It took nearly forty minutes to get from the hospital to the Yun Family villa. When the Maybach came to a steady stop, the rain outside showed no signs of letting up. The warm air continued to blow inside the car, and raindrops pelted the windows with a sharp tapping sound.

“Would Mr. Qin like to come in for some tea?” After a brief silence, it was Yun Pei who broke the ice. Although he didn’t want to interact with this person any more than necessary, Qin Mingyuan had kindly driven him home, so it was only polite to offer.

Qin Mingyuan shook his head, glancing at his watch—it was already past eleven. “I still have work at the office.”

His response didn’t surprise Yun Pei, who just nodded and said nothing more. He reached into his pocket to grab his phone.

Now that he was at his own doorstep, there was no reason to trouble anyone further. He called the housekeeper, asking her to come out with an umbrella to fetch him.

Just after hanging up the phone, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar car approaching in the rearview mirror. He frowned slightly, thinking to himself, What a nuisance.

Noticing Yun Pei’s reaction, Qin Mingyuan also glanced behind them. The car had driven up and seemed to be heading directly for the garage, but for some reason, it stopped midway.

The rear window rolled down, revealing a woman’s perfectly made-up face. She stared at the driver’s side window, a bit unsure, before tentatively calling out, “President Qin.” Clearly, she had recognized his car.

Qin Mingyuan, looking at the silent Yun Pei, lowered the window and nodded politely through the curtain of rain.

Huo Lijuan hadn’t expected it to really be him. She looked surprised, but her face soon brightened with a bit of delight. “President Qin, why didn’t you let us know you were coming? We could’ve prepared something for you. We wouldn’t want to be rude.”

Recently, this man had been strangely distant from her family. Her son mentioned that it had become harder to reach him, and sometimes Qin Mingyuan wouldn’t even reply to his messages, his attitude lukewarm.

Even last week, when her husband went to Qin’s company to discuss a project, he was turned away—something that had never happened before. Naturally, this made her anxious.

Just yesterday, she had contacted her son, who was working on a film set, to see if he could make time to come home and smooth things over. Men, after all, get frustrated if they pursue someone for too long without receiving any attention. It’s normal for them to cool off and give the other party a little pressure when they feel they’ve lost face.

Qin Mingyuan had shown such affection for her son before, putting in so much effort. There’s no way he’d just give up like that. As the esteemed president of Qin Corporation, he certainly had a temper, but her family couldn’t keep playing hard to get forever.

However, Yun Yuexian had unexpectedly told her to stop meddling this time, which had led to an argument between them. In the end, her son hung up on her.

Frustrated with her son’s lack of resolve, she was in a terrible mood today. After seeing that annoying person at the hospital earlier, she had vented some of her frustration on him, which made her feel much better.

She hadn’t expected to find a surprise waiting at her doorstep: the very person she wanted to please had come right to her.

“Come inside and join us for a meal! I’ll personally cook a few dishes for you today,” Huo Lijuan beamed with joy. If it weren’t raining outside, she would have gotten out of the car to welcome him properly.

Hearing her enthusiastic tone, Yun Pei, who was sitting in the passenger seat, showed no emotion. He turned to look out the window just as the housekeeper came out with an umbrella. He rolled down the window slightly. “The wheelchair is in the trunk.”

The housekeeper nodded and hurried over with the umbrella to retrieve the wheelchair. Yun Pei turned back to Qin Mingyuan in the driver’s seat and said, “Thank you, Mr. Qin, for driving me home. Sorry to take up your time.”

“Consider it a good deed for the day.” Ignoring the confused look from the woman in the car next to them, Qin Mingyuan turned his gaze toward Yun Pei. “Need any help?”

Yun Pei shook his head, unbuckling his seatbelt and waiting for the housekeeper to bring the wheelchair over.

