"This..."
Zhou Huimin didn't expect Huo Zhanting to be so disrespectful, but she was too afraid to speak out and could only sulkily force a smile, "Yes, Director Huo is right..."
"She doesn't know how to speak, Director Huo, please don't take offense!"
An Guohua searched for the right words cautiously, "However, I also have something I'd like to ask Director Huo..."
As An Guohua spoke, he observed Huo Zhanting's expression, which made him break out in a cold sweat.
He didn't want to provoke Huo Zhanting, but now the An Family was on the brink of collapse. Without those twenty million, the An Family would be finished!
Pressing his lips tightly together, An Guohua steeled himself and said, "Director Huo, our An Family's cash flow has encountered some issues recently, I wonder if you could possibly lend a hand?"
"Dad!" An Lan chuckled and teasingly said, "That's a twenty-million-dollar deficit. You're just going to brush it off with a plea for help? Do you have no intention of repaying it?"
"This..." An Guohua, hit where it hurt, immediately panicked, "Director Huo, that's not what I mean..."
"Even close brothers settle accounts!" An Lan continued, "If you're borrowing money, then just say so openly, how long for, and at what interest rate. This vagueness, those who don't know might think you're endlessly taking advantage of the fact that I married Zhan Ting!"
"You!"
An Guohua was choked up and, yet, unable to retort. His old face turned beet red, and he wanted to explain himself, but An Lan had no intention of listening.
"Zhan Ting, I'm thirsty," said An Lan, scanning the area and pointing towards a bar not far off, "Shall we go over there?"
"Hmm."
Huo Zhanting readily agreed and gracefully followed An Lan away.
"That little bitch!"
Zhou Huimin muttered angrily from the side, "Isn't this just biting the hand that feeds you?!"
"Enough! Aren't you useless? If you had money, would I need to put up with this?!"
An Guohua glared malevolently at An Lan from a distance.
He always thought his daughter was weak and submissive, easy to control, but now it seemed like mother like daughter!
Fu Juan was the same. He thought she was easy to manipulate, but she was cunning. Only when she died did he find out that she had secretly saved some money.
If only she were still alive, he wouldn't be fussing over twenty million!
Damn!
They should all be dead!
...
Elsewhere, Huo Zhanting and An Lan stood side by side in front of the bar. He held a whiskey in his hand and watched as An Lan downed a whole glass of champagne in one gulp, then let out a long sigh, her lips curving into an unconscious smile.
In three years, he didn't seem to have ever seen An Lan as relaxed as she was now.
She was always tense, trying too hard to please, and he had never seen her drink so boldly before.
This little vixen, showing her true colors!
"What are you laughing at?"
An Lan looked at Huo Zhanting with a coquettish side-eye.
Huo Zhanting took a sip of his drink to hide his amusement, "Someone is saving money for me, of course I'm smiling."
"You don't need anyone to save money for you," An Lan casually picked up another glass of champagne, "It's just that I can't stand them taking advantage of us."
Huo Zhanting unexpectedly retorted, "Can't stand people taking advantage, or can't stand Xiao Yihe marrying An Yuxian?"
An Lan looked surprised at Huo Zhanting and said, "Xiao Yihe and I ended things three years ago. If I still had feelings for him, why would I marry you?"
"Three years ago, your mother was still alive. You couldn't offend the An Family, so you acted weak and easily bullied, only wanting your mother to be safe..."
"Now that your mother has passed away, you obviously don't need to pretend anymore."
"Anyone who investigates can easily make these connections," said Huo Zhanting steadily, his tone full of authority, "An Lan, don't take me for a fool."
After finishing his words, An Lan seemed outwardly calm, but inside she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
How could she forget who Huo Zhanting was?
The youngest business prodigy of Binhai, taking the reins of the Huo Family at the age of 24 with reach extending everywhere. How could such a man be manipulated by a woman's few words?
Could she possibly expect such a man to be easily deceived by love?
"Alright, I was indeed pretending before."
An Lan candidly admitted Huo Zhanting's words, "Since you've looked into my mother, you must also know that her death was suspicious. She was my only family; I have to avenge her."
"But I have nothing right now, I need someone to help me."
