Chapter 37

Chu Ci believed that the heir abandoned by the Huo family was either a playboy or mentally challenged.

In fact, the moment she saw Huo Chengxun, she knew she had underestimated the situation.

Huo Chengxun, forty-five or forty-six years old, dressed casually, still exuded the elegance and nobility of a scion of a prominent family.

After exchanging polite pleasantries, Chu Ci picked up his teacup and silently sipped his tea.

Huo Chengxun calmly poured her more tea, as if they were old friends appreciating new tea in a tea room.

"Chairman Huo, do you have something to say?" Chu Ci broke the silence first.

"You can call me Big Cousin, just like Junyan."

She sipped her tea without replying. Huo Chengxun didn't seem to mind, and put down his teacup. "Isn't Junyan's expansion in Southeast Asia a bit too aggressive?"

Chu Ci raised her eyes; among intelligent people, a single glance is enough.

He knew she was fully aware of Huo Junyan's plans in Southeast Asia, so he went straight to the point. If she pretended to be ignorant, she would be at a disadvantage.

"Yes, the company needs to expand externally to alleviate internal pressure."

Huo Chengxun smiled faintly, his lips and the lines around his eyes becoming more pronounced. "Using a safety valve to release the pressure is sufficient; why go to the trouble of seeking something far away?"

"The safety valve is old, and besides, there are quite a few people who can access the valve, so it's not safe."

"Perhaps we can come up with a compromise, such as adding more safety valves, each controlling its own function."

"Issuing too many government orders is a major taboo."

Huo Chengxun's smile faded, and he squinted at Chu Ci for a moment. "You are more decisive than Junyan."

“He values ​​family ties,” Chu Ci said with a smile.

He glanced at the time and said, "I have something to do, goodbye."

Huo Chengxun gestured for Chu Ci to leave without getting up. Chu Ci left the tea room and saw a call coming in from an unknown number. When she answered, she found it was Meng Huizhou, Huo Junyan's mother.

They all chose this time to contact her because Huo Junyan was flying to Southeast Asia these past two days.

Meng Huizhou also arranged to meet her.

Chu Ci had no choice but to agree. Unconsciously, she turned around and saw Huo Chengxun standing at the entrance of the tea room, a smile always on his face.

"Goodbye."

“My fourth sister-in-law has already chosen a marriage partner for Junyan, but I can help you. You just need to repay me with the management rights of the safety valve. Hedging your bets is better than losing everything.”

Chu Ci smiled, pursing her lips, "Winning by betting on both sides is still losing."

Out of the corner of his eye, a woman appeared. She looked vaguely familiar. As she approached, she appeared to be in her early forties, exuding the charm of a mature woman. She was holding Huo Chengxun's arm and winked at Chu Ci.

"Your wife?" Chu Ci nodded slightly, as if to greet her.

To everyone's surprise, the woman was first taken aback, then burst into laughter, "Chu Ci, you're so funny~" Her voice was light and melodious, like she was singing a song.

Even listening to the Chu Ci (Songs of Chu) makes one feel a tingling sensation.

She was being superficial again, always assuming that spoiled rich kids would date minor internet celebrities or stars, but that they would definitely be young.

This woman is not young. Although she is beautiful, the lines on her face are obvious when she smiles, and she may actually be older than Huo Chengxun.

The woman put her arm around Huo Chengxun's shoulder and said, "Just call me my eldest cousin's wife."

Chu Ci glanced at Huo Chengxun. Both of them were eager to claim kinship. "You look a lot like one of my friends."

"Oh, who is it?" The woman looked her over with interest.

“Zixi,” Chu Ci looked at Huo Chengxun, “Huo Zixi.”

The woman's smile froze abruptly. Chu Ci raised an eyebrow, turned, and left.

The two stood at the door for a long time until Chu Ci's figure completely disappeared. Only then did the woman soften and be helped back to the tea room by Huo Chengxun.

Chu Ci pressed the button twice before starting the vehicle, merging into traffic, and rolling down the window, only then realizing he was covered in a cold sweat.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly, as if only by doing so could she avoid collapsing. Her heart was pounding in her throat. With no other choice, she pulled the car over to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and slumped over the steering wheel.

That woman.

She recognized the woman at first glance; she had seen her on the ferry five years ago.

