Chapter 577 - You’re Alright Now, But What About Qingsang (1/2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Dinner was not as lively as compared to lunchtime. Several people got drunk then as well and were unable to get up on their own.

The person who received the brunt of it was Zhang Yichen. He did not only get drunk; he also got himself drugged. Even though he had received treatment from the doctor, he would not be getting up so quickly.

Huo Yangxiu went to take a look at Zhang Yichen before she came down for dinner.

Naturally, she had no idea what Zhang Yichen had just experienced. She just thought that he had been too happy that afternoon and drank one too many drinks.

But Su Peizhen was somehow very clear about the fact that Zhang Yichen did not drink a lot today.

Zhang Yichen was still upstairs and Su Qingsang didn’t look so good?

The combination of all these signs was enough for Su Peizhen to assume that something interesting had happened just now.

There was some kind of gloating smile on her face.

What did Zhang Yichen do earlier on? She was starting to get really curious.

The dinner was still quite animated even though there were fewer people around. At the dining table, everyone toasted each other, clinked their glasses, and made conversation, but underneath the small talk, everyone was absorbed in their own thoughts.

Su Qingsang wasn’t in the mood to socialize at all. All of her thoughts were about Huo Jinyao and Liu Tongjia.

She kept thinking that things should not have turned out like this, that their mother and son relationship should not have disintegrated like that.

Although she did not stay with Li Qianxue after they reunited, Li Qianxue’s concern and love for her was no less despite that fact.

They would video call each other every night, and Li Qianxue would always remember to send her messages filled with words of worry.

She understood Li Qianxue’s intentions. Li Qianxue wanted to make up for the many years of the mother-daughter relationship they had missed out on having.

But what about Liu Tongjia?

Huo Jinyao had already grown up so much. Even if Liu Tongjia really wanted to make it up to him now, what could she do?

But the most confounding thing was the fact that Liu Tongjia probably did not even think about needing to make up for it.

She couldn’t help but glance over at Liu Tongjia who seemed to be distracted at that moment.

Su Qingsang looked back at Huo Jinyao again. He was just putting a piece of fish into her bowl of rice.

He gave her a look, and she understood what he meant by that look.

If she could, she really wanted to explain things clearly to Liu Tongjia, but Huo Jinyao won’t let her do it.

The meal was clearly hearty and delicious to all, but it had been tasteless for Su Qingsang.

She knew that this problem had reached a dead end, but she really wanted to untangle the knot between the both of them.

As Su Peizhen was talking to Huo Yifan, she happened to notice from the corner of her eye that Huo Jinyao was picking up dishes for Su Qingsang.

She narrowed her eyes.

Could it be that Zhang Yichen did not do what she had hoped he would do?

How was that possible?

If Zhang Yichen hadn’t been drugged, then wouldn’t her arrangements today be wasted?

She looked down and bit down on her lip slightly. There were hints of a cold smile in her delicate and charming eyes.

Zhang Yichen was usually in the army and he rarely came out. So, when would she get another opportunity like this?

What if she remained in the house tonight?

Su Peizhen did not think that even if she stayed on tonight, she would have a chance to make anything happen either.

It was the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, and Li Junsheng had come over to Rong City, so Huo Jinyao usually went out to the gathering with them.

He usually invited Zhang Yichen along, but he didn’t today. What happened at lunch must have created a feeling of estrangement in him after all.

Moreover, he felt that he would not be able to be as frank to Zhang Yichen as he had been in the past anymore.

The only thing he was comforted by was the fact that Su Qingsang remained completely clueless about Zhang Yichen’s thoughts of her.

***

Zhang Yichen woke up the next day, after the Dragon Boat Festival had ended.

He was a soldier with great willpower. If it wasn’t because of the special occasion yesterday, he would have never allowed himself to make such a mistake. He would have never allowed himself to lose control like that.

Even so, he did not expect to get that drunk with his restrictions in place. Forget about getting drunk, he actually lost control of himself.

Zhang Yichen rubbed his forehead. His memory from yesterday was in pieces, but one part of it was exceptionally clear.

There was a moment where he had been hugging a woman who was soft and warm in his arms. But he decided that must have been an illusion.

Because Zhang Yichen remembered so a little of what happened while he was drunk, he thought he must have hugged Huo Jinyao, thinking that Huo Jinyao was Su Qingsang.

At this moment, he was only simply grateful that he did not lose control in front of Su Qingsang.

He did not know that he had really done what he thought he did to Su Qingsang herself. Fortunately, Su Qingsang knew that he had been drugged and drunk.

Zhang Yichen only knew that he was drunk—he did not know that he was drugged.

He could drink pretty well, and usually, he would just fall asleep when he got drunk. That was the reason why he had not worried about his drinking.

