The look in Huo Zhiyuan’s eyes told Xue Yanxin everything.
He didn’t believe a word she had said.
She set her bag down on the table and smiled.
“What? You don’t believe I can support you? Think I can’t afford to?”
She unzipped the bag and emptied its contents onto the table.
“Then let me show you the fortune I’ve managed to collect from you over the past six months.”
“There are only the two of us. If we live modestly like ordinary people, we’ll have no problem getting by.”
One by one, she laid everything out.
A stack of bank cards.
A property deed.
A set of car keys.
Several certificates.
She pointed at them proudly.
“This is the title deed for the villa you gave me when we got married. It’s worth over thirty million.”
“I’d just finished renovating it, and it was still airing out all the formaldehyde.”
She picked up another item.
“This is the key to the Porsche Panamera. I’ve already listed it online for a million.”
Then she gestured toward several jewelry boxes.
“These gold and silver bracelets and necklaces are worth quite a bit too.”
“As for all the luxury handbags and designer clothes, I sold them at sixty percent of their original value and deposited the money.”
She tapped one of the bank cards.
“There’s a little over three million in this account.”
“And a few friends still owe me several million they borrowed.”
She folded her arms with a smug grin.
“So?”
“Enough to support you, right?”
“Whether you want to start over or simply live a peaceful life, this can all serve as your capital.”
She looked utterly pleased with herself, proudly showing off the wealth she’d managed to collect from the tiny scraps Huo Zhiyuan had casually handed her over the months.
What unbelievable confidence…
Huo Zhiyuan let out a silent scoff.
She just laid out her entire fortune in front of me without the slightest hesitation.
Is she not worried someone might have bad intentions?
He frowned.
Yet strangely…
Beneath the amusement was a warmth that quietly settled in his chest.
“I don’t use a woman’s money.”
His voice remained cold.
“Only worthless men do that.”
“You should keep it for yourself.”
Xue Yanxin rolled her eyes.
“Oh, come on.”
“Using a woman’s money makes someone worthless?”
“Have you never spent your mother’s money?”
“Besides, all of this originally came from you.”
“If we’re being technical, you’re just spending your own money.”
She sighed inwardly.
How can someone be this stubborn?
You’re already in this situation, and you’re still clinging to your ridiculous pride instead of accepting what you need most.
If I didn’t owe you so much, I’d never be willing to hand all this over.
“What I gave you belongs to you now.”
Huo Zhiyuan’s tone remained unwavering.
“I’ve never taken back anything I’ve given away.”
“Since you have this much money, you’re free to leave.”
“We aren’t a real married couple.”
“You have no legal or moral obligation to stay with me.”
“I’m not leaving.”
Xue Yanxin answered without hesitation.
“Being able to accompany a big shot like you through your lowest point isn’t just a test of loyalty.”
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
She laughed as she continued.
“When you make your comeback, you’ll remember the faithful wife who stayed by your side during the hard times.”
“You’ll casually wave your hand and let a little fortune slip through your fingers.”
“Then I’ll end up with two sports cars instead of one, and two villas instead of one.”
“And if word gets out that I stood by you through thick and thin…”
“My reputation will skyrocket.”
“When you return to the top, I’ll become both famous and rich.”
The more she talked, the brighter her smile became.
It was as though she could already see that future unfolding before her.
“You’re surprisingly honest.”
Huo Zhiyuan couldn’t help letting out a small laugh.
“I may never make it back.”
For some reason…
He suddenly found the woman in front of him a little adorable.
Who openly admitted their ulterior motives without even pretending to hide them?
“If you really can’t make it back, why are you still acting so proud?”
Xue Yanxin teased.
“If I were you, I’d already be clinging tightly to this golden thigh.”
“How much is that tiny bit of pride really worth?”
“I’m staying.”
“I’m betting on that tiny chance you’ll succeed.”
“And even if I lose…”
She stared dreamily at his handsome face.
“…dying beneath a peony blossom is still a romantic way to go.”
Her lovestruck gaze lingered on him so openly that Huo Zhiyuan found himself growing uncomfortable.
His eyes darted away.
Without another word, he stood and headed toward the bedroom.
His back remained turned to her as he spoke.
“Do whatever you want.”
“No matter how difficult things become…”
“I, Huo Zhiyuan, can still afford to feed one extra mouth.”
Xue Yanxin rested her chin in both hands, watching his retreating figure.
The smile on her lips deepened.
Are all powerful CEOs this innocent?
Huo Zhiyuan opened the wardrobe in the bedroom and took out a brand-new quilt before walking toward the study.
Halfway there…
He suddenly stopped.
His footsteps froze.
…Wait.
Did she just flirt with me?
Damn it.
…
Since Xue Yanxin was moving in, Huo Zhiyuan voluntarily moved out of the master bedroom and into the study.
“You have more belongings.”
“You take the larger room.”
Some people carried their upbringing so deeply within them that it became part of who they were.
Even after losing everything…
Even after falling to the very bottom…
Their character and manners never disappeared.
Instead, they shone even brighter.