Huo Lijuan noticed the housekeeper pulling a wheelchair out of the Maybach’s trunk and frowned. She leaned forward, trying to get a better look into the other car. From her angle, she could barely see that someone was sitting in the passenger seat.

Getting out of the car was easier than getting in. Yun Pei supported himself and transferred into the wheelchair, inevitably getting a bit of rain on him. He didn’t mind. Before closing the car door, he nodded again at Qin Mingyuan and then wheeled himself back to avoid blocking the car.

The Maybach pulled away, making a U-turn in front. The car that had been blocked came into view, and Yun Pei’s eyes met with the person inside. The look on the other person’s face was not pleasant.

Without acknowledging her, Yun Pei turned away and wheeled himself inside with the housekeeper.

Inside the house, lunch was already being prepared, and the aroma of food filled the air. The housekeeper handed him a towel to dry off the rainwater before heading back to the kitchen to continue helping.

After casually wiping off the water, Yun Pei had no intention of staying downstairs. He wheeled toward the indoor elevator, but it was clear that someone was eager to talk to him. He hadn’t gone far before the door behind him opened again.

“Yun Pei!” Huo Lijuan called out to him as soon as she walked in and saw him leaving. She didn’t think much before speaking, her tone not very polite. Realizing this, she glanced towards the kitchen and softened her voice. “Lunch is almost ready. Don’t go upstairs just yet.”

Yun Pei’s wheelchair paused for a moment, but he didn’t respond. He continued moving forward. Huo Lijuan, like his father, always put on a show, never wanting anyone to say anything bad about them. Even in front of the servants, they maintained their façade.

Huo Lijuan quickly caught up, blocking his way. Meeting his cold gaze, she didn’t back down. Smiling, she said, “Why did you come back in President Qin’s car? You two haven’t met before, have you?”

Sitting in the wheelchair, Yun Pei didn’t seem to be at a disadvantage at all as he looked up at her with a calm expression. “We ran into each other at the hospital. He saw it was inconvenient for me, so he offered to drive me home. Didn’t you have my car taken away?”

There was no emotion in his voice, but Huo Lijuan could clearly hear the sarcasm in his last sentence. Her grip on her handbag tightened as she silently cursed the resentful little brat. Out loud, she said, “Oh, I see. I’m sorry, Xiao Pei. I didn’t expect it to take so long. Thankfully, President Qin brought you back.”

Yun Pei had no interest in playing this act with someone he disliked. He lowered his gaze, planning to steer around her, but she bent down and patted his hand resting on the wheelchair’s armrest. He immediately pulled his hand back, looking up at her with cold indifference.

Huo Lijuan didn’t seem to mind his resistance. Standing up straight, she smoothed her hair and said, “President Qin has always been deeply in love with Xiao Xian. He even extends that kindness to us. I don’t even know how to thank him.”

At her words, Yun Pei recalled the cold expression on Qin Mingyuan’s face when he mentioned Yun Yuexian in the car, as well as his comment, “I’m not interested in any of you.”

Yun Pei wasn’t someone who could easily read others’ minds, but he could clearly understand the man’s attitude in that moment—there was no feeling at all, as if, in his eyes, everyone was the same.

Yun Pei wasn’t sure if Qin Mingyuan was just that good at hiding his emotions or if something had changed. At the very least, the man wasn’t as invested in Yun Yuexian as everyone thought.

He wasn’t interested in arguing with this woman. Just talking to her made him feel sick.

He calmly averted his gaze and, without another word, wheeled himself around her. This time, she didn’t stop him.

Huo Lijuan’s smile remained in place until his figure disappeared into the elevator, then her expression gradually darkened. She snorted and tossed her handbag onto the sofa.

After thinking for a moment, she walked over, sat down, and pulled out her phone to send a message to her son, urging him to stay in close contact with Qin Mingyuan.

No matter what the reason, she didn’t want Qin Mingyuan getting too close to Yun Pei. Even if it was out of affection for her son, it shouldn’t extend to that little bastard.