During lunch, his older sister, Chang Qingchuan, and Susu had endless topics to discuss. He could only interject with jokes from the sidelines.
Since Susu said she treated him like a brother, he didn't hesitate to act as one, taking meticulous care of her. Everyone felt relaxed and at ease.
Chang Qingchuan didn't notice any unusual feelings he had for Susu.
After lunch, as they were saying goodbye, he proactively offered to drive Susu home. Huo Jin wanted to stop him, but Chang Qingchuan readily agreed on Susu's behalf.
Susu didn't refuse this time and happily got into his car. She gave Huo Jin a reassuring gesture as they said goodbye.
After this meal, she realized Huo Zheng's emotional intelligence was actually quite high. She had misjudged him before, always thinking he was just a frivolous second-generation rich kid.
She hadn't expected Huo Zheng to have changed so much.
Before starting the car, Huo Zheng asked her, "Where are you going?"
Susu told him the location of her studio, and Huo Zheng drove her there without any further questions.
Upon arriving, Huo Zheng saw it was an office building. As he opened the car door for her, he asked, "You work here?"
Susu got out of the car, nodded, and said, "You could say that. Thank you."
Huo Zheng followed behind her, showing no intention of leaving.
Susu stopped and turned to look at him, asking, "Young Master Huo, is there anything else?"
"I told you not to call me that."
Susu felt he was still persistent and said with a smile, "Huo Zheng, we're really not suitable. Putting aside the fact that I'm older than you, I have a husband and children, and I love them very much. With your qualifications, you can find any girl you want. Please don't pester me about this anymore..."
Huo Zheng interrupted her, his face sincere. "Sister Susu, I know all these things. I'm not here to talk about that. I want to ask you something serious."
Susu responded with a surprised "Oh?" and asked, "What serious matter?"
"I know you're actually a fashion designer. I wanted to ask if you know anything about garment processing factories, and how to make money by opening one?"
"You want to open a factory? You can live a life of ease without doing anything. Why do you want to do this?"
"Sister Susu, please don't misunderstand. This is really not a tactic to pursue you." Huo Zheng knew she wouldn't believe him and explained, "I admit I was attracted to you before and wanted to pursue you, but it was also you who made me realize I had no life goals and was just indulging in a life of debauchery. Even if I met a girl I liked, she wouldn't be interested in me."
Susu couldn't help but smile, thinking that he could have such awareness, making it worthwhile for her to have disciplined him at risk before.
"Don't laugh," Huo Zheng said helplessly. "Yes, spending money lavishly can attract many beautiful women, but none of that appeals to me. I've thought about it. Let's not talk about relationships for now. I need to make something of myself. I can't ruin myself just because I'm rebelling against my old man."
"Alright, alright, I get it," Susu said with a smile. "But I'm telling you the truth, so don't take it badly."
"Just say what you think. You weren't afraid to speak at the club, so why are you being indirect now?"
Susu felt he was teachable and said, "Forget about opening a factory. It's not that you lack ability, but have you ever been involved in the fashion industry before? I don't think you understand it at all. You should only do what you're familiar with. Right now, you can only say you're interested in this field, correct?"
"Mm, you're right. It's pretty much what my old man says," Huo Zheng said dejectedly.
Susu advised him, "Why don't you start by understanding the industry? With your own advantages, you could consider becoming a model."
"You want me to be a male model?"
Seeing his reaction, Susu thought he looked down on the profession. "I'm just suggesting. Being a male model only relies on your physique, but you can connect with many people in the fashion industry, and naturally, you'll learn about the field. It will definitely be beneficial for you to open a factory in the future."
Huo Zheng said, "So, you mean, setting aside my family background, I can only rely on my physique to make a living."
"You can interpret it that way, I suppose," Susu said calmly. "I'm just making a suggestion. But as the esteemed Young Master Huo, you surely wouldn't do this. Consider it unsaid."
Huo Zheng perfunctorily replied, "I'll consider it. Sorry to bother you. I'll be going now."
Susu waved goodbye to him and walked into the building to check on the renovation of her studio.
Huo Zheng returned to his car, feeling frustrated. He hadn't expected Susu to mock him again with this matter. He was always at a disadvantage when dealing with her and was always ridiculed. It made him furious!
In the elevator, Susu thought about Huo Zheng's expression just now. It seemed he was angry.
She knew it would be like this. A young master like Huo Zheng had his own pride. How could he become a male model?
She had just said it casually. If he wanted to make money in the fashion industry without strength, he could only rely on his external appearance first. If he wanted others not to look down on him, he had to become stronger himself.
However, although Huo Zheng had improved a lot, he hadn't reached that level of realization yet.
It wasn't her business to worry about Huo Zheng. She had only said that because he had asked.
...
In these days, Susu lived a life that was simple, busy, happy, and fulfilling—exactly the life she had dreamed of. After experiencing so much, she cherished the hard-won happiness even more.
Qin Tianyi remained cold and unapproachable in front of outsiders, but he had completely changed in front of her, becoming gentle, affectionate, and considerate to the extreme... making her utterly defenseless. She felt like she was surrounded by honey every day, her heart filled with sweetness.
With Christmas approaching, she settled in the newly arrived Sophie in Lancheng today and returned from outside at nine o'clock at night.
As soon as she entered the house, she found it strange that the lights in the living room on the first floor were not on.
Someone suddenly hugged her from behind and kissed her.
Without looking back, she recognized Qin Tianyi by the faint scent of mint.
"Stop playing around, turn on the lights quickly." As she spoke, she reached out to switch on the living room light.
Tianyi whispered in her ear, "Wait, we have a surprise for you."
"What surprise?"
As soon as Susu finished speaking, he covered her eyes with his hands and said, "Xingxing, quickly let Mommy see our masterpiece."
"Okay."
Susu heard Little Xingxing's laughter and asked, "What exactly have you two been doing at home?"
"Mommy, do you like it?"
At this moment, Tianyi removed his hands from her eyes and hummed a tune, saying, "Look."
Susu was stunned to see a sparkling Christmas tree in the living room and asked, "Did you two decorate this?"
Little Xingxing ran to her side, tugged at her clothes, and said happily, "Daddy and I did it together. Does Mommy like it?"
"I love it." Susu squatted down and kissed him, looking at the Christmas tree, which was as tall as a person, with immense surprise.
The tree was wrapped with fairy lights and adorned with all sorts of cute little ornaments, shining brightly and beautifully.