Surrounded by the Billionaire's Deep Doting-Chapter 550 - 425: Where’s the Promised Hot Pot? (Fourth Update)

Chapter 550: Chapter 425: Where’s the Promised Hot Pot? (Fourth Update)

Eric is here.

Joyfully, accompanied by Qin Hui, who’s window shopping at Zhengyi Dao. The two of them are carrying two boxes of freshly baked pastries.

Eric holding Qin Hui, rings the doorbell while still chatting with Qin Hui,

"Is this your first time coming to their house?"

Qin Hui nods, "Uh, Xiao Meng kept saying she wanted to bring me here to play, but never had the time."

"Their house is really big, though it can’t compare to mine. When... will you come home with me?"

Qin Hui’s ears suddenly turned red.

What does Eric mean by this?

Going home with him... does this phrase mean the same thing to the British as it does to the Chinese?

If it means the same, it’s really embarrassing, isn’t it?

"What are you smiling foolishly about?"

"Nothing!"

Seeing Qin Hui like this, Eric’s heart started racing too.

He ruffled her hair and, seeing no one answering the door, muttered,

"Speaking of which, inviting me for hot pot, isn’t this a bit too early?"

Qin Hui glanced at him,

"Just realized now?"

Eric shrugged, "Well, Arthur’s way of doing things can indeed be hard for us mere mortals to understand."

Just as he finished speaking, the door opened.

Eric was quick to react, and as soon as the door opened, he exclaimed,

"Surprise!"

"Hey there, Mr. Yin!"

Qin Hui wasn’t bouncing around like Eric; Yin Shixiu always had a strong presence, and whenever talking to him, Qin Hui couldn’t help but be cautious.

Even now, her greeting was as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz.

Surprise...

Yin Shixiu looked expressionless, first at Eric and then at the girl beside him.

Yin Shixiu knew about Qin Hui’s pursuit of Eric, but were they really together?

This was something Su Xiaomeng hadn’t mentioned to him.

If he had known, he wouldn’t have called Eric that night.

"Why that expression? Want me to introduce? Xiao Hui, your wife’s classmate, whom you’ve met—"

Yin Shixiu raised his hand to signal him to stop.

He knew Qin Hui.

Seeing their intimate actions, Yin Shixiu could pretty much get the idea.

Since when they started dating, he didn’t care to know.

After all, he was too caught up with himself; his wife had started talking about divorce over some trivial matters.

"Come in, please."

Yin Shixiu said flatly.

Eric entered and switched to a pair of guest slippers like he was familiar with the place, then asked Yin Shixiu,

"Isn’t Xiao Meng probably not a neat freak?"

Yin Shixiu squinted slightly, "The guest slippers are here."

Implying that, regardless of Xiao Meng’s cleanliness, slippers are not to be worn.

Eric puckered his lips and picked out a pair of cute, fluffy slippers for Qin Hui from the guest shoe cabinet.

"Put them on quickly."

Eric, nearly six-foot-three tall, squatting down to help her with the slippers was a bit embarrassing for her, yet it felt sweet.

Yin Shixiu, watching this scene, felt heavy at heart too...

When he called Eric, he didn’t mention Chu Jiao’s situation right away.

Afraid this guy would try to run away when becoming unscrupulous.

Yin Shixiu speculated that the child Chu Jiao was carrying was most likely Eric’s.

And now...

Regarding the ’Surprise’, he couldn’t be blamed; he had only set it up as a trap.

After changing shoes, Qin Hui looked around, her mouth agape; though not inexperienced, she had to admit, Xiao Meng’s house’s decor was truly tasteful.

Low-key luxury, at first glance simplistic to the point of sterility, yet the details showed warmth everywhere.

Following the foyer, they continued further in...

Eric sniffed strongly and asked, 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Where’s the promised hot pot?"

Yin Shixiu didn’t answer as they entered the main living room; lifting his eyes again, Eric was startled, seeing two others in the room.

The woman’s back was toward them, that silhouette...

Cherry?

The sedately seated man was someone he recognized—Yin Shixiu’s family doctor.

Upon hearing, Cherry turned her head. Her injured appearance shocked Eric more...

"Cherry?"

Qin Hui was clearly surprised to see Cherry here.

Though Xiao Meng had mentioned Cherry living two floors above them, encountering her here during their visit was astonishing for Qin Hui.

Cherry gave Qin Hui no response, staring directly at Eric.

Eric hastily looked to Yin Shixiu,

"Is Cherry joining the hot pot?"

After he asked, another door sound came from the bedroom direction...

Soon after...

"Xiao Meng? Going somewhere far?"

Su Xiaomeng appeared, having packed her suitcase, pushing it out.

This move made Yin Shixiu lose his composure and hasten forward,

"Didn’t I say to wait till Eric arrives? He can clear all your doubts! Why are you packing?"

Su Xiaomeng raised her eyes, still indifferent,

"I can’t stay here another minute."

"..."

"I don’t want to hear a word from you or Eric. To me, Yin Shixiu, you’re just a liar."

"What have I done to make you so decisively call me a liar?"

Yin Shixiu could tolerate Su Xiaomeng’s uncertainty, distrust.

Given Chu Jiao’s cleverness, he couldn’t definitively say what she’d told her before he returned.

Yet, he couldn’t figure out what Chu Jiao might have said to provoke such anger and disgust toward him.

He was unaware of Su Xiaomeng’s emotional torment over the past month.

Unaware of how many times she cried and wrestled silently.

Unaware that when balancing her intense love for him, she opted to turn a blind eye to endure and ignore...

Unaware that the facade she’d crafted to exonerate him, shattered inside the moment Chu Jiao presented her with a pregnancy test document.

She pathetically realized, she’d lost even the ability to cry.

She finally grasped how powerless and ludicrous her self-deception appeared before calculating intentions.

"What’s going on with you two...?"

Eric and Qin Hui were thoroughly confused.

Wasn’t this supposed to be... a hot pot gathering?

Yin Shixiu knew Su Xiaomeng’s calmness masked an intense, uncontrollable impulse.

"Chu Jiao’s pregnant. She told Xiao Meng the child is mine!"

Yin Shixiu turned to Eric, his tone filled with resentment.

But Eric, hearing Yin Shixiu’s succinct explanation, immediately grasped the reality.

"You informed Su Xiaomeng, that night, after dropping Chu Jiao at the hotel, did I call you? Didn’t I leave once you arrived?"

"Who slept with Chu Jiao and got her pregnant?"

Su Xiaomeng closed her eyes briefly, but didn’t react emotionally to Yin Shixiu’s assertive explanation.

To her, such reasoning was utterly weak.

Before Eric could answer, she coldly questioned,

"That night, you said you stayed at the company."

She didn’t wish to expose his lie, as it lacked any finesse, but at least it was what he’d personally told her...

Using his own words against him, she felt she could easily do so.

She hadn’t refused to give Yin Shixiu a chance.

She didn’t distrust him; he deceived her, repeatedly."

And all lies and concealment, were nonexistent before Chu Jiao’s arrival, at least she hadn’t discovered them, nor had he revealed them.

This showed Chu Jiao’s unique significance to Yin Shixiu.

Su Xiaomeng’s casual reminder left Yin Shixiu’s back stiff.

He remembered her questioning him the day she fell ill,

"Where were you last night?"

"At the company."

"With whom?"

"With senior management from the company, some of whom have visited, you’ve met them."

...