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

"No, Shao Yan, you have no leverage to negotiate with me. Rongrong has agreed to let you be a surrogate, so don't drag this out any longer. Listen to me, you want to divorce me as soon as possible and get half of the Meng Group's assets, right? I—"

beep--

Huo Xiao hung up the phone, his handsome brows furrowed.

"Surrogacy, for whom?"

Shao Yan assumed he knew that Pei Rongrong was his niece, and that such a big matter must have been discussed with his family.

"Of course it's for your family."

Shao Yan didn't know how to address Pei Rongrong.

Strictly speaking, this woman is also her niece.

How ironic.

Huo Xiao didn't say anything more, left the dining table, and went straight upstairs.

After Shao Yan finished breakfast, Huo Xiao had already driven away.

Once he left, only Shao Yan and the family's servants remained in the villa.

Over the years, Shao Yan has never taken a single day off for the Meng family.

After calming down, she suddenly felt like she had nothing to do.

It's strange how people don't realize anything's wrong when they're tired.

When I finally stopped, I felt like nothing was right.

She was lost in thought when Sister Wei led a few people into the living room.

"Mrs. Huo—"

The group treated Shao Yan with utmost respect.

Sister Wei smiled and said, "Madam, your husband felt you didn't have enough clothes, so he sent someone over to let you choose a few suitable ones."

Shao Yan saw several executives from high-end brands bring a lot of new clothes and jewelry to her door.

Shao Yan knew the process. In the past, when her mother didn't want to go out, she would have these people come to the house and bring the latest and most classic clothes for her to choose from.

She was still in a daze when Huo Xiao's call came.

"I think you don't have enough clothes to wear, Mrs. Huo. Today, focus on picking out a few that you like, and I'll definitely help you choose next time."

Shao Yan held her phone, unsure of what the flutter in her heart meant.

Having gotten used to being a devoted follower of Meng Yu, she was suddenly overwhelmed by someone's doting affection and didn't even know how to repay his kindness.

"oh--"

She responded with a single syllable, not really knowing what to say.

After exchanging a few more trivial words with Shao Yan, Huo Xiao hung up the phone.

He drove to Huo Qingyue's house alone.

Huo Qingyue was playing cards with several wealthy women.

When the housekeeper brought Huo Xiao into the house, Huo Qingyue almost got caught out by someone else's trick.

She had the maid serve Huo Xiao tea, and teased him with a smile.

"Is it on fire or—? The sun must have risen in the west, you're here without me even having to call you."

Huo Xiao sat on the sofa, took a sip of tea, and spoke with a hint of nonchalance.

"Where's Rongrong? Did she go to Mengyu's company again?"

Huo Qingyue sighed helplessly, "This girl is really impossible to deal with. She tricked me and her father into agreeing to her engagement to Meng Yu. I was thinking of keeping her at home for a few more years since she just graduated from university, but she said she couldn't wait to get married."

Huo Xiao chuckled softly: "You do resemble you quite a bit, sister."

Huo Qingyue rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "How can you talk like that? I was a proper adult with your brother-in-law."

Huo Xiao paused for a moment and then asked, "What do you and your brother-in-law think of Meng Yu?"

Huo Qingyue sighed, "What's the use of us? It all depends on Rongrong's preference. But overall, this person is a rare young talent. He's quite capable to have led the company to the top three in the Beicheng commercial sector."

Huo Xiao scoffed, "Merchants are often cunning. I heard that the Meng family only managed to recover from their huge debts thanks to women."

Huo Qingyue asked in surprise, "Who told you that?"

Huo Xiao's eyes were deep and thoughtful as he changed the subject.

"I received news that Rongrong is planning to find a surrogate mother for her and Mengyu's child. Are you aware of this?"

Huo Qingyue sat down opposite Huo Xiao, her eyes filled with helplessness.

"Rongrong told me, and of course I disagreed, but that child—"

Huo Qingyue sighed deeply: "She said she's still young and doesn't want to affect her figure by having a child. That's why she chose surrogacy, and she even tried to persuade me and her father."

Huo Qingyue didn't know what to say, but Pei Rongrong had been willful and willful since she was a child, and she would do things that she was not allowed to do.

Huo Qingyue and Pei Hong only have this one daughter, so they have no choice but to go along with her wishes.

"Who did you contact?"

Huo Xiao asked, and Huo Qingyue thought for a moment.

"It seems to be Shao Yan, Meng Yu's assistant. She's 25 years old, never married, never dated, and has no messy relationships. She's healthy, but she's a bit old and not very good-looking."

Rongrong said this was also to help Meng Yu repay a favor she had done for him. The assistant had saved Meng Yu's life before, and they planned to have her act as a surrogate mother, giving her a substantial sum as a reward, thus settling the score.

Huo Xiao's eyes gradually turned cold after hearing this.

Huo Qingyue suddenly stopped talking after a while, looking at her younger brother with great confusion.

"You came all this way just to gossip about Rongrong?"

Huo Qingyue felt that Huo Xiao was not that kind of person.

Huo Xiao crossed his legs and took out a bright red and gold-embossed marriage certificate from his pocket, placing it on the coffee table.

"I got married, I just wanted to let you know."

Huo Qingyue stared at the red booklet in astonishment, unable to believe her eyes.

After a long while, her eyes seemed to mist over.

"You brat, you're something else! Getting married is such a big deal, you made it without telling me first. Don't you even respect your older sister?"

Huo Qingyue gently wiped her eyes, but tears still fell.

Huo Xiao handed her a tissue: "It's nothing serious. I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't worry about me."

Huo Qingyue couldn't help but complain.

"Getting married, huh? Back when your brother-in-law and I got married, the wedding banquet lasted three days and three nights. In your mind, a marriage certificate is enough to get rid of your older sister. What are you planning to do about the wedding?"

Huo Xiao said calmly, "There will be no wedding."

Huo Qingyue was slightly taken aback, then sighed.

"Ah Xiao, she's already married and has moved on from you a long time ago. You're still not over it, are you? It's a blessing for the Huo family that this girl is willing to marry you. If people knew you were just going through the motions of getting the marriage certificate, how heartbroken would she be?"

Huo Xiao raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and did not refute Huo Qingyue.

He felt it was unnecessary.

Shao Yan wouldn't want a grand wedding now; if he really offered one, she would have run away long ago.

Huo Qingyue scolded Huo Xiao, but seeing that he was unmoved, she didn't bother to say anything more.

She held the marriage certificate in her hand, gently stroking the three characters, her hands covered in a layer of gold dust, her joy visibly evident.

"If your parents were still alive, how happy do you think they would be to see you get married?"

After being moved, Huo Xiao chose to remain silent.

Huo Qingyue returned the marriage certificate directly to Huo Xiao without looking at its contents.

"I've never heard you mention having a girlfriend before, so how come you're married already? Have you investigated her background? If she truly loves you, you can't let her suffer. Even if you don't have a wedding, the family should at least have a meal together."

After Huo Qingyue finished speaking, she returned the marriage certificate to her younger brother and casually asked a question.

"What's your sister-in-law's name?"

Huo Xiao smiled and said, "Shao Yan."