While Huo Zhiyuan was tidying up the study, Xue Yanxin headed into the kitchen and prepared dinner.
Two dishes and one soup.
It somehow took her over an hour.
Only then did she finally understand how that Korean housewife online could spend three whole hours making nothing more than rice balls after getting up at five in the morning.
Ever since she’d been hospitalized in her previous life, she hadn’t cooked once.
Holding a wok again felt surprisingly unfamiliar.
Thankfully…
The finished dishes looked pretty good.
After the cooking was done, Xue Yanxin stayed behind to wipe down the stove.
Meanwhile, Huo Zhiyuan quietly set out the bowls, chopsticks, and dishes.
He didn’t touch his chopsticks.
Instead, he simply sat at the dining table waiting.
Only after Xue Yanxin walked out of the kitchen did he stand.
He pulled out her chair for her with effortless elegance.
Like a perfect gentleman dining in a five-star restaurant.
Xue Yanxin couldn’t help laughing.
The contrast was almost comical.
The two of them were wearing casual clothes.
Neither had bothered cleaning themselves up.
Huo Zhiyuan still hadn’t shaved.
Her own sweat-soaked hair clung messily to her forehead.
They were sitting inside an aging apartment in an old neighborhood, facing two homemade dishes and a bowl of soup…
Yet he still insisted on pulling out her chair like they were on an upscale dinner date.
The mismatch was oddly hilarious.
“What are you laughing at?”
Huo Zhiyuan asked.
“I’m laughing because you’re such a gentleman, even at home.”
“You make it feel like we’re on a date.”
She grinned.
“But if Gentleman Huo would also serve me a bowl of rice…”
“…that would be even better.”
The rice cooker sat beside him, making it inconvenient for her to reach.
She naturally handed him her empty bowl.
He accepted it just as naturally.
It felt…
Like an old married couple.
She handed him the bowl.
He filled it with rice.
There wasn’t the slightest awkwardness between them.
Instead of eating immediately, Xue Yanxin watched him expectantly as he took his first bite.
The instant he put the food into his mouth, she leaned forward eagerly.
“So?”
“Is it good?”
Huo Zhiyuan chewed twice.
His brows furrowed.
With visible difficulty, he swallowed.
“It’s good.”
Xue Yanxin stared.
You really didn’t have to force yourself that much.
It looked perfectly fine.
Even if it wasn’t amazing, it couldn’t possibly be that awful… right?
She quickly picked up a piece of stir-fried beef and tasted it herself.
The moment it entered her mouth…
Her eyes widened.
“It’s delicious!”
She happily shoveled two huge mouthfuls of rice into her mouth before speaking with puffed cheeks.
“It’s obviously good!”
“What was that expression just now?”
“You looked like I had a knife to your throat forcing you to compliment it.”
Huo Zhiyuan answered honestly.
“It’s not because it tastes bad.”
“I just don’t eat cilantro.”
“The cilantro flavor on the beef was… difficult for me.”
“You don’t eat cilantro?”
“Then just pick it out and give it to me.”
“I love cilantro.”
“I even used to dream that if I ever became rich, I’d plant cilantro all over the world.”
What an unbelievably strange dream.
The corner of Huo Zhiyuan’s lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
Without another word…
He really did pick every piece of cilantro out of his food and place it into her bowl.
Xue Yanxin accepted it without hesitation.
She wasn’t being polite.
She was genuinely starving.
She hadn’t eaten anything since packing up her belongings at the hotel that afternoon.
Now every bite of food was followed by two huge mouthfuls of rice.
Before she knew it…
Her bowl was empty.
She ate with such obvious enjoyment that even Huo Zhiyuan found his appetite growing.
He had always stopped eating when he was about seventy percent full.
Yet tonight…
Despite disliking cilantro…
He somehow finished two full bowls of rice alongside dishes that all contained it.
Even he found it rather strange.
“I remember…”
He looked at her.
“You never ate rice at dinner before.”
“That was because I had to stay slim.”
“Every time I accompanied you to those banquets, your assistant would send over dresses with impossibly tiny waists.”
“What beautiful woman would dare eat a full meal?”
After arriving in this world, one of the first things Xue Yanxin had sold was her collection of expensive gowns.
Their waists were so tight that even drinking a little extra water made her stomach look bloated.
With her real appetite…
There was no way she’d ever fit into them again.
So naturally, they were the first to go.
“I’m sorry.”
Huo Zhiyuan apologized sincerely.
“You never told me.”
“I never thought about it.”
She waved him off with a smile.
“It’s fine.”
“We were only a couple for appearances.”
“How could either of us think that much about the other?”
“Just like I never knew you hated cilantro.”
…
Their first day living together…
Had gone surprisingly well.
Lying comfortably in bed that night, Xue Yanxin drifted happily toward sleep.
She had no idea that…
On the other side of the living room…
Huo Zhiyuan was still awake in the study.
He sat beneath the desk lamp, carefully reading through the investigation report his assistant had compiled on Xue Yanxin.
After finishing every page, he picked up the phone.
“Have someone keep a close eye on her.”