Huangfu Shaohua was speechless. Did his family background show on his face?
Why was it that today, whenever he told his friends he needed a job and a place to live, no one believed him?
"I'm not joking," Huangfu Shaohua said, dejected but serious. "Do you know any affordable and clean inns? I need a place to stay tonight."
Daisy saw that he didn't look like he was lying and said, "Let me think."
Huangfu Shaohua ate the grilled meat heartily, feeling hungry now.
Daisy asked again, "But you drive a luxury car and have the club's most expensive VIP membership. Can't you even find a place to stay?"
"The car is rented, and that VIP card used up almost all my savings. Actually, I just wanted to see you every day." Huangfu Shaohua put down his chopsticks, making his situation sound more and more pathetic.
Daisy hadn't expected this to be the truth. No wonder Susu had warned her that Qin Tianyi thought he might be a骗子.
But she had already fallen for him. Besides pretending to be rich, he hadn't really deceived her.
Seeing her silence, Huangfu Shaohua thought she regretted it and said, "It's not too late to regret it. If you become my girlfriend, we might not even be able to afford street food like this in the future."
Daisy wiped her mouth and said with a smile, "No, if worst comes to worst, I'll support you."
Huangfu Shaohua couldn't help but look at her in surprise. All the women he had met before were after him and the Huangfu family. No one had ever looked past his family background and said they would support him.
Daisy took a skewer of grilled flatbread and dangled it in front of him. "Shaohua, what are you thinking about? After we finish eating, I'll take you somewhere where you can stay first."
Huangfu Shaohua's gaze towards her became exceptionally gentle, and he nodded.
After finishing their late-night snack, Daisy took him to an empty old house.
Huangfu Shaohua saw that the house wasn't large, but it had all the necessary amenities. It had a bathroom and a kitchen, and it was clean and tidy.
"This isn't where you live, is it?"
Daisy shook her head. "You wish. I don't live here. This is my family's old house. My mom had it renovated last month and planned to rent it out, but she hasn't found a suitable tenant yet."
Huangfu Shaohua looked around. "No wonder the wallpaper looks new, and there's no dust in the house."
"If you think it's okay, I'll go back and tell my mom, and then I'll rent it to you first," Daisy said cheerfully.
Huangfu Shaohua thought about the dwindling money in his card and how long his silent feud with his father would last. He asked, "How much is the rent?"
Daisy made the decision herself and quoted a price. "One thousand a month. Can you afford it?"
"No problem," Huangfu Shaohua said, pulling her into his arms and wanting to kiss her again.
Daisy casually grabbed a cushion from the chair and threw it at him. "Stop messing around. It's getting late, I should go home..."
Huangfu Shaohua still kissed her lips, preventing her from making any sound.
She liked his kiss but didn't dare to give herself to him too quickly. She pushed him away forcefully. "We don't know each other well enough..."
"We can't?" Huangfu Shaohua released her with a hint of disappointment. "It's so late, I'll take you home."
Suddenly leaving his embrace, Daisy felt an emptiness in her heart again. She handed him a key to the old house.
As he was about to take her home and reach for the door, her emotions finally overcame her reason. She leaned against the door and looked at him impulsively, saying, "Actually, we can."
Huangfu Shaohua understood, held her arm, and said tenderly, "Daisy, I love you."
"I know."
He pulled her onto the sofa, brushed aside her hair, and gently nuzzled her neck before slowly moving to her lips, pressing down on her, and kissing her.
After their passionate encounter on the sofa, Huangfu Shaohua still held her tightly, unwilling to let her go.
Daisy leaned in his arms and said reluctantly, "I have to go home, or my parents will worry."
"Stay with me a little longer, and I'll take you back," he said, gently stroking her hair.
Being with the person he loved made him feel an unprecedented happiness and joy.
...
On the weekend, Song Jiaping arrived at a beautifully landscaped sanatorium in the suburbs.
Standing at the sanatorium's main gate, he hesitated until the gatekeeper noticed him.
"Mr. Song, visiting your mother?" the gatekeeper said, opening the gate for him.
Song Jiaping smiled and nodded, then walked in quickly.
He hadn't been here for two months. His mother, Zhu Qin, had called him several times, and each time she asked how his revenge was progressing.
"Mom, it's in progress. It still needs time." He had grown numb to his mother's constant questioning.
Zhu Qin roared on the other end of the line, "How much more time do you need? One year, two years... another ten or twenty years!"
"Mom, I can't say for sure. Dealing with Huangfu Sisong isn't that easy..."
"Haven't you already gained the trust of Huangfu Sisong's daughter? Why haven't you acted yet? Making his daughter suffer is the best revenge against him!" Zhu Qin felt it wasn't as complicated as he made it out to be.
Song Jiaping said, "I only want to get revenge with my own abilities. I won't use innocent people."
"Innocent? Weren't your grandfather and father innocent back then? Weren't we innocent?" Zhu Qin said angrily. "Do you like Huangfu Sisong's daughter? Have you forgotten how hard I worked to send you to school and abroad!"
"I haven't forgotten. It was Huangfu Sisong who caused Grandpa and Dad's tragic deaths, who left us orphaned and helpless, and who caused you so much suffering." Song Jiaping's ears had grown calluses from hearing these words; he could recite them backward.
"It's good that you haven't forgotten. I can't wait much longer," Zhu Qin said in a cold voice.
From childhood, his mother had constantly reminded him to avenge Huangfu Sisong when he grew up, continuously instilling hatred for the Huangfu family in him.
When he was in college, he hated Huangfu Sisong and everyone in the Huangfu family.
At that time, he didn't even remember what Huangfu Sisong looked like, nor did he know anyone from the Huangfu family.
He had decided then that to get revenge, he would approach Huangfu Mengyao, make her fall in love with him, use her to gain Huangfu Sisong's trust, and seize the Huangfu Group.
He thought he wouldn't develop any feelings for Huangfu Mengyao, that he would deceive and toy with her, and the more miserable she became, the more it would hurt Huangfu Sisong.
But after he went abroad with her, he fell for her in that war-torn place.
His heart was no longer filled with just hatred; there was also a faint, unclear glimmer of light.
Therefore, he became increasingly afraid of seeing his mother, afraid that she would keep urging him to get revenge quickly.
Song Jiaping walked with difficulty to Zhu Qin's room. He saw that the curtains were open, and the sunlight shone on Zhu Qin without any obstruction.
He spoke first, "Mom, how have you been feeling lately?"
Hearing his voice, Zhu Qin slowly turned her eyes to look at him, gazing at him for a long time as if he were a stranger.