Chapter 371 Miss Si, do you want me to help you take off your clothes?

Qingning looked up and met a pair of deep, cold, and dark eyes, which startled her so much that her heart skipped a beat.

Huo Shenyuan had already quickly put on his shirt, his long, slender fingers fastening the buttons to completely cover the scars on his chest, as if afraid of frightening her.

Feeling guilty, Qingning crawled out of the wardrobe, only to bump her forehead against the door with a "bang," causing her to gasp in pain.

Huo Shenyuan's brow twitched violently, and the heartache in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"It's a misunderstanding." Qingning rubbed her forehead, which was sore from the bump. "I thought this was your brother's room, so I thought... I'd come in to get some clothes."

As she spoke, she casually took a shirt from the hanger, hugged it tightly to her chest, and the familiar, crisp scent still lingered on it.

"Got it, I can go now."

She tried to slip away, but Huo Shenyuan stood like a wall, blocking her way.

His tall figure loomed over us, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

"You like my brother that much?" he suddenly asked, his voice low and deep. "You insist on marrying him?"

Qingning was stunned, then smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Of course, I'm your future sister-in-law."

The word "of course" made his heart skip a beat.

"Could you tell me where your brother is? I want to go find him." Qingning looked up at him, her voice soft and pleading.

Huo Shenyuan just stared at her, making her feel uneasy.

He suddenly smirked, "Women who like my brother could line up from Haicheng all the way overseas. Are you sure you can get a spot in the line?"

"Why don't you come with me?"

"I'm no worse than him."

Qingning was completely stunned. Her brain went blank for a few seconds before she snapped out of it and exploded, "Are you crazy? If your brother heard this, he'd break your legs!"

Huo Shenyuan laughed instead, and took another step closer to her.

"Okay, if you agree to one condition, I'll take you to him."

He lowered his voice, his tone deadly and seductive.

"Right now, I'm the only one in the whole world who knows where my brother is. Even my grandma doesn't know."

Qingning was startled.

So secretive? Is this some top-secret major project being carried out overseas?

"What are the conditions?" she asked warily.

“My brother is abroad and won’t be back for a while. I just took over the Huo Group and became the acting president, in charge of all business in Haicheng.”

"I need an assistant. Can you come and help me? Just for three months."

"How about I personally take you to see him three months from now?"

He was just using this as an excuse to keep her firmly by his side. Firstly, so he could see her every day, and secondly, he was afraid she would run off alone looking for someone and encounter danger.

Qingning remained silent.

These conditions sound like a trap tailor-made for her.

She bit her lip. "You mean it? You really will take me to him?"

She paused, then asked, "Can I call him first?"

Huo Shenyuan replied quickly, "Okay. He'll call you when you get home. But first, you have to agree to my conditions."

"Fine!" Qingning steeled her resolve and agreed. "Three months it is! If you dare to play me after three months..."

She glared at him, her expression fierce like a kitten's, and said menacingly, "I'll throw you into the sea to feed the fish!"

"It's a deal." Huo Shenyuan's smile deepened, and for a moment, he almost couldn't resist the urge to reach out and hug her.

“By the way,” Qingning’s gaze fell on his unbuttoned shirt collar, where she could vaguely see some marks on his skin, “what happened to the injuries on your body?”

"Scald." He uttered the two words casually.

God knows, at that time he felt like he was about to float to the crater of a volcano and almost burned to ashes.

"It's a good thing your face is alright, a stroke of luck amidst misfortune." Qingning muttered, "I'll take a look at you in a few months, maybe it can be cured. Right now... my skills aren't good enough."

Huo Shenyuan gave her a deep look. "It's getting late. I'll have someone take you home."

As he walked, he slowly and methodically buttoned up the last button, regaining his aloof and ascetic demeanor.

As he reached the door, he turned back and gave a serious warning.

"From now on, you are not allowed to sneak into my room again."

"Men and women should not touch each other, understand?"

His tone was serious, without a trace of joking.

"Okay."

