Chapter 372 Was he wearing a mask?

Suddenly, Si Nuan's face turned pale. She pushed him away abruptly, then covered her mouth and rushed into the bathroom.

Violent retching sounds came from inside.

She cannot tolerate any man getting close to her.

She contracted this strange illness after breaking up with Li Zhengyang.

She will never be able to get close to another man in her entire life.

After a long while, she finally emerged from the toilet, leaning against the wall, her face pale.

Sheng Tingxiao stared at her coldly, his eyes full of mockery.

"Miss Si, the opportunity has been given to you."

"Since we can't get down to business, let's talk about something else."

...

Night falls.

A dark figure silently scaled the Si family's estate, skillfully avoiding all surveillance cameras, and headed straight for the villa in the west wing.

Passing through a charming little garden, the man nimbly climbed onto a balcony on the left side of the third floor.

He gently pushed open the balcony door and slipped into the room.

A petite woman was lying on her side on the large bed, tightly hugging a plush toy.

It's that thing called "Laiqian" (meaning "money-making machine").

Sheng Tingxiao approached the bedside step by step, and by the light of the night lamp, he could see the sleeping face clearly.

She's lost weight, and her chin has become more pointed.

The woman who had abandoned him was now lying right in front of him.

At that moment, he really wanted to grab this disobedient woman and punish her severely.

But in the end, he couldn't bear to part with it.

He sat on the edge of the bed, reached out, and gently stroked her face with his fingertips.

She stirred, turning over in her sleep.

A necklace hanging around her neck slipped out from under her pajamas.

Hanging from the necklace was the diamond ring he had used to propose to her.

His brows were furrowed. He looked at her for a long while, then reached out again and gently stroked her lower abdomen, where their child was.

Then he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her soft red lips.

He missed her terribly.

Lin Xiaoli moved again, paused, and then lowered his head to kiss her once more…

It was almost dawn when Sheng Tingxiao left the Si family mansion.

Si Nuan couldn't sleep all night, standing by the window smoking. She felt that Sheng Tingxiao seemed to know her secret.

He only told himself to take good care of Lin Xiaoli, without offering to take her away.

He promised that as long as Lin Xiaoli and the child are safe and healthy, he will not cut off the Si family's future or cooperate with the Li family.

At daybreak, she summoned the housekeeper.

Install cameras all over the garden where Grandma lives, so there are no blind spots.

From then on, he could see Lin Xiaoli's every move clearly.

She had no idea what this man was up to.

However, it is definitely not simple.

The marriage agreement between the Sheng family and the Si family is still in effect, and her grandmother's birthday is in ten days. She senses that something big is about to happen.

...

Haicheng.

Qingning is dressed quite appropriately today, preparing to report to the Huo Group.

Madam Sheng asked a question and learned that she was going to be Huo Xin's assistant, saying that Huo Shao had agreed to let her learn something.

Madam Sheng thought that perhaps Young Master Huo wanted her to learn more so that they could manage the company together in the future, so she didn't say anything.

Qingning waited all night before finally receiving a call from Huo Shenyuan.

It was that familiar voice; she burst into tears as soon as she heard it.

He coaxed her, telling her that he would come back after the New Year, but that a project abroad had run into problems and he couldn't leave right now.

She asked him where he was, and he only said, "A very far place."

Later, he coaxed her, telling her to study hard with Huo Xin and that he would send her messages every day from now on.

She reluctantly agreed.

In fact, she heard every word he said while she was in a coma in the hospital.

He said she was pregnant with his child, but unfortunately she miscarried.

He kept calling her name and kissing her lips. She always knew this, only feeling the supernatural forces within her converging and clashing.

She couldn't wake up immediately.

By the time she woke up, he was already gone.

Everyone was keeping the child a secret from her, but she knew everything.

Recalling all of this, her eyes reddened again. She also knew that Shen Yuan was injured when he saved her, because the doctor came to inquire about his condition every day.

The Sheng family's driver dropped her off downstairs at the Huo Group building.

Qingning straightened her business suit, took a deep breath, and went inside.

The magnificent lobby made her feel a little awkward.

As soon as Huo Shao's assistant, Xia Dong, saw her, he quickly came to greet her.

"Miss Li, this way." Xia Dong greeted her politely and led her to a private elevator that went directly to the CEO's office on the top floor.

The elevator ascended smoothly.

"Assistant Xia, do you know where Young Master Huo is?" Qingning couldn't help but ask again.

Xia Dong paused for a moment before answering, "Miss Li, President Huo is indeed unable to attend to everything right now, which is why he sent Young Master Huo back."

"Don't worry about working here. Mr. Huo is actually a very nice person," Xia Dong explained patiently. "After the New Year... I believe Mr. Huo will be back soon."

"Well, I'll need your guidance from now on." Qingning felt a little disappointed, but she still managed to force a polite smile.

Her workstation was placed in the most conspicuous location outside the president's office.

Xia Dong assigned her some simple assistant duties, the main point of which was to take good care of Xiao Huo's daily life.

The four secretaries in the secretariat were very friendly to the new girl, showing her concern and care.

Not long after, the meeting room door opened.

When Huo Shenyuan came out of the meeting, his gaze swept across the room and finally landed on Qing Ning at her workstation, his eyes brightening noticeably.

