Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Gu Nianzhi fully understood Huo Shaoheng’s position. This was also part of the reason why she wanted out of this relationship. For someone of his position, he should have been at the inauguration. Now, so many people were calling him…
However, Huo Shaoheng held onto the steering wheel and replied calmly, “I don’t want to, because I have something more important to do.” Getting married, of course. That was the most important thing in his life. The only thing.
Gu Nianzhi smiled. She looked outside the car and said gloomily, “Look, it’s nothing good being with me. I’ll still delay your work. I hope that you’ll be able to think clearly after a few days so we can end this properly.”
“Attending the inauguration isn’t my job.” Huo Shaoheng placed his arm around Gu Nianzhi’s neck and turned her head to face him. “End properly? You can get that out of your head. Even if we really have to in the future, it wouldn’t be proper.”
“What do you mean?!” Gu Nianzhi felt herself boiling with anger again. “We’re all adults. We’ll stay if we can get along and leave if we can’t. You don’t even understand this logic?”
She had not shown any temper in front of Huo Shaoheng in the past. She was easily contented—a little affection could make her bloom. Heck, she bloomed even without affection. However, over the past two days, she had realized that she wasn’t able to control her temper very well.
“You still remember that you’re already a legal adult?” Huo Shaoheng’s tone had a hint of mockery. “An adult would think of running away from problems instead of solving them?”
“When did I run away from problems? I’ve been trying hard to solve this issue.” Gu Nianzhi tried hard to push Huo Shaoheng’s hand away. “Don’t touch me. How many times have I told you? I’ll apply for a personal protection order from the court if you continue doing so and not allow you to appear anywhere near me!”
“Is breaking up the solution to a problem? And you’re still denying that you’re running away.” Huo Shaoheng retracted his hand and looked at her sideways. “You still want to apply for a personal protection order? Are you sure? Nianzhi, you’re a lawyer, not a heartless reporter who merely wants to capture attention with headlines.”
Gu Nianzhi snorted and turned away. “To be honest, our problem is not solvable. Therefore, only a breakup will work. However, you refuse. You even brought out a marriage certificate. You’re sure it won’t be worse three years from now?”
“That was why I said that there won’t be a ‘proper ending’ between us.” Huo Shaoheng looked ahead, and his tone clearly became more lighthearted, like he was talking about something that wasn’t important. However, his words were full of impact. “We don’t have to think about what will happen in three years. It wouldn’t be of use now, even if we thought about it.”
Gu Nianzhi couldn’t help but bite her nails. Huo Shaoheng’s masculinity used to be extremely attractive to Gu Nianzhi. However, she felt suffocated now.
Taking a look at Gu Nianzhi, Huo Shaoheng sighed. It looked like she was stressed out by him. She hadn’t bitten her nails in a long time, but she was doing it again now. He knew that she would bite her nails whenever she was stressed out. Huo Shaoheng fell silent and concentrated on driving.
After a while, his phone rang again. This time, it was his father, Huo Guanchen. “Shaoheng, your grandfather and Jialan are coming back today. Are you picking them up?”
Huo Shaoheng put on his Bluetooth earpiece and said calmly, “I’m sick, won’t be going.” However, he continued after a pause, “I will get people to pick them up.”
“Yes. Just don’t forget. They’ll land at one o’clock in the afternoon.” Huo Guanchen sounded extremely unhappy. “And I heard that you won’t be attending the inauguration? Why? Are you that sick?”
“Yes. I can’t even fetch my grandfather, so how can I attend the inauguration?” Huo Shaoheng turned the steering wheel and exited the expressway. “It’ll be fine if you just go. Isn’t grandfather going as well? So would it matter if was there?”
Huo Guanchen fell silent for a while. “How did you know that your grandfather would be there as well?”
Huo Shaoheng’s grandfather, Huo Guanchen’s father, Gu Xuenong, was also a general, but he had already retired a couple of years ago. Usually, they wouldn’t invite people like them to ceremonies like this, unless he was an important right hand man in the past, just like General Ji. However, Huo Xuenong had never been one. He was at most the right hand man’s assistant. Therefore, Huo Guanchen was taken aback that Huo Shaoheng would know that his grandfather would be attending the inauguration.
He knew because Cai Songyin had told him personally. When she found out that Huo Xuenong was recuperating in the Xie’s mansion in France, she passionately invited them back to attend the inauguration. She even sent the plane tickets and invitation all the way there.
Huo Shaoheng did not know about that yet, as it happened before he began to spy on the Tan’s. Anyway, the spying would only happen at their workplace. He wouldn’t be able to spy on them in their home. Therefore, he was merely analyzing the situation based on common sense.
“…Grandfather has been in France for so long. If there wasn’t anything important, why would he come back?” Huo Shaoheng was indifferent. “We already have two people attending from our family. How would it look if I was there, too? Must we work under them now? Father, I didn’t know we’ve stooped so low already.”
