Chenchen let go of Huo Xuewen's hand and ran out, "Aunt Xia Mian and Uncle You are arguing."
Huo Xuewen looked at him in surprise, "Xiaobai."
Ning Shaobai's expression faded, "Boss Huo."
A trace of helplessness flashed across Huo Xuewen's face.
Aunt Wei saw this and quickly called out, "Xiaobai is here, everyone's here, let's start eating quickly, or the food will get cold and won't taste good."
Then everyone took their seats one after another. Huo Xuewen sat down next to Ning Shaoyun and brought Chenchen over to sit between them.
Chenchen looked around, his eyes curved with joy.
However, the dinner table this morning was obviously not as lively as yesterday. Because of Huo Xuewen, Chenchen had returned to being a proper gentleman, and Xiaofeng followed suit.
Xia Wenyue and her daughter were very cautious.
The only ones who were not affected were Ning Shaobai and Ning Shaoyun, but they were originally eating quietly.
Until the car horn and knock on the door broke the silence in the room.
Aunt Wei got up to open the door, wondering, "Who's that so early in the morning?"
After a while, she came in expressionlessly, followed by Zhou Qianqian, whom she had met yesterday.
Aunt Wei said calmly, "It's Assistant Zhou. He wants to talk to my son-in-law."
Zhou Qianqian changed into a smart western-style suit today, and tied her hair up, looking like a career woman.
After she entered, she acted as if no one existed. Her gaze fell directly on Huo Xuewen. "Mr. Huo, Mr. Qi has an urgent meeting that requires your attendance."
Xia Mian clearly felt that Ning Shaoyun, who had shown some signs of easing up this morning, had become distant again.
Ning Shaoyun directly picked up Chenchen who was leaning on Huo Xuewen and said, "Chenchen, come to mommy. Daddy has to go to work."
Huo Xuewen didn't seem to think anything was wrong, or perhaps he was used to it. He frowned and prepared to stand up. "What meeting?"
Zhou Qianqian said, "It's still the Chengbei project. They say there's a new discovery, and there's a problem with a batch of materials."
Seeing Huo Xuewen was about to leave, Chenchen pouted unhappily, "Dad said he would accompany me today."
Huo Xuewen then looked at Ning Shaoyun, his tone cautious, "Xiaoyun, the project in the north of the city is a bit complicated. I have to go to the company. I'll send Xiao Li to pick you up later."
Then he said to Chenchen, "Dad will accompany you in the afternoon..."
Ning Shaoyun interrupted him directly and said to Chenchen, "Dad is busy, can Mom accompany you? Didn't you say you wanted to have a water fight with your brother Xiaofeng later? You can play all day."
Chenchen was still not interested, but he stopped talking. Xiaofeng looked at him with some concern.
Ning Shaoyun touched Chenchen's head and said to Huo Xuewen, "Don't promise your child something you can't do."
"Go ahead and do your work. You don't have to worry about Chenchen and me. Just focus on your work." Ning Shaoyun said, "We live very well here."
Huo Xuewen looked helpless. "Xiaoyun, my mother has already explained the painting matter to me. She is doing this for my own good. You..."
Ning Shaoyun, who had been acting very calm, suddenly raised her voice, "Don't talk to me about that anymore!"
"That's my painting! Do you know how much effort I put into it? I spent two whole years on it. Why would she just give it away?"
Huo Xuewen didn't expect Ning Shaoyun to suddenly explode. He was stunned and opened his mouth as if he didn't know what to say.
"This matter is all my fault. Madam, please don't blame Mr. Huo." Zhou Qianqian suddenly interrupted.
He was still apprehensive and self-blaming, "I saw you were worried about the project, so I went to ask Director Luo about his preferences. I learned that he liked Chinese painting, and since your wife had just painted one, I mentioned it to your wife..."
