Jiang Qiaoqiao was slightly puzzled by Tong Xuejiao's smiling face and her sudden 180-degree change in attitude.

But she still answered generously, "Sister Xuejiao."

"Yes!" Tong Xuejiao responded with a smile, and pulled Jiang Qiaoqiao directly into the car, which was Huo Beixiao's car.

After getting into the car, Tong Xuejiao immediately instructed Huo Beixiao, "Drive."

Jiang Qiaoqiao: ...

She felt like something was off.

Huo Beixiao did not start the car, but looked at Jiang Qiaoqiao in the rearview mirror.

Jiang Qiaoqiao knew that he was asking for her opinion before deciding whether to drive or kick Tong Xuejiao out of the car.

As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face.

Given Tong Xuejiao's attitude, Jiang Qiaoqiao really felt embarrassed to kick her out directly.

She gave Huo Beixiao a look, signaling him to drive.

Tong Xuejiao seemed completely oblivious to the eye contact between the couple, focusing instead on talking to Jiang Qiaoqiao.

"Qiaoqiao, let me ask you, do you have a younger sister? And do you not get along with her?"

Jiang Qiaoqiao was slightly surprised when she heard Tong Xuejiao's words.

Before she could ask, Tong Xuejiao told Jiang Qiaoqiao about what Jiang Yiran had talked to her about that day.

Finally, she added, "Qiaoqiao, although I don't know what grudge you have with your sister, she's wicked, so you'd better stay away from her!"

Jiang Qiaoqiao nodded and thanked her, "Sister Xuejiao, thank you for reminding me."

"Alright, I've told you everything I needed to say. I get sleepy on the bus, I'm going to take a nap!" Tong Xuejiao said, yawning and leaning back in her seat to sleep.

Jiang Qiaoqiao was both amused and exasperated, but seeing that Tong Xuejiao was really asleep, she still took a clean piece of clothing from her bag and draped it over her so she wouldn't catch a cold.

It's easy to feel sleepy when traveling by car, and Jiang Qiaoqiao didn't sleep well because she had stayed up late last night.

Before long, Tong Xuejiao's drowsiness seemed to have infected her too. She couldn't help but yawn, feeling as if her eyelids were too heavy to lift.

I just wanted to close my eyes and rest, but I didn't expect to fall asleep as soon as I closed them.

Huo Beixiao saw the little woman's peaceful sleeping face in the rearview mirror, pulled over, and covered Jiang Qiaoqiao with his coat.

After tidying up, he looked up and saw a stray hair blown onto Qiao Qiao's face.

Worried that Qiaoqiao might not be comfortable while sleeping, he carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

As his fingertips brushed against Jiang Qiaoqiao's fair and smooth skin, Huo Beixiao's heart skipped a beat.

His gaze fell on the petite woman's full, glossy lips, and as if bewitched, he subconsciously lowered his head and placed a light, fleeting kiss on Jiang Qiaoqiao's lips.

Tong Xuejiao realized the car had stopped, and when she opened her eyes, she saw this scene.

Huo Beixiao's cautious manner was as if he were handling some priceless treasure.

A wave of bitterness washed over her, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her, causing her an indescribable discomfort.

A fleeting hint of bitterness crossed her eyes.

When Huo Beixiao looked up, she had already changed to a look of disgust. "Tsk tsk, Huo Beixiao, look at yourself, so worthless! Are you still the Huo Beixiao who used to look down on everyone?"

Huo Beixiao glanced at Tong Xuejiao's face and went straight back to the driver's seat.

Tong Xuejiao looked at that tall, aloof figure, and a bitter smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

We arrived in Yun County.

Huo Beixiao pulled over and said emotionlessly, "Get out of the car."

Tong Xuejiao immediately looked indignant. "Hey, Huo Beixiao, what kind of attitude is this? Even if there's no possibility between us, we're still friends who have worked hard together. If we take a step back, even if we're not friends anymore, we're still business partners."

Is this how you treat your partners?

Huo Beixiao frowned slightly in displeasure, then glanced subconsciously at the sleeping Jiang Qiaoqiao. Seeing that she hadn't been woken up, he breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his voice, "Get out of the car. Qiaoqiao and I are going home. What are you doing following us?"

Tong Xuejiao crossed her arms and said, "I'm your business partner, can't I even visit your home?"

Huo Beixiao uttered three words in a low voice, "Inconvenient!"

"You..." Tong Xuejiao was speechless for a moment.

After catching his breath, he clicked his tongue twice and said, "Tsk tsk, that little brat from back then has really grown up!"

After saying that, she got off the bus with a resentful look on her face.

She originally intended to slam the car door shut to vent her frustration, but when she saw Jiang Qiaoqiao fast asleep, she couldn't help but soften her movements.

She glanced at Huo Beixiao again and said disdainfully, "Look at your own body. You could kill even a bull with your strength, let alone Jiang Qiaoqiao's delicate little body. You'd better take it easy!"

Tong Xuejiao's words were too blunt, and Huo Beixiao's ears unconsciously turned red.

Fortunately, Tong Xuejiao left after speaking, and Qiao Qiao was still asleep, so no one noticed his embarrassment.

Now that his purchase of the cement plant is public knowledge, there's no need to hide the car anymore.

He drove directly into the staff and family compound of the cement plant.

The people chatting under the banyan tree all craned their necks to look when they saw a car coming in through the gate.

"Why is a car coming to our residential compound?"

"Did some leaders come down for an inspection? We didn't receive any notification about that!"

"Could it be that some wealthy relative has come to visit?"

"Whose relatives are so rich that they can afford a car?"

...

For a moment, no one could think of anyone who had such a wealthy relative.

Until the car stopped in front of Huo Beixiao's house.

"Oh, so you're a relative of the Huo family. No wonder."

"They're here to see Bei Xiao, right? Could it be about the cement factory?"

"For the cement plant issue, you should go to Director Huo. What's the use of coming to Bei Xiao? I don't think Bei Xiao is involved at all. Director Huo is still the one making all the decisions at the plant."

After someone said this, the others immediately asked in confusion, "How could it be that Director Huo was in charge? After Bei Xiao bought the factory, wasn't it said that Bei Xiao would be in charge and Director Huo would retire directly?"

"That's what they say. But Bei Xiao is nowhere to be seen all day, while Director Huo is always wandering around the factory. He's also the boss's father, so if anyone has a problem, they'll go to Director Huo, right?"

"If you ask me, there's nothing wrong with the factory listening to Director Huo. Although it's said that Bei Xiao bought the factory, he's only been working for a few years. How could he have saved up so much money to buy a factory? I think Director Huo probably bought the factory himself."

“It’s right to listen to Director Huo, but…” an older woman hesitated.

The others seemed to understand what the woman meant, and they all sighed, but they were reluctant to continue the conversation and could only disperse.