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

"No." He stroked her chin with his fingers, his eyes darkening. "I'm afraid that one day you'll leave me."

"I……"

She pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but the hard wooden plaque in her hand pressed against the delicate skin of her palm, instantly pulling her back to reality.

Qiao Mian shook her head, gently stepped back from his embrace, and turned her back to him. Her voice was still hoarse as she said, "It's getting late, let's go."

Huo Yanbei stared at her for a few seconds, then frowned slightly. "Okay."

He wanted to reach out and hold her hand, but hesitated for a moment, and was about to pull his hand back when Qiao Mian hesitated for a moment and handed him the small wooden plaque, saying nonchalantly, "I found it, returning it to its rightful owner."

In those few seconds, Qiao Mian imagined more than ten different things he would say to her or what expression he would have when he took the small wooden plaque, but she never expected that Huo Yanbei would just glance at the small wooden plaque indifferently and say, "Return it to its place."

Qiao Mian: "..."

Shouldn't it be returned to its rightful owner?

What should be returned to its original place?

Huo Yanbei, with one hand in his bag, saw that she was still standing there blankly, so he snatched the small wooden tag from her hand, tossed it on the ground without even glancing at it, and took her hand. "Didn't you say it was getting late? Let's go."

Huo Yanbei walked very fast, and Qiao Mian's wrist was held tightly by him, so she had no choice but to keep up with his pace. As she walked, she couldn't help but look back to see the abandoned little wooden sign lying there pitifully.

For some reason, she should have been happy about his indifference towards his past relationships, but she couldn't feel happy at all.

Looking at the man's cold and unruly profile, she wondered if Yan'er wasn't as important to him as she had imagined, or...

She frowned slightly.

Or was he pretending to be indifferent because he was worried she would mind?

She was convinced of this in her heart, and had no reason to explain the details of his lingering thoughts about Yan'er.

He loved the roses filling the room, the books, the names on the pens, and the heartfelt words on the small wooden plaques.

All of this fully demonstrates that Huo Yanbei loves Yan'er.

After mentally rehearsing for a moment, Qiao Mian felt a lump in her throat and a pang of sadness. She shook off Huo Yanbei's hand, brushed a stray hair behind her ear, and said, "Huo Yanbei, you don't have to wrong yourself like this."

"What do you mean?" Huo Yanbei looked at her gleaming eyes meaningfully.

Qiao Mian avoided his sharp gaze and looked at the lush roses beside her. "I understand what kind of relationship we have. You have someone you like, even if you've always kept her in your heart..."

Before she could finish speaking, Huo Yanbei grabbed her shoulder and pushed her against the tree trunk behind her. Qiao Mian thought he was going to resort to violence, so she narrowed her eyes, shrank her neck, and gripped his tie tightly with both hands.

But, to his surprise once again, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her bright pupils reflected the man's gentle and refined face.

Whether it was her imagination or not, she thought she saw him smiling, his eyes sparkling with a bright, shimmering light.

The man's soft lips gently pecked at her delicate lips, his warm breath carrying a rich, refreshing fragrance that filled her nostrils. His voice, as soft as the wind, softly asked, "What is our relationship?"

"Husband and wife relationship..." Qiao Mian blushed as he kissed her so tenderly and lingeringly. She was very sensitive to his touch and nestled in his arms like a soft rabbit, answering obediently.

Huo Yanbei was satisfied with the answer. He wiped away the traces of lipstick that had smudged on her lips with his fingertip, like rewarding a child who answered a question correctly. He patted her head and pinched her cheek. "Now that you know you are my wife, the woman I like is naturally you, and the person I should keep in my heart is also you. So, don't overthink it."

"But..." Qiao Mian felt that he was just being perfunctory. How could someone as deep and cunning as him not understand what she wanted to ask?

Gritting her teeth, Qiao Mian stubbornly pushed him away, pointing to a small, almost invisible wooden sign in the distance, "Don't you like Yan'er? Why are you throwing away your token of love?"

Huo Yanbei didn't even glance at the wooden sign; his gaze remained fixed on Qiao Mian's flushed face. His indifferent, almost cold, remark surprised Qiao Mian.

Why keep someone who abandoned you in your heart?

After saying that, Huo Yanbei's gaze never left Qiao Mian for a moment. "I really want to dig this place open, take out her heart, and see if her heart is as hard as iron."

This sentence contained a lot of information. Qiao Mian was vague about it, but she understood about 80% of it.

He was abandoned by Yan'er and emotionally hurt, so what is this called?

The deeper the love, the more intense the hate...

Qiao Mian didn't bring up the topic again, unsure if raising it would cross his line. She wasn't greedy or stupid; she knew her limits. Huo Yanbei's attitude remained indifferent, as if he were an outsider watching a show, and it had nothing to do with him.

In a daze, the two arrived at the principal's office.

Principal Huo Zhouxue was in his fifties, with gray hair and beard. Although he was middle-aged, he was well-maintained and had a slender figure. He wore a dark blue Zhongshan suit modified into a Western suit, which made him look dignified and aloof. He wore frameless glasses, which added a touch of scholarly air to his appearance, making his eyes seem less sharp and intimidating.

After Huo Yanbei entered, he pulled Qiao Mian to sit directly on the sofa, turned his watch, and said in a deep voice, "Principal Meng, how have you been?"

Hearing the sudden commotion, Meng Zhouxue, who was reviewing documents, lifted his eyelids and stared at Huo Yanbei for a full minute before walking out from behind his desk. He looked at Huo Yanbei again, his pupils slightly contracting, and said, "You are Rong... Rong..."

Huo Yanbei slowly stood up. "Principal Meng, I was once your student. Have you even forgotten my name, Yanbei?"

Qiao Mian stared wide-eyed in surprise.

It turns out he graduated from a university specializing in political science and law...

This explains why he had Yan'er's books on politics and law, as well as that small wooden plaque from the rose grove.

He and Yan'er were classmates, right?

Meng Zhouxue's face paled slightly, and he moved his lips, "Yan Bei... how have you been these years?"

"Yanbei has always thought of you all these years, and always hoped that one day he could stand peacefully in front of you like this."

Looking at Huo Yanbei, whose tone was gentle, Qiao Mian felt that he did not have the respect that a student should have for his former teacher, and even sensed a dangerous aura from him.

Qiao Mian secretly tugged at his sleeve, and Huo Yanbei directly grabbed her hand, pulled her into his arms, and looked at Meng Zhouxue, "Oh right, Principal, I forgot to introduce you, this is my wife."

Qiao Mian had always thought Huo Yanbei was calm and mature, but she never expected him to behave so presumptuously in front of his teacher.