Chapter 287 - 283: The Heroine of an Old-Fashioned Romance Novel 3

Chapter 287: Chapter 283: The Heroine of an Old-Fashioned Romance Novel 3

Outside the conference room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, a torrential downpour raged.

Raindrops hammered violently against the glass, as if heralding the arrival of a storm.

Ji Xiaosong stood before the projector. With a light tap of her finger on the remote, a striking, scarlet title lit up the screen:

"The Funeral of Traditional Finance: A Blockchain Solution for Cross-Border Payments."

At the head of the long table, Huo Chen slowly set down his coffee cup, the metal cufflinks reflecting a cold glint under the lights.

His gaze was as sharp as a falcon’s, locked tightly onto Ji Xiaosong.

"For the past three years, the Huo Group’s cross-border remittance business on this continent has stagnated."

Her voice was like a drawn blade, each word sharp and resonant. "It’s not because we aren’t strong enough. It’s because we are personally hammering the nails into the coffin of the traditional financial model."

The directors exchanged glances, and the air in the conference room instantly froze.

The Chief Financial Officer, Chen Kang, shot to his feet, his face ashen.

"Miss Ji, watch your words!"

"Let her finish."

Huo Chen spoke suddenly, his voice quiet but filled with an authority that could not be questioned.

The corners of Ji Xiaosong’s lips lifted slightly as she pressed the button to advance the slide.

The screen switched to a meticulously prepared data comparison chart. "Take Country F, for example. Overseas workers remit up to 35 billion US dollars back home annually, and the Huo Group’s average transaction fee is 12.7 percent."

She paused for a deliberate second, letting the staggering number sink in for everyone. "But if we were to adopt blockchain technology..."

She pressed the button again. The numbers on the screen began to change rapidly, finally settling on a shocking figure:

0.8%.

The entire conference room fell into a deathly silence. Even the sound of breathing was clearly audible.

Huo Chen’s long fingers tapped gently on the solid wood table, the rhythm slow and deliberate.

"Interesting."

His voice was soft, yet it made everyone hold their breath. "Do you have any idea how many people’s cheese you’re moving with this proposal?"

Ji Xiaosong met his gaze without a trace of fear. "Including the underground banking businesses that three of the directors present have secretly invested in."

BANG!

Chen Kang slammed his hands on the table and shot up, his face flushed crimson. "Mr. Huo, this woman is just here to cause trouble! This is slander!"

Huo Chen suddenly smiled.

He rose slowly to his feet. His impeccably tailored black suit made him look like a dark cloud about to engulf the city.

"Notify the tech department. Form a special project team immediately."

As he walked over to Ji Xiaosong, he leaned in slightly, his low voice audible only to her.

"2801. Ten o’clock tonight."

The familiar scent of cedar drifted past her ear, carrying an oppressive weight that couldn’t be refused, and her heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster.

Late at night, the lights in Suite 2801 were soft and ambiguous.

Half a bottle of whiskey on the coffee table was already gone, the amber liquid glinting enticingly in the light.

"The underground banks under Yang Yang’s father’s name handle at least two billion in dirty money annually."

Ji Xiaosong slapped a USB drive onto the coffee table with a crisp sound. "This contains all the evidence, including the flow of funds and a list of all personnel involved."

Huo Chen unhurriedly loosened his tie, revealing a sexy Adam’s apple. "What do you want?"

"A partnership."

She tilted her head back and downed the liquor in her glass, the alcoholic burn searing a path from her throat to her stomach. "I’ll help you devour the Yang Family’s market share. You give me an independent team and a right to dividends."

Ice cubes clinked gently in the glass, making a clear, crisp sound.

Huo Chen suddenly leaned in close, so close they could feel each other’s breath. "About that night... you have nothing to say?"

Ji Xiaosong scoffed, a trace of mockery flashing in her eyes. "We’re adults who both got what we wanted. Surely Mr. Huo doesn’t think I’m going to demand a monument to my chastity?"

Huo Chen’s gaze suddenly deepened. "And if I insist on compensating you?"

His voice was low and hoarse.

"Then donate it to an animal shelter."

She slapped his hand away, her gaze sweeping meaningfully over his waist and abdomen. "After all, Mr. Huo’s ’technique’..."

She deliberately drew out her words. "...is certainly worth the price."

Huo Chen’s eyes darkened. He suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.

The tips of their noses were almost touching, their breaths mingling.

"Ji Xiaosong," his low voice was laced with danger, "do you have any idea what the consequences are for provoking me?"

She met his gaze without flinching, her red lips parting slightly. "I can’t wait to find out."

Outside, the storm still raged, but the temperature inside was steadily rising.

Just as it seemed he was about to take things further, Ji Xiaosong let out a light laugh and turned to leave.

She was still keenly aware of the difference in their status—who Huo Chen was, and who she was.

In the weeks that followed, the two had little contact. Ji Xiaosong was busy getting the project off the ground and had no time for anything else.

*

Morning sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains and into the room. Ji Xiaosong, curled up in bed, was jolted awake by a sharp, twisting pain in her stomach.

She rolled over and sat up, pressing her fingers to her temples. The dull ache of a hangover had yet to fade.

Ever since that confrontation with Huo Chen at the Yunding Hotel, her health had been steadily declining. Stomach pains, nausea, dizziness... it was as if all her exhaustion had erupted at once.

"I can’t put this off any longer."

She muttered to herself, reaching for the phone on her nightstand to book an appointment with the hospital’s gastroenterology department.

As her finger swiped across the screen, she saw an email reminder from the Huo Group:

[Project Progress Report Countdown: 48 Hours].

