An Lan was startled, how could he be so angry?
"So what if it was me?" she retorted, her own temper flaring, "You were so fierce yesterday, even shouting 'Gu Xi', I just pinched your arm, and I didn't even do it hard..."
The more she spoke, the guiltier she felt, and by the end, her voice had almost faded away.
"?"
Huo Zhanting chuckled coldly, "Impressive, An Lan, you've grown bold, daring to pinch me!?"
"??"
An Lan was completely baffled, "Isn't that what you're talking about?"
"..."
Huo Zhanting sneered again, "Very well, add another one to the list."
An Lan was utterly confused.
Huo Zhanting, furious beyond control of his expression, disdainfully tossed a stack of photos across the table, "See for yourself!"
Thump!
A pile of photos was slammed onto the table.
Even more perplexed, An Lan bent over to pick up the photos from the ground and as she did, her pupils dilated in shock—they were all from yesterday, of him and Xiao Yihe outside the meeting room!
"I asked you to come and work at the company, and this is how you repay me?"
Huo Zhanting crossed his legs as he sat in his seat, turned around to face An Lan, his eyes darkening like a storm brewing.
"Not only are you being disloyal, but now you plan to cuckold me in front of everyone, is that it?"
"This..."
An Lan's brain raced, Huo Zhanting was clearly angry; the urgent matter at hand wasn't about the source of these photos, but how to calm him down.
However, the photos showed her and Xiao Yihe struggling in the stairwell, and from the angle they were taken, her expression was not visible.
Instead, the urgency on Xiao Yihe's face was crystal clear, and the way their hands intertwined seemed especially intimate.
How could she explain this?
"What, are you trying to say these photos are fake?"
Huo Zhanting watched An Lan with a cold gaze.
If An Lan was really that foolish, then there was no need to continue their game.
"The photos are real," An Lan admitted plainly, "but Mr. Xiao was here to discuss compensation for a Huo Family employee; we had a meeting in the conference room, there should be a meeting record."
"As for these photos..."
An Lan took a deep breath.
No matter what, she had resolved to cut ties with Xiao Yihe, and thus, she shouldn't let him affect her life any longer.
She certainly shouldn't let him be implicated without cause.
"It was I who sought him out; he is about to get engaged to my sister. I merely wanted to clear things up with him, hoping that we all wouldn't let personal feelings interfere with work."
Huo Zhanting's expression grew even darker. He had given An Lan the opportunity to explain herself, and yet she had taken all the blame on herself?
Did he look like a fool to her?
This was the Huo Family, and if An Lan really wanted to find Xiao Yihe, she definitely wouldn't choose to do it here.
She simply didn't want him to lash out at Xiao Yihe.
"Fine, you've done well."
Rising abruptly, Huo Zhanting looked deeply at the flustered An Lan and laughed bitterly in anger, "An Lan, remember what you said today, and I hope you won't regret it."
After finishing, he left without looking back.
"Zhang Duo!"
Huo Zhanting commanded icily, "As of tomorrow, don't let the family chauffeur drive her to work, and inform the house servants to toss her belongings out of my bedroom!"
"This..."
Zhang Duo glanced into the conference room and said, "Director Huo, Xiao Yihe is just an outsider; why bother?"
He could tell that An Lan was fundamentally a kind-hearted girl, a far cry from Miss Gu.
Huo Zhanting responded ominously, "Are you deaf? Did you not hear what I said?"
"Yes."
Zhang Duo didn't dare say more and quickly left.
Huo Zhanting looked at An Lan still in the office and chuckled coldly.
If this woman liked taking the blame, he would let her!
He wanted to see, with Xiao Yihe interwoven in their life, how would An Lan choose?!
At the end of the workday, Huo Zhanting didn't wait for An Lan.
An Lan waited left and right to no avail; she knew that this damn man must be angry again.
After so many times, she could more or less figure out Huo Zhanting's temperament.
Moody and unpredictable, yet his character was like that of a child—he would sulk and ignore people over a trifle.
With a sigh, An Lan hailed a taxi and went home.
As soon as she stepped through the door, she saw servants moving things downstairs from the upper floor.
Because of her past relationship with Huo Zhanting, she had gradually brought quite a few things into his bedroom.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, I thought it was someone else, turns out it's the young mistress who's back?"
With a sarcastic tone and hands on her hips, Huo Jiajia directed the servants, "Didn't you hear my brother say it? Get rid of everything she's touched! Throw it all out!"
