Chapter 20: It Came After All

“Don’t even think about refusing. Even if I keep this car in my garage, I won’t drive it.”

Su Mian was preparing to decline, but before she could speak, Huo Beihan saw right through her.

“That’s not very proper.”

After holding back for a while, Su Mian finally forced out four dry words.

“There’s nothing improper about it. We’re family.”

Su Mian was left speechless and had no choice but to agree.

“We’ve arrived.”

Huo Beihan’s car stopped beneath the company building.

It was just the start of the workday. As Su Mian opened the door and stepped out, she immediately spotted several colleagues from the company.

Not wanting to be misunderstood or linger any longer, she turned to Huo Beihan and said, “Thank you for the ride. I’ll go in first.”

Huo Beihan’s lips curved slightly, but he said nothing, silently watching her back.

Su Mian headed toward the elevator, only to overhear a few people whispering.

“Oh my god, could it be true?”

“Some people just managed to hook up with a big shot shortly after arriving, and he even drives a luxury car.”

“Who knows? It was parked right at the company entrance. Is that some kind of show-off?”

As they whispered and glanced at Su Mian, she completely ignored their stares, fixed her gaze forward, and stepped into the elevator expressionlessly.

Inside, they weren’t as brazen, but their eyes still plainly stared at her.

Su Mian paid them no mind. With so many people in the company, she couldn’t control what they said.

When she reached the investment department, all eyes turned to her with a strange look.

Su Mian intended to ignore them and return to her desk to focus on her work.

But before she had walked two steps, someone blocked her path.

“Oh, look who it is—Su Mian, the kept woman.”

The speaker was Sun Qian, her tone as sarcastic and mocking as ever.

Su Mian ignored her and tried to move past, but Sun Qian only grew more aggressive, barring her way.

“What’s the matter? Feeling guilty? Afraid to admit you’re being kept?”

“Well, it’s understandable. I know exactly what you were before.”

Suddenly, Su Mian stopped, causing Sun Qian to nearly bump into her.

Su Mian spun around and pulled Sun Qian close. “Are you really that idle? Finished all your work?”

“Besides, did you see it yourself hiding under my bed? Or hear it? Where’s the evidence?”

Those two words left Sun Qian speechless.

The others watching the scene turned their heads away as well.

At first, Su Mian looked like a delicate flower anyone could bully.

But after getting to know her, they realized she was sharp-witted and quick-tongued, striking back unexpectedly.

“What, weren’t you so talkative just now? Why so quiet now?”

Seeing Sun Qian dumbfounded and unable to reply, Su Mian pressed on.

“Or maybe you’ve been kept before, so you have experience and recognize it at a glance?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Sun Qian raised her voice, rattled by Su Mian’s counterattack.

“Oh? Then how do you prove I’m lying? And how do you prove you’re not?”

This tangled logic left Sun Qian utterly confused, and she finally gave up, falling silent.

She had wanted to keep mocking Su Mian, but now realized Su Mian was no longer the easy prey she once was; she had become a sharp blade.

Su Mian wasn’t done yet. Her gaze swept over the onlookers, voice firm and commanding.

“Spreading rumors without clear evidence is illegal. Or do none of you understand the law? Feel free to watch, but don’t cross the line.”

With that, Su Mian left them behind.

Sun Qian stomped her foot in anger but had no choice but to return to her department.

Back at her desk, Su Mian began reviewing the Qin Group’s game development investment project.

She examined evaluation materials and identified areas needing improvement.

Only after refinement could the documents be submitted to Lin Mu for approval.

Once approved, they could secure the investment.

At first glance, the materials from Qin Group had quite a few issues.

Fortunately, they were mostly minor errors in wording and quickly fixed.

Su Mian spent the entire morning filling gaps and perfecting the assessments.

When finished, she took the documents to Lin Mu.

“President Lin, I’ve refined these details. Is there anything else I should correct?”

Lin Mu didn’t immediately take the documents but looked at Su Mian with a meaningful smile.

Puzzled, Su Mian asked, “Is there something on my face, President Lin?”

Leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, Lin Mu chuckled, “Well, I didn’t expect Huo Beihan to actually give someone a ride to work.”

Su Mian felt a little confused.

“Oh, my brother said he had business here and brought me along.”

Though she said it casually, hearing others link her with Huo Beihan stirred a strange feeling inside her.

“Along the way? But he hasn’t come to see me yet. That ‘along the way’ sounds a bit too convenient.”

Su Mian didn’t catch Lin Mu’s implication and instead glanced at the documents, as if reminding him to focus.

“All right, all right. I get it.”

Lin Mu was just teasing as he took the documents and started reviewing.

“The details are indeed well done. As for the rest, we’ll decide after the meeting.”

“Okay.”

Those words were a reassuring balm for Su Mian.

The approval meeting passed quickly.

Su Mian went back to her other tasks, while over an hour later, Qin Yunzhen received a call.

“I understand. I’m on my way now.”

His tone was urgent as he grabbed his coat and headed out.

“No need to rush. There are still other procedures to follow.”

The HR department reminded him formally.

But he ignored it, hanging up and speeding off to Ying Tai.

Whether he was busy with cooperation or meeting someone was unclear.

Once upstairs, he headed straight to Su Mian’s desk.

Seeing her engrossed in work, his expression grew complicated, but he reached out and grabbed her arm.

“What are you doing?” Su Mian was startled by the sudden move.

Realizing it was Qin Yunzhen, her eyes flashed with disgust. She broke free from his grasp and looked at him coldly.

“What else could I be doing? I want to say you’re just two-faced. You obviously can’t let go of me or the Qin family, so you’re deliberately acting like this, right?”

Looking at his smug face, Su Mian felt inexplicably bewildered.

After all, she was willing to help partly because Lin Qingqing had stopped her at the time.

Also, she thought of the Qin couple, who had been kind to her.

She couldn’t throw away past kindness just because of her grudge with Qin Yunzhen.

Besides, her shares were still in Qin Group. If the Qin family suffered financial losses and the Group’s shares fell, her portion would be affected too.

Both professionally and personally, Su Mian wanted to help.

But if truth be told, it had nothing to do with Qin Yunzhen.