Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Huo Jinyao’s voice was cold. He had never treated Zhang Yichen with this kind of hostility before.
Regarding the incident that day, he knew clearly that Zhang Yichen was an innocent party.
But he couldn’t help wondering about how Liu Tongjia found out about Zhang Yichen’s hidden feelings.
Zhang Yichen must have revealed something unknowingly.
At a time and place that he did not know, Zhang Yichen and Su Qingsang must have been overly intimate with each other, and Liu Tongjia happened to see it.
It made Huo Jinyao feel exceptionally uncomfortable just thinking about that.
He was not a petty man, especially since Zhang Yichen was more than just an uncle to him.
To Huo Jinyao, Zhang Yichen was a mentor and a friend.
Zhang Yichen held a significant portion of his heart and he had never thought that his relationship with him would ever be torn apart by a woman like this.
His voice turned colder as he became more upset and disappointed.
“Haven’t you thought about how much trouble you will cause for Qingsang?
“If Qingsang did not get away in time that day? If the person who had drugged you, had gotten everyone to come and see? If someone had caught you and Qingsang in the act of doing anything—”
Huo Jinyao felt suffocated just thinking about it.
Even if he was willing to believe in Su Qingsang, even if he was prepared to support her…
What else would Su Qingsang have to face in the future?
“Uncle, you can defend yourself, but what will you do about Qingsang? Don’t forget that she is your niece-in-law.”
Zhang Yichen remained rigid and still as Huo Jinyao continued to speak. After all, what Huo Jinyao had said was irrefutable.
“We— We did not have any intimate contact with each other. But we happened to meet each other in the back garden twice, and someone probably saw it.”
Zhang Yichen looked at Huo Jinyao and said, “I am sorry. I will take note of my behavior from now on. But I think you know that the Huo Family is not as peaceful as you thought it was.”
He could probably guess who was the one plotting against Huo Jinyao, and he believed that Huo Jinyao knew the culprit very well.
“It’s my problem, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Even though the one he was speaking to was Zhang Yichen, Huo Jinyao was still unable to admit that it was Liu Tongjia who did it.
No matter how bad Liu Tongjia was, she was still his birth mother.
Despite his refusal to say who did it, Zhang Yichen would probably have his own speculations about the matter, so there was no need to discuss who did it at all.
Zhang Yichen took a step back. “Yes, it’s not up to me to worry about the rest of this matter.”
He had come intending to explain himself today, but it seems like he had made a wasted trip after all.
“If there’s nothing else, then I will make a move first.”
Zhang Yichen looked at Huo Jinyao once more, as if he was worried that Huo Jinyao still couldn’t be at ease about this matter, he assured him sincerely,
“Back in my army unit a few days ago, I agreed to take on a mission. So, I will not be back in Rong City any time soon. Don’t worry.”
“Uncle, you’ve got it all wrong. There’s nothing I need to be worried about.”
Zhang Yichen had a slight bitter look on his face. Yeah, the relationship between him and his wife was so good that there was really nothing to be worried about.
As he turned away, his retreating steps weren’t as relaxed as when he came.
He stopped when he was at the door.
“Jinyao. Sometimes, I really envy you. You are a very lucky man.”
Not just anyone can call such a clever and special woman like Su Qingsang theirs.
“Thank you. I do think that I am quite lucky too.”
Huo Jinyao openly admitted to that statement. Half a year ago, if he hadn’t been at the hospital where Su Qingsang was working, or if he had not stopped for a moment to see what all the commotion was about…
He believed that he would have been as lucky as he was now.
Zhang Yichen left with a bitter taste in his mouth. Of course, good luck was not handed out to everyone, one could only encounter it when the time is right. It was not something that could be sought after and obtained.
Su Qingsang’s smiling face appeared in his mind. He closed his eyes and suppressed those emotions deeper into the recesses of his heart.
***
Su Qingsang glanced over at Huo Jinyao who had just got off from on top of her. He had been much more “aggressive” than usual.
It was just like the period after the first time they had sex when there was an eager and burning desire in his expression of love for her.
She had not seen Huo Jinyao acting like that in these recent months.
“Jinyao?” She was about to ask him if something happened at work, or if Liu Tongjia did anything again to instigate him.
But Huo Jinyao turned over, got on top of her again, and kissed her.
He squeezed her tight, pulled her into his arms, and had sex with her again.
Her body started moving on its own, in sync with him, and she took in everything he gave her.
He was a little heavy-handed today, and he hugged her tightly in his arms. He lowered his head, continuously kissed the corners of her lips, her cheeks, and down the sides of her ears.
