Chapter 535: He Knew How to Calculate

Old Master Huo closed his eyes. Yes, the old days.

When Liu Tongjia had just married into the Huo family, all of them couldn’t have been more satisfied with her.

Both himself and his wife had truly liked their daughter-in-law. Liu Tongjia was tasteful, vision, and had many other graces besides.

She was generous, and easy-going. She was good at making her way in the world and dealing with people.

Huo Mingliang had then married Nian Chunya, who came from a less prestigious background than the Huo Family. Coming from humble roots, Nian Chunya frequently made comparisons, was very competitive, but lacked wisdom.

Nian Chunya’s lack of insight was responsible for the flaws in the personalities of Huo Yifan, Huo Yiyang, and Huo Manzi.

In contrast, Liu Tongjia deserved to be addressed as the lady of the Huo Family.

Liu Tongjia was capable of handling any situation, from all kinds of family trouble to dealing with relatives.

She was perfect at managing with her relationships with Nian Chunya, and her sister-in-law Huo Mingmei

“Um.” Su Qingsang knew as much. Taking a look at Old Master Huo, she said, “Then, she…”

She stopped in the middle of the sentence when she saw Old Master Huo’s face turn grave.

Intuitively, Su Qingsang figured that what had happened was no good thing. She stopped asking about it.

“It’s okay. It’s all over now.” Old Master Huo patted Su Qingsang’s hands. “Qingsang, in this world, there are always going to be people who will succumb to obsessive tendencies. When she is obsessing, she must see everything in black or white. She isn’t going to attack you. Do you understand?”

“I know Grandpa, don’t worry. I’m not angry. I am fine with it.”

Su Qingsang was curious about what had happened. However, seeing the whole Huo Family had kept their silence on the issue, she felt it inappropriate to ask.

“Anyway, Jinyao’s mom has her burdens. You are young. Don’t trouble yourself over her.”

“Certainly Grandpa. I won’t.”

“I know. You are a good kid.”

How he wished his wife were alive right now. If she could see her grandson had such a lovely wife, she would have been elated.

Su Qingsang didn’t press the subject for Huo Jinyao’s sake. If anyone were to feel bothered, it would be him.

If Huo Jinyao himself wasn’t bothered by his mom, what right did she have to criticize Liu Tongjia?

She really wanted to know what had happened in the past to make Liu Tongjia dislike Huo Jinyao so much.

Still she didn’t want to recklessly seek out the truth. If possible she hoped that Huo Jinyao would tell her unprompted about what had happened, at a time they fully trusted each other. She wished their relationship would become so intimate as to be completely transparent.

…

Currently, Huo Jinyao was seated in the office with a troubled look on his face. He hadn’t expected the person who paid off Qiao Hong to be so patient.

It had been for days since that incident had taken place. Qiao Hong had not been contacted by that person, nor been paid the balance.

Was it really an accident? Why wasn’t he convinced of it at all?

Yang Wenchang remained in front of Huo Jinyao’s desk, silent. He felt he was to blame for things having gone so far.

“Mr. Huo, it’s my fault for failing to supervise them. I will keep a closer eye on them.”

“You don’t need to send more people.” Huo Jinyao waved his hand. The problem was not Qiao Hong, but rather who it was that had contacted Qiao Hong.

If he or she was the same person who had set up Su Qingsang, she might not necessarily have been in contact with Qiao Hong.

“Right now, what you need to do is put a pin in that. Just make sure someone else is monitoring it. You don’t need to watch it develop in person every day.”

“But there is another issue that needs remedying immediately.”

Yang Wenchang knew what Huo Jinyao was referring to before he said it. “Do you mean the situation with Mrs. Huo?”

Huo Jinyao nodded and explained his plans to Yang Wenchang.

Yang Wenchang nodded again. “Mr. Huo, you are brilliant.”

Really? Huo Jinyao didn’t think of it as brilliance. He was simply good at sussing out what was others were thinking.

“Remember, you need to do it on your own. Do not involve anyone else.”

“Yes.”

“And,” Huo Jinyao thought of what had happened recently, and he looked serious. “Let’s keep this just between us. Don’t speak of it to others.”

Yang Wenchen understood immediately. “Sure, Mr. Huo. I know what to do.”

“That’s all.”

Huo Jinyao waved his hands, dismissing Yang Wenchang, who left the office with his arms around all the documents signed by Huo Jinyao.

The moment he left Huo Jinyao’s office, he encountered Ding Qing who was likewise holding an armful of documents.

“Mr. Yang, it looks like you have new tasks?”

Ding Qing smiled at Yang Wenchang.

Yang Wenchang nodded. “Yes, I do. I am about to get started on them now.”

“You could tell me what you’re up to? Maybe I could help.”

“No, thanks.” Yang Wenchang looked at Ding Qing as he thought about what Huo Jinyao had just said.

