His wife's pregnancy bump disappeared, and Mr. Huo was going crazy missing her.

"Sir?" he smiled.

She snorted. "I'm the only one who believes you're a bodyguard."

"Whether I'm your bodyguard or Mr. Huo, remember, I only have one identity."

"What?"

"Your husband."

"..."

Qiao Mian's cheeks flushed slightly, turning a faint blush.

Huo Yanbei took her hand, "Qiao Mian..."

Qiao Mian gently placed her finger on his lips. "Huo Yanbei, can you promise me something?"

"Tell me about it." He took her fingers and kissed them.

Qiao Mian shyly withdrew her finger and said softly in a coaxing tone, "From now on, no matter the occasion, don't call me Qiao Qiao Mian anymore. Just call me Qiao Mian."

A dark glint flashed in Huo Yanbei's eyes. "You said it yourself, Qiao Qiaomian isn't your real name, but we're used to calling you Qiaomian."

Qiao Mian felt a little guilty, twisting her fingers and her eyes darting around: "Qiao Qiao Mian is a name I just told you casually when we were in Las Vegas. My real name is indeed Qiao Mian. Now, some things about my mother's early years are being written about by reporters, and I'm worried that because of my name, some rumors that are detrimental to my mother will be spread."

Huo Yanbei stared at Qiao Mian calmly for a few seconds before slowly speaking, "I'm quite tolerant of you. As long as it's within my bottom line, I'll do whatever you ask for."

"Mr. Huo, what is your bottom line?" Qiao Mian smiled charmingly, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

Huo Yanbei pulled her tightly into his arms, his long fingers gently lifting her chin, his eyes gleaming with a cold, dark light: "You can be willful, you can be unrestrained, you can cause a huge commotion here, but don't easily challenge my bottom line."

His voice was incredibly gentle, but his gaze was so cold it sent chills down her spine. She still feigned a fearless smile, "What else?"

The man's cool fingers slowly moved down, gently caressing the soft flesh of her fair swan neck. She saw the corners of his lips slightly upturned, so cold and charming. Qiao Mian's pupils contracted, and a slight feeling of suffocation hurt like a cold wind cutting her throat.

In my dream, I felt the suffocating sensation of a man choking me. This feeling was so familiar, so intense, and so terrifying.

Qiao Mian pushed away the man's iron-like fingers from her neck, touched her neck and took several deep breaths to calm herself down. She frowned and sneered, "Mr. Huo, don't worry, no matter what your bottom line is, I won't cross it. After all, life is more important than money, and I still need Mr. Huo to establish myself in the Yu family."

Huo Yanbei picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs, nuzzling her forehead as he went. "An obedient Mrs. Huo is the most lovable."

Qiao Mian gently wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice choked with emotion: "Mr. Huo, are you satisfied with me?"

His warm nose brushed against hers, and he whispered, "You'll see something interesting tonight."

……

Qiao Mian repaid the huge high-interest loan that Gu Huilan owed on schedule, and the people from those underground banks naturally stopped causing trouble. Even the media reporters stopped harassing her and Gu Huilan at the hospital for some reason.

Upon learning that she had finally escaped the control of loan sharks over the years, Gu Huilan excitedly hugged Qiao Mian, "Chang... no... my Huahua, I knew you wouldn't abandon me."

Qiao Mian gently patted her back, "I will naturally keep my promise to you."

Gu Huilan released her and asked, "I told you that as long as you begged your fiancé, he would naturally help you. Relying on your heartless father would have killed your mother long ago!"

"I didn't look for him."

Gu Huilan was taken aback. "Then where did you get the money?"

Qiao Mian gave a bitter smile: "Didn't you send your daughter to sell herself?"

"You..." Gu Huilan was surprised for a few seconds, then her face darkened. "Who did you sell yourself to? Since you were going to sell yourself anyway, why didn't you go to your fiancé?"

"Yes, if I'm going to sell myself anyway, why should I sell myself to Huahua's fiancé?" Qiao Mian smiled. "Who I sell myself to is up to me."

Gu Huilan's raised hand stopped when she saw the name on the marriage certificate that Qiao Mian handed her.

"You're married?" Gu Huilan grabbed the marriage certificate and stared at Qiao Mian in disbelief at the photo on it, stammering, "You...you and he got the certificate..."

Qiao Mian paused slightly. "You know him?"

Gu Huilan was stunned, staring intently at Qiao Mian. "How did you and him meet?"

"I met him in Las Vegas. He was injured, and I saved him."

"You and him...you two..." Gu Huilan stammered, shaking her head, her eyes suddenly reddening, "It's all fate."

"What's wrong? Do you really know him?" Qiao Mian asked in confusion.

Gu Huilan shook her head, gave a wry smile, and held Qiao Mian's hand tightly: "It's all fate. It's Huahua's bad luck. Qiao Mian, you must remember that Qiao Qiaomian is dead. There is no more Qiao Qiaomian in this world. There is only one Qiao Mian. You were born Qiao Mian, and you will die Qiao Mian."

"The moment I agreed to substitute for Huahua in your place, Qiaoqiaomian ceased to exist. This is what I owed Huahua, and I will repay it."

"You owe Huahua more than just a life?" Gu Huilan gently stroked her beautiful and delicate face, her eyes filled with darkness.

She went to great lengths to send her daughter to Huo Yanbei's bed, causing her daughter to lose her life, but ultimately benefiting someone else.

Qiao Qiaomian became Mrs. Huo so easily, without even knowing her husband's true identity. Heaven was too kind to her.

Gu Huilan closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, gazing indifferently at the autumn wind and falling leaves outside the window, and smiled softly.

At least, she won against Tang Cuicui.

A daughter born to a mistress and a lowly woman dares to dream of rising above her station?

She wanted to see what Tang Cuicui and Yu Zhennan's faces would look like after they found out that the young master of the Huo family had married her daughter.

……

At Huo Yanbei's request, Qiao Mian moved into his villa that evening. In fact, she didn't have much luggage to pack, only a few books.

There was no romantic wedding banquet that every woman longs for, no guests to offer their blessings, only a handsome man, like a prince, standing under the rose trellis, dressed in white shirt and black trousers, standing there with a fresh and elegant air.

"Mianmian, come here." Huo Yanbei stretched out a hand to her.

Mianmian...

Qiao Mian was a little uncomfortable with this new nickname. She paused for a moment before walking over to him and placing her hand in his palm.

Huo Yanbei gently put his arm around her shoulder, glanced at her sideways, and asked, "Don't you like being called Mianmian?"

"No, it's just that I'm not used to it."

"From now on, your life will revolve around gradually getting used to everything about me." He took her hand and kissed it, then lowered his head to kiss her.

Qiao Mian caught a glimpse of Aunt Li standing at the door out of the corner of her eye, and gently nudged him, "Mr. Huo, please don't..."