The black Porsche two-seater sports car revved up with full power and sped away from the Huanglong Mountain Villa.
After leaving the expressway and passing through several intersections, the scenery along the roadside changed quite a bit.
The crowd and high-rise buildings increased, signaling that they had entered the downtown area of G City.
Initially, Jiayi was clamoring to get out of the car, but slowly, her voice faded away.
In the steel and concrete urban jungle, perhaps her family was there, certainly better than continuing to stay in the suburban villa.
Forget it, wasn't she just accompanying him home? Could he really devour her?
The Porsche continued to race along the road, slowing down in front of a grand department store.
"Let's go change your clothes first," the man said, holding the steering wheel with an even tone.
Jiayi glanced at her attire, a T-shirt and jeans, and refused, "I'm quite fond of what I'm wearing; no need to change."
Huo Zhenyang half-turned his face, his obsidian-like eyes gathering a cold intensity, too lazy to argue with her, and raised his vast palm-like a fan.
Before Jiayi could react, her T-shirt tore with a "rip," pitifully splitting open, exposing one side of her round, petite shoulder.
"What are you doing—" she shouted.
"It's torn. Now we can change, right?" the man turned the steering wheel and came to a stop.
"You…" Jiayi bit her lip, thinking this man was a real pervert…
The man had already taken off his suit jacket and tossed it to her, "Put it on."
She didn't dare refuse this time and obediently slipped it on.
The general manager and several floor managers of the department store had been informed of Huo Zhenyang's arrival and were already waiting at the entrance of the lobby.
Although the department store was part of the Huo Group's assets, the president had never personally inspected it, making today a rare occasion.
Even rarer was that he had brought a woman with him.
This woman was even wearing the president's suit jacket.
The group contained their curiosity and approached respectfully, "Mr. Huo."
"Take her and change everything from head to toe," Huo Zhenyang instructed directly through the window, his voice clear and decisive.
The general manager paused, but then heard Mr. Huo add, "Nothing too glamorous, something pure will do."
Pure?
The general manager swallowed nervously, nodded, and along with the floor managers, ushered the girl inside.
After spending two hours in the department store, Jiayi returned to Huo Zhenyang's car.
The girl was wearing a white, cotton, student-style dress, her hair hanging down and resting on her shoulders.
Unlike the poised elegance she displayed at the dinner, at this moment, she resembled a clean white sheet of paper untouched and unspoiled, incredibly pure and adorable.
"Mr. Huo, what do you think?" the general manager ventured to ask.
Inside the car, the man didn't speak, his gaze intense, firmly fixed on Jiayi, with a hint of amusement and contemplation at the corners of his mouth, as if he could see through the dress to what was inside.
Jiayi felt an inexplicable warmth in her cheeks and uneasy tension. Was the white dress too transparent? Was she exposed?
Otherwise, why would this man be looking at her like that…
"It's fine. Get in," the man said, breaking Jiayi's embarrassment and allowing the general manager and his subordinates to breathe a sigh of relief.
Jiayi got into the passenger seat, the engine started, and they left the department store behind.
By the time they arrived at Huo Garden, it was getting late.
After getting out of the car, Jiayi looked around.
Huo Garden was located in the center of G City, in a district where an inch of land was worth an inch of gold, truly a wealthy enclave.
After driving through the carved main gate, several elder house staff were waiting, bowing and greeting, "The young master has returned."
The butler, seeing that the young master had finally returned, breathed a sigh of relief and approached to say, "At last you're back, young master. The old master has been angry with you all day; hurry and speak with him…"
The butler's voice hadn't finished trailing off when he suddenly closed his mouth; besides Huo Zhenyang, another girl stepped out of the sports car.
"This is..." the butler stared wide-eyed.
Huo Zhenyang, with a calm expression, tossed the car keys to a servant standing by, and said lightly, "It's the girl you saw with me in the newspapers."
"What? Young Master... You're not joking, are you?" the butler exclaimed in shock.
The patriarch was already upset about this, and now the Young Master was bringing her home—it was like pouring oil on a fire!
He pulled Huo Zhenyang aside, wanting to stop him.
Huo Zhenyang turned his head to look at Jiayi: "Wait here for a moment."
As Jiayi watched the two of them walk to the side, she had been somewhat nervous, but now she felt more at ease.
It seemed that the elders of the Huo Family didn't like her, or even hated her?
Hmph, who cares! After all, it was Huo Zhenyang who would have the headache, not her!
She might as well treat it as a scenic outing, a casual stroll.
With that in mind, Jiayi casually wandered around with her hands clasped behind her back.
Indeed, Huo Garden was vast, with lush branches and excellent greenery. The courtyard even boasted man-made channels and hardwood pavilions, reminiscent of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
It was clear that the master of the house had fine taste and life experience.
Not knowing where she had wandered to, Jiayi saw a transparent glasshouse in the distance, filled with verdant branches and pleasing flowers.
It was a temperature-controlled greenhouse for cultivating flowers.
Jiayi felt a surge of surprise and couldn't help but walk forward, entering the glass house.
Inside the room, the temperature was warm, and the air was very moist. The all-glass flower house and temperature control equipment were definitely worth a fortune. It was apparent that the person tending to the flowers did so with great care.
These were orchids.
She felt that she might have liked planting and arranging flowers in the past, giving her a natural affinity for them.
Her fingers gently lifted the petal of a flower, and she murmured with her lips slightly moving, "This is a Zigen Orchid..."
Then turning her head, she smiled and talked to herself, "This should be a Su Xin Orchid."
"The young lady knows quite a lot."
A voice, deep and full of years, suddenly rang out, startling Jiayi who quickly looked in its direction.
An elder, holding pruning shears, stood not far away, his face showing a hint of surprise.
Jiayi stepped back, attempting to leave, embarrassed: "I'm sorry."
"No harm done." The elder smiled kindly, his eyes revealing a sense of kinship, not minding at all, "Do you know about orchids, young lady?"
"I..." Jiayi wasn't sure how to explain herself. There was an air of invisible authority about the old man, resembling someone in some way, which made it feel difficult to breathe under pressure.
She fiddled with her skirt: "I don't really understand, just saying whatever came to mind, you must find it amusing. The owner of these orchids is the real expert. Orchids are so delicate and refined, yet the owner maintains them so well."
The old man's gaze toward the girl became even more fond.
All the orchids in the glass greenhouse were valuable varieties.
Just the few pots that the girl had mentioned were imported by air from overseas. An ordinary person couldn't possibly recognize them, much less name them.
If this girl wasn't a professional, then she must be a debutante from a wealthy family.
At that moment, Jiayi stuck out her tongue, quickly bowed, and slipped out.
When she returned to where she started, Huo Zhenyang was already waiting there with a frown.
"Where have you been?" The man's voice was quite displeased, as if in the blink of an eye she could disappear. Was she born in the year of the rabbit or something?
"I didn't go far, just took a few steps while you were talking." Jiayi replied nonchalantly.
The man's handsome, chiseled face suddenly darkened; he stepped forward quickly, cupping her tender chin in his rough fingers, rubbing it without any gentleness, causing her a bit of sting:
"Next time, if you run off without saying a word, be careful."