Huo Jinyao ended the call, then looked at Su Qingsang with guilt.
âWhatâs wrong?â Seeing the look on his face, Su Qingsang could guess what was going to happen.
âThereâs an emergency at the office. I need to go back and deal with it.â
âThen...â Was he not going back to Lin City together with her?
âYou go first. Iâll fly to you this afternoon.â
Huo Jinyao wasnât sure if he could make it or not. There was a serious look on his face.
âAlright then.â Su Qingsang looked at his face, thought for a moment and then added, âItâll be fine if you canât make it. Work is more important.â
Upon hearing that, Huo Jinyao kissed her cheek and said, âdonât worry, Iâll handle it.â
Su Qingsang surely believed him, but still, she had a faintly uncomfortable feeling in her chest.
Huo Jinyao drove Su Qingsang to the airport first, then left in a haste. Su Qingsang looked at his back turned, suddenly feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart.
They had said goodbye to each other merely a few seconds ago. How did she start to miss him already?
...
Lin City.
Li Qianxue had asked Yuu and the other house workers to prepare Su Qingsangâs room. All the beddings in that room were aired.
It was still not good enough for her. Once again, she checked the entire room. Su Yuxin was standing nearby, watching Li Qianxue examining every corner of the room.
âMom,â he said with a faint smile. âYou have forgotten about me now that my sister is coming back.â
âWhat are you talking about?â Li Qianxue turned and gave him a glare. Her eyes were actually filled with joy.
âShe lives in Rong City alone. Apart from Old Master Huo, no one in the Huo Family is easy to get along with. Iâm just worried about her.â
Li Qianxue couldnât help but worry about Su Qingsang every time she thought about that, especially about Liu Tongjia, even though she knew that Huo Jinyao was very nice to Su Qingsang. She knew nevertheless, that he would certainly take good care of her.
To survive in a family like that, merely love from her husband was not sufficient.
Li Qianxue never let Su Qingsang know how much she worried about her, and Su Qingsang never complained to her about her life in Rong City.
Li Qianxue understood that Su Qingsang didnât want her to worry. Based on what she knew about Su Qingsang, she understood that the girl wouldnât tell anyone even if something bad happened to her.
âDonât worry, my sister is smart. She wouldnât let herself fall prey to such disadvantages.â Su Yuxin came to know Su Qingsang better after spending some time with her. She was a quiet girl, but she always knew what to do.
The Huo Family members might not be able to hurt her even if they wanted to. After all, Su Qingsang wasnât that weak also.
âThatâs for sure. Sheâs my daughter after all.â
Li Qianxue said that with a proud look. Sensing how delighted she was, Su Yuxin really didnât want to ruin her good mood. However, something had to be said.
âMom, itâs my grandpaâs birthday tomorrow. Do you think Peizhen will...â
Li Qianxue pulled a long face once she heard Su Peizhenâs name.
That day, on impulse, she hadnât let Su Peizhen stay with the family. However, she didnât really want to kick her out of the family or cut off her relationship with that girl.
She had spent over twenty years raising her, after all. If she told anyone that she didnât love that girl, it would be a lie.
But what about what Su Peizhen did? Ever since she left the Su Family, she didnât even give Li Qianxue a call, let alone come to visit her.
She raised that girl after all. They had been mother and daughter for over twenty years. How could Su Peizhen be so cold-hearted? Did the girl expect Li Qianxue to take the initiative and reach out first?
Li Qianxue couldnât do something like that. She was a proud person too.
Su Peizhen didnât see Li Qianxue as her mother, so Li Qianxue saw no reason to see the girl as her daughter.
âIf Peizhen comes to celebrate grandpaâs birthday, we...â
âSheâll still be one of the Su Familyâs daughter if she comes.â
The girl would no longer be her own daughter, though.
Old Master Li had loved Su Peizhen so deeply in the past twenty years. Su Peizhen would surely show up tomorrow if she wasnât heartless. If she didnât show up, Li Qianxue would, for real, no longer see her as her daughter anymore.
Su Yuxin stayed silent. In fact, he had been trying to reach Su Peizhen lately. Sadly, Su Peizhen never responded to him.
She hadnât answered his calls nor replied to his messages. He even sent her an email after that, but still, no response was received.
He knew that Su Peizhen had problems accepting the fact that she wasnât Li Qianxueâs real daughter. However, for some things that had already happened and could never be changed, accepting them was the only way to go forward.
Su Yuxin didnât know what he could do if she kept acting like that.
As the topic of discussion was currently Su Peizhen, both Li Qianxue and Su Yuxin didnât sound very happy at the moment.
But soon, Yuu told Li Qianxue that Su Qingsang had arrived. Li Qianxue immediately gave a smile and quickly went downstairs.
Su Qingsang had given Li Qianxue her flight number earlier, so Li Qianxue sent someone to pick her up at the airport.
Old Master Li was happy to have her back at home. He also looked behind her when she came into the house.
