After breakfast, Su Qingsang spent a while sitting with Old Master Li. Then, she used going to the bathroom as an excuse and hid in a corner to call Huo Jinyao.
It was finally Old Master Liâs birthday that day. She still hoped that Huo Jinyao would make it to the birthday party.
Since Huo Jinyao didnât show up last night, she figured that he probably couldnât make it anymore.
She trusted that he would never let her come back to Lin City alone to celebrate Old Master Liâs birthday if there wasnât something really important to do.
But still, she wished that he would come before the party began, even though she was already aware that Huo Jinyao probably didnât have the time for that.
âJinyao?â The moment the call was answered, Su Qingsang couldnât hide her nervousness.
âDarling, I was so busy last night that I forgot to call you.â
âItâs okay.â Through the phone, Su Qingsang found Huo Jinyaoâs voice to be slightly dry.
âJinyao, are you okay?â
âIâm fine,â replied Huo Jinyao. He sounded a little more energetic than before after she had asked the question. âDarling, Iâm afraid I canât celebrate grandpaâs birthday with all of you.â
âItâs okay. Grandpa wonât mind.â
Yesterday, Su Qingsang hadnât promised anyone that Huo Jinyao would show up. Instead, she told her grandpa that he would come after finishing his work. She believed that her grandpa would understand.
âTake care of yourself and donât get too exhausted.â Su Qingsang thought for a moment, then added, âalso, donât forget to eat.â
âI know, I will.â Huo Jinyao turned up the corners of his lips slightly. His heart was instantly softened by Su Qingsangâs concern.
âDarling,â Huo Jinyao called Su Qingsang.
âYeah?â
âI miss you.â They were separated for only a day, but Huo Jinyao was already missing Su Qingsang.
He always felt at ease when she was around, even if she did nothing and knew nothing. As long as she was with him, as long as he could hold her in his arms, he felt relieved, even though she wasnât able to help him with work at all.
âI miss you too,â Su Qingsang said to him. Her eyes glowed slightly. âItâs okay. Iâll be home in just two days.â
âIâll be waiting for you.â
Huo Jinyao ended the call. The look of relief on his face was instantly gone. With his eyes on the stack of files in front of him, he realized that he had never looked this serious before.
...
Li Qianxue reconfirmed the lunch menu with the staff in the kitchen. On her way out, she found Su Qingsang hiding in the hallway talking on the phone.
By the time she saw her, the girl was already ending the call.
âMom,â Su Qingsang called quickly, as she walked up to Li Qianxue. âDo you need my help?â
âWere you calling Jinyao? Will he be here?â
Su Qingsang shook her head with a guilty look on her face and said, âthere seems to be an emergency in his company. He has to deal with it himself, so he canât come.â
âItâs okay, I understand,â Li Qianxue put an arm around Su Qingsangâs arm, and brought her to the living room.
âItâs no big deal that he canât make it to the party. Weâve only invited families this time anyway. Youâve met most of them already.â
âMm, I know.â Su Qingsang had seen her grandfatherâs cousins, their children, and grandchildren before. She was barely in touch with those people, though.
âYou only need to know who they are. They are all relying on our family for now. Theyâll certainly be very polite to you. If any of them is rude to you, you donât need to tolerate it. You can boldly talk back.â
Li Qianxue knew that many of those people used to be mean to Su Qingsang, openly or secretly.
Although that had something to do with her attitude, things were different now. She would not let anyone be mean to her daughter ever again.
She wouldnât allow anyone to be even slightly impolite to her daughter.
âMom, I get it. Donât worry. I donât think theyâll be rude to me.â
None of those people would want to displease her unless their brains werenât working properly. After all, her husband was the president of Tianyu Group. On top of that, she was now Li Qianxueâs daughter.
âI know they wonât. Iâm just worried that some of them might be too stupid.â
Li Qianxue patted Su Qingsangâs hand and said, âanyway, remember this. No one in this family can make you unhappy.â
âMom.â Su Qingsang was a little choked up. She was touched.
She rubbed her face against Li Qianxueâs shoulder, and said with a very soft voice, âyou are going to spoil me.â
âWhatâs so wrong about that?â Li Qianxue didnât think it was too much at all. âI think I should have started spoiling you much earlier.â
If she had known the truth earlier, she would have started to love and care for her daughter sooner also. How did things ever become like this? How did she miss so many years which should have been spent together with her daughter?
Li Qianxue felt remorse for not finding out the truth earlier. She clenched her teeth with the hatred she had toward Su Qinghui. He was the one who had caused all the problems.
Just then, Li Qianxue and Su Qingsang saw someone who was not allowed there, when they walked into the living room.
Su Chenghui.
At the sight of him, Li Qianxue pulled a long face.
Coldly and sullenly, she glared at Su Chenghui, as if she was trying to burn through his body with her eyes.
She hadnât seen him ever since the divorce papers were signed. The two of them hadnât seen each other for nearly two months.
Su Chenghui left the company, so Li Qianxue had been running the company alone for quite a while now.
She was a capable person, but the sudden increase in workload exhausted her.
She was so busy with work lately that she had no time to think about Su Chenghui.
She could easily get information about him, but she didnât want to know anything about him. She also grew unhappy every time her son or daughter mentioned him in front of her.
He had left already. He was no longer a part of the family and did not need to come back. He shouldnât have shown up.
If he wanted to see the kids, he could do that outside the family. That would be better for both of them.
She did not want to see the man. Seeing him so suddenly really made Li Qianxue unhappy. The guests hadnât arrived yet. What was he doing there?
âWhat are you doing here? Get out. Youâre not welcomed in here.â
Li Qianxue didnât mind embarrassing Su Chenghui in front of the two kids. In her eyes, Su Chenghui didnât deserve any respect.
Su Chenghui had his eyes fixed on Li Qianxue ever since he showed up.
He hadnât seen her in two months. She seemed to have lost some weight but still looked nice.
It was her fatherâs birthday that day, and she was wearing light makeup. The party was to take place at home, so Li Qianxue wasnât wearing a full dress.
She was wearing a simple red dress, looking vivid and joyful. She was in her forties, but she looked so perfect in that bright color.
The color of that dress was exactly like her personality. She always drew a clear distinction between love and hate. People were always unwittingly attracted to her, like how people were always attracted to fire.
âSu Chenghui.â Li Qianxue felt even worse as she realized that Su Chenghui was staring at her. âWhat on earth are you doing here?â
âToday is fatherâs birthday, I...â
âStop it,â Li Qianxue said. She uncoiled her arm from Su Qingsangâs, walked up to Su Chenghui, and asked, âWho are you calling father?â