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

The video conference was terminated due to this minor incident.

The senior executives whispered amongst themselves, discussing the matter.

"Is the woman in the video Mr. Huo's wife?"

"Of course! Don't let Mr. Huo's cold demeanor fool you, he really dotes on his wife."

"Mrs. Huo is favored for a reason. I heard that when she married Mr. Huo, she brought the Song family's Bai Rong Company as her dowry."

"Tsk tsk, now that's what you call a true match!"

Upon hearing the words "marrying someone of equal social standing," Qiao Mian felt a sharp pain in her heart.

Back when I was with the Huo family, every time I accompanied Huo Yanbei back to the old house, Old Master Huo would give me a lecture about the importance of "marrying someone of equal social standing".

The phrase I heard most often was: "Xiao Wu, your brother is going to marry a daughter of a prominent family like Song Man, who is a perfect match for him..."

Actually, at that time, she didn't have any expectations for her future with Huo Yanbei.

She never even dreamed of becoming his wife.

She considered escaping and breaking up, but she kept falling into the illusory dream he wove for her.

He always told her to be good, stay by his side, and spend her whole life with him.

She had also firmly promised him that she was willing to stay by his side for the rest of her life.

But, unexpectedly, he felt...disgusted with her.

He doesn't love her.

I only treat her like a younger sister...

In a daze, I returned to the legal department.

She sent the key data points from the meeting to He Mei and Meng Bai.

After discussing the details, the three began drafting the contract.

……

Beijing First People's Hospital.

VIP ward.

After examining Song Man, Dr. Wen Baiyang, an internist, looked at Huo Yanbei and said, "Song Man's health was ruined by complications left over from her liver donation years ago. It can't be cured; we can only treat it slowly."

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Man glared at him: "Wen Baiyang, we're childhood friends, don't scare me."

Wen Baiyang clicked his tongue. "I'd like to scare you, but I'm afraid your body can't take it."

Song Man rolled her eyes at him, then looked at Huo Yanbei with gentle eyes, "Yanbei, don't worry, I just bumped into something and bled a little, I'm fine."

Huo Yanbei's expression was complicated. "Listen to the doctor and stay in the hospital for a few more days to recuperate."

"But I have to participate in the Kyoto University's centennial celebration performance at the end of the month."

"Health is important."

Song Man tugged at his sleeve: "Then can you stay and keep me company?"

Huo Yanbei nodded. "Okay."

Wen Baiyang smiled meaningfully at Song Man: "Look, even President Huo has moved his office into your hospital room. Maybe you'll get better if you're happy."

Song Man frowned: "You talk too much."

"Alright, I'm leaving. I won't bother you two anymore."

Wen Bai raised an eyebrow and left the ward.

Song Man looked at Huo Yanbei, who had already sat back on the sofa and started working, and couldn't hide her joy.

But she still asked with some concern, "Yanbei, won't having you accompany me affect your work?"

"Won't."

Huo Yanbei looked up and glanced at the bandage wrapped around Song Man's finger: "Just focus on recovering. You don't need to do things like making coffee yourself anymore."

The smile on Song Man's lips vanished.

She felt as if he was reminding her not to disturb him while he was working next time...

However, she did deliberately knock over the water glass at that time.

She took this opportunity to announce to the entire Huo Group leadership that she was Mrs. Huo, Huo Yanbei's most beloved woman.

This laid the foundation for working for the Huo family in the future.

……

As it was nearing the end of the workday, Qiao Mian sent the completed electronic contract to Chen Ke.

She waited deliberately for about ten minutes without receiving any feedback, and assumed everything was fine. Just as she was about to leave work, Chen Ke arrived at the legal department.

"Attorney Qiao, Mr. Huo said that there are a few parts of the contract that need to be revised, and he wants you to come and discuss it with him in person."

Qiao Mian's alarm bells immediately went off. "Could Mr. Huo tell me what needs to be changed, and I'll work overtime to revise it right away? Is that alright?"

Chen Ke's businesslike attitude: "Attorney Qiao, communicating with President Huo in person will be much more efficient. If there are any other temporary adjustments that need to be made, they can be resolved immediately."

At this point, he added, "This project was handled by your Ronghua Law Firm, and it was part of your job to cooperate in completing it."

Chen Ke's statement was reasonable and well-founded.

If she makes another excuse to refuse, it not only makes her seem unprofessional, but also pretentious.

After all, it was for her personal reasons that she didn't want to meet Huo Yanbei...

Forget it, even if you can avoid it this time, there will be a next time.

It's just for work.

Qiao Mian comforted herself.

"Where is Mr. Huo now?"

She asked.

"A coffee shop near the hospital."

"..."

Qiao Mian's heart tightened.

Song Man was at the hospital, so he arranged to meet her nearby...

She felt a guilty, almost guilty, feeling of having stolen something...

But then I thought, she's not a mistress, there's no need to be overly nervous.

"I'll pack up and head over."

"it is good."

After Chen Ke left, she packed her briefcase and was about to leave when Zhou Jinnan came out of his office.

She greeted him respectfully, "Director Zhou, are you about to leave work?"

"Um."

Seeing her carrying a briefcase, Zhou Jinnan asked, "Attorney Qiao, are you going home to work overtime because you haven't finished your work?"

"I……"

Qiao Mian thought for a moment and then told the truth: "There are a few clauses in the contract that need to be modified, and President Huo asked me to talk to him about it."

Zhou Jinnan's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. "How do you plan to get there?"

"I'll take a taxi."

Zhou Jinnan lowered his eyes and glanced at the watch on his wrist. "It's hard to get a taxi during rush hour. Let me give you a ride."

"No need, I..."

Before she could finish refusing, Zhou Jinnan gave her a gentle smile and said, "We're all colleagues, it would be too formal to be so polite."

Since Zhou Jinnan said that, she couldn't refuse anymore. "Well... okay, thank you, Director Zhou."

"Don't stand on ceremony with me."

The two took the elevator to the basement parking lot.

After getting on the bus, she sent a WeChat message to Ruan Wei.

She told her that she was going to see Huo Yanbei and work overtime.

Thank you for helping me pick up the child.

Ruan Wei quickly replied: [I think Huo Yanbei is just using making you work overtime as an excuse to have ulterior motives towards you!]

Qiao Mian: [Let him think what he wants, I'll go home as soon as I finish work.]

Protect yourself. If all else fails, sisters, take your three kids and go scratch him to death! Let him bully you!

Knowing that Ruan Wei was just saying it out of anger, Qiao Mian was still taken aback. "If you bring the child over, that's going to kill me, okay?"

[Okay, Mianmian, don't worry about work, leave the kids to me, mwah!]

After finishing our WeChat conversation, I noticed that the car was already weaving through the traffic on the street.

At this moment, Zhou Jinnan leaned back in his seat, casually maneuvering the steering wheel with one hand. His calm and composed demeanor was just like that of the gentle and handsome young man from six years ago.

But there was always a deep meaning hidden in his eyes that she couldn't understand.

Noticing her stare, Zhou Jinnan turned to look at her while waiting at a red light. "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something first?"