Chapter 775: Birthday Party (18)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Huo Shaoheng’s voice was low and even, magnetic enough to pull heartstrings while carrying reusable authority. His face was already unusually handsome, but when he spoke so sternly, it made others admire him and want nothing more than to bow down to him. Gu Nianzhi’s large and dark eyes glanced over, his gaze as cold as obsidian submerged in ice water. Huo Shaoheng’s eyes swept over all the faces in the hall before finally looking at Gu Nianzhi. They stared at each other, separated by only the length of the hall, but it felt like they were mountains and rivers apart.
Tan Guiren noticed that Huo Shaoheng had arrived and was even defending her. Her heart nearly exploded in that instant. She discreetly looked at Huo Shaoheng and then at Gu Nianzhi. She didn’t see any difference in their expressions, so they appeared like two normal acquaintances. Tan Guiren thought they were being too calm and didn’t show the excitement and joy of when two lovers when they saw each other. If he was her boyfriend, she would be happy and lunge right at him. How could she stand so far away like nothing was happening and not even glance up? Tan Gurien thought about it quietly as she glued her eyes on Huo Shaoheng.
It also seemed like Gu Yanran had seen her savior and quickly said to Huo Shaoheng, “Huo Shao! This is too much! They invaded my privacy!”
Gu Nianzhi felt a wave of disgust from her words and couldn’t help but elbow her to move aside. Once again, she wanted to end her relations.h.i.+p as Gu Yanran’s sister–this woman was so shameless that Gu Nianzhi couldn’t take it anymore… Huo Shaoheng separated from the crowd and headed in Gu Nianzhi’s direction. This direction was also the same as Gu Yanran’s, but she wasn’t feeling the typical ecstasy she did when she usually saw Huo Shaoheng walk over–it was like a drowning person finally getting a piece of driftwood thrown out to them from the sh.o.r.e. She would do anything to grab onto the driftwood in order to float back up. Gu Nianzhi saw Huo Shaoheng walk over and instinctively looked to her side. Yin s.h.i.+xiong and Ma Qiqi stood not too far behind her, so she quickly turned around to stand behind them. “Don’t turn, just stand there like that,” Gu Nianzhi quietly threatened them from behind their backs.
Yin s.h.i.+xiong wanted to laugh, but as soon as the corners of his lips raised, he saw Huo Shaoheng striding over expressionlessly. He quickly dropped his smile and also grew solemn. Hyo Shaoheng walked very quickly and calmly pa.s.sed by Gu Yanran before stopping in front of Yin s.h.i.+xiong. He didn’t look at Gu Yanran at all, not even a single glance in the corner of his eye.
Gu Yaran bit her lip, not willing to give up. “Huo Shao! You’re really not going to do anything about this? This incident… Nianzhi caused it all!” She knew it wasn’t actually Gu Nianzhi. At a moment like this, Huo Shaoheng would only get involved with helping Gu Yanran resolve the issue if she dragged Gu Nianzhi into it as well. Otherwise, she would also get Gu Nianzhi into this mess too… Although the two had broken up, Gu Yanran knew that men always have a bit of care for their ex-girlfriends. She truly had no other option and saw that Prime Minister Tan would be of no help, so she must pin her hopes on Huo Shaoheng helping her clean up the mess.
Huo Shaoheng turned around. He stared at Gu Yanran coldly and said in an even voice, “What did you say?” His voice wasn’t loud, nor was he stern, but the aura was so oppressive that it made one want to keep their head down.
Gu Yanran stared blankly at his handsome face. She said with grief, “Huo Shao, are you not going to bring justice when Nianzhi has done such a random and illegal thing?”
So, she was bent on pinning this mess on Gu Nianzhi? Cai Songyin didn’t say anything now, but she beamed as she saw Gu Yanran point the finger at Gu Nianzhi. She wanted nothing more but for the two sisters to fight, the more viciously the better. It would resolve both her and her daughter’s issues in one fell swoop…
Huo Shaoheng appeared annoyed and said icily, “Gu Yanran, speak only when you have evidence. Make sure not to say nonsense in front of me.”
“…Huo Shao, I didn’t…”
“Listen carefully; I never hit women. I always execute them directly,” Huo Shaoheng said coldly before turning around to ignore her. He glanced at Yin s.h.i.+xiong.
Yin s.h.i.+xiong got the hint to immediately take out his phone to call the police. “…Right, this is the Prime Minister’s official residence. There are people playing explicit videos here, please come to investigate it.”