“Darling, you’re mine.
“Dear? My dear wife… Tell me that you’re mine.
“Dear, can you feel it? I am the one with you right now.”
Before Su Qingsang could give him a suitable response, he kissed her lips and spoke softly into her ears once more,
“Dear… Tell me, who am I?”
“Huo Jinyao.”
Su Qingsang was clenching her teeth, panting hard when she said his name.
Her consciousness was wavering. Her fringe was drenched in sweat. Huo Jinyao behaving like that made her felt a little overwhelmed.
“Darling. Who is Huo Jinyao?”
Su Qingsang felt herself slipping far away from her. The feelings he unloaded onto her were too intense and she needed time to get used to it.
She had not expected Huo Jinyao to ask such a question at a time like this.
“Huo Jinyao is you. You, you’re my husband.”
Huo Jinyao seemed satisfied with that response. Over and over again, he made Su Qingsang repeat what he wanted to hear.
They had sex until she couldn’t take it anymore and she passed out briefly, exhausted from all the pleasure he had given her.
Huo Jinyao carried her to the bathroom and changed the bedsheets while she took a bath. Finally, he helped Su Qingsang dry herself and brought her back to the room.
Su Qingsang felt more awake after her bath. She wanted to say something but Huo Jinyao hugged her tightly.
“I’m sorry. I was a little out of control today.”
He shouldn’t have acted this way toward her. If he really believed in Su Qingsang, he should not be this worried about losing her.
But after listening to what Zhang Yichen said and knowing that Liu Tongjia knew about Zhang Yichen’s amorous feelings for Su Qingsang…
He couldn’t help but need some concrete reassurance from Su Qingsang to soothe him, even if his fears were only anxious thoughts.
Su Qingsang’s hands and limbs were limp. She looked at Huo Jinyao and shook her head gently.
“I’m okay. But are you alright?”
Huo Jinyao did not respond, instead, he carefully wrapped his arms around her.
Zhang Yichen had gone back to the army today. He left after they spoke.
He knew that Zhang Yichen was a man of his word. Since he had said that he would not return to Rong City any time soon, it meant that he would not be around for a long time.
But this did not mean that Zhang Yichen’s feelings for Su Qingsang would disappear just like that. It just meant that he would probably try to suppress his feelings much deeper inside him and hide it that much more relentlessly.
From a man’s point of view, he couldn’t fault Zhang Yichen for liking Su Qingsang.
There was nothing wrong with liking someone. Zhang Yichen was just as human, unable to help but have feelings for another person.
But as Su Qingsang’s husband, Huo Jinyao was couldn’t stop worrying about it or care less about it.
It didn’t feel good to know that another man was lusting after his wife.
Furthermore, someone else had found out about it, and the person was Liu Tongjia—
Liu Tongjia had been rather quiet of late. Huo Jinyao did not know if it was because his words were effective, or if it was the fact that after he exposed her ploy, Liu Tongjia had not yet found a new way to deal with Su Qingsang yet.
No matter what it was, he believed that this peace was only temporary.
Based on Liu Tongjia’s deep-seated resentment of him, it was very likely that she would make another move in a few days when she was once again not in a good mood.
If Zhang Yichen had not given up by the time he returned, and if he did not restrain himself… Their families were related to each other after all.
Liu Tongjia would probably do something about it again. She did not like Huo Jinyao no matter what and she hated him all the more, now that Su Qingsang was with him.
What should he do, if she disregarded his warning and insisted on proving the relationship between Su Qingsang and Zhang Yichen?
Liu Tongjia was still his mother no matter what.
He relaxed his raised eyebrows and tightened his arms around Su Qingsang’s waist.
“Let’s sleep.”
“Jinyao?”
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. I will get over it.”
He thought that maybe he should talk to Liu Tongjia again, or was there something more he could do to ensure that Liu Tongjia would not hurt Su Qingsang again?
Su Qingsang lifted her head to peer over at him. She did not miss the mixed feelings that flashed across his features.
She couldn’t help but think about Liu Tongjia.
Maybe there was something she could do to help.
***
Su Qingsang hung up the phone. After she had made sure that Su Peizhen was not at home, she knocked on the door.
She would always do this whatever she visited Xiang Caiping.
It was not because she was afraid of letting Su Peizhen know, or that she feared that something was to happen if she bumped into her.
But she just thought that having one person less to worry about was always better.
“Ms. Zhao.” The person who opened the door was the housekeeper, Ms. Zhao. Su Qingsang had gotten to know her after she visited a few times.