"Young Master Huo."

Qingning immediately stood up and greeted him respectfully.

"Bring me a cup of coffee." His voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

"Okay," Qingning replied, and quickly ran towards the tea room.

When she worked at Sheng's, she had already mastered the art of using coffee machines.

Soon, she arrived at the CEO's office with a cup of fragrant coffee in her hand.

"Mr. Huo, your coffee."

"Hmm." He looked up from the document, glanced at her, and was still holding a pen in his hand, signing something rapidly.

His usual pair of black gloves were now casually tossed aside.

Qingning's gaze involuntarily drifted to the crisscrossing scars on the back of his hand.

"What's up?"

Huo Shenyuan noticed that she was standing still and looked up at her again.

"May I shake your hand?" Qingning blurted out in a moment of impulse.

Huo Shenyuan put down his pen, a sense of irritation rising in his heart.

"Have you forgotten what I told you before about men and women not touching each other?"

"That's not what I meant! I wanted to help you treat your hand injury so you wouldn't have to wear gloves in front of strangers," Qingning quickly explained.

"Are you a doctor? Treating people's injuries without permission." Huo Shenyuan looked at her coldly. "Get out."

"I really can!" Qingning ignored everything and suddenly stepped forward, grabbing his hand.

"Don't move."

Qingning only said two words, and Huo Shenyuan felt that his body was truly unable to move.

Her soft hands tightly enveloped his, and a warm red light emanated from her palms, instantly condensing on the back of his hand.

He stared in surprise, his eyes widening.

About two minutes later, Qingning let go, her body went limp, and she fainted.

"Qingning!" he exclaimed, quickly catching her in his arms and walking briskly to the sofa, where he carefully placed her on it.

"Qingning." He gently patted her cheek, but when his gaze fell back to his own hands, he was completely stunned.

My hands have been completely healed, and those ugly scars have disappeared without a trace.

He remembered.

Such treatment would consume a huge amount of her energy.

According to Niannian, she had used up a lot of energy to help Lin Xiaoli set his arm bone and needed three months of rest to recover.

She must have forcibly used her power just now, which is why she fainted.

He turned and went to the rest room to get a hot towel, gently wiping the fine beads of sweat from her forehead.

Around noon, Qingning was awakened by a strong aroma.

She moved, but felt weak and sore all over, and desperately needed to replenish her energy.

"Awake? Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

Huo Shenyuan noticed immediately, quickly walked to her side, and squatted down in front of her.

Qingning struggled to sit up, her voice weak.

"I'm just a little...hungry."

"Lunch is ready, get up and eat." Huo Shenyuan pointed to the large square table by the window, which was covered with a dazzling array of exquisite dishes.

Qingning's eyes lit up, and she ran over happily, her face full of undisguised joy.

Six meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup—all her favorite dishes.

"So many, all for me?"

"Yes." Huo Shenyuan looked at her carefree and happy appearance, and couldn't help but smile.

Qingning suddenly turned around, grabbed his hand, and looked at it over and over.

The scars are really gone.

She proudly raised her chin.

“I told you I could help you.”

Huo Shenyuan withdrew his hand, sat down on the other side of the table, and suddenly spoke.

“I once heard my cousin say that you have special abilities. But you are not allowed to reveal your abilities to outsiders.”

"Otherwise, you will be captured and used for research."

His tone was extremely serious, not at all like he was joking.

Qingning's chopsticks stopped in mid-air as she stared at him intently. "You're not an outsider."

“I’m an outsider too. Apart from your cousin, everyone here is an outsider to you.” Huo Shenyuan said sternly, beginning his lecturing mode.

Qingning was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Fine, from now on I'll treat you like an outsider and won't treat you anymore."

She made a face at him.

"Unless you beg me."

Huo Shenyuan: ...

As Qingning spoke, she picked up a large piece of boiled beef and stuffed it into her mouth. It was so delicious!

She picked up another piece of shrimp and put it in her mouth, enjoying it immensely.

In the end, Huo Shenyuan didn't say anything more, and just quietly ate with her.

Qingning's gaze fell on a plate of her favorite spicy chicken, which was covered with bright green cilantro. Without thinking, she picked up a piece for him.

"This is super delicious, you should try it."

"I don't eat cilantro," Huo Shenyuan said calmly, picking the piece of chicken into the bone dish without changing his expression.

Qingning froze.

Huo Shenyuan doesn't eat cilantro or spicy food.

"You don't actually not eat spicy food, do you?" she asked casually, with a hint of probing.

Huo Shenyuan replied calmly, "I can eat a little."

Qingning immediately picked up a piece of boiled beef in hot red oil and placed it on his plate.

He picked it up and put it in his mouth, chewed it slowly, and soon his brows furrowed tightly.

Qingning looked at his desperate attempt to be strong, just like Shen Yuan.

She had once teased him like this, and his face turned bright red from the spiciness.

Qingning quickly handed him the water glass.

He took it and drank most of the glass in one go before he finally felt better.

Qingning stared straight at him.

Even though it was so spicy, my face didn't turn red at all, and I didn't even break a sweat... That's really strange.

She remembered that she could only remain so composed when she wore a mask...

The chopsticks in her hand suddenly fell to the ground in surprise.

Was he... wearing a mask?

This new discovery made her heart skip a beat...