To My Dear Mr. Huo

Su Peizhen looked at herself in the mirror, carefully painting her lips red. When she was done, she pouted them slightly. Deciding she looked stunning, she stood up from the chair.

Putting on her coat, she looked at herself in the mirror once more, to ensure that every last detail was perfect. Only then did she pick up her purse to head out.

She opened the door and saw Xiang Caiping there.

Xiang Caiping was waiting at the door and seemed to want to talk to her.

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

“It’s almost dinner time. Are you going out again?”

Xiang Caiping looked at Su Peizhen and spoke carefully,

“Yeah. I have an appointment with a friend. We’re meeting up for a chat.”

Xiang Caiping’s lips twisted as though she was chewing on the words that she held back.

“You haven’t eaten at home for three days. Peizhen, I’m just…”

“Mom, I really have to do this. I’m not playing around,” Su Peizhen blinked her eyes as she explained herself, “I just moved to this city. I don’t know this place well yet. I have to make some local friends, don’t I?”

Xiang Caiping looked at the girl.

She was pretty and well dressed with delicately applied makeup. She still looked like the rich girl from Lin City that she used to be.

For a moment, Xiang Caiping wondered what her life would have been like, had she not taken Su Peizhen back.

“Peizhen.” Xiang Caiping’s face grew serious all of a sudden.

“Yeah?” Seeing the look on her mother’s face, Su Peizhen adjusted her attitude and erased the careless smile she was wearing.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Nothing. I’m just wondering if you wanted to go back to Lin City.”

“Mom, why would you say that?”

“I mean it.” Xiang Caiping had been doing a lot of thinking recently. The more time she spent with Su Peizhen, the more she had missed the previous months when she had kept Su Qingsang at her side.

She knew it wasn’t right, but she couldn’t stop herself from comparing the two girls.

Su Peizhen didn’t like Xiang Caiping and could not accept her as her mother. Xiang Caiping was well aware of this. She had a lifetime of experience that allowed her to recognize it.

Comparing Su Peizhen’s attitude with Su Qingsang’s, Xiang Caiping saw clearly that Su Peizhen might not want to be her daughter.

“I’m thinking that maybe you like Lin City more. In fact, it’ll be fine if you want to go back there. I-I can beg your father, I can ask him to let you return.”

“Mom.” Su Peizhen’s face fell. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m serious.” Xiang Caiping didn’t want to, but she thought maybe the girl would prefer it. She could see the differences between Su Peizhen and Su Qingsang.

Su Qingsang had grown up as the illegitimate daughter of the Su Family. She had never been loved by Su Chenghui and Li Qianxue when she was little.

In contrast to her, Su Peizhen used to be like a princess, treasured by the entire Li Family.

The Li Family was super-wealthy, and Su Chenghui was rich too. Xiang Caiping understood the girl might be having difficulty adapting to her current life.

“Your father owes me. If I beg him to, I believe that…”

“Mom.” Su Peizhen raised her voice to speak. “I won’t call you Mom again if you do that.”

Xiang Caiping was shocked to hear Su Peizhen say that. Her face had changed so drastically. She stood there, not certain how to respond.

Su Peizhen cleared her throat when she realized that she had been too aggressive.

“Mom, listen to me. We are good now. Really, I like our life here.”

“Really?” Xiang Caiping hated Su Chenghui, but she loved her daughter.

Su Peizhen wrestled down her discontent and forced smile on her face as she looked at Xiang Caiping.

“Mom, listen to me. We are together now. We have each other. As for my father, I’ll never forgive him for casting me out of the family. So please, don’t say anything like that again.”

“I won’t. I won’t.”

Xiang Caiping forced herself to smile reassuringly. She treated Su Peizhen in a different way from how she would have treated Su Qingsang.

She found herself somehow a little afraid of Su Peizhen.

“Peizhen,” she said, “when you’ve finished with whatever work you doing now, can you spend more time at home?”

Su Peizhen knitted her brows, wanting to say no. However, seeing the nervous look on Xiang Caiping’s face, she couldn’t bring herself to push those words out.

“Alright, I get it. I’ve been busy lately. But don’t worry. I’ll spend more time with you when I get everything done. Alright?”

“That would be great.”

Xiang Caiping didn’t dare to say anything else as she watched Su Peizhen leave.

After Su Peizhen had left, she leaned against the wall. She couldn’t help but think of Su Qingsang again.

Su Qingsang would never leave her at home alone like that, would she?

Su Qingsang would stay and comfort her.

Of course, Su Qingsang wouldn’t always be going out. She had spent much of her time at home, keeping Xiang Caiping company when they had lived together.

Realizing where her mind had wandered, Xiang Caiping felt her heart once more welling up in bitterness.

She hated Su Chenghui so much. That hatred reached its zenith at that very moment. It was all his fault. Everything was his fault.

Su Peizhen was oblivious to Xiang Caiping’s internal struggles. She got into her car but before she started the engine, she turned to glance at Xiang Caiping.

