After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Am in a Relationship with My Scummy Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother - Chapter 28

Whether it was a family gathering or not, it was more of a business nature. These occurred once every so often, and Shu Yueqing had not attended one in a long time. This time, she had been so pestered by her family that she simply agreed to go. She hadn’t expected that in trying to avoid one hassle, she would end up with another.

Back in her office, Shu Yueqing first gave Huo Qingzhuo a call.

“President Shu, I sent you the location. Are you arriving soon?” Huo Qingzhuo’s voice came from the other side, causing the words Shu Yueqing was about to say to pause in her throat.

But she still had to say it. “I’m sorry, I have some matters to attend to tonight, and I really can’t make the time. How about this—next time we find a slot, it’ll be my treat.”

Huo Qingzhuo’s hand, which was currently arranging flowers, stopped. She fell silent for a moment. “Alright then, President Shu, you go ahead with your work.”

“By the way,” Shu Yueqing said, folding a piece of paper on her desk with one hand. Huo Qingzhuo’s ready agreement actually made her feel more guilty. “I haven’t congratulated you on your debut yet. Next time, I’ll bring you a debut gift.”

“It’s fine. We’ll talk next time. Goodbye, President Shu.”

Huo Qingzhuo’s tone remained calm, as if nothing had happened, yet she also seemed a bit angry.

After hanging up, Shu Yueqing sighed. A young person’s thoughts weren’t hard to guess; she just didn’t know how to coax her.

After calmly ending the call with Shu Yueqing, Huo Qingzhuo looked at the flowers and tableware she had personally arranged. She waved to a nearby server. “Serve the food. I’ll eat alone.”

“Alright. Does that include the dishes you prepared yourself?”

The server had watched this guest preparing since noon. Even the decorations and fresh flowers around the table and doorway had been arranged by her own hands, and she had personally cooked. To end up eating alone made them feel a sense of pity.

“Yes, thank you.” Huo Qingzhuo nodded, eating a delicate, small dessert.

“Understood, please wait a moment.”

The dishes Huo Qingzhuo had prepared were diverse and exquisite. Although each portion was small, it was not an amount one person could finish.

“Hello, are you Huo Qingzhuo? Our boss’s daughter really likes you. Could we take a photo with you?”

Halfway through her meal, someone entered the room with a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl.

Huo Qingzhuo had long been used to such things in her past life. She put down her chopsticks and nodded. “Of course.”

The girl was polite. After having the server take a few photos, she thanked her and left without causing further trouble.

Having eaten half and truly unable to eat more, Huo Qingzhuo called the server to pack the leftovers and called her assistant to pick her up. When the assistant arrived, Huo Qingzhuo carried the takeout boxes, wearing a hat and mask as she headed for the car.

The car was parked right at the entrance. However, even across such a short distance, paparazzi and fans suddenly swarmed out from nowhere, completely blocking the path.

Huo Qingzhuo was shielded by her assistant as they retreated into the lobby. She first called Lao Jiu, but staying in a stalemate wasn’t a solution. Even the restaurant owner came out, but there were too many people at the door to disperse them quickly; even other guests trying to leave were forced to stay.

“Don’t you have a back door?” Huo Qingzhuo didn’t want to make a scene; she just wanted to leave quickly.

“No.”

The owner looked troubled. They had always done a good job with privacy, and many celebrities and bosses dined here. How did things go wrong today?

“Get a megaphone. Are there security guards? Have someone maintain order. Assistant, you go wait in the car first.”

Huo Qingzhuo directed the scene methodically, and everyone moved into action quickly.

Once she got the megaphone, Huo Qingzhuo turned the volume to maximum and handed it to the owner. After briefing him on what to say, the owner stepped out to maintain order.

“Friends, please listen to me. Let’s maintain order. You are already affecting others’ travel. Please do not block the way. Thank you for your cooperation.”

The owner’s voice was very loud, temporarily suppressing the clamor outside, but then someone started demanding clarity.

“Are you the owner? Is Huo Qingzhuo inside? We are all her fans. Can she come out and say a few words to us?”

Someone shouted from the crowd. Huo Qingzhuo’s expression turned cold. This was clearly intentional. Normally, even if a group of fans and paparazzi were filming a star, they would never make such a demand. If they were truly fans, they wouldn’t group themselves as “we” with paparazzi carrying long-range lenses.

Originally, Huo Qingzhuo wanted to maintain order and leave before Lao Jiu arrived, but now she didn’t dare move recklessly. Who knew if there was any danger out there?

The stalemate lasted for ten minutes until the people sent by Lao Jiu finally arrived. They were professional bodyguards, familiar with handling such situations.

Soon, a path was cleared through the crowd. The assistant held a black umbrella, and the bodyguards formed a human wall on both sides. Huo Qingzhuo pulled down the brim of her hat, wore her mask, and kept her head low as she walked out quickly.

“Ah!”

The crowd, which had stabilized, suddenly surged. Someone carrying a balloon approached rapidly. After being blocked by a bodyguard, they threw the balloon directly at Huo Qingzhuo.

The assistant reacted quickly, using the black umbrella to block it. The balloon burst against the tip of the umbrella, and a balloon full of black dog’s blood exploded!

