She Lost Memory Before the Divorce-Chapter 42 - 00: Ex VS Current (2)

Chapter 42: Chapter 0042: Ex VS Current (2)

The door was suddenly pushed open.

“Mr. Huo, there’s a document—”

Sheng Xueqin, upon seeing the scene before her, could not help but grip the folder in her hand a bit tighter.

Mu Lan glanced back, a fleeting idea to stand up crossing her mind, but she immediately suppressed it.

“Just place it on the desk, he will look at it after he finishes lunch.”

This tone of the mistress was simply a perfect blow to Sheng Xueqin.

...

She nearly lost her composure, but she was, after all, Sheng Xueqin, and would always maintain the most perfect demeanor at any time.

She walked to the office desk step by step and placed the document on it.

“This document is somewhat urgent, sorry to disturb you both.”

She just stood there, with no intention of leaving, clearly waiting for Huo Tingxiao to review it personally.

Mu Lan raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that this was indeed the Sheng Family’s Miss, with very clever maneuvers and tactics.

If she wasn’t afraid of getting an eye stye and insisted on staying, then Mu Lan would gladly play along.

Leaning into Huo Tingxiao’s embrace, she reached out to open the document, noting that it was densely packed with English.

A hint of mockery flickered in Sheng Xueqin’s eyes, after all, she was well aware of Mu Lan’s background. Though Mu Lan had also attended a top domestic university, it was nothing compared to her own alma mater.

Such a high-difficulty document, filled with too many professional terms, would be difficult to understand without extensive experience in a professional environment and the experience of studying abroad; she was sure Mu Lan would struggle to comprehend much of it.

Trying to put on an act in front of Huo Tingxiao was really picking the wrong opportunity.

Yet what Sheng Xueqin never expected was that not only did Mu Lan understand it, she even provided insightful suggestions.

“Wow, I didn’t realize the overseas business was so extensive, but the real industry sector is tough right now, don’t you want to consider that a bit more, Tingxiao?

Especially with Europe, it’s better to do more market research.”

Huo Tingxiao watched her rattle on, knowing full well she was doing this for Sheng Xueqin’s benefit, and he willingly played along.

“We’ve already sent reliable people over there, and they’ve done plenty of research.”

The two of them bantered back and forth, effectively ignoring Sheng Xueqin.

Being snubbed by Huo Tingxiao was one thing, but to be so openly supportive of Mu Lan right in front of her was another.

Did he plan to keep this up with her indefinitely?

“Alright then, I was just saying, here, sign this.”

As she was about to hand the pen over to Huo Tingxiao, he surprised her by taking Mu Lan’s hand and signing his name on the document then and there.

Mu Lan, wrapped in his embrace from behind, felt the warmth of his palm on the back of her hand, and heard the scratching of the pen on paper as the flowing ink turned into his bold and vigorous signature, her heartbeat involuntarily skipped a few beats.

“You’ve worked hard.”

He smiled and handed the document back to Sheng Xueqin. Just as she was about to turn and leave, Mu Lan spoke again.

“Miss Sheng, if you don’t mind, would you like to stay for lunch? Mrs. Li has made quite a lot, and the two of us can’t finish it.”

To Sheng Xueqin’s ears, these words were nothing short of an insult. Was she someone who had never eaten? Did she need to stay here and watch her flaunt?

But if she just left like that, she would be extremely unwilling to do so.

“Then I will not refuse such a polite offer.”

Sheng Xueqin’s reply was somewhat surprising to Mu Lan, who instinctively looked towards Huo Tingxiao, only to find him without a trace of excess emotion.

This man was truly formidable inside. An ex and the current one together in one room, yet he did not show the slightest sign of tension.

She rose from Huo Tingxiao’s embrace and meticulously unpacked the food container.

Two tiers, each with six compartments, contained eight dishes of meats and vegetables, two filled with rice, two with cut fruit, and a pair of chopsticks that bore the pattern of twin lotuses.

Huo Tingxiao instructed Jian An to bring in another set of utensils, obviously intended for Sheng Xueqin.

“This taste, it is indeed Sister Li’s culinary skills.”

Having taken only one bite, she spoke with such authority, coupled with a nostalgic expression, Mu Lan couldn’t help but admire Sheng Xueqin.

“Miss Sheng, if you like it, please eat more. After all, we don’t get to enjoy Sister Li’s cooking at home as often as you do.”

Huo Tingxiao watched Mu Lan’s proactive behavior with even more delight in his heart.

It indicated that a certain ungrateful girl had finally become savvy, aware of the fierce competition.

Originally, he felt indifferent upon seeing Sheng Xueqin; if she wanted to work for him, there was no reason to stop her.

However, he had not anticipated that her presence would catalyze this side of Mu Lan, surprising and pleasing him.

“Then I truly thank you, Miss Mu. I was worried that my sudden arrival to work here might be an inconvenience.”

As she spoke, Sheng Xueqin lifted her gaze towards Huo Tingxiao, her eyes brimming with so much affection it seemed ready to overflow.

Mu Lan couldn’t help but feel jealous inside. With such a stunning beauty fluttering around him day after day, Huo Tingxiao really was fortune’s favorite.

“Inconvenience? You’ve come all the way to help Tingxiao with his work, disregarding the Sheng Family’s business. With such devotion, we are more than happy to welcome you.”

Her tone sounded extremely earnest, but there was an undeniable twist to her words, and Sheng Xueqin knew she had to grin and bear it, despite sensing the sarcasm.

“Mainly because I’m still not familiar enough with the domestic work environment, naturally, I wanted to come here and learn from Tingxiao.”

To learn, or to take advantage, perhaps?

Mu Lan silently mocked in her heart, but on the surface, she had to keep up with the acting competition.

“Then you have made the right choice, the position you’ve taken is exactly the one I used to hold, and will surely let you experience the most authentic side of the domestic workplace.

Ah, he originally wanted me to just stay at home and focus on conceiving, and I was a bit worried, you know.

It’s not just anyone who can fill the secretary’s role, right?

Miss Sheng, I truly have to thank you for taking over my work.”

Sheng Xueqin’s hand gripping the chopsticks involuntarily tightened, but she kept her composure.

Her words trampled on Sheng Xueqin’s pride both overtly and covertly.

Previously, she hadn’t considered Mu Lan a threat at all, but after a few encounters, she realized that Mu Lan was nothing like she’d imagined; she was definitely not a pushover.

Then what was the deal with the information she had received before?

Observing Huo Tingxiao’s reaction, he did not seem to be completely dismissive of her either.

Could it be that during her seven years away, they had really developed feelings over time?

Visit fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm for the best novel reading experi𝒆nce.

That was so unlike Huo Tingxiao!

He was never one to easily invest feelings in someone just because they were kind to him.

Or was there some deal between them that she was unaware of?

When it came to maximizing the benefits of marriage, she obviously had more competitive advantage than Mu Lan.

What part of the equation had gone wrong? Sheng Xueqin, who had never second-guessed herself with large projects, found herself in deep self-doubt at this moment.

Even… with a sense of defeat she was utterly reluctant to admit.

The most ludicrous thing was that this feeling of defeat came from someone she had completely disregarded.