"The old lady said you paint every day, but I didn't expect you to care so much about that painting." She said this and smiled gratefully at Ning Shaoyun. "Come to think of it, it's really thanks to that painting of yours that Director Luo liked it very much, and the company's project was approved without hesitation."
Damn, no wonder the good-tempered Ning Shaoyun was forced to run away from home. This is too much. Xia Mian looked at Huo Xuewen with wide eyes.
This bastard acted like it was no big deal, completely unable to understand. "Xiao Yun, I'll get someone to help you search again..."
"Mr. Huo," Zhou Qianqian interrupted Huo Xuewen again, urging him, "Mr. Huo, we're almost late for the nine o'clock meeting."
Huo Xuewen looked at Ning Shaoyun's cold face, sighed, and said, "I'll talk to you when I get back." Then he said to Zhou Qianqian, "Let's go."
The moment he stepped out of the door, Xia Mian clearly saw Zhou Qianqian turn around, curling her lips towards Ning Shaoyun, her face full of pride.
He actually acted so impudently in front of her again and again!
Oh, she has such a bad temper.
"Assistant Zhou—" Xia Mian put down his chopsticks and said coldly, "Please stay."
Huo Xuewen, who was about to step out of the door, was stunned for a moment, then turned back and asked politely, "Xia Mian, what's the matter?"
"Boss Huo, I'm not looking for you," Xia Mian looked straight at Zhou Qianqian and said, "I'm looking for her!"
Zhou Qianqian looked innocent, "What's wrong?"
"What were you so proud of just now towards my sister Ning?"
Huo Xuewen looked at Zhou Qianqian puzzled.
Zhou Qianqian frowned in confusion, looking as if she had been wronged. "Miss, I don't understand what you are saying."
"Stop pretending here." Xia Mian stretched out two hands and gestured in front of his eyes, saying, "I saw it with my own eyes. You provoked my sister Ning, and you were very proud of it, and even smiled."
Zhou Qianqian looked at Huo Xuewen, "Mr. Huo, I don't have any."
Xia Mian said, "There are so many people here. What do you mean by explaining only to Mr. Huo? Do you think that as long as Mr. Huo believes you, you have won?"
"Boss Huo," Xia Mian sneered at Huo Xuewen, "I heard that you have time to help Assistant Zhou move, but no time to pick up your wife and children?"
Huo Xuewen was stunned for a moment and frowned. "I'm not." He looked at Ning Shaoyun. "I've really been busy with the project."
He looked at Zhou Qianqian again, "Have you moved?"
Oh my god, she used to think that "iron straight man" was an adjective, but now she really thinks it is a derogatory term, the kind that men shouldn't have wives.
Zhou Qianqian was not panicked when her lie was exposed on the spot. Her purpose was just to make things difficult for Ning Shaoyun. Not only that, she also turned the tables.
"I did just move across the street," Zhou Qianqian said. "You know, I bought a house in Jinghua Garden for my work convenience and I'm currently renovating it. When Auntie found out, she let me live in the yard across the street temporarily."
"When they came back yesterday, they happened to see me going home. Seeing that I lived in the courtyard opposite, I guess Madam was overthinking it. After all, Mr. Huo, you didn't go to pick her up and the young master in person."
She smiled at Ning Shaoyun and said, "No wonder you were unhappy to see me yesterday and talked about me for no apparent reason. Did you misunderstand Mr. Huo?"
"Boss Huo is really busy. A major problem suddenly occurred in the Chengbei project. Boss Huo and I have been working overtime almost every day until late at night for the past few days."
Huo Xuewen sighed helplessly, "Xiao Yun, I'm sorry, I..."
"No way, Mr. Huo," Xia Mian said, "Sister Ning didn't say a word from beginning to end, and you believed it?"
"Who is this Assistant Zhou? Do you believe everything he says? Don't you even intend to listen to your wife?"
Huo Xuewen's confused expression clearly told everyone that this kind of thing was worth arguing about.
Zhou Qianqian continued, "What did I say? Why are you targeting me, little girl?"