An Lan spoke ambiguously, alluding to Xiao Yihe.
Even though she didn't intend to drag Xiao Yihe into this, she knew that only by saying this would Huo Zhanting believe that whatever connection she had with Xiao Yihe was solely for this purpose.
Sure enough, Huo Zhanting chuckled, "Attorney Xiao is indeed capable, but there are some people he can't touch."
An Lan's brow twitched.
Huo Zhanting indeed knew something!
She had known that there had to be some hidden reason for Zhang Duo's appearance at the hospital that day!
He knew who had harmed his mother!
Or could it be...
That he did it?!
In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through An Lan's mind, and Huo Zhanting, watching the fleeting glimmer in her eyes, couldn't help but snort with laughter.
With such little ability, the little fox still dares to get involved with Xiao Yihe?
"I can help you investigate this matter."
An Lan was stunned, Huo Zhanting was willing to help her investigate?
Had the sun risen from the west?
But she quickly calmed down, "What's the condition?"
She didn't believe that Huo Zhanting would help her without a reason.
"You."
Huo Zhanting pointed at An Lan, and beneath his lowered lashes, a trace of desolation flickered in his eyes, "I want you to promise me that you'll never lie to me, never betray me."
The condition was truly baffling, prompting An Lan to question instinctively, "And if I don't?"
Huo Zhanting's dark laughter sounded, "Binhai sees plenty of car accidents every day, one more or one less, no one would care."
An Lan felt his gaze on her as if targeted by a venomous snake, a chill running from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head.
Having spent three years with Huo Zhanting, even with little communication, she had heard enough about his doings.
When he gave his word, he kept it.
No matter how preposterous, once he spoke of doing something, he would invariably do it, and do so thoroughly.
No one doubted his words.
"Fine," An Lan pondered briefly before raising her hand, making a fist, and lightly bumping Huo Zhanting's shoulder, "Deal!"
Huo Zhanting watched An Lan with a grin, "Now you can tell me, what exactly is going on between you and Xiao Yihe?"
The corner of An Lan's eye twitched, so after all this roundabout, he was still asking that question.
"Even if she hasn't married An Yuxian, there's no possibility for us, I have no grudges against him and don't want him to be targeted by you because of me."
Huo Zhanting took another sip of his drink, "It's not because of you."
"Huh?"
An Lan didn't understand, but Huo Zhanting changed the topic, "Why did you pinch me?"
"…"
This question was even more difficult to answer than about Xiao Yihe.
An Lan pursed her lips, thinking over and over, and although she had just promised Huo Zhanting not to lie to him, she reckoned Huo Zhanting wouldn't want to hear the name Gu Xi, and bringing it up would only lead to discomfort. So, she made up an excuse, "You were drunk that day, reeking of alcohol, and I got a bit angry..."
"Did I say anything?" Huo Zhanting pressed on.
"No."
Huo Zhanting did not pursue the matter further; at the moment, the emcee on stage urged everyone to look towards the center of the dance floor.
Xiao Yihe and An Yuxian stood under the spotlight, surrounded by a crowd of guests, beginning the opening dance.
The handsome man and beautiful woman twirled to the melodious music, evoking the envy of all the guests and sparking many discussions.
"Truly a match of equals!"
"Yes! The An Family leaning on Lawyer Xiao, isn't that a powerful alliance?"
"What's the big deal with Xiao Yihe! The main thing is that Director Huo is here!"
"That's true, An Guohua really made something of the An Family relying on his two daughters!"
...
Listening to the people's discussions, An Lan quietly asked Huo Zhanting, "Did you know all along that as long as you showed up, the An Family would be saved, and there was actually no need to give money?"
One must consider the face of the Buddha rather than that of the monk.
At the start-up phase, it might be about capability, but at the level of the An and Huo Families, it's about whom you do business with and who you have a deep connection with.
This is a silent assurance that works better than anything in the business world.
Huo Zhanting whispered in An Lan's ear, "You owe me another favor."
"I'll repay it right now."
Huo Zhanting raised an eyebrow, looking at An Lan with interest.
The woman lifted her skirt and curtseyed to him like a gentleman would, her smile blooming as she extended her hand, "Mr. Huo, would you do me the honor of a dance?"