The cheerful mood of visiting the laboratory was completely shattered by Huo Si’s phone call.

Hua Nuan took a deep breath and, not feeling too well, decided to find a quiet lounge to sit and rest, her gaze drifting towards the first-floor lobby outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Seeing the Chinese faces coming and going, Hua Nuan knew they were the latest scholars invested in research, and her lips curled upwards.

In terms of efficiency, she only acknowledged Huo Zun.

In just one day, the matters of public opinion had been turned into facts by the man’s various means.

Hua Nuan’s beautiful eyes flashed with approval; she stretched lazily and knew that Huo Zun was busy, but sitting quietly alone was also a way to enjoy the moment.

Unfortunately, the quiet time didn’t last long until Hua Nuan saw Huo Si’s tall figure appear in front of her.

On a busy afternoon, the rest area seemed very empty.

Hua Nuan squinted her almond-shaped eyes, looked the man in front of her up and down, and curved her lips.

"Huo Si, you really impressed me. Your network is so wide that you knew where I was. Let me guess, assigned spies to follow me? Hmm, unlikely, my vigilance is high."

"So... you probably hacked into the surveillance system here, so you know exactly where I am."

Hua Nuan’s sharp eyes made Huo Si’s lips curl a bit more.

What a smart woman.

In all these years, it’s the first time he’s met such a woman who fits his tastes.

"Not bad, clever."

Ha, does clever need your acknowledgment?

Looking at the man in front of her, whose features were so similar to Huo Zun’s, yet exuded a sense of familiarity, Hua Nuan felt a twinge of deep emotion.

Clearly, they were brothers, yet polar opposites.

Huo Zun was exquisite, unmatched in elegance, but Huo Si was more effeminate.

The brothers gave completely opposite impressions.

Hua Nuan faintly curled her lips, raised her hand, and pointed in the direction of the exit, pursing her lips.

"Choose one: you leave, or I leave."

"I want to tell you a story; it’s not over yet, how can I leave?"

Huo Si directly sat beside Hua Nuan, his lips curling, exuding a cold aura that sent chills down one’s spine.

"I thought you’d ask how I got here... I feel somewhat hurt that you didn’t."

Hua Nuan: "..."

If he could infiltrate the surveillance here, is there even a need to ask how he got in?

Isn’t that a redundant question?

"Get lost."

Seeing the man take a seat, Hua Nuan raised her hand, ready to strike the man’s abdomen, but he quickly grabbed her arm.

"An Wen’s temper is much better than yours; I don’t know why Huo Zun chose you."

Hua Nuan: "..."

There’s an inherent strength advantage between men and women; Hua Nuan couldn’t break free, and she squinted her almond-like eyes. Originally, on the mountain, she attacked Huo Si, and he didn’t retaliate; she thought the man was weak.

Now, seeing the man’s movements and strength, it seemed he hadn’t neglected his skills but had been trained.

"So, your intention seems to be that I must listen to this story today?"

"Of course... but if you were to scream and call for others, letting them know I’m also at the Huo Family, causing a scene... I wouldn’t be able to do anything about that."

"Huo Si, daring to threaten me, you’ve got some nerve."

Huo Si, looking at Hua Nuan’s angry expression, pursed his lips.

"Though you tend to get angry and are unruly, I like it."

"Pfft..."

Hua Nuan wanted to kick him, but unfortunately, she had chosen to wear a skirt today, so it wouldn’t be in her favor to make such a move.

Hua Nuan pursed her lips and said coldly, "Let go, don’t worry, I’ll finish listening to the story."

"Hmm."

Huo Si, looking at Hua Nuan’s "compliant" demeanor, reluctantly withdrew his large hand.

The texture of a woman’s delicate skin was unique to the touch.

Growing up, besides Isabella and his own mother’s skin, he’d never touched another woman’s skin due to his germaphobia.

Huo Si swept his gaze over the woman in front of him and spoke up.

"What, are you not interested in Huo Zun’s childhood sweetheart?"

"No, because I don’t believe it. Besides, even if it’s true, everyone has a past, and I have no right to interfere."

"Ha..."

Huo Si, looking at Hua Nuan’s straightforward demeanor, curved his lips.

"When I was little, as far as I can remember, my parents’ relationship wasn’t great. At home... there was also an aunt with a Chinese face. She had yellow skin, different from everyone else, and then... there was an older brother who looked a lot like me."

"Later, I found out my mother’s mood wasn’t good, and she was continuously on medication. Many years later, when I grew up, I learned that this illness was called depression."

Hua Nuan: "..."

Although she didn’t much care for Huo Si’s character, the man was narrating an incredibly sad story. Hua Nuan couldn’t empathize completely but chose to remain silent.

"Gradually, I understood that the Chinese woman was my father’s woman, and the brother who looked like me was my biological brother, my father’s illegitimate child. My mother didn’t know about this when she married my father, and soon after, she was happily pregnant with me. On the day she finally gave birth to me, that woman showed up with her child... and nightmares began."

"My father was afraid that the Chinese woman and the so-called illegitimate child leaving would damage his reputation, so he preferred to keep them in the castle."

Hua Nuan: "..."

Sometimes, the later generations of a wealthy family suffer from the sins of their predecessors.

The ones hurt are the younger generations.

Back then, the only one who made mistakes was the scumbag.

He impregnated someone else’s woman, gave no explanation to his wife and child, worried about his reputation, and forcibly kept Yang Ruo and Huo Si by his side.

The result was staying by the side but not being taken care of.

Letting them live like animals.

To think about it is infuriating.

Hua Nuan’s small hand clenched into a fist.

"So, your mother gradually developed depression."

"Yes."

Huo Si’s lips curled up; the more painful the past, the more he forced himself to smile.

"But... the culprit was your so-called father, and it had nothing to do with Huo Zun and Yang Ruo, right? They were kept in the castle; you said, it’s because the Huo Family worried about their reputation if they left."

Huo Si: "..."

Arguing.

Huo Si coldly glanced at Hua Nuan and said harshly.

"They were sinful. They were the prologue to the beginning of all this."

Huo Si harbored deep resentment towards Yang Ruo and Huo Zun. Hua Nuan knew more words would be useless and chose to remain silent.

Different standpoints, she could remain silent.

"Days passed neither well nor poorly. Because Yang Ruo and Huo Zun were not given much attention and were constantly neglected, conflicts never escalated until Yang Ruo committed suicide and Huo Zun grew up. Huo Zun’s presence felt like a devil; he took everything from me, my honor, the attention I received."

Hua Nuan: "..."

"He was like the sun; when he appeared, everyone only saw him and not me. Just like the Huo Family; when people mention it, the only name they recall is his, not mine."

"And so... when my so-called father went to the nursing home, and my grandmother also began to value Huo Zun... my mother could no longer bear the defense in her heart and died of depression. Before she died, she told me, I was the true heir."

Hua Nuan: "..."

Listening to Huo Si’s somewhat obsessive words, Hua Nuan couldn’t find any argument and could only purse her lips and remain silent.

"So, Huo Zun and I are mortal enemies... it’s unsolvable."

Hua Nuan smiled bitterly; the truth of the matter wasn’t so.

The saddest thing is self-deception.

Huo Zun was a victim.

The father made mistakes and refused to repent, the mother gave her life when she was young, and he grew strong, yet he blocked Huo Si’s path.

Ha, is there no justice?

Hua Nuan’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile, not acknowledging Huo Si’s claims.