Receiving no response was not unexpected for Huo Zhili.
Over the past three years, he had learned to face reality—Yu Qingyu no longer loved him.
Jiang Zhou, standing beside him, was utterly bewildered—it was the first time he had ever seen Huo Zhili so eagerly seek someone’s attention only to be met with indifference.
In the past, it had always been Miss Yu who actively clung to him and sought him out.
What puzzled him even more was that for the past three years, every time Miss Yu’s birthday came around, Huo Zhili would make a special trip to the United States, watching her from afar without ever stepping forward to say a word.
Previously, Jiang Zhou had assumed that Mr. Huo simply didn’t care much for Miss Yu, with his heart and mind entirely focused on work.
But now, even after their breakup, despite being swamped with work, Huo Zhili was still willing to squeeze out time and travel across the ocean.
This gesture, however, seemed utterly futile in the eyes of others—after all, Yu Qingyu was no longer willing to acknowledge him.
Huo Zhili watched her car drive away completely before bending down to get into his own car.
Jiang Zhou quickly followed and took the passenger seat. Just as he was about to ask if they were heading back to the company, a cold, heavy voice filled the car:
“Back to the Huo residence.”
The driver responded, “Yes.”
Fifty minutes later, the Rolls-Royce smoothly entered the courtyard of the Huo residence. Huo Zhili had just pushed the door open and stepped out when he happened to run into Li Sheng and Huo Shiyan, who were preparing to go out. He called out indifferently, “Dad, Mom.”
Li Sheng glanced at him briefly and responded lightly, “What are you doing back here?”
Huo Zhili casually unbuttoned his suit jacket, revealing the crisp vest underneath. “I’m back for dinner.”
Li Sheng’s tone was calm but carried a hint of distance. “Your father and I have something to do tonight. We won’t be home for dinner. You can eat alone.”
Huo Zhili looked up at her. “A gathering?”
Before Huo Shiyan could speak, Li Sheng had already replied coldly, “Do we need to report to you about what we do?”
Tonight was a dinner with Yu Kexin’s family to welcome Yu Qingyu, who had just returned from abroad.
Li Sheng felt a surge of anger at the sight of him and glared fiercely at Huo Shiyan—Huo Zhili’s temperament was clearly inherited from him.
She pulled her hand free from Huo Shiyan’s grip, opened the car door directly, and got in.
Huo Shiyan patted his shoulder, speaking bluntly, “Your Aunt Kexin invited us to dinner, not you.”
With that, he turned and left, leaving Huo Zhili standing alone in place, his expression cold and grim.
After Li Sheng’s car drove away, Huo Zhili stood alone in the courtyard and smoked a cigarette. Then, he took out his phone and sent a message to Huo Songyi: 【Come back for dinner.】
Not long after, Huo Songyi replied with a voice message.
He clicked to play it, and the girl’s crisp voice came through: 【I’m not coming back tonight. Sister Qingyu is back, and we’re throwing a welcome dinner for her.】
Huo Zhili’s fingers paused slightly as he typed back: 【You seem to have forgotten who your real brother is.】
Soon, Huo Songyi sent another voice message, this time with a threatening tone: 【Brother, if you keep this up, I’ll play this message for Mom. Your breakup with Sister Qingyu is your business, but I’m not cutting ties with her.】
Huo Zhili’s eyes darkened as he replied directly: 【Huo Songyi, your card for this month is frozen.】
The next second, Huo Songyi’s confident voice came through: 【Freeze it then. I have my salary, so I’m not afraid. Besides, Mom and Dad have my back.】
Huo Zhili felt a tightness in his chest from anger, thinking that everyone in his family seemed to have been bewitched by Yu Qingyu, all siding with her.
Putting away his phone, Huo Zhili strode into the house.
The servant, seeing him return, hurried over. “Young Master!”
Huo Zhili responded indifferently.
When Aunt Li saw him return, she was somewhat surprised and stepped forward to ask, “Will you be having dinner at home tonight?”
He casually draped his coat over the sofa and replied in a low voice, “Yes.”
Aunt Li couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, “You’ve come back at just the right time. The master and madam just went out—neither of them are home.”
Huo Zhili didn’t respond, only instructing, “Make me a cup of herbal tea.”
Aunt Li understood perfectly well that tonight, Li Sheng and the others had gone to welcome Yu Qingyu back. Judging by his expression, he was likely seething with anger. She smiled and said, “How about chrysanthemum tea? It helps reduce internal heat and brightens the eyes.”
Huo Zhili’s fingers, which had been typing a reply to an email, paused. He looked up at Aunt Li as she turned to leave but ultimately said nothing.
A short while later, Aunt Li brought over a pot of chrysanthemum tea, poured him a cup, and placed it on the table. “I put three flowers in it. Drink plenty.”
Huo Zhili glanced at the chrysanthemums in the cup and suddenly asked, “Am I their biological child?”
Aunt Li was amused by his question. “If you’re not, then who is? If the master heard you say that, he’d surely give you a good scolding.”
Huo Zhili fell silent again, picked up the cup of herbal tea, and took a small sip.
Just then, his phone vibrated twice in quick succession.
One message was from Huo Songyi. She had gone to the mall to pick out a gift for Yu Qingyu and discovered that her card was still usable. Her tone carried a hint of pride: Thanks, brother, for not freezing my card~
The other was a spending alert from the bank.
Inside the Lou family villa, the evening was particularly lively.
Sun Mengmeng and Cheng Shuo, the married couple, had also arrived, filling the house with a warm and bustling atmosphere.
Huo Songyi was the last to arrive.
As soon as she entered and saw Yu Qingyu, she immediately rushed into her arms with a smile. “Qingyu, welcome back!”
With that, she handed over the gift in her hand. “This is for you.”
Yu Qingyu accepted it with a smile. “Thank you. Are you working now?”
“Yes,” Huo Songyi replied, gazing at Yu Qingyu with deep affection.
Since childhood, the time she had spent clinging to Qingyu far exceeded the time she had spent with her brother, Huo Zhili.
“Qingyu is still as beautiful and radiant as ever.”
The corners of Yu Qingyu’s lips lifted slightly. “You’ve grown into quite a beauty yourself.”
Huo Songyi smiled, and the two of them chatted warmly and familiarly. From start to finish, not a single word about Huo Zhili was mentioned.
Although she had never been in a relationship, she understood perfectly well that since they had already broken up, bringing up her brother would only upset Qingyu.
What was over should stay completely in the past.