“Hello, Ms. Su.”
Ms. Zhao smiled when she saw Su Qingsang. She liked Su Qingsang because she was very polite and knowledgeable about the affairs of the house.
The most endearing thing about her was that she was willing to spend time with the two old ladies, which was a quality hard to find nowadays.
“Aunt Xiang!”
When they walked in, Xiang Caiping got up from the sofa.
“Ms. Zhao. I have brought the physiotherapy device that you wanted.”
Su Qingsang placed a big box on the coffee table and turned around to tell Ms. Zhao about it.
She had initially wanted to visit Xiang Caiping during the Dragon Boat Festival, but she had to go to the Huo Mansion, and then that incident occurred.
Although Huo Jinyao did not talk about it recently, she knew that what Liu Tongjia had done must have had a big impact on him.
“Thank you, Ms. Su. That’s very nice of you.”
Ms. Zhao walked over and thanked her repeatedly. “How much is it? I will give you the money right away.”
“It’s alright.” Su Qingsang waved her hand. “It doesn’t cost a lot. Accept it as a gift.”
“You don’t have to do that; I will feel uncomfortable if you keep doing that.”
“Don’t be uncomfortable about it.” Su Qingsang glanced over at Xiang Caiping as she spoke. “I am quite busy recently, so I might not be able to visit Aunt Xiang as much as I usually do. Please do take good care of her for me.”
“That’s what I should be doing. I am getting paid for that.”
Ms. Zhao looked at the physiotherapy device with a somewhat embarrassed expression on her face. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re most welcome. I had a staff discount on that, so it wasn’t expensive at all.”
Ms. Zhao scratched the back of her head. “I will accept it then. Thank you, Ms. Su.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Ms. Su do stay for lunch today. I have already bought the groceries. Leave after you’ve eaten.”
“Sure.”
Su Qingsang looked at Xiang Caiping again after she agreed to it.
If she stayed for lunch, then Su Peizhen—
“She won’t be back; she has something on today.”
Xiang Caiping knew what was on her mind. She had been standing by the side and watched their conversation without interrupting.
“Qingsang. I—I had asked Ms. Zhao to buy some bamboo leaves for making rice dumplings previously. Although the Dragon Boat Festival is over, if you have nothing on, let’s make some to eat.”
“Sure!” Su Qingsang nodded. “But I have not made them before, so you have to teach me how to do it.”
“Of course.” Xiang Caiping smiled. She had bought the bamboo leaves a while ago.
She thought that if Su Peizhen were home that day, she would make some rice dumplings for her.
But she didn’t know that Su Peizhen was going to be out for the whole day, and even if she were to stay at home, she would not have had the patience to do things like this with her.
She had been thinking about telling Su Peizhen a few days ago, to keep her company more often.
Now, she didn’t want to mention it at all.
Su Peizhen had been even busier than usual. Xiang Caiping sighed silently and forced herself to shift her thoughts away from Su Peizhen.
The bamboo leaves and the ingredients needed were already prepared and laid out to be used.
Xiang Caiping knew that Su Qingsang would visit her today, so she wanted to make some rice dumplings with her. She knew that Su Qingsang would not reject her even though the festival was over.
As she expected, Su Qingsang did not refuse her. Compared to her, Su Peizhen seemed—
Xiang Caiping shook her head. She was envious of Li Qianxue for having given birth to such a good daughter.
Halfway through making the rice dumplings, Su Qingsang thought of Liu Tongjia again.
She believed that Liu Tongjia must have been loving towards Huo Jinyao before the tragedy.
But that maternal warmth had all but disappeared after what happened. What if Liu Tongjia and Huo Jinyao could restore their affection for each other?
What if Liu Tongjia was able to forgive the misjudgment Huo Jinyao had made on impulse when he was only twelve years old?
Moreover, it was not even a mistake but a misunderstanding, so it’s likely that she would be able to explain—
“Qingsang, do you have something on after this?”
“No, I don’t.” Su Qingsang stopped thinking about it. She smiled at Xiang Caiping and continued making the rice dumplings.
“If you have something on, you can go ahead and attend to whatever business you have. You don’t have to visit me all the time.”
Xiang Caiping was serious about what she said. Su Qingsang had already done a lot for someone who was not related to her.
“Aunt Xiang, it’s alright.”
Su Qingsang had only been thinking about Liu Tongjia.
Xiang Caiping did not believe Su Qingsang was entirely truthful, but because Su Qingsang had said it was alright, she could not keep on asking.
