Chapter 577: You’re Alright Now, But What About Qingsang
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Dinner was not as lively as compared to lunchtime. Several people got drunk then as well and were unable to get up on their own.
The person who received the brunt of it was Zhang Yichen. He did not only get drunk; he also got himself drugged. Even though he had received treatment from the doctor, he would not be getting up so quickly.
Huo Yangxiu went to take a look at Zhang Yichen before she came down for dinner.
Naturally, she had no idea what Zhang Yichen had just experienced. She just thought that he had been too happy that afternoon and drank one too many drinks.
But Su Peizhen was somehow very clear about the fact that Zhang Yichen did not drink a lot today.
Zhang Yichen was still upstairs and Su Qingsang didn’t look so good?
The combination of all these signs was enough for Su Peizhen to a.s.sume that something interesting had happened just now.
There was some kind of gloating smile on her face.
What did Zhang Yichen do earlier on? She was starting to get really curious.
The dinner was still quite animated even though there were fewer people around. At the dining table, everyone toasted each other, clinked their gla.s.ses, and made conversation, but underneath the small talk, everyone was absorbed in their own thoughts.
Su Qingsang wasn’t in the mood to socialize at all. All of her thoughts were about Huo Jinyao and Liu Tongjia.
She kept thinking that things should not have turned out like this, that their mother and son relations.h.i.+p should not have disintegrated like that.
Although she did not stay with Li Qianxue after they reunited, Li Qianxue’s concern and love for her was no less despite that fact.
They would video call each other every night, and Li Qianxue would always remember to send her messages filled with words of worry.
She understood Li Qianxue’s intentions. Li Qianxue wanted to make up for the many years of the mother-daughter relations.h.i.+p they had missed out on having.
But what about Liu Tongjia?
Huo Jinyao had already grown up so much. Even if Liu Tongjia really wanted to make it up to him now, what could she do?
But the most confounding thing was the fact that Liu Tongjia probably did not even think about needing to make up for it.
She couldn’t help but glance over at Liu Tongjia who seemed to be distracted at that moment.
Su Qingsang looked back at Huo Jinyao again. He was just putting a piece of fish into her bowl of rice.
He gave her a look, and she understood what he meant by that look.
If she could, she really wanted to explain things clearly to Liu Tongjia, but Huo Jinyao won’t let her do it.
The meal was clearly hearty and delicious to all, but it had been tasteless for Su Qingsang.
She knew that this problem had reached a dead end, but she really wanted to untangle the knot between the both of them.
As Su Peizhen was talking to Huo Yifan, she happened to notice from the corner of her eye that Huo Jinyao was picking up dishes for Su Qingsang.
She narrowed her eyes.
Could it be that Zhang Yichen did not do what she had hoped he would do?
How was that possible?
If Zhang Yichen hadn’t been drugged, then wouldn’t her arrangements today be wasted?
She looked down and bit down on her lip slightly. There were hints of a cold smile in her delicate and charming eyes.
Zhang Yichen was usually in the army and he rarely came out. So, when would she get another opportunity like this?
What if she remained in the house tonight?
Su Peizhen did not think that even if she stayed on tonight, she would have a chance to make anything happen either.
It was the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, and Li Junsheng had come over to Rong City, so Huo Jinyao usually went out to the gathering with them.
He usually invited Zhang Yichen along, but he didn’t today. What happened at lunch must have created a feeling of estrangement in him after all.
Moreover, he felt that he would not be able to be as frank to Zhang Yichen as he had been in the past anymore.
The only thing he was comforted by was the fact that Su Qingsang remained completely clueless about Zhang Yichen’s thoughts of her.
***
Zhang Yichen woke up the next day, after the Dragon Boat Festival had ended.
He was a soldier with great willpower. If it wasn’t because of the special occasion yesterday, he would have never allowed himself to make such a mistake. He would have never allowed himself to lose control like that.
Even so, he did not expect to get that drunk with his restrictions in place. Forget about getting drunk, he actually lost control of himself.
Zhang Yichen rubbed his forehead. His memory from yesterday was in pieces, but one part of it was exceptionally clear.
There was a moment where he had been hugging a woman who was soft and warm in his arms. But he decided that must have been an illusion.
Because Zhang Yichen remembered so a little of what happened while he was drunk, he thought he must have hugged Huo Jinyao, thinking that Huo Jinyao was Su Qingsang.
At this moment, he was only simply grateful that he did not lose control in front of Su Qingsang.
He did not know that he had really done what he thought he did to Su Qingsang herself. Fortunately, Su Qingsang knew that he had been drugged and drunk.
Zhang Yichen only knew that he was drunk—he did not know that he was drugged.
