Chapter 41: Better Dead Than Defeated

Huo Ciyue was so desperate to beg Pei Baoyuan that she sold out her own brother without a second thought. Yet, she still possessed a shred of conscience, as she hadn't completely betrayed Huo Yanzhi. She knew she had wronged her brother, but compared to Huo Yanzhi’s fate, she was far more worried about her own future. Everything in the Huo family’s future belonged to Huo Yanzhi; she was destined to marry into another family, and nothing in the Huo household would ever be hers. As a child of the Huo family, she understood this perfectly. After all, her aunt had experienced the exact same thing.

Huo Ciyue looked at Pei Baoyuan cautiously. "Sister Baoyuan, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you. My brother said that if we didn't tell you that way, you would get angry and break up with him." She grabbed Pei Baoyuan’s hand, looking pitiful. "I truly want you to be my sister-in-law, so I had no choice but to join my brother and the others in keeping it from you."

Pei Baoyuan pulled her hand back with a sneer. She knew exactly how much of Huo Ciyue’s words were true. Even siblings could be like this; the moment her own interests were at stake, Huo Ciyue would sell out Huo Yanzhi without hesitation. How could she ever trust a woman who lied to her face and lacked any sincerity?

"You all put on quite a convincing act. What favors did you promise the Huang family to make Huang Zhenyu kneel at my doorstep for so many days?"

Huo Ciyue opened her mouth but remained speechless.

Pei Baoyuan continued, "If you had nothing to hide and weren't afraid of me breaking up with him, then why is it clear that Huo Yanzhi has fallen for Song Yiren? Tell me, did the two of them take advantage of my two years abroad to carry on an affair behind my back?"

Huo Ciyue: "..."

[What kind of miracle medicine did Pei Baoyuan take to finally cure her years of being a love-struck fool?]
[The miracle medicine is Ke Xianbai.]
[Does no one love the female lead anymore? Everyone is starting to pay attention to Pei Baoyuan and Ke Xianbai instead.]
[I stopped liking Song Yiren the moment she ordered her assistant to trap Pei Baoyuan in the elevator. She knew everything about the supporting female character and knew it could kill her, yet she did it anyway. She’s just too vicious.]

*Song Yiren knows everything about me.*

Pei Baoyuan captured the key point from the scrolling barrage. Before she went abroad, she was absolutely certain she had no interaction with Song Yiren. So why would she know everything about her? She looked at the endlessly scrolling text. Perhaps... the world was vast and mysterious. If she could see these messages, why couldn't others?

Huo Ciyue’s mind went blank for a moment. She hadn't said anything, yet Pei Baoyuan had guessed it all. If her brother found out, she would surely be skinned alive. She offered a smile that looked worse than a cry. "Sister Baoyuan, it’s not what you think..."

"I don’t care if it’s what I think or not. In any case, what Huo Yanzhi is doing right now makes me very unhappy." Pei Baoyuan stopped looking at her and began to show her the door. "If you came here today to plead for him, you can leave now. And you don’t need to come back."

Pei Baoyuan had known Huo Ciyue for as many years as she had been with Huo Yanzhi. From childhood to adulthood, Pei Baoyuan had never spoken to her harshly, and Huo Ciyue knew that this time, she was truly angry. But she had no other options. Her family had already issued an order for her to become engaged to Fang Shilun soon, and once that was done, there would be no going back.

To Pei Baoyuan’s surprise, within seconds, Huo Ciyue stood up and then knelt at her feet.

Pei Baoyuan: "..." *Is kneeling the new trend now?*

Tears streamed down Huo Ciyue’s face instantly. "Sister Baoyuan, my... my father wants to marry me off to Fang Shilun. I don’t want to go. Can you please help me, for the sake of all these years of friendship? Even if you and my brother are no longer together, we still have our own bond. Please, help me."

Pei Baoyuan understood—this was emotional blackmail. She stood up and stepped back. "I’m sorry, I have nothing to do with your family. I can’t make decisions regarding your marriage. Instead of begging me, you should beg your brother. Huo Yanzhi is your own flesh and blood."

"My own brother, hahahaha..." Huo Ciyue suddenly laughed. Did Pei Baoyuan think she hadn't begged Huo Yanzhi? Huo Yanzhi talked about convincing their parents, but in reality, he did nothing. If she married into the Fang family, Huo Yanzhi would be the greatest beneficiary; how could he ever truly help her?

After laughing, Huo Ciyue crawled forward on her knees, clinging tightly to Pei Baoyuan’s leg. "There is a way—you have a way." She looked up at Pei Baoyuan, the only savior who could help her. "My parents only want to use my marriage to expand the Huo Corporation. As long as... you help me persuade Brother Zongnian..."

Pei Baoyuan: "!!!" She was deeply shocked. She never expected Huo Ciyue to be bold enough to target her brother; she really dared to dream.

"Huo Ciyue, how dare you set your sights on my brother! Give up on that idea!"

"No..." Huo Ciyue refused to let go. "Sister Baoyuan, as long as you speak to Brother Zongnian, he will definitely agree. Please help me, please, won't you?"

Pei Baoyuan tried to kick Huo Ciyue away, but she was stronger than anticipated. "Someone, take Miss Huo back to the Huo residence!"

In the middle of the struggle, Pei Baoyuan heard her brother’s voice. Soon, people appeared to pull Huo Ciyue away from her. Huo Ciyue still wouldn't give up, looking at Pei Zongnian as if he were a precious gem. "Brother Zongnian, I beg you, please help me! Sister Baoyuan—"

Huo Ciyue was dragged away from the Pei residence. Pei Baoyuan wiped the spots where Huo Ciyue had touched her with a look of disgust. Her tears and snot had stained her clothes. She then asked her brother why he had returned so suddenly.

Pei Zongnian hesitated, then finally blurted out, "Don't have any more contact with her."

Pei Zongnian was the type of person who would still treat people politely even if he disliked them. Sensing something was wrong, Pei Baoyuan asked, "She hasn't been harassing you for a while, has she?"

Pei Zongnian wore an expression of revulsion, which confirmed Pei Baoyuan’s suspicions. "I don't know how she got ahold of my schedule, but after a business dinner last night, she stripped naked and stood in my hotel room."

Pei Baoyuan gasped. Huo Ciyue really was that bold! She asked, "Brother, you didn't... do anything with her, did you?"

Pei Zongnian glared at her with a look that said, *Do you think your brother is that kind of person?* He then changed the subject. "What is going on with you and Ke Xianbai lately?"

Pei Baoyuan: "What do you mean 'what's going on'? There's nothing between us."

Pei Zongnian looked at her deeply. "It’s better if there isn't. The waters of the Ke family are too deep. Don't get involved."

"How deep? Why don't you tell me?"

"..."

"Brothers turning against each other, parties clashing—losing means you might as well be dead." Pei Zongnian warned, "In short, do not get involved."