The old madam sat beside Xiaoran and comforted Huo Xiaoran earnestly, “Xiaoran, you and Lu Mo are engaged, so you should treat your fiancée well with all your heart. As for Qiao An, I know that she once went through thick and thin with you and you remember her in your heart. However, you and her couldn’t be together in the past. Now that times have changed, she has her fate and you also have your bright future. If you abandon the secular world and walk together, you will pay a heavy price.”
“You’re two-timing Lu Mo, and you’re hooking up with your one-time niece-in-law. Your public image is going to suffer. And Qiao An is going to have a lot of people blowing her up on the Internet. You have to know that public opinion pays. Can you bear to put her in that kind of situation?”
Huo Xiaoran said, “Grandma, I’m not a three-year-old child. I’ve thought about everything you said to me today many years ago. My relationship with Qiao An didn’t break up because we didn’t love each other. In fact, it was Li Zecheng who pretended to be me and duped Qiao An. That was because I didn’t protect her well. I feel guilty towards her. Now, I can clearly make it up to her, but you want to deprive me of my chance. You’re putting me in a ruthless position.”
Madam Huo said, “You only care about Qiao An, but what about Lu Mo? Lu Mo has waited for you for so many years. It’s not fair to her to let go just like that.”
Huo Xiaoran said, “I’ve never lied to Lu Mo about my feelings. She knew from the beginning that I didn’t love her and that I couldn’t touch any woman other than Qiao An. I was only with Lu Mo because she was terminally ill. At that time, I thought that there was no possibility of me getting back together with Qiao An, so my thoughts ran wild and I decided to be a savior. This was my gentleman’s agreement with Lu Mo.”
The old lady was dumbfounded.
“You really don’t love Lu Mo?”
Huo Xiaoran said, “That’s right.”
The old lady was furious. “In your eyes, this is your gentleman’s agreement with Lu Mo. In Lu Mo’s eyes, it might not be the case. You are a talented and handsome man; I’m afraid she has long fallen for you. She’s just using the gentleman’s agreement as a cover to retreat in order to advance.”
A murderous look appeared in Huo Xiaoran’s eyes.
The old madam said nervously, “Xiaoran, Father Lu came to look for your grandfather. He’s eager to for the two of you to married. It can be seen that the Lu family doesn’t want to give up on you as their son-in-law.”
Huo Xiaoran’s thin lips curled into a mocking sneer. He thought to himself, If it were in the past, he would have kept his promise. Even if he owed Qiao An, he would definitely marry Lu Mo. But now, it was impossible for him to marry Lu Mo in a daze.
Because the Lu family had hurt Qiao An and shaken his determination to marry Lu Mo.
“Grandma, before Li Changhai is captured, I won’t marry Lu Mo,” Huo Xiaoran said firmly.
The old lady was also very domineering. “Xiaoran, whether you marry Lu Mo or not is up to you, but you can’t marry Qiao An.”
Huo Xiaoran’s pupils constricted as he stared blankly at Madam Huo. After a long time, he gritted his teeth and said something that made one’s teeth turn cold.
“Without Qiao An, there would be no Huo Xiaoran. If Grandma insists on doing things her way, then let’s just pretend that there is no Huo Xiaoran in the world and only Li Xiaoran.”
When the old madam heard Xiao Ran’s decisive words, she was immediately shocked and trembled. “Xiaoran, is Qiao An more important than us?”
“Yes,” Huo Xiaoran said firmly.
Seeing that the old and young were arguing, Huo Zhou quickly became a peacemaker. “Xiaoran, Grandma is doing this for your future. If you have anything to say, explain it to her. Grandma is not an unreasonable person.”
Huo Xiaoran pushed Huo Zhou away and said anxiously, “I’m going to look for Qiao An. Help me comfort them.” With that, he left.
Madam Huo was left sitting on the sofa in a daze.
Huo Zhou sat beside the old madam and quickly explained for Huo Xiaoran, “Grandma, children have their own blessings. Don’t worry about Xiaoran and Qiao An, okay?”
The old lady sobbed. “I’m doing this for his own good. A noble like him can find any woman he wants, but he has to settle for his own niece-in-law? If this scandal is exposed, what future will he have?”
Huo Zhou said, “Grandma, have you forgotten? Xiaoran’s ambition has never been in business. His passion is actually to be a doctor.”
“But hasn’t he been doing well in the past few years, abandoning medicine and going into business?”
