After Giving Up, My Rich Ex-Husband Begged Me to Return CHAPTER 135

Chapter 135: I Can’t Afford to Lose This Much Face

Zhou Fu felt that his blunt refusal was perhaps a bit too audacious.

He was afraid of losing his job.

A belated survival instinct prompted him to try and salvage the situation.

“President Huo, I think you could ask President Shen for a drink.”

President Huo calling him for a drink in the middle of the night was far more terrifying than being called for overtime.

“You can take tomorrow off.” Huo Qingyan hung up directly and then sent him a location via WeChat.

Huh?

Was this really a matter of taking a day off or not?

It was useless to reason with President Huo.

Swallowing his indignation, Zhou Fu got out of bed and went to the address Huo Qingyan had sent.

It was a small tavern that stayed open all night. There were still quite a few people at this hour, but after a few rounds of drinks, most were drunk, and no one paid any attention to Huo Qingyan.

Zhou Fu spotted him as soon as he walked in.

Huo Qingyan pushed the drink menu toward Zhou Fu. “What would you like to drink?”

Zhou Fu closed the menu and said seriously, “President Huo, just tell me what’s on your mind. You being so polite is scaring me.”

Huo Qingyan reflected for a few seconds with mixed feelings.

Did he really come off as that unapproachable?

He had always thought he treated Zhou Fu well.

Huo Qingyan mulled it over for a moment before saying in a business-like tone, “No matter who asks about my whereabouts tonight, you just need to tell them that I was drinking with you all night.”

Zhou Fu nodded. “Then if Mr. Jiang asks me why I was drinking with you all night, how should I answer?”

“Did I mention Jiang Su?” Zhou Fu’s sudden mention of Jiang Su by name made Huo Qingyan start to doubt himself.

Zhou Fu replied in the same business-like tone, “I really can’t think of anyone else who would make President Huo go to such lengths.”

Who else could this lonely, divorced President Huo possibly care about?

Only Mr. Jiang.

Huo Qingyan silently sized up Zhou Fu.

When he was hiring a special assistant to the president, the number of applicants for the Huo Corporation was overwhelming.

He had chosen Zhou Fu for his outstanding resume and capabilities.

Now he discovered that his assistant’s talents extended beyond just his work abilities.

No wonder there were always people persistently trying to poach him.

“Answer however you see fit.” Zhou Fu had a steady personality, and Jiang Su had dealt with him enough to trust his word.

If it had been Shen Xiumo, Jiang Su would have probably gotten the truth out of him in a few exchanges, and he’d end up helping Jiang Su count the money after being sold out by him.

“Understood.” Zhou Fu reopened the drink menu.

The thought of having the next day off moved him to order the most expensive bottle of wine in the entire establishment.

He deserved it!

It wasn’t like President Huo couldn’t afford it!

…

Jiang Su was woken up by the heat.

He groggily rolled out of bed, intending to go to the kitchen for a drink of water.

He wandered around for a long time but couldn’t find the kitchen.

Instead, he found a staircase.

His apartment was a single-story flat, not a duplex. Why was there a staircase?

Jiang Su looked around, and as the familiar decor of the house gradually came into focus, he was so startled that his muddled brain instantly cleared.

He gripped the railing and ran down the stairs. When he saw the layout of the living room, his heart sank.

This wasn’t his apartment at all; this was clearly Huo Qingyan’s villa!

Why on earth was he here?

Jiang Su held his head, trying to think. He could only vaguely remember the manager of the Qingyang Grand Hotel arranging a car to take him home.

Damn it!

He couldn’t remember anything else!

The phone in his pocket suddenly rang, making Jiang Su jump.

It was a call from Xu Mocun.

“Susu, you’re not home? Where are you?”

Jiang Su’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re at my place?”

“Yeah, I even brought you breakfast. I came over to chat about your recent schedule. Where did you go so early in the morning?”

Jiang Su scrambled for a clumsy excuse. “I… I went out for a run.”

He couldn’t let anyone know that he had gotten drunk and run back to Huo Qingyan’s villa.

He couldn’t afford to lose this much face.

“Huh? A run?” Xu Mocun found it strange; this wasn’t like Jiang Su at all.

Jiang Su had just wrapped up his shoot and returned to Qingyang City yesterday. His brothers and sisters had thrown him a big celebration dinner at the Qingyang Grand Hotel. Logically, he should be sleeping in and relaxing today.

“Yes, a run. After my run, I’m going to find my second sister for breakfast. Let’s meet up this afternoon!” Afraid he would slip up if he said more, Jiang Su hung up as soon as he finished speaking.

Xu Mocun stared at his phone, bewildered.

Why did Susu hang up so abruptly without even saying goodbye?

After hanging up, Jiang Su bolted for the door.

He had to escape the scene immediately.

Seeing the slippers scattered in the entryway brought him back to his senses a little.

Why hadn’t he seen Huo Qingyan?

Jiang Su went back to the bedroom.

The thick winter quilt was still on the bed, proof that Huo Qingyan hadn’t been living here for the past six months.

No wonder his hand had come away covered in dust from the railing earlier.

Thankfully, Huo Qingyan wasn’t living here.

Jiang Su finally relaxed completely.

Only then did he notice that the furnishings in the house were much the same as when he had moved out.

In just half a year, returning here felt like a lifetime had passed.

With mixed feelings, Jiang Su put everything back in its original place and then left.

By the time he got home, Xu Mocun was already gone.

After taking a shower and changing his clothes, Jiang Su went out to find Jiang Ying.

He had no choice; he had to follow through on the lie he had created.

Jiang Ying was very surprised to see Jiang Su at her door so early in the morning. “Little Seven? Why are you here so early to see me?”

Jiang Su smiled. “For breakfast.”

Jiang Ying: “Huh?”

Coming to find her for breakfast this early in the morning—wasn’t that a little absurd?

Jiang Su didn’t care what Jiang Ying thought and pulled her out the door for breakfast.

He specifically chose a restaurant near Jiang Ying’s company.

He sat down and began to study the menu intently. Jiang Ying still found him a bit strange but couldn’t put her finger on what it was, so she decided she was probably overthinking it.

Just as they had ordered their breakfast, two more people entered.

Zhou Fu followed behind Huo Qingyan and saw Jiang Su as soon as he walked in.

“President Huo, it’s Mr. Jiang.”

Huo Qingyan said calmly, “I see him.”

Jiang Su had been talking to Jiang Ying, but an inadvertent glance up revealed Huo Qingyan and Zhou Fu standing at the entrance.

His first reaction was to guiltily look away.

But on second thought, Huo Qingyan didn’t live at the villa and had no idea he had gone there drunk last night.

And so, Jiang Su met Huo Qingyan’s gaze with renewed confidence.

Huo Qingyan saw his series of reactions clearly, and a hint of a smile touched his eyes.

Zhou Fu had a keen sense that something was afoot.

Something he didn’t know about must have happened between President Huo and Mr. Jiang last night.

Noticing Jiang Su’s gaze, Jiang Ying also turned to look toward the entrance.