She seemed to move her calf carelessly, drawing attention to the glaring purple bruise. "Boss Huo, I don't know why Madam hates me so much. It's fine that she was inexplicably angry yesterday, but I don't even know this girl, and she accused me of provoking her for no reason."
"Mr. Huo, if you don't believe me, you can ask Brother Li," Zhou Qianqian said, "He was watching from the side yesterday."
Oh, this Zhou Qianqian seems to be quite influential. She even bribed Huo Xuewen's driver?!
Unfortunately, Huo Xuewen's ability to judge bitches is negative, and his ability to see bitches is also zero. Even though he noticed the bruises on Zhou Qianqian's legs, he had no intention of asking about it. He just looked at Xia Mian in confusion.
Xia Mian didn't know whether to be angry or laugh, "Yeah, I'm not crazy."
She simply stood up and confronted her, "I don't even know you, why would I target you for no reason? So you should really reflect on whether you have done something wrong to offend me."
Zhou Qianqian: ...
After hearing what Xia Mian said, Huo Xuewen looked at Zhou Qianqian thoughtfully, "Xia Mian really has no reason to target you."
Now it’s summer hibernation’s turn:
To describe him as a steel straight man is to flatter him. He should be called a titanium straight man.
Zhou Qianqian obviously didn't expect Huo Xuewen to ask her this, so she simply continued to play innocent and threw the question back, "I didn't do anything. This girl said I provoked the lady, why would I provoke her?"
Huo Xuewen actually frowned and thought, looking at Ning Shaoyun with a questioning look.
aestivation:……
Xia Mian rolled her eyes, thinking that this person deserved a severe lesson, but on the premise that Ning Shaoyun should not suffer any injustice.
Xia Mian sneered, "Why do you want to provoke me? Perhaps only you know. After all, I don't know you, but from what I see with my own eyes, you are provoking Sister Ning almost all the time."
"And this level of proficiency is obviously not the first time."
Xia Mian looked at Huo Xuewen, "So I'm a little curious, Mr. Huo, you've been allowing Assistant Zhou to look down on you, and not only that, but you've also been humiliating your wife as well. What exactly do you mean by that?"
Zhou Qianqian was stunned for a moment. She thought Xia Mian would point out that she liked Huo Xuewen.
She had already prepared herself to be the victim. After all, Huo Xuewen was a complete fool, and he didn't understand her over and over again.
If she were to say it directly, Huo Xuewen would definitely refuse, but if Ning Shaoyun pointed it out, she could just say that she was wronged and then get Huo Xuewen's comfort.
After this happened a few times, Huo Xuewen protected her a few times and started to feel more at ease with her, and things went smoothly afterwards.
But I didn't expect Xia Mian to not mention this at all, and actually said that she didn't respect Huo Xuewen. How could this be possible?
Zhou Qianqian hurriedly defended herself, "When did I ever disrespect Mr. Huo?"
Huo Xuewen also said, "I never meant for anyone to humiliate Xiaoyun."
Ning Shaoyun showed a sarcastic expression and didn't want to pay any attention to him.
If Xia Mian didn't want Sister Ning to suffer any injustice, he wouldn't bother paying attention to him. He deserves to live out his life alone.
Zhou Qianqian was still trying to explain, "When did I ever look down on Mr. Huo? Did I look down on his wife? You're just a country girl, what do you know? How dare you lie and slander me!"
"You still say you don't know me." Xia Mian said, "Didn't they investigate very clearly? They know I'm from the countryside."
"Assistant Zhou, you said you respect Mr. Huo." Xia Mian sneered, "May I ask, Mr. Huo, what are the responsibilities of your assistant?"
"Arrange my work schedule and convey the opinions of the vice presidents."
Zhou Qianqian was surprised to see Huo Xuewen answering honestly, and her eyes widened in surprise, "Mr. Huo!"