"Exactly! Just looking at them makes me feel dirty!"
Pointing and gesturing, Sun Lanfang snapped, "What are you looking at? Get lost quickly if you don't want to make things difficult for yourself!"
Seeing this scene, An Lan knew, Huo Zhanting was deliberately taking revenge on her.
The two people in front of her were nothing but bullies relying on someone else's power.
"Where's Huo Zhanting?"
"I told you long ago, my brother was just looking for a bit of excitement, and you took it seriously?" Huo Jiajia scoffed, "My brother doesn't want to see you!"
"Some cheap woman thinks just because someone's got her back, she can swagger around the Huo Family!"
Laughing coldly, Sun Lanfang did not hold back as she slapped An Lan's face, "You slut! Dare to talk back to me?!"
An Lan had stiffly endured the slap, and her face immediately swelled up.
She touched her cheek, her tone cooling down, "I have to attend the engagement party tomorrow."
"Who cares about you!" Sun Lanfang rolled her eyes, "Really think you matter? You don't even know if you're invited or not!"
"Even without an invitation, I have to go! The whole Binhai knows about her affair with Xiao Yihe; it was the talk of the town," Huo Jiajia mocked arrogantly, "seeing someone else getting engaged now, she probably can't give up yet!"
"An Lan, I advise you, rather than harboring such thoughts, you should better look at yourself in the mirror and see if you're worthy!"
"Whether I'm worthy or not isn't for you to decide."
An Lan cast a cold glance at Huo Jiajia and Sun Lanfang, "I'm in a very bad mood right now, it would be best for you two not to provoke me."
Having said that, she turned her head and walked away.
Sun Lanfang and Huo Jiajia shivered involuntarily under An Lan's glare.
"Mom, don't you think that bitch's look just now was like she was about to kill someone?" Huo Jiajia asked, staring in the direction An Lan had left.
"I do," Sun Lanfang nodded vigorously, "But it's useless, it's all an act!"
"Do you think she was pretending before, or is she pretending now?"
"Definitely now!" Sun Lanfang affirmed without a doubt, "She's been here for three years, don't I know her? Nothing but a pushover!"
Huo Jiajia pursed her lips, "Then why didn't you follow her?"
"You little brat! I'm your mother! You sure are ready to put me in the line of fire," Sun Lanfang chided.
…
On the other end, An Lan returned to her own bedroom, feeling physically and emotionally exhausted.
Half of it was due to anger at Huo Zhanting, and the other half was because of Xiao Yihe.
She had clearly warned Xiao Yihe to stay away from her, so why did he insist on getting closer?
Does he have a death wish?
She had to take the opportunity to make things clear with him tomorrow.
And also…
Why would he be engaged to An Yuxian?
Unfortunately, her status prevented her from avoiding it altogether, yet she was obliged to go, or else An Guohua wouldn't miss an opportunity to use this against her to ask for money in the future.
Fortunately, Huo Zhanting always disdained attending such events, otherwise she really didn't know if she could cope…
Her thoughts were as tangled as a ball of yarn; after thinking for a moment, An Lan simply gave up and decided to play it by ear.
…
The next day, at the engagement party.
The gathering was filled with distinguished guests, prominent figures from all walks of life in attendance, and the hotel was located at Binhai's prime spot, with a large arch by the entrance, beside which stood An Yuxian and Xiao Yihe's wedding photos.
In the photo, Xiao Yihe had a faint smile, while An Yuxian's face beamed with happiness.
An Lan had once imagined her wedding with Xiao Yihe; it's just a pity that, in the end, she had missed out.
She steadied her emotions slightly and put on a polite yet distant smile, then took a step and walked in.
With her awkward relationship with Xiao Yihe, she intended to enter discreetly and find a chance to talk to him, but as soon as she entered, someone shouted loudly.
"Oh my! Sister! You're here?"
Dressed in a gorgeous wedding gown, An Yuxian came over with feigned surprise, "I thought you weren't coming!"
With An Yuxian's shout, many people turned their attention to An Lan.
"Isn't that Miss An? I heard she was so desperate to be with Xiao Yihe that she nearly sought death!"
"Exactly! And in the end, Xiao Yihe didn't choose her after all!"
"You know nothing, that's talent! She went straight from there to marry into the Huo Family and become Mrs. Huo!"
"Looks can be deceiving indeed!"