Chapter 5 Did You Sleep Well Last Night_1

"Almost ready, don't rush me."

Shen Xinglan said through gritted teeth. She felt that Huo Shiyan must know the reason, but he was pretending not to.

The corner of Huo Shiyan's mouth lifted in a smirk and he shook his head. She didn't ask him to fetch her clothes. Now, he wanted to see how she'd manage.

After a rustling noise, the bathroom door opened revealing a figure with skin as white as snow, a blemish barely visible at her collarbone.

"Excuse me." Shen Xinglan wrapped the bath towel tightly around herself. Of course, hers wasn't big enough, so she had used Huo Shiyan's as well.

Huo Shiyan watched her walk past him, straight towards the dressing room. Her bare feet padded on the floor, leaving petite prints.

When she walked in high heels, she was like a proud swan, elegance reaching up to her neck. Now barefoot, she appeared extra lively, like a cheeky elf princess.

After changing into her pajamas without running into Huo Shiyan, Shen Xinglan locked the bedroom door behind her. She then happily went to bed.

The next day, Shen Xinglan was awakened by the bright light of the noon sun.

Despite the curtains, the noon sun was overpowering.

She rubbed her eyes, turned over, and took a leisurely ten minutes before getting out of bed.

Stepping out of the room immaculately groomed, she found Huo Shiyan sitting on the sofa in his loungewear, reading a book with his golden-rimmed glasses on.

He raised his eyes at her arrival and said indifferently, "Mrs. Huo, did you sleep well last night?"

Shen Xinglan touched her nose sheepishly and chuckled, "I indeed had a good sleep, the mattress was comfortable, the thickness of the quilt just right, and it was very quiet."

"Hmm." Huo Shiyan gave a light chuckle, glancing at his wristwatch, "Let's have lunch, then I'll take you to meet the old house's residents."

Shen Xinglan wanted to say she already knew the people at the old house, so it wasn't necessary.

However, she didn't dare to say so. As she locked Huo Shiyan out on their wedding night, she feared his retaliation.

After a quiet lunch, Huo Xin drove them to the old house.

Contrary to Shen Xinglan's expectations, there were a lot of people at the old house whom she had not met before.

"Why have you come so late? We have been waiting all morning," someone grumbled at them.

Most of them were unaware of Huo Shiyan replacing Huo Huaichuan as Shen Xinglan's spouse.

"Do you have a problem?" Huo Shiyan's eyes became cold looking toward the old woman who spoke. He wouldn't tolerate outsiders meddling in his wife's affairs.

"Look at this, big brother, this is Shiyan's attitude towards us, his elders." The old woman was a relative of the Huo Family, Shiyan's aunt by clan hierarchy.

"Today, I asked you all here not to criticize Shiyan, but for Shiyan's wife to meet you."

Huo Jinghua glowered at the relatives. Changing the groom at the eve of the wedding had embarrassed the Shen Family enough. If these people kept nagging, he wouldn't mind cutting them loose.

After hearing Huo Jinghua, no one dared to object. They now had to give face to Huo Jinghua, and also to Huo Shiyan.

Shen Xinglan followed Huo Shiyan to meet everyone. After meeting so many people, she forgot who was who.

The Huo Family was huge, with many descendants. Circulating among hundreds of people, she could only remember those who she met often at the old house.

"Now that introductions are over, I expect all of you to behave appropriately in public," warned Huo Jinghua, his gaze scanning over everyone.

His words quelled those with ulterior motives.

Today's agenda at the old house was not just introductions, but a family banquet in the evening.

Shen Xinglan, bored out of her mind, was feeding the fish from the railing of Huxin Pavilion.

"Oh, isn't this Third Aunt? Are you feeding the fish?"

Turning around, Shen Xinglan saw two young girls approaching the pavilion, hand in hand.

She knew them - one was Xie Weiyi's close friend Huo Yuting and the other was Huo Huaichuan's sister, Huo Yuran, who was also a big fan of Xie Weiyi.

"What's up?" Shen Xinglan enquired, leaning on her elbow. To be honest, she didn't want to interact with them.

She could still handle Huo Yuting, but Huo Yuran was a different matter.

Ever since she got engaged to Huo Huaichuan, Huo Yuran had been targeting her, feeling that she had stolen Xie Weiyi's boyfriend.

But she forgot that Xie Weiyi and Huo Huaichuan had broken up long before Shen Xinglan got engaged to him. Huo Huaichuan had only agreed to get engaged with her to irritate Xie Weiyi.

In the end, Shen Xinglan was the one who bore the brunt of their actions.

"Shen Xinglan, after failing to seduce my brother, you moved on to my third uncle. Have you no shame?" Huo Yuran asked in a low voice, not daring to raise her voice for fear of being overheard.

Shen Xinglan stared at Huo Yuran, with a seemingly amused expression. Truly, she was once again being made to shoulder the blame. It made her wonder if her mother had cut her brain instead of her umbilical cord when she was born, which might explain why she was being so silly now.

"Third Aunt, you might not know this, but Weiyi is back. It's only because of her return that Brother Huaichuan called off the wedding with you. But you must also be praised. As soon as Brother Huaichuan called off the wedding, you managed to get Third Uncle to marry you," Huo Yuting voiced out sarcastically. Shen Xinglan, who was supposed to be the laughingstock of Yun City, had instead turned into the envied woman of Yun City.

From a young age, she had been jealous of Shen Xinglan, who despite causing the death of her mother during childbirth, was never despised, but rather, adored and cherished by her father and brothers.

"How did you conclude that I seduced Huo Shiyan, and not that Huo Shiyan has been in love with me for a long time?"

Shen Xinglan sneered at them. They were overvaluing her. Can a man like Huo Shiyan be easily seduced?

Although she didn't know why Huo Shiyan decided to marry her, she was sure that Huo Shiyan was not an easy catch.

"Third Uncle is secretly in love with you?" Huo Yuran laughed sarcastically as she looked up and down at Shen Xinglan and asked, "What did Third Uncle fall for? Your face?"

Apart from her radiant face, Shen Xinglan had nothing to offer.

Shen Xinglan reveled in the indulgence of her father and brother, doing as she pleased.

Shen Xinglan touched her natural, unaltered face, her beautiful eyes meeting Huo Yuran's immaculately made-up face, and laughed, "What else can it be? Look at this face of yours, so many surgical enhancements, yet it still can't compare to my natural face. And your chest, looks firmer than it used to be. You must've also spent money on it."

"Shen Xinglan!" Huo Yuran's weakness was exposed, and she instantly flared up. She disregarded everything and lunged at Shen Xinglan.

Shen Xinglan sidestepped, while Huo Yuran slammed into the railing, the pain in her chest excruciating.

Seeing that Huo Yuran's facial features were twisted in pain and hearing footsteps approaching, Huo Yuting raised her voice, "Third Aunt, just because you are now our elder doesn't mean you can bully us. You may be the daughter-in-law of the Huo family, but we too are the daughters of the Huo family."