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

She pretended to be unfamiliar with the place and asked a question.

The man turned his head, his gaze as deep as the night, dark and devoid of any light.

"This is the place where my sister, Awu, first took me hiking."

As he said this, he intently observed every subtle expression on her face.

As if trying to find some answer on her face.

Suppressing the surging emotions in her chest, Qiao Mian asked calmly, "Mr. Huo, are you still so hung up on your sister? Do you really like her?"

The man remained silent for a long time before replying in a low voice, "I feel guilty towards her."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the car.

Qiao Mian stood there, frozen in place.

My heart aches more than the cold wind hitting my face.

So, the reason he sought her out was because he felt guilty towards her?

Does she regret that he abandoned her in the fire back then?

Or should I say, slap her?

Qiao Mian looked at the ginkgo tree with a sorrowful expression, feeling a deep sense of irony.

Six years ago, she listened to him, acting as a docile little rabbit, willingly staying by his side, only to be met with his words, "It's really annoying."

Six years later, all I got in return was the words, "I feel guilty towards her."

If he had even the slightest feeling for her, then "feeling guilty towards her" was all he could give her.

At this moment, Qiao Mian felt more fortunate than ever before, fortunate that he hadn't recognized her, and fortunate that she would have another chance to stay far away from him in the future.

After getting in the car, she pretended to be asleep by the window to avoid talking to him.

Huo Yanbei simply watched her quietly, without disturbing her.

When the car stopped on the side of the road outside the alley, Qiao Mian opened her eyes and said to Huo Yanbei, "Thank you, Mr. Huo, for bringing me back."

The tone was polite yet distant.

After saying that, she put the bank card into his hand.

Just as she opened the car door and got out,

Huo Yanbei reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Is this your answer?"

Qiao Mian stared at the walnut-red string bracelet on his wrist, her eyes welling up with tears. "Mr. Huo, I am a person, not a commodity with a price tag, nor a plaything for you to control at will, and I would never... be the mistress of a married man."

After saying that, she broke free from his hand and got out of the car.

Watching the woman walk quickly into the alley, Huo Yanbei pressed his temples wearily.

Chen Ke opened the partition, turned her head, and cautiously looked at him, asking, "Mr. Huo, are you really sure about...?"

Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Huo Yanbei's face darken.

After a long silence, he murmured softly, "Even if she isn't A-Wu, I will still keep her by my side..."

She looks so much like Awu.

After all these years, he finally found a woman who resembled Ah Wu so much, and he couldn't bear to let her go...

……

After Qiao Mian returned home, she immediately ran to her bedroom.

Thankfully, the children have all fallen asleep.

I sat on the edge of the bed for a while, then went back to my room, grabbed a set of pajamas, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

After taking a shower, I lay down on the bed, but I just couldn't fall asleep.

She touched her lips.

The wound from his bite is still there.

The words he spoke tonight seemed to haunt my ears like a demonic chant.

Qiao Mian turned over in frustration. When she still couldn't fall asleep, she had no choice but to open the drawer, take out a bottle of medicine, pour out a pill, and swallow it.

I slept very soundly.

I didn't wake up until after 8 a.m. the next day.

Thankfully it's Sunday, so I can be lazy.

As I was getting ready to get out of bed, a message popped up on my QQ app.

These were several messages sent by class monitor Yue Jingyi.

[Qin Wu, I hope you can come to Peking University for its centennial celebration, as this will be Professor Zhang's last lecture.]

Back then, you were Professor Zhang's most outstanding student. Now she has late-stage lung cancer and could die at any moment...

When Qiao Mian saw the last message, she lost her composure.

Professor Zhang was her law professor who taught her from her freshman to senior year of university.

She hadn't met Huo Yanbei when she was a freshman in college.

She lived in poverty, and the money she earned each month for food came from various odd jobs.

To save money for tuition, I worked part-time during winter and summer vacations.

This caused me to miss classes.

After learning about her situation, Professor Zhang not only helped her pay her overdue tuition fees, but also subsidized her monthly food expenses.

Without Professor Zhang's help, she would have had a really hard time getting through her freshman year.

She stared at the message for a long time before replying with a single word: "Okay."

……

on Monday.

Qiao Mian had just arrived at the company when she received another large bouquet of flowers.

Without even glancing at it, she handed it directly to He Mei, saying, "Just dispose of it however you like."

He Mei clicked her tongue. "This bouquet must cost at least five or six hundred. I'm so envious. I wish someone would pursue me."

Qiao Mian did not speak.

He Mei glanced at her bare wrist. "By the way, why aren't you wearing the Cartier bracelet that man gave you?"

Qiao Mian then remembered the Cartier bracelet that Gu Huainian had given her, and thought that she must find a time to return it to him as soon as possible.

As she picked up her water glass, preparing to go out to get more, she saw Huo Yanbei standing at the office door, looking at her with a cold gaze.

"Mr. Huo..."

She greeted him quietly.

Huo Yanbei glanced at the flowers on the desk behind her, frowned slightly, and walked into the office.

He ignored her, and Qiao Mian felt quite awkward.

I only ran into him once that day, at the regular meeting.

My phone rang just before I was about to leave work.

I received a text message from an unknown number.

Ms. Qiao, do you have time to meet? I think we're a good match.

Qiao Mian glanced at it once and then deleted it.

I thought it must be spam.

However, not long after, I received different invitations to dates.

There were also a few calls from unfamiliar numbers.

She thought it was a sales call or a scam call and didn't pay attention.

Later, the bombardment of phone calls and text messages increased.

She suspected that her phone number had been leaked, so she would block or delete any unfamiliar phone numbers she saw.

They didn't think about it too deeply.

……

office.

Chen Ke placed a tablet computer in front of Huo Yanbei: "Mr. Huo, Qiao Mian recently posted a marriage proposal on a dating app."

Huo Yanbei frowned. "A marriage proposal?"

"I don't know the specifics, but she is indeed looking for a husband... and she's very popular on the site, even topping the list."

Huo Yanbei narrowed his eyes.

Looking at Qiao Mian's marriage proposal profile.

Criteria for choosing a partner —

Requirements: must own a car and a house.

Height over 1.8 meters.

Handsome.

A monthly salary of over 10,000.

She can do laundry, cook, and take care of children.

He is gentle and dotes on his wife, and has a good temper.

I don't smoke or drink alcohol.

After reading it, Huo Yanbei's expression darkened. "When did she start looking for a husband?"

Chen Ke replied, "It's been more than a week."

At this point, he couldn't help but laugh. "Attorney Qiao's standards for choosing a partner are too low. She only requires a monthly salary of a little over ten thousand yuan. That's not even enough for her to raise a child. If Mr. Huo had your qualifications, you would be the best on the entire platform."

The man remained silent.

His face turned very pale.