They were no longer mother and daughter after all, so it did not seem appropriate to pester her too much.
Without slowing her hands in the making of the rice dumplings, Xiang Caiping thought about what else she wanted to say and still decided to say it.
“I have nothing more to worry about since you are in good hands with Jinyao. But if you have something on your mind and if you would like to talk to someone about it, I can be a listening ear, though I may not be able to help.”
Su Qingsang was touched by what Xiang Caiping offered.
In fact, after hearing this, Su Qingsang had an idea instantly. She also knew what she could do to help.
Getting along with someone was simply treating them the way you wanted to be treated.
Liu Tongjia had misunderstood Huo Jinyao. However, Huo Jinyao was also unwilling to explain himself to her.
If she made the explanation for Huo Jinyao, it would sound like she was making excuses for what he had done. So, why not find another way to strike a chord and bond with Liu Tongjia like she did with Xiang Caiping?
If Liu Tongjia were to warm up to her, she would naturally believe what she says much more easily.
All she needed to do was to think about how to soften Liu Tongjia’s attitude toward her.
***
Huo Jinyao noticed the rice dumplings on the table when he arrived at home for dinner.
He looked at Su Qingsang and said, “The Dragon Boat Festival is over, where did you get these rice dumplings?”
Although one could buy rice dumplings anywhere on a typical day, the ones he saw on the table did not look like they were store-bought. They were not the usual rectangle-shaped rice dumplings, but triangular and slightly misshapen.
Triangular rice dumplings like these were not typical in the north, but people who lived in the south liked making their rice dumplings in these small triangular shapes.
“Take a guess.”
Su Qingsang was not familiar with the steps in the beginning, but she learned quickly after a few tries. So, she couldn’t help but fish for compliments when she saw Huo Jinyao.
“Don’t tell me, you made them?”
“You’re half right.”
“You and Ms. Yu made them?” But he knew that Ms. Yu was from the north, so she probably wouldn’t know how to make rice dumplings like that.
“Nope.”
Su Qingsang laughed as she pulled him towards the dining table.
“Let me tell you about them. Those tied with red strings are sweet rice dumplings, while those wrapped with white strings are savory. The sweet ones have red dates and peanuts in them, and the rest have salted egg yolk and meat!”
“You made so many?”
“Yup!” Su Qingsang nodded and sat down next to Huo Jinyao. “I didn’t have to work today, so I went to visit Aunt Xiang.”
Huo Jinyao stopped just as he was about to reach for the rice dumplings. “You made these with Aunt Xiang?”
“Yup.”
“Then that means you were at her place for the whole day?”
“Yes, I was.”
Su Qingsang looked at Huo Jinyao and she immediately knew that he was worried. “Don’t worry. I did not bump into Su Peizhen. Aunt Xiang said that she had been swamped at work recently, so she’s always not at home.”
Of course she would be busy. Huo Jinyao had set a trap for Huo Yifan and he had already fallen into it.
Su Peizhen was worried about the situation so she supervised most of the work in person.
What’s more, Huo Yifan could not let anyone find out about what he was doing, so he kept up his ruse of working at Tianyu Group as per usual.
As a result, Huo Yifan was unable to focus entirely on his business, so Su Peizhen had to represent him in most business-related matters.
She had begun to look the part of a businesswoman. The people who had met Huo Yifan privately were full of admiration for Su Peizhen when they talked about her.
Many people even asked to know about Su Peizhen’s background as well.
Huo Jinyao couldn’t help but glance sideways at Su Qingsang.
If there hadn’t been a switch at birth, and Su Qingsang was the one who was nurtured and groomed by Li Qianxue and Su Chenghui, would she be as talented as Su Peizhen in business?
Su Qingsang didn’t know that Huo Jinyao was thinking about this and just felt that he was worried about her. She took a savory rice dumpling and gave it to him.
“I always call Aunt Xiang to make sure Su Peizhen is not around before going over, just so I don’t have to meet her.”
“Bumping into her is not a problem though. She knows that I have lived with Aunt Xiang previously. If she sees me, then so be it. I am not afraid of letting her know that I am there.
“She should be nicer to Aunt Xiang if she doesn’t like me visiting her. I heard from Ms. Zhao that she doesn’t eat at home often and there are times when she doesn’t even go home at all.
“Aunt Xiang always wishes that Su Peizhen would come home to keep her company on many occasions, but she is always not there. I can’t bear to see Aunt Xiang being lonely like that, so I want to visit her. But if you don’t like me going to her house, I can go less often in the future.”
