Chapter 334: Chapter 0334: It’s Finally Here! (2) Chapter 334: Chapter 0334: It’s Finally Here! (2) Xian Yaping suddenly turned her head and looked back at Huo Qidong, seeing him as if someone had snatched his soul away, looking completely thunderstruck.

It’s over, she has returned, everything is over…

In Huo Qidong’s eyes, he could only see the woman standing not far away. Not having seen her for thirty years, he had imagined their reunion, but when she suddenly appeared before him, he was somewhat taken aback.

She hadn’t changed much, just added a bit of the composure and elegance that the years had bestowed upon her, but he himself…

His legs felt as if they had been filled with lead, unable to move an inch.

Yun Meixian hadn’t noticed Huo Qidong yet, just feeling somewhat unaccustomed to being at such an event.

“Aze, I see that everyone else has brought very young companions, won’t I…”

“Mom, you’re so beautiful that everyone is staring at you, you won’t put me to shame.”

Lin Yize’s words made Yun Meixian smile.

“You child, when did you start joking about me? I think it might be better to find a more secluded spot, I don’t know anyone here.”

Lin Yize glanced at Huo Qidong with a faintly complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

“Mom, there’s a resting area over there, I’ll go greet President Pei.”

Yun Meixian, unaware of her son’s undercurrent, nodded and walked towards the rest area.

In truth, she had agreed to come to such an event with some trepidation, but she feared her son would sense something amiss. She had hidden for thirty years, and now, even if she were to meet that person again… she could remain composed.

Furthermore, it was unlikely they would encounter each other by chance. With this thought, Yun Meixian secretly let out a sigh of relief and went to the rest area to sit down.

Lin Yize walked towards Pei Zhao, keeping an occasional eye on Yun Meixian’s direction.

“President Pei, President Huo.”

Huo Tingxiao looked at Lin Yize with a faint, inscrutable gaze.

If it were before, he might have subconsciously glanced at Mu Lan to gauge her reaction, but it was obvious that he no longer saw Lin Yize as worth his attention, not yet at the level to be considered a rival.

Moreover, Mu Lan’s heart was fully with him, and the security she provided was more than enough. There was no need for him to be jealous.

Lin Yize stole a glance at Mu Lan, but found that she maintained her distance, even neglecting basic social courtesies, which stirred a subtle sense of resentment in him.

If he had hesitated at first, now he felt that there was nothing wrong with bringing all the truths back on track!

“President Lin, is your companion today your mother? Auntie has maintained herself so well, she must be a very disciplined person.”

“She has always been like this, and I have been greatly influenced by her,” Lin Yize spoke with unmistakable pride when mentioning Yun Meixian.

His mother embodied the kindest and most beautiful spirit of the age, yet sadly… such a person had suffered such treatment!

“One would really not guess that you are mother and son. The phrase ‘ageless beauty’ truly suits Auntie.”

Luo Ning was sweet with her words, always keen to maintain relationships with the people around Pei Zhao.

Huo Tingxiao was not interested in these meaningless pleasantries. His gaze inadvertently captured Huo Qidong suddenly stepping forward… heading straight for Yun Meixian!

Yun Meixian was sipping champagne from a glass handed to her by a server.

Suddenly, a tremulous male voice rose up from behind her.

“Xia… Xiaoxian…”

Yun Meixian stiffened in the back, her grip on the glass involuntarily tightening, and her lips quivered uncontrollably.

Even though the voice was unlike it had been in years past, she knew… she knew it belonged to him.

Was it finally time to face it?

Biting her lower lip, Yun Meixian felt a sourness in her nose. She secretly adjusted her breathing, trying hard to make herself appear calm and collected.

Since she had managed to come back with Lin Yize, it was to be able to face everyone, as well as everything, confidently and openly.

Setting down her champagne glass on the table, Yun Meixian turned around and saw Huo Qidong standing in front of her. Thirty years had passed, wrinkles had formed on his face, and his posture was not as upright as before. But the noble air about him remained. Dressed in a well-tailored suit, he was a man in his middle years who still strived to maintain a commendable figure.

For a moment, she felt as though she had returned to the years gone by, to that naive and tender love, overbearing yet irresistible.

In the blink of an eye, ah, thirty years had gone by, and both of them had aged.

“It’s been a long time. How have you been?”

Yun Meixian tried hard to appear proper.

But Huo Qidong was overwhelmed with emotion. He even wanted to forget the occasion, to rush forward and embrace her tightly, to feel whether this was all real.

The woman he had yearned for, day and night, for thirty years, was now standing right in front of him. He… had too much he wanted to say to her.

“I…”

When Huo Qidong opened his mouth, he didn’t know what to say. How could he say he was fine?

But he had lived in a daze for thirty years. He was not fine at all and had made many mistakes, many wrong decisions. He didn’t even have the decency to stand before Yun Meixian.

Back in the day, full of vigor, he believed there was no problem in the world he couldn’t solve, that nothing could keep them apart.

However, a financial crisis had declared that he couldn’t choose his own marriage. The Huo Family had to align with the Han Family for a mutually beneficial marriage to preserve their foundations.

He couldn’t disregard his entire family for his own love, and Yun Meixian wouldn’t agree to be a mistress without status.

Standing at the most bewildering crossroads, they no longer knew which was their path.

In the end… they could only stand on their own grounds.

In the end… they could only go their separate ways.

“Have you been well? All these years, have you been alright?”

Huo Qidong didn’t answer Yun Meixian’s question but asked her in return.

Yun Meixian smiled and then nodded.

“Quite well. My husband treats me well, and my son is very filial. I have a good life.”

Husband, son…

After thirty years, it was only natural that she would have a husband and a son.

Even though he was faced with the objective reality, he still felt inexplicably choked up.

“Then… don’t you want to see him?”

Who Huo Qidong was referring to as “him,” they both understood perfectly well.

Instantly, Yun Meixian’s eyes reddened. Did she not want to? She did, oh how she did… but she couldn’t ruin everything. Time had already made the best choice for her.

But how could she bear to say, she didn’t want to?!

She wanted to, so desperately she was nearly going mad. Night and day, she had never forgotten.

She knew how outstanding he was now, and that he was leading a good life. She feared that her yearning was so intense that she could only catch glimpses of him through the news.

She feared overstepping boundaries, feared that her greed would make her want more.

“I…”

Just as Yun Meixian was about to say something, Xian Yaping quickly walked up to Huo Qidong and wrapped her arm around his.

“Qidong, have you bumped into an old friend?”