“Turn it off! Hurry up and turn it off!” The staff in the hall finally seemed to wake from their daze and rushed towards the projector to clumsily shut the projector off. The pants and moans, as well as the squeaking of the mattress all instantly vanished from the hall. The silence was jarring to everyone. Gu Yanran sighed in relief but was too ashamed to continue staying there. Prime Minister Tan was unreliable and had already run away. As for Huo Shaoheng… His eyes were too terrifying. Especially when he said, “…I never hit women. I always execute them directly.” It shook Gu Yanran to her soul and she didn’t dare go close to him again. She turned around to find Ye Xuan in the crowd and said shakily, “Xuan? Xuan? Where are you?”
…
Ye Xuan stood in the corner, face completely ashen and heart cut to pieces. The beliefs he had adhered to all these years tipped forward like a great building, ready to collapse any second. His gaze darted between Gu Yanran and Gu Nianzhi before gradually settling on Gu Nianzhi. Gu Nianzhi stood with her head hanging behind Yin s.h.i.+xiong and was playing with the little fringes on her sleeves. She looked like an obedient girl, rather than the Sailor Moon who had fiercely argued with Prime Minister Tan and Gu Yanran earlier. That felt like it had been an illusion.
Suddenly, she noticed the looks in her direction. Gu Nianzhi looked up to see Ye Xuan standing in the corner against the wall. He was no longer calm as he had been in the beginning, nor was he caustic like before. He simply looked at her, his light brown eyes filled with thick grief and remorse. Gu Nianzhi’s heart trembled as she secretly thought that Gu Yanran’s little wolf puppy had truly fallen in love with her… Just look at his mournful face… But why was he staring at her? Could he also believe that Gu Nianzhi had secretly recorded that video? Haha, he thinks too highly of her…
Gu Nianzhi’s gaze discreetly drifted in Huo Shaoheng’s direction. As soon as Gu Yanran’s little video began to play, Gu Nianzhi instantly understood that it must be Huo Shaoheng and his men’s handiwork… Also, Yin s.h.i.+xiong had once told her that Huo Shao had prepared a big gift for them, so she wasn’t dumb enough to not understand the little double entendre. Did she really think it was a “big gift?!” When Huo Shaoheng came in earlier, he was stern-faced as he’d scolded everyone for attending “the adult-rated party,” and was fairly deceptive. The audience didn’t understand and they really thought that Huo Shaoheng had come to bring justice… Just look, didn’t Gu Yanran get fooled earlier? Although Gu Nianzhi didn’t know how this video ended up in Cai Songyn’s hands, the focus of the videos and the fact that it played as Cai Songyin came downstairs–only an idiot would miss who the mastermind was…
But while Gu Yanran was dumber than an idiot, she was a brave fool who messed with the wrong people and curried favor with those she shouldn’t. Gu Nianzhi had already burned all bridges with her, yet she’d still dared to drag Gu Nianzhi into the mess. But was Huo Shaoheng someone easily messed with? Gu Nianzhi grumbled in her heart, not showing weakness as she glared back at Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan was feeling waves of disgust and turned away to walk listlessly out of the hall. The Gu Yanran in the short video just now was the same Gu Yanran he knew so well. He also knew Gu Yanran didn’t consider him as her boyfriend, so although she spent the night with other people which made him feel uncomfortable, he didn’t have any opinion of it. He always believed that when he successfully won her heart and got her to agree to be his girlfriend that she would no longer get involved with other men. But watching the video, Ye Xuan finally understood that he couldn’t accept this behavior at all–sleeping with him while maintaining this kind of relations.h.i.+p with another man.
The other thing that he couldn’t accept as soon as he thought about it was that he seemed to have recognized the wrong person… He rushed back when the Gu family had an accident seven years ago and Gu Yanran had embraced him as she cried about the pains of supporting the family single-handedly. She also spoke about a lot of things that only Ye Xuan and the Miss Gu who chatted anonymously with him would know about. He thought Gu Yanran was the person who chatted anonymously with him and was also the one who saved him. Now, he finally realized that he had been too presumptuous. He had truly loved Gu Yanran, but even though he now realized that she was the wrong person, his feelings couldn’t be simply taken back like that.
However, he also looked down on himself for being blind enough to invest his emotions in someone like her. He headed out the doors of the Prime Minister’s official residence. The streetlamps outside the entrance glowed pale white, stretching Ye Xuan’s shadow far across the sidewalk.
Gu Yanran realized that Ye Xuan had left and hastily followed him out. The people in the hall wore a myriad of expressions as they watched the evening’s “Best Actress” quietly exit the scene.
Cai Songyin looked at her back with contempt and thought to herself about there was still another wave of viral attention to come. She should take her time enjoying it…
…
Huo Shaoheng looked around and slowly walked behind Yin s.h.i.+xiong. He stood next to Gu Nianzhi and didn’t even look at her. With both hands in his trouser pockets, he looked straight ahead and said calmly, “The new house is finished renovating. Are you coming back with me tonight, or am I coming back with you?”