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

Huo Yanbei was wearing a top-quality cashmere bespoke black suit, his nearly 1.9-meter-tall frame tall and slender.

With his handsome, aloof face and otherworldly, refined air, he seemed completely out of place in the old, dilapidated alleyway.

In particular, his polite manner when asking Aunt Zhang if she lived in the building completely embodied the image of a refined and aloof gentleman.

Qiao Mian was momentarily stunned.

After regaining her senses, she lowered her head and quietly moved into the crowd.

He actually found this place...

And they even made such a big scene...

The alleyway was inhabited by either relocated residents or migrant workers. At that moment, seeing a well-dressed, distinguished-looking man with a dozen or so bodyguards and carrying large and small bags, everyone began to whisper among themselves.

"Who is this big shot? He looks really rich."

"She's so good-looking, could she be a celebrity?"

"Oh, they said they're looking for Qiao Mian... Who's Qiao Mian? What's their relationship?"

"Isn't she the girl who lives in this building, the one with three kids?"

Hearing these whispers, Qiao Mian's heart was in her throat.

My first instinct was to run away.

But just as he was about to turn around, he saw Aunt Zhang, who had been looking Huo Yanbei up and down, smiling and saying, "You're looking for Qiao Mian? You've come to the right person. I know her very well; I even helped her babysit before..."

Huo Yanbei nodded politely. "Excuse me, does she live in this building?"

Aunt Zhang smiled broadly: "Yes! Qiao Mian lives on the seventh floor of this building. I'll take you there."

Seeing that Aunt Zhang was about to take the person upstairs, Qiao Mian took a deep breath, stepped out of the crowd, and pretended to have just noticed Huo Yanbei, "Brother, what brings you here?"

Aunt Zhang is the loudest gossip in the alley; if we keep talking, she'll definitely reveal that she has three kids.

She had always intentionally avoided meeting Mu Cheng and Mu Ye with Huo Yanbei because her two sons looked like Huo Yanbei.

She was worried that he would notice something was amiss.

At this moment, Huo Yanbei was stunned for a moment when he heard Qiao Mian call him "brother".

He stared intently at Qiao Mian in front of him, as if he were seeing the former A Wu.

When A-Wu was outside, she used to call him "brother" in the same way.

"What did you call me?"

The man had an expression of disbelief on his face, his throat was dry and sore, and he trembled slightly.

Qiao Mian walked up to him, took his arm, and glared at him reproachfully, "You didn't even call before you came. My place is small, brother, let's go somewhere else to talk."

All she wanted to do now was to drag him away from here immediately.

However, the man stretched his arm back and refused to move.

His hawk-like eyes were fixed on her without blinking.

Just then, Aunt Zhang asked in surprise, "Qiao Mian, is he your brother?"

Qiao Mian replied with a forced smile, "Yes, a cousin from afar."

Finally, he emphasized, "Dear."

Upon hearing Qiao Mian introduce him in this way, the man's dazed state instantly returned to clarity.

Aunt Zhang said with a smile, "Oh, so you're relatives. Your cousin looks really distinguished."

Qiao Mian's lips curved slightly. "That's what everyone says."

"Then you two chat."

Aunt Zhang and the neighbors who were watching the commotion felt there was nothing exciting to see.

It's human nature to love gossip and watching the excitement.

If Huo Yanbei wasn't labeled as his cousin, the neighborhood would be full of gossip, and all sorts of rumors would surely circulate about their relationship.

She wants to continue living here, but she doesn't want her life to be anything but peaceful.

The key point is that she doesn't want her children to hear any unsavory rumors about her.

After the crowd dispersed, Qiao Mian immediately pulled her arm away from Huo Yanbei's crook. "Mr. Huo, what brings you here?"

Seeing her change of expression faster than turning the pages of a book, the man gave a mocking smirk. "Are you that afraid of people misunderstanding our relationship?"

Just now, when she called him "brother," he almost believed it; he thought she was A-Wu...

Unexpectedly, she called him "brother" simply to avoid suspicion.

Qiao Mian took two steps back, creating some distance between them. "President Huo is a married man, and the president of a large corporation. If he is misunderstood and photos are taken and posted online, it will be troublesome for both you and me."

She explained it very clearly.

However, Huo Yanbei's expression remained somewhat grim: "Let's go upstairs."

After saying that, he lifted his leg to enter the building.

Qiao Mian quickly stopped him, "Mr. Huo, you can say what you have to say here."

The man glanced at the row of bodyguards standing behind him, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Are you sure you want me to stand here with them forever?"

Qiao Mian clenched her fingers tightly. "My house is small, dilapidated, and messy. It's really inconvenient for me to entertain you."

"Now that you mention it, I'm even more curious."

After saying that, Huo Yanbei walked straight into the apartment building.

The bodyguards behind him followed suit and went inside in a swarm.

Qiao Mian was both anxious and annoyed, but there was nothing she could do.

You can't exactly call the police and accuse him of trespassing, can you...?

She's about to resign, but it's best to avoid provoking him before she leaves.

Qiao Mian glanced at the time; it was 3:30.

Fortunately, there are still two hours before I have to pick up my child from kindergarten.

Once he goes upstairs, get rid of him as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, Qiao Mian quickly followed.

When we reached the seventh floor, the bodyguards following behind us were all panting heavily.

Huo Yanbei held onto the stair railing, his breathing relatively steady.

He reached out and took the bag from her hand. "Open the door."

Qiao Mian took out her key from her bag. As soon as she opened the door, the man stepped aside, walked past her, and went straight in without any politeness.

Immediately afterwards, the bodyguards following behind filed in one after another.

After putting down the bags and packages in the cramped living room, I made my own way out.

Huo Yanbei stood in the center of the living room, scanning the entire rented room at a glance.

The house is small, simply decorated, but the furnishings are quite cozy.

The only bright spot is its cleanliness.

After looking around the house, the man frowned. "This place is indeed quite dilapidated."

Qiao Mian: "Then let's go downstairs and talk."

"You'd love to kick people out."

Huo Yanbei sat down on a small three-seater sofa and glanced at Qiao Mian, who slowly walked in. "Are you feeling any better?"

"What illness...?"

After blurting it out, Qiao Mian remembered that she had lied to Chen Ke before, saying that she had taken leave because she was sick.

Thinking of this, she quickly rubbed her forehead. "I'm feeling much better after getting two IV drips."

The man's gaze towards her became meaningful.

He took in her guilty little expressions.

She was clearly lying.

However, he didn't call her out on it. He glanced at the large and small bags piled on the coffee table and the floor and said, "These are supplements I bought for you."

"Mr. Huo, you've gone to great lengths."

Qiao Mian lowered her eyes meekly and said, "I can't accept so many things you bought."