Qingning was stunned by his words and nodded quickly, like a chick pecking at rice.

Huo Shenyuan opened the door and went out first.

Qingning obediently followed behind him.

Only two dim wall lamps were lit in the stairwell, casting an ambiguous and unclear light.

Qingning was walking with her head down, not paying attention to her footing, when she suddenly cried out in surprise.

"ah!"

She slipped and fell forward uncontrollably.

Hearing the noise, Huo Shenyuan turned around, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart clenched.

Without a second thought, he stretched out his long arm and scooped her into his embrace.

Qingning crashed into his solid chest, her nose filled with surprise, her mind blank, still shaken.

His warm chest pressed tightly against her soft body curves through the thin fabric, and his large, hot hands encircled her waist.

Knock knock, knock knock.

Both of their heartbeats were abnormally fast, unusually clear in the quiet hallway.

Qingning smelled his familiar and pleasant, refreshing scent, with a hint of tobacco, which made her momentarily lose her composure.

Are you alright?

A deep, magnetic male voice sounded above her head.

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing." Qingning seemed to have been burned and suddenly jumped away from his embrace.

Damn it!

She cursed inwardly.

The person in front of her is Huo Xin, Huo Shenyuan's younger brother, not her Huo Shenyuan!

As she stepped outside the mansion, a night breeze blew, and Qingning felt her cheeks burning.

Huo Shenyuan had already arranged for a driver to take her back to the Sheng residence.

Even after the car had driven quite a distance, Qingning's heartbeat still hadn't calmed down.

She didn't dare look back at the man standing in the night.

When Qingning returned to the Sheng residence, Sheng's mother was playing with her two children in the living room.

"Have you eaten? I saved some food for you," said Sheng's mother.

"Okay." Qingning was indeed hungry, and she asked again, "Big brother, are you back?"

Aunt Sheng sighed, "No, she probably went to find Lin Xiaoli."

How did this son inherit his father's deep affection?

I don't know if Lin Xiaoli really left Haicheng.

Sheng Chengjun hadn't told his wife anything he'd done before, because he was afraid she'd be soft-hearted and do something wrong.

Club No. 9, VIP Room.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of expensive liquor, yet the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Sheng Tingxiao, Bai Yu, and Mu Jin were drinking alone in silence.

Sheng Tingxiao held the wine glass with his long, slender fingers, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. He asked a question with a cold face.

Where is he/she?

Bai Yu swirled the amber liquid in his glass. "In Ancheng, F Country, at the Si family's residence."

A flicker of tension crossed Sheng Tingxiao's eyes. "Si Nuan captured her?"

Bai Yu smiled.

"That doesn't seem like it. I think Si Nuan has taken a liking to her."

This sentence contains a lot of information.

"Depend on."

Mu Jin uttered the first word.

Just as he had imagined, that woman was attracted to other women.

That night, after a fleeting glance, he admitted that he had fallen for her. Later, after careful investigation, he discovered that she was actually the eldest daughter of the Si family and Sheng Shixiong's nominal marriage partner.

"impossible."

Sheng Tingxiao's initial surprise was quickly replaced by indifference; he didn't believe his nonsense at all.

Bai Yu downed another glass of wine and continued speaking slowly.

"Si Nuan had a relationship with Li Jiazhengyang, but they were forced to separate. After that, she changed her personality, becoming disdainful of men and only getting close to women."

"She agreed to the marriage alliance with the Sheng family, partly to cover up certain things, or partly to provoke Li Zhengyang."

Mu Jin suddenly jumped up from the sofa.

"She is the white moonlight that my uncle has kept hidden in his heart for the past ten years!"

"That's right. Your uncle finally agreed to your grandmother's opinion and married the Cen family's daughter, so she turned her love into hatred."

When Bai Yu extended an olive branch to the Li family, he had already thoroughly understood the feud between the Li and Si families.

"After joining the Si family group, she has been focusing on developing new energy and cultivating her own power on a global scale, all in order to one day trample the Li family under her feet."

Mu Jin was extremely agitated. He scratched his head and asked a question.

