Volume 1, Chapter 22: Huo Yanchuan and Dogs Not Allowed

"Ms. Lu Xiaorou has been noted."

Huo Yanchuan said coldly, "Rest assured, I will not shield her."

After hanging up, Huo Yanchuan drove to the Nancheng Police Station.

Inside the station, Lu Xiaorou was being interrogated. At first, she adamantly denied bullying Li Ping or hiring people to take compromising photos of her. However, the moment the police produced the evidence and the photographs, she was struck dumb.

How could this be? She had clearly destroyed those photos long ago!

"Lu Xiaorou, are you still not going to confess?"

Lu Xiaorou’s face paled, and she bit her lip hard. She didn't want to admit it, but the evidence was as solid as a mountain.

Outside, a police officer walked in and whispered something into the ear of the interrogator. Lu Xiaorou instinctively glanced toward the door and caught sight of a familiar profile. Her eyes lit up instantly.

Yanchuan! He had come to save her.

Lu Xiaorou was no longer afraid. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to steady her nerves.

The interrogating officer stepped out. Huo Yanchuan spoke with him for a moment, and shortly after, Huo Yanchuan walked in. Upon seeing him, Lu Xiaorou’s eyes immediately turned red, and she looked at him with a pitiful expression.

In the past, Huo Yanchuan might have felt a pang of heartache, but looking at her hypocritical, feigned weakness now, he only felt disgust.

"Yanchuan, are you here to save me?"

Huo Yanchuan remained expressionless.

Lu Xiaorou said aggrievedly, "Yanchuan, I’ve been framed." She was so immersed in the joy of his arrival that she failed to notice how vastly different his attitude was compared to before.

"Oh? And what exactly have they framed you for?"

Lu Xiaorou had already prepared her script. "They are framing me for causing Li Ping's death. You can ask my former classmates; I had a great relationship with Li Ping and took good care of her. How could I possibly have caused her death?"

As she said this, she bowed her head, squeezing out two tears. She looked as innocent as humanly possible.

The interrogating officer watching from the side marveled at the display. Crocodile tears. No wonder the internet comments called Lu Xiaorou a born actress. It was a waste that she hadn't pursued a career in entertainment. Unfortunately, the industry wouldn't want someone with a criminal record.

"But the evidence proves that you bullied Li Ping and forced her to take compromising photos."

In the file his father had given him, the evidence was complete.

Lu Xiaorou stared at Huo Yanchuan. Seeing his cold expression, void of any sympathy or pity—and even tinged with impatience—she suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Ya... Yanchuan, you... you aren't here to save me?"

If he wasn't here to save her, then he was here to...

"Of course not," Huo Yanchuan smiled wickedly. "I am here to watch you fall into the abyss."

She was the first person to ever dare deceive him.

Lu Xiaorou felt bewildered and terrified. She was bewildered by his sudden change in attitude and terrified of what he might do to her.

"Yanchuan, why?"

Everything had been fine when he left; he had even said he would bring her some mung bean cakes from the Shao’s bakery on the west side of the city. How could his attitude have done a complete one-eighty in such a short time?

Huo Yanchuan sneered and flung a stack of photos into Lu Xiaorou’s face.

As the photos fluttered down, Lu Xiaorou saw their contents and her face turned ghostly white in an instant. They were photos of her with many different men. Unlike the ones released online, these were printed, high-definition photos where neither her face nor the faces of the men were obscured.

Lu Xiaorou stammered, "Yanchuan, you... listen to me expl—"

"Shut your mouth," Huo Yanchuan interrupted her bluntly. He felt sick just hearing another word from her.

Just then, the interrogating officer crouched down and picked up one of the photos. In it, Lu Xiaorou was leaning her head on a man’s shoulder, and the man had his arm wrapped affectionately around her.

The officer’s eyes widened with sudden realization.

Seeing the photo the officer had picked up, Lu Xiaorou’s face grew even paler. "You, don't—"

"Ahhh! Boss! Boss, come quick! We have a new discovery!" the officer shouted excitedly. Moments later, a group of police officers rushed in.

The officer held up the photo. "Boss, it’s the 'Lone Wolf'! It’s the Lone Wolf!"

At the mention of the name, all the officers tensed up. The Lone Wolf was a notorious drug lord famous throughout Southeast Asia, originally from Nancheng. True to his name, he was as vicious as a wolf and possessed the caution and cunning of a fox, having escaped massive joint raids multiple times.

The key point was that he had never shown his true face to the public. No one knew who he was or what he looked like. One undercover anti-drug officer had managed to tear off the Lone Wolf’s mask at the very last moment of his life, seeing his true face. Following that, the enraged Lone Wolf had gunned the officer down and dismembered his body.

Apart from that officer, the only other person who had seen the Lone Wolf’s face was his young son, who had been hidden away beforehand. However, the trauma of witnessing his father’s gruesome death had caused him to suffer memory loss. Every method had been tried, but that memory could never be recovered.

The interrogating officer was that very son. The moment he saw that photo, fragments of memory flashed through his mind. He remembered that moment; he remembered the Lone Wolf’s face.

The man in the photo was the Lone Wolf!

Huo Yanchuan was ushered out of the interrogation room, and a new round of questioning began for Lu Xiaorou.

Walking out of the police station, Huo Yanchuan called Huo Qingjun. As soon as the call connected, Huo Qingjun’s mocking voice came through, "Well? Have you seen the true face of that woman?"

Huo Yanchuan, knowing he was in the wrong, let out an "mm."

"Now that you’ve seen it, come back and apologize to your grandfather. He treated you that way because he cares about you," Huo Qingjun’s tone softened.

Huo Yanchuan said gently, "I will, Dad." Apologizing to his grandfather was necessary, but there was something else he had to do first. "Dad, I’m going to the Tang Corporation first, then I’ll come home to apologize."

"The engagement is already broken. Why are you going to the Tang Corporation?"

Huo Yanchuan clenched his fists. "I am going to re-engage with Tang Ruan."

"But she isn't..."

"Don't worry, Dad. Tang Ruan loves me so much; as long as I’m willing, she will definitely agree."

"…Fine, whatever."

After hanging up, Huo Yanchuan took a deep breath and drove to the Tang Corporation, full of confidence. Upon arriving downstairs, he was predictably blocked by security.

Guard A pointed to a sign standing nearby. "Young Master Huo, please look over there."

Huo Yanchuan looked, and seeing the content, his mouth twitched: 'Huo Yanchuan and dogs are not allowed inside.'

"Who wrote this?"

The guard dodged the question. "It was ordered by the young CEO." As for who actually wrote it, it was Miss Lin, the young CEO’s best friend.

Huo Yanchuan: !

Very well.

Suppressing his displeasure, he stepped aside and used a backup number to call Tang Ruan. After a few rings, it was answered, and Tang Ruan’s calm voice came through. "Hello, who is this?"

Huo Yanchuan felt momentarily dazed. "It’s me."

"Beep, beep, beep—"

The call was hung up, leaving only a dial tone. When he tried to call again, he found he had been blocked once more.

Upstairs in the General Manager's office, Lin Jie returned the phone to Tang Ruan and laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Did the 'Huo Dog' finally discover Lu Xiaorou’s true face, and now he’s remembered how good you are, Ruanruan? Is he trying to crawl back to you?"

Tang Ruan shrugged. "Maybe."

"So, are you going to take him back, Ruanruan?"

"No."

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Secretary Xiao Lian walked in, looking troubled. "Young CEO, Zhou Qing from A University wants to see you."