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The few people in the living room looked toward the sound.
Huo Zhenyang, dressed in a tailor-made black suit, stood tall and straight at the entrance, his deep-set eyes slightly upturned, concealing a sharpness and dissatisfaction that was hard to articulate, like the calm before a thunderstorm.
"Zhenyang! You're back!" Jian Meiyi's eyes lit up as she rushed forward, about to grab him, only to notice the displeasure and darkness in his gaze and hastily withdrew her hand, pointing at Jiayi in the living room, frowning, "Have you been with her these past few days?"
Auntie Li intended to take Miss Jiayi upstairs first but was taken by surprise as Huo Zhenyang curved his perfect thin lips and walked towards Jiayi.
Before Jiayi could react, Huo Zhenyang had already grabbed her arm and responded to Jian Meiyi with a "Hmm."
A simple "Hmm" left Auntie Li and the butler astonished.
Jian Meiyi's face changed, but still in disbelief, she widened her eyes, "Who is she to you...?"
"She's living in my villa now, what do you think she is?" Huo Zhenyang clenched his palm, drawing Jiayi to his side, indifferently, "Of course, she's my woman."
Jiayi took a deep breath, understanding that this lunatic intended to use her to get rid of the woman in front of him and break free from his large grasp.
Huo Zhenyang held her hand tightly, giving her no chance to break free.
With a tug from him, Jiayi's forehead collided with his chest.
"Does it hurt? Bumped your head?" Huo Zhenyang stroked her head with an affection he had never displayed before.
"No way! When did you two get together? If you had a woman, the paparazzi would've exposed it by now!..." Jian Meiyi confronted him directly, expecting a negative answer, hoping he would tell her, that this country bumpkin girl had nothing to do with him. Unexpectedly, they really had something going on!
"My woman, of course, should be treasured in the palm of my hand, not casually exposed. How could it be easily revealed?" Huo Zhenyang quirked his lips and held the girl tighter, secretly pinching Jiayi.
Feeling pain, Jiayi understood his intention, that she should cooperate, she gritted her teeth and turned her head to the side.
Huo Zhenyang glanced at her sideways and inexplicably smiled, slowly drawing closer to her.
He was doing this to threaten her!
Jiayi hurriedly shrank back unnoticeably, Hmph! Consider it repayment for Auntie Li's care today.
Then she faced the already pale Jian Meiyi, "Miss Jian, I hope you won't bother a man who already has a girlfriend. You're a celebrity, and if it gets out that you're clinging to a man with a girlfriend, showing up as the other woman, it won't sound good, right? Aren't you going to audition soon? That would be affected too, right?"
Who would have thought that the seemingly simple and foolish little white rabbit could talk so well, even showing a bit of wit.
Huo Zhenyang arched an eyebrow.
"You dare threaten me!" Jian Meiyi finally snapped out of her stupor. Accustomed to being adored by fans and high on her own arrogance, she couldn't stand being ridiculed by an unknown nobody, and like a madwoman, she took a few steps forward, reaching to grab Jiayi's hair. She hadn't even come close before Huo Zhenyang caught her wrist.
"Get out."
The man's face was heavy with shadows, frighteningly dark, his usually cold eyes now ablaze, sparks seemingly ready to burst forth.
Jian Meiyi's heartbeat skipped a beat, overwhelmed by the man and unable to breathe, but what hurt her more was the way he still protectively held the girl in his arms.
"Fine!" Jian Meiyi cast a vicious glance at Jiayi, then staggered out on her high-heels, overwhelmed with frustration and indignation.
As the woman's graceful figure disappeared from the villa, Jiayi's body relaxed. The man who had just been holding her let go of his grip and stepped back several paces, instantly putting distance between them, reverting to a cold indifference as though he didn't know her.
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"Auntie Li, run the bath. I'm going to take a shower," Huo Zhenyang loosened his collar and slowly made his way upstairs.
"Mr. Huo, I will leave tomorrow." Jiayi had not expected him to come back from the downtown area today and called out behind him.
Huo Zhenyang's steps halted slightly, and he turned half of his sculptural face, his voice devoid of warmth, three parts cold, seven parts domineering, "You're not allowed to leave."
Yesterday he had driven her away, and today he wouldn't let her leave, Jiayi was momentarily unable to grasp his intention, "Why?"
"You eat mine, you live in my house, you ought to give me something in return," Huo Zhenyang's usually unsmiling eyes showed a rare playfulness.
That Jian Meiyi is a lunatic, clinging to him for several months, not even the bodyguards could stop her. Today, she was finally driven off in a fit of anger, but she was likely not to give up and would come back. This girl, she could help him crush Jian Meiyi's heart completely.
If she still had some use, why let her go?
Ever since his youth, he had followed his father into the kingdom of commerce, deftly navigating between the business and political worlds—a minor trade like this was all too common for him.
Jiayi understood his intentions and bit her lip, "Why should I help you deceive someone?"
"Heh," the man chuckled lightly, "Do you have any money on you? Do you have anyone you know? With the way you are now, even if you leave, you'd certainly starve to death on the streets within three to five days."
Jiayi clenched her fists, her lips curling slightly, "So, what you mean, Mr. Huo, is to give me food and shelter, to keep me from starving or sleeping on the streets, and in return, I should deal with your admirers for you? Isn't my price too low? Even if I'm homeless now, I don't think I need to debase myself to the point of having to take on this job for you."
In fact, he had touched upon her vulnerability, but the threatening tone of the man made her feel like prey being choked by the neck.
What made her even more anxious was that Jian Meiyi wasn't someone easy to deal with and seemed to be wildly infatuated with Huo Zhenyang, utterly reckless.
The way Jian Meiyi looked at her just now was as though she wanted to tear her to pieces!
If she really were to play Huo Zhenyang's woman, Jiayi could not guarantee what measures Jian Meiyi might take against her. What if she was attacked by the mad woman with sulfuric acid or some other form of revenge? Wouldn't that be too innocent? Too much of a loss!
Huo Zhenyang's gaze darkened as he looked at the girl, he had indeed underestimated her.
Underneath her frail and charming exterior, quiet and obedient as a white rabbit, there was a core of a little fox, with a degree of conviction and defiance—she was definitely not a pushover, as he had deduced from her rebuttal to Jian Meiyi just now.
In the business world, as well as the Huo Family, no one had ever defied him, much less rejected a request he had made outright.
Used to commanding rain and wind, a man who was the law unto himself, he would not tolerate the slightest defiance from others.
"Do you think you have a choice?" He enunciated each word deliberately, his tone ominous, clearly conveying Huo Zhenyang's displeasure.
He stepped forward, his towering frame closing in, casting a shadow over Jiayi, his presence oppressive.
Jiayi's lips twitched imperceptibly, a smart woman doesn't suffer in silence, she fluttered her eyelashes, "Fine, I'll consider it."
Watching her turn and follow Auntie Li upstairs, Huo Zhenyang's eyes darkened slightly, the corners of his lips curved into an enigmatic smile, not without a chill.
He had seen all sorts of people, how could he not notice that a young maid was stalling?
Her mouth had agreed, but her expression was insincere, not willing at all.
Fine, let's see what kind of game she wants to play.
He couldn't be bothered to expose her.