mother

After dialing room service, Xu Wenqi did not shut her eyes for long before a sharp ringtone shattered the peaceful atmosphere in the suite. Frowning slightly, she followed the source of the sound and located a flashing cellphone on the sofa. The caller ID showed "Mother." Xu Wenqi bit her lips and was unsure whether to answer it. She was quite worried that the original owner's mother would be able to detect that Xu Wenqi wasn't really the "Xu Wenqi" in the book. The call stopped abruptly before Xu Wenqi could make up her mind. However, just when she was about to let out a breath of relief, the call came again.

Xu Wenqi gritted her teeth and picked up the call, asking "Hello?"

Mother Xu responded, "Did you arrive home safely? I called because I'm worried about you. I thought you told me that A'Zheng was going to drive you home, but I just saw him enter the lounge earlier. What happened?"

Xu Wenqi suddenly remembered that the original owner used the excuse of Huo Lizheng driving her home to leave the banquet earlier and enter the suite. Xu Wenqi's mind went blank and she quickly tried to make up a random story.

"Oh, that- A'Zheng told me that he was feeling slightly dizzy before so I didn't want to inconvenience him by asking him to take me home. I just suggested he enter the lounge and asked my driver to pick me up instead. I'm already home now."

The phone was silent for a few moments before Mother Xu replied lightly, "Is that so? Then you should've accompanied him ah. After all, you two will be family in the future. You should show him more care and cultivate more feelings together. Let me tell you, the secret to having a good relationship is to..."

Xu Wenqi didn't pay attention to the rest of Mother Xu's words as her blood ran cold hearing these few sentences. She had a sudden realization; what if the original owner wasn't simply delusional by herself in wanting to seduce the male lead? What if the original owner's family was also pushing for the two's marriage?

The more Xu Wenqi thought about it this way, the more it made sense. Which family in City A didn't want to tie the knot with the Huo family? No less, the Xu family stood at an equal footing with them. This meant if the two families were to join forces, they would be unstoppable in taking over most, if not all, the commercial businesses in City A. Additionally, a myriad of industrial sectors would be monopolized by the two families, giving the Xu family even more reason to please the male lead's family.

'Moreover, the Huo family of course wouldn't refuse such favor with the two's interests linked together,' speculated Xu Wenqi.

On the other side of the call, Mother Xu was still waiting for an answer. She looked at her phone and frowned. What was taking her daughter so long to respond?

"Hello?"

Xu Wenqi withdrew from her thoughts and obediently said, "En, I'll pay more attention next time."

Mother Xu let out a breath of relief, "It's good that you know. Alright, take care of your body and drink some more hot water. It's getting colder these days."

After saying a few more words, Xu Wenqi ended the call and flopped onto the bed. She was still thinking about the original owner's situation when the room's doorbell rang, calling her back to reality.

Xu Wenqi then proceeded to get up and open the door...to hell. If Xu Wenqi could go back in time, she would definitely choose this moment to jump out the window instead of answering the door. Little did she know outside the door wasn't delicious room service awaiting her stomach.

Upon opening the door, Xu Wenqi was greeted by a tall man in a professional navy suit and a matching tie with golden rim glasses abridged on the top of his nose. His features were quite distinct from Shen Yue's as he brought a mellow and soothing feel to the viewer. With a sparkling glimmer in his eye, the man smiled gently and called her name with a pleasant melodious voice. If it wasn't for the two burly black-suited men by his side, Xu Wenqi would've been struck dumb by his good looks and mature charm.

"Miss Xu Wenqi?"

"Miss Xu?"

Xu Wenqi quickly shook out of her daze and replied, "Yes, that's me. Is there something I can help you with?"

Secretary Chen introduced himself as a subordinate of President Shen and politely said, "I apologize for the short notice, but President Shen requested me to escort you to his villa. I hope you can comply and follow us. Please take as much time as you need to gather your things before we go."

Hearing these words, Xu Wenqi was immediately splashed with cold water and she quickly turned pale.

"What does President Shen mean by this?" she asked.

Secretary Chen smiled meaningfully and replied, "I'm sure Miss Xu is already aware of why President Shen requested your presence."

"Please do not make this difficult for me. Not to mention, there are other ways to send you there. President Shen didn't mention whether to bring you back wholly intact," continued Secretary Chen breezily as if he was discussing the weather. He gestured slightly to the two bulky bodyguards behind him.

Xu Wenqi swallowed her refutation and smiled a smile that was uglier than crying. Even if she wanted to say no, who knew if she would be able to leave the room without her limbs being chopped off? Forget room service, life was more important.

Xu Wenqi compliantly went with Secretary Chen and secretly mourned for her uneaten room service food as well as her empty stomach.