Not intending to argue with her, he reached out and firmly grasped her snow-white hand.
“Let’s go.” He coldly issued a commanding word.
If she didn’t leave now, she would surely attract other admirers drawn by her beauty.
“Go?” Displeased with his commanding tone, Shao Pinxi frowned, “I can’t think of a reason why I should listen to you.” As she spoke, she tried to break free from his hand.
“The wedding is over. You don’t need to stay here. The company has many tasks waiting for the planning department manager to review. You don’t have the luxury of wasting time here!” Using work as a pretext, Huo Juren spoke with an air of righteousness.
“I’ll handle the work. President Huo doesn’t need to worry. I’ve properly requested half a day off. Today, I want to stay here.” If he wanted her to leave, she would do the opposite!
“I really want to know, is your good friend Nie Sifeng more important, or your so-called principles?”
He spoke casually, but the hidden threat in his words was crystal clear to her.
Shao Pinxi pressed her lips together. She essentially had no choice.
“… Give me ten minutes to say goodbye.”
“Five minutes.”
Knowing she had no bargaining power with Huo Juren, Shao Pinxi preferred to buy time to tell Ouyang Ru Lin and Nie Sifeng that she had urgent matters and needed to leave first.
After apologetically saying goodbye to her friends, Shao Pinxi helplessly got into Huo Juren’s car.
Not long after the car started, her phone rang.
Glancing at the caller ID, Shao Pinxi immediately answered.
“Hello, Jian Shu, do you need something?”
Sitting next to her, Huo Juren could naturally hear her conversation. His large hand slowly clenched.
“Sifeng? She looked beautiful today! Yes!” Receiving a call from her childhood friend, Shao Pinxi’s gloomy mood and dissatisfaction from being threatened were instantly soothed.
Her light tone and joyful expression were clearly stimulating Huo Juren’s jealous nerves!
“Yes! The wedding went smoothly—” The phone in her hand was suddenly snatched away, leaving her stunned.
She turned her head, looking at Huo Juren who had arbitrarily taken her phone.
“What are you doing?” She glared at him, her tone displeased, completely different from her previous expression while talking to Li Jian Shu.
This only further inflamed Huo Juren’s anger!
Ignoring Shao Pinxi’s questioning, Huo Juren spoke directly to Li Jian Shu: “Li Jian Shu, listen carefully—Shao Pinxi is mine! No one is allowed to contact her without my approval!” After speaking, he rolled down the car window and threw the phone out.
“Huo Juren, what are you doing?” Shao Pinxi was furious! Her delicate, fair face showed clear anger.
By what right did he snatch her phone? And by what right did he say such things to Jian Shu?
“Are you angry about the phone, or—angry because you’re afraid Li Jian Shu will dump you?” Huo Juren looked at the furious Shao Pinxi with an extremely cold and sharp gaze.
Shao Pinxi didn’t understand why he wanted to grab her phone; didn’t understand why he told Jian Shu that “she was his”; and even less understood why he would use the phrase “dumped” in relation to her and Jian Shu.
There were too many things she didn’t understand, but right now she had no mind to figure them out!
Anger had already consumed her heart, and now she only wanted to leave this man who made her furious!
The red light was on, and the black SUV temporarily stopped. Shao Pinxi took this opportunity to pull open the unlocked car door and quickly get out.
It wasn’t that he had no chance to stop her, but Huo Juren did not do so.
If she stayed in the car, she would definitely have a fierce conflict with him! He was afraid that the blazing jealousy would burn away all his rationality and cause him to do something to harm her.
The next day.
After waking up from bed, the first thought that crossed Shao Pinxi’s mind was – she didn’t want to go to work.
More precisely, she didn’t want to see Huo Juren.
The residual anger from yesterday still lingered in her body.
She didn’t know what she might do if she went to work and encountered Huo Juren. Before finding her former self who could remain calm about anything and everything, Shao Pinxi didn’t want to go to work.
She made a phone call to the Huo company, saying she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to take a day off. Having solved the work issue, Shao Pinxi let out a sigh of relief.
The taste of being trapped in a low mood was not pleasant, and Shao Pinxi gave a slight bitter smile.
“Pull yourself together!” she told herself.
After eating a simple breakfast and changing clothes, Shao Pinxi left home.
She didn’t want to stay at home, as a home with only herself was too quiet. She could go anywhere, as long as it was a place with people and noise, so she wouldn’t get lost in her thoughts.
Wandering around the streets, unknowingly, Shao Pinxi arrived at a familiar place.
It was a musical instrument store, and behind the floor-to-ceiling glass, a tall and handsome man was attending to a customer.
A kind smile never left his face. Shao Pinxi stood outside for a few seconds before walking in.
The unique bell rang as someone entered. The man looked towards the door and caught sight of Shao Pinxi. Initially, he looked slightly surprised, but quickly transformed into joy.
After telling the customer “excuse me,” he walked up to Shao Pinxi.
“What a rare visitor!” the man – Li Jianshu – smiled brightly.
His smile was infectious, and Shao Pinxi returned a slight smile.
Although she hadn’t planned to visit Li Jianshu, since she had unconsciously arrived here, she might as well go with the flow.
Li Jianshu smiled and shook his head, “Wrong. The first line of ‘Poor Couples Suffer Everywhere’ is actually – ‘Truly knowing this sorrow is universal.’ Ping Xi, if you want to escape from that emotional whirlpool tormenting you as soon as possible, first, you must stop hating Huo Juren. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. To completely sever your emotional ties to him, you must stop hating him.”
Upon hearing this, Shao Pingxi was stunned.
Hate? Did she hate Huo Juren? Her mind began to carefully consider Li Jiangshu’s words.
Perhaps Jianshu was right. In over twenty years, she had never invested any romantic feelings in any man, and whenever she did, the result was only a bloody, ugly emotional wound!
Hate… yes, she hated Huo Juren for toying with her, hated him for maliciously trampling on her true feelings.
Maybe because she had never let go of her hatred, his shadow continued to follow her like a shadow.
Jianshu couldn’t be more correct – to break free from emotions, the first step is to stop hating.
The heavy stone weighing on her heart seemed to suddenly lift, and Shao Pingxi revealed a bright, open smile.
“Jianshu, you are truly the clever one.”
“I don’t dare claim that,” he smiled humbly, saying with some emotion: “It’s just learning from experience.”
Shao Pingxi understood exactly what event Li Jianshu was referring to.
During her relationship with Huo Juren, Li Jianshu’s girlfriend had heartlessly dumped him after finding a wealthy match. This deeply hurt and depressed him, and whenever she had time, Shao Pingxi would accompany him, hoping he would quickly recover his spirits.
Once, he was drowning his sorrows in alcohol at home. Worried he might suffer alcohol poisoning, she ran to take care of him and even stayed overnight.
“Thank you for helping me through this, Jianshu,” she believed she would still be lost in dense fog without him.
“Instead of thanking me verbally, why not treat me to a meal? That would be more practical!” Li Jianshu laughed.
“Is your restaurant’s business really that bad?” Shao Pingxi teased.
“To be honest, yes. So please help me out!”
The two old friends chatted casually until noon, sharing lunch together.