“He even went into business for Qiao An. Because he wanted to make a lot of money, so he could buy Qiao An the most expensive house, the most luxurious car, and give her the best Hai Yue Group. That way, Qiao An would stay obediently by his side.”
“What’s the point of having a woman who despises the poor and favors the rich?”
“At that time, Xiaoran misunderstood that Qiao An despised the poor and loved the rich. That was why he worked hard to earn money. Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, Qiao An abandoned Xiaoran not because Xiaoran had nothing back then, but because Qiao An mistook Li Zecheng for Huo Xiaoran. Qiao An has been married to Li Zecheng for two years and didn’t even have a proper wedding ring. She said that if she married Li Zecheng, it would be better for her to marry Xiaoran with a simple heart. How can Xiaoran not like such a girl?”
When Madam Huo heard these little-known things, she realized that Huo Xiaoran and Qiao An’s relationship was so deep that it was impossible to separate them.
She stared off into space, blaming herself. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
Huo Zhou said, “I only just found out about this. Qiao An has been hiding it from Xiaoran. We’ve misunderstood Qiao An for many years. It was only a few days ago that Li Zecheng told the truth.”
“Then why didn’t Qiao An explain it to Xiaoran back then?”
“That’s not the only misunderstanding between them. In my opinion, there’s still a lot to see. Anyway, Grandma, don’t expect to break up Xiaoran and Qiao An. You just have to remember one thing. Xiaoran’s life was saved by Qiao An. Xiaoran lives for Qiao An for the rest of his life. So don’t threaten him with his career. He doesn’t care, and neither does Qiao An.”
Madam Huo was puzzled. “In that case, how could Qiao An agree to leave Xiaoran so easily?”
Huo Zhou smiled and said, “Even if you don’t look for Qiao An, she won’t get back together with Xiaoran at this time. Because Qiao An hates mistresses the most.”
Only then did the old lady realize that she had made an unnecessary move.
Huo Xiaoran’s search for Qiao An was fruitless. In his despair, he could only think of Qiao An’s hometown, Zeng City. That was Qiao An’s last refuge.
He dialed Father Qiao’s number. “Uncle, it’s Xiaoran. Is Qiao An home?”
Mr. Qiao said apologetically, “She was back, but I didn’t accept her and the children.”
The old madam sat beside Xiaoran and comforted Huo Xiaoran earnestly, “Xiaoran, you and Lu Mo are engaged, so you should treat your fiancée well with all your heart. As for Qiao An, I know that she once went through thick and thin with you and you remember her in your heart. However, you and her couldn’t be together in the past. Now that times have changed, she has her fate and you also have your bright future. If you abandon the secular world and walk together, you will pay a heavy price.”
“You’re two-timing Lu Mo, and you’re hooking up with your one-time niece-in-law. Your public image is going to suffer. And Qiao An is going to have a lot of people blowing her up on the Internet. You have to know that public opinion pays. Can you bear to put her in that kind of situation?”
Huo Xiaoran said, “Grandma, I’m not a three-year-old child. I’ve thought about everything you said to me today many years ago. My relationship with Qiao An didn’t break up because we didn’t love each other. In fact, it was Li Zecheng who pretended to be me and duped Qiao An. That was because I didn’t protect her well. I feel guilty towards her. Now, I can clearly make it up to her, but you want to deprive me of my chance. You’re putting me in a ruthless position.”
Madam Huo said, “You only care about Qiao An, but what about Lu Mo? Lu Mo has waited for you for so many years. It’s not fair to her to let go just like that.”
Huo Xiaoran said, “I’ve never lied to Lu Mo about my feelings. She knew from the beginning that I didn’t love her and that I couldn’t touch any woman other than Qiao An. I was only with Lu Mo because she was terminally ill. At that time, I thought that there was no possibility of me getting back together with Qiao An, so my thoughts ran wild and I decided to be a savior. This was my gentleman’s agreement with Lu Mo.”
The old lady was dumbfounded.
“You really don’t love Lu Mo?”
Huo Xiaoran said, “That’s right.”
The old lady was furious. “In your eyes, this is your gentleman’s agreement with Lu Mo. In Lu Mo’s eyes, it might not be the case. You are a talented and handsome man; I’m afraid she has long fallen for you. She’s just using the gentleman’s agreement as a cover to retreat in order to advance.”
A murderous look appeared in Huo Xiaoran’s eyes.
The old madam said nervously, “Xiaoran, Father Lu came to look for your grandfather. He’s eager to for the two of you to married. It can be seen that the Lu family doesn’t want to give up on you as their son-in-law.”
