Chapter 257: Please don't do this…

Huo Shen slowly opened his eyes.

“Dad.”

He saw Liwei at his side, worry, and panic evident on his face. He weakly smiled. “Liwei.”

“Dad, how are you feeling now? Should I call the doctor? Are you in pain?” Liwei fired questions one after the other. After all, Huo Shen still looked quite weak.

“No need. I’m fine now.” He raised his hand and patted his head.

After a few moments of silence, Liwei said in a soft voice. “You scared me there…”

Huo Shen smiled. “I’m sorry.”

“No…I…I’m sorry. Please forgive me for my behavior last night. I lost my control.”

“It’s okay, I understand. I knew this day would arrive sooner or later.” Huo Shen glanced around the room. He hesitated; nevertheless, he asked, “Xiao Fan…where is she?”

Liwei pursed his lips. “Dad, can we please not talk about her?”

He sighed. “Liwei, I understand your feelings, and I’m glad that you love me so much, but please don’t blame Xiao Fan.”

“Dad!”

“Listen to me.” Huo Shen interrupted. “When she agreed to marry me, she had clarified her feelings. She had also told me not to love her, but I couldn’t help it Liwei, and it’s my fault. How can I expect her to love me back when she had already set the boundaries?”

Liwei looked away.

“I cannot force her saying that ‘Sorry, Xiao Fan, I could not keep my promise, but I don’t care. I want you to love me back regardless.’ Tell me, can I say that to her? Won’t I be selfish?”

Liwei sneered. “And do you think she had been any less selfish? Even after all these years, she still couldn’t see your goodness and love. She still never glanced your way. Fine, she may not love you, but how is it not selfish that she always cared about her ex-lover? Isn’t that an insult to your marriage?”

“Liwei-“

“Whatever you say, I will never forgive that woman. And you also loved Mom. It wasn’t easy for you either, and I know that. I have seen that, so don’t even bother to pretend otherwise. But you never brought her in your marriage. You never insulted that woman by always thinking about Mom, so why couldn’t she do the same? Just leave her already! How much more will you torture yourself like this?”

Huo Shen faintly smiled. “I will never leave her side. I cannot live without her anymore. I will leave her alone.”

Huo Xiao Fan was standing outside, listening to everything. She heard every word that Huo Shen said. Even now, he was still defending her.

Even now, he said that it was his mistake.

‘Just how much do you love me Shen…Why do you love such a selfish woman like me? I’m not worthy of you.’ Huo Xiao Fan’s eyes once again watered in tears.

She didn’t sleep a wink last night, remembering all the years she spent with him.

And the more she remembered, the more she realized that, in fact, behind all the small things he would do for her, it showed his immense love that he felt for her. But she didn’t notice it. His love was always there, but she was too blind to miss the meaning behind his actions.

Liwei stomped out in anger.

‘It is impossible to talk to him! That stupid father of mine!’

He bumped into Huo Xiao Fan, and his rage increased to a whole another level.

“I told you not to get anywhere near him. Are you deaf!? Get the fuck out, and don’t show your face!”

Huo Xiao Fan also realized last night as to why Liwei always hated her. She always thought it was because he couldn’t accept another woman in his father’s life. He didn’t want a step-mother to take his late mother’s place.

But it was actually because she didn’t treat Huo Shen well that made him so angry. He didn’t object to his second marriage because he wanted him to be happy, and she couldn’t give him the same thing that Liwei always wanted.

She looked at him silently. Then she bent her head and bowed before him.

Liwei widened his eyes with this sudden action.

“Liwei, please forgive me. I was selfish. I was horrible and the most insensitive woman towards your father. You are right. Shen deserved better, no, the best treatment. But I failed him. I did nothing but give him pain, and he did nothing but give me respect.” Her hands were trembling.

Liwei snorted in disgust. “It is late, very, very late, Xiao Fan. Your apology and realization mean nothing to me. I hate you from the bottom of my heart. I will never forgive you.”

