Lin Xiaowan had always been very communicative. When she did not like something, she would not get angry. Instead, she would tell him what she disliked so he would not do it again.

Thinking about this, Huo Zheng forced himself to calm down and ask, “What’s the reason?”

Huo Zheng’s expression was dark and fierce. Moreover, he was used to being in a high and powerful position. Lin Xiaowan could not help but feel slightly frightened by his expression and aura. Nonetheless, she activated her skill to make trouble and said, “There’s no reason. I just don’t want to be with you anymore.”

Lin Xiaowan took off her ring and placed it on the table as she said, “Here you go. I’m not interested in looking at wedding dresses with you. By the way, is my household registration book with you?”

“Qingqing!” Huo Zheng’s voice was a little stern.

Lin Xiaowan did not dare to look at him and quickly turned away, ignoring him.

Huo Zheng felt a headache coming on. He wondered if Lin Xiaowan had entered the rebellious phase. After all, she had always been sensible and rational in the past. In order to figure out the thoughts in her head, he softened his tone and said, “Marriage isn’t child’s play, Qingqing…”

“I know it’s not child’s play,” Lin Xiaowan interjected.

“Let’s talk this out, okay? Why don’t you want to marry me? Is it because you don’t want a wedding ceremony? We don’t have to have a wedding ceremony if you don’t want one.”

Huo Zheng came from a traditional family. He was the second son, and his elder brother was married. The first time he brought Lin Xiaowan home, his sister-in-law had nagged him about following traditions to register his marriage and hold a grand wedding for Lin Xiaowan. His sister-in-law also reminded Lin Xiaowan not to get pregnant out of wedlock. The family did not care about what people would say, but they were worried about tarnishing Lin Xiaowan’s reputation. In the end, Lin Xiaowan did not get pregnant out of wedlock, but Huo Zheng was about to lose Lin Xiaowan instead.

“No. I don’t care. I just don’t want to be with you,” Lin Xiaowan said stubbornly. In the end, she still could not say the words ‘break up’.

“Don’t be like this,” Huo Zheng said. He knew she was angry, and he really wanted to coax her. Alas, he did not know what to do. In the end, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. After kissing her forehead, he said, “Tell me what happened, okay? Why don’t you want to be with me?”

Lin Xiaowan struggled a few times but failed to break free. In the end, she bumped his chest with her forehead and did not reply to him.

They remained in a stalemate for a long time. Perhaps, due to the familiarity of the embrace and how late it was, exhaustion surged through Lin Xiaowan’s body, and it did not take long before she fell asleep.

Huo Zheng sighed before he put the ring back on for her and carried her upstairs. At the same time, he thought it was fortunate that she had entrusted him to keep her household registration book and other documents.

…

In the morning.

The aunt was steaming beef buns in the kitchen when Huo Zheng walked in.

“Huh? Mr. Huo, you’re back?”

Huo Zheng nodded and asked, “What has Qingqing been doing over the past two days?”

“She didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” the aunt replied, puzzled by Huo Zheng’s question. She thought about it for a moment. Lin Xiaowan had been behaving normally. The only abnormality was… yesterday.

With this thought in mind, the aunt quickly said, “Now that you asked, there was something strange yesterday. Miss Lin suddenly went out yesterday, but when she returned, she was clearly furious. She rummaged through the cabinets in the house, but in the end, it seemed like she couldn’t find what she was looking for. Perhaps she was too angry, she had two bowls of rice during dinner. She was clearly very full so I didn’t dare to let her eat anymore.”

Huo Zheng nodded and did not ask any more questions. Clearly, something had happened yesterday.

…

When Huo Zheng arrived at the company, he received a call from his older brother, Huo Cheng.

“Pay attention to the people around you over the next two days. If you discover anything, let me know immediately. Someone around me is getting restless and is about to make a move.”

The two Huo brothers were Huo Cheng and Huo Zheng. Huo Cheng, the older brother, was in politics, while Huo Zheng, the younger brother, was in business. The combination of the duo made them very powerful in the country.

