The relief that washed over his face was imdiate and profound. He pulled her close again, wrapping his arms around her as he could physically shield her from her own questions.
"Thank you," he murmured into her hair.
They lay there in silence for a while, the only sounds of the muffled movent of water and the occasional chi of the anklet when she shifted were the only ones echoed. Tang Fei tried to let it go, tried to accept his non-answers and move on.
But her mind kept circling back, kept trying to fill in the gaps with logic and deduction. The original Tang Fei had tried to kill the children. She’d been saying "I killed him." She’d been found with petrol and matches. And now Huo Ting Cheng was actively preventing another pregnancy while lying about his fertility.
The pieces didn’t quite fit together, but the shape they were forming was dark and terrible.
"Let’s go for a swim," Huo Ting Cheng said suddenly, breaking the heavy silence. "The resort has that infinity pool that connects to the ocean. We could watch the sunset from the water."
The suggestion was so obviously ant to distract her that Tang Fei almost laughed. But maybe distraction was what they both needed. Maybe so questions were better left unanswered, at least for now.
"I can barely walk," she reminded him, a hint of her earlier playfulness returning. "You really think swimming is a good idea?"
"I’ll carry you." His smile was back, that confident, slightly arrogant curve of his lips. "And hold you in the water. You won’t have to do any work at all."
"That sounds suspiciously like an excuse to keep your hands on ."
"Guilty as charged." He kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her lips, soft, gentle kisses that felt like apologies for things unsaid. "Co on, Mrs. Huo. Let’s enjoy our honeymoon. We only have a few more days before reality intrudes again."
" Hehe... Let’s just stay indoors!" It wasn’t just being sour, but for the fact that she wasn’t in the mood. These mories felt like a nightmare.
" All right." He couldn’t force her. They went quiet cuddling each other.
— — — — —
"I’m finally done for the day!" Huo Minghao announced cheerfully, moving with practiced ease as she packed her backpack. Her small hands worked quickly, textbooks organized by size, notebooks slipped into designated compartnts, pencil case secured in the front pocket.
Before she could finish zipping up, her classmates sward around her desk like bees to honey, their voices overlapping in excited chatter.
"Minghao, is it true?" A girl nad Li Xia leaned in, eyes wide with curiosity. "You’re really joining the International School Debate Congress on Saturday?"
"I heard it’s usually only for seniors," another boy added, adjusting his glasses nervously. "The competition is supposed to be really intense."
"Aren’t you worried?" This is from Chen Wei, who always seed concerned about everything. "So of the senior students are pretty competitive. They might try to intimidate you or push you out."
"What if they use really complicated argunts?" Li Xia pressed. "You’ll be going against students who are like, thirteen or fourteen!"
"And Zhang Yuki’s team is competing too," soone else piped up. "Everyone says she’s been preparing for months. She won last year’s junior division."
Minghao continued packing calmly through the barrage of questions, a small smile playing on her lips. When she finally straightened up, backpack secured, she looked at the circle of worried faces surrounding her with the kind of confidence that seed incongruous with her five-year-old fra.
"Haha... I will represent all of you! Don’t worry!" Her voice carried that particular blend of childish enthusiasm and surprising maturity that defined her. "When I win, I’ll dedicate it to our entire class!"
"Woooow!" The response was imdiate and enthusiastic. Several classmates clapped, while others looked at her with sothing approaching awe.
"You’re so brave, Minghao!"
"I wish I could be as smart as you!"
"Make sure you beat Zhang Yuki! She’s so stuck up!"
"Will you tell us all about it on Monday?"
Minghao grinned, shouldering her backpack with a decisive motion. "Of course! I’ll give you all the details. Now, I need to go, soone’s waiting for ."
She navigated through the crowded classroom with the ease of long practice, slipping between desks and dodging other students who were still packing up or chatting in groups. The hallway was even busier, a river of students flowing in both directions, voices echoing off the polished floors, locker doors slamming in rhythmic percussion.
Minghao descended the stairs with quick, light steps, her ponytail bouncing with each movent. By the ti she reached the ground floor and headed toward the exit, the parking lot was already filling with the organized chaos of dismissal ti.
Usually, identifying her family’s vehicle was effortless. The Huo family cars were all personally modified and custom-designed, distinctive enough that she could spot them from across the lot. But today, she scanned the rows of vehicles and found nothing familiar. No sleek black sedan with the subtle family crest on the hood. No armored SUV with tinted windows.
Then she saw it, a hand waving energetically from across the parking area, near a car that absolutely could not be missed.
A sports car. Matte red, low and aggressive, with lines that scread speed and expense even sitting still. The kind of car that makes heads turn and conversations stop.
Minghao’s eyes widened. Did Twilight actually co to school to pick her up in one of Daddy’s exclusive collection cars? Does Daddy even know?
She wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. The parking lot, which had been busy but organized, was now experiencing a minor traffic jam as students, parents, and even so teachers slowed down to stare. A crowd of students was already gathering around the vehicle, maintaining a respectful distance but clearly fascinated.
"Is that a Koenigsegg?"
"No, look at the custom body work, I think it’s a modified Pagani!"
"Who does it belong to?"
"Soone’s parents must be seriously rich!"
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