Although Ding Qing seemed to be trustworthy at the moment, he couldn’t give her his complete trust. Mr. Huo even couldn’t trust his family.

“Do you have doubts as to my competency? If so, I’m hurt.”

“You think too much.” Yang Wenchang shook his head. “It’s just a minor task. I think I can handle it.”

Ding Qing stood there and made no move to leave. Yang Wenchang added, “Mr. Huo has asked me to keep a close eye on Qiao Hong. I am thinking someone will contact Qiao Hong soon. I have to go.”

“You should hurry up.” Ding Qing advised Yang Wenchang sincerely. ” Qiao Hong got two million from Mr. Huo. If he takes his girlfriend abroad, there’s no way for us to locate him.”

“That’s what I told Mr. Huo.” Yang Wenchang nodded. He seemed to pay heed to Ding Qing’s warning. “Okay, I’ll leave now,” he said.

“Take care, Mr. Yang.”

Yang Wenchang disappeared behind the elevator doors. Ding Qing bit her lips, a brilliant smile on her face.

“Keep an eye on Qiao Hong?”

She wondered what Yang Wenchang would find out from his surveillance.

Ding Qing found it interesting, as she thought over it again.

…

Lin Gang had been feeling very satisfied recently. His wife was giving birth in the hospital, and all the staff was attending to them carefully.

Not only that, someone had given him a fortune, only asking that he persist in making sure Su Qingsang suffered.

It couldn’t be more simple for him. Even Li Hong had abandoned her conscience and surrendered in the face of wealth.

Thinking of a future where he would live in a villa and drive a luxury car, Lin Gang felt he might wake up laughing from this sweet dream.

He even looked at Li Hong differently, more pleased than before. After all, if she hadn’t changed her testimony, he could not have gained such a fortune?

He was so happy, walking at a brisk pace. When he was well off, no one would dare to look down on him.

He was overwhelmed with self-congratulation, almost walking with his nose pointed at the sky.

“Ah!”

A delicate moan made him look down. His eyes brightened when he saw who it was in front of him.

“Are you…”

“Wow. Is that Lin Gang? I used to be your classmate. Do you remember me?”

The woman before him raised her eyebrow, looking at Lin Gang, a mixture of jealousy and flirtation in her eyes.

“You! Are you Wen Fei?” Looking at her expensive outfit, Lin Gang’s eyes widened. He glanced up and down taking her in, his eyes as intense as X-rays.

The diamond she wore on her chest looked genuine, and that watch around her wrist looked expensive.

Why hadn’t he known that his classmate had become so successful since the last time they had seen each other, all those years ago?

“Yes, it’s me.” Looking Lin Gang over herself, Wen Fei added, “My old classmate, I haven’t seen you in a long time. You look great!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Lin Gang, the man who had acted so arrogantly in front of Su Qingsang, who had maintained a bossy, domineering demeanor around others in the hospital, was giggling.

Wen Fei was the famous beauty of their class, back in his schoolboy days. She was considered the most beautiful girl in the class. Lin Gang used to admire Wen Fei so much, that he didn’t dare to so much as look at her.

Who knew that the most beautiful girl would remember him? It made him feel like he was in heaven.

“My old friend, it’s must be fate that we’ve met each other. Why don’t we have dinner together?”

“Sure, sure.” After Wen Fei’s invitation, Lin Gang almost forgot that he had left the hospital in order to go home and buy dinner for Li Hong.

“Great, let’s go.” Wen Fei took Lin Gang to the restaurant of a five-star hotel nearby.

Lin Gang was used to scamming others and had some contacts who were rich people. However, it was his first being in a place like this.

He felt so nervous that he didn’t know what to do.

“Old classmate, look at you. Don’t be so reserved. This hotel belongs to me now.”

“You? It’s yours?” Lin Gang was taken back at her words.

“Yes. Surprised right? Come on.”

Lin Gang didn’t believe her at first, but when he came into through the door with Wen Fei, the servers on both sides bowed to Wen Fei and greeted her as ‘President Wen’.

Lin Gang was a little bit shocked by their deference, following closely at Wen Fei’s heels, not daring to look around.

He didn’t relax until they went into a private room.

Wen Fei seemed not to notice his nervousness. She called the waiters to serve tea for Lin Gang and then asked them to prepare for the meal.

She forwent looking over the menu and asked them to serve the most popular and most expensive dishes.

“My friend, this Australian lobster was shipped by air and arrived this morning. It’s pretty fresh. I hope you don’t dislike it.” Wen Fei said politely. All the same, her casual tone shocked Lin Gang.

“How?”

An Australian lobster? He’d only seen it on TV and never chanced to see it in real life before.