To this day, Chu Ci's memories of the ferry ride remain hazy. Perhaps the doctor is right; with the passage of time, old memories have been overwritten and are difficult to recover. The only possibility is a reenactment of the scene.

She remembered that she had gone home once.

But we must remember what happened on the ship; we can't let another maritime disaster repeat itself.

When Xingxing was taken away last time, she only experienced confusion on the cruise ship and did not regain her memory. This shows that there must be people and events from that year.

This will never be possible again.

The moment that woman appeared, Chu Ci was certain she had seen her on the ferry five years ago, but... what happened afterward? Did she do anything to her on the ship?

I can't remember at all.

Chu Ci remained puzzled as to who had placed Shen Que's identity information on her, and what their purpose was.

The most suspicious person is Zhou Yubai. Through cross-verification with multiple parties, she confirmed that when the rescuers pulled her out of the water, they confirmed her identity by looking at the blurry passport on her body.

This means that her passport must have been with her before the shipwreck occurred.

How did it end up on her?

Who put it there?

Could it be her?

There's no reason, at least not right now.

That's where someone else put it.

Was it random or premeditated?

No, it couldn't be random. The identities of the survivors could be verified, making it easy to expose the deception.

Shen Que, Zhou Shaoqing.

They both died.

Because it was a shipwreck and their faces were disfigured, the rescue team confirmed their identities based on the passenger list. Whether it was the Zhou family, Huo Junyan, or Huo Zixi, it was useless even if they didn't believe it.

Two people died, and no one is missing. Who would have thought that their identity information would have been switched?

Who would have thought that the real Chu Ci would suffer from amnesia, and coincidentally, she was carrying Chen Que's passport.

Unfortunately, it had been soaked in water, so the photos weren't very clear.

When I saw this woman today and recognized her, fear rose from the bottom of my heart almost instantly.

She rarely fears anything.

The moment she recognized the woman, the little monster's wariness prompted her to deliberately mistake her for someone else.

They'll definitely find out about her injury and amnesia anyway.

He used the mistake of recognizing someone else to cover up the fact that he actually recognized her.

She didn't know why, but her intuition told her that she couldn't let them find out that she remembered being on the ferry.

He then deliberately used Huo Zixi to provoke Huo Chengxun and his "wife".

It was a clumsy tactic, but the woman's expression clearly changed.

Why is that?

The only thing that can be confirmed is that this woman appeared in front of her on purpose.

Was it just a test, or was she not afraid of being recognized at all? Or was it just a coincidence that she appeared on the ferry five years ago, and that she did nothing, so she could appear in front of her so openly?

I thought that by returning to the role of Chu Ci, I could say goodbye to the identity I had held for the past five years.

But clearly not. Everything seems to have returned to square one, and the mystery of her changed identity remains unsolved.

No, it seems even more perplexing.

His head looked like it was about to burst, and he ran his fingers through his hair to protect it.

Knock knock knock!

The car window was knocked on, and Chu Ci suddenly looked up, her vision filled with stars. She breathed heavily, her chaotic thoughts unable to be pulled out of her mind.

The traffic police knocked on the car window a few more times.

She quickly rolled down her window. The traffic officer glanced down at her, paused in his action of writing the ticket, and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Uh, no, I'm just a little panicked," she glanced at the rearview mirror, her face still wet with tears, her small face pale and bloodless. "Headache."

"Can I drive here? Parking is not allowed."

Chu Ci nodded, "Yes, I'll go right away."

She drove to the garage, touched up her makeup briefly inside the car, and then went up to the top floor.

Upon arrival, I learned that this was Meng Huizhou's personal studio, which was also a private art museum.

After a brief exchange with the bodyguards at the entrance, Chu Ci entered the art museum, which mainly featured abstract paintings with rich colors, as she was a pure engineering student.

Artistic talent, hehe!

The highest level is the school's bulletin board.

The entire single-level space was divided into many art spaces. After looking at a few of the Chu Ci paintings, he felt nothing. With his hands in his pockets, he walked around a screen, where the view opened up, and Meng Huizhou sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Are you feeling unwell?" She stood up and glanced at Chu Ci's face.

Chu Ci quickly took her hands out of her pocket, clasped them together, and said, "Auntie."

Meng Huizhou poured her a cup of coffee, then got up to put lemon slices in it, picked up a sugar cube with tweezers, paused, and looked up at her.

"Two pieces, thank you, Auntie."