The hospital corridor was filled with the smell of disinfectant. Ji Xiaosong sat on a bench in the waiting area, her fingertips tapping unconsciously against her knee.

She had assumed it was just a simple case of gastritis, but after the doctor heard her describe her symptoms, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Have you been sexually active recently?"

Ji Xiaosong’s fingertips froze instantly.

The doctor slid a test request form toward her. "First, let’s do an hCG test to rule out the possibility of pregnancy."

Half an hour later, she stared at the test report in her hand, her blood turning to ice.

Six weeks pregnant.

For a moment, she forgot to breathe.

Six weeks ago. That was exactly when she’d had that absurd night with Huo Chen at the hotel.

"This is impossible..."

She mumbled under her breath, but the data on the report was cold and clear.

Her phone suddenly vibrated. It was a text from Huo Chen:

[Tonight, 8 PM. The usual place.]

Ji Xiaosong’s hand clenched violently around the report, the paper crinkling in her palm.

The obstetrician was a gentle, middle-aged woman. "The fetus is developing normally. What do you plan to do?"

"I... I need time to think."

"If you decide to terminate, I recommend doing it before the eight-week mark."

The doctor handed her a pamphlet. "However, you have a somewhat weak constitution. You’ll need to be especially careful after the procedure."

She numbly took the pamphlet. As she tucked it into her bag, her fingers brushed against cold metal—the room key Huo Chen had given her.

The wind was a bit strong at the hospital entrance. Ji Xiaosong was looking down, fumbling for her phone, when a sudden gust swept past. WHOOSH!

The test report flew out of her bag, fluttered in the air a few times, and then drifted down to land in front of a pair of gleaming black leather shoes.

She instinctively reached out to grab it, but when she saw who bent down to pick it up, her blood ran cold.

Huo Chen.

He stood there in a sharply tailored black suit, the scar on his brow bone glinting coldly in the sunlight.

His eyes swept over the report. He slowly looked up, and their gazes met.

The air froze.

"Explain."

Huo Chen’s voice was laced with ice.

Ji Xiaosong gave a cold laugh. "Doesn’t Mr. Huo understand the basic concept of privacy?"

He raised his wrist, evading her attempt to snatch it back. "Six weeks ago. There was only that one night."

"So what?"

She looked him straight in the eye. "Surely Mr. Huo doesn’t think I’m going to use a child to threaten you?"

Huo Chen’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

She suddenly snatched the report and tore it to shreds. "Relax. I want to get rid of this accident more than you do."

As the scraps of paper fluttered down, Huo Chen suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Are you sure you want to discuss this here?"

His thumb was pressed against her pulse, which was racing fast and hard.

In the back seat of the black Maybach, Huo Chen raised the partition, and the enclosed space was suddenly filled with nothing but the sound of their breathing.

"Go back to the hospital for another check-up."

He handed her a new test request form. "My private doctor."

Ji Xiaosong didn’t take it. "That won’t be necessary. I’m going to schedule the procedure tomorrow."

Huo Chen’s expression turned grim. "Do you think I’d let you just get rid of the Huo family’s bloodline?"

"Bloodline?"

She laughed mockingly. "Before that night, Mr. Huo didn’t even remember my name, did he?"

The car fell into a dead silence.

After a long moment, Huo Chen suddenly spoke. "Have you finished reading the files on the new energy project?"

The abrupt change of topic startled her.

"I have."

She answered warily, "But what does that have to do with the current situation?"

Huo Chen leaned closer, his cedar scent enveloping her. "Yang Yang’s father is going to push for that project at the board meeting tomorrow."

His lips nearly brushed her earlobe. "I want you to use those files to crush him in front of everyone."

Her fingers trembled slightly. "...Why me?"

"Because only you,"

His voice was low and dangerous, "have both the motive and the ability to get revenge on them."

That night, Ji Xiaosong stood in front of the bathroom mirror, the hot steam fogging its surface.

She gently caressed her still-flat stomach, the doctor’s warning flashing through her mind:

"The procedure could lead to future infertility."

Her phone lit up with a text from Chen Mo:

[Xiaosong, we need to talk.]

She gave a cold laugh and was about to delete it when a second message popped up immediately after:

[Yang Yang’s father is going to invest in my new company.]

Her finger hovered over the screen. She suddenly recalled Huo Chen’s words: ’Use those files to crush them.’

A drop of water slid down her collarbone and shattered on the tiled floor.

The next morning, Ji Xiaosong pushed open the door to the Huo Group’s conference room.

The directors were already seated. Huo Chen sat at the head of the table, while Yang Yang’s father was speaking eloquently:

"This new energy project..."

His voice died abruptly.

Everyone turned to look at her, the sudden intruder.

A slight smirk touched Huo Chen’s lips. "Perfect timing. Let’s have Miss Ji share her insights."

Ji Xiaosong walked steadily to the projector. The moment she inserted the USB drive, the screen lit up with evidence of financial fraud from Yang Yang’s father’s company.

"According to the information obtained by the Huo Group,"

Her voice was clear and cold. "President Yang has inflated his revenue by at least 300 million."

The conference room erupted in an uproar.

Yang Yang’s father shot to his feet. "Nonsense!"

"Whether it’s nonsense or not,"

Huo Chen unhurriedly pushed a file across the table, "why don’t you take a look at this, President Yang?"

Amid the dull thud of the file hitting the table, Ji Xiaosong’s and Huo Chen’s gazes met from across the room.

A flash of admiration crossed his eyes, and she finally understood: this was a meticulously designed alliance for revenge.