Qiao An deliberated. It would be more convincing if she used flashbacks or told them in a smooth manner.

After all, what had happened to her in the past few years was too shocking and ridiculous. Her story could be written into a book.

Would he really believe her if she told him?

Qiao An looked into Huo Xiaoran’s expectant eyes and probed, “If the Lu family applies for an appeal for Li Changhai, will you support them?”

Seeing the obvious distrust in Qiao An’s eyes, Huo Xiaoran smiled bitterly. “Qiao An, I can’t wait for Li Changhai to die. Only then will you feel safe again.”

Qiao An was stunned…

Actually, her sense of security was not destroyed by Li Changhai alone. However, there were some things that she could not say and did not dare to say.

However, since Huo Xiaoran was so considerate of her, Qiao An’s last defense fell apart.

She finally bravely confided in him, “Brother Xiaoran, actually, I’ve always liked you…”

Huo Xiaoran frowned and interrupted her. “Do you just like me?”

Qiao An was speechless.

Did this guy have to be so serious?

‘Well, I’ve actually been secretly in love with you. Except for the three years I was abroad. Those three years I lived with a grudge against you.’

Huo Xiaoran felt a chill run down his spine. He still remembered that when Qiao An had just returned to the country, her gaze was filled with anger. She always spoke to him with a gun in her mouth. At that time, he thought that she had suffered a huge grievance at Li Zecheng’s hands, causing her personality to be twisted.

Now he knew that she had deliberately targeted him with that kind of hatred.

Huo Xiaoran’s expression clearly became unnatural. His fingertips trembled. In order to hide his panic, he took out a pack of cigars and lit it with trembling hands.

“Why?” He drew hard on the cigarette. The nicotine seemed to numb his chill before he could summon the courage to ask her why.

Qiao An said, “Don’t you know?”

Huo Xiaoran’s smile froze. “Is it because I forced myself on you when I was drunk?”

This was something that Huo Xiaoran couldn’t cross. Every time he thought of the scene of Qiao An swallowing the abortion medicine, he felt that he was an executioner who killed Qiao An’s beauty.

If possible, he only wanted to hide this matter in his heart for the rest of his life. Unexpectedly, Qiao An had brought it up.

The atmosphere was tense and Xiao Ran’s heart raced. He looked careless, but God knew how nervous he was at this moment.

It was not until he saw Qiao An’s head shake gently that Huo Xiaoran’s heart finally relaxed. The weight in his heart was removed. Huo Xiaoran’s breathing finally became smoother.

However, he was extremely curious. If it wasn’t for that incident, he couldn’t remember why Qiao An hated him.

“You really don’t hate me for that?” he asked incredulously.

Qiao An looked at him with a serious expression. “It’s something many women wish for to spend the night with a top-notch handsome man like you.”

Her teasing tone made Huo Xiaoran feel relieved.

“Then why did you hate me?” He was puzzled.

Qiao An’s eyelids drooped, shame filling her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Brother Xiaoran. I misunderstood you.”

“Misunderstood me?”

Anger replaced the shame in Qiao An’s eyes. “It was Li Changhai. He hit me with a car at the airport three years ago. When I was unconscious, he deliberately tried to drive a wedge between us. He said you instructed him to attack me.” Qiao An’s voice trailed off. “I was in a daze, so I took his words seriously.”

Huo Xiaoran’s face was as pale as paper, and his fingertips dug into his flesh.

Qiao An continued, “Brother Xiaoran, you don’t know how difficult my time was. The harder it was, the more I hated you.”

She did not tell Huo Xiaoran about the hardships she had experienced in order to successfully give birth to his children.

She didn’t want Huo Xiaoran to feel guilty and sad. She could just suffer alone.

Huo Xiaoran’s eyes were instantly filled with blood, like a blooming blood lotus. He took a long time to digest this terrible truth. He was a calm and composed man after all. His heart was in turmoil, but he asked calmly, “So you didn’t reject my appointment for no reason three years ago?”

Qiao An was stunned. “I didn’t break my promise. I waited for you for a long time, but you didn’t come. Then Li Changhai knocked me down… and I fainted.”

Huo Xiaoran captured the terrifying truth from this. Because only he and Qiao An knew about the agreed place, Li Changhai ran Qiao An down with a car and framed him. Qiao An naturally believed Li Changhai’s words and believed that he had instigated Li Changhai to attack her.

Huo Xiaoran was not stupid. He immediately realized that Li Changhai knew Qiao An’s whereabouts not because he had leaked it, but because Li Changhai had been following Qiao An for some time.

From the looks of it, Li Changhai’s motive for murdering Qiao An had been there three years ago.

But why had Li Changhai murdered Qiao An three years ago?

“Why did he want to harm you three years ago?” Huo Xiaoran asked Qiao An.

Qiao An said, “I didn’t know the answer at first. But now, I seem to have some ideas.” Qiao An looked at Huo Xiaoran with gentle eyes.

Huo Xiaoran was inexplicably tempted.

Qiao An leaned forward and looked into Huo Xiaoran’s gentle and doting eyes. “You’re to blame.”

“Me?” Huo Xiaoran was dumbfounded.

Qiao An said, “Your love for me is my death warrant.”

The gentleness and doting in Huo Xiaoran’s eyes instantly turned into endless hostility.

Qiao An said, “But these are all speculations. I have no proof.”

However, in Huo Xiaoran’s opinion, there was evidence.

He finally understood why Qiao An was monitoring Lu Mo.

Because she had long suspected that Li Changhai had hurt her under Lu Mo’s instructions.

“Brother Xiaoran…”

Qiao An suddenly grabbed Huo Xiaoran’s hand and begged him humbly for the first time. “Brother Xiaoran, I suspect that she deliberately created many misunderstandings between us in order get to you. Don’t marry her, okay?”

A gentle smile appeared in Huo Xiaoran’s eyes. He liked the current Qiao An. She trusted him, relied on him, and couldn’t leave him.

“No, my wedding to her will proceed as usual.”

Qiao An’s hand on Huo Xiaoran’s palm was cold.

She stood up abruptly. “You still don’t believe me?”

Huo Xiaoran looked into Qiao An’s panicked eyes. He stood up and patted her head gently. “An’an, I believe you.”

Qiao An looked at him skeptically.

Huo Xiaoran said, “What you’re saying is Li Changhai’s fault. I promised Lu Mo a wedding.”

Qiao An was enveloped by a sense of helplessness. “Why am I telling you this?” she said dejectedly.

She condemned herself and walked inside, dazed.