Busy with things, Xia Chu's spirits actually lifted, and she felt stronger too.
After moving things up and down the stairs several times, there was even a faint blush on her face.
Seeing this, Huo Xiyao didn't insist on calling her a rideshare, letting her drive her own car following behind his as they headed to his house together.
The Huo Xiyao residence was a flat with over 200 square meters, decorated predominantly in black, white, and gray tones—simple, stark, a very typical bachelor's pad.
Xia Chu had just seen him switch to a new Range Rover and had guessed that his financial strength must be even stronger than she had thought, but seeing him live alone in such a big house still surprised her for a moment.
Huo Xiyao led her directly to the guest room, "Miss Xia, is this room okay for you? It has an ensuite bathroom just like the master bedroom, only a bit smaller. If it's not okay, I can clear out the master bedroom for you tomorrow..."
Xia Chu hurriedly interrupted him, "This room is already very nice, Mr. Huo please don't clear out the master bedroom, otherwise I'll have to move out. It's so late now, you should rest, Mr. Huo. I can make the bed and tidy up myself; after all, everything is ready-made."
Huo Xiyao nodded, "The housekeeper comes to clean every day, so the house is clean everywhere, Miss Xia can rest assured. After you finish tidying up, you should also rest early. Also, I suggest you turn off your phone when you sleep, what you need most now is rest, nothing else is important."
Xia Chu thanked him, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Huo, I will. You should go rest now."
It was only after Huo Xiyao returned to his master bedroom and closed the door that Xia Chu finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Mr. Huo was really a good man, she just casually grabbed someone to register for marriage, but was fortunate to meet someone as good as Mr. Huo—thank goodness it was him, otherwise not to mention receiving so much help, even less trouble would have been good.
So, starting from today, from this moment, she would start anew!
But when she finally settled down in the dark, she still couldn't sleep.
Even though she was very tired, so tired that her whole body ached, sleep still eluded her.
Fortunately, after who knows how long, she finally drifted off into a drowsy slumber...
When Xia Chu woke up, it was already broad daylight.
She was disoriented for a moment before realizing where she was now.
After getting dressed and washing up, she came out of the room to find Huo Xiyao had already left the house, but he had left a note for her on the table, "I've gone to the office, will try to come back in the afternoon. There are eggs and milk in the fridge, just make do with those for now. The housekeeper will come at noon to cook."
Xia Chu still didn't feel hungry, but she went into the kitchen anyway and started cooking eggs and milk for herself.
In the meantime, she turned on her phone, which immediately began vibrating non-stop.
Amongst the missed calls from her mother during the time her phone was off, Xia Chu could also see a sequence of over ten calls and numerous messages from an unknown number.
Without thinking, Xia Chu knew they were Xu Pei's "masterpieces." She didn't look at any of them, for it was over, and no amount of embellishment or sophistry would help, only adding to her disgust.
She was thinking about whether to meet Xu Pei in the afternoon or the next day.
Then a call came in. It was from Ye Shuhua, "Panpan, you finally turned on your phone! How are you, are you okay? Your father and I have been worried about you, and then your phone was off the whole time. Fortunately... well, did you rest last night? Are you feeling... any better now?"
After a moment of silence, Xia Chu spoke softly, "I'm fine, mom, what is it? If it's nothing, I'm going to hang up."
Ye Shuhua hurriedly said, "Don't hang up yet, I definitely have something to say. Panpan, Xu Pei really knows he was wrong, can you forgive him this time? Mom wouldn't harm you, if you miss him, you won't find anyone better. You must not be swayed because that young Huo looks good; I asked the driver he called to send us last night, he's just a company manager, he must have a modest amount of money."
"But he's far inferior to Xu Pei. Xu Pei is his own boss, and his family situation is so good. Your dad also heard that Xu Pei's dad might get promoted next year, then there will be even fewer people to match him, you..."
Ye Shuhua spoke hurriedly and anxiously, clearly afraid that she would be interrupted by Xia Chu before she could finish, or even worse, that the call would be directly disconnected.
But Xia Chu interrupted her nonetheless. "Mom, if you keep speaking up for Xu Pei, don't blame me for blocking you too. I can change my number and then move to a place where none of you can find me. Don't push me!"
Tears began to strain Ye Shuhua's voice. "You child, how can you be so... so… What am I supposed to do as your mother, just watch you make a mistake and regret it later?"
Xia Chu curled her lips in disdain. "If I forgive him this time like you all want, then I'll really regret it later! Stop meddling in my affairs. Just live your life well at home, I'll take care of my own matters. I'm hanging up now."
She hung up the phone without further ado.
Fortunately, after waiting several minutes, her mother didn't call back; she must have been afraid to press the issue.
Xia Chu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She sat down in the dining room with the boiled eggs and milk she had prepared, and ate without tasting anything as she began to do the math in her head.
The shares from the law firm were easy to settle; she started with 20% and would take only that 20%—not a penny more.
The law firm was discussing new investments, which if successful, would increase the value of the shares.
However, the investment was brought in by Xu Pei, and the decision was left to him. It was up to him whether to cash out her shares at their pre-investment value or after the investment. She didn't care as long as it was settled quickly.
Then there was the house. They bought it during a market slump two years ago, paying in full. The contract clearly stated that Xia Chu contributed 30% and Xu Pei 70%.
As the house value had increased significantly, she wouldn't take more than her share. Once the house was sold, she would take her 30%.
And there were the joint savings and investments...
Xia Chu was deep in thought when Huo Xiyao returned.
She quickly stood up. "Mr. Huo, I thought you said you wouldn't be back until the afternoon?"
Huo Xiyao hung up his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and approached her. "Miss Xia, please sit; don't stand on ceremony. I finished work early today because the company didn't have much going on. Are you getting used to things here?"
Xia Chu smiled and nodded. "I'm very comfortable, so thank you even more, Mr. Huo."
As she spoke, she opened her phone and transferred twenty thousand yuan to him. "Mr. Huo, could you check WeChat?"
Huo Xiyao frowned as he checked his phone. "Miss Xia, what is the meaning of this?"
Xia Chu explained with a smile, "It's the rent... Is it too much? Considering the market value, you really can't find a place like Mr. Huo's for just eleven thousand a room. I'm already at a huge advantage. I'm going with one month's rent and one month's deposit, which comes to twenty thousand."
Huo Xiyao still looked concerned. "Even so, it doesn't need to be this much. I'll refund you ten thousand."
After all, he had agreed to take rent the night before, and he knew she wouldn't feel comfortable not paying. It was the least he could do.
Xia Chu insisted, "It's necessary. I've already looked up the property value and the market rate of Mr. Huo's building. Even though I've heard that Mr. Huo is a company manager—and to be honest, you seem at least like an executive—such a big house surely has a substantial mortgage. And then you have to maintain your car, along with all other sorts of expenses."
"I already feel quite apologetic paying only ten thousand a month. If Mr. Huo insists on refunding me ten thousand, then I'll have no choice but to move out."
Huo Xiyao's eyebrow raised in surprise.
She actually thought he was a high-level company executive?
Well, she wasn't entirely wrong.