Chapter 261: You are free

Where Huo Xiao Fan was suffering the punishment of her actions, Serena’s condition wasn’t any better.

Not only Jianyu took away the parental rights from her, but today morning, she also came to know that Chen Corps had withdrawn their investment from her interior design company, Jia Se. Now, the company she painstakingly built was in huge investment crisis because Huo Corps shares were also declining.

So, the investment she won from winning the competition was rendered useless now. The sharp decline in money was on the verge of making Jia Se go bankrupt even before it could get a foothold in the industry.

Chen Jianyu was going all out.

Her assistant asked, “Mam, what are we going to do now? All the employees are restless too about their jobs and salaries.”

Serena said, “Don’t worry, I will figure something out. Leave me alone for a while.”

The assistant nodded and left.

Serena unlocked her phone and saw the wallpaper. It was a selfie of Jianyu and her when they were living together. Jianyu was laughing with her. A tear dropped on the screen.

She opened her call log, and there was Jianyu’s name. Almost fifty outgoing calls to him, but he didn’t pick up even one of it.

Serena hit the dial button and heard his phone ring.

‘Jianyu, please pick up…please, I want to talk to you.’

But it suddenly got cut. ‘The number is not in service anymore.’

Serena clutched the phone in her hand and burst out in tears.

“Please, Jianyu…give me one chance…please don’t leave me, Jianyu…” She covered her face with her hands and recalled all his memories with him.

In the evening when she returned to her apartment, Serena found the door already open.

‘Jianyu! Is Jianyu there inside!?’

She rushed inside but froze in her way. The bag she held in her hand fell on the floor.

“Mmmnnn…” 

A woman was moaning in pleasure as a man was passionately kissing her lips and holding her in his arms. That woman had flung her hands over his neck and pressing her breasts on his chest.

And that man was nobody else but Jianyu.

Serena’s entire world crashed down. She numbly stood there like a statue, her gaze locked on Jianyu, who was kissing and touching another woman in her house.

They heard the sound of her bag fell and turned their heads towards her.

The woman scowled at her, annoyed at her for interrupting their kiss.

“Hey, who are you? Why are you standing there like a mute?”

Jianyu looked at the hurt expression on her face, the tears that filled her eyes, and the shock that her gaze conveyed. 

He smirked. “So, you finally came back.”

Serena felt a big lump in her throat, not letting her speak anything. The tears gushed forth, and she choked on her sobs as her voice quivered. “Ji-Jianyu…who…what-what is going on…T-this woman…”

The woman got irritated. “Hey, speak in one proper sentence, you bitch! And how dare you interrupt us!?”

Jianyu smiled and curled a lock of her hair in his fingers. She blushed with this intimate action, and Serena felt as if a bulldozer ran over her. “I’m sorry for my maid. She is a fool, sometimes.”

Serena slowly widened her eyes in disbelief.

Maid…?

The woman sneered. “She is a maid, so she should know her place and also the fact that I’m your woman.”

Serena stumbled on her feet.

‘His woman…’

She somehow found the strength in her legs and walked towards Jianyu. She looked at him, tearfully and panicky. She tried to hold his arm, but he pushed her away. 

“I don’t like filthy people touching me.” He dusted his shirt.

Serena pleaded. “Jianyu, please don’t do this…Why are you doing this? Who is this woman? W-why is she here?”

Jianyu tilted his woman. “Didn’t you hear what she said? She is my woman.” He stepped closer to her. “And what is wrong with kissing my woman? Do I need your permission?”

Serena looked at him, dumbfounded. How could she see him with another woman? She understood that he was doing this only to hurt her as cruelly as he could.

Serena loves him, and what better way to torture her than to make her see Jianyu intimate with another woman?

She felt dread rising in her heart.

“Jianyu, I beg you. Y-you hate me, right? You want to punish me, right? Th-th-then hit me. Slap me. I will do anything you say. But please…” She gasped. “Please, I cannot see you with another woman…please it will kill me.”

Jianyu laughed. “Do you think you are that important to me that I would do this to hurt you? Are you overestimating yourself?”

Serena was trembling. She choked on her sobs.

“And even if it kills you, so what? Should I care what a maid feels?”

The woman snickered.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you that this isn’t your apartment anymore. I have bought it. From today on, you would be the maid serving us. You will do anything I say.”

Serena looked aghast.

“So, now get to your job. Make dinner for us.”

Jianyu smiled at the woman. “Let’s go, dear. We have wasted too much time on a maid.”

They walked towards the room, and Serena madly rushed after them. “No, Jianyu! Don’t go!”

Jianyu closed the door and locked it. 

Serena was desperately banging on the door. “Jianyu! Please don’t. Please d-don’t do anything with her. Jianyu, please listen to me…please come out. Please…” She slowly slid down on the floor, collapsed on the knees. “Jianyu…don’t touch her…”

She kept on crying and crying as she banged on the door.

The thought of him making love to that woman felt as if a million needles were piercing her. That place that was hers, now stood another woman touching her love. The images of them feeling each other plagued her mind like a broken record.

“Jianyu!!!” She screamed.

But he gave no response.

—

Huo Liwei crashed on the couch with a terrible headache. He tried his best to stop their shares from dropping in value, but Jinhai’s attack was too powerful to counteract.

Liwei used all of the resources he had with him, but he couldn’t stop it. Huo Corps would be destroyed at this point. He tried talking to Jinhai, but Assistant Xin didn’t let him. Jinhai refused to give any answer.

‘What will I do now?’

Not only Huo Corps, but he was also a little worried about Serena too. He hated her for blindly following Huo Xiao Fan, but at this stage, when she was pregnant, he couldn’t leave her alone. He couldn’t let go of his duties as a big brother. He didn’t even know what Jianyu was doing with her.

Liwei rubbed his forehead in pain. Then he saw Huo Shen and Huo Xiao Fan coming in through the door.

He flipped out. “You! How dare you take Dad outside! I told you not to show your face to him! Can’t you understand!?”

Huo Xiao Fan hesitated but said nothing.

“Liwei!” Huo Shen shouted. “I told her to go out with me. She did nothing!”

“Don’t cover up for her!”

“I’m not doing anything like that. We just went out for a walk. There is nothing wrong in that.”

Liwei gritted his teeth. “Stupid father! You are still chasing after this shameless woman.”

He stormed out of the villa. Any more sight, and he thought he would explode, seeing his father treating her with so tender and care.

The villa quietened down.

Huo Xiao Fan softly said, “I’m sorry. I always create tension between both of you. Because of me, he fights with you.”

“No, No! It’s not like that.”

She pursed her lips.

They spent the whole day together, just walking around and visiting nearby places. They talked a lot. They reminisced about their college days. They ate hotpot in the same local shop where they used to snack after classes.

Huo Xiao Fan told him about herself and her life before she married him.

Huo Shen told her about himself how he married his first wife and lost her due to cancer. 

They talked a lot, something they should have done a long time ago. They learned about each other’s lives after they went their separate paths after University. It felt like getting to know a whole different person.

For the first time in the last twenty-two years, Huo Xiao Fan felt happy as if some invisible chains got broken up, and now, she was finally free.

The shackles of love and revenge that weighed her down because of Yu Tengfei were no longer there.

She got her freedom.

But it was short-lived. It was time to face the reality which would separate her from Huo Shen forever, and chains would once again shackle her, but this time because of regret and loneliness of losing him.

Huo Shen’s hand was trembling as he held the pen. He pressed the tip on the divorce papers and finally signed on them.

He held those papers towards her and smiled, his eyes moist and shining in tears. “Xiao Fan, you are free now.”

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