Huo Cheng’s wife was Qiao You’an; the youngest daughter of the Qiao family, which was a prominent family. The marriage helped to forge a strong alliance between the two families.

The country of Shangxia, where they lived, was slightly different with distinct social rules and classes.

Shangxia had set up the Office of Military and Political Affairs, and there had been a change of personnel recently. As such, everyone was eyeing the office covetously at this moment. The Huo family was extremely powerful so it was only natural that people were wary of them.

“Got it,” Huo Zheng said.

Huo Cheng briefly explained the situation to Huo Zheng, and when he was just about to end the call, Huo Zheng stopped him.

“What is it?” Huo Cheng asked.

Huo Zheng remained silent despite stopping his brother from ending the call.

Huo Cheng waited for a while. When Huo Zheng still did not speak, he wondered for a moment if the call had ended. He glanced at the screen and confirmed the call was still ongoing before he said, “Spit it out if you have something to say.”

Huo Zheng struggled for a moment. He was really worried that Lin Xiaowan would insist on breaking up. He really did not know what the problem was. The only person whom he could think of to ask advice from was his sister-in-law, Qiao You’an. In the end, he asked Huo Cheng what Qiao You’an had been up to lately.

“Why are you asking about my wife?”

Huo Cheng was still at home at this moment. Qiao You’an was doing morning exercises in the garden with their two sons who were on summer vacation. Coincidentally, she walked over at this moment to get a glass of water. When she heard his words, she asked, “Who are you talking to?”

“My brother,” Huo Cheng said, “He’s beating around the bush just to ask what you’ve been up to recently.”

This was indeed strange.

Qiao You’an took the phone from Huo Cheng and asked, “Hey, what’s wrong? Is there something you need from me?”

“Sister-in-law,” Huo Zheng greeted her politely before he briefly explained the situation to her. To put it simply, his wife was about to run away. He did not know what to do and had no choice but to seek help.

Lin Xiaowan was not a native of the city of Sheng so she did not have many friends here. The only person she could speak to was Qiao You’an.

Lin Xiaowan and Qiao You’an’s relationship had always been pretty good. Upon hearing Huo Zheng’s words, Qiao You’an quickly packed her bags.

Seeing that his wife was about to rush off with their two sons, Huo Cheng asked, “What about me?”

Huo Cheng had been busy in the past two months. He had been busy burying mines and digging holes for his enemies. He was finally able to ignite the explosive and blew up his enemies, successfully catching his enemies off guard. He could finally take a breather and rest for two days, but before he could even hug his wife, she had left him alone in the empty house.

Qiao You’an glanced at Huo Cheng and said, “This concerns your brother’s lifelong happiness.”

Huo Cheng and Qiao You’an’s sons were twins. Their nicknames were ‘Huo Dabao’ and ‘Huo Erbao’. When they heard that they were going to see Lin Xiaowan, they were very happy. After all, they liked Lin Xiaowan a lot. They carried their small bags and rushed toward their mother who was standing at the door.

“Mom, let’s go!”

“Mom, don’t talk to Dad anymore!”

“Daddy, don’t open the door for strangers!”

“Bye, Daddy!”

Huo Cheng looked at his family speechlessly. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and blocked his brother’s number.

…

When Lin Xiaowan finally woke up, she saw two missed calls with a three-hour interval and a few messages from Qiao You’an.

‘What’s going on?’

Lin Xiaowan quickly read the messages.

[Qiao You’an: Xiaowan, why didn’t you answer my call? Are you still sleeping?]

[Qiao You’an: Xiaowan, I heard that b*stard Huo Cheng bullied you?]

[Qiao You’an: I’m coming. I brought Dabao and Erbao as well!]

Lin Xiaowen sat up immediately. She ran barefoot to the railing on the second floor, which happened to face the large living room downstairs.

As expected, Qiao You’an had already arrived and was watching some melodrama on the television. The volume was turned down, and the living room was relatively quiet. There were no signs of the two children.