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

The red light ahead turned green, but Qu You was still looking at her phone and didn't realize the light had changed color.

She only started the gas and pulled over to the side of the road when the car behind her honked.

Qu You's first reaction was to call Shao Yan.

She stopped abruptly just as she was about to dial Shao Yan's number, only one number away from connecting.

Shao Yan is pregnant and worried about Huo Xiao. If she were to tell him directly that Huo Xiao had an accident over there, Shao Yan would definitely be very anxious.

If she were to cause a miscarriage and harm the baby, she would be in grave danger.

Qu You silently put down her phone, thinking that she should go home and ask Qin Mu for a solution herself.

Shao Yan went to work as usual for the next few days.

She had no news of Huo Xiao whatsoever, and even after Qu You left, Shao Yan still held onto a tiny sliver of hope.

She knew about Qu You and Huo Xiao's relationship, and if she wanted to find out, she couldn't possibly be unaware of Huo Xiao's current situation.

Several times she almost couldn't resist calling Qu You to ask, but when she opened her contacts and found Qu You's phone number, she laughed at herself.

If Huo Xiao really decided to return to China, he would have come back long ago even if she hadn't asked.

Ultimately, it's because she overthinks things. Knowing full well she can't fit into a world, why force it?

On the fifth day of the week, Meng Yu came to the company, but this time he brought an invitation.

"Rongrong and I are having our engagement ceremony this Friday, and we hope Mr. Shao can grace us with his presence."

Shao Yan's eyes flickered slightly when she saw the invitation on the table. Pei Rongrong was Huo Xiao's niece. For such a big event, her uncle should be back by now.

Looking at the bright red and gold wedding invitations on the table, Shao Yan's eyes began to sparkle.

What puzzled Meng Yu the most was that when he came in, Shao Yan's expression seemed unusually gloomy.

He probably recalled what Pei Rongrong had said when he went to see Shao Yan last time; she really had been abandoned by Huo Xiao, which was why she was so sullen here.

Thinking of this, Meng Yu felt a strange sense of schadenfreude.

But he happened to notice the subtle change in Shao Yan's expression and couldn't help but pour cold water on her enthusiasm.

"You don't actually expect Huo Xiao to attend my engagement party with Rongrong, do you?"

Shao Yan, I've told you before, Huo Xiao truly loves Lan Yan, not you. If you're only with a man like that to spite me, it's simply not worth it.

My door is always open for you. Although we can't be a real couple, you can be my secret lover.

Even if you and Huo Xiao are together and have a formal status, so what? There's still no wedding and no love. At least I, Meng Yu, still have feelings for you.

Grandpa admires you very much. Since you want to be a successful businesswoman, I can arrange a position for you at the Meng Group.

You are also a shareholder of the Meng Group. For you, being with me would be entirely beneficial, so why won't you consider it?

Shao Yan looked at him coldly, not even offering a smile. But she said something that enraged Meng Yu.

"Because you are not worthy. You are not even as good as one of Huo Xiao's fingers."

Before Meng Yu could react, Han Yifei arrived.

"Mr. Shao, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

With Han Yifei present, Meng Yu dared not say anything more. He could only reluctantly drop the invitation and turn to walk out.

Han Yifei also saw the invitation on the table, picked it up and opened it, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips.

"It seems that President Meng really doesn't consider me one of his own. He's sticking to President Shao like glue, and he even wanted to bring you to the engagement party."

Shao Yan knew that Han Yifei was Huo Xiao's man and was afraid that he would misunderstand.

There's nothing between Meng Yu and me.

She didn't explain all this for Huo Xiao's sake; originally, she and Meng Yu never wanted to have any contact in this lifetime.

Han Yifei put down the invitation, looked at Shao Yan, and asked in a very casual tone, "Ms. Shao, are you going to attend?"

Shao Yan nodded vigorously.

"I'm going."

Han Yifei didn't say anything more.

Shao Yan sat in her office with mixed feelings, unable to concentrate on her work.

Her phone vibrated on her desk, and her first thought was Huo Xiao, but she was disappointed when she picked it up.

Another message came from Meng Yu.

She was initially reluctant to open it, but then she remembered she was going to his engagement party with Pei Rongrong. So she pulled his message from among her many unread messages.

However, when she saw yet another broken and irreparable piece of her mother's belongings in the video, her blood seemed to freeze.

Below the video are still Meng Yu's comments.

"I know you have a strong temper and are resolute, but Shao Yan, I also want to know just how much you don't care about your mother for Huo Xiao's sake. This is the second thing, and there are six more left."

Shao Yan bit her lower lip so hard that it bled, and when she tasted the metallic rust spreading in her mouth, she realized that her feelings for Meng Yu could no longer be described as mere hatred.

Meng Yu didn't cherish her before, and now he keeps trying to force her back. How can there be such a good thing in the world?

So he called Peng Ying over, told Feng Ying about Meng Yu and Pei Rongrong's engagement, and also gave her a phone number.

"Send it out."

An engagement is neither a big deal nor a small matter, but the fact that Han Yifei did not receive an invitation indicates that Meng Yu and Pei Rongrong's engagement was just a small-scale family ceremony and they did not intend to hold a grand event.

Shao Yan guessed that the main reason was that Huo Xiao couldn't attend Pei Rongrong's engagement party.

Such a statement would arouse suspicion among the upper class in the northern part of the city.

However, Meng Yu and Pei Rongrong's engagement had to proceed as scheduled, so the Pei family opted to hold a simple ceremony for the newlyweds within their own home as a formality.

In this way, Zeng Qi'er was definitely unaware that Meng Yu had gone so far as to do things ahead of time, and she had also done what she wanted to do ahead of schedule.

Fengying sent the news of Meng Yu and Pei Rongrong's engagement to Zeng Qier.

Rather than letting the three of them fight it out themselves, she'd rather let them wade into this murky mess herself.

Zeng Qier and Meng Yu were still entangled, and they even had a son, which was something Shao Yan never expected.

During the two years Zeng Qier was away, Shao Yan's family also experienced great changes.

Thinking of this, a seemingly illogical yet intricately connected relationship suddenly flashed through her mind, giving her a flash of inspiration.

After returning to China, Zeng Qier joined the Song Group. And it seems that Song Qingyan and Cheng Yuxin both value her highly.

She has never been able to find out where their other child is.

Could it be that Zeng Qi'er is their other daughter?