"So, it's about arranging your work schedule, not arranging your work schedule, right?" Xia Mian sneered. "This is the first time I've seen an assistant so easily track the boss's whereabouts and make decisions for the boss without any reminders or notices."
She looked at Zhou Qianqian and said, "You call this respect? How did you know Mr. Huo was here? It was already very late when Mr. Huo came yesterday, and it was a private trip. Is this something that an assistant like you should know?"
Huo Xuewen looked at Zhou Qianqian. Although Zhou Qianqian was familiar with his mother, he didn't tell her about his visit last night because he was afraid that her mother would be angry.
Zhou Qianqian hurriedly explained, "It's because Mr. Qi said the North City project is urgent, so I called Brother Li. I knew you were here, so I came over."
Xia Mian said, "This is the second time you've mentioned Brother Li. What did you say just now? Oh, you said Brother Li could testify for you, and Sister Ning bullied you?"
"You're really good. You bribed the boss's people so quickly. Not only are you spying on his private life, you're also meddling in his family affairs. Otherwise, why would a mere assistant like you run up to the boss's wife and let her bully you?"
Xia Mian asked Huo Xuewen, "Mr. Huo, is this respect for you? Do you feel respected?"
"Don't make a big deal out of this!" Zhou Qianqian said angrily.
Xia Mian spoke rapidly, "How did I exaggerate? Don't you have the boss's contact information? Why did you ask the driver? Since you asked the driver, why didn't you ask the boss what he was doing here and whether it would be convenient? Or why not just let the driver come in and tell the boss about the situation?"
"No need!" Xia Mian said coldly, "Because you don't think it's necessary. Even if the boss and his wife and children are reunited after a long separation, you are very sure that as long as you come, you can take him away, because you are more important than the boss's wife and children."
Xia Mian looked at Huo Xuewen sharply, "Excuse me, Mr. Huo, if this isn't a provocation, what is?"
Seeing Huo Xuewen's expression change slightly, Xia Mian sneered, "That's true. Didn't you follow her right away?"
Huo Xuewen frowned and said, "I'm going to work."
"Is all your work sudden?" Xia Mian asked. "Let's not talk about Assistant Zhou for now. Let's talk about your driver. He didn't even ask about you when he received Assistant Zhou's call. Mr. Huo, your team is really interesting."
"What era is it now? It's not like we don't have contact information. You have a cell phone, right? Even if you call an hour in advance, you can at least use that hour to comfort Chenchen and explain why you can't be with him today, instead of just saying you're busy with work and leaving him alone."
"Do you think Chenchen is very sensible?"
"No, he'll cry and make a fuss because he thinks Mom has broken her promise, because in his heart, Mom always keeps her word. And Dad... Haha, he's just lost hope after so many disappointments. Dad isn't trustworthy, and everything he said was just talk!"
Huo Xuewen suddenly looked at Chenchen, and all the past events came to his mind. When he broke his promise at the beginning, Chenchen did make a fuss.
When did it start? Just one word of work and Chenchen would leave on his own accord...
Xia Mian got mad as she spoke. "Let's get back to the point. I don't care how you were manipulated by Assistant Zhou. I just want to ask you, is it true that Assistant Zhou hasn't even glanced at Sister Ning since he walked in?"
Huo Xuewen seemed to have just noticed this problem.
"When you go out and meet your boss with his wife, do you also only talk to the boss and ignore his wife?"
"Isn't this a provocation?"
Seeing Huo Xuewen frowning and looking at her, Zhou Qianqian hurriedly said, "I just have something urgent to talk to you about."
"Urgent? How urgent? You don't even have time to say hello?" Xia Mian sneered, "They say husband and wife are one. Your boss's wife and children are here, but you're blind and can't see them. You're only staring at your boss."
"It's like seeing someone and ignoring their upper body while only focusing on their lower body. You think that's respectful? You're just being a hooligan!"
"puff……"
“Ahem…”
"Cough! Cough!"
