Soon someone brought over a bowl of shrimp wontons.

Jiang Can moved slowly and deliberately, gently stirring the wontons in the bowl with a small spoon. The steaming hot wontons, carrying the fresh aroma of shrimp and seaweed, kept wafting into Huo Zhixing's nose.

He glanced at her again, but she wasn't looking at him.

His heart sank to the bottom of the abyss.

However, not long after, Jiang Can suddenly got up and went to get an empty bowl. She picked out all the cilantro and poured most of the wontons from the bowl into the empty bowl.

Then she pushed the bowl in front of him, and after a long while, she uttered two soft words from her throat, "Eat."

Huo Zhixing was taken aback, then laughed. This was the first thing she had said to him since being discharged from the hospital, and he felt a surge of excitement.

He recalled the time she invited him to dinner at the Emperor Hotel. Even though she didn't have much money, she always obliged him, practically gritting her teeth to order a plate of lobster fried rice. When the rice arrived, she shared most of it with him, barely eating any herself.

Huo Zhixing suddenly realized that even if he were to fall on hard times and have to beg for food, this little woman would never abandon him.

But she can accept someone who has been to prison, so why can't she accept him?

Huo Zhixing put down his spoon and looked at her very seriously.

"CanCan, I have something I want to tell you."

Jiang Can froze, her eyelids twitched, and after a long while, she slowly raised her eyes.

The moment she met his gaze, she felt uneasy and afraid.

"Gu..." She almost called out the wrong name again, pursed her lips, and after a long while, she softly called out, "Mr. Huo..."

Huo Zhixing's heart tightened.

"Mr. Huo, please speak your mind."

"Can Can," he said in a low voice, "are you trying to distance yourself from me?"

"I just don't know what to call you." She smiled bitterly. "For over a year, I've called you Gu Mang, but now..."

"Now you can call me 'husband' too," he said hastily, "just like before!"

“It’s different.” She was very sad. “You are not my husband, I am someone else’s wife.”

Huo Zhixing was startled, feeling her hand go empty, and she quickly pulled her small hand back.

"Can Can, we're all the same!" He stared intently at her. "I haven't changed!"

"Do you remember what you told me before? You said that no matter what I become, I will always be the man you love most! You swore that in church!"

Jiang Can took a deep breath, desperately trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.

She hadn't changed, but faced with the sudden change in her identity, she didn't know how to face him.

It feels like walking the same road for a long time, and one day the scenery suddenly changes, but you have no idea what awaits you at the end of the road.

"I know I shouldn't have lied to you." Huo Zhixing grabbed her small hand in a panic. "But I was planning to tell you everything as soon as I got back from Yangcheng. But Gu Mang's sudden appearance disrupted my plans!"

"Before he appeared, you had countless opportunities to say it!" Jiang Can looked at him. "But you never mentioned a single word to me! Why didn't you say anything?"

"I……"

Huo Zhixing licked his lips, speechless for a moment.

Before? When he first got together with her, he never imagined he would fall so deeply in love!

At that time, he was still planning how to get rid of her one day.

She never expected karma to come so quickly; now it's her turn to get rid of him...

"Can Can," he lowered his voice, emphasizing each word, "you really can't forgive me?"

Jiang Can's eyes reddened, and her big eyes became misty.

"Huo Zhixing..." This was the first time she had called him by his full name in person. "It's a very unfamiliar name to me. You have to give me time to get used to it."

"As for the future, I haven't thought that far ahead. You know I'm not an impatient person... Can you let me take my time?"

Although he desperately wanted to take her back to Yangcheng immediately, he smiled and nodded vigorously.

She's right, she needs time to adjust and recover. It's okay to take it slow, he's patient with her. At least tonight is progress; she's no longer rejecting him.

Once you take the first step, the second and third steps won't be far behind.

Huo Zhixing laughed and lowered his head to eat his wontons. This was truly the best bowl of shrimp wontons he had ever eaten!

...

A few days later, Huo Zhanhe proposed bidding for the land plot in the western suburbs of Yangcheng at the board meeting.

"Everything is almost ready." He smiled at Huo Wenyuan. "The funds will be in place soon. As for the other companies, they are not our competitors!"

"Hmm." Huo Wenyuan listened quietly, his weathered face expressionless, and the rosewood walnut he had been playing with had developed a layer of glaze.

Just as Huo Zhanhe was about to continue the discussion, Huo Wenyuan coughed and asked in a deep voice, "I remember that Zhixing also made a plan for this piece of land!"

"Ha, yes!" Huo Zhanhe had already cursed Huo Zhixing to the bone in his heart. "I've also read Zhixing's proposal. It's impeccable. No wonder he was personally trained by you, Dad!"

“However…” Huo Zhanhe’s eyes darted around, “Dad, Zhixing is still young, and he is lacking in the ability to raise funds.”

"Yes, Chairman!" someone echoed. "Although the Third Young Master is capable, such a large project cannot be accomplished solely through ability; the experience of the older generation is extremely important!"

"I also think the vice president is more suitable than the third young master. We'll feel more at ease if the vice president takes over!"

"I heard that the Third Young Master has been lingering in Jiangzhou because of a woman? Ha, young people are so emotional! If he were to handle a big project with this kind of personality, he'd probably suffer!"

Huo Zhanhe raised his eyebrows, his expression becoming increasingly smug.

Huo Wenyuan remained expressionless. Although his face was calm and collected, he was still very unhappy that Huo Zhixing's affair with that woman had been exposed in public.

He glared at Huo Zhanhe, his sharp gaze sending chills down one's spine.

He began to suspect that it might be a trap set by Huo Zhanhe, who on the surface agreed to let Gu Mang get rid of Jiang Can, but in reality instructed Gu Mang not to get rid of her and to continue to use that woman to bewitch Huo Zhixing.

Huo Wenyuan slammed his dragon-head cane into the ground, the dull thud silencing the entire conference room instantly.

"So you've already made up your minds? This project will be handed over to Vice President Huo?"

The board members exchanged glances and then fell silent.

Huo Zhanhe sensed something was wrong and was about to say something in his defense when the conference room door suddenly opened...