Chapter 737 - This Won’t Be Taken Lying Down (3) (1/2)

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

“Huo Shao?!” Ma Qiqi was very surprised. She couldn’t keep her mouth closed. “You, you, you… why are you here?”

The corner of Yin s.h.i.+xiong’s mouth raised. He stretched out his hand and shook it in front of her. “Qiqi! Come back! Come back to your senses! Your Big Xiong is here!”

Ma Qiqi grabbed Yin s.h.i.+xiong’s hand that was swaying randomly. She couldn’t help herself and got near his ear and asked quietly, “Why is Huo Shao here, too?”

When Yin s.h.i.+xiong texted, he didn’t mention a word about Huo Shao… Of course, Yin s.h.i.+xiong wouldn’t do anything to make his own senior officer look bad. He made a coughing sound and said, “It just so happened that when I came out, Huo Shao also came out to attend to something, so I got into his car and came here.”

“Oh.” Ma Qiqi sighed and patted her chest. “So Huo Shao needed to attend to some business. That’s good. That’s good.”

She originally thought Huo Shaoheng was going to leave when he dropped Yin s.h.i.+xiong off. She never thought Huo Shaoheng would come into her home with Yin s.h.i.+xiong and blurt out the sentence, “…business has been attended to.”

Ma Qiqi didn’t know what to say as Huo Shaoheng walked in through her front door. His eyes unconsciously scanned the dining room for a bit. He didn’t see a sign of Gu Nianzhi.

Ma Qiqi quickly said, “Nianzhi and Professor He are here, too. Do you guys want to see them?”

Huo Shaoheng looked away and looked at Yin s.h.i.+xiong in silence. Yin s.h.i.+xiong quickly said, “Nianzhi is here, too? Such a coincidence! Of course, we have to see her.”

It was so fake. Huo Shaoheng gave Yin s.h.i.+xiong a dissatisfied look and spoke in a polite manner to Ma Qiqi, “We should greet Mr. and Mrs. Ma first.” They were going to greet Ma Qiqi’s parents. After all, they were guests in their home.

Huo Shaoheng being that courteous scared Ma Qiqi. She was stunned. She nodded, and with a thud, thud, thud, thud she ran to the kitchen to get her mother and father and did an introduction. “Mom, Dad, this is Big Xiong, and this is Huo Shao. They are all Nianzhi’s… relatives and friends. I also know them pretty well, too.”

“Oh, you guys are Nianzhi’s friends and relatives? Are you here to pick her up? Have you eaten dinner yet? If not, stay and eat a simple home cooked meal.” Ma Qiqi’s father and mother greeted Huo Shaoheng and Yin s.h.i.+xiong with great zeal.

Before Yin s.h.i.+xiong could think of what to say, Huo Shaoheng had already smiled weakly and said, “Thank you, you two. Then I won’t be shy about it.” He then turned toward Yin s.h.i.+xiong and said, “Big Xiong, there is a basket of crabs in the back of my trunk. Bring it over and give it to Qiqi.”

“A basket of crabs?!” Ma Qiqi’s eyes were about to pop.

Ma Qiqi’s family ate crabs one by one. They never imagined that Huo Shao ate crabs by the pound. When Yin s.h.i.+xiong saw Ma Qiqi’s surprised face, he made a funny face and laughed mischievously. He grabbed the car key and went out to get the crabs.

It was obvious that Huo Shaoheng had bought those crabs not too long ago. They were still lively. They were crawling around the bamboo basket. They made it look like it was crowded. Ma Qiqi’s father was overjoyed when he saw that basket of crabs. “That’s wonderful. Steamed crab dipped in vinegar sauce would be delicious.”

Huo Shaoheng nodded and smiled. “Mr. Ma knows what’s what.”

“Mr. Huo, you are too courteous.” Ma Qiqi’s father was a businessman. He was not considered a rich man, but he did have a comfortable upper middle cla.s.s life. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to afford the suburban villa with a back yard and be able to think about giving Ma Qiqi a condominium on the East Road near the downtown as a dowry.

He took the crabs and went to the kitchen with Ma Qiqi’s mother to get things ready. They usually paid someone to cook for them and clean their house, but Ma Qiqi insisted on a special meal that day. To show how much they cared, the husband and wife were determined to cook themselves. They made a table full of dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted great.

…

Ma Qiqi took Huo Shaoheng and Yin s.h.i.+xiong to the recreation room on the second floor. He Zhichu and Gu Nianzhi were sitting at either side of a chess table talking. On the recreation room’s ceiling was a light made from semi-transparent material in the shape of a lotus leaf. The bright, filtered light was soft and delicate. Everything in the room looked like it had gone through a light filter.

He Zhichu was wearing a white striped s.h.i.+rt with a light blue V-neck cashmere sweater. His eyes were locked on Gu Nianzhi and looked as if they were glued to her face while her slender fingers were picking cards.

Gu Nianzhi’s back was facing the door. It was unclear what she was saying. He Zhichu suddenly looked at Gu Nianzhi’s lips that were puckering. His peach blossom eyes were overflowing with tender affection. Huo Shaoheng clasped his hands behind his back, and he silently tightened his fist. However, he restrained himself and didn’t say a thing.

Ma Qiqi smiled as she walked up and said, “Nianzhi, Professor He, Huo Shao and Big Xiong also came to my home for dinner.”

Gu Nianzhi turned her head and was surprised to see Huo Shaoheng and Yin s.h.i.+xiong standing by the door in the chess room. “Big Xiong, Huo Shao, what are you guys doing here?”

Huo Shaoheng glanced at Yin s.h.i.+xiong and immediately said, “Big Xiong wanted to see Ma Qiqi.”

Yin s.h.i.+xiong pressed his lips together and was about to refute it when he saw Ma Qiqi’s bright and cheerful face suddenly turn red from the corner of his eye. Under the soft light, one could see Ma Qiqi’s white, s.h.i.+ning fine hair on the top of her earlobe. It looked like it had been brushed into place by a tiny brush. He was embarra.s.sed as he swallowed what he was going to say. He scratched his head and laughed mischievously and didn’t refute it. However, he didn’t say anything about it, either. He went over to the chess table where Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu were sitting and asked, “What are you guys playing?”

“Texas Hold’em. Do you want to play with us?” He Zhichu gathered the cards. He looked at Huo Shaoheng with a smile on his face.

“Ok, haven’t played it in a long time.” Huo Shaoheng sat next to Gu Nianzhi and pointed at the seat across from him. “Big Xiong, Qiqi, you guys sit, too.” The good thing about Texas Hold’em was that two to 12 people could play the game together. At that time, they had five people, which was not a problem at all.