“And a Chateau Lafite, 1982.” Speaking of the wine, Wen Fei looked slightly embarrassed. “My friend, I am so sorry. Actually, Chateau Lafite is just well-known. In Europe, there are many wine labels that produce better wine than this. But Chinese people just like Lafite because of its fame. So please accept it.”

“Of course.” Again, Lin Gang was left feeling wrong-footed.

An Australian lobster, Chateau Lafite 1982, and top-quality French foie grass.

Those dishes and ingredients, of which Lin Gang had only ever heard spoken of and never seen before, were now being served at the table.

Wen Fei held the knife and fork elegantly in her hands like a well-born lady. She taught Lin Gang how to use them.

She didn’t show any disrespect at all. At the very beginning, Lin Gang had felt awkward, but after two glasses of wine, he gradually opened up about himself.

He observed that Wen Fei didn’t look down on him but treated him gently. She taught him patiently how to use a knife and fork, how to taste wine, and how to eat the Australian lobster. Lin Gang’s eyes were animated.

“Wen Fei, I didn’t think that you would be so successful.”

“Well, don’t you feel surprised?”

“Yes, I do. I remember when we were in school, your family was just average.”

Everyone’s families were about the same back then. Compared to what she had right now, her family was merely ordinary.

“Yes, it didn’t occur to me.”

Wen Fei raised her glass in front of her, slightly shaking the glass. It looked like that moment of conversation had made her pensive.

“What’s wrong? Ms. Wen, you are so well off now. Why are you unhappy?”

Looking at Lin Gang’s face that turned red from the wine, Wen Fei sighed and lost the confident look on her face. She appeared sad and upset.

Lin Gang drank more wine and had now become somewhat tipsy. He was no longer nervous and even changed his manner of addressing Wen Fei.

“Babe, if you have any trouble, please let me know. I’ll try my best to help you. I promise to help you. However, my ability to help is limited, and I may not be very useful based on my circumstances. You may even look down on me.”

“My old friend, what are you talking about? On what grounds do I have to look down on others?”

“Why should you not be entitled to look down on others, with your wealth? In my opinion, you have the right to look down on other people. Wen, what do you mean? Babe?”

Wen Fei put down her glass, sighing. “Since we were classmates, I won’t hide this from you. I’ll be frank with you. Now, I really want to get advice from others.”

“I am listening.” To show he really was listening to her, he shook his head and patted his face to sober up.

Wen Fei heaved a deep sigh before beginning to tell her story.

It turned out that the hotel that she said belonged to her had been her husband’s. The reason her husband had given her this hotel? It was compensation.

She had met her husband by chance. When they first met, she thought he was poor but later found out that he was a rich man.

Although they were from different social strata, her husband had been good to her. She became the lady of a rich and powerful family and everyone envied her.

However, the only problem was that, although they had been married for many years, they had not had any children. Her mother-in-law used to press her about it. Later after seeing her remain barren for many years, her mother-in-law began to spite her.

She tolerated all of it because she couldn’t have a child. Her husband was really kind. He treated her well and fought with his mom over her.

However, it hadn’t occurred to her that on that very year, on their 10th year anniversary, they would learn that her husband had Azoospermia.

In other words, the reason they were unable to conceive had not been any fault of hers. It had been her husband’s infertility.

She was heartbroken after finding out the truth. Although she desperately wanted to have a child of her own, she gradually accepted her fate. She believed she could live without having kids.

She and her husband were very close, and they had been very happy together. Yet her mother-in-law, finding out that Wen Fei’s husband was barren, had come up with a horrible idea.

Her mother-in-law asked her to have a child with her husband’s younger brother.

How could Wen Fei agree to such a ridiculous thing? She adamantly refused it. No matter what approach her mother-in-law took with her, either in reward or in penalization, she remained opposed to it.

Wen Fei’s behavior infuriated her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law then told her son to divorce Wen Fei.

Her husband felt sorry for her, but he felt incapable or resist his mother’s oppression as it was true that he was barren. Finally, he divorced her and gave this hotel to her as compensation.

Her husband said he wasted her valuable youth for ten years. He wanted to compensate her by giving her this hotel. He wished that she would find a man who was able to have kids with her and treat her well. He also wished her happiness.

Wen Fei had another drink of wine.

“Look at me now. Do you think I look happy? My husband is gone, and I’ve got no kids.”

“My husband wanted me to find another man. But he was so good to me. How could I find anyone better than him?”

With more drinks, Wen Fei cried. “Why? Why am I so miserable? Why don’t I have a kid of my own? If I had a kid, if my husband had not been infertile, I could have been so happy.”

Lin Gang was drunk now. He listened to Wen Fei’s words with reddened eyes. He never expected that she would have such a tragic story.

“Don’t cry. I think maybe it’s fate. Not to mention, you still have this hotel.”