âWhereâs Jinyao?â
âGrandpa, Jinyao has some urgent work to do in the company, but he promised me that heâll fly here once he is finished.â
Su Qingsang didnât give them a specific time, because she had a feeling that Huo Jinyaoâs problem wouldnât be solved so easily.
In fact, she had been noticing some changes in Huo Jinyao recently. He obviously had more work dinners to attend than before and had been spending more time on work.
She could see the exhaustion in his eyes, but she couldnât help him.
âItâs okay, as long as youâre back.â Old Master Li hadnât seen Su Qingsang for quite a while already. He really did miss her.
He looked at her from head to toe, then asked with discontent, âWhy do you look like you have lost some weight? Has your work been too demanding?â
âThatâs not true,â said Su Qingsang. She squeezed her own arm while speaking. âIâve gained weight, actually.â
âI think youâve lost weight.â
Li Qianxue came downstairs. She also found her daughter thinner than before. âHave you been working too much? I think youâre always tired, so maybe you should switch to another job. Being a doctor is really exhausting.â
âMom, my job is actually very easy.â
The emergency department, the surgery department, and almost all the other departments in the hospital were busier than the gynecology and obstetrics department.
âEasy?â Li Qianxue walked up to her daughter and held her hands. She looked at her up and down and then said, âIâm sure youâve lost weight. You donât have to be a doctor. You can do an easy job in Huo Jinyaoâs family, by just being Mrs. Huo.â
âMom,â Su Qingsang almost laughed. âWhat can I possibly do in his company? Bring him tea and coffee?â
âHow dare he make you do those things?â Li Qianxue wasnât happy to hear that. âMy daughter will never be the coffee girl, not even for Huo Jinyao.â
Then, she continued with her eyes glowing, âmaybe I can start a branch company in Rong City, and you can work from there.â
She considered that a wonderful idea. Su Qingsang hurriedly discouraged her from that. âMom, stop it. I know nothing about business. Youâre going to open me a company? What can I possibly do in there?â
âSit there and watch other people work.â
âMom,â whined Su Qingsang. She found that idea both funny and annoying. Before this, she never knew that Li Qianxue could be so willful.
âArenât you afraid that I might lead the company to failure?â
âNo big deal. We can always start another one.â
Su Qingsang couldnât stand that. She now finally understood why Su Peizhen was such a spoiled girl.
Li Qianxue was clearly good at spoiling her children.
âMom, donât worry about me. I promise you that Iâll look after myself. Iâve been a little busy lately indeed, but later Iâll have more time to rest.â
The government had recently passed the bill to allow a second child in every family. It was reasonable for the workload in the obstetric department to grow a little heavy. Su Qingsang believed that her job would become easier in a few months.
âI hope what you say is true.â Li Qianxue looked at Su Qingsang, worried that she was lying. âIâm gonna be so unhappy if you donât gain some proper weight when I see you the next time.â
âI promise.â
Su Qingsang raised a hand and gave her a salute. Not only Li Qianxue, but Old Master Li and Su Yuxin also burst out in laughter.
Su Qingsang presented the gifts that Huo Jinyao had prepared.
Old Master Li and his family didnât care what those gifts were. All Old Master Li cared about was the kindness of his granddaughter and grandson-in-law.
The atmosphere in the family was very warm and comforting. Sensing that pleasant vibe, Su Qingsang forgot about her slight sadness caused by Huo Jinyaoâs absence.
...
Huo Jinyao returned to the company together with Yang Wenchang.
Some people blocked their way when they were heading upstairs.
He Xuanyao and Ding Qing were standing face to face. He Xuanyao seemed to be trying to get into Huo Jinyaoâs office.
Ding Qing was stopping her from doing that.
âIâve told you that President Huo isnât here today.â
âI donât believe it. I heard you talk to him on the phone. He said heâll be back right away, didnât he? Itâs been so long, heâs back already, right?â
âHeâs not back here yet. You...â
Huo Jinyao and Yang Wenchang arrived before she could finish.
Seeing Huo Jinyao, He Xuanyao gave Ding Qing a piercing glare and then walked up to him in big steps.
âHuo Jinyao.â
She was probably very unhappy. The tone of her voice didnât sound very friendly. She didnât call him President Huo, or even Jinyao.
Huo Jinyao had some serious work to do at the moment. He had no time for that spoiled girl.
But once again, she blocked his way as Huo Jinyao tried to walk past her into the office.
âHuo Jinyao.â
âHow can I help you?â asked Huo Jinyao looked coldly.
âAm I not allowed to talk to you unless I need your help?â
He Xuanyaoâs voice was filled with sorrow when she said that. In fact, her life had been miserable ever since she came to work in Tianyu Group.
She wasnât expecting Huo Jinyao to cruelly put her in the marketing department to let her âlearnâ.
The so-called learning was nothing but being tortured by her ugly, short-tempered superior.
She was required to do marketing research. Under the cold weather, she stood out there right in the bone-piercing wind, waiting for people to show up and fill her questionnaires. No one was there!
How ridiculous was that! She was the princess of the He Family. Was marketing research the work for someone like her?