Hidden identities of the AI Heiress
Chapter 830 - Chapter 830 Chapter 830 Engaged So Early

Chapter 830: Chapter 830: Engaged So Early? Chapter 830: Chapter 830: Engaged So Early? Huo Chi gave some instructions to the person on the other side of the phone, then set the phone down, and looked up to see Han Luo hesitating, seemingly wanting to speak.

Feeling agitated, he was not in the mood to spar with Han Luo and raised his eyebrows to ask, “What, do you have something else to say?”

Han Luo directly asked, “Second Young Master, are you planning to strike against Qiao Yun’s brother?”

Huo Chi did not hide his intentions. His lips slightly curled into a sinister smile, “You guessed right. To stop Qiao Yun from attending Tianqi’s assessment, targeting him is definitely the right move.”

Han Luo really could not understand Huo Chi’s thought process. He clarified, “Second Young Master, Lu Zhanxing is not just a celebrity but a highly popular one. If something happens to him, it might blow things up even more, and Qiao Yun’s family is not limited to Lu Zhanxing. You could have targeted someone else.”

Huo Chi shrugged, “Like I need you to tell me that. I’m aware of this, but getting close to him would be easier, and time is not on my side.”

“But…”

“There are no buts.”

Huo Chi glared at him darkly, “You even dared to falsely claim the title of a student under Professor Qiao, and now your courage shrinks.”

This comment hit a sore spot for Han Luo, and his face immediately turned ugly.

Huo Chi slowly said, “Having a big commotion can be beneficial too. As soon as both true and false news break out, I don’t believe she won’t be anxious.”

He was very confident about this minor issue and could definitely clean up afterwards.

No matter the investigation, it would only be deemed an accident, not foul play.

Han Luo did not know what Huo Chi intended to do to Lu Zhanxing and seeing that persuasion was futile, he didn’t bother to try anymore. After all, if something really happened, he wouldn’t be responsible.

He stopped bringing up that matter and spoke in a subdued tone, “Second Young Master, you must be aware that with Tianqi handling things this way, I no longer have a way out, and the AI system project has always been under my charge. No one knows it better than I do.”

Huo Chi narrowed his eyes, “You’re threatening me.”

“No, it’s mutual benefit. I suppose you’d also like to have more supporters in the Huo Family, right?”

Han Luo took a deep breath, his voice hushed as he analyzed, “You should clearly understand that the cooperation with Tianqi will definitely fall through. You’ve bungled this big time, and the eldest master will never delegate authority to you now.”

Huo Chi did not rush to answer, his expression grave, lost in thought.

The hand Han Luo held at his side clenched nervously, his palm already slick with cold sweat.

Despite Huo Chi being unreliable, after all, he was from the Huo Family, and negotiating terms with such a person still made him quite nervous.

After a long while, Huo Chi slowly nodded, “You make some sense. If you can get your hands on Tianqi’s AI data this time, I will find a way to bring you back into Huo Corporation.”

Han Luo was thrilled, repeatedly promising, “Second Young Master, rest assured, I’m completely confident in this matter. Tianqi will never expect someone to sabotage them from within on the day of the assessment.”

Huo Chi was actually half-doubtful of Han Luo’s plan, but it was better than doing nothing.

Moreover, everyone now knew that Han Luo was dismissed by Huo Corporation; whatever he did was unrelated to the Huo Family, and if discovered, Han Luo would be the only one to shoulder the blame.

After clarifying all his thoughts, Huo Chi said in good spirits, “Young Master’s future relies on you now, don’t disappoint me.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Han Luo also breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as this plan succeeded, he’d have the leverage to return to the Huo Family.

His insistence on returning to the Huo Family wasn’t because it was particularly good, but because it was his only available option.

Only the Huo Family had the potential to compete with Tianqi.

Han Luo clenched his teeth, a resentful look flashing in his eyes.

One day, he would undoubtedly achieve results that would make those at Tianqi deeply regret their actions.

…

Huo Chi sent Han Luo back to focus on preparing the plan. As for the Huo Family’s side, he would find a way to handle everything completely.

He sat on the sofa, not the least bit sleepy, facing the biggest Waterloo of his life for the first time.

He tossed and turned until late into the night before he finally dozed off in confusion.

It was the ring of the phone that woke him up.

Huo Chi scowled, picked up the phone to see it was his father calling, and he snapped to attention, hastily answering, “Dad, why did you suddenly call me, what do you need?”

The person on the other end started with a barrage of scolding, “You wastrel! It wasn’t easy for your dad to bring in a cooperation deal with Tianqi, trying to let you earn some achievements. You screwed it up, fine, but you even got me involved!”

Huo Chi was shocked, “What did Big Brother do to you?”

Huo Chi and Huo family’s eldest son, Huo Lin, were actually cousins. The former Family Head of Huo Family had five sons; his father being Huo Lin’s third uncle.