Such a grand hotel! Wen Fei’s husband had really been generous. Lin Gang tried to control his envy in his tone.

Wen Fei raised her head. The tears stained her delicate makeup, leaving tracks etched onto her beautiful face.

“What’s good about this hotel? I have no husband and no kids. Now I am still young so my life is not bad. But when I am old, there will be no one by my side if I get sick. I feel so miserable, it’s as if my heart is in an ice cellar.”

Lin Gang had been about to grab a tissue to wipe away her tears. His hands stopped in the air when hearing her words.

Looking at Wen Fei’s young and beautiful face, Lin Gang thought of the torch he had once carried for her.

More importantly, a bold and crazy idea had come to him.

Wen Fei’s husband was barren, but he was not. Her husband had been good to her and took care of her, which was not a hard thing to do.

If he could do that, did it mean he could have a share in this hotel?

At the thought of this, Lin Gang’s face flushed. He was very excited.

Wen Fei gradually calmed down, drying her tears as she looked at Lin Gang, saying, “Look at me. We should be celebrating our reunion, but I brought up frustrating things that have dampened our spirits. By the way, you are my age. You yourself must be married with kids, right?”

Lin Gang looked at Wen Fei whose eyes remained moist after she had cried. He was unable to control his crazy impulse right then.

“Well, I am married. But…”

“What’s going on? My old friend, if you are having any difficulties, please let me know. I promise I will make every effort to help you.”

“Regarding marriage, that is my misfortune. My wife and I had been married for many years. She was finally pregnant this year but was hit by a car last month. Two lives, gone. I feel so terrible, I, I…”

Lin Gang couldn’t make up better lies, but it hadn’t affected his acting. He lowered his head as he pretended to cry.

Wen Fei looked at him in sympathy. “I hadn’t known that. My old friend, we have such a lot in common now.”

When speaking, she gave tissues to Lin Gang to dry his tears. Seeing him being upset, she patted his hand.

“I pray the deceased will rest in peace. You should take care of yourself.”

Staring at the hand on his hand, the calculation in Lin Gang’s eyes was obvious. He hid his thinking, pretending to wipe at his tears.

“Wen Fei, now we are both in the same situation.”

“Yes, we should hang out more and chat. I am quite free nowadays. If you have time, please come to this hotel and find me. The Presidential Suite is my room. As long as I am here, you can come over at any time.”

Wen Fei’s words had Lin Gang barking up the wrong tree. Lin Gang’s wide eyes fixed on Wen Fei, who was far more gorgeous than his wife.

“Maybe it is possible,” Lin Gang thought. Under the influence of alcohol and the beauty seated in front of him, he was getting more and more excited. He couldn’t help but drink more wine.

As to Li Hong who was waiting for him to bring her dinner, he had pushed her far from his mind.

…

Su Qingsang had checked Weibo that night. It was just as Huo Jinyao had told her it would be.

The topic’s popularity was decreasing. Though the subject still continued to trend, the comments and reposts were reduced in number from the previous day.

It looked like as long as the topic lost its popularity, that things would not be too hard to cope with.

People like Lin Gang and Li Hong, even given their despicable scheme to scam people using Li Hong’s pregnancy, wouldn’t have any brilliant plans.

Maybe they had done it for the money. She didn’t want to look down on Lin Gang, but his nature was apparent from his behavior yesterday.

He would have agreed to come to a settlement, but for his fear that people might realize he had done it for the money.

“Are you watching Weibo right now?”

Huo Jinyao was fresh out of the bathroom and had noticed the familiar app interface on Su Qingsang’s phone.

He took the phone from Su Qingsang’s hand. “Don’t look at it. It will ruin your mood.”

“Don’t worry. I have a heart made of steel right now. I won’t get hurt just from looking at those posts.”

“Steel?” Huo Jinyao raised his eyebrows, his hand on Su Qingsang’s chest. “Let me see. Well, why is it so soft then? Isn’t it soft? It’s not made of steel.”

“Stop it.”

Su Qingsang tried to pull his hand away, but Huo Jinyao put both hands on her chest. He lowered his head to kiss Su Qingsang’s lips.

His lips were soft and warm, they tasted slightly minty from the toothpaste he had used to brush his teeth.

Su Qingsang was overwhelmed by his kiss. She had hardly been in the mood due to the things that happened recently. In spite of herself, his kiss kindled a flame in her heart.

She held his shoulders with his hands, her soft body pressed against his hard muscles.

All the annoyances disappeared in his sweetness.

Even if nothing seemed too promising now, she chose to believe his assurances that the situation with Lin Gang would be over in three days.

She got some rest over the next two days. She read books, and listened to music, ignoring what was going on outside.

In the evenings, she learned new dishes with Ms. Yu and tried new food. Her nights were occupied by Huo Jinyao.

Three days went by quickly.

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