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

Ruan Wei was worried for her, "What should we do?" Qiao Mian shook her head absently, "I don't know..."

She really didn't know what to do next.

However, she will no longer be controlled by Huo Yanbei like she was six years ago.

She had to find a way to leave the Huo family...

"Oh, don't think about it."

Ruan Wei hooked her arm around her shoulder. "Aren't you going to work today?"

"Okay, take a day off."

"That's great! Let's take the kids out for a nice meal tonight, it's on me."

Qiao Mian nodded.

After chatting with Ruan Wei for a while, I went back to my bedroom to change into some loungewear.

Holding the new clothes she had changed out of, she couldn't help but think of Huo Yanbei.

The clothes he gave me were too expensive.

It's something I can't afford to lose.

After thinking it over, I decided not to list it on a second-hand platform, but instead put it back in the closet.

I also logged into a second-hand luxury goods platform and took down the men's suit that I had previously listed for sale.

If I actually sell it, it feels like it's no different from indirectly stealing his money.

If the other party wasn't Huo Yanbei, she wouldn't be so conflicted and awkward.

But it was precisely because he was Huo Yanbei that she wanted to sever all ties with him.

She didn't want to have anything to do with him, not even a piece of clothing.

After taking a shower, she went back to bed and took a nap.

I slept until 2 p.m. before waking up.

I opened my phone and a WeChat message popped up.

It was sent by Zhou Jinnan.

Attorney Qiao, you didn't come to work today. Was it because you weren't feeling well?

Qiao Mian thought for a moment and replied: 【No, I'm going back to work tomorrow.】

She didn't specify the reason for taking leave.

Zhou Jinan didn't press further, simply replying, "Get some rest, see you at the company tomorrow."

Thank you for your concern, Director Zhou. See you tomorrow.

at the same time.

A black Hummer was parked at the entrance of the alley downstairs.

Zhou Jinan sat in the driver's seat, staring at the last WeChat message Qiao Mian sent. After a long period of distraction, he glanced at the old, dilapidated alley outside the car window and felt a pang of sadness.

If he had taken her to Shanghai back then, perhaps none of what happened afterward would have occurred...

Perhaps, she will end up with him...

Instead of being targeted by Huo Yanbei while already struggling like this.

He was afraid that Huo Yanbei would suspect that he and Qiao Mian were old acquaintances, so he didn't want to acknowledge her so quickly. However, Huo Yanbei had clearly developed feelings for Qiao Mian.

If he doesn't take action, Qiao Mian will be trapped by Huo Yanbei again.

Six years ago, he was powerless to protect her; this time, no matter what, he was determined to take her away.

After thinking for a long time, he made a phone call to a friend.

"You mentioned last time that a classmate used to work at Ronghua Law Firm. Could you help me find out something?"

……

The next day.

Qiao Mian got up early to make breakfast.

During the meal, Qiao Muxin suddenly snuggled into Qiao Mian's arms.

Looking up at her neck with bright eyes, she asked, "Mommy, there are some red marks on your neck. Did something bite you?"

Qiao Mian immediately realized what was happening and hurriedly covered herself with her collar. "Um, it was a mosquito bite."

Qiao Mucheng pouted, "Are there mosquitoes in winter?"

Qiao Mian's smile was unnatural. "Maybe it was some other small flying insect that bit me..."

Qiao Muyue leaned closer for a closer look. "Mom, did you get into a fight with your colleague? I feel like I was bitten."

"what?"

Qiao Muxin reached out her little hand and touched the red marks. "Mommy, does it hurt?"

"..."

Thinking of the passionate, almost suffocating kiss she shared with Huo Yanbei in the bathroom yesterday morning, Qiao Mian's face flushed red.

His voice was slightly hoarse.

"It doesn't hurt, it was just a bite from a small flying insect..."

She emphasized this guiltily.

Fortunately, the children were just curious and didn't ask any further questions.

After finishing her meal, she went back to her bedroom, changed into a turtleneck sweater, and then went out with peace of mind.

After dropping the children off at kindergarten, she took the subway to work as usual.

After arriving at the company, He Mei came over and asked, "Why didn't you come to work yesterday?"

As she tidied up the documents, she casually replied, "I worked overtime the night before last, and took a day off yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Meng Bai walked over and said, "Remember to call us next time you work overtime. We feel really bad that you're always working overtime alone."

He Mei sighed, "President Huo specifically asked Xiao Qiao to work overtime, so there's nothing we can do to help."

"Then I'll be your assistant."

"That's true."

After chatting for a bit, Chen Ke came in and handed her a document. "Get it sorted out as soon as possible. We need it for the meeting at ten o'clock."

"good……"

Qiao Mian flipped through the documents and asked, "After I've organized them, should I hand them over to you directly, or to President Huo?"

Chen Ke: "Leave it to me."

Qiao Mian breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as I don't run into him, it's fine.

After Chen Ke left, Qiao Mian began organizing the documents and delivered them to Chen Ke at 9:40.

Just when she thought everything was fine, Chen Ke notified her again that she needed to go to the conference room at 2 PM.

She felt uneasy and didn't want to face that person.

However, it was only during the afternoon meeting that I learned that Huo Yanbei hadn't come to the company at all today.

This meeting is a video conference.

At this moment, on the big screen, Huo Yanbei leaned against the sofa, wearing a very simple white sweater, which softened his usual cold and aloof aura.

He flipped through the documents, pointing out areas for revision.

Qiao Mian noticed that the background looked like a hospital room.

At that moment, a woman's hand appeared on the screen, offering coffee.

Huo Yanbei took it from the other person and whispered, "Go and rest."

Her voice was very gentle.

Everyone at the conference table wore a detached, gossipy expression.

But he didn't dare to show it openly.

When Qiao Mian's gaze fell on the ring on the woman's ring finger, a hint of obscure emotion flashed in her eyes.

It's Song Man.

It's likely that Song Man is sick and hospitalized.

So, he didn't come to the company today...

"Attorney Joe?"

At this moment, Zhou Jinnan gently touched her with his arm, "Are you feeling unwell? You look terrible."

"fine……"

Qiao Mian hurriedly lowered her head and continued to take notes on the meeting's key points on her laptop.

Just as I was getting my attention back, Huo Yanbei called me out.

"Attorney Qiao, could you please explain the contract details for this project?"

"..."

Qiao Mian was taken aback.

She looked up and met Huo Yanbei's cold eyes on the screen.

His gaze was so sharp that it made her heart skip a beat.

She flipped through the documents, and like someone being called on by a teacher, she stood up nervously and pointed out a few key parts of the contract that she had already circled and that were worth considering.

After finishing his explanation, the man glanced at Qiao Mian and Zhou Jinnan's arms huddled together, frowned, and said, "Then draft a new contract and give it to me as soon as possible."

"Yes……"

As soon as Qiao Mian sat down, she heard the sound of something breaking on the screen.

Immediately afterwards, Huo Yanbei hurriedly got up and walked out of the frame.

Before the video ended, Huo Yanbei's voice could be faintly heard, "Are you hurt? How could you be so careless?"