He could drink pretty well, and usually, he would just fall asleep when he got drunk. That was the reason why he had not worried about his drinking.
But why did he lose control yesterday? Zhang Yichen couldn’t figure it out, but there was one thing he was very sure about.
Huo Jinyao had found out.
He buried his face in the palms of his hands. He had wanted to keep those emotions hidden.
What should he do now?
***
Su Peizhen did not look exceptionally happy when she left the Huo Mansion.
Su Qingsang did not stay in the Huo Mansion yesterday. She had left with Huo Jinyao after the dinner ended.
Seeing how much Huo Jinyao cared for Su Qingsang as they were leaving, Su Peizhen knew right away that whatever Zhang Yichen had done yesterday did not make any impact at all.
That made her very upset.
The plan had failed, and she didn’t know if there would be such an opportunity again.
She had been particularly eager about this matter, so it was exceptionally easy to see through her mood now.
The expression on her face was so obvious that Huo Yifan noticed as well.
“Something wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” Su Peizhen really didn’t want to let Huo Yifan know that she had been scheming against Zhang Yichen.
She was aware that if she told Huo Yifan about her plans, he would have disagreed, citing Huo Yangxiu’s relations.h.i.+p with Old Master Huo as the reason.
“I have a feeling that you tried to do something bad, but it failed. Am I right?”
Being a shrewd person by nature, Huo Yifan knew right away from Su Peizhen’s expression that whatever she had planned must have failed.
A corner of his lips turned up and his smirk was a little sarcastic.
“Don’t tell me that you had tried to do something to Su Qingsang today and it failed in the end.”
“Yup. I failed.”
Su Peizhen smirked back at him and the expression on her face turned slightly cold. “You should be disappointed that I have failed. What are you gloating about?”
“Nothing.” Huo Yifan pulled her into a hug. “No matter what, you should have informed me if you were trying to plot something against Su Qingsang in the Huo Mansion. You’re in the Huo Mansion after all, you have no chance at all, as long as Huo Jinyao is around. No matter how different my aunt is compared to Su Qingsang, she would not let you try anything either. You must know that this would have been a very embarra.s.sing matter.”
Su Peizhen did not say anything. The truth was that she had only wanted Su Qingsang to make a fool out of herself and let Huo Jinyao know that he had been cuckolded.
She had been a little too hasty in her plans. If she had gotten to know the Huo Family a little more, and if she had more opportunities, she believed that she could succeed.
“Alright. Stop thinking about it now. It’s not like you didn’t know how protective Huo Jinyao can be of Su Qingsang. If you want to plot something against her, it’s best if you choose a time when he is not around.”
Of course, if one was to do it outside of the Huo Mansion, such a plan would be even easier.
Su Peizhen narrowed her eyes and began to seriously consider the feasibility of that.
There was no hurry as there were more important things they had to focus on now.
“Alright. I will deal with Su Qingsang. And you should fix your mind entirely on the company. We can’t lose this time.”
“Don’t worry. Don’t you believe in me?”
Huo Yifan laughed loudly. He thought that everything he had been plotting was still under wraps and undetected.
Su Peizhen did not like how conceited he was. A part of his personality was just like Su Chenghui, she would have preferred for him to be more careful in his estimations of his abilities.
She had a hunch that things weren’t as simple as Huo Yifan made them out to be.
But looking at how confident he was, Su Peizhen didn’t want to put him down. So, she turned away and fell asleep.
She met up with Liu Tongjia when she woke up and realized that she was not in a good mood.
Previously, Su Peizhen had planned to work with her. But now that she knew there was no chance of them working together, she thought that Liu Tongjia was giving her the cold shoulder. At the thought of that, Su Peizhen’s mood turned darker.
When she got back home, Xiang Caiping was reading the newspaper in the living room. She looked up when Su Peizhen came in, her face with a mixed expression.
“Mother, I am back.”
Su Peizhen changed out of her shoes. She walked over to the sofa on the opposite side of Xiang Caiping and sat down.
There were some fruits on the table, already washed. She picked up a bunch of grapes and ate two of them before she realized that Xiang Caiping was still looking at her. She squirmed under her scrutiny and she sat up straighter.
“What’s wrong, Mother? Have you eaten breakfast? I have not eaten yet, is there anything to eat?”
“Ms. Zhao is in the kitchen. You can check with her.”
Xiang Caiping glanced at her, but she failed to ask what had already been on the tip of her tongue.
Su Peizhen did not think that anything was wrong, and she went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Xiang Caiping watched her from behind, the expression on her face obscure and difficult to decipher.
