Chapter 215: Chapter 91: Prima Donna of the 60s Cultural Troupe (30)
Huo Tianhao gently stroked her hair and lovingly kissed her smooth, delicate forehead. Sensing her dissatisfaction, he said with a smile,
"Honey, Iām just an ordinary man, and I want to live my life without any regrets."
"My parentsā marriage was unhappy, but deep down, Iām not actually against getting married. Iām just extremely cautious about it."
"Iāve imagined that cozy life with a wife and kids, but it was always just a dream. No woman ever made me want to make it a reality."
"Iāve always hoped my partner would be someone I truly loveāsomeone Iād want to marry the moment I met them, to weather all of lifeās storms with and spend the rest of our days together. But with so many people in the world, meeting the right person at the right time is just so hard."
"But thankfully, you came along."
Xia Zhaoyun tried to suppress a smile, but her lips curved upward anyway. "Hmph," she teased, "I think youāre just infatuated with my good looks!"
Huo Tianhao adopted a very serious and solemn tone. "Comrade Xia Zhaoyun, I believe you have misjudged me. I donāt know what gave you the illusion that Iām any different from an ordinary man."
"Who doesnāt appreciate pleasant people and beautiful things? When I first met you, yes, the first thing I noticed was your appearance. But didnāt I firmly reject you then?"
"Itās just that when youāre with the right person, the chemistry is impossible to resist. Donāt just point fingers at meābe honest with yourself!"
āIām taking this too seriously,ā Xia Zhaoyun realized. Sometimes, having too many memories was a burden, affecting her ability to see people and things clearly. Being so guarded all the time just made her seem timid and weak.
She couldnāt resist throwing herself into his arms again, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Brother Hao, I believe you. I wonāt ask questions like that anymore."
āShe loved the feeling of being in his arms. It was as if nothing in the world could ever make her afraid again.ā
āIt was a feeling no one else had ever given her!ā
Huo Tianhao chuckled and hugged her back. Every casual touch between the lovers felt sugar-coated, intoxicating and addictive.
That afternoon, they picked up the children and went to the state-owned restaurant for a meal to celebrate their marriage.
He Qingran, who had just gotten off work, joined them as well.
ćMeanwhileć
Tong Yuxiang had already scrubbed herself from head to toe a dozen times, using up more than half a bar of soap, but she still felt like the sour stench of the latrine was clinging to her!
She sat on the sofa, her face clouded with gloom. For once, she was in no mood to prepare lunch for the kids coming home from school or for her husband returning from work.
They could all sense something was wrong with her mood, so they didnāt say much, simply taking their meal tickets to the canteen to get food.
Once the children had left, Huo Xunchang, choking on the overwhelming scent of floral water that filled the room, frowned and asked, "Who made you so angry today?"
"Who else could it be!" Tong Yuxiang seethed, grinding her teeth. "Your great hero of a son, Huo Tianhao!"
"Why are you bringing him up all of a sudden?" Huo Xunchang sighed softly. "The man is dead. How can he still be making you angry? Comrade Tong Yuxiang, you really need to change this habit of throwing a tantrum and refusing to cook or eat..."
Tong Yuxiang sneered. "Huo Xunchang, youāre a really incompetent factory director, arenāt you? Something this big happened, and no one reported it to you?"
Huo Xunchangās heart sank. "What big thing? What could possibly have happened in a single morning? If it had anything to do with the factoryās development, I would have known about it."
"Is it about that girl who was kicked out by the Song Family? I heard sheās been going into the city a lot lately, and she often stays overnight before coming back."
"Sheās going around calling herself Tianhaoās wife. For her to be acting like this is completely inappropriate. Iāll have her supervisor have a word with her. If she doesnāt change her ways, Iāll have to publicly criticize her in a meeting and take back the house. That should make you feel better, right?"
The mention of this only made things worse. Tong Yuxiang was suddenly reminded of what Huo Tianhao had saidāthat they had to give up half of their money!
She collapsed onto the arm of the sofa and began to wail. "I canāt live like this! Huo Tianhao had to be tough enough to survive and come back! He didnāt die in the fall, and he wasnāt torn apart by wolves!"
"And the first thing he does when he gets back is make us return everything we took from him."
"But when our eldest got married, I spent all of it! Our monthly expenses are so high, how could we have any savings? I was afraid it would reflect poorly on you, so I just clenched my jaw and said I hadnāt touched the money, that it was still in the bank."
"And what happens? He shows absolutely no regard for our family ties and even demands that we pay it all back with interest!"
"And that wife of his is even more unbearable! In front of everyone, she pushed Ningning and me right into... into a pile of manure! Iāve never been so humiliated in my entire life..."