Huo Zhiyuan had actually been awakened by the relentless ringing of his phone.
After Xue Yanxin had helped clean him up, he had slept for less than two hours before the phone started blaring as though the sky itself were collapsing. Half asleep, he fumbled for it and answered the call.
It was Qi Junlin.
Excitement practically spilled out of his voice as he spoke.
“Old Zhang found another lead. He’s been staking out the area around Wu Xiulian’s house, and he finally saw that man show up again. Old Zhang deliberately pretended to be drunk and bumped into him. He managed to pull a few strands of hair off him. Once the lab finishes testing them, we’ll know whether he’s really Li Junmin.”
The news instantly drove away Huo Zhiyuan’s drowsiness.
“Protect Old Zhang,” he said before hanging up and getting out of bed.
As soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw Xue Yanxin standing beside the dining table. Hearing the noise, she turned toward him and stared openly at his upper body without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
Huo Zhiyuan lowered his head and glanced at himself before smiling knowingly. Suddenly, he felt like teasing her.
Unexpectedly, she proved to be much bolder and more straightforward than he was, leaving him flustered instead.
Seeing that he was awake, Xue Yanxin carried over the lean pork congee that had been kept warm in the rice cooker.
“Eat something. You’ve been asleep for ages. You must be hungry.”
As soon as she mentioned it, Huo Zhiyuan heard his stomach growl. The sight of the steaming bowl instantly awakened his appetite.
Just as he sat down, he realized that there was only one serving.
“Aren’t you eating?”
Xue Yanxin suddenly felt playful. Sitting down at the table, she rested her head against one hand and gazed directly at him.
“They say beauty is enough to satisfy one’s hunger. Looking at you fills me up better than food ever could.”
After spending so much time together, Huo Zhiyuan had learned a thing or two about her.
He knew she was fooling around again.
Even though he understood that she was teasing him on purpose, he still found himself averting his gaze for no reason. He couldn’t understand why he had become so hopeless lately.
Fortunately, a sudden ring from the doorbell interrupted the subtle, ambiguous atmosphere between them.
Xue Yanxin got up to answer the door.
Standing outside was a man with side-swept bangs, dressed in a black suit and white shirt. His posture was perfectly straight, and a professionally practiced smile, tinged with arrogance, hung on his face.
He spoke politely.
“Is this Mr. Huo Zhiyuan’s residence?”
Before Xue Yanxin could answer, he looked past her and spotted Huo Zhiyuan. Then, without hesitation, he shoved her aside, strode straight into the apartment, and placed an invitation card on the dining table with an air of false respect.
Huo Zhiyuan’s eyes fixed on the hand that had pushed Xue Yanxin.
His expression darkened instantly.
His sharp gaze swept toward the uninvited guest like a blade.
“Did my wife say you could come in?”
The man’s arrogant smile froze.
He knew that Huo Zhiyuan was no longer the powerful President Huo of the past. Yet, faced with the fury and pressure emanating from him, his own sense of superiority evaporated instantly, and he could not stop himself from trembling.
“I’m sorry, President Huo, I…”
“Why are you apologizing to me? Apologize to my wife, then get the hell out.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Huo. I… I’ll leave right away. But… this invitation is a token of sincerity from President Qi. President Huo, please remember to look at it when you have time, and don’t forget to come.”
The man fled in panic.
When the company had assigned him the task of delivering the invitation, they had specifically instructed him to maintain a respectful attitude. No matter what had happened, Huo Zhiyuan was still to be treated the same way as before.
However, he could not suppress the ugly satisfaction that came from kicking a man while he was down.
Back then, the mighty President Huo had been so far above him that he would not even have been worthy of polishing the man’s shoes.
Now, he had become a white-collar employee at a publicly listed company, while Huo Zhiyuan had ended up working on construction sites to make a living.
His sense of superiority was impossible to conceal.
He truly could not understand why President Qi still bothered with a defeated rival.
After the man left, Xue Yanxin looked at Huo Zhiyuan with admiration shining in her eyes.
Her infatuation was practically overflowing.
“I think you looked incredibly handsome just now.”
“R-Really?”
Huo Zhiyuan quickly lowered his head and focused on his congee, trying to hide the corners of his mouth, which insisted on curling upward.
“Absolutely. You looked amazing. But are you really not going to open the invitation?”
As she spoke, Xue Yanxin picked it up and opened it.
A few bold words were written across the front:
Starlight Corporation Public Listing Celebration Ceremony
Xue Yanxin understood immediately.
This wasn’t an invitation.
It was an attack aimed straight at the heart.
Starlight had been the company Huo Zhiyuan had founded entirely through his own efforts, without relying on the Huo family. It represented his growth, his achievements, and the career of which he was most proud.
Now, it had fallen into Qi Junlin’s hands and successfully gone public.