When Su Peizhen came back from the kitchen, she realized that Xiang Caiping was no longer in the living room.
She was somewhat relieved. Previously, when she had been living with Li Qianxue, Li Qianxue would follow her every move very closely.
Of course, if she did anything wrong, Li Qianxue would still reprimand her for it and tell her what she shouldn’t be doing.
But since she had reunited with Xiang Caiping, her mother had been fearful of her.
Su Peizhen knew that it was because Xiang Caiping didn’t want to lose her. So, she would just let her behave as she liked and do whatever she wanted to.
She enjoyed that feeling, and she felt secure in the knowledge that Xiang Caiping would never leave her or betray her.
After all, they were related by blood, so she believed that Xiang Caiping would not be able to get away with that.
One could say was that Su Peizhen was overconfident as well.
Xiang Caiping had gone back to her room and locked the door. She walked to her table and unlocked the last drawer, taking out a photo alb.u.m from inside.
She didn’t like taking photographs when she was young, so she did not have a lot of them.
On the other hand, Su Qingsang had taken a lot of pictures of her when they were living together. This alb.u.m had those pictures and there were also photos that she had taken together with Su Qingsang as well.
Huo Jinyao was in some of the photographs as well.
She had slotted a photograph at the back of the alb.u.m when she came back.
It was a photo of her newborn baby. She didn’t know what was on her mind when she asked the nurse to help her take a picture of her child.
She looked at the baby in the photo and thought about how Su Peizhen had grown up.
Xiang Caiping didn’t know how to feel about her daughter. She turned the page and looked at the photo that she had taken with Su Qingsang again.
At that time, her smile was genuine, and she had been really happy.
But now—
She could not think about that. She knew she would feel horrible if she were to dwell upon it.
At the same time, she didn’t know how else to vent her emotions or how she could ease the depressed thoughts trapped inside of her either.
When Su Qingsang had been living with her, she would even give up being with Huo Jinyao during New Year’s Day in order to accompany her to j.a.pan.
And in order to take care of her, Su Qingsang did not go back to Rong City with Huo Jinyao during Chinese New Year.
For such a big family like Huo Family, Su Qingsang knew that there would be a lot of customs she was obliged to follow. But still, she chose to stay and take care of Xiang Caiping instead.
Now, Su Peizhen would leave the house early in the morning and stay out for the whole day, even if she had nothing planned.
Su Peizhen did not even call her. She did not bother to inform her about where she was, where she was going, and she most definitely did not tell her what she had been busy with all day.
It was the Dragon Boat Festival yesterday. This festival did not place the same importance on reunion like the Spring Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival.
But even at a time like this, Xiang Caiping could not help but feel disappointed.
Su Peizhen really did not care about her at all, even though she was her birth mother.
She closed the photo alb.u.m and locked it back inside the drawer. There weren’t any signs of joy on her face anymore.
This daughter of hers, what should she do about her?
***
Huo Jinyao was listening to a.s.sistant Yang’s report on Huo Yifan’s actions these past few days.
It seemed like his plan was working well. Because Huo Yifan believed them, he did not suspect anything.
The corners of his lips turned up, and a faint amus.e.m.e.nt lit up his eyes.
This was something that made him feel good—which was a rare emotion for him lately.
“Continue watching him. I believe he will take the bait soon.”
Yang Wenchang nodded. As he was about to leave, the intercom rang with the announcement that someone was looking for Huo Jinyao.
This was Huo Jinyao’s first meeting with Zhang Yichen after what happened a few days ago.
He wasn’t as disheveled as he had been the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, and he was not flushed beet red like he was when he was drunk.
He stood rigidly, straight like a pine tree, very much the soldier he always was.
Huo Jinyao narrowed his eyes. He did not miss the flicker of what seemed like guilt that flashed across Zhang Yichen’s eyes.
“Uncle, you came.”
When Zhang Yichen entered the room, he did not get up immediately like he would have before.
He pressed the intercom b.u.t.ton and asked someone to bring in a cup of tea. After his secretary left, he motioned for Zhang Yichen to sit down.
Zhang Yichen did not sit down. He continued standing there.
“I thought you had gone back to be with the troops. You have yet to return to the army?”
“I went back, and then I came back again.”
“Something happened?”
Huo Jinyao’s responses were much flatter than before, and that was enough of an explanation of his thoughts.
Zhang Yichen knew that Huo Jinyao had already found out, but he still found it difficult to speak about it.
“About what happened that day, I am very sorry. I was drunk.”
Zhang Yichen’s voice was soft, but he had no intention of letting himself off the hook easily.
