30

Song Tan never forgot the taste of betrayal.

That time was her first time experiencing such a big lesson.

She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

She remembered clearly that the affection between her and Shen Yin was just a show. However, when she glanced at the bed beneath her, she didn’t need to think twice to know that Shen Yin had brought her back.

She got out of bed and freshened up.

After taking a shower, her mind was finally not as heavy as before.

She went to find Shen Yin.

When she arrived, Shen Yin had just finished a call.

“Did you sleep well?”

Song Tan pressed her temples and said, “Not really, I had nightmares all night.”

Shen Yin knew she was pretending.

But he still comforted her, “Just nightmares, don’t take it to heart, they’re all fake.”

Song Tan nodded and noticed the suitcase by his feet.

Seeing his appearance, he must have made up his mind to enter Huo’s company.

Entering the Huo’s company’s laboratory required a week of closed management. He was packing, probably preparing to enter the Huo’s company’s laboratory.

Song Tan acted like she didn’t see it.

She had already talked to Shen Yin, but his attitude was clear. If she continued, not only would she not convince him, but it might also have the opposite effect, affecting their current facade of calmness.

She could only think of another way.

Song Tan took a deep breath, didn’t mention the suitcase on the floor, and only said, “It’s time for lunch. Shall we go eat?”

“Sure.”

They went to the dining room together.

As soon as they entered, both of them were stunned.

Today’s dining room was indeed a bit lively.

The Huo family was a family that valued rules, and meals were supposed to be eaten together.

However, there were exceptions, like young masters like Huo Yanlin. If they were at home and Old Master Huo wasn’t eating in the dining room, the servants would bring the meal to their rooms.

As for Shen Yin… sorry, he didn’t get that treatment.

What was peculiar today was that all the members of the Huo family were in the dining room.

When they saw the two of them coming over, everyone turned to look at them.

They didn’t receive such attention when they got married. Now, just coming for a meal, they were the focus of everyone’s attention…

As for whether it’s sarcastic or not, anyway, Shen Yin and Song Tan are both quite calm.

The two of them took their seats under the scrutiny of the others.

The seating arrangement was also quite particular.

Shen Yin and Song Tan were placed at the far end of the large table, furthest from the main seat.

Normally, when Shen Yin sat here, nobody paid much attention. However, today was evidently a special day. Not only did the members of the Huo family look over, but others also greeted them.

It seems they knew that Old Master not only didn’t punish the couple for moving out but also allowed Shen Yin to enter Huo’s company.

Whether there is punishment or not doesn’t matter much because Shen Yin is just an insignificant figure in the Huo family.

However, entering the Huo’s company is a different story.

This is a signal.

Although Shen Yin can only be considered half of the Huo family, when his mother was alive, she was a key member of the core development team at Project An No. 1.

Shen Yin has been intelligent since childhood, and now, he’s going to participate in the Project An No.3, if he were to achieve something significant, his position in the Huo family would change significantly.

Therefore, many people are taking advantage of this opportunity to get closer to Shen Yin.

Shen Yin looks like a gentleman. He responds politely to anyone who talks to him.

Although he wasn’t very enthusiastic, he doesn’t seem to care about the fact that they didn’t pay attention to him before.

Song Tan was looking on the side and… finds it quite a headache.

She underestimated people’s desire for family affection.

Although she and Shen Yin are both orphans, Shen Yin’s situation is somewhat different from hers.

Although she has lost her parents, she still has her Grandpa.

When she was little, her Grandpa told her that if she didn’t like someone, she didn’t have to easily let herself be wronged just because they were related by blood.

At that time, Song Tan didn’t quite understand what her Grandpa meant, but she followed his advice.

Now that she has grown up, she understands what her grandfather meant.

Her Grandpa saw through Song Zhiwen’s family and was afraid that after he left, she would be at a disadvantage in the hands of Song Zhiwen’s family due to family ties.

Shen Yin is different.

When his parents were alive, the members of the Huo family should have treated him well.

Song Tan briefly investigated Shen Yin’s parents. His mother, Huo Yaqing, was a very capable researcher, and his father was a promising young university professor.

After they got married, Shen Yin’s mother participated in the development of Project An No. 1 and was a well-known female researcher at the time, even appearing in newspapers.

Song Tan speculated that before Shen Yin’s parents passed away, he must have been a highly regarded young master in the Huo family.

But people change.

Maybe at the beginning, when his parents just passed away, some people might sympathize with him and pity him due to past relationships.

However, as time passed, Old Master Huo, the head of the Huo family, had such an attitude towards him. Naturally, others followed suit, ignoring Shen Yin.

For so many years, Shen Yin has always stayed in the Huo family, even when he has started working, he came back often.

In the past, he used to live in a guest room in Huo’s mansion.

So, he must still have some feelings for the Huo family.

Song Tan felt a bit stifled in her chest.

She couldn’t distinguish whether it was sympathy or anger, or perhaps a mix of both.

She wanted to go forward and wake him up, make him more aware that their greetings now were nothing more than sugar-coated bullets.

Belated deep affection is cheaper than grass.