Huo Guanchen was furious. Of course he wasn’t going because he wanted to bootlick the Tan’s. He was going because he wanted the Tan’s daughter, Tan Guiren, to be his daughter-in-law. To Huo Guanchen, the girl who would be able to marry his son should be good tempered and filial on top of coming from a good family and having a good character and looks. Being filial was of utmost importance.
Dou Qingyan, the daughter of the previous Prime Minister, was from a good family and had good looks as well. However, Huo Guanchen was not happy with her, as he felt that that girl was willful, stubborn, and not filial. He knew that Huo Shaoheng was stubborn too, much less filial. If his wife wasn’t filial, Huo Shaoheng would think that he had support and become even more distant from the family.
Tan Guiren left him with an impression that she came from a good family, was a good girl, clever, and beautiful. He also heard that she had never had a boyfriend before and was extremely obedient and filial.
“What do you mean by bootlicking? Shaoheng, when did you become so rebellious? This is basic courtesy!” Huo Guanchen was extremely angry. “Your grandfather and I will be going tonight. Your mother will be going as well. Come along if you have nothing going on.”
“I’ve said that I’m sick.” Huo Shaoheng almost wanted to honk his car horn. “I have no obligation to the Tans. If you’re going to continue forcing me, I can only blacklist your number.”
“Don’t you dare!” Huo Guanchen stood up from his chair in his study in a fit of anger. However, the next moment, he realized that the line had already been cut off. He called back again frantically and realized that Huo Shaoheng had not blacklisted his number. He had merely stopped picking up the calls and forwarded them to his voicemail mailbox.
Huo Guanchen breathed a sigh of relief.
…
After Huo Shaoheng’s phone call, Gu Nianzhi fell silent as well. She knew that the phone call was from Huo Shaoheng’s father. However, she did not ask about it. She only thought about her father, Gu Xiangwen, who was recuperating in the Special Forces headquarters.
After contemplating, she took out her phone and called Chen Lie. “Are you busy, Brother Chen?”
Chen Lie was looking through some data analysis in his office. Seeing that it was Gu Nianzhi who called him, he picked it up immediately. “No, I’m just looking at some documents. Is there anything the matter, little bride?”
Gu Nianzhi ignored the “little bride” and asked, “My father, Mr. Gu, how is he? I forgot to visit him when I was at the headquarters today.” She reflected that she wasn’t a filial daughter.
Chen Lie was taken aback. He chuckled. “It’s okay! Mr. Gu is still in a vegetative state. He wouldn’t know, even if you had come.” Then, in order to make Gu Nianzhi feel less guilty, Chen Lie continued, “Actually, your sister, Gu Yanran, has been coming less, too. Just take care of yourself well and stop letting your thoughts run wild.”
Gu Nianzhi smiled and said, “Gu Yanran isn’t my father’s biological daughter, but I’m different…”
Chen Lie’s brows furrowed. Did she not know that her DNA did not match Gu Xiangwen’s? Chen Lie contemplated for a while before saying, “Nianzhi, hold on. I’ve got to answer a call,” and used the landline to call Huo Shaoheng.
Huo Shaoheng answered the call with his Bluetooth earpiece.
“Mr. Huo, regarding Nianzhi’s background, should we tell her the truth? We can’t keep the fact of the DNA a secret much longer. Since Gu Yanran has already spilled the beans, I don’t want Nianzhi to be the only one in the dark.” Chen Lie tried to convince Huo Shaoheng quietly.
“Go ahead.” Huo Shaoheng agreed. Since they were already married, he wouldn’t have to worry about Gu Nianzhi’s protection.
Chen Lie returned to the call with Gu Nianzhi and began talking gently. “Nianzhi, I have something to tell you.”
“Yes, Brother Chen?”
“Gu Xiangwen’s… and your DNA don’t match. You’re not his biological daughter.” Chen Lie felt an overwhelming sense of silence from the other end of the call. Gu Nianzhi seemed to have even stopped breathing.
Chen Lie continued, “But Gu Yanran and Gu Xiangwen’s DNA match. They’re biological father and daughter.”
Gu Nianzhi only felt hot on her face, like it had been slapped. Even though she did not have much familial love with Gu Xiangwen, she had always thought that she was the biological one, and Gu Yanran was the adopted one. She knew that her DNA was different from Gu Yanran’s, but she didn’t know that it was also different from Gu Xiangwen’s. Now this would be awkward.
Gu Nianzhi forced a smile. “I got it. Thanks, Brother Chen.”
Upon hanging up, Gu Nianzhi looked at Huo Shaoheng. “Did you know that Gu Xiangwen wasn’t my biological father?”
Huo Shaoheng looked at her. “Yes. I only found out recently as well. However, there are still things that we cannot explain in this incident. Therefore, we kept it between ourselves…”
…until Gu Yanran spilled the beans when Gu Nianzhi was missing.
Gu Nianzhi and Huo Shaoheng’s thoughts were on the same wavelength. She immediately thought about this question. “Since no one said it, then why tell me all of a sudden?”
Huo Shaoheng did not hide this fact from her, either. “Gu Yanran spilled it when you were missing.”
Gu Nianzhi was speechless.
