Huo Yan had already arrived downstairs at her apartment.
"Brother Yan."
Xu Jìnhuān stood by the car, looking at the man in the driver's seat. After a moment's hesitation, she still walked around to open the passenger door.
Huo Yan noticed the gift bag in her hand, "For me?"
"Yes, I, I didn't know what Brother Yan liked, so I just picked something simple, not expensive. I hope Brother Yan won't mind."
Seeing her hesitant and cautious demeanor, Huo Yan took it proactively and opened the gift box in front of her.
It was a pair of silver, intricately carved six-pointed star cufflinks. His eyes deepened slightly.
He was wearing a rather casual suit today, a silver-grey suit jacket over a French-cuffed shirt.
Removing the original sapphire blue cufflinks from his shirt cuffs, he was about to put on the new ones.
His movement paused, and he extended his hand towards the girl, "It's inconvenient with one hand, can you help me?"
Xu Jìnhuān was somewhat stunned seeing him about to put them on right then, let alone asking for her help.
Biting her lip, Xu Jìnhuān took out the cufflinks from the gift box. Her fingertips unavoidably touched his wrist. She secretly took a breath, threaded the cufflinks through the buttonholes one by one, and rotated the clasps to secure them.
After both sides were changed, Huo Yan examined his new cufflinks, "They match well."
Receiving the recipient's liking for her gift eased Xu Jìnhuān's mood a bit, and a smile appeared at the corner of her lips, "I'm glad Brother Yan likes them."
"I like them very much." His meaningful words made the girl nervous again.
Huo Yan took her to a resort in the suburbs.
"The birthday person arrives last, you should be punished."
There were already about ten people in the yard. Seeing Huo Yan arrive, they greeted him affectionately.
Xu Jìnhuān glanced around. Several of them had appeared on the outstanding young people lists in the financial news over the past two years.
They were curious that Huo Yan would bring a girl, but they didn't show it. Only one woman, with exquisite makeup and an elegant aura, held her gaze for a moment longer.
The crowd beckoned for the two of them to sit in the courtyard first.
Before they arrived, this group of outwardly well-behaved elites had already taken off their jackets, rolled up their shirt sleeves, and were setting up a barbecue grill, cooking their own food. The atmosphere was lively.
Seeing his close friends, the coldness on Huo Yan's body receded slightly, revealing some softness.
The little girl beside him seemed a bit flustered. He took a few skewers of grilled beef from a plate and placed them on her plate. He also poured her a glass of juice.
Their friends, who had been observing their actions from the side, were all somewhat surprised. They exchanged glances and then glanced towards a woman in another corner who appeared at ease.
Among the friends present were 7 men and 3 women. Two of the women were girlfriends brought by Huo Yan's friends. The other was Qin Yufei, the sister of Qin Tian, with whom Huo Yan had been collaborating closely for the past two years.
Huo Yan had a good impression of the Qin siblings. At the beginning of last quarter, they had renewed the supply contract for the next year. Qin Yufei, as the head of Qin Corporation's publicity department, had also worked with Huo Yan to select product spokespersons and publicity plans. They had become familiar with each other, which was why she had come with her brother to celebrate his birthday this time.
However, many people present could see that Qin Yufei was interested in Huo Yan. Moreover, a few months ago, a magazine had even written that they were close to marriage, and there had been no negative response from either family, so they had assumed that there was indeed something between them.
But now, Huo Yan, who had always been aloof and not attracted to women, had actually brought a woman to his private gathering.
Several people, with varying thoughts, shifted their gaze among the three of them.
Xu Jìnhuān understood the situation but pretended to be unaware. She obediently greeted everyone as introduced by Huo Yan and then quietly ate her food.
After hearing Huo Yan introduce Xu Jìnhuān's identity, Qin Yufei's somewhat nervous heart relaxed a little. As far as she knew, Huo Yan's relationship with that Madam Huo was not close, and given their natural status difference, they couldn't possibly be close.