Huo Xiao Fan sobbed. She had expected it, but it still hurt. “Liwei, please…I want to meet Shen…please…”

He smirked. “Sure.”

Huo Xiao Fan couldn’t believe it. “R-really?”

“Yes. Perhaps I will even forgive you, if you are capable of giving those years that Dad wasted in loving you, back to him.”

She froze.

“Give him his twenty-two years back, Xiao Fan.”

She blankly looked at him as her face turned pale.

Liwei laughed. “You cannot, right? So, forget about meeting him. And if you have any shame still left inside you, then at least now, please free Dad from you. Leave him and never come back. He has suffered enough because of you. Just get away from his life now.”

Huo Xiao Fan stood there, unable to say anything. A bitter feeling enveloped her heart as she thought of leaving Huo Shen.

‘Leave Shen…I…don’t want to leave him…’

Suddenly, Liwei’s phone rang, and he picked it up to hear the panicked voice of his assistant.

“Sir, please come to the office right now. Our shares value is rapidly falling. If this goes on, then we will have to suffer a huge loss that can make Huo Corps go bankrupt!”

“What?” Liwei was shocked. He tried to calm himself.

“Is it Liu Jinhai?” He asked. He knew Liu Jinhai wouldn’t spare them after what happened.

Hearing the name, Huo Xiao Fan snapped out of her daze and furrowed her brows.

“Yes, sir. He has launched an all-out attack on us.”

Seeing Liwei’s tensed expression, she knew that something was wrong. Huo Xiao Fan quickly searched about the latest news on Huo Corps, and there she read that the value of the shares is taking a big hit negatively.

If Jinhai didn’t give the order to stop attacking the shares, then Huo Corps would soon be on the verge of bankruptcy.

Liwei said, “Calm down. Try as much as you can to help this situation. I’m coming.”

He rushed out, not bothering to say anything further to her.

‘All because of me…Huo Shen and Huo Corps are in this situation all because of me…We are at the brink of losing everything.’ Huo Xiao Fan shut her eyes, letting the tears out.

Huo Shen won’t be able to bear all of this. The company for which he worked so hard to build was suddenly falling out.

‘His sweat, his blood, and his tears that he gave to Huo Corps, painstakingly building it from scratch…I would not let it go waste.’

Huo Xiao Fan slowly opened her eyes and wiped her tears, a new resolve shining in them.

She dialed a number, and it was picked on the third ring.

A lazy voice said, “I was waiting for your call.”

Huo Xiao Fan said, “Can we meet, Liu Jinhai?”

—

Chen Corps.

Serena stood in front of Jianyu, who was sitting on his CEO seat once again. The employees were shocked by his reappearance and even more shocked when they noticed a cold and dangerous aura around him.

Their boss was never like that. He would always politely smile at them, as warm as the morning sun, but today his expression was colder than the Arctic.

Nobody dared to go near him. As soon as he came back, he gave a string of orders to bring the progress of every project. The problem was what he said afterward.

“If I’m not satisfied with the progress, then take your last paycheque and get the hell out of here.”

So, the office was now dead silent, with everyone focussing on their work.

In the CEO’s office, it was over two hours, but Serena was still standing. Her legs were starting to ache, but Jianyu didn’t spare a glance at her.

Since last night, she tried to talk to him but refused to listen to anything.

“Jianyu…I-“

“Did I tell you to open your mouth?” Jianyu asked in a very low voice.

She shut up with tears in her eyes.

Assistant Fan entered and said, “Sir, here is the file you requested.”

“Leave us alone.”

Assistant Fan went out and closed the door.

Jianyu read the papers in detail. Once he was satisfied, he closed the file and threw it at Serena’s face.

“Sign it.”

The sudden impact hurt her face as the file harshly hit her. Serena tremblingly picked up the file and read through the papers.

She froze.

She slowly raised her head to meet his cold gaze, which was lifeless as much as they were emotionless.

The tears finally left her eyes, staining her cheeks as she pleaded. “Jianyu…please don’t do this…”