Since Huo Lin took control, he had imposed his authority sharply and decisively, keeping these uncles tightly under his thumb, making them live in his shadow, though he had not really wronged them.

So after the cruise incident, although he was frightened, he thought that as a member of the Huo Family, his brother wouldn’t refuse to help him deal with the aftermath.

The person on the other side angrily said, “That scoundrel Huo Lin, he took away most of the properties under my name, saying it was to compensate the victims of this incident because of you!”

Huo Chi gasped, his vision swayed as if he saw billions flying away from in front of his eyes.

“Dad! Did you agree to it?”

“What choice did I have? Do you want to be disowned by the Huo Family? And about that video, everyone in the family knows about it now.”

Huo Chi, bewildered, asked, “What video?”

The person on the other end spoke with exasperation, “What else could it be, naturally, the video where you plotted to harm those people.”

Huo Chi immediately thought of how Qiao Yun, in front of everyone, had exposed his plan to use a virus for his scheme.

He panicked, “How did the video get out?”

“Someone sent the video to Huo Lin. You really messed up, son. I know you wanted to make some achievements, but how could you use such a method!”

Huo Chi couldn’t listen anymore. Right now, he was incredibly furious yet utterly powerless.

The truth was, it was his fault, but he also hadn’t expected to fail.

“Huo Lin told me to tell you, you have two days to return, otherwise you should never come back.”

Huo Chi shivered; going back now was impossible. His eyes shifted as he said, “Dad, I can’t go back now. I need to redeem myself.”

Before the person on the other end could explode, he continued, “Doesn’t Big Brother like talent? I came across a talented person. If I can bring her over, Big Brother surely won’t fuss about this matter. Also, I haven’t gotten hold of Tianqi’s AI data yet. Give me ten more days, no, just five days, I’ll have it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

The person on the other end didn’t respond for a few seconds, likely pondering. After a while, he finally replied, “I’ll give you one chance. I will try to delay Huo Lin. If you mess up again, you know the consequences.”

Huo Chi swallowed his saliva, “I understand.”

After hanging up the phone, Huo Chi collapsed on the bed like he had lost all strength, utterly frustrated.

Had Qiao Yun done this, or was it the people from Tianqi Research Institute out to get him?

But thinking about it, it was more likely Tianqi’s doing.

Huo Chi clicked his tongue, his eyes cold.

It seemed Tianqi Research Institute was prepared to fight him to the bitter end.

With strength and finances, he indeed had no way to compete with Tianqi, but no one understood underhanded tactics better than him.

And there was Qiao Yun.

Huo Chi touched his face, rather narcissistically considered, had he not known about her relationship with Li Hanzhou, he might have tried seducing her.

…

On the other side.

Qiao Xun had returned to Yuncheng this time to represent the Qiao Family in an academic event hosted by the Huo Family, but now that everything had gone awry, it was time for him to head back.

Before leaving, a group of five people found a spot to have lunch.

Qiao Xun, looking at a table that barely accommodated all the dishes, clicked his tongue and said, “Li Miao, did you order too much? Can we finish it all?”

The meal had been personally ordered by Li Hanzhou, who had selected mostly dishes Qiao Yun liked.

Li Hanzhou replied with extreme calmness, “Since the uncle-in-law is about to leave, naturally I should give you a proper send-off.”

Qiao Xun chuckled.

The way he said it, it sounded like he would never return.

Moreover…

Qiao Xun, with a forced smile, said, “Li Miao, you’re too polite. I really can’t bear you calling me uncle-in-law, just call me by my name.”

Li Hanzhou responded casually, “You are Qiaoqiao’s uncle-in-law, which makes you mine as well, and sooner or later, you’ll have to get used to it.”

Qiao Xun smiled slightly, “It’s too soon to talk about this now. Qiaoqiao just turned nineteen, several years shy of the legal marriage age.”

Who knows if you’ll be dumped by then.

Li Hanzhou didn’t seem upset, and with a smile on his lips, he said, “We could always get engaged first.”

Qiao Yun pretended she didn’t hear and focused on eating.

Li Miao looked around, thoroughly enjoying the drama as if eating melon seeds.

Su Qingyan, in the presence of two absolute powerhouses, didn’t get a chance to speak but finally interjected when the topic of engagement came up, “Isn’t it too soon to talk about engagement?”

They hadn’t been together that long, and he could sense that Qiao Yun’s feelings were a bit hazy.

She might like Li Hanzhou, but the origin of this liking was something he thought Qiao Yun herself might not even understand.

“As long as Qiaoqiao is willing, I am ready anytime,” Li Hanzhou said as he served Qiao Yun a piece of fish, placing it in her bowl, and asked gently, “What else would you like to eat?”

Qiao Yun paused, glanced at her uncle, hesitated with her chopsticks, and said softly, “You eat; don’t mind me.”

