Chapter 5 Suspected It Was Her

At a corner inside the elevator, Gu Zifei was gazing at Huo Lichen as if he had hypnotized her, while she whispered to Yan Wan, “He's really gorgeous, Wan. The way he defended you was so charming, and it doesn't hurt that he's mouth-watering too. Why don't you give it a try and win him over?” “Yeah, I wish for the same too.” Yan Wan wrung her hands in despair. Upon entering the lift, Huo Lichen distanced himself from them immediately. He was once again dissociating himself from others with his slender and solitary frame. It dawned on her that he stood up for her for the sake of his pride and reputation, since she would still be his fiancée till the end of the month although only a fiancée by name. She tried to brush away those fancy thoughts and murmured to Gu Zifei, “Zifei, have you found out the identity of that man?” It made her crunched her fingers when she thought about that man. In order to flee from him, the only way was to be proactive and find him first. Gu Zifei shook her head. “I have got no clue on him yet, but I've heard on the street that someone was asking around about you. It seemed to be someone with quite an influence, and it could be him.” The news sent a chill down Yan Wan's spine. It seemed like he could come for her anytime now. “Don't worry, the surveillance camera in Shangpin Hotel was down on that day. It wouldn't be easy for him to find you, so we still have time to plan something out against him.” Yan Wan rolled her eyes at Gu Zifei. Couldn't she spill everything in one go? She just scared the wits out of her. Gu Zifei leaned against Yan Wan and cocked an eyebrow at her, “Why don't you try to nail Huo Lichen instead? With his protection, I bet nobody will dare to lay a finger on you.” Yan Wan gazed at Huo Lichen's silhouette from the back, which oozed an air of nobility normally associated with aristocrats. It simply mesmerized her. She seemed to have fallen under his spell, yet she dared not get close to him. Gu Zifei saw the look on Yan Wan's face and seemed to have read her thoughts. She continued to persuade her, “You are in a privileged position now, Wan, since there is no other woman at his side but only you. This is an opportunity not to be missed. If you are too timid to do it, I can get you that kind of drug. Once both of you had gone to bed, he could not shirk from his responsibility as a man but tie the knot with you.” What? Drug Huo Lichen? Just the mere thought of it sent her heart pumping twice as fast, and her cheeks burned up. The idea was simply outrageous! She grasped Gu Zifei's hand as she tried to cut her off from the topic. At the same time, she was startled to see Huo Lichen, who had been standing in front of them, turning around abruptly to face her. His deep, fetching eyes were staring straight at her. His look faltered Yan Wan, as she was worried that he might have heard their conversation. Guilt-stricken, she wished she could vanish in a trace or disappear in a puff of smoke. “Come here,” He belted out the order in a subdued voice. Yan Wan's eyes were shifting uneasily as she averted the gaze from Huo Lichen and slowly dragged herself to him. “W-What is it?” “We're here,” Huo Lichen uttered the two words mechanically. His face was devoid of any expression. He then stood next to her and lifted his elbow. Yan Wan needed a second to grasp the situation. It would be flooded with people once the elevator door swung open, which would lead them straight to the venue of their engagement party. She hastily straightened her messy thoughts and slid her hand under his arm before she braced herself to face the crowd. Ding! It announced their arrival at the penthouse. The doors of the elevator swung open on both ends. Two rows of hostesses were standing on either side in attendance, each with a flower basket in their hands. The baskets were full of pink rose petals. White petals carpeted the floor while floral decorations were everywhere. The whole venue was shrouded with an air of exquisite romance. Though it had been the engagement venue Yan Wan had dreamed of, it never occurred to her she would be the one to walk down the aisle in such a venue. At least she got to experience it. She pressed her lips and let out an elegant smile as she walked alongside Huo Lichen toward the engagement party. Hosted by the Huo family, the engagement was majestic and solemn, packed with all kinds of rituals and formalities. Yan Wan's legs were sore from all these ceremonial activities. When the ceremony was finally over, everybody rushed forward to offer their toast and congratulated them. She strived to keep up with all their toasts and compliments. But there were just too many people she had to entertain. Even if it was just a tiny sip at a time, it was making her tipsy, and her head started to pound. “What's wrong with you, Wan? Why is your face so red? Have you been drinking a lot?” Her unsteadiness worried Old Madam Huo, who was standing within inches from Yan Wan. It alarmed the rest of the guests, who were still holding the glasses in their hands, waiting to offer their toasts. “I'm fine, Grandma.” Yan Wan shook her head to shake off her drunkenness and stay sober. The last thing she wanted was to disrupt the party. Her perseverance impressed Old Madam Huo, who briskly instructed Huo Lichen, “You should send Wan back and let her take a rest. Just leave it to me to look after everything,” Huo Lichen to send me back? The thought made her sober up instantly, as she declined hastily, “I'm alright. There's no need to...” “Let's go.” Huo Lichen cut her off and walked away, suggesting that he would send her back despite the unconcerned look on his face. It astounded Yan Wan a little when a bossy person like him would oblige to his grandma's request without a word, as meek as a lamb. As she took a sidelong glance at Old Madam Huo, it enabled her to connect the dots. Since Old Madam Huo had decided on this engagement, Huo Lichen agreed to their fake engagement to not disappoint her. Huo Lichen was said to be very respectful toward his grandma. 'So I shall make a move first, Grandma.” Yan Wan bid farewell to Old Madam Huo before putting down her glass of wine and was ready to leave. But she had been standing in the same posture for too long, which numbed her legs. She wobbled and lost her balance the moment she tried to move and lunged at Huo Lichen. Huo Lichen did not have the slightest intention to help her; he was even about to shun away from her. Noticing that his grandma was watching, he froze in the midst of moving away and stood motionless like a statue. Dong! As Yan Wan stumbled into the arms of Huo Lichen, she breathed in the masculine aroma of this man, which was one of a kind, overbearing yet captivating. Huo Lichen felt his body stiffened up while his demeanor remained the same. He lowered his head and asked in his deep, bass voice, “Can you walk?” She replied, “Yes.” Yan Wan's heart was in turmoil as she tried to pull herself up from his arms. But the liquor was kicking in, which made her feel soft like jelly. She had virtually pressed her body against Huo Lichen even after strenuously trying to move out of his arms. Huo Lichen was mystified. Though countless women had tried to get up close with him, the only woman who could arouse him was that woman he met on that night. But he had never expected this woman to make him feel the same way. It reminded him she was at Shangpin hotel on that night as well. The light in his eyes swiftly faded as he lifted her in a scoop and strode toward the elevator. It shocked Yan Wan to the core as she stared incredulously at the dashing face of this man. Could she be dreaming? “Wow!” “Romantic!” A susurrus of awed mutterings, gleeful cheering, envious mumblings, and jealous grumblings resonated across the hall.