Ning Shaoyun quickly took a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, Mao Huimei pounded her chest quickly, and the others also had different expressions.
Ning Shaobai also wiped his lips and glared at Xia Mian, "How dare you talk like that?"
Xia Mian said innocently, "Am I wrong? Is Sister Ning's lower body? That's even more inappropriate. Sister Ning is so beautiful..."
Huo Xuewen: ...
Did you just get some connotation?
Zhou Qianqian was furious. She said to Huo Xuewen, "Boss Huo, she's clearly targeting me. I've always been like this at work, don't you know that?"
"It's always like this. As expected, you've been provoking Sister Ning all the time." Xia Mian said, "And President Huo, you've been indulging her."
Zhou Qianqian couldn't help but raise her voice, "I'm Mr. Huo's assistant, and I'm only responsible for his work."
"Is provoking his wife also part of his job?" Xia Mian also raised his voice. Who is afraid of who?
Zhou Qianqian said angrily, "How did I provoke you?"
"Don't you understand what I'm saying? I said so much earlier?" Xia Mian asked Huo Xuewen, "Do you understand?"
Huo Xuewen actually nodded with a serious face.
Xia Mian almost wanted to laugh. She turned her head to look at Zhou Qianqian, whose face turned pale, and said, "Look, your boss understands everything."
Zhou Qianqian took a deep breath and said, "I know Madam doesn't like me, but there's no need to target me like this."
"That's what you said." Xia Mian said, "Tell me yourself, should Sister Ning like you?"
"Not only did you play with her husband, but you also ignored her and provoked her like this. Is she a masochist? She should like you."
"Come on, you don't have to like her, just respect her for the sake of face, and give me a sincere apology!"
Zhou Qianqian said angrily, "Why should I?"
"Because she's your boss's wife, respecting her is respecting your boss!" Xia Mian said, "I don't believe you dared to ask your boss why when he asked you to apologize?"
"So, you only respect your boss's lower body!"
Huo Xuewen: ...
Looking at the glances from everyone, whether intentional or unintentional, Huo Xuewen had the inexplicable illusion that he wasn't wearing any pants...
Xia Mian was still angry, "And what's more! I just heard that a mere assistant could instigate the family to give away the mistress's paintings at will! This really broadened my horizons!"
The mention of Xia Mian made him furious. He pointed at Huo Xuewen's nose and said, "Do you know that for an artist, their creations are like their own children? Your subordinates took the initiative to give away Sister Ning's hard work without even asking a question."
"You still don't care! Don't you think you're condoning them to look down on Sister Ning?"
"Sister Ning, what do you think about giving away your Chengbei project?"
Zhou Qianqian said angrily, "How can they be the same? It's just a painting!"
"Get lost!" Xia Mian threw the chopsticks in her hand at her head. "It's just a painting, why the hell don't you paint? If you can't paint, why don't you buy one? You take it without asking, trampling on other people's hard work, and you still think you have the right?!"
Zhou Qianqian screamed in shock, and Xia Mian was so angry that she lowered her head to look for something, wanting to throw Huo Xuewen away as well.
Xiao Feng silently handed over a porcelain bowl, but Xia Wenyue quickly snatched it away, "Don't dare, don't dare."
Then he stuffed another pair of chopsticks into her hand.
Huo Xuewen: ...
aestivation:……
Out of respect for Ning Shaoyun, he didn't throw the chopsticks away. Xia Mian just said coldly, "You abandon your wife and children at the slightest disturbance of your Chengbei project. You don't even care about Chenchen being kidnapped. Oh, your hard work is hard work, but Sister Ning's hard work is garbage?!"
"Xiaoyun!" Aunt Wei suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone then realized that Ning Shaoyun was in tears.
Everyone was startled. Huo Xuewen was at a loss as to what to do and wanted to step forward. "Xiao Yun..."
