Shen Wanci shook her head, "I'm not sure."

"Didn't you get him drunk last night?" Qin Yuezhi had complained to her the night before, saying she'd never seen Huo Tingdong propose in such a sloppy way. They didn't even have a spark between them, and he wanted to get married right away.

She was having dinner with Lu Yanchi at the time, so she didn't reply to herself much.

"He was drunk, and his body was covered in fresh wounds."

Qin Yue choked out a "huh": "You suspect that the Lu family abused him?"

If it's just to avoid being recognized by Shen Wanci, wouldn't removing a scar be enough? There's no need to make himself look like a mangy dog. His current public identity is as the youngest son of the Lu family. Although the Lu family has fallen on hard times in recent years, they shouldn't even struggle to afford money for scar removal.

"I know the Lu family. I don't have any perverted hobbies like torturing people to the point of being covered in wounds."

Conversely, they are still fairly honest.

He didn't know when he had finished his game, but he was walking toward them.

"Mr. Huo, is Lu Yanchi really the youngest son of the Lu family?"

He had heard that Lu Yanchi and Bo Jingzhou looked very similar, but he had never had the opportunity to meet them in person.

"I remember it vaguely," Huo Tingdong said carefully. "It was said that he was born prematurely, his lungs weren't fully developed, and he had very high requirements for the environment he lived in. Haze, exhaust fumes, industrial emissions... anything could trigger his illness, so he was sent back to the countryside to be raised from a young age. However, there hasn't been any news about him all these years."

He naturally sat down beside Qin Yue, leaning closer and taking a bite of the cantaloupe. "You suspect Lu Yanchi is Bo Jingzhou?"

The imposing physique of the man created a sense of overwhelming pressure, causing Qin Yuezhi to instinctively straighten her spine. Surrounded by his scent, she wanted to move away, but feared disrupting their business discussion. She stiffened, remaining rooted in place without budging.

"Mhm."

Huo Tingdong was a shareholder of the Bo family and also a friend of Bo Jingzhou. Before this matter was finally confirmed, Shen Wanci couldn't discuss it with Bo Rongxuan and the others for fear that they might have some unforeseen changes because of this stimulation. However, she didn't intend to keep silent and investigate on her own.

Her network and resources definitely couldn't compare to Huo Tingdong and Nie Yucheng's. If Gu Chenye wasn't abroad for something and temporarily unable to return, she would have told him about this already.

Ho Tingdong frowned. He didn't believe that there were two people in the world who looked exactly alike, even if they had plastic surgery: "Have you ever thought about getting a DNA test?"

I thought about it, but there's no wall that can keep out the wind in this world. I'm afraid I might cause him trouble. If Lu Yanchi is really Jingzhou, he chose to hide his identity for a reason. At this time, if I go and get a DNA test to expose his identity, I'm afraid those behind him might become desperate and do something harmful to him.

He was so intimidating that people would rather take a detour than return to the Bo family. To deal with someone using the power of the Bo family, it means either there's a traitor within or the opponent is powerful enough.

"Mr. Huo, would you mind checking someone for me? His name is Ji Siyuan. He calls Lu Yanchi 'ge' - apparently they grew up together as neighbors. But this person..." She hesitated, searching for the right words. "He just feels...off mentally."

Given Lu Yanchi's temperament, he definitely wouldn't make something out of nothing, and he wouldn't tell others that he liked her. Otherwise, the content of the phone call she heard this afternoon wouldn't be what it was.

But Ji Siyuan went to find Bao Shi specifically, claiming he was here to see his future sister-in-law. He intentionally probed about what Lu Yanchi had told her last night and what he meant. It all felt suspicious.

Calling her secretly to let her listen to his conversation with Lu Yanchi, this kind of thing is something Jian Weining, that fake innocent person, would do.

Could he be secretly in love with Lu Yanchi? It's not that uncommon these days. According to him, Lu Yanchi has always protected him since childhood, so it's normal for him to develop some different feelings.

Huo Tingdong was deep in thought and didn't answer right away. Qin Yuezhi noticed the atmosphere was too quiet, so she ate her watermelon while nudging him with her elbow: "You said you'd check it out, can you at least give me an update?"

"Miss Qin, what capacity are you speaking to me in?"

Qin Yuezhi widened her eyes: "Are you the master? Do you even have the right to speak?"

He looked at her and said softly, "You're still the one paying for the lawyer fees?"

“...”

Qin Yue's body bristled with anger, her whole being radiating fury. If she weren't afraid of her mother's battle-hardened feather duster, she would have kicked him out the door in a heartbeat.

Damn man.

Want to chase after my mother, go find someone else in the next life.

Even if all the men in the world with two legs were gone, she absolutely wouldn't marry Huo Tingdong. Otherwise, who knows when she might be driven to an early death by him, not even getting her social security benefits back.

Shen Wanci smiled: "Lawyer Huo, you don't need to fawn over Zi, are you here today to meet the family or to flirt with her?"

Huo Tingdong's visit today was actually because his aunt had been bombarding him with phone calls since morning, scolding him mercilessly. He came specifically to explain to Qin's mother.

Although he didn't know how he got scolded.

"She just refused me in front of my parents, saying that even if all the men in the world died, she wouldn't marry me."

Qin Yue opened her eyes wide. "When did I ever say that?"

If she dared to say this in front of her mother, her mother would kill her.

Ho Tingdong: "Do you dare say that wasn't what you were thinking just now?"