As if knowing what Qiao Yun was thinking, Li Hanzhou said unhurriedly, “Your uncle-in-law won’t mind.”

With a half-smile, he looked at Qiao Xun, “Right?”

Qiao Xun’s mouth twitched, and looking into Qiao Yun’s sparkling eyes, he laughed and said, “I’m not upset.”

“Oh.”

Qiao Yun, feeling utterly justified, put the fish in her mouth, still very much enjoying Li Hanzhou’s attention.

She really didn’t understand why her uncle suddenly disliked Li Hanzhou.

She used to admire him so much.

Men, truly fickle creatures.

Since her uncle wasn’t upset, out of courtesy, Qiao Yun also offered some food to Li Hanzhou, her clear eyes intently staring at him, “Eat.”

Li Hanzhou smiled, naturally accepting the morsel from Qiao Yun, and then with a meaningful tone, he said, “Tastes better than when I do it myself.”

Qiao Yun hesitated for a moment, then served Li Hanzhou another piece of beef.

Li Hanzhou’s eyes half-closed, feeling very pleased with Qiao Yun’s proactive feeding.

Qiao Xun wore an expressionless face, numbly accepting the fact that Li Hanzhou taking his niece away was now an irreversible reality.

He set down his chopsticks with a light sigh of regret, “If it weren’t for the fact that I have other matters to attend to, I really wouldn’t want to leave. It’s been a long time since I visited Yuncheng, and I quite miss it.”

The most important thing though, was that he could keep an eye on Li Hanzhou, preventing him from taking any more than he already had.

After Qiao Xun expressed his sentiments, it seemed as though he remembered something amusing and laughed, “Right, have you guys heard about the Huo Family incident?”

Su Qingyan furrowed his brows, “What does the Huo Family want to do now?”

Qiao Yun also looked up at Qiao Xun, her face a picture of sweet anticipation as she waited for his explanation.

“It’s about Huo Chi’s incident, it has blown up. The Huo Family had to cede quite a bit of their interests,” as a victim, Qiao Xun naturally received an apology from the Huo Family as well.

“The Huo Family indeed has some decent people, but of course, there are plenty with ill intentions too, like this Huo Ershao, who’s always thinking of crooked schemes.”

Su Qingyan agreed with this statement. It wasn’t just the Huo Family that suffered substantial losses; he had heard from his father the day before that the Jiang Family also had to concede many business benefits to extricate themselves from this affair.

This incident had dealt a significant blow to the Jiang Family.

Su Qingyan’s brow furrowed with concern as he cautioned Qiao Yun, “Huo Chi is still in Yuncheng, you must be extra careful yourself, Sister.”

“Hmm?” Qiao Yun wore an expressionless face, seemingly pondering over his words; after a while, she slowly replied half a beat later, “In Yuncheng, he can’t do much to me.”

“Sister, you’re too naive; you don’t realize that people like them always seek revenge.”

After Su Qingyan finished, he saw Qiao Xun chuckle softly, seemingly amused by his words, leaving him puzzled, as he didn’t think he had said anything wrong.

“I’m not laughing at you,” Qiao Xun said while sipping his tea, “He won’t accomplish much.”

Qiao Yun nodded obediently, responding, “Mhm.”

Su Qingyan wasn’t as optimistic as they were, thinking it’d be better to remain vigilant during this time.

Qiao Yun was not worried at all; Yuncheng was her turf, and trying to harm her there would be like pulling teeth from a tiger’s mouth.

After finishing their meal, Qiao Xun noted the time and stood up to head to the airport.

Su Qingyan offered to drive him to the airport, suggesting Qiao Yun return to the hotel to rest.

Qiao Xun had no objections to this.

Seeing this, Qiao Yun did not say much.

…

While Qiao Yun was still dining at the restaurant, Lu Zhanxing was also attending a dinner party.

Although it was called a dinner party, it was essentially just a gathering where everyone dined together, discussed the current state of the entertainment industry, bragged a bit, and casually tried to attract some investment.

Lu Zhanxing listened as someone enthusiastically discussed the topic of internet celebrities with disdain pouring from their words.

He silently rolled his eyes to himself, finding it rather dull.

So, he made an excuse to step out for a breath of fresh air.

After excusing himself, Lu Zhanxing put on a face mask and headed towards the restroom.

He had just walked in when someone else followed him in.

Lu Zhanxing didn’t pay much attention, just reflexively glanced at the newcomer.

The person, noticing his glance, glared back with wide open eyes, staring straight at him.

Lu Zhanxing felt a sense of unease. Could this person have recognized him?

Seeing that the man kept glaring at him without looking like a normal person, he tried to speak up with a light cough, “Excuse me, brother…”

Before he could finish, he saw the ‘brother’ pull out a folding knife from his pocket.

Lu Zhanxing’s expression changed, “Bro, let’s talk this out!”