Xiang Caiping’s words had surprised her, she had actually thought that she wanted to go back to Lin City.

How could she possibly return to Lin City now? She had finally built a relationship with Huo Yifan. Things were going great at the moment. The last thing she wanted was to return to Lin City.

Li Qianxue, Su Chenghui, and Old Master Li.

They all had said plenty of sweet words to her, including telling her that they loved her but how could she know they were telling the truth?

Surely they wouldn’t have her thrown her out of the house if they really loved her. That Xiang Caiping intended to beg Su Chenghui to allow her to return was ridiculous.

Su Peizhen hated Su Qingsang for stealing her life. The only other person whom she hated more was Su Chenghui.

If he really loved her, he wouldn’t have uncovered the truth. Wouldn’t it have been better to allow her to remain the daughter of the Li Family for the rest of her life?

Su Chenghui was the one who caused her to be in her current straits. On that, she agreed with Xiang Caiping a hundred percent, even though they rarely agreed on anything else. They both despised Su Chenghui.

Despite the turmoil of her emotions, she had at least managed to get her facial expression under control by the time she showed up to meet Huo Yifan.

Su Peizhen walked into a VIP room in Xiangshan smiling at Huo Yifan, who was seated at the head of the table.

“Mr. Huo, good to see you.”

She walked to him, sitting down at his side. She glanced around but didn’t see anyone else.

“Haven’t the others arrived yet?”

Huo Yifan picked up the teapot and poured her a cup of tea.

“There won’t be anyone else.” He leaned slightly toward her and said with a faint smile, “We’re alone today.”

Su Peizhen pressed her lips slightly together and turned to look at him. She looked breathtakingly charming.

“The two of us alone? Mr. Huo, what’s going on?”

Huo Yifan put down the teapot and placed his hand on Su Peizhen’s, saying, “Peizhen, you’re a smart girl. I think you know what’s happening.”

Su Peizhen gently removed pushed Huo Yifan’s hand away from her own and moved back slightly as she chided him. “Mr. Huo, I’ve told you not to think of me in the same way as other girls you may have met before.”

“I am not one of those girls.”

“Peizhen, what makes you say something like that? Can’t you tell how much I care about you?”

Huo Yifan leaned in towards her once more, putting one arm around the back of her chair, holding her hand in his own.

Su Peizhen didn’t remove his hand this time. Instead she grinned, telling him, “Mr. Huo, I’m truly flattered. If you don’t think of me as one of those girls, do you have the guts to come home with me to meet my parents?”

Huo Jinyao paused briefly, and then laughed, “Are you sure?”

“Of course. Do you have the courage to do that?”

While speaking Su Peizhen looked at him challengingly. The pretty girl knew that she was irresistible when she stared at someone like that.

Huo Yifan was tempted at that moment. He couldn’t help but pull her toward himself placing her onto his lap.

“If you have the courage to bring me home, I’ll go with you.”

He lifted Su Peizhen’s chin and continued, “You can even come home with me to meet my family if you want to.”

He had used the word “family” rather than “parents”. The two were entirely different.

Su Peizhen pressed her lips together and looked at Huo Yifan as she blinked. “Really?” she asked.

“Don’t you believe me?” Huo Yifan chuckled as he put an arm around her waist. “Why don’t you come home with me this weekend to meet my grandpa?”

“Your grandpa?”

“Yeah,” Huo Yifan nodded. “My uncle might seem like he’s in charge of the family, but if my grandpa says no to something, not even my uncle can go against his decision.”

That rule was especially pertinent to certain significant matters.

He scanned Su Peizhen’s face and then, lifting her chin slightly higher said, “I think my grandpa will like you.”

He believed that Huo Jinyao’s marriage was the sole reason why Old Master Huo favored him.

He could earn Old Master Huo’s approbation by getting married as well. He just needed to find the right woman.

“What if your grandpa doesn’t like me?”

Su Peizhen lowered her head slightly. Her lips happened to brush across his finger. Then as she raised her eyes to look at him she slightly opened her mouth, catching his finger between her vividly red lips.

Huo Yifan narrowed his eyes. If he had been in a hotel room at that moment, he would have had the girl on the bed already.

“I like you. That is enough.”

Su Peizhen smiled. “Then I’d really like to meet your grandpa. If you like me so much, that I shall have to do something for you in return.”

Huo Yifan narrowed his eyes, watching as her lips moved away. Without thinking he pulled her close again, lowering his head to kiss her deeply.

Su Peizhen didn’t resist. She put her arms around his neck and opened her mouth, taking the initiative.

Huo Yifan was delightfully surprised. He turned into it and pressed her down.

Their kiss was like a battle.

Huo Yifan was however, the more experienced one. At last, Su Peizhen gave up fighting. He held her tight and pressed her waist toward himself.

He let her feel his passion. Even though she had lost the lead to him in their kiss, he hadn’t completely won.

“Peizhen, sooner or later, I’ll going to make you mine,” he said.

“I’m awaiting that day in anticipation,” she said.