The surroundings fell silent for an instant before erupting into chaos. Huo Qingzhuo was shielded by the umbrella, but the nearby assistant and bodyguards were splashed with some of it.

Huo Qingzhuo grabbed the assistant’s arm, her gaze like a sharp sword directed at the person who threw the balloon. The culprit froze in fear before being pinned to the ground by a bodyguard.

“Call the police. Immediately.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Huo Qingzhuo shielded her assistant into the car and dialed the police.

At the same time, this news instantly hit the top of the trending searches.

#Huo Qingzhuo Blocked While Dining, Splashed with Black Dog Blood

With so many people filming from various angles, the entire progression of the event was captured and sparked heated discussion online.

After going to the police station, Huo Qingzhuo was picked up by Lao Jiu. Uncertain if they were being followed, they didn’t return to the apartment in the city center. Instead, after taking a winding route to ensure safety, they went to a secluded small manor.

“I need to find out how my itinerary was leaked and where those people came from. There is definitely someone behind them.” Huo Qingzhuo arranged for someone to take her assistant home and sat in the car talking to Lao Jiu.

“That’s for sure. These days I told you to stay home and not go out except for events. Why did you go out today?”

Lao Jiu and Huo Qingzhuo knew from the start that her sudden explosion in popularity would step on someone’s toes, so they had been cautious. He hadn’t expected an incident so soon.

“Just having dinner with a friend.” Huo Qingzhuo indeed hadn’t told Lao Jiu about today, thinking that being low-key would prevent trouble. She had been too optimistic.

“A friend?” Lao Jiu immediately perked up. “Which friend? Male or female? Wait, either could start a scandal—that’s not important. Was your friend photographed? Was it just the two of you? Was it Shen Junfu?”

Huo Qingzhuo: …Why are you so obsessed with Shen Junfu?

“No,” she looked at Lao Jiu helplessly, feeling a bit relieved that Shu Yueqing hadn’t come. “My friend didn’t show up. I ate alone. I’m the only one in the photos.”

“That’s good,” Lao Jiu breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ve already sent people to investigate. However, your sudden police report has made this even bigger. I need to suppress the news a bit first.”

Huo Qingzhuo didn’t think she had done anything wrong. “Xiao Li and a bodyguard were splashed by the dog blood just now. Don’t forget to give them a big red envelope later to ward off the bad luck.”

“Fine, you sure think of everything.”

Lao Jiu agreed verbally and glanced at Huo Qingzhuo. “Sometimes I really feel like you aren’t an eighteen-year-old kid.”

“An eighteen-year-old can go to prison; they aren’t a kid anymore.”

Huo Qingzhuo was dismissive. She certainly wasn’t eighteen, and she wasn’t a child. She was an old hand who had rolled through the mud for ten years.

While Huo Qingzhuo had no peace that night, Shu Yueqing wasn’t doing any better.

Ever since she had a falling out with her family at seventeen, her relationship with them had been at a freezing point. She rarely returned home, and when she did, she remained cold-faced.

However, Shu Yueqing’s parents were both extremely forceful people. They found her cold attitude increasingly intolerable.

“Does someone in this house owe you something? Who are you showing that cold face to?” Shu Yueqing’s mother scolded her while the three of them were alone.

Setting down her wine glass, Shu Yueqing looked up. “If you can’t stand it, why did you ask me to come back? If that’s the case, I’ll leave.”

Without hesitation, she stood up to go.

“Stop right there!” Shu’s father stood up, looking at her. “Are you determined to infuriate us to death?”

“It was you two who didn’t want me to live first.” Shu Yueqing didn’t look back, refusing to yield an inch.

“How many more times are you going to argue with us over that person? It’s been ten years. Can you not get over it? Now you’ve taken an interest in another little girl? If you don’t want this one to follow in those footsteps, you’d better change your attitude.”

As a man of high status, Shu’s father was used to giving orders from a position of authority, even including a blatant threat.

Since he mentioned Huo Qingzhuo, Shu Yueqing turned around, her icy aura intensifying. The way she looked at her parents was not like a daughter looking at parents, but more like an enemy.

“First, you have argued with me for ten years without ever knowing the real reason. Second, she is just a child. If you dare touch her—I could bring you down ten years ago, and I have even more means now. You can try me. Third, your hand has reached too far. Either pull it back, or I’ll cut it off.”

Leaving those final words, Shu Yueqing stopped caring about their dignity and slammed the door as she left, startling the group of people in the garden.

Sitting in the back seat of her car, leaning against the headrest, Shu Yueqing was physically and mentally exhausted. She rubbed her brow and opened her phone, only to see a push notification.

#Huo Qingzhuo Blocked While Dining, Splashed with Black Dog Blood

She clicked in immediately. Looking at the videos in the search results, her brow furrowed tightly. She recognized it—that was the location Huo Qingzhuo had sent her.

Panic rose in her heart. She first called Huo Qingzhuo, but no matter how many times she tried, the phone was out of the service area, and messages went unreturned. She couldn’t get through at all.

At this moment, Shu Yueqing realized how fragile the connection between her and Huo Qingzhuo truly was.

Giving up on the futile calls, she dialed the company Huo Qingzhuo was signed to. After hanging up, she looked at the driver. “U-turn ahead. Go to the Shuimu Entertainment headquarters.”