Not only did this prove that the old master cared nothing for Huo Zhiyuan’s hard work, but it also showed that he had casually handed everything over to the so-called illegitimate son who had joined the family only a few years earlier.
At the same time, it sent a clear message to the outside world.
The Huo family had abandoned Huo Zhiyuan and chosen Qi Junlin as its future heir.
All of Huo Zhiyuan’s struggles and sacrifices had merely paved the way for someone else.
The invitation itself was the ultimate provocation and humiliation.
What Xue Yanxin did not know, however, was that although Starlight was Huo Zhiyuan’s proudest achievement, his younger brother, Qi Junlin, was equally precious to him.
On the day Qi Junlin officially passed the family’s test and was accepted into the Huo family, Huo Zhiyuan had given Starlight to him as a welcome gift.
Huo Zhiyuan had built Starlight from nothing.
Qi Junlin had taken the baton from his brother’s hands and transformed the company from successful to extraordinary.
Its public listing was the greatest proof of that accomplishment.
The moment the news was confirmed, Qi Junlin’s first thought had been to let Huo Zhiyuan know.
He wanted his brother to see that he had not betrayed his trust, had not wasted his guidance over the years, and had proven himself worthy of being the younger brother of Huo Zhiyuan, the pride of heaven.
Most importantly, he had achieved all of it entirely on his own, without relying on the system.
If possible, he had also wanted his system sister to see how much he had truly grown.
Believing the invitation to be an act of humiliation, Xue Yanxin felt both angry and aggrieved on Huo Zhiyuan’s behalf. Worried that he might be upset, she spoke cautiously.
“The villain got lucky. If he managed to take the company public, it’s only because you laid such a solid foundation. Most of the credit belongs to you. Huo Zhiyuan… are you going to attend?”
Huo Zhiyuan smiled.
It was not the bitter smile of someone filled with resentment, but rather the contented smile of someone feeling proud and gratified.
Xue Yanxin found it utterly baffling.
Then she heard him say, “No, I won’t go. Even if he inherited the foundation I built, taking it public was still his achievement. Not bad.”
Seeing that he seemed to be in good spirits, Xue Yanxin finally relaxed.
Huo Zhiyuan truly was a broad-minded man.
Apparently, he had long since moved on from bankruptcy and accepted reality with remarkable calmness. Faced with such blatant provocation, he could still smile.
She thought about it for a moment.
Anyone else who had lost everything overnight might have jumped from a building by now.
Yet not only had Huo Zhiyuan carried on living, he had adapted quickly and even gone to work at a construction site.
That level of resilience was extraordinary.
The more she thought about it, the more she admired him.
At the same time, her resentment toward Qi Junlin grew stronger.
Well, well, kid, I’ve finally got my chance!
Since the outside world believed that Huo Zhiyuan and Qi Junlin were bitter enemies, Huo Zhiyuan deliberately tossed the invitation into the trash can with a look of contempt.
But Xue Yanxin kept staring at it.
When Huo Zhiyuan was not paying attention, she quietly picked it back up.
The rain continued to fall in a steady drizzle.
For several days, Huo Zhiyuan stayed away from the construction site, while Xue Yanxin did not set up her street stall. Both of them carried their own worries as they spent their days in peaceful coexistence.
Li Fei called to report a major breakthrough.
The hair sample had been tested, and there was no doubt that the man was Li Junmin. The police had already arranged surveillance and were waiting for his next appearance to arrest him.
Huo Zhiyuan remained preoccupied with the matter and wanted to visit Old Zhang.
Meanwhile, Xue Yanxin had obtained the invitation.
As the date of Qi Junlin’s celebration banquet drew closer, she realized that this would be her best opportunity to confront him and reveal her identity.
The problem was that she had no idea how to hide it from Huo Zhiyuan.
Ironically, Huo Zhiyuan was facing the same dilemma.
Old Zhang’s location was quite far away, and Huo Zhiyuan wanted to witness Li Junmin’s capture in person. He had no idea how many days the trip would take.
The truth was that neither of them lacked excuses.
Instead, both of them shared the same unspoken concern.
They feared that their lies would be discovered and impossible to explain.
More than that, they feared hurting the other person.
Even though countless lies already stood between them.
Li Fei called again.
Li Junmin was expected to appear the following night. The police had completed all preparations, and men had been stationed around the perimeter. All that remained was to wait for him to fall into their trap.
Coincidentally, Qi Junlin’s celebration banquet was also scheduled for the next evening.
Both matters were urgent.
In the end, the two of them came up with equally terrible excuses and informed each other that they would not be home for dinner the following night.
When each of them learned that the other would also be absent, they were both momentarily stunned.
Then they sighed in relief.
Neither cared whether the other was telling the truth.
As long as their own plans were not affected, everything would be fine.
In truth, Xue Yanxin had gone looking for Qi Junlin on the very first day she had arrived in this world.
Unfortunately, things had not gone as she had hoped.