Huo Jin’s eyes welled up with tears the moment she saw Shu Yan, as if she had endless grievances to express.
Chang Qingchuan swept his gaze over them and, even more displeased with Huo Jin’s actions, asked, “You found reinforcements?”
Seeing Chang Qingchuan’s aversion to her intensify, Huo Jin, not wanting to lose him, quickly said, “No, I didn’t…” but felt it was impossible to explain clearly.
“Chang Qingchuan, who do you think you are? You’re just a phoenix man. It’s already good that Huo Jin fancies you. How dare you bully Huo Jin like this? Believe it or not, I’ll have Uncle Huo make sure you have no place in Lancheng!” Shu Yan couldn’t stand Huo Jin being so submissive to such a man and unceremoniously invoked Huo Zhongze to threaten him.
Chang Qingchuan ignored Shu Yan’s words, his gaze fixed on Huo Jin. “So, this is what you’ve always thought. I was the one who was reaching too high.”
“No, I didn’t,” Huo Jin anxiously grabbed Shu Yan’s hand and quickly said to her, “Yan, don’t make things worse.”
Gu Susu also tugged at Chang Qingchuan’s sleeve from behind and whispered, “Senior Brother, calm down. Miss Huo probably didn’t mean it that way. Let’s talk after you’ve both calmed down. Don’t say things you’ll regret now…”
“You again! Who exactly are you?” Shu Yan, already full of anger, forcefully pushed Chang Qingchuan away and grabbed Gu Susu.
Gu Susu, however, didn’t want to get entangled with Shu Yan. She shook her off and said to Chang Qingchuan, “Chief Chang, I have something to attend to, so I’ll be going. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you out today.”
Chang Qingchuan stepped forward to shield her, preventing Shu Yan from getting any closer. “You did nothing wrong. Wherever you want to go, I’ll drive you.”
Gu Susu was about to say it wasn’t necessary, but Chang Qingchuan didn’t give her a chance to speak. He took her hand and led her directly out of the private room, walking away quickly.
Shu Yan, unwilling to accept this, wanted to chase after them to stop them, but Huo Jin held her back. “Forget it, don’t chase.”
Shu Yan couldn’t understand why Huo Jin was being so tolerant. “Huo Jin! Are you just going to watch them leave like this? What’s wrong with you? You’re too tolerant of that Chang Qingchuan. What’s so great about him? He’s not worthy of you, and he still puts on airs in front of you. Someone like that should be taught a lesson by Uncle Huo!”
Huo Jin, still a bit dazed, sat down on a chair in the private room, muttering, “Was I too much? Should I have believed him?”
Shu Yan stood beside her, annoyed by her inaction. “What’s wrong with you? What’s so good about that Chang Qingchuan? Besides being a bit handsome, he’s nothing compared to you. I think you’re bewitched!”
“What about your Qin Tianyi? Would you be willing to give him up?” Huo Jin looked up and asked.
Shu Yan felt a pang in her heart at the question and sat on a nearby chair. “What’s going on? That woman wants to steal your Chang Qingchuan. She really is a vixen!”
Huo Jin also sensed Shu Yan’s strong animosity towards Gu Susu, even more so than her own. “Do you know this Gu Susu? How do you know her?”
“She’s Qin Tianyi’s ex-wife. She disappeared for two years after marrying Qin Tianyi, and only after Qin Tianyi found her did they finalize the divorce.”
Huo Jin’s expression turned surprised. No wonder this woman could be a designer at Mishang and directly contact Chang Qingchuan when something happened.
She then recalled Chang Qingchuan saying Gu Susu didn’t need to climb the social ladder. That meant Chang Qingchuan knew Gu Susu’s identity and her backing was Qin Tianyi. If that was the case, why would she need to climb? Had she misunderstood them?
By now, she was already regretting it. Why couldn’t she just trust Chang Qingchuan?
Seeing Huo Jin still lost in thought, Shu Yan asked again, “How did this woman get involved with Chang Qingchuan?”
Huo Jin looked at Shu Yan again, feeling a little less distressed. “Perhaps there really is nothing between them. Gu Susu is a designer at Mishang, so she inevitably has work-related contact with Chang Qingchuan.”
Shu Yan’s eyes widened. Qin Tianyi said he had kicked this woman out, yet he still let her work in his company. Wasn’t this a sign of lingering ties?
Huo Jin, her mood somewhat calmed, said, “Yesterday, Chang Qingchuan told me that he knew Gu Susu from university. Gu Susu was two years younger than him. After graduation, they lost contact for various reasons. Now that they’ve met again in the same company, it’s just a coincidence. They were just good friends when they were studying. It seems like what he said is true.”
“You believe what she said so easily?” Shu Yan increasingly felt Gu Susu was not a good person, definitely the type of slut who only knew how to hook up with men. She reminded Huo Jin, “But I heard Qin Tianyi say she has a child. Who knows how many men she’s hooked up with.”
“A child?” Huo Jin was confused.
Shu Yan immediately said, “The child definitely isn’t Qin Tianyi’s. Aren’t you worried the child is Chang Qingchuan’s? ‘Good friends’? You can believe such nonsense. They might have been lovers in college.”
Huo Jin’s previously firm resolve wavered again. “Where is the child? I haven’t heard anyone from Mishang say this woman has a child.”
“If you want to know, it’s simple. What’s the use of having an informant at Mishang? It’s better to hire a private investigator to follow that woman, and you’ll know everything.” Shu Yan also wanted to find out Gu Susu’s background.
She had previously only heard that Gu Susu was a daughter the Ai family had left out in the cold. The Qin family’s old madam had chosen her for Qin Tianyi back then, and their marriage was due to the elders’ wishes, not love or any particular affection.
But now, seeing this woman’s capabilities, she was truly impressive. Even after divorcing Qin Tianyi, she could still be a designer at Mishang. Was it true talent, or was Qin Tianyi reluctant to let her go? Shu Yan couldn’t figure it out and decided it was best to investigate properly.
Huo Jin hesitated. “But if I hire a private investigator and it turns out Chang Qingchuan wasn’t lying to me, he’ll be even angrier that I don’t trust him. Then, we really won’t be able to continue. I don’t want to take that risk.”
“Then you don’t have to get involved. I’ll hire the private investigator, and I’ll tell you if there’s any news.” Shu Yan wasn’t afraid of Qin Tianyi finding out. “If your Chang Qingchuan finds out, just blame it all on me. He definitely won’t blame you.”
Huo Jin said gratefully, “Yan, thank you. But how do you plan to resolve the issue with Qin Tianyi? Are you really going to throw yourself into the fire?”
“You say that as if I’ll die if I marry him.” Shu Yan had thought it through. “I’ve made up my mind. It’s just a physiological problem, and it can be treated. Medicine is so advanced now; what illness can’t be cured?”
“That’s not necessarily true. Many illnesses can’t be cured now,” Huo Jin poured cold water on her. “Qin Tianyi’s condition seems unusually serious. He doesn’t care at all that his ex-wife has a child with someone else. What does that tell you?”
“How should I know?”
Huo Jin, being personally involved in her own relationship, found it difficult to sort things out and felt quite confused. However, when it came to the matter between Shu Yan and Qin Tianyi, she was a clear observer. Therefore, she wanted to enlighten Shu Yan.