The CEO’s Unkown Wife
Chapter 816: Be gentler

Chapter 816: Chapter 816: Be gentler

Huo Qilin abruptly snapped back to his senses and retracted his gaze.

The reason he was transfixed was not that the figure behind the screen was particularly attractive, but because it looked incredibly like Cheng Bingbing.

If it hadn’t been for Mrs. Huo’s emphatic assurance that the person he was meeting for the arranged date was the daughter of the Energy King, he would surely have mistaken the person in the private room as the woman he longed for day and night.

Even though Huo Qilin had regained his composure, he had no intention of walking further inside.

He stood still, pondering what Xia Qingtian meant by her words outside the restaurant—could this daughter of the Energy King really take him away from the restaurant to meet Cheng Bingbing?

The person behind the screen, seeing that Huo Qilin remained motionless, grew impatient first.

After confirming that Huo Qilin was the only one who entered, she took the initiative to speak up, "What are you still standing there for?"

At the sound of her voice, Huo Qilin was startled.

That voice...

How come that voice sounded so much like Cheng Bingbing’s?

If it was just a similar figure, he could explain it away as a coincidence, but now even the voice was identical—could this still be a coincidence?

Yet, Mrs. Huo had clearly said that the person he was meeting was the daughter of the Energy King.

It couldn’t be that Cheng Bingbing was the daughter of the Energy King, could it?

He had previously met Cheng Bingbing’s parents; they were a couple consumed by greed, without any connection to the Energy King. What exactly was going on?

"You..." Huo Qilin asked nervously, his voice hoarse as he licked his lips, "Who are you?"

The person behind the screen stood up, emerged from behind the screen, and walked straight up to Huo Qilin, glaring at him with a touch of displeasure and a resentful tone, "You really are something, having not seen you for just a short while, you can’t even recognize me..."

Her words were not yet finished when Huo Qilin forcefully pulled her into his embrace, with so much strength it seemed he aimed to crush her.

With a voice filled with surprise, Huo Qilin exclaimed, "How could it be you?"

Cheng Bingbing had harbored a knot in her heart, resentful because this man had failed to recognize her, but now being held in his arms, all her dissatisfaction and grievances vanished, replaced by yearning for him and a persistent love.

She slowly raised her hand and embraced the man’s waist.

She pressed her face against Huo Qilin’s chest, listening to his rapidly beating heart, feeling a deep sense of security inside.

She answered, "It was sister Qingtian and Bo Jingyan who helped me!"

"Hmm?" Huo Qilin didn’t understand.

Cheng Bingbing patted his back and told him, "Ease up a bit, you’re almost strangling me."

Only then did Huo Qilin reluctantly let go of Cheng Bingbing.

Thinking about the child in her belly, worried that standing too long would tire her out, he took her hand and led her to sit down at the dining table.

Cheng Bingbing took a couple of deep breaths before she finally felt her breath even out a bit.

Unable to help himself, Huo Qilin asked again, "What exactly did Qingtian and Bo Jingyan do?"

Without concealing anything from him, Cheng Bingbing told him all about Xia Qingtian and Bo Jingyan’s actions over the past few days.

The Energy King, who had previously been developing his business overseas, was now at a bottleneck in his career and wanted to seek new development back home. But no matter how big the Energy King’s business was abroad, returning to the domestic scene meant the big fish was no longer in open waters but in a pond with local snakes, facing obstacles at every turn.

And the Bo Family and the Huo Family just happened to be the two most powerful families in A City.

The Energy King decided to first build a good relationship with one of them. With their support, it was expected that he would face far less resistance in his domestic development.

Finally, after much consideration and due to the Huo Family’s businesses having some grey areas, they feared getting involved and chose the relatively clean background of the Bo Family’s Bo Jingyan. It just so happened that Bo Jingyan had agreed to help Cheng Bingbing and Huo Qilin, which was like someone offering a pillow to a person who was feeling sleepy.

Bo Jingyan was open to making a deal with the Energy King, but on one condition.

The condition was for them to release the news that their daughter was of age and wanted to meet a suitable match for marriage. Then, when Mrs. Huo approached them, they agreed to let their daughter go on a blind date with Huo Qilin.

As for their daughter, they would have Cheng Bingbing take her place.

The Energy King and his wife felt that this was slightly inappropriate, fearing that it might offend Mrs. Huo.

Bo Jingyan then promised to protect them, and he analyzed the pros and cons for them. The successor of the Huo Family was Huo Qichen, and Mrs. Huo was only his stepmother. Over the years, she had been trying, both overtly and covertly, to seize power, but had never succeeded.

He left it at that. The couple who had built their business so successfully were clearly no fools; on the contrary, they were very smart and understood what was left unsaid, realizing that even if Mrs. Huo discovered she had been tricked, the Huo Family would not support her.

After discussing it, the couple decided that the deal was worth it.

It was just about having Cheng Bingbing replace their own daughter on the blind date with Huo Qilin, not actually sending their real daughter.

In the end, they reached a consensus.

The Energy King and his wife successfully met with Mrs. Huo, letting her believe that it was their daughter who would be going on the blind date with Huo Qilin, when in reality, it was Xia Qingtian who would be showing up.

"So that’s how it is..." Upon hearing the whole story from Cheng Bingbing, Huo Qilin suddenly felt enlightened, "No wonder when I saw Qingtian at the restaurant entrance earlier, she repeatedly insisted that I go in alone for the date."

That made sense. If Mrs. Huo had come in with him and seen Cheng Bingbing in the private room, then all their efforts would have been in vain.

Fortunately, he was the type to take advice.

Even without understanding the real intention behind Xia Qingtian’s insistent advice, he obediently followed her instructions.

Cheng Bingbing, with a pleased look in her eyes, said to Huo Qilin, "Now with this method, not only were we able to meet today, but Qingtian also said as long as we’re not exposed by Mrs. Huo, we could continue to meet using this same approach in the future."

Huo Qilin too started to smile, "Right, whenever I want to see you, I just have to say I’m going out to meet the Energy King’s daughter. Not only will my mother not stop me, but she’ll also wholeheartedly approve."

After saying this, the two shared another knowing smile.

Having laid it all out, the two began to pour out their hearts to each other.

...

Meanwhile.

After parting ways with Huo Qilin, Xia Qingtian did not leave the restaurant immediately but sat in her car and waited for a while.

Seeing that Mrs. Huo and her party still hadn’t come out, she knew her and Bo Jingyan’s plan must have succeeded.

She smiled, relieved.

She and Bo Jingyan had helped to temporarily remove the obstacles for them; now it was up to them.

Xia Qingtian didn’t continue to waste time there and drove away from the restaurant.