Dozens of minutes earlier, when Jiayi had run into Nie Yixiao in the restroom, she had initially planned to ask him some questions. However, she was immediately infuriated by him, and then that incident occurred.

As a result, up to this moment, she didn’t even know who her biological mother was, where she might be, or whether she was dead or alive.

"No need to say more." Huo Zhenyang’s voice arose at the right moment, interrupting Xuan Yu’s persistence, as he wrapped his arm around Jiayi’s waist and stood up.

Jiayi came to her senses and stood up first.

Seeing that Master Huo was about to leave, Xuan Yu had no choice but to, like Ambassador Qiu, accompany Nie Yixiao to send the two out.

Outside the embassy, the night had grown deep.

The black luxury sedan had already arrived, parking at the foot of the marble steps.

George opened the car door.

Huo Zhenyang, with the girl in his arms, stood on the steps, turned his head, and said flatly, "That will be all, Ambassador Qiu." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Ambassador Qiu quickly replied, "Not at all, Master Huo, we invited you to the banquet, so it is only proper we see to your complete care. We shall see you and Miss Chu of the Third into the car, then follow behind for a while."

Aiming to comply with Xuan Yu’s wishes today, to invite Master Huo and ensure Miss Chu the Third is sent back to S Country, Ambassador Qiu was quite afraid of offending Master Huo.

Once Xuan Yu patted his backside and returned to his country, there would be no issue for him, but Ambassador Qiu was to stay in China for a long time. In case Master Huo took retaliation, he couldn’t afford it and merely sought to ingratiate himself first.

Nie Yixiao’s half of his face still ached, but seeing Jiayi about to leave, he forgot even the pain, impulsively saying, "Yes, we should all accompany her."

Huo Zhenyang glanced at Nie Yixiao standing beside Xuan Yu, a flicker of half anger and half challenge passing through his eyes. Did he still harbor inappropriate thoughts?

He then turned to the Little Kitten in his arms, "Baby, do you want them to accompany us?"

Jiayi looked indifferent as she glanced at Nie Yixiao, feeling a surge of irritation.

Without any hesitation, she tilted her little face upward, sweet as a little lamb, tiptoed, and moved closer to the man’s ear, "Husband, I don’t like having so many people following us."

Although she spoke softly, in the quiet of the night, the few people present all heard it.

Nie Yixiao’s handsome yet swollen face suddenly turned even redder than before, his proud brows twitched, and he clenched his fists.

Husband... huh. Husband.

In an instant, his mood turned indifferent again, and a bitter smile emerged.

Even though Huo Zhenyang was aware that her reason for actively calling him husband was largely to anger Nie Yixiao, he had to admit that the word husband sounded rather pleasant.

He accepted the role without hesitation, smiling, "Everyone heard that, right? The little girl doesn’t enjoy being followed, so let’s just leave it there for today. Ambassador Qiu, no need for formality."

Ambassador Qiu couldn’t insist any further.

As Jiayi turned to descend the steps, she inexplicably looked at Xuan Yu.

Huo Zhenyang noticed her pause and lowered his head, "What’s wrong?"

She calculated in her mind, he was currently annoyed at Nie Yixiao and didn’t want her to interact with Xuan Yu or Nie Yixiao.

If she wanted to speak to Xuan Yu alone, he would become even angrier and definitely wouldn’t agree.

She shook her head, her lashes drooping like a small dove’s, "It’s nothing."

Watching the couple depart in the car, Nie Yixiao roused from his dejection and frowned, "Madam Mother, are we just going to watch Jiayi leave with Master Huo like this?"

Xuan Yu chuckled lightly, her face revealing a determined expression, "Don’t worry, if all goes as expected, she will come to me on her own."

____

The night at Huo Garden was long and silent.

At one in the morning, after making sure everyone in the villa had fallen into a peaceful slumber, Jiayi sat up.

Sighing helplessly as she looked at the smooth and undisturbed side of the bed next to her, she got up.

After returning from the embassy that evening and taking a bath, the man had planned to join her in bed, claiming they should sleep together.

Perhaps it was because of the encounter with Nie Yixiao that night, but Huo Zhenyang’s possessiveness was particularly strong.

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, feeling that this man was taking the meeting with Nie Yixiao even worse than she did.

It wasn’t until she had no other choice but to say her period had come, causing her discomfort and wanting some rest—and also to save him from getting dirty—that the man finally returned, albeit unwillingly, to his own bedroom.

Jiayi quickly dressed and slipped into her shoes, stealthily making her way out of the bedroom.

Although the door creaked as it opened, it still managed to wake Auntie Li in the next room.

Auntie Li, now in charge of looking after her, had her room right next door, very close by.

Auntie Li was a light sleeper, and she could hear every little sound at night. She had already noticed some rustling in the adjacent bedroom as if something was up, and now hearing the door, she immediately came out.

She hadn’t expected to see Jiayi, all dressed up as if she were going out.

"Jiayi, where are you going in the dead of night?" Auntie Li asked in surprise.

Jiayi put her finger to her lips and shushed, "Auntie Li, keep your voice down, don’t wake up the young master. I’m just stepping out for a bit, don’t let him know."

Seeing even the young master was kept in the dark, Auntie Li grew more anxious, "What are you up to? Even if you won’t tell the young master, you should have George accompany you. I’ll go call him..."

If George knew, that would be the same as letting Huo Zhenyang know.

Jiayi swiftly grasped Auntie Li’s hand, "There’s no need, Auntie Li. Don’t worry, I’ll be back before dawn."

Although Auntie Li did not know the specifics, she had a foreboding feeling. The biggest issue surrounding Miss Jiayi lately had been those from the Chu Family seeking her out.

She speculated, "You’re not going to meet that Mrs. Chu, are you? Not planning to sneak away with them? That’s absolutely not okay. The young master said that if you’re going back to S Country to recognize your relatives, he must accompany you. I’ll go wake him..."

Jiayi couldn’t help but smile wryly, "If I wanted to sneak out, I would have agreed back at the embassy tonight. Why would I sneak away now? Don’t worry, it’s really nothing. I just want to ask about Mrs. Chu... about my mom."

Auntie Li had some idea that Mrs. Chu, Xuan Yu, wasn’t Jiayi’s biological mother. Understanding Jiayi’s urgency, she hesitated for a moment and then no longer obstructed her, "Then you must come back quickly."

Jiayi appeased Auntie Li and tiptoed downstairs, heading towards the side door.

Having lived in Huo Garden for some time now, she had grown quite familiar with the layout.

She knew every nook and cranny, including which servant was on night duty guarding the doors.

The side gate was unlocked, and the night watchman just happened to be absent at that moment.

Jiayi quickly seized an opportunity and slipped out, stepping into the light of the streetlamps on the road.

She hailed a taxi, climbed into the back seat, and after taking a deep breath, said to the driver, "Shenghua Grand Hotel, please."

This was where Xuan Yu, Chu Xinyu, and their party were staying while they were in G City.

About half an hour later, the taxi pulled up to the entrance of Shenghua Grand Hotel.

After paying the fare, Jiayi ascended the steps, approached the hotel, and spoke to the receptionist, "Hello, I’m looking for a guest with the surname Xuan, from S Country."

Seeing someone come to look for a guest in the middle of the night, the receptionist was startled, "Miss, it’s now 2:00am China time, the guests are resting. Perhaps you can come back tomorrow..."

"Miss Chu’s here to see Mrs. Chu, isn’t she?"

A man in a black suit approached, interrupting the receptionist, "Miss Chu, please come upstairs. I believe the madam is very eager to see you."