Ning Shaobai stopped him and said calmly, "Mr. Huo, your hard work is important, please leave quickly."
Huo Xuewen was anxious and helpless, "Xiaobai, I..."
Chenchen also hurriedly hugged Ning Shaoyun and said anxiously, "Mom."
"Mom is fine." Ning Shaoyun wiped away the tears that were piling up in her eyes and said to Xia Mian, "Xia Mian, thank you."
After that incident, almost everyone said it was just a painting, and she could get one or two every year, as if she had gotten them easily. But she didn't expect that a little girl would understand her...
Xia Mian handed the handkerchief to Ning Shaoyun, turned to Huo Xuewen and said, "Mr. Huo is busy, so let's go. We won't waste your time."
"But please remember one thing." Xia Mian said, "Don't let this woman appear in front of Sister Ning again. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude."
Then he said to Zhou Qianqian, "Get lost!"
"Don't even think about it?!" Zhou Qianqian touched her aching forehead. She was furious at the thought that she had been beaten by a country girl in the presence of Huo Xuewen. "Brother Xuewen, they are going too far!"
"Why don't you call me Mr. Huo?" Xia Mian asked, "You're showing your true colors so quickly?"
Huo Xuewen always felt that the explanation was not good, and the little girl was going to beat him up as well, so he hurriedly explained, "No, she is the daughter of my father's old friend, and my mother treats her as her own daughter." So it was impossible for him not to appear in front of Ning Shaoyun.
This explanation was so disturbing that Aunt Wei couldn't bear it any longer and spoke up for him, "When Mr. Huo was sent down to the countryside, Assistant Zhou's father had secretly helped him. After Mr. Huo was rehabilitated, he kept in touch with the Zhou family. Mrs. Huo liked her very much."
Zhou Qianqian cried at the right moment, "I've been supported by the Huo family since I was a child. I know I can't repay them, so I can only study hard. I studied business administration for three years abroad, thinking about repaying the Huo family after I finish my studies!"
"I returned to China as soon as I graduated and came to be with you, Brother Xuewen. I have never had any second thoughts."
"Come on!" Xia Mian said, "I don't think you want to repay the Huo family. It's the Huo family that has piqued your appetite. Do you want to replace the Huo family? Otherwise, why would you deliberately cause such unrest in their home?"
Huo Xuewen rubbed his brows with a headache and said, "Xiao Zhou, go to the company first."
Zhou Qianqian widened her eyes in disbelief, "Brother Xuewen!"
Xia Mian sneered, "Is this the professionalism you acquire after studying business administration? Is your personal emotions more important than work?"
"By the way, isn't the meeting urgent? You've already wasted almost half an hour on your own business. So, is the meeting unimportant, or are you an incompetent assistant?"
Zhou Qianqian: ...
Zhou Qianqian's face turned from blue to black, and she was shaking with anger. "Shut up! Who the hell do you think you are to question me?!"
"Oh!" Xia Mian rolled up his sleeves. "You still have a temper? Who am I? Let me tell you, I am more noble than you!"
"Dad just helped Mr. Huo, didn't he?" Xia Mian said, "I even personally saved the eldest grandson of the Huo family! You're just a clinging bastard from a different generation, and you're ridiculous compared to me?"
"Even if I beat you up here, your Xuewen brother can't say a word against me! So, while I can still control my temper, be smart and get out of here!"
Seeing that Xia Mian was so blatantly seeking repayment for his kindness, Zhou Qianqian looked at Huo Xuewen with more sarcasm.
Xia Mian just picked up the chopsticks and started to beat him.
"Ah——" Zhou Qianqian didn't expect Xia Mian to attack her right away, so she could only flee in panic.
Behind him, Xia Mian was still sneering, "She doesn't know how to respect her boss, has no professional ethics, and can't even judge the situation. Can she really graduate with this kind of IQ? Are you sure she's here to repay a favor, not seek revenge?"
Zhou Qianqian was furious.
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