Xia Chu had been feeling dizzy and short of breath, unable to make out exactly what Huo Xiyao was saying to her parents.
But she heard Huo Xiyao tell Xia Benjun and Ye Shuhua to leave, and she also spoke with difficulty, "Leave immediately, return to Su City right now... Otherwise, even if Mr. Huo is willing to divorce, I will not!"
Huo Xiyao rushed to check on her, seeing her face so deathly pale and covered in cold sweat, he quickly reached out to support her, "Xia Chu, are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
Xia Chu shook her head weakly, "No need, I'm just too tired..."
Yet Xia Benjun was still making a fuss, "We won't leave. As long as you don't divorce, we will not leave, to prevent you from going crazy again!"
Ye Shuhua, of course, saw how awful Xia Chu looked. Although she was distressed, she still sided with her husband, "Panpan, I agree with your father. Unless you divorce, we won't leave. Mr. Huo, you were supposedly love at first sight with my daughter, so seeing her like this, can't you show some pity?"
"You and her truly aren't possible. You can't give her a good life, and once she calms down, she will definitely not be with you. Why bother..."
"Shut up!"
Huo Xiyao coldly interrupted her, "Not only can I give Xia Chu the life she wants, but I can also ensure she doesn't suffer any grievances and guarantee to be faithful and true to her! If you don't leave now, don't blame me for being rude and throwing you out!"
Without waiting for Xia Benjun and Ye Shuhua to speak up again, he added, "Out of consideration for Xia Chu, I'll arrange a car to take you back. Go wait at the entrance of the complex now. I'll count to three; if you don't leave, when Xia Chu calms down and wants to divorce, I will definitely not agree anymore. What I say, I do!"
Xia Benjun and Ye Shuhua were shaken by his dark and cold gaze.
How could this pretty boy be so frightening when he got serious, giving them the suffocating feeling of being stared at by a venomous snake.
If he said he'd throw them out if they didn't leave, he definitely wasn't just scaring them... More than throwing them out, with him like this, even saying he dared to kill, no one would doubt him, right?
The old couple was still scared in the end and decided to leave first.
After all, there was that damned divorce cooling-off period, and the marriage indeed couldn't be ended in a short time.
They might as well go back first and think about how to steady Xu Pei, and then slowly coax their daughter into changing her mind. With several years of affection, she definitely couldn't just give it up that easily.
But Xia Benjun still uttered a fierce threat, "You said it yourself, when Xia Chu calms down and wants a divorce, you will agree. If you think about reneging and clinging to us by then, I will really show you no mercy!"
Then, with rage-filled steps, he took Ye Shuhua, who kept looking back, and left.
Xia Chu couldn't hold up any longer and started to collapse to the floor.
Luckily, Huo Xiyao caught her swiftly, supporting her to the sofa and sitting her down before asking softly, "Xia Chu, are you really okay?"
Her breath was as thin as a thread, "I'm really okay, just too tired, and perhaps it's because I haven't eaten. Could you trouble you to warm up a cup of milk for me?"
Huo Xiyao nodded, "Wait a moment, I'll go right away."
He got up and went straight into the kitchen. Xia Chu's place was a small two-bedroom, and after entering, he quickly understood the layout of the entire house with just a glance.
While heating the milk, Huo Xiyao also made a phone call, arranging for someone to immediately take Xia Benjun and Ye Shuhua back to Su City.
Of course, he didn't forget to remind the driver to keep his mouth shut.
His tolerance for pain was high, not fearing the mere leeches that were his relatives, but ultimately, it was up to Xia Chu to decide. If Xia Chu agreed to let them leech, he'd allow them a little, but if not, they wouldn't get a single drop!
By the time Huo Xiyao finished his work and returned to the living room with the warmed milk, Xia Chu had already fallen asleep on the couch. Her face was still pale, and her brows were tightly knit, obviously in pain even in her sleep.
Huo Xiyao's own brows furrowed unconsciously once again.
In just one day, she'd been betrayed by her scumbag fiancé and then struck a second blow by her own parents. With such compounded trauma and pain, what kind of self-restraint had she used to hold herself together until she'd finally collapsed now?
Especially considering how thin she was, probably not even weighing ninety pounds...
Just as Huo Xiyao was thinking this, Xia Chu suddenly woke up with a start, "…I'm sorry, I fell asleep. Have you been waiting long, Mr. Huo? You should have woken me."
Huo Xiyao handed her the warm milk, "I just finished warming up the milk. How long could it have been? Drink it while it's hot. I saw that you have eggs and flour in your fridge. Shall I cook you some noodles? Don't worry, my cooking isn't bad."
Xia Chu sipped the milk slowly and felt a bit better in her heart.
She managed a weak smile and shook her head, "No need, I'm not hungry. I'll have the chance to taste Mr. Huo's cooking another time. I'm really sorry to trouble you so late at night, you must have been ready for bed. I already owe you a big favor from today, and now I'm imposing on you again at night."
"You're such a good person. I just made a phone call, and you came. Otherwise, right now... Anyway, I'm really thankful to you. I'll find a way to properly thank Mr. Huo after I get through the next few days."
Xia Chu had been cornered into calling Huo Xiyao for help.
If she hadn't called, Ye Shuhua would have been on her knees crying and pleading, utterly unmovable.
Xia Benjun was only adding fuel to the fire, "Didn't you say your daughter has always listened to you and cared about you the most? Now it seems that isn't the case. You might as well stop kneeling. Get up, or it'll be even more embarrassing if you actually kneeled to death in front of her and she still found you bothersome."
At that moment, Xia Chu felt truly despondent and helpless, almost willing to self-destruct and take her parents down with her.
But she managed to suppress those violent and negative thoughts.
She wasn't the one at fault. Why should she be the one to die? If anyone deserved to die, it was the cheating scumbag, or the shameless scumbag who pushed her parents to try to force her into submission!
Xia Chu had no choice but to call Huo Xiyao, her heart not holding much hope that he would come, filled instead with apologies and regret.
She really shouldn't have involved an innocent party on a whim.
But all she said was, "Mr. Huo, my parents are here, and I urgently need your help. Could you please come over?"
And he truly came as quickly as he could, not asking her any questions, but standing firmly by her side. He had given her both face and support, managed to send her parents away for her, and finally allowed her some peace.
If it hadn't been for him tonight, she didn't know what she would have done!
Huo Xiyao took a seat opposite Xia Chu before speaking again, "Miss Xia, there's no need for such courtesy. You are now my lawful wife. Since you've asked for my help, I certainly couldn't ignore it. However, judging by the looks of your parents, they might pressure you again. Do you have any plans for dealing with it?"
He cleared his throat, "Just now, I saw some broken glass in the trash can in the kitchen—I didn't mean to look, it was purely accidental. Did they lay a hand on you before I arrived?"