“Marriage?” Lin Nianxi widened her almond-shaped eyes in astonishment.
“That’s right.” Huo Jingmo took out a black, gold-embossed business card with his slender fingers and handed it to the young woman.
Lin Nianxi accepted it, and her dark almond eyes widened abruptly when she saw the name on it.
Huo, Jing, Mo?
This was actually Huo Jingmo, the CEO of the Huo Group!
Huo Jingmo came from the prestigious Huo family, a top-tier century-old aristocratic clan. After he took over, he propelled the Huo Group to unprecedented heights.
He had held the position of the richest person in the country for many years, with assets spanning the globe. By the age of thirty, he had already secured the top spot on the Forbes rich list, commanding a business empire that covered finance, technology, real estate, and many other fields.
With just a wave of his hand, he could stir up storms across entire industries. For ordinary people, even catching a glimpse of him was as difficult as reaching the heavens, let alone having any interaction with him.
The person she had slept with was actually Huo Jingmo, the big shot of the capital’s elite circles?
And now, Huo Jingmo wanted to marry her?!
All of this was simply unbelievable.
“I need you to enter into a contractual marriage with me to appease my elders,” the man said in his magnetic voice, speaking unhurriedly. “In return, I will give you the treatment and respect befitting a Mrs. Huo. I will provide you with thirty million yuan in pocket money every month.”
Thirty million?
Lin Nianxi had never seen so much money in her entire life.
Could this be some kind of pig-butchering scam targeting her?
But aside from being young, beautiful, and having a good figure, she didn’t have anything else worth scamming.
“As for your grandmother, I will help you find the best hospitals in the country and the top doctors from both domestic and international backgrounds to provide her with the best care,” the man continued calmly.
“And as for you, I will protect you,” Huo Jingmo said. “With me here, no one will be able to bully you.”
Lin Nianxi’s heart skipped a beat at that moment.
She looked at the man before her and, for a moment, felt a flutter in her heart.
Lin Nianxi pursed her lips. “Why did you choose me?”
A chaebol heiress or a foreign noblewoman would be more suitable for him.
But she was just an ordinary college student.
“Because you’re simple,” Huo Jingmo replied. “Your appearance and figure perfectly match my preferences.”
Lin Nianxi couldn’t help but think of the chaotic night before.
Her face instantly flushed bright red.
“This is the contract agreement. You can take a look,” Huo Jingmo said, taking a document from his assistant and handing it to Lin Nianxi.
Lin Nianxi reached out and accepted it.
“My number is on the business card. You can think it over,” Huo Jingmo said. “Whatever your decision, I look forward to your call.”
“Oh,” Lin Nianxi replied, looking at him. “Well, would you like to come in for a glass of water?”
He had been standing outside for quite a while.
As she spoke, she stepped aside from the doorway.
Huo Jingmo raised his wrist to check the time on his watch and smiled slightly. “I have a meeting to attend. It’s getting late, so I should be going.”
“Mm,” Lin Nianxi nodded, watching him leave. “Then take care on your way.”
“I… I’ll call you once I’ve made up my mind.”
“Alright,” the man replied before turning and walking away, step by step, toward the limited-edition Bugatti Veyron parked nearby.
Shortly after, the man got into the car, and the Bugatti Veyron sped off into the distance.
Lin Nianxi snapped back to reality and headed toward the Lanzhou Lamian restaurant at the entrance of the alley.
The whole way, she couldn’t help but feel that everything was surreal.
She never imagined that something like a whirlwind marriage with a CEO would happen to her.
But for now, her stomach was growling with hunger.
Filling her belly was the most important thing.
Arriving at the ramen shop, Lin Nianxi sat down and ordered a small bowl of beef noodles.
Soon, a steaming bowl of beef noodles was brought to the table.
Sprinkled with fragrant scallions and cilantro, a few thin slices of beef floated atop the soft, white noodles. As the savory aroma wafted over, Lin Nianxi swallowed her saliva and added a bit more vinegar and chili oil.
She had been hungry for a long time. Her slender, pale hands gripped the chopsticks as she began eating in small, delicate bites.
Mmm, so delicious.
Beef noodles were simply a divine delicacy!
This was far better than the leftover scraps at the Lin family home!
