Accompanied by Zhao Gang and Liu Mei, Mingzhao returned to the family compound with Huo Hua.

The two had just had a brief conversation.

Mingzhao didn't elaborate on what she was going to do next, only telling Howard that she might be out of contact for a while and leave this place.

Howard had already gotten some information from Wang Lü and Zhang Mingyuan.

His gaze toward Mingzhao was profound.

It contains complex emotions so profound that even Mingzhao dared not comprehend them.

The two returned home.

Then I saw a dignified and elegant woman holding Gongzhu's hand, chatting happily in the room.

Qin Mingxian heard the sound and turned around to find that her son had returned, accompanied by someone she didn't recognize.

"This is?"

Qin Mingxian looked at Mingzhao with suspicion.

Howard took the initiative to stand next to Mingzhao and introduced her to Qin Mingxian: "Mom, this is Mingzhao, my wife."

Then, she gently said to Mingzhao, "This is my mother. She's come to see us."

Zhao Gang and Liu Mei had already divided up the tasks at the door.

Liu Mei stood behind Ming Zhao.

Zhao Gang was responsible for stepping out of the courtyard and looking around to see if there was anything unusual.

Upon hearing that the other party was Huo Hua's mother, Ming Zhao pursed her lips and forced a sweet smile.

I saw that the daughter-in-law smiled once, and that was it; she didn't even bother to say goodbye.

Qin Mingxian was somewhat dissatisfied.

He was about to ignore Mingzhao and continue talking to Gongzhu.

Unexpectedly, Gong Zhu came forward with a look of surprise and took Ming Zhao's hand.

Looking Mingzhao up and down, she said with concern, "Zhaozhao! It's been so long, you look so thin."

"Have you not been taking good care of yourself again?"

Gong Zhu's tone carried a hint of reproach.

"Does your brother know you're back? If he does, he'll be so happy."

Mingzhao shook his head.

As Howard just mentioned, Minglang has an urgent mission and is not here at the moment.

Gong Zhu's expression immediately turned regretful.

"How long will you stay here this time?"

Seeing Mingzhao remain silent, Gongzhu asked in surprise, "You...you're not going to go out again, are you?"

Mingzhao nodded sincerely.

Gong Zhu looked at Huo Hua with a complicated expression.

She had witnessed Commander Huo's past.

Mingzhao doesn't live here, so it's too lonely with only Commander Huo in this house.

After Commander Huo's mother arrived, the house finally felt a bit more lively.

She came over out of compassion and often chatted with Qin Mingxian.

Thinking of this, Gong Zhu remembered Qin Mingxian, who had been overlooked.

“Aunt Huo, Mingzhao and I have quite a connection; we've known each other for a long time.”

Gong Zhu spoke well of Ming Zhao in front of Qin Mingxian.

"Mingzhao is a good kid. He works at a research institute now."

Qin Mingxian knew that Mingzhao had a job, but she didn't know it was at a research institute!

Howard didn't say a single word to her.

Qin Mingxian glared fiercely at Huo Hua.

A kind smile appeared on his face as he looked at Mingzhao's fair and delicate face.

"I came here to see how you two are doing."

"I'll stay here for a while, just to relax."

"I didn't expect you to look so thin and small. Are you 18 yet?"

Mingzhao shook his head.

Qin Mingxian's smile froze for a moment.

He mechanically turned his head toward Howard.

Howard remained silent.

Qin Mingxian smiled and said, "He's still just a child."

Qin Mingxian then remembered something else.

She pulled Mingzhao in front of her and touched Mingzhao's shoulders with both hands.

"I didn't expect you to look so thin! Have you tried on the clothes I sent you? Do they fit?"

Huh? Mingzhao was taken aback when he heard this.

What clothes? She doesn't know.

Mingzhao looked to Howard for help.

Howard touched his nose and coughed.

"Mom forgot to tell you, when I picked up the package and came back, something happened and the clothes were damaged."

Qin Mingxian immediately became unhappy and slapped Huo Hua hard.

"What? The clothes are ruined? How did they get ruined? You spendthrift son, those clothes of mine were made of the finest material."

Qin Mingxian grew angrier as she spoke, and then viciously slapped Huo Hua twice more.

"Those are clothes I made for Mingzhao! You... this was a gift for her when we met, and she hasn't even seen what it looks like yet, and you've ruined it! How can you do this?"

Qin Mingxian's eyes were filled with reproach.

Howard was speechless and could only let his mother vent her anger.

"Where are your clothes? Find them for me. I've been here for so many days, and you haven't even offered to show them to me."

"What if it can still be replenished?"

In fact, Qin Mingxian put on this show to let Mingzhao know that she is not someone who is unprepared.

Blame it on his stupid son; he can't even handle a simple task, and he always gives her the cold shoulder.

Mingzhao shook her head: "It's alright."

The voice sounded soft; the child seemed well-behaved.

So far, Qin Mingxian has really had no complaints about Mingzhao.

She looked at Gong Zhu with some difficulty.

She even planned to introduce Gongzhu to her son as a daughter-in-law.

Now that the main house is back, Qin Mingxian suddenly felt that what she had done was not very proper.

Her eyes darted between Mingzhao and Huo Hua.

I noticed that the atmosphere between the two of them... didn't have that feeling of a married couple.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!