Chapter 60 Old Photos

Huo Qi Chen looked at it for a long time, with the corners of his mouth curled up. He was not disgusted by this scene.

Probably because she didn't sleep well last night, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon when Jian Mo woke up. She rubbed her hazy eyes and found that Huo Qichen was still sitting there, not finishing his work.

"How long have I slept?"

He looked at his watch. "Three hours."

Jian Mo scratched her head, feeling embarrassed. It seemed like it took a while. "Aren't you done yet? When are we going back?"

“Almost.”

It's boring to be frugal with words.

She was lying on the bed bored, thinking about the cover design of Jingfeng on her mobile phone. Seeing that Huo Qichen was not finished yet, she limped around the room.

I came in a hurry last time and didn't take a closer look.

This time, Jian Mo discovered that there was a study next door, which was connected to the master bedroom. There was an entire wall of books in it, as well as many interesting little gadgets.

"Huo Qichen, can I go in and take a look?" She clung to the wall.

He didn't care, "Go ahead."

Huo Qichen grew up in the old house and has piled up a lot of things here.

Jian Mo sat on the ground and saw a big box. When she opened it, it was full of toys from her childhood.

She picked up a slingshot and muttered to herself, "He was just like any other kid when he was little, why is he so different now that he's grown up?"

Flipping through the pages, there were even girls' hairbands in various colors. Jian Mo laughed. It was hard to imagine that Huo Qichen would play with girls when he was a child.

There was not only a hairband, but also a half-used pencil, a postcard with a blessing written on it, and... a photo.

The photo was pressed at the bottom of the box and was covered with dust. Jian Mo brushed it away with her hand and was shocked to find her grandfather's figure in the photo.

At that time, my grandfather was not so old. There were two children standing beside him. The little boy was good-looking. He was holding the hand of the little girl next to him and smiling happily.

Jian Mo looked in the direction of his hand and frowned.

This little girl actually looks a bit like her!

Not the way she is now, but the way she was when she was a child!

It was so similar that Jian Mo's hands were shaking a little.

But she also knew clearly that this little girl was not herself. She didn't know Huo Qichen at all at that time and had never been here.

Is it such a coincidence?

Before Jian Mo had time to think about it, steady footsteps were heard outside the study. "I'm done. What are you doing?"

Huo Qichen's voice ended abruptly when he saw Jian Mo sitting on the ground holding a photo.

In an instant, his gentle eyes turned turbulent. He immediately rushed forward to snatch the photo away, roaring, "Who told you to touch it?"

"I..." Jian Mo quickly stood up. Her ankle hurt because of the force, but this time Huo Qichen did not reach out to help her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I didn't mean to do that."

Huo Qichen carefully checked the photo for damage, then put it back into the box, closed it again, and said to Jian Mo angrily, "Don't touch things that are not yours. Didn't your parents teach you that?"

Jian Mo's heart ached. Without time to explain, she could only apologize, "I really didn't want to..."

"That's enough! Our relationship isn't close enough for you to pry into my private affairs. Jian Mo, don't forget, we're just doing a deal, so be careful."

After saying that, Huo Qichen quickly left the study room holding the box. It seemed that the box was very important to him, more important than his life.

Jian Mo stood in silence for a while. When she came to her senses, she raised her hand to touch her face and felt it was cold.

She cried.

Finally, Aunt Liu came up to call for help. She walked into the master bedroom and didn't see Jian Mo, so she found the study. When she entered, she was shocked. Jian Mo, who was so aggrieved that she couldn't speak, was standing in the dust, as if she was breaking.

Aunt Liu's heart skipped a beat. She called out cautiously, "Xiaomo, Achen left early because of something. I'll ask the family driver to take you home. Okay."

Jian Mo closed her eyes. She was too self-righteous.

She thought that he could take off his disguise and indifference in front of her, revealing his gentleness and patience, and would appear every time she was in danger to save her, which would prove that she was different to him.

She was wrong.

A man like Huo Qichen has a deep understanding of the world. It seems that no matter how difficult the task is, it is nothing to him. The lazy and noble manner in his every move is something that others can never catch up with in several lifetimes. How does the saying go? "Although you know the vastness of the universe, you still pity the green grass and trees."

There was no reason for Jian Mo not to sink, she almost fell.

When Huo Qichen was angry just now, he seemed like a completely different person. His calmness and restraint were gone. That look... could kill people.

Then she suddenly realized that his help was just a small favor, and to him, she was just a blade of grass that could not climb to a high branch.

"Xiaomo?" Aunt Liu called worriedly.

Jian Mo smiled faintly, "Okay, I'll pack up and come down."

Before leaving the old house, Grandpa seemed to have something to say, but he hesitated for a long time. Finally, he just patted Jian Mo's hand and said, "Child, I'm sorry for wronging you. Everything will be fine in the future. Achen has a knot in his heart, please be more understanding."

There was no future for her and Huo Qichen. After figuring this out, Jian Mo smiled brightly, "Grandpa, I'm not wronged. I understand him."

The old man sighed.

"What's that girl's name? May I know?"

She didn't ask many questions, just enough to get to the point. Grandpa couldn't help but answer: "My name is Xiaoxiao. She grew up with Achen. Like you, she's a good kid."

“…” She must be a good girl to be praised by grandpa.

In the car, Jian Mo recalled the appearance of the girl in the photo. Combined with her grandfather's reticence about it, Xiaoxiao... must be the missing girl that Huo Qichen had mentioned, the girl who was very important to him.

So they were childhood sweethearts, so why did she disappear? Why does she look so much like me?

It was raining outside, and the rain was hitting the car window. It was evening, the sky was dark, and a severe storm was brewing.

Jian Mo leaned her head against the car window, still unable to figure out, could it be that Huo Qichen married her because of this face? The care he had shown her these days, the tenderness he showed from time to time, were all the benefits of that girl?

Thinking of this, Jian Mo showed a sarcastic smile. Yes, otherwise, with her looks and unremarkable abilities, how could Huo Qi Chen look at her differently.

His angry and disgusted look just now was the truest reflection of his attitude towards her.

Just a small substitute.

Back at Mingyuan, Ju Ma took off Jian Mo's rain-soaked coat and asked, "Why didn't Mr. come back with us?"

Jian Mo turned around and glanced at the garage, but Huo Qichen's car was not there.

"He didn't come back?"

"No."

The rain outside is getting heavier.

In the Huo family's top-floor lounge, the curtains were drawn, and everything was pitch black. The sound of wind and thunder was incessant. Huo Qichen sat quietly on the sofa, his angular features tense, sinking into the darkness, his expression unclear.