She kept her marriage a secret for three years, then divorced and was forcefully pampered by a power

Qu You held her phone with a broad smile.

"I'll come pick you up; you understand me best."

After getting off work, Shao Yan went to her favorite hot pot restaurant with Qu You.

Qu You kept complaining about Qin Mu, but Shao Yan could tell she was having a good time.

She had never seen Qu You so happy before. Qu You must have really fallen in love with Qin Mu.

Shao Yan, who has been in love twice, knows what women are like when they talk about the men they love.

That kind of heartfelt joy cannot be hidden.

"Look at me, all I do is talk about myself. What's going on between you and my brother?"

Shao Yan paused, prepared for Qu You to ask her about Huo Xiao.

She had no intention of hiding it.

He's gone.

Qu You did not realize the meaning behind Shao Yan's words "left".

She handed Shao Yan a completely chili-free condiment: "I forgot you're pregnant. We should go eat something else."

She felt a little guilty, but Shao Yan nodded indifferently: "Occasionally, I won't eat spicy food or cilantro, just garlic and other pungent things."

Qu You nodded: "My brother is busy with work and often travels for business, which is normal. I can come and keep you company if you're home alone."

Shao Yan knew that she was currently in the throes of a passionate relationship, so she naturally wouldn't be tactless.

But apart from Qu You, she had no one to confide in about her frustrations.

"Huo Xiao wasn't on a business trip; he went abroad to find Lan Yan. I learned from Pei Rongrong that Lan Yan seems to be under house arrest by your father."

Pei Rongrong didn't provide much information, but the fact that she used the word "save" meant that Lan Yan and Huo Xiao's affair had been discovered.

"What did you say?"

Qu You nearly sprang to her feet as if she had been scalded.

"Are you sure there might be a mistake?"

She couldn't believe that Huo Xiao would go back to her father for that bitch.

"Lan Yan is pregnant with his child, he should go."

Shao Yan's expression was unusually calm when she said this, but Qu You was furious.

"How could that be? The child in Lan Yan's belly isn't my brother's at all."

Shao Yan's pupils constricted, and she instinctively gripped Qu You's hand tightly.

"What do you mean?"

Huo Xiao told her that Lan Yan had gotten pregnant with his child using sperm he had donated to a sperm bank, and she didn't believe Huo Xiao would lie.

"What I mean is, what Lan Yan bought wasn't the sperm my brother donated at all. I asked the sperm bank, and they said it had already been bought by someone else when my brother donated it, and apparently it wasn't successful."

A hint of surprise, which she couldn't quite explain, flashed in Shao Yan's eyes.

But that joy quickly vanished when he thought of the deep and unbreakable love between Lan Yan and Huo Xiao.

"Maybe your brother already knew, but he's just giving it a legitimate excuse."

She thought Huo Xiao loved Lan Yan, and had always loved her deeply.

No matter what excuses Huo Xiao made up in front of her, she couldn't believe his words that he didn't love Lan Yan.

"Impossible! Do you think my brother is that lecherous old man like my dad?"

Qu You didn't hold back at all when she started cursing Qu Ao.

What saddened her most was that her mother passed away because of her father's indiscretion with women.

Therefore, Qu You hates the women around Qu Ao the most, no matter who they are.

However, Lan Yan, whom she once thought would become her sister-in-law, ended up becoming her stepmother. This was the thing Qu You found most unacceptable and unbearable.

Because of her mother's death, Qu You had always had an insurmountable rift with Qu Ao, and Lan Yan became the last straw that broke the camel's back in their father-daughter relationship.

Qu You held Shao Yan's hand sincerely, her tone earnest.

"Yanyan, believe me. My brother is definitely not that kind of person. Otherwise, I wouldn't have tried to match you two up."

Shao Yan's eyes flashed, filled with astonishment.

Qu You realized she had let something slip and quickly changed the subject.

"My brother doesn't know about this yet, otherwise he definitely wouldn't have gone. That bitch Lan Yan is a real scumbag. She knows perfectly well that the child in her belly isn't my brother's."

As expected, Shao Yan's attention turned to the matter between Lan Yan and Huo Xiao.

Qu You held Shao Yan's hand tightly: "Wait for my news at home. Don't overthink things. I will definitely bring my brother back to you."

Huo Xiaoyao?

Shao Yan has given up hope.

She smiled, her calm expression masking the bitterness she carried within.

"No."

Qu You looked at her: "You don't care about my brother anymore?"

Shao Yan: "He has his own choices. What difference does it make whether it's me or Lan Yan?"

Qu You was pulling at her hair, almost going crazy.

"That's not how it is. Never mind, it's hard to explain in a short time. Let me tell you, Lan Yan is no pushover. Look, even my brother fell for her trick. Yan Yan, wake up, you have to trust my brother."

As Shao Yan listened to Qu You's words, she had already let go of the matter.

What Huo Xiao looks like is no longer important.

"Eat quickly, I'll ask the waiter to add some water, the pot is almost dry."

Qu You then realized that it was true, and could only quickly pick up the bowl and take care of her own stomach first.

After leaving the hot pot restaurant, Qu You escorted Shao Yan home.

She placed her hand on Shao Yan's stomach and then pressed her ear against it.

"Little nephew, be good and don't be naughty. Auntie is looking forward to you coming out soon so I can give you a big gift."

After saying that, she even looked up at Shao Yan: "Do you think he can hear me now?"

Shao Yan was both amused and exasperated: "Qu You, it's not even three months old yet, you're still just a little bean sprout. You should ask Qin Mu to give you some more scientific knowledge."

Qu You slowly stood up and looked at her: "Alright, you're finally smiling. Look at your face, you look like a resentful woman, and you say you don't care at all. I swear on my life, my brother is absolutely someone you can entrust your life to."

Qu You was very serious, and Shao Yan didn't want to disappoint her, so she nodded, "I understand. I'll wait for your news and won't overthink things. It's getting late, go back quickly. Don't let Qin Mu look for you everywhere."

Shao Yan placed the phone right under Qu You's nose.

"Look, they've even called me. If you don't go back soon, they're coming to take him away."

Qu You was a little embarrassed, and while smiling, she scolded Qin Mu: "I was only out for a short while, having dinner with you, and I didn't do anything bad."

As she spoke, she climbed into the car. Shao Yan waited until her car disappeared into the night before turning around and entering the apartment building.

After leaving Shao Yan's place, Qu You called Qin Mu to say she would be back soon. Qin Mu and she bickered for a while before hanging up.

The light ahead was red, so Qu You slowed down and glided directly into the traffic waiting at the light.

The 60-second wait left her feeling rather bored, and the text message tone on her phone temporarily distracted her.

She casually picked up her phone, and it would have been better if she hadn't looked at it. But once she did, she almost jumped out of her car.

"I'll poke—"

Several photos popped up on my phone, so bloody they sent chills down my spine.

Every picture shows Huo Xiao, covered in wounds and on the verge of death.