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

Qiao Mian pursed her lips, "I'm not familiar with him..."

"Not familiar with them?"

He Mei leaned closer to her, a knowing smile on her face: "Then why do you keep looking into the CEO's office?"

"I……"

"I understand."

He Mei interrupted her with a smile, "President Huo is handsome, rich, and has a top-notch physique. Every woman in the Huo Group has his eye on him, and I'm no exception. Xiao Qiao, it's perfectly normal for you to be interested in President Huo."

"..."

The two were completely on different wavelengths, and Qiao Mian sighed helplessly.

Seeing the documents He Mei had stuffed into her arms again, Qiao Mian took a deep breath, stepped out of the legal department, and knocked on the door of the president's office.

"Enter."

When a cold word came from inside, Qiao Mian's heart jumped.

He gripped the doorknob tightly, hesitating to push the door open and go inside.

She feared that a storm was brewing for her.

I stood there for more than ten seconds, and just as I was about to run away, the office door was opened from the inside.

Huo Yanbei stood gracefully at the office door, his expression unreadable.

However, looking into her eyes, there was a clear chill in them.

Qiao Mian lowered her eyes guiltily and handed over the document in her hand, "President Huo, this contract..."

Before he could finish speaking, Huo Yanbei turned around and went back.

Qiao Mian looked up and saw that the man had already sunk into the leather chair behind the desk.

Qiao Mian had no choice but to walk to the desk and respectfully hand him the contract. "Mr. Huo, this contract needs your..."

With a whoosh.

The rest of the conversation abruptly ended when the man swatted the contract to the ground.

Qiao Mian was filled with astonishment.

The man stared at the exquisite bracelet on her wrist with a gloomy gaze.

Noticing his gaze, Qiao Mian tried to pull her hand back, but Huo Yanbei had already stood up, walked up to her, and suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Is this the bracelet Gu Huainian gave you before?"

Qiao Mian struggled, but couldn't break free from his hold.

I reluctantly gritted my teeth and hummed in agreement.

"Qiao Mian".

Huo Yanbei tightened his grip on her wrist.

The next moment, he pulled her into his arms.

With his other hand gripping her slender waist, he turned her around and pinned her against the desk, his voice chillingly cold: "What's the meaning of you wearing the bracelet Gu Huai Nian gave you?"

Qiao Mian stared at the man whose face was full of anger.

She recalled what Gu Huainian had said, and the photos of the stand-in girls that Huo Yanbei had once found.

At this moment, she truly felt how terrifying Huo Yanbei's obsession was...

"Are you with him?"

Seeing her look frightened but silent, Huo Yanbei questioned her impatiently.

Qiao Mian lowered her eyes to avoid eye contact, but her cheeks were pinched, forcing her to meet his cold gaze.

"say!"

He growled at her.

The sound wasn't loud, but it made her heart ache.

Qiao Mian's shoulders trembled in fright.

He bit his lip tightly, and after a long while, a single, barely audible syllable escaped from between his teeth, "Yes..."

The sound was soft, yet it was like a boulder crashing into the man's frozen heart, stirring up a thousand waves.

He pinched her small face hard, his fingers turning white and bloodless, as if he wanted to crush her completely, to knead her into his bones. His voice was cold and hoarse: "You... say it again!"

Qiao Mian was horrified by his gloomy face.

If she had to end his entanglement with her through this mutually harmful method, she would rather cooperate with Gu Huai Nian, whom she hated the most.

She spoke clearly and deliberately, "I'm sorry, Mr. Huo, I shouldn't have kept my relationship with Gu Huainian a secret from you..."

"fraud!"

Huo Yanbei slammed his fist hard on the desk beside her. "How could you possibly like Gu Huai Nian? You've only known each other for a short time!"

Qiao Mian took a deep breath and retorted, "President Huo, how long have we known each other? Yet you've repeatedly forced me to be with you. I've told you more than once that I don't like you and don't want to be involved with you! But have you ever carefully respected my wishes?"

The man gritted his teeth. "So, you chose to be with Gu Huainian to escape me?"

Qiao Mian turned her face away. "I get along quite well with Attorney Gu. Even without you, I think I would... um."

The rest of her words were swallowed up by the man's aggressive kiss.

She hadn't expected that even after she'd put herself in such a position, he would still dare to be so rude to her.

Unlike his previous forceful kisses, this time, it seemed he intended to destroy her.

Qiao Mian passively accepted his kisses, feeling as if she was about to die in his arms, when a cell phone rang, breaking the suffocating atmosphere.

She pushed him away, took her phone out of her pocket, and before she could see who was calling, Huo Yanbei snatched it away.

When Huo Yanbei saw the name "Gu Huai Nian" on the phone screen, it was as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water, and he released Qiao Mian.

However, he didn't return the phone to her. In front of her, he pressed the answer button and turned on speakerphone.

Qiao Mian raised her hand to wipe her slightly swollen lips from the kiss, her tearful eyes glaring resentfully at Huo Yanbei.

Huo Yanbei's gaze was cold and stern as he stared at her.

He seemed to be seeking confirmation of something, remaining silent and waiting for Gu Huainian to speak first.

Qiao Mian was also very nervous.

She didn't know why Gu Huai Nian would suddenly call her, and she was even more afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would expose that the two of them were not a real couple.

Then, the lie she told Huo Yanbei just now was meaningless.

A few seconds later, Gu Huainian's voice came: "A-Mian, you're back at the company, right? Don't be afraid, Yan Bei is my best brother, he definitely won't make things difficult for you. However, it's understandable that he's angry because we kept our relationship a secret from him. How about I organize a dinner party sometime, and we can treat him to a meal together?"

After hearing this, Qiao Mian hurriedly grabbed her phone, raised her eyelids, looked at the man with cold features, and continued, "Okay, you can book the restaurant. I'm talking to President Huo about work now, so I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, I'll pick you up after get off work."

"Um……"

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Mian remained silent.

There's not much to say about how things have come to this.

She was waiting for Huo Yanbei's reaction.

However, his reaction was much calmer than expected.

Do you like Gu Huai Nian?

He asked in a calm tone.

Qiao Mian frowned slightly: "He's been very good to me."

Huo Yanbei stared at the glaring bracelet on her wrist and scoffed, "Am I not good to you?"

Qiao Mian: "You think you're good to me, but it's only good if I feel it's good. Mr. Huo, since we met, you've only made me feel anxious and uneasy, while Attorney Gu makes me feel no pressure."

Huo Yanbei pressed his forehead, where veins were throbbing, as if a needle had been pierced into his temple.

He was in so much pain that his breathing became labored. He braced himself against the edge of the desk with one hand and walked behind the desk to sit down.

After a long silence, he waved his hand at her and said, "Qiao Mian, now that you have chosen Gu Huainian, I will not bother you anymore."