She subtly and carefully observed the girl opposite her. She wasn't particularly outstanding. She probably only had a docile personality that made Huo Yan take care of her a little.
Immediately after, her infatuated and admiring gaze fell again on Huo Yan, who was smiling and chatting with his friends.
She was enamored with the powerful and handsome Huo Yan, but she was even more fond of the capital and financial strength behind him. The Qin family's development was not bad, but if they could combine with the Huo family, a top business conglomerate, they could naturally advance further.
Qin Tian laughed heartily, stood up, and clinked glasses with Huo Yan, "Brother Huo, happy birthday." He then looked down at his sister, "Little Fei, didn't you prepare a gift for Brother Huo? Hurry up and give it to him."
"Brother Huo, you have no idea. Little Fei dragged me around shopping for two days to help her pick out a gift."
Under everyone's gaze, Qin Yufei's pretty face visibly flushed. She gave her brother a chiding look, then took a gift box from her bag.
Her smile was bright and carried a hint of feminine shyness, making it hard for people to look away. "Brother Huo, I wish you a joyful birthday. It's a small token, I hope you like it."
Huo Yan didn't have the habit of embarrassing people in public. Besides, it was a private gathering, so he didn't put on airs. He calmly accepted the gift box, opened it, and it turned out to be another pair of cufflinks.
He subconsciously glanced at the little girl beside him. She was lowering her head, drinking juice, and her expression was unreadable.
Inside the dark red gift box was a pair of obsidian inlaid round cufflinks, cool and noble, which suited Huo Yan's temperament very well.
Huo Yan closed the gift box and nodded, "You've been thoughtful. The gift is very nice."
Qin Yufei felt a bit disappointed that he hadn't put on her gift immediately. She glanced at the silver cufflinks on the man's cuff. It seemed that the ones he was currently wearing did indeed match his attire better today.
However, she wondered if he could understand the meaning behind her gifting him cufflinks? In Western countries, giving cufflinks to a man is also a subtle confession. Out of feminine reserve, even if she liked him very much, she couldn't make a more obvious move.
After Qin Yufei, others also presented their prepared gifts one after another. Huo Yan, unlike his usual indifference, thanked them one by one, showing a warmth that Xu Jìnhuān had never seen in him before.
That made sense. Although Huo Yan held a high position, as an heir with extensive social connections and the current person in power, he couldn't have expanded his vast business empire if he treated people with arrogance and disdain. He had mastered the mask that a businessman should wear very well.
This was the first time Huo Yan had truly captured Xu Jìnhu an's attention. He was undoubtedly excellent. The thin image of him as always aloof and omnipotent in the original host's memory was gradually being replaced by the person in front of her.
The original host admired him but dared not approach him. As for her, she wanted to conquer this man.
The original host's obsession was simple: she wanted her birth mother to regret her actions.
But she still needed to collect emotional points. Huo Feng was already so old; she couldn't possibly find an old man, could she?
Huo Yan, whom the original host had admired, was quite good. His appearance was also the handsome and aloof type she preferred. She just loved to see proud people bow down to her.
As for Xu Ning, such a selfish woman would only regret it when she lost everything.
As the original host's biological mother, she gave birth but did not raise her, seeing her as a burden. She was well aware of the unreasonable discipline and neglect from the Xu family parents towards the original host but never intervened. Eighty percent of the original host's life had taken an extreme turn under her indulgence.
What was even more infuriating was that the original host's death became a catalyst for her emotional drama. Not only did she have no sincere apology towards her, but Xu Ning also used it to gain Huo Feng's pity.
In the original plot, Huo Feng should have had a gentle and attentive female secretary by his side at this time. Xu Ning had taken the opportunity to appear weak and, by sheer luck, became pregnant with their daughter, regaining Huo Feng's heart.
Wasn't Xu Ning proud of her ability to win the love of the powerful owner of a wealthy family and become Madam Huo? She would take away everything Xu Ning relied on.
If the protagonist were suppressed and her brilliance hidden, would she still be the protagonist? She was looking forward to it, the girl lowered her gaze.