116: Zhang Huoyunci

"A deal? Letting her drive away the flirty women around you and letting everyone know the daughter of the Qiao Family is in love with you?"

"In the end, your reputation improves, but it's the Qiao Family's daughter's reputation that gets ruined." Gao Ying hated men like this the most.

They don't deal with the 'flowers and grass' around them, and instead let a woman handle it for them.

In the end, their own reputation is preserved, while the girl's reputation is destroyed.

"Miss Gao, I'm afraid you've misunderstood. This proposal was made by Qiao Enya, and I refused at the time."

"But she insisted on cooperating with me. Her goal was to completely ruin her own reputation within the Imperial Capital's elite circles." Huo Yunci, a man who hated explaining himself, was explaining for once today.

Bai Jue looked at him in surprise. Yunci had been stubborn since childhood and never liked explaining himself, no matter what he did.

This caused a tense relationship between him and Uncle Huo. However, Yunci was very capable, so despite Uncle Huo's dissatisfaction, he still chose him as the heir.

Gao Ying looked at him, saying neither that she believed him nor that she didn't.

After sweating from horseback riding, they went inside to shower. Once they came out, Xi Yan took her to the restaurant.

"Young Master Xi, this must be your fiancée. She's truly beautiful."

Someone approached just as they sat down in the restaurant.

"Today, Young Master Lou spent a fortune for a woman, treating everyone at Starlight to a free day of fun."

"Young Master Bai, Young Master Huo, were you also invited by Young Master Lou to come and play?"

It was rare to see the heirs of the Four Top Elite Families together; seeing them today, one definitely had to go over and show their face.

Unfortunately, it seemed Young Master Lou had just left.

"We need to eat, so please do not disturb us." Xi Yan looked at the people who approached with a cold expression.

Seeing his displeasure, they sensibly left.

Halfway through the meal, the manager of Starlight came over to them.

"CEO Gao, the Chairman knew you were here and specially prepared a gift." The manager respectfully presented a velvet box with both hands.

Gao Ying took it and opened it; it was a pink diamond necklace.

Judging by the size of the pink diamond, it must be worth tens of millions.

"Mhm, I'll accept it. I'll give Uncle Tan a call later."

"I'm going to play downstairs in a bit. Exchange some chips for me first." Gao Ying handed him a card.

The manager took the card and left.

"Ying'er, do you have an investment in this Starlight Club?" Xi Yan had already guessed something from the manager's attitude.

"Yes, I invested in this when I was twelve or thirteen. I met Uncle Tan back then; he was devastated by some events and wanted to leave this world."

"I happened to run into him and asked why he was so despondent, and he told me about his bankruptcy."

"I was young then and generously gave him ten billion directly. I didn't expect that with those ten billion, his company would come back to life."

"He even built this Starlight Club, and the shares here were given to me by Uncle Tan."

"After all, he paid me back that ten billion several times over long ago, but because of that, I have a ten percent stake in any of his businesses."

This was the persona Fugui gave her; as for the money that brought Uncle Tan's company back to life, it was provided by the system.

To rationalize some of the wealth, the system and the male leads had long ago built this world for Gao Ying.

Allowing her to be carefree upon arriving here.

"Ying'er, do you have property in every corner of the world?" Xi Yan asked jokingly.

"Do you even need to ask? My family lives in seclusion, but our daily expenses exceed a hundred million. If we didn't have industries all over the globe, how could we maintain the household's expenses?" Gao Ying said as if it were a matter of course.

"Daily expenses of over a hundred million?" Bai Jue and Huo Yunci felt that their top elite families in the Imperial Capital were, at most, just Fugui people in Miss Gao's eyes.

"Yes, what's wrong? Isn't that normal cash flow? Isn't your family the same?" Gao Ying blinked her innocent eyes at the two of them.

"Cough, Ying'er, you mean the company's daily turnover is over a hundred million, right?" Xi Yan asked.

"No, just the daily household expenses. If you add the company, I really haven't calculated it." Gao Ying shook her head.

"Heh, our so-called top families in the Imperial Capital are probably just Fugui people at best in front of Miss Gao." Huo Yunci suddenly found it quite amusing.

So many families used endless schemes to fight for inheritance, yet in someone else's eyes, those assets weren't even enough for a week's expenses.

Thinking of the troublesome woman at home, he suddenly didn't want to fight anymore.

"Young Master Huo, did I strike a nerve? You look so pale." Gao Ying asked, looking at him.

"Yeah, the family property I'm fighting tooth and nail for is just daily expenses in your eyes, Eldest Miss. How do you think I feel right now?" Huo Yunci rolled his eyes at her, his tone actually becoming a bit more relaxed.

"You shouldn't think that way. You're still one of the Four Princes of the Imperial Capital; you need to maintain your momentum. You shouldn't let others benefit from what belongs to you." Gao Ying disagreed with him.

"I'm just reflecting. Even if I throw my things away, I won't give them to that woman and the son she bore." Huo Yunci said with dark eyes.

"That stepmother of yours is actually quite capable. She could have built a career on her own, but she chose to take a shortcut." Bai Jue was also quite surprised that the woman chose to become the successor wife of the Huo Family.

"Not everyone wants to take a shortcut. Your stepmother married CEO Huo for your sake." Gao Ying knew who they were talking about.

The current Madam Huo, Kong Liuzhu.

"Miss Gao, what do you mean by that?" Bai Jue asked, puzzled.

Gao Ying: "Kong Liuzhu was the successor wife personally chosen by the first Madam Huo."

Her words shocked the three people present.

"Ying'er, how do you know? Why would Auntie Huo personally choose a successor wife?" Xi Yan voiced Huo Yunci's question.

"Madam Huo was a kind-hearted person. When she was alive, she often did charity and sponsored poor children's education."

"Kong Liuzhu was one of them. At that time, Madam Huo felt unwell and went to the hospital for a check-up, but the results showed nothing was wrong."

"But how could she not know her own body? She made an excuse to travel, but in reality, she went abroad for a thorough medical examination."

"When she finally saw the report, her heart died."

"The man beside her, who claimed to love and protect her, had actually developed murderous intent for the sake of her shares."

Huo Yunci listened quietly, his expression so calm as if he wasn't surprised at all by what she said.

"After returning home, Madam Huo pretended not to know about being poisoned. In her limited time, she meticulously planned for her son, and Kong Liuzhu was a part of that plan." Gao Ying looked at Huo Yunci.

"Yunci, did you know about this?" Bai Jue asked, confused by his lack of expression.

"I didn't know about Kong Liuzhu, but I've been investigating my mother's matter recently."

"A month ago, someone suddenly sent an encrypted email. After reading the contents, I realized my mother's death wasn't simple."

"The reason Huo Liang designated me as the heir to the Huo Family is also because of the shares I hold, as well as what my mother left me." Huo Yunci smiled mockingly as he said this.