"Hello everyone, I'm Shen Xiumei's elder brother, Shen Yuanshu."
Shen Yuanshu forced himself to look away from Huo Rou as he said this.
His face was already handsome, and with his current polite demeanor, he instantly gained a wave of favor.
The initially somewhat reserved colleagues also changed their attitudes amidst Shen Yuanshu's humility and courtesy.
Only Huo Rou's pupils widened a fraction when she saw Shen Yuanshu.
It was because of An An that she had investigated this person, and now he appeared.
As Shen Xiumei's elder brother, Shen Yuanshu naturally sat next to Shen Xiumei.
Wei Shikang respectfully moved a chair for him and received a favorable glance from Shen Yuanshu.
"You, are very good." Shen Yuanshu's words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
Wei Shikang, however, thought Shen Yuanshu had seen his potential and finally changed his opinion of him.
"Th-thank you, brother."
He scratched his head and smiled bashfully.
Shen Yuanshu glanced at Shen Xiumei beside him and said meaningfully, "I hit her today because I felt it was unwise for her to stubbornly follow you."
"Mr. Shen, I..." Wei Shikang was eager to defend himself, and the "brother" he had just called had changed to "Mr. Shen."
He still felt a certain degree of awe.
Shen Yuanshu patted his shoulder with a tone of relief, his eyes inadvertently turning to Huo Rou, "Seeing so many excellent colleagues of yours today, and hearing that your project has also progressed, I am very happy for you."
Saying this, Shen Yuanshu seemed to be filled with emotion. He raised his wine glass and stood up, "My sister mentioned that everyone has taken good care of her all along, and I thank you all here."
He drank it down in one gulp, his clean and decisive manner once again winning over the crowd.
The professor was the first to stand up. "We all know a little about Xiao Kang's situation. We researchers don't engage in empty talk; just focus on results!"
He looked at Wei Shikang with a hint of pride. "Xiao Kang's abilities are evident to all, and he is sincere towards Xiao Mei. If you are still worried, just wait for the results. We won't let Xiao Mei suffer any loss."
Shen Yuanshu nodded in agreement. "Yes, Little Mei has always told me about you. Today, I also wanted to take this opportunity to get to know everyone."
Hearing that Shen Yuanshu was finally showing signs of acceptance, Wei Shikang very actively led him to introduce him to each colleague one by one.
After Shen Xiumei's toasting incident just now, Huo Rou sat furthest away from them. As Wei Shikang introduced them one by one, a flicker of impatience crossed Shen Yuanshu's eyes.
He hid it very well, maintaining his polite and gentlemanly image.
He was humble and courteous towards everyone, his demeanor calm, until he reached Huo Rou and saw An An sitting on a stool, looking wary.
The last time he encountered An An, he had guessed that An An was Qin Ningyi's son. But now, seeing him sitting next to Huo Rou, looking so dependent on her, his heart skipped a beat.
Could it be...
"This is Teacher Huo Rou, who has been of great help to us, a heroine who can do the work of ten!"
Wei Shikang's wording became a bit exaggerated, but no one present refuted it. Huo Rou truly deserved such praise.
"This is Teacher Huo Rou's son, An An."
Wei Shikang naturally did not omit An An. This little clever boy had said many witty remarks along the way.
After Wei Shikang's introduction, Shen Yuanshu's guess became a fact.
Huo Rou had such a grown child, and it was Qin Ningyi's!
So, she abandoned that profession for a man and became an ordinary person?
Thinking of this, Shen Yuanshu's back molars were about to grind to dust. Wasn't she loyal and patriotic? Didn't she say she would die for it? Why!
"Brother?" He was lost in his emotions, and Wei Shikang called him several times before he snapped back.
Shen Yuanshu quickly adjusted his emotions. "I apologize. Seeing Teacher Huo Rou so young and beautiful, and already having a child, I was a bit surprised."
Huo Rou had certainly noticed his lapse, but she couldn't recall any trace of such a person in her mind. She could only assume he was telling the truth.
She smiled indifferently. "Mr. Shen is too kind."
An An looked at Shen Yuanshu and slowly revealed an innocent smile. "Uncle, we meet again!"
Huo Rou turned to look at An An. "You've met this uncle before?"
As she said this, she winked at An An.
An An, being the cunning one, immediately understood Huo Rou.
Being ignorant was the best camouflage.
Shen Yuanshu, having successfully interacted with Huo Rou, sat back in his seat. Shen Xiumei nervously tugged at his sleeve.
He just gave her a smile and said nothing.
After dinner, as Huo Rou walked out, she clearly felt that the atmosphere was not right.
For the past period, she had felt that besides Wang Haozhuo's people protecting her, there was another group of people.
And today, both groups had disappeared. Qin Ningyi, who had promised to pick them up, had not replied.
Huo Rou, using the crowd as cover, subtly cast her gaze towards Shen Yuanshu.
This person was definitely problematic.
She gave all her tracking devices to An An, placing them in every possible hidden spot.
"Mom, what are you doing?" An An asked, puzzled.
Huo Rou couldn't quite explain it, but she felt a sense of unease.
As they reached the entrance, everyone went home. Shen Yuanshu had brought several cars, and the drivers parked them in front of them.
"It's getting a bit late, I've asked the drivers to take everyone back."
He spoke with exceptional thoughtfulness, a perfect image of a gentle, considerate, and wealthy CEO.
"Thank you, but my boyfriend is coming to pick us up. You all go ahead."
Huo Rou met Shen Yuanshu's gaze and refused with a gentle smile.
Shen Yuanshu looked at Huo Rou's smile, a hint of irresistible longing stirring within him.
She was so pure and gentle when she smiled, with no hint of ruthlessness.
Such a woman only made him more captivated.
Shen Yuanshu made up his mind.
The others, accepting his invitation, got into the cars he had prepared and left.
Zou Xiaoxiao looked at the dark, quiet street. Since she lived nearby, she decided to stay and wait with them for a while.
In the distance, some drunken hooligans were roughhousing, and on the other side of the street, a group of men walking together swaggered by.
Huo Rou narrowed her eyes slightly and casually counted their numbers.
"You've been to Fenghuo, how are your skills?" she suddenly asked.
Zou Xiaoxiao, not understanding why, replied, "They're okay. I ranked in the top three in internal competitions."
Top three in Fenghuo's internal competitions was a decent achievement. Huo Rou had an idea. "In a moment, you take An An and charge out from the left. You're more familiar with this area than I am. Take a lot of detours to get back, and wait for me to contact you."
"Huh?"
Huo Rou casually patted her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "We've been targeted."