Chapter 13: There Was Never Anything.
Chapter 13
“Have you misunderstood something? There has never been anything between you and me,” Huo Shao Ting said very coldly and decisively, his gaze at Wen Shi Lan was also cold.
Wen Shi Lan was frozen on one side of her body, her face even paler. She had misunderstood?
She didn't misunderstand at all!
Before Rong Dai appeared, he was attentive to her in every possible way. At work, he gave her very detailed guidance and accompanied her for meals and gave her gifts. How could that be a misunderstanding?
If he didn't like her, how could he have spent so much thought and effort?
"Shao Ting..."
"I don't want to hear those two words from your mouth again. You and I are not that intimate. If I did anything before that gave you the wrong impression, let me make it clear here."
The man spoke coldly, emitting a chilly aura that forced Wen Shi Lan not to come near him.
"I took care of you purely because of your father's dying wish. If you are not satisfied with your position in the Huo Group, you can resign at any time. I am a married man, please restrain yourself and keep your distance from me."
Huo Shao Ting coldly explained and then turned away without even giving Wen Shi Lan a chance to speak.
Wen Shi Lan stared after him in shock, her hands and feet icy cold, her face deathly pale, as if she had suffered a tremendous blow.
Sitting in the car, Rong Dai had been keeping an eye on the two of them all along. Seeing Wen Shi Lan's expression now, she felt a little guilty that she had caused trouble for Huo Shao Ting.
After Huo Shao Ting got into the car, she glanced at him carefully and asked, "Do you need me to go and explain it to her? This kind of misunderstanding doesn't seem fair to you."
If the misunderstanding dragged on for too long, it could turn into something real.
Huo Shao Ting's heart tightened and his expression became even gloomier: "Mind your own business."
Rong Dai pursed her lips. He seemed to be in a bad mood. She would find a chance later to meet Wen Shi Lan and explain things to her, which would settle a small debt.
The silence in the car was so complete that Rong Dai could clearly hear her own heartbeat. She watched the scenery flashing by outside the window and pondered how she could earn money.
After seeing the two of them leave together, Wen Shi Lan's face twisted resentfully. She took out her phone and ostensibly made a polite call to Mrs. Huo, "accidentally" revealing what had happened at the venue.
"Rong Dai, let's see how you compete with me! We'll see about this!"
After hanging up, Wen Shi Lan felt a little better.
Rong Dai, meanwhile, was sent back to the old Huo residence by Huo Shao Ting, who went to the company himself to deal with things.
Without Huo Shao Ting's cold, overbearing aura oppressing her, Rong Dai felt her breathing instantly become relaxed.
But as soon as she stepped into the lobby downstairs, she sensed something wrong with the atmosphere.
Mrs. Huo and her daughter Huo Mei Shu were sitting on the sofa looking very gloomy, especially Mrs. Huo, whose gaze at her was full of anger.
Rong Dai's heart lurched. Her expression immediately became meek and respectful. After changing her shoes, she greeted the two of them, "Mom, Mei Shu, you're home!"
"If we weren't home, I expect you would have fooled my elder brother into squandering the family fortune!"
Huo Mei Shu hissed resentfully, looking at her with ill intent and contemptuous disdain, as well as thick anger.
Rong Dai was confused. What had she done to offend the mother and daughter this time?
"Mei Shu, whatever do you mean by that?" She could only ask with an ingratiating smile.
After all, she was living under their roof. She had to endure for now.
"Hmph! Every precious gem and high-end designer clothing in the mall that my brother took a fancy to has been bundled up and brought back for you! I wondered why my elder brother was acting so out of character today, actually agreeing to my requests - turns out he had ulterior motives!"
Huo Mei Shu immediately jumped up, hands on hips, gazing at her with fiery eyes!
"Spending 100 million on a dead person's belongings - Rong Dai, I really didn't expect you to have this kind of scheme to wrap my clever, wise elder brother around your finger so obediently!"
Rong Dai was shocked. So that was what this was all about!
News sure traveled fast in this day and age. She had just gotten home and the message had already spread everywhere.
She sighed to herself. Although she didn't know if what Huo Mei Shu said about the mall was true or false, the price paid for that jade pendant was real. She couldn't evade responsibility for that.
But she had no way to explain it clearly, and Huo Shao Ting had agreed to help her bid on it without asking her reasons. Although the jade pendant wasn't currently in her hands, she felt at ease.
So regarding this issue, she could only let Mrs. Huo vent her anger on her, rather than create more trouble for Huo Shao Ting.
"Mom, I'm very sorry." She stood before the two women and solemnly bowed deeply to Mrs. Huo, speaking gently and peacefully.
Both Mrs. Huo and Huo Mei Shu were a bit stunned. This wasn't like her usual self.
"I'm afraid I can't fully explain this matter to you right now, but I can write an IOU that I will definitely repay the money for the jade pendant when I've earned it. Because that jade pendant is truly very important to me - it's like...a loved one."
Rong Dai spoke earnestly and sincerely, neither arrogantly nor humbly, with a contrite, modest attitude.
She knew very well that if she didn't explain clearly, Mrs. Huo wouldn't let her off. There was even a chance of worsening the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law that had just started to improve a little.
So she made the decision in an instant - she had to apologize very sincerely.
Although 100 million wasn't a huge sum to a wealthy family like the Huos, it certainly didn't blow in with the wind. A jade pendant alone costing up to 100 million was bound to raise complaints from any mother-in-law.
Huo Mei Shu was taken aback. She had been about to snipe at her again but seeing her red-rimmed eyes, she changed her words at the last moment: "Easy for you to say - even if you sold yourself, you wouldn't make up even a fraction of that amount. How will you pay it back?"
Rong Dai was also troubled by this matter, but in any case, her mother-in-law's expression was no longer as angry as before, so there was still room for reconciliation in this matter.
"Please give me a moment."
She knew empty words carried no weight, especially since she was still Huo Shao Ting's wife currently. They had every reason to believe she wouldn't repay the money.
She hurried upstairs to the bedroom, took out paper, a pen and her ID card, and quickly looked up the information on her phone. Following the format, she neatly wrote an IOU.
She had originally wanted to use a name stamp, but on second thought, she gritted her teeth and pressed her fingerprint into the paper after piercing her finger - then took the IOU note downstairs.
"Mom, please check if there are any problems with this. I won't go back on this debt."
She was sincere in attitude. Mrs. Huo looked at the graceful, neat handwriting and the note met all legal requirements accurately.
"Rong Dai, have you lost your mind? Biting your own finger to press a fingerprint, do you have a mental illness?"
Huo Mei Shu also hadn't expected her to be so sincere. Seeing her still bleeding finger, she immediately glared and scolded angrily!