But these words were stuck in her throat.

She couldn’t say them, of course.

Her relationship with Shen Yin was just a show of affection on the surface.

She couldn’t even be sure if Shen Yin had other motives towards her.

Song Tan suppressed her chaotic thoughts and focused on the plate of food.

Perhaps because the chef knew that Shen Yin was entering the Huo’s company, there was a lot more meat in her plate today.

“I specifically instructed the kitchen to add some beef for you. It’s helpful for boosting immunity; make sure to eat it all,” Shen Yin’s gentle voice came to Song Tan’s ears.

Song Tan : “…”

She picked up a piece of beef, put it in her mouth, and forced a smile, “It’s delicious, thank you.”

Shen Yin : ?

Although just now, Song Tan was smiling, but her smile just now… seemed a bit like throwing a tantrum.

Shen Yin smiled faintly.

“They’re indeed a newlywed couple, they can smile so happily even while eating.”

At the dining table, someone noticed their interaction and chuckled.

With his remark, everyone turned their attention to the two of them.

It seemed like they had just remembered that Shen Yin had married a wife and started discussing various topics related to Song Tan.

While chewing the beef carefully, Song Tan pulled a faint smile.

At this moment, Shen Yin and they were getting along harmoniously. If Song Tan started mocking them again, Shen Yin might side with them, right?

Song Tan felt as if the meat in her mouth had turned into Shen Yin’s meat.

It made a crunchy sound when she bit down.

Shen Yin didn’t know what the lady next to him was thinking.

However, he noticed that Song Tan seemed to have changed her approach.

Previously, she was dedicated to opposing the entire Huo family alone, but now, both sides seemed to have ‘resolved their past grievances.’

Of course, it was only on the surface. Given Song Tan’s personality, it probably wasn’t that easy to let go.

But out of the principle of not hitting a smiling face, she didn’t quarrel with anyone at the dining table.

Shen Yin liked to see the hidden knives behind her smile.

Song Tan felt a bit full after this lunch.

Not sure if it was because she ate too much or her brain lacked blood supply, she felt her head getting heavier.

Her head had been a bit heavy just now.

However, because she saw Shen Yin and the Huo family acting like a harmonious family, she was a bit upset, she thought that her headache was due to being upset.

But now, after eating, she felt her eyelids getting heavy too.

Clearly, she had taken a nap today, and she shouldn’t feel drowsy at this time.

At this moment, Huo Yanlin walked towards her.

Today, Huo Yanlin rarely had a meal in the dining room.

However, unlike others, he did not try to get close to Shen Yin.

One reason was that he didn’t want to, and the other reason was that he disdained it.

With his status, even if Shen Yin entered the Huo’s company, he only needed to worry about whether Shen Yin could do the job well, rather than getting close to Shen Yin at this time.

However, Huo Yanlin had something to talk to Song Tan about.

He still had to discuss Su Ran’s matter.

“Song Tan, I have something to tell you.”

Huo Yanlin still had that commanding tone.

If it were before, Song Tan would have exchanged a few words with him, but now she was too full and feeling a bit dizzy. For a moment, she didn’t look up or respond to Huo Yanlin.

Huo Yanlin frowned and glanced around.

Now that everyone had finished eating, Shen Yin was surrounded.

Although a few people looked in their direction, this was not the place to talk.

“Let’s go, talk outside.”

Huo Yanlin reached out to grab Song Tan’s arm, but before he could, he was slapped by Song Tan.

Song Tan’s strength wasn’t great, but her hand made a loud smack on the back of Huo Yanlin’s hand, attracting the attention of many people in the room.

“You…”

“Don’t touch me.” Song Tan reacted instinctively.

She had never liked being too close to people unless they were close to her. After a trip to the apocalyptic world and almost being sold, she had developed a subconscious tendency to resist when people got too close.

The slap just now was because she was dizzy and didn’t aim well. She had originally intended to slap Huo Yanlin’s face, but ended up hitting the back of his hand.

Huo Yanlin had never been slapped by anyone before.

Today, Song Tan’s slap, though not very strong, left him stunned.

“Song Tan.” Huo Yanlin growled.

In the midst of her dizziness, Song Tan couldn’t resist making a joke, “Call me Biao Sao.”

Huo Yanlin : “…” D*mn.

At this moment, Shen Yin had already walked through the crowd and reached Song Tan’s side.

“What happened?”

His eyes were fixed on Song Tan, obviously having heard the slap but not yet understanding what had happened.

Song Tan extended her hand, looking aggrieved.

Her hand was fair, very tender. The slap, though it didn’t hurt Huo Yanlin much, had hurt her.

Her originally pale hand now turned bright red.

Seeing this, Huo Yanlin furrowed his brows.

Based on his past experience with Song Tan… she was definitely going to cause trouble.

Sure enough, holding her reddened hand with a teary voice, she said, “He bullied me.”

Huo Yanlin : ???

“Song Tan, are you lying with your eyes open? When did I bully you?” Huo Yanlin took a step forward, aggressively questioning Song Tan.

In response, Song Tan looked at him, rolled her eyes, and fainted.