“That day? Uncle, which day are you talking about?” Huo Jinyao sounded as though he really did not understand. He turned to look at Zhang Yichen with a somewhat confused expression on his face.
Zhang Yichen straightened his posture even more. He clenched his hands into fists but released them again quickly.
“Just…that day during the Dragon Boat Festival, I made a mistake.”
“You said that you were drunk that day. Since you were drunk, I will not take what happened seriously.”
Zhang Yichen looked at him and he took a step forward. “I am not here to excuse my actions today. I do not have any intention of pursuing her as well. I just want to say that it was just a one-sided feeling. Su Qingsang knew nothing, so you—”
“Uncle.”
Huo Jinyao suddenly stood up and walked around his big office desk. Step by step, deliberately, he made his way towards Zhang Yichen and stopped in front of him.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I just want to tell you that Su Qingsang knew nothing about this. No matter what you heard or found out from me that day, it’s all one-sided on my part. I—”
“Uncle.”
Huo Jinyao interrupted him again. The expression on his face was cold, and the glint in his eyes was colder still. “Are you explaining for Qingsang?”
“I don’t want you to misunderstand—”
“I haven’t misunderstood anything. But as for you, if you continue trying to explain, I will really start to misunderstand.
Huo Jinyao’s eyes were sharp and his expression was very serious.
“Uncle, I have always respected you, in the past, and even now.
“But about this matter, I don’t think that there is any need for you to explain.”
He took a step forward until he was breathing into Zhang Yichen’s face. The two of them were standing very close together.
Both of them were equally tall, equally imposing.
Zhang Yichen had a sharp aura that came from being trained in the army.
And Huo Jinyao possessed an equally powerful air about him that came from being in command for so long.
The two of them just stood there and stared at each other. There seemed to be an inexplicable illusion of sparks were flying off in all directions.
Huo Jinyao raised his chin slightly and stared at Zhang Yichen with an extremely sharp look in his eyes.
“So, Uncle, I don’t need you to explain what you think happened. And as for Qingsang, you don’t need to explain for her either. She is my wife. I believe in her and her character. Just as I am willing to believe in your character as well.
“I have already forgotten about what happened that day. And you were drunk, so it would be best if you can forget about it too.”
Zhang Yichen pursed his lips until they formed a straight line and he a.n.a.lyzed Huo Jinyao’s expression.
“You know how much I can drink, and you know that I have never gotten drunk like this in the past. It was an accident this time, so as you said, I will forget about it.”
All throughout his life, Zhang Yichen planned out every step that he took.
Until now, he had never done anything that was beyond what he had planned. Nothing exceeded his expectations.
Nothing, except for the existence of Su Qingsang. He had tried hard to restrain himself, tried desperately to suppress his emotions, but he didn’t realize that he would reveal himself in this manner, at a time when he did not know what he was doing.
Not only had he let Huo Jinyao find out about his secret feelings, he even—
Huo Jinyao did not immediately respond to what he said. He just stared at Zhang Yichen for a long while, until finally, he said something.
“Although what happened that day was an accident, I think you should go to the Huo Mansion less if there is no need for you to do so.”
Zhang Yichen suddenly lifted his head to look at Huo Jinyao with a shock and hurt expression on his face.
“Uncle, you think that you can hold your liquor well, but what about your tolerance for drugs?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t mean anything.” Huo Jinyao’s voice was indifferent. “You keep saying that you lost control of yourself because you accidentally got drunk. But what you don’t know is that someone had drugged the hangover soup that you drank, and that’s what made you lose control of yourself—because of the drugs.”
“Someone drugged me?”
Zhang Yichen had never thought about that possibility. After all, Huo Jinyao and Su Qingsang had been gone by the time he woke up.
The doctor wasn’t around as well, and it was unlikely that Liu Tongjia would take the initiative to talk about it.
Other than Su Qingsang and a few others, no one knew that Zhang Yichen had been drugged.
“Yes, you were drugged. You did something out of your control under the influence of that drug.”
“Who?” Zhang Yichen’s expression turned queasy at the thought that he had experienced such an encounter at the Huo Mansion.
“It’s not important who did it.” Huo Jinyao looked at him gravely. “What’s important here is, why did that person do it to you?”
“Jinyao, what do you mean?”
“Uncle, have you thought about this clearly? You think that you have hidden your emotions deep enough and covered it up well. But maybe there was someone who might have seen right through you?
“And not only did that person see through your feelings, that person also tried to take advantage of it. In fact, the person that the other party wanted to hurt may not have been you but Qingsang.”
Huo Jinyao’s facial expression turned more serious as he continued speaking. “You were in that room, drunk and unconscious. But what about Qingsang? Did you think about her?”