Even After My Death
Chapter 453 - 364 Beep beep beep, a new criminal has been detected

Chapter 453: Chapter 364 Beep beep beep, a new criminal has been detected

Whether it was because of the encounter with Jiang Ning halfway through the meal, every member of the Huo family ate distractedly.

This meal had originally been suggested by Huo Song, who became concerned after seeing Huo Miao had lost a lot of weight from being grounded for ten days, so he proposed a family dinner. However, at the table, everyone was preoccupied with discussing Jiang Ning, which inadvertently made Huo Miao the most marginalized person there.

Seeing this, Huo Miao felt both angry and resentful, yet she dared not express her dissatisfaction.

Finally, when everyone finished eating and they could leave, they ran into Jiang Ning and Qi Xingzhou right at the restaurant’s entrance, as if fate had conspired against her.

Clenching her palm, Huo Miao stared at Jiang Ning’s back, wondering why her luck was so bad today.

When Huo Miao laid eyes on Jiang Ning, the other Huo family members, of course, noticed her as well.

Huo Li, walking at the front, saw Jiang Ning just stepping down the stairs. He strode forward and called out to her, "Jiang Ning, wait."

Upon hearing the voice behind her, Jiang Ning frowned slightly, halted her steps, turned around, and saw the Huo family members on the staircase.

Huo Kaiping and Huo Kaian were alright, their hostility towards Jiang Ning was as consistent as ever. Huo Song also had an indifferent expression, as if she wasn’t his biological daughter at all.

Among them, only Madam Huo’s look at Jiang Ning was the most complicated.

Back when Jiang Ning lived with the Huo family, Madam Huo was actually the one who disdained her the most.

Madam Huo had always looked down on Jiang Ning, feeling the girl who grew up in the barren mountain village only had brute strength and nothing else to offer.

Under her meticulous cultivation, Huo Miao excelled in everything, including dance, music, painting, and tea ceremony, and was elegant and delicate, a true lady born of affluence.

Unlike Jiang Ning, who had no particular talents and rarely dressed up, not fit for public appearances, this was the reason Jiang Ning had never been taken to any social gatherings during her two-year stay at the Huo household.

But now, in less than two months, the daughter she had carefully raised had brought shame to her face, while the one she had despised gained fame after leaving home.

The adoration from netizens even affected their company’s stock prices and product sales.

Madam Huo felt very heavy-hearted.

Huo Li approached Jiang Ning in just a few steps. He wasn’t foolish and had already gleaned from Jiang Ning’s just-now attitude her determination to break away from the Huo family.

Thus, Huo Li no longer pursued the familial approach. Like a shrewd and astute businessman, he opened with a soft tone, "Jiang Ning, I’d like to discuss a partnership with you."

"A partnership?" Jiang Ning looked up, her first reaction being to refuse. She truly did not want any association with the Huo family at this point.

However, remembering what the System had just mentioned, Jiang Ning stood still and asked, "What partnership?"

"This isn’t the place to talk. Do you have time now? Let’s go somewhere to sit down," Huo Li said.

Two encounters, both times wanting to talk to her in private.

Jiang Ning wondered if it was just her imagination or if Huo Li seemed to be seeking something from her?

Jiang Ning airily refused, "I don’t have time now; we have other places to go. Email me the partnership proposal, and I’ll reply after I’ve read it."

Rejected twice in a row, Huo Li’s handsome eyebrows knitted slightly, and he finally noticed the young man by Jiang Ning’s side.

Every time Jiang Ning made it onto the trending searches, it was a shock to Huo’s. Huo Li, who had followed many of Jiang Ning’s recent events, naturally knew about the young man who always accompanied her.

According to gossip collected by his assistant, this young man seemed to be Jiang Ning’s boyfriend, or else they wouldn’t be inseparable day in and day out.

Huo Li’s gaze landed on Qi Xingzhou, who had a very low presence at Jiang Ning’s side, and he was immediately struck by Qi Xingzhou’s outstanding and superior appearance.

Qi Xingzhou’s expressionless downward gaze somehow gave Huo Li a vaguely familiar feeling, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

Huo Li couldn’t help but take a few more glances at Qi Xingzhou.

His memory was good, and he was certain that he had never seen this person before.

To be cautious, Huo Li asked, "May I ask for this gentleman’s last name?"

"Let’s not drag other people into our matters. This is my friend, and it has nothing to do with you," Jiang Ning said protectively, guarding Qi Xingzhou behind her.

"Sister, you’re misunderstanding big brother. He just wants to invite you to a meal. Ever since you ran away from home, big brother has been wanting to contact you, but he couldn’t reach you," Huo Miao’s voice suddenly came from behind.

Her voice was soft, entirely different from the wariness and arrogance she had displayed in the bathroom just before.

As she spoke, Huo Miao descended the steps, and acting surprised upon seeing Qi Xingzhou, she said, "Ah! So you’re out having a meal with Qi Xingzhou? If we had known, we could have eaten together."

Last name Qi?

Huo Li glanced at Qi Xingzhou, as if he was confirming something.

When Jiang Ning heard Huo Miao’s voice, she thought of what the System had just told her.

She frowned slightly.

Huo Miao, who had been keeping an eye on Jiang Ning’s expressions, saw her frown and immediately recalled how she used to hit people when she was angry. Huo Miao quickly stepped closer to Huo Li.

With so many Huo family members around, Jiang Ning surely wouldn’t hit her in front of so many people!

"It’s not too late to have a cup of tea together now," Huo Song’s voice sounded from behind Jiang Ning.

Standing under the eaves was not a solution, and since this was still a restaurant open for business, Huo Song felt embarrassed with the coming and going of people.

He walked up unhurriedly, embodying the image of the family head, and spoke calmly, "It’s inconvenient to talk here; let’s find another place."

Madam Huo and the Huo Family twins followed suit.

Although Huo Song didn’t explicitly say whom he was addressing, everyone knew he was speaking to Jiang Ning.

Huo Kaiping and Huo Kaian turned their heads away, deliberately avoiding looking at Jiang Ning, their displeasure at their father and eldest brother’s initiative to invite Jiang Ning back was evident.

On the day Jiang Ning had her falling out with the Huo Family, words had already reached a point of no return. For the twins, it would be best if they remained at odds with Jiang Ning for the rest of their lives.

When Jiang Ning had left the Huo Family dragging her suitcase, the brothers had even thought to themselves that aside from her physical strength, she had no other merits, and without the protection of the Huo Family, she would probably starve within a few days and need to work at a construction site or become a front desk cashier in some small shop.

Without the Huo Family, her future life was bound to be exceedingly ordinary, busy and struggling just to stay alive.

Who would have thought that in just two months, Jiang Ning had made a comeback against the odds and gained public adoration? In comparison, their own family had been encountering one misfortunate event after another, and not only their father, but even their excellent and stern eldest brother had now taken the initiative to bow to Jiang Ning, trying to bring her back home.

This turn of events was almost completely contradictory to their imagination, causing the brothers extreme frustration.

In their fantasies, it should have been the Huo Family’s business thriving day by day, with Huo Miao firmly securing her position as a popular young star in the entertainment industry, and the two of them excelling academically; when they met Jiang Ning again, she should have been the one unable to make ends meet outside and shamelessly coming back to ask for the Huo Family’s help again!

[Beep beep beep]

[Congratulations Host, you’ve discovered a new criminal.]