But why did he lose control yesterday? Zhang Yichen couldn’t figure it out, but there was one thing he was very sure about.

Huo Jinyao had found out.

He buried his face in the palms of his hands. He had wanted to keep those emotions hidden.

What should he do now?

***

Su Peizhen did not look exceptionally happy when she left the Huo Mansion.

Su Qingsang did not stay in the Huo Mansion yesterday. She had left with Huo Jinyao after the dinner ended.

Seeing how much Huo Jinyao cared for Su Qingsang as they were leaving, Su Peizhen knew right away that whatever Zhang Yichen had done yesterday did not make any impact at all.

That made her very upset.

The plan had failed, and she didn’t know if there would be such an opportunity again.

She had been particularly eager about this matter, so it was exceptionally easy to see through her mood now.

The expression on her face was so obvious that Huo Yifan noticed as well.

“Something wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Su Peizhen really didn’t want to let Huo Yifan know that she had been scheming against Zhang Yichen.

She was aware that if she told Huo Yifan about her plans, he would have disagreed, citing Huo Yangxiu’s relationship with Old Master Huo as the reason.

“I have a feeling that you tried to do something bad, but it failed. Am I right?”

Being a shrewd person by nature, Huo Yifan knew right away from Su Peizhen’s expression that whatever she had planned must have failed.

A corner of his lips turned up and his smirk was a little sarcastic.

“Don’t tell me that you had tried to do something to Su Qingsang today and it failed in the end.”

“Yup. I failed.”

Su Peizhen smirked back at him and the expression on her face turned slightly cold. “You should be disappointed that I have failed. What are you gloating about?”

“Nothing.” Huo Yifan pulled her into a hug. “No matter what, you should have informed me if you were trying to plot something against Su Qingsang in the Huo Mansion. You’re in the Huo Mansion after all, you have no chance at all, as long as Huo Jinyao is around. No matter how different my aunt is compared to Su Qingsang, she would not let you try anything either. You must know that this would have been a very embarrassing matter.”

Su Peizhen did not say anything. The truth was that she had only wanted Su Qingsang to make a fool out of herself and let Huo Jinyao know that he had been cuckolded.

She had been a little too hasty in her plans. If she had gotten to know the Huo Family a little more, and if she had more opportunities, she believed that she could succeed.

“Alright. Stop thinking about it now. It’s not like you didn’t know how protective Huo Jinyao can be of Su Qingsang. If you want to plot something against her, it’s best if you choose a time when he is not around.”

Of course, if one was to do it outside of the Huo Mansion, such a plan would be even easier.

Su Peizhen narrowed her eyes and began to seriously consider the feasibility of that.

There was no hurry as there were more important things they had to focus on now.

“Alright. I will deal with Su Qingsang. And you should fix your mind entirely on the company. We can’t lose this time.”

“Don’t worry. Don’t you believe in me?”

Huo Yifan laughed loudly. He thought that everything he had been plotting was still under wraps and undetected.

Su Peizhen did not like how conceited he was. A part of his personality was just like Su Chenghui, she would have preferred for him to be more careful in his estimations of his abilities.

She had a hunch that things weren’t as simple as Huo Yifan made them out to be.

But looking at how confident he was, Su Peizhen didn’t want to put him down. So, she turned away and fell asleep.

She met up with Liu Tongjia when she woke up and realized that she was not in a good mood.

Previously, Su Peizhen had planned to work with her. But now that she knew there was no chance of them working together, she thought that Liu Tongjia was giving her the cold shoulder. At the thought of that, Su Peizhen’s mood turned darker.

When she got back home, Xiang Caiping was reading the newspaper in the living room. She looked up when Su Peizhen came in, her face with a mixed expression.

“Mother, I am back.”

Su Peizhen changed out of her shoes. She walked over to the sofa on the opposite side of Xiang Caiping and sat down.

There were some fruits on the table, already washed. She picked up a bunch of grapes and ate two of them before she realized that Xiang Caiping was still looking at her. She squirmed under her scrutiny and she sat up straighter.

“What’s wrong, Mother? Have you eaten breakfast? I have not eaten yet, is there anything to eat?”

“Ms. Zhao is in the kitchen. You can check with her.”

Xiang Caiping glanced at her, but she failed to ask what had already been on the tip of her tongue.

Su Peizhen did not think that anything was wrong, and she went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Xiang Caiping watched her from behind, the expression on her face obscure and difficult to decipher.

When Su Peizhen came back from the kitchen, she realized that Xiang Caiping was no longer in the living room.

She was somewhat relieved. Previously, when she had been living with Li Qianxue, Li Qianxue would follow her every move very closely.

Of course, if she did anything wrong, Li Qianxue would still reprimand her for it and tell her what she shouldn’t be doing.