Will she fall in love with a man again?

He had been a master of romance for many years, never imagining that one day his rival would be a woman.

Bai Yu's gaze fell on him, with a hint of mischievous anticipation.

"What? You've taken a fancy to her?"

“She used to be your 'little aunt'.”

"Damn! They're not married, and Si Nuan is single right now!"

Mu Jin spoke frankly, then added impatiently.

"My uncle's wedding anniversary is in a couple of days. Will she go crazy and come to get revenge?"

Bai Yu shrugged. "Who knows? This woman is hard to figure out."

"That won't do." Mu Jin stood up. "I'll deal with her. I won't let her ruin my aunt's marriage!"

Sheng Tingxiao also put down his wine glass, the bottom of which collided with the table with a dull thud.

"I'm going to Ancheng to find Xiaoli."

Bai Yu looked at Sheng Tingxiao and instructed, "Shengchuang's branch is about to hold a summary meeting, so you can go and preside over it. I'll handle things with Sheng's Group for you."

He paused, then gave further instructions.

"If you find the person, don't bring them back yet. It's almost Chinese New Year, and you don't want to upset the old man."

Sheng Tingxiao gave him a cold glance.

"He's so lucky to have such a good son-in-law like you."

Bai Yu smiled without saying a word. There was nothing he could do; after all, his wife's surname was Sheng.

The following day, Sheng Tingxiao flew directly to Ancheng in F country.

Ancheng is the territory of two powerful families, the Si family and the Li family. The two groups are currently vying for a patent to develop an intelligent robot.

Ironically, the patent was ultimately acquired by Shengchuang Financial.

Furthermore, Shengchuang Financial explicitly stated its intention to develop the project together with the Li family.

This infuriated Si Nuan. After much effort, she finally learned that Shengchuang's mysterious major shareholder had arrived in Ancheng.

She immediately changed into a sexy outfit and stormed into his hotel in high heels.

The door to the presidential suite opened.

Si Nuan was stunned when she saw the man standing at the door of the room.

It turned out to be Sheng Tingxiao.

He stepped aside to let her in, his demeanor composed.

"You're that mysterious major shareholder of Shengchuang?" Si Nuan's voice was full of undisguised surprise.

She finally understood what he meant by what he said to her that night.

He, Sheng Tingxiao, doesn't need to sell his marriage for money.

Because Shengchuang controls trillions of dollars in capital, and its various branches control the lifeline of the financial systems of various countries.

“Miss Si seems quite surprised.” He twitched the corner of his mouth.

Si Nuan quickly came to her senses, and suddenly smiled, exuding charm.

She stretched out her slender fingertips and gently hooked them around his tie.

"If I had known earlier that Shanda had such a deep foundation, I definitely wouldn't have given it up so easily."

"No matter what, Chairman Sheng and my father have already agreed on a marriage agreement between our two families. We're family, so you wouldn't give the patent to the Li family, would you?"

Si Nuan pulled him closer with a sudden force.

Her face was just a centimeter away from his, and her warm breath lingered intimately on his handsome face.

They were about to kiss.

Sheng Tingxiao's eyes darkened, and he suddenly grabbed her hand and threw her onto the large bed behind him.

Then, he slowly loosened his tie.

"Miss Si, since you're here to offer yourself, then take your clothes off."

His voice was devoid of warmth.

"Only when you become mine will we be family."

Sheng Tingxiao ripped off his tie and threw it aside, then reached out to unbutton his shirt.

One, two.

His muscular, bronze-colored chest appeared and disappeared with his movements.

Si Nuan was completely dumbfounded and couldn't understand his behavior at all.

Didn't he deeply love Lin Xiaoli?

Shouldn't we push her away righteously now, or try to negotiate with her?

Sheng Tingxiao had already unbuttoned the third button and was moving closer to her step by step.

"Miss Si, would you like me to help you undress?"

"I'm willing to do it for you."

His tall figure, exuding a strong sense of oppression, slowly approached her, reaching out to touch the zipper of her skirt...