Holding the bowl, she ate the noodles in small bites, finishing them in one go and even drinking the last drop of soup, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.
Lin Nianxi paid at the counter with her phone and left the shop. As she walked along the street, a practical problem crossed her mind.
Her ID card, university textbooks, and the few pieces of clothing she had for changing were all still in that shabby storage room at the Lin family home.
Without her ID card, she couldn’t do anything.
She had to go back.
Based on her understanding of that family, at this time, Lin Jiancheng was likely out socializing, while Zhao Yun and Lin Xuewei were either shopping or getting beauty treatments.
No one should be home.
She took a deep breath, mentally encouraging herself to go quickly and return as soon as possible—just grab her things and leave.
She prayed she wouldn’t run into them when she went back.
…
Standing in front of the familiar villa, Lin Nianxi’s heart raced a little faster.
She fished out a spare key from her pocket and quietly opened the door.
The door swung open, revealing pitch darkness and utter silence inside.
As expected, no one was home.
She breathed a sigh of relief and, using the faint light from her phone screen, tiptoed back to the storage room she had lived in for ten years.
Moving swiftly, she stuffed her textbooks and documents into her backpack and neatly folded her old clothes, packing them into a shopping bag.
Mission accomplished.
Just as Lin Nianxi picked up her backpack and bag, ready to retrace her steps, footsteps suddenly echoed from the direction of the living room.
Then, with a sharp click, the lights turned on, illuminating the entire living room as brightly as day.
Zhao Yun and Lin Xuewei walked in, carrying large and small bags of luxury goods. Looking up, they immediately spotted Lin Nianxi standing at the staircase.
Their eyes met, and the air instantly froze.
“Lin Nianxi?” Zhao Yun’s mocking voice shattered the silence. “Didn’t you have the guts to leave? What are you doing back here?”
Lin Xuewei threw her shopping bags on the floor, crossed her arms, and sneered disdainfully. “Mom, she must have come back to steal! I always said she had sticky fingers!”
“I didn’t!” Lin Nianxi tightened her grip on her backpack straps. “I just came back to get my own things!”
“Your things?” Lin Xuewei scoffed, rushing forward and grabbing her backpack. “Let’s see what a poor wretch like you has to take! Don’t tell me you stole our money!”
“I didn’t steal anything! Let go of my bag!” Lin Nianxi tried to protect her backpack, but the more she resisted, the more guilty she appeared in Lin Xuewei’s eyes.
Zhao Yun even stepped forward and pinned Lin Nianxi down!
Lin Nianxi was slender and had suffered from malnutrition for years, making her no match for the mother-daughter duo. Helplessly, she watched as Lin Xuewei snatched her backpack away.
“Let’s see what you stole!” Lin Xuewei sneered.
“Rip—”
The backpack was torn open, and its contents scattered across the floor.
A few dog-eared professional books, an old wallet that had been used for years, containing only a few loose bills along with her ID card and student ID.
Nothing of any value.
“A pile of junk, and you still guard it so tightly,” Lin Xuewei sneered, curling her lip mockingly.
Lin Nianxi’s heart ached with bitterness. It felt as if along with those items, her pitiful shred of dignity had also been dumped out.
She crouched down, silently picking up the things from the floor. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
Just as she had gathered everything and stuffed it back into her bag, a red high-heeled shoe studded with rhinestones came down hard on the back of her hand as she reached for the last item.
“Hiss—”
Lin Nianxi gasped sharply from the pain. The bones in her hand and fingers throbbed with a sharp ache, turning her face pale.
“Let go!” Lin Nianxi raised her tear-blurred eyes, glaring at Lin Xuewei.
Lin Xuewei looked down at her from above, the pressure under her foot steadily increasing. “You dare look at me with that kind of expression?”
“You’re just a dog our Lin family keeps. Even a dog wags its tail when it sees its master. Today, I’ll teach you some proper manners!”
As she spoke, the pressure from her foot continued to intensify.
The slender high heel pressed down on her delicate fingers, sending a piercing pain through her. Lin Nianxi used her other hand to try and pry Lin Xuewei’s foot away. “Let go! Let go of me!”
Zhao Yun’s gaze was icy. “Lin Nianxi, I’m giving you one last chance. Now, immediately, go apologize to Boss Wang.”