Chapter 910: Chapter 890: Is This Where Our Destiny Ends?
Until reaching the boarding gate, Qiao Yongyong stood up, her crimson lips curving into a smile beneath her oversized black sunglasses, bidding farewell to Huo Zhenyang and Jiayi.
As she turned, the wind ruffled her long dress. She bent down to adjust it, and her sunglasses slid down slightly, revealing the severely swollen eyelids beneath. Jiayi caught a glimpse.
Those swollen eyelids could only be the result of crying all night.
After sending Qiao Yongyong and her entourage onto the plane, Jiayi and Huo Zhenyang left the airport and got into the car. Unable to resist, Jiayi pulled out her phone, intending to call Nie Yixiao.
Before she could press the first button, Huo Zhenyang snatched her phone away and placed it on the dashboard. "Don’t bother calling."
She thought this jar of old sour pickles was jealous again. "I just want to ask Brother Yixiao what’s going on with Miss Qiao."
"It’s over." He was concise and firm.
Jiayi had a hunch, but was still surprised. "Why? When I visited Miss Qiao yesterday afternoon, they seemed perfectly fine..."
Huo Zhenyang didn’t hide the truth from her: "Yongyong’s brother, Qiao Zonghan, has been in poor health. You know that."
She nodded. She had heard before that Qiao Zonghan placed all his hopes on Qiao Yongyong, grooming her over the years to take over the leadership of the Longding Society.
"Qiao Zonghan’s poor health stems from being shot over ten times during a police operation years ago. He sustained severe injuries and lasting complications. Do you know who orchestrated that game of cat and mouse?"
Jiayi’s eyes widened. "...Brother Yixiao?"
"Yes. That’s what Mike just told me."
No wonder Qiao Yongyong stormed off in a fury.
If it were any other issue, it wouldn’t have deterred Qiao Yongyong from pursuing Nie Yixiao. But this was different—this was her Achilles’ heel...
Brother Yixiao had nearly cost Qiao Zonghan his life, leaving his body wrecked. It’s likely Qiao Yongyong utterly despised Brother Yixiao now.
Jiayi gasped quietly, her expression tinged with regret. "How about I talk to Miss Qiao..."
Huo Zhenyang saw through her intentions to persuade Qiao Yongyong to forgive Nie Yixiao and dismissed the thought. "Don’t bother. They’re done. Could you forgive the culprit responsible for harming your parents?"
She fell silent.
Forgiveness wouldn’t even cross her mind. If it happened to her, she’d probably wish the person dead.
She sighed.
At last, she understood why Qiao Yongyong’s swollen eyelids hid under her oversized black sunglasses.
To love a man who harmed her own family.
In light of this, the two of them were truly at the end, weren’t they?
Huo Zhenyang noticed her zoning out and flicked her forehead, neither too hard nor too soft.
She snapped out of it and rubbed her forehead. "What’s with the sneak attack?"
"You haven’t figured out your own mess, yet you’re worrying about other people’s problems?" His eyes narrowed, glancing at her still-flat stomach.
If she got pregnant sooner, Huo Tianpei might relent sooner, and stop resisting their remarriage.
She pouted. "It’s not so simple to hit the mark in one go."
The first time after returning to Disheng, they had sex was the day Huo Zhenxuan planted explosives in his car. Counting from then, it had only been a little over a week.
Though they hadn’t used any contraception, the time was still too short. One can’t just will themselves pregnant.
This man, however, grew more impatient by the day, nagging her every time, eagerly hoping for her pregnancy, to the point his eyes seemed to bore through her stomach.
"What do you mean by that," Huo Zhenyang’s eyes darkened, displeased. "What you should be saying is: when have I ever missed? This time won’t be an exception either."
She nearly rolled her eyes. The man couldn’t take being called "not capable" in the slightest. "Even if you hit the mark, it still takes time to confirm. It’s only been so long."
This made him feel a little better—it wasn’t that he wasn’t capable, just that the time was short.
Maybe it had already taken root.
Lost in thought, he slid his hand off the steering wheel, reached past her seatbelt, and gently touched her smooth belly. "The little sister needs to stay good and cozy in Mommy’s tummy."
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
His unyielding desire for a daughter hadn’t wavered.
She deliberately teased him. "How do you know it’s a sister? What if it’s a brother?"
Men with daughters tend to be soft-natured, with gentle temperaments needed to raise a girl like a little princess.
This man, however, liked to keep a stern face all day. When Zaizai made mistakes, he was merciless and harsh. Being his daughter would surely be unlucky.
His brows furrowed, his tone decisive: "Then we’ll keep trying until it’s a girl." As he spoke, he turned the steering wheel, U-turning to exit the airport onto the road.
They hadn’t even confirmed a pregnancy, yet they were already arguing over the gender, as though she was already expecting.
She found it amusing and glanced at the scenery outside the window. Her laughter froze suddenly. "...Aren’t we heading back to Disheng?"
The route wasn’t toward the Disheng Villa Area.
He kept his gaze ahead. "The old man is returning to G City soon. He’s preparing to transfer the shares over these days. He’s asking me to come over today; Lawyer Yang will be there too. You’ll come with me."
Jiayi recalled. After the affairs of the second young master were settled, Huo Tianpei had expressed a desire to live as a wealthy retiree, intending to hand over all the Huo Family’s assets and shares and retire to G City.
If her guess was correct, Huo Tianpei had invited the lawyer over and summoned Huo Zhenyang to formally transfer every part of the Huo Family’s assets, shares, and management rights.
She hesitated. "Everyone at the hotel will be from the Huo Family—me being there wouldn’t be appropriate, right? Why don’t you go yourself? Besides, the two little ones are still at home. I don’t feel comfortable leaving them unattended; I’ll head back..."
He caught the evasion in her tone and pulled over to the roadside, fixing his gaze on her. "Zaizai is the Huo Family’s eldest grandson and has a stake in the group’s shares. You’re the mother of the Huo Family’s grandson. Representing him, no one will have anything to say."
Jiayi fell silent.
——————————
Upon arriving at Huo Tianpei’s hotel, Huo Zhenyang took Jiayi’s hand and led her into the elevator, heading for the suite.
"Young Master is here." At the door, Huo Tianpei’s assistant greeted them respectfully.
They entered the suite, where the broad living room was quiet and solemn. On both sides of the couches, everyone was present.
Though Huo Tianpei still appeared somewhat haggard, his energy was much better than before. He sat in the center couch, wearing his reading glasses.
Lawyer Yang sat beside Huo Tianpei, handing the old man piece after piece of share-transfer documents.
Su Yan sat on the couch opposite, her expression dark and brooding, riddled with unease.
Jiayi naturally knew the reason for her unsettled demeanor. With Huo Tianpei retiring to G City, as his wife, Su Yan would have to accompany him and withdraw from any role in the group’s management.
Spending the rest of her days with an elderly man nearing the end of his life—how could she willingly accept?
"You’ve arrived, Zhenyang." Huo Tianpei saw his son enter the room and removed his glasses. When his gaze landed on Jiayi, he paused briefly, his voice maintaining politeness. "Jiayi is here too, I see."
His words were courteous and seemed devoid of reproach, but the others in the room clearly picked up on the old man’s subtle dissatisfaction.
After all, this was a family matter involving the division of assets. Jiayi, no longer a Huo Family daughter-in-law, wasn’t exactly in her place by being here.
