World 1: Sinister Retired Third-Gen × Pitiful Ex-Female Lead’s Coworker (Part 18)

Fu Yu unbuttoned Huo Hanting’s shirt, placing soft kisses downward until she reached his tattoo.

It was the first time a man had ever tattooed her name on his body.

Her fingertip gently stroked the skin there.

Huo Hanting’s eyes darkened as he suddenly pulled her tightly into his arms — so forcefully she could barely breathe.

But this suffocating, almost oxygen-deprived love was just right for Fu Yu.

Her voice turned hoarse. “This kind of one-of-a-kind love — it’s what you really want, isn’t it?”

Huo Hanting didn’t answer. He only raised his head and kissed her lips.

He was never a gentle man — obsessive, gloomy, and sometimes even violent.

Powerful yet vulnerable, domineering yet desperate.

But no matter which version of him she faced, Fu Yu accepted him wholly.

He didn’t want “one-of-a-kind” love. He just wanted her.

---

The Day of Fu Yu’s Delivery

Huo Hanting stood outside the ICU like his soul had been sucked out of his body.

He had never believed in any gods, but on this day, he prayed to every one he could name — Heaven, Jesus, Mary, even the ancestors in the Huo family shrine.

“I’m willing to trade my life for Ah Yu’s safety…”

His bloodshot eyes pleaded in silent desperation.

Hours later, the doctor finally emerged from the operating room: “Mr. Huo, mother and children are safe. Your wife gave birth to a pair of fraternal twins — a boy and a girl.”

Huo Hanting rushed into the operating room without sparing a glance at the babies.

The nurse, holding the wailing newborns, looked around in confusion. “Mr. Huo…?”

“Wife-whipped,” Aunt Xun chuckled from the side.

She had once worried Huo Hanting didn’t know how to love. But now, it was clear — he had just never met the right person.

Fu Yu was his one and only weakness.

Huo Tailing looked down at the two tiny babies and realized she was now officially an elder. She had to stop throwing tantrums and be a responsible “big sister-aunt” to them.

---

Meanwhile…

Chen Manzi dragged her exhausted body into the hospital elevator, dark circles under her eyes.

She hadn’t slept in three nights. Her father’s illness and the company crisis were suffocating her.

“Did you hear? Mr. Huo’s wife just gave birth to twins! A boy and a girl — both adorable! They’re so lucky!” a nurse nearby said excitedly.

Chen Manzi’s fingers trembled. She abruptly looked up. “Mr. Huo? Which Mr. Huo?”

“Who else? Huo Hanting, of course!”

“That’s impossible…” she muttered. “Huo Hanting can’t have children… he’s infertile…”

As the elevator doors opened, she stumbled out, head buzzing.

She told herself she was just too tired — that she was hallucinating about Huo Hanting again.

“It must be someone with the same name. There’s no way he has kids…”

But a voice inside her mocked her coldly:

“Chen Manzi, are you regretting it?”

Yes. It was the one thing she didn’t want to admit.

Not choosing Huo Hanting didn’t make her life better — it had only gotten worse.

The Chen family had been caught in serious legal trouble — far worse than her own drone company’s software vulnerabilities.

Their stock prices plummeted, with no sign of recovery.

Only now did Chen Manzi have to face the truth:

The Chen family’s collapse had nothing to do with Huo Hanting. They brought it upon themselves.

She had refused to accept it — blaming everything on Huo Hanting. She thought it was his revenge after her rejection.

But in reality, it was her father’s reckless business practices and borderline illegal activities that led to disaster.

“I still have a chance…” she thought stubbornly.

Her one correct decision in this life was clinging to Gu Huai, the rising star.

In her past life, Gu Huai’s latest research around this time had propelled him into the limelight as a tech prodigy.

If she could hold on to him, she might still turn things around!

---

Nearby, voices continued to gossip in the hallway.

“They say the Huo twins were educated in the womb with the best prenatal programs. Probably came out already knowing how to code!”

“Haha, maybe I should ask Miss Fu for some pointers for my kid. I don’t need him to win tech awards, I’d be happy with a million-dollar salary!”

“You wish!”

“Hey, what’s wrong with that? Fu Yu is the pride of the Chinese community! She’s the first global algorithm award winner!”

“What?!”

Chen Manzi suddenly stopped in her tracks, eyes wild as she glared at the nearby patient’s family member. “What did you just say?!”

The woman flinched. “N-Nothing… I’m not talking to you!”

“You said Fu Yu won the algorithm award? That’s impossible! Don’t talk nonsense!”

“It’s in all the news! Are you blind?”

Angered by Chen Manzi’s yelling, the woman threw the words over her shoulder before walking off.

“Lunatic. Probably escaped from psych.”

Chen Manzi shakily pulled out her phone.

She had been bouncing between the hospital, company, and Gu Huai’s house — she hadn’t checked the news in days.

The moment the app opened, the headline hit her like a truck:

“Chinese Prodigy Fu Yu Wins International Algorithm Award — First Female Winner from Asia!”

“No… No, it was supposed to be Gu Huai who won that award!”

But now — Fu Yu?!

“Could it be… that Gu Huai stole Fu Yu’s work in the past life?”

A chill ran down her spine. Her nails dug into her palms.

No. She couldn’t accept it.

If even Gu Huai was a fraud, then her decision to abandon Huo Hanting — to bet everything — was completely wrong.

Her phone buzzed suddenly. A message from a company shareholder:

“Shareholders’ meeting today. Miss Chen, your attendance is required.”

“A meeting? I’m the last to know?”

Just as she was about to call the board in anger, another message came:

“You better hurry. Gu Huai said he has an important announcement.”

Gu Huai?

A spark of hope lit in her chest.

He had promised to help the Chen family no matter what.

Maybe he found a way to save them?

“Even if he stole Fu Yu’s credit, so what? That just proves he has ambition — cunning — the qualities of a great man!”

Chen Manzi couldn’t admit she’d chosen the wrong person.

She could only charge forward. There was no turning back.

---

At the Company

By the time she arrived, the conference room was packed.

Gu Huai sat at the head of the table, a faint smile on his lips.

“From today forward,” he announced, “Chen Group will officially be renamed to Gu Group.”

He casually straightened his suit.

Chen Manzi shot to her feet. “Gu Huai — what do you mean by this?!”

Gu Huai looked up at her, his eyes cold, as if he were staring at a stranger.

“Miss Chen, your father is critically ill, and the Chen Group is already a hollow shell. It belongs to me now.”

Chen Manzi trembled with rage.

“You promised to help my family — so this was just to take over?!”

“Business is war, Miss Chen. Surely you’re not naive enough to believe in promises?”

Her vision went dark. Around her, she could only hear the board members whispering:

“This should’ve happened a long time ago. Old Chen never knew how to run a business…”

“Thank goodness for Director Gu — otherwise this place would’ve gone under already…”

In that moment, Chen Manzi finally understood — she had lost. Completely.