Huo Zhili watched Yu Qingyu’s retreating figure, his brow slightly furrowed as he pondered inwardly: Was he really that terrible?
He stood still for a moment before slowly stepping forward and walking out.
As he made his way to the parking lot, he happened to see Yu Qingyu driving her electric car, heading straight out of the lot.
Huo Zhili reached out to open the rear door, bending down to get inside.
Beside him, Jiang Zhou swiftly moved to the passenger seat and promptly sent all the information he had just gathered on Tan Hechuan to Huo Zhili’s phone.
“Mr. Huo, the information has been sent to you.”
Huo Zhili responded with a faint “Mm,” but his fingers remained still, his mind repeatedly echoing Yu Qingyu’s earlier words—Was he that terrible?
In the past, she had been gentle, considerate, bright, and lively toward him. Now, her words were sharp and barbed, her attitude completely different from before.
After a long silence, he finally opened WeChat and sent a message to Xu Borui: 【Is dating me that terrible?】
Xu Borui, who had been resting, glanced at the abrupt message and immediately replied with a voice message, his tone full of astonishment: 【Young Master Huo, did you send this to the wrong person? I’ve never dated you, so I wouldn’t know.】
As soon as the voice message ended, a text message followed: 【Should I ask Qingyu for you someday?】
Huo Zhili looked at the screen, his fingers moving as he directly withdrew the previous message before replying: 【No need, I already have my answer.】
Seeing this, Xu Borui didn’t reply further and put down his phone to continue resting.
Just as Huo Zhili was about to open his email to review Tan Hechuan’s information, his phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed his mother, Li Sheng.
He pressed the answer button, and Li Sheng’s firm voice immediately came through from the other end of the line.
“Clear your schedule for tonight. You’re going on a blind date.”
The arrangement for this blind date was partly because Huo Zhili was nearing thirty, and partly because she was afraid he would continue to pester and disturb Yu Qingyu.
“I don’t have time for blind dates, nor do I have time for dating, Mom. Please don’t arrange this.”
Huo Zhili raised his hand to remove his suit jacket, revealing the well-tailored vest and white shirt underneath. An aura of restrained elegance and nobility surrounded him, as if it were innate.
Before Li Sheng could retort, he took the lead and said, “You should focus more on Uncle. He’s not getting any younger either.”
“This isn’t something you should worry about. You must clear your schedule for tonight.” Li Sheng’s tone left no room for negotiation.
Huo Zhili’s brow furrowed tightly, but he ultimately relented: “Understood.”
“I’ll send you the address for the blind date later.” Li Sheng quickly added.
“This is the only time. I don’t have the time, nor the inclination.” Huo Zhili said firmly.
“That’s not for you to decide.” Li Sheng dropped the line and hung up the phone.
Listening to the busy tone from the receiver, a trace of helplessness flashed in Huo Zhili’s eyes.
As he opened his email and began scrolling through the information, he spoke in a low voice to Jiang Zhou in the passenger seat:
“Clear my schedule for tonight.”
Jiang Zhou lowered his head to check the schedule on his tablet and quickly replied, “Mr. Huo, you originally had a work meeting with Mr. Wang from Hancheng tonight. Should it be postponed?”
Without even lifting his eyelids, Huo Zhili replied indifferently, “Let Vice President Li handle it.”
His gaze remained fixed on the information about Tan Hechuan on the screen:
From an ordinary family background with no romantic experience to speak of, he studied at Johns Hopkins University alongside Yu Qingyu, both under the same advisor. They maintained close daily contact, and Tan Hechuan often looked out for Yu Qingyu.
The information clearly stated that the two were not in a romantic relationship, yet the thought of Yu Qingyu smiling brightly and joyfully at Tan Hechuan stirred an inexplicable sense of irritation in Huo Zhili’s heart.
At the time, however, he didn’t dwell on the source of this emotion, simply exiting his email in frustration.
Just as he set down his phone, a message from Li Junyao popped up: 【Nephew, why did you dump your social engagement on me?】
Huo Zhili quickly tapped a reply: 【How about we swap? You go on the blind date for me?】
Li Junyao responded instantly with a voice message, his tone full of complaint: 【Your mother would skin me alive! Besides, I’m not single—I’ll handle the social event, you go on the blind date yourself!】
Yu Qingyu didn’t head straight home but instead drove to the Lou family villa.
Yu Kexin, who never napped during the day, looked up at the sound and asked gently upon seeing her return, “Have you eaten?”
Yu Qingyu bent down to change her shoes, casually placing her handbag on the entryway cabinet before walking into the living room. “Yes, I have. Where’s Dad?”
“He had a surgery scheduled for the afternoon, so he went to the hospital early,” Yu Kexin replied softly.
Nowadays, Lou Yunting no longer kept regular hours at the hospital. He only went to guide or personally perform surgeries for exceptionally complex and challenging cases or difficult diagnoses.
Yu Qingyu chuckled lightly. “Professor Lou is still a hot commodity in the medical field.”
Countless people sought out Lou Yunting for surgeries, but he routinely declined most, only taking on truly difficult cases.
Yu Kexin corrected her with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of unconscious pride: “He’s always been a hot commodity.”
“Oh my, I’m practically being force-fed dog food here,” Yu Qingyu said, leaning sideways against Yu Kexin’s shoulder, her tone teasing.
She then pulled a private restaurant’s business card from her bag and handed it to Yu Kexin. “Let’s go out for dinner tonight. This restaurant’s dishes are quite good.”
Yu Kexin took the card, glanced at it, and said, “I’ve eaten there before. I’ll take you to another place tonight—the food is absolutely amazing too.”
“Sure, I’ll follow your lead,” Yu Qingyu agreed readily.
Yu Kexin glanced at her sideways and brought up casually, “That senior of yours seems quite talented and steady. Is he single?”
She had met Tan Hechuan several times in the U.S. and knew this young man had always looked out for Qingyu, appearing very reliable.
Yu Qingyu lowered her eyes, scrolling through her phone screen, her tone indifferent. “He’s probably single. I’m not really sure. Why do you ask all of a sudden? Are you planning to set him up?”
“Set him up? You and your brother are both still single—I don’t have the energy to worry about others,” Yu Kexin laughed, choosing her words carefully. “Actually, I think you two would be a good match.”
“That’s not possible. I’ve always just seen him as an older brother,” Yu Qingyu shook her head gently, her tone without a hint of hesitation.
Seeing her reaction, Yu Kexin held back the question that lingered in her heart—“Is it because you haven’t let go of Huo Zhili?”—and ultimately didn’t voice it.
“Alright, then let things take their natural course. I won’t push you.”
Yu Qingyu looked up at the Thai drama playing on the TV, her eyes curving into a smile as she said:
“My dad really spoils you too much, even watching this kind of show with you.”
Yu Kexin’s lips curled into a faint smile, her tone carrying a hint of certainty and playful confidence:
“If he didn’t spoil me, I wouldn’t have married him. With his cold and rigid personality, he’d probably have stayed single for life if it weren’t for me.”
Only she had dared to approach that eternal iceberg back then, ultimately warming his heart.
Yu Qingyu agreed wholeheartedly, softly replying, “Mm, marrying you was my dad’s good fortune.”
“Of course it was.”
Yu Kexin lifted her chin with a touch of pride,
“I even gave him a son and a daughter. The Lou family must have had smoke rising from their ancestral graves to have married such a wonderful daughter-in-law like me.”
Yu Qingyu couldn’t help but laugh at her words, teasing along with her:
“Absolutely, our great lawyer Yu is the Lou family’s greatest contributor, the most magnificent of all.”