He wanted her relationship with him to be better than her relationship with the Qiu family before he would consider letting the Huo Group cooperate with the Qiu family.
And the judgment would be based on his feelings.
Huo Shengye was truly cunning, Wen Yuan thought. However, since Huo Shengye had made this demand, Wen Yuan had no choice but to work toward his condition.
“Mr. Huo, Miss Wen.” The event organizer’s representative approached to greet them.
“The group photo is over here.” The representative gestured politely. “Let me take you two there.”
Huo Shengye hummed in acknowledgment and wrapped his arm around Wen Yuan, guiding her in that direction. Wen Yuan quickly snapped back to attention and matched his pace.
After a few steps, she found it strange. Was Huo Shengye taking such small steps? Oh, wait, was he adjusting to her pace?
She wasn’t used to wearing high heels, and now, afraid of stumbling, she walked much slower than usual.
Realizing that Huo Shengye was accommodating her pace warmed Wen Yuan’s heart slightly. But when she thought about his somewhat unreasonable “prerequisite,” she felt a bit exasperated.
Oh well, she would think of a way. There were always more solutions than difficulties.
The representative led Huo Shengye and Wen Yuan directly to the center of the group photo. All eyes turned to them.
The gazes varied, but most were filled with envy and curiosity. Wen Yuan had grown accustomed to such looks since childhood and didn’t feel intimidated.
She stood upright, with Huo Shengye’s arm around her waist. They made a strikingly handsome couple, perfectly matched.
For a moment, many people couldn’t help but show admiration and envy.
Soon, everyone was in place. The photographer gestured, “Alright, three, two, one, cheese!”
“Perfect! Beautiful and handsome! Thank you, everyone!”
After the photo was taken, it was time to leave. Huo Shengye, still holding Wen Yuan, suddenly walked toward the photographer.
Wen Yuan was puzzled and glanced up at Huo Shengye. Whether it was her imagination or not, Huo Shengye’s facial contours, illuminated by the moonlight, appeared exceptionally gentle in her eyes.
Before they could approach, Qiu Ye, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward with keen insight and said something to the photographer.
The photographer nodded repeatedly and said okay, fiddled with it for a few moments, and Qiu Ye handed a small device to Huo Shengye:
“Huo Shengye, the photos are saved inside, original files, high resolution.”
This action puzzled Wen Yuan a bit, but she guessed it might be Huo Shengye’s peculiar habit.
He likes collecting photos.
Only after sitting in the car did Wen Yuan realize, wait, so…
Could it be that Huo Shengye asked the photographer for the original files because it was the first photo with her besides their wedding photo?
“What? Looking at me like that.” Wen Yuan’s gaze came over, carrying confusion and slight surprise, Huo Shengye asked amusedly.
Wen Yuan shook her head like a little rabbit, “No, no.”
She sat back properly, fastened her seatbelt, and heard Huo Shengye tell the driver: “Return to the old residence.”
Wen Yuan was startled, belatedly realizing something wasn’t right, Huo Shengye reminded her: “I mentioned it this morning, tonight we might not go home, I asked Yuan’er to tell the family.”
That wasn’t a problem, Wen Yuan had also told Song Huiyue.
But, why go to the Huo family old residence?
Then Huo Shengye smiled: “Registering marriage, now we’ve registered, naturally we need to discuss wedding matters. This weekend my mother will be back for a while, perfect timing, to introduce Yuan’er to my mother.”
Wedding?!
Wen Yuan’s eyes lit up, suppressing joy in her heart, no longer puzzled, happy.
“Oh.” She nodded, “So that’s it.”
Huo Shengye didn’t expose Wen Yuan’s little thoughts, he raised his hand, gently stroked Wen Yuan’s hair.
From an angle Wen Yuan couldn’t see, Huo Shengye lightly lifted the corners of his lips, gaze gentle, “Yes, just like that.”