If it weren’t for the way the other person’s smile instantly froze and how she reflexively pushed away the man walking beside her, Jiang Si might not have even recognized her.
After all, the last time they’d crossed paths at the docks, they’d only exchanged a brief glance without even greeting each other.
Besides, compared to a few months ago, this woman had tanned significantly—far more than just a shade or two.
“Manli?”
The man accompanying Yu Manli was named Mo Zhenyu. Just last month, he and Yu Manli had officially started dating.
The two had been chatting and laughing as they walked, so when Yu Manli suddenly pushed him away, Mo Zhenyu was completely bewildered.
But Yu Manli was too flustered to explain anything to him at that moment.
She couldn’t believe her luck—or rather, her lack of it.
In the past few months, she’d only ventured out twice.
And yet, both times, she’d run into this member of the Jiang Family. What kind of cursed fate was this?
The moment she thought of what had happened to her good friend Su Wanwan, Yu Manli’s heart clenched in fear.
She hadn’t yet told her family about her relationship—not even her second brother had gotten so much as a hint.
Actually, it wasn’t that she hadn’t had the chance. Yu Manli knew full well that even though Mo Zhenyu came from a dual-income household, her parents would never approve of him.
Especially since he had several younger siblings to support.
She’d planned to use this trip back to the capital to properly discuss things with her parents.
But who could’ve guessed that the moment she stepped out of the train station, she’d run into Jiang Si?
“Manli, what’s wrong?”
Mo Zhenyu noticed her standing frozen in place and glanced toward the bus stop ahead.
“The bus is about to arrive. Let’s hurry over. If we miss this one, we’ll have to wait another half hour.”
As he spoke, he reached out to take her hand.
Yu Manli recoiled as if she’d been burned.
“Comrade Mo, please keep your hands to yourself. We’re just ordinary colleagues.”
“Ordinary… colleagues?” Mo Zhenyu stared at her in disbelief.
“Yes.”
With that, Yu Manli quickly snatched her luggage back and practically fled toward the bus stop.
“Manli, wait for me!” Mo Zhenyu shot a glance at Jiang Si before hurrying after her.
Yu Manli had been too guilty to look Mo Zhenyu in the eye the entire time, but Jiang Si didn’t miss the flash of impatience in the man’s expression.
Tsk tsk tsk. Seems this guy isn’t much of a catch either.
Still, Jiang Si wasn’t the type to meddle in others’ affairs. Her mother had been scheming behind her back, and her father was still plotting against her.
The fact that she wasn’t broadcasting their dirty laundry all over town was already generous—warning Yu Manli was out of the question.
“Darling, what are you looking at?”
Just then, Huo Tingzhou returned.
Noticing his wife’s gaze fixed on the man and woman ahead, he followed her line of sight.
As luck would have it, Yu Manli—whether out of guilt or sheer misfortune—glanced back toward Jiang Si right before boarding the bus.
And of all things, her eyes locked with Huo Tingzhou’s.
The moment she saw Huo Tingzhou frowning at her, only one thought filled her mind:
It’s over. It’s all over.
The Huo and Yu Families had never gotten along. Now that they’d discovered her biggest secret, wouldn’t the whole compound know by the time they returned?
The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became.
If her parents found out she’d started dating without their permission, they’d force her to break it off!
But what Yu Manli didn’t realize was that she was overthinking things.
Because the first question Huo Tingzhou asked after they got in the car was:
“Darling, do you know them?”
His tone carried a hint of surprise.
Logically speaking, anyone his wife knew, he should know too.
Jiang Si paused while fastening her seatbelt. “That’s Yu Manli from the Yu Family. You don’t recognize her?”
So that’s Yu Manli.
Huo Tingzhou racked his brain. “I know of her, but I’ve never paid attention to what she looks like.”
Jiang Si gave him a strange look. She knew Huo Tingzhou had rarely returned to the Huo Family’s old residence in the past decade.
But when he’d come to pick her up at the docks last time, hadn’t Yu Manli been standing right beside Su Wanwan?
“You have seen her before—when you came to get me at the docks.”
To her surprise, Huo Tingzhou only looked more confused.
He’d heard that Yu Manli had also gone to Qiongzhou Island, but he had zero recollection of seeing her at the docks.
At the time, only one thought had filled his mind:
My lady has come for me.
How could he possibly spare attention for anyone else on that pier?
Jiang Si took one look at his expression and immediately understood.
Fine, no point pressing him.
She explained, “The man with Yu Manli is probably her boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?”
Huo Tingzhou frowned. “Didn’t the Yu Family already arrange a marriage with the Ling Family? They’ve even set a date.”
“Exactly, that’s what’s so strange.”
If the wedding date had already been fixed, Yu Manli shouldn’t be dating someone else.
Unless—
A possibility suddenly occurred to Jiang Si. “She might not even know about the arranged marriage. And she probably hasn’t told her family about her boyfriend either.”
No wonder she’d been so nervous upon seeing Jiang Si.
She must’ve been terrified that Jiang Si would expose her secret relationship.
Huo Tingzhou fell silent for a moment. “Darling, what do you plan to do about this?”
He hadn’t forgotten how the Yu Family had schemed against her.
Though he’d already made up his mind, he still wanted to hear his wife’s thoughts.
Outwardly, Huo Tingzhou showed no trace of ruthlessness—his tone was as calm as ever.
But Jiang Si had lived with him for over a decade. How could she not guess what he was thinking?
After a moment’s consideration, Jiang Si said, “Let’s not get involved.”
She laid out her reasoning clearly:
“Right now, in their family, the parents are keeping their daughter in the dark about an arranged marriage.”
“Meanwhile, the daughter is hiding her relationship from them.”
“Whether the Yu-Ling marriage even happens is still up in the air.”
“If our family interferes now, even if we’re in the right, it’ll look like we’re kicking them when they’re down.”
“People in the compound might even accuse us of taking advantage of their misfortune.”
Jiang Si saw no need for it. Even if they sabotaged this marriage, without the Ling Family, there’d still be the Zhao, Qian, Sun, or Li Families waiting in the wings…
Besides, the Huo Family hadn’t risen to where they were by playing petty games. They’d gotten here through steady, step-by-step progress.
Moreover, if they could think of this, wouldn’t Huo Tingzhou’s father and grandfather have considered it too?
No one who’d reached their positions was a fool.
Otherwise, why would the old man have specifically invited the deputy leader to officiate their wedding?
In short: They could act, but it wasn’t worth it.
After explaining all this, Jiang Si emphasized one last point to Huo Tingzhou:
“You’re at a critical point in your career right now. Don’t let something like this tarnish your reputation.”
In the original story, Huo Tingzhou had become the Air Force Commander before turning fifty—and his rise hadn’t stopped there.
If such a trivial matter were to hinder his career advancement, it would be a tremendous loss.
"I’m counting on you to climb even higher. The further you rise, the brighter the future will be for me and our children!"
As she spoke, Jiang Si's eyes sparkled with hope.
Huo Tingzhou's heart softened at her words. If she wanted him to reach greater heights, he would redouble his efforts to make it happen.
Little did Jiang Si know that her words today would once again alter the course of the original story.