Meng Huizhou added two sugar cubes, saying, "You young people metabolize so fast; I don't even dare touch sugar anymore." He appreciated Chu Ci even more and sighed softly.

When facing Huo Junyan's mother, Chu Ci cannot treat her the same way she treats Huo Chengxun, nor can she take the initiative to attack.

After taking a few sips of coffee, the feeling of panic returned. She picked up a pastry and ate it to calm herself down.

Meng Huizhou placed another type of pastry in front of her, saying, "I made this pastry myself, and Qiqi and Junyan love it."

Qiqi is Huo Junyan's older sister.

Since that's what they said, Chu Ci naturally wouldn't refuse. She picked up the pastry, took a bite, and said, "Hmm, it's like eating plum ice cream after climbing a mountain."

This was the first time Meng Huizhou had heard such a novel compliment, and he was overjoyed.

Chu Ci didn't try to flatter her; she just felt like someone who was carsick had eaten a sweet and sour pastry, like a crispy ice cream, and that's why she made this comment.

"Chu Ci, I really like you, and I especially like the stars."

Chu Ci thought to himself: Here it comes.

She quietly put down her coffee, sat up properly, and said, "Thank you, Auntie."

Meng Huizhou looked at her and said, “You’ve been at the company these past few days, so you must have heard and seen just as much as I have. You were involved in Zhou’s company before. I’m not referring to your past, but I haven’t experienced what you’ve been through, so I won’t judge what you did before. What I mean is that you understand that the operation of a large group is far more complicated than it seems. I think you’re smart enough to understand the current predicament of Huo’s Group.”

Show weakness and be open and honest.

Chu Ci was unsure whether to agree or disagree; Yao Shengjie and Old Zhou had both used this trick on her before.

He didn't reveal a single word on his face.

“Actually, I really admire your abilities. If it were five years ago, I would definitely have accepted you two being together. But now the Huo family is facing difficulties, and your relationship with the Zhou family is so complicated. I'm not judging your past, but I'm saying that the Zhou family is clinging to our Huo family because of you. Junyan's marriage is no longer just his own business.”

Meng Huizhou spoke with heartfelt sincerity, but Chu Ci's gaze remained fixed on the coffee table. Upon hearing this, a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

If we went back five years, the story would definitely be different.

She raised her head, her gaze calm. "Auntie, I understand. I've always planned to leave, but Junyan has been keeping a close eye on me. These next two days will be an opportunity. Could you help me shake off the bodyguards and arrange a car for me? I'll take Xingxing with me."

Meng Huizhou was stunned for a long time.

To be honest, she never looked down on Chu Ci; in fact, she admired and respected her decisiveness and methods.

Imagine a young girl who is seriously injured and suffers from amnesia. She has no money or power, yet she manages to protect her child in the face of a wealthy family like the Zhou family. She thrives in the company, rises to a middle management position, and ultimately takes revenge and leaves unscathed.

Meng Huizhou asked herself, even though she had been carefully nurtured by her family since childhood, she might not have such a resilient mind.

In her eyes, the Chu Ci (Songs of Chu) was a natural warrior.

If she were a first-generation entrepreneur, she would be the best partner, but the Huo family has already passed the stage where they need women to lead the charge.

They value social standing and family reputation more.

Chu Ci's life is too complicated. If she had only been divorced, it would be fine, but she is sometimes Chu Ci and sometimes Shen Que. She also experienced a shipwreck. Shen Que eloped with Zhou Shaoqing and then married Zhou Yubai. The real Shen Que is dead. It's hard to tell which is which.

The Huo family could no longer afford to have their reputation ruined once again.

Meng Huizhou could not tolerate her son falling into the hands of a woman like Huo Chengxun.

"The stars must remain."

"Auntie, can you allow me to take Huo Junyan away?" Chu Ci asked back.

"What are you saying?"

"Huo Junyan is your son, and Xingxing is also my son. I didn't consult you. This is my bottom line. Otherwise, let's not talk."

Meng Huizhou's expression changed drastically, "You, you,"

Chu Ci stood up. "I'll wait for your notification." After taking a few steps, she turned back. "Oh, by the way, you only have less than 24 hours. He'll be back tomorrow night, and he won't let me go then. Your plan will fall through."

“The stars remain,”

"I don't want to hear your reasoning. Goodbye."

Meng Huizhou stood up, his face turning pale and then red, pointed at her, and suddenly collapsed to the ground.