Huo Xiaoran’s thin lips curled into a mocking sneer. He thought to himself, If it were in the past, he would have kept his promise. Even if he owed Qiao An, he would definitely marry Lu Mo. But now, it was impossible for him to marry Lu Mo in a daze.
Because the Lu family had hurt Qiao An and shaken his determination to marry Lu Mo.
“Grandma, before Li Changhai is captured, I won’t marry Lu Mo,” Huo Xiaoran said firmly.
The old lady was also very domineering. “Xiaoran, whether you marry Lu Mo or not is up to you, but you can’t marry Qiao An.”
Huo Xiaoran’s pupils constricted as he stared blankly at Madam Huo. After a long time, he gritted his teeth and said something that made one’s teeth turn cold.
“Without Qiao An, there would be no Huo Xiaoran. If Grandma insists on doing things her way, then let’s just pretend that there is no Huo Xiaoran in the world and only Li Xiaoran.”
When the old madam heard Xiao Ran’s decisive words, she was immediately shocked and trembled. “Xiaoran, is Qiao An more important than us?”
“Yes,” Huo Xiaoran said firmly.
Seeing that the old and young were arguing, Huo Zhou quickly became a peacemaker. “Xiaoran, Grandma is doing this for your future. If you have anything to say, explain it to her. Grandma is not an unreasonable person.”
Huo Xiaoran pushed Huo Zhou away and said anxiously, “I’m going to look for Qiao An. Help me comfort them.” With that, he left.
Madam Huo was left sitting on the sofa in a daze.
Huo Zhou sat beside the old madam and quickly explained for Huo Xiaoran, “Grandma, children have their own blessings. Don’t worry about Xiaoran and Qiao An, okay?”
The old lady sobbed. “I’m doing this for his own good. A noble like him can find any woman he wants, but he has to settle for his own niece-in-law? If this scandal is exposed, what future will he have?”
Huo Zhou said, “Grandma, have you forgotten? Xiaoran’s ambition has never been in business. His passion is actually to be a doctor.”
“But hasn’t he been doing well in the past few years, abandoning medicine and going into business?”
“He even went into business for Qiao An. Because he wanted to make a lot of money, so he could buy Qiao An the most expensive house, the most luxurious car, and give her the best Hai Yue Group. That way, Qiao An would stay obediently by his side.”
“What’s the point of having a woman who despises the poor and favors the rich?”
“At that time, Xiaoran misunderstood that Qiao An despised the poor and loved the rich. That was why he worked hard to earn money. Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, Qiao An abandoned Xiaoran not because Xiaoran had nothing back then, but because Qiao An mistook Li Zecheng for Huo Xiaoran. Qiao An has been married to Li Zecheng for two years and didn’t even have a proper wedding ring. She said that if she married Li Zecheng, it would be better for her to marry Xiaoran with a simple heart. How can Xiaoran not like such a girl?”
When Madam Huo heard these little-known things, she realized that Huo Xiaoran and Qiao An’s relationship was so deep that it was impossible to separate them.
She stared off into space, blaming herself. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
Huo Zhou said, “I only just found out about this. Qiao An has been hiding it from Xiaoran. We’ve misunderstood Qiao An for many years. It was only a few days ago that Li Zecheng told the truth.”
“Then why didn’t Qiao An explain it to Xiaoran back then?”
“That’s not the only misunderstanding between them. In my opinion, there’s still a lot to see. Anyway, Grandma, don’t expect to break up Xiaoran and Qiao An. You just have to remember one thing. Xiaoran’s life was saved by Qiao An. Xiaoran lives for Qiao An for the rest of his life. So don’t threaten him with his career. He doesn’t care, and neither does Qiao An.”
Madam Huo was puzzled. “In that case, how could Qiao An agree to leave Xiaoran so easily?”
Huo Zhou smiled and said, “Even if you don’t look for Qiao An, she won’t get back together with Xiaoran at this time. Because Qiao An hates mistresses the most.”
Only then did the old lady realize that she had made an unnecessary move.
Huo Xiaoran’s search for Qiao An was fruitless. In his despair, he could only think of Qiao An’s hometown, Zeng City. That was Qiao An’s last refuge.
He dialed Father Qiao’s number. “Uncle, it’s Xiaoran. Is Qiao An home?”
Mr. Qiao said apologetically, “She was back, but I didn’t accept her and the children.”
