"What's wrong? Miss Xu, Mr. Huo is not well. You visited him last time and aren't you aware of this? Do I need to explain such a simple truth to you? You are the future Mrs. Huo, and Huo Qingrang is your father-in-law. How can you do something like this? Are you worthy of your conscience?!"
Su Qi could no longer hold back.
Huo Qingrang had narrowly escaped death.
And this princess, who lived in an ivory tower, had done something so heinous!
She had almost killed Huo Qingrang!
"I... I didn't!" Xu Linyun's eyes welled up with tears, her beautiful eyes wide open, flashing with an innocent, pitiable look.
"I was just kindly visiting Mr. Huo. I didn't intend to harm him. As you said, his health hasn't been good for more than a day or two. I was just being kind. How can you misunderstand me?"
As Xu Linyun was speaking, footsteps sounded from outside the door.
Small leather shoes tapped on the marble floor.
The sound was crisp, approaching from a distance.
Stopping at the doorway, she saw the two people inside.
Huo Tingyun raised an eyebrow, a flicker of starlight appearing in his eyes.
"Brother Tingyun, you've finally finished your meeting. Are you tired? I made you some soup. Come and try it quickly."
Xu Linyun stepped forward, deliberately lifting her face high, presenting it to Huo Tingyun so he could see clearly.
Huo Tingyun glanced over and saw the tear stains on Xu Linyun's face.
The man frowned deeply. "What's going on?"
"It's nothing. It's all my fault. Yesterday, I went to visit your father. After I left, your father was rushed to the emergency room. Sister Su Qi was also worried about your father's health, which is why she misunderstood me, thinking I had harmed your father."
Xu Linyun tugged at Huo Tingyun's sleeve. While saying it was nothing, her voice was slightly choked, and she even sniffled.
She looked as if she was about to burst into tears.
Huo Tingyun's gaze swept over, landing coldly on Su Qi.
His expression darkened a few shades.
Su Qi applauded, "As expected of a film empress, your acting is truly remarkable."
Since Xu Linyun was so shameless, Su Qi couldn't be bothered to argue with her anymore.
"What did you do in the ward? Don't you have any idea? If you didn't say something to provoke Huo Qingrang, how could he have suddenly fallen ill?!"
"Su Qi! That's enough!" Huo Tingyun shielded Xu Linyun behind him.
This was the first time he had seen Su Qi so aggressive.
"Linyun said she was just being kind. Father's health is already poor, so it's normal for him to fall ill suddenly."
"Forget it, Tingyun. Don't say anything more. It's all my fault."
Xu Linyun looked on the verge of tears.
Huo Tingyun's temples throbbed.
Recalling the scene at the hospital, his gaze towards Su Qi was as if he wanted to kill her.
"Su Qi! You'd better make it clear what you're saying right now!"
The man's frosty voice was colder than the ice and snow of midwinter, and the surrounding atmosphere seemed to have suddenly dropped to freezing point.
Su Qi sneered.
Afraid?
She was alone.
With no attachments.
What was there to fear?
"Huo Tingyun, you should be the one to shut up. I'm telling you, Xu Linyun resorted to any means to make you divorce me, and she almost killed Huo Qingrang. I will settle this score with her!"
"Sister Su Qi, please don't be angry because of me. I was wrong, okay? It was all me. I shouldn't have gone to visit out of kindness, causing you to misunderstand me..."
Xu Linyun walked towards Su Qi, intending to take her hand.
Su Qi was furious and found even a touch from Xu Linyun annoying, so she directly shook her off.
Xu Linyun, not knowing what was happening, reached out for Su Qi's hand, and Su Qi's slap grazed Xu Linyun's face.
Then, a loud slapping sound was heard.
By the time Su Qi reacted, Xu Linyun had already fallen to the ground, covering her face, tears falling like broken strings of pearls.
"Sister Su Qi, what are you doing? I've already apologized. Why are you still hitting me? Why..."
"Su Qi! Are you f***ing crazy!?"
Huo Tingyun roared, lunging forward and grabbing Su Qi's hand, which was stiffly held in mid-air.
Su Qi was enraged and spoke without thinking, "She deserved it!"
One slap was not enough.
Even a hundred slaps wouldn't vent her anger!
Slap—
Her cheek felt a sharp pain.
It hurt.
It hurt badly.
Su Qi's face instantly swelled, and she tasted blood in her mouth.
She could have dodged, but she fearlessly did not.
She knew she meant nothing to Huo Tingyun.
Yet, being slapped by Huo Tingyun sent a sharp pain spreading through her heart.
She even felt numb to the swelling and pain on her face.
Tears instantly filled her eyes.
Su Qi gritted her teeth, enduring it, and forced herself not to let any tears fall.
She simply opened her phone and turned the volume to the maximum.
Then, Xu Linyun's voice echoed throughout the large office.
"Uncle, actually, Tingyun and Su Qi are already preparing for divorce. Tingyun and I are preparing to get married. Tingyun was afraid you would worry, so he didn't tell you the truth.
But I think you have the right to know all this. When you're feeling better, please attend my wedding with Tingyun.
Su Qi hasn't had children for Tingyun, but I will definitely give Tingyun a pair of intelligent children, so you can hold your grandchildren sooner—"
This was a recording.
When she visited Huo Qingrang last time, Su Qi had already installed a camera in the ward.
This was both to ensure Huo Qingrang's safety and to see this man, who was as dear as a father, at any time.
After the recording finished playing, the room fell into a dead silence.
Even the secretaries looked at Xu Linyun on the floor in astonishment.
Huo Tingyun's palm still felt tingly and swollen.
He looked at Su Qi, whose face was swollen on one side from his slap, and a wave of regret surged through him.
Even before the slap landed, he had already begun to regret it.
All his reason and composure had been lost and defeated when facing Su Qi.
"Huo Tingyun, I will remember this slap. I will never forgive you in this lifetime!"
Su Qi spat out the blood in her mouth, not a single tear falling. She turned and left.
"Tingyun, listen to me. I had no ill intentions. I just didn't want Uncle Huo to be kept in the dark. I just wanted him to know everything sooner. I just wanted us to get our marriage certificate sooner. I don't want to wait any longer."
Xu Linyun hugged Huo Tingyun from behind, crying, gasping for breath.
Huo Tingyun pried her hands off one by one. "Escort Miss Xu out. Without my permission, no one is allowed to enter my office."
Xu Linyun, no exception!
The secretaries, hearing this, dared not delay any longer and quickly pulled Xu Linyun out.
Xu Linyun was still crying and struggling. "Tingyun, you can't treat me like this. Have you forgotten your promise? You said you would love me forever. You promised me when we were so young, so young..."
The door behind them closed.
Huo Tingyun untied his tie and threw himself onto the executive chair.
He leaned back, closed his eyes, and his thoughts drifted back to a childhood summer.
That summer, he had lost his sight.