Without reliable news from Qiao An, the elders of the Xiao family left dejectedly.

Qiao An stared at their departing figures and felt her heart burned.

Huo Xiaoran looked at Qiao An steadily. Qiao An raised Xiao Ming’s child, but she told the Xiao family that she wasn’t familiar with Xiao Ming. She was clearly lying.

“An’an.” Huo Xiaoran pulled Qiao An in front of him and looked at her affectionately. “An’an, members of the Xiao family are all soldiers, except for Xiao Yue. The Xiao family has nurtured many loyal heroes for the country. Xiao Ming’s father is Xiao Yue’s uncle, and he even sacrificed his life working to eliminate the drug trafficking industry. The Xiao family can tolerate their descendants doing nothing, but they can’t tolerate them betraying the motherland. Therefore, I hope you can be honest with me. Do you know about Xiao Ming? If you do, you must tell the Xiao family so that they can do something about Xiao Ming.”

Qiao An pushed Huo Xiaoran away. “Brother Xiaoran, don’t force me. Please, my mind is in a mess.”

Huo Xiaoran understood that Qiao An knew about Xiao Ming’s past.

“An’an, I won’t force you. Calm down.”

Qiao An nodded.

That night, Qiao An tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She respected the Xiao family’s loyalty and believed that Brother Xiaoran would keep her secret for her. However, she only had to remember Xiao Ming’s teachings. “Qiao An, in our line of work, we walk on the edge of a knife. If we make a mistake, we’ll be doomed. Most of our endings are tragic, but in my opinion, it’s the greatest luck if we don’t implicate our family and friends.”

“An’an, I’ll leave the child to you. Protect her for me.”

“An’an, from today onwards, pretend you never knew me.”

… .

Qiao An tossed and turned, her heart in turmoil.

Huo Xiaoran pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. He patted her head gently and comforted her. “Don’t worry, I’m here. I’ll be by your side no matter what happens.”

Qiao An hugged him tightly. Huo Xiaoran felt her fear and raised her chin. “If the secret is suppressed in your heart and makes it difficult for you to feel at ease, then say it. An’an, you have to believe me.”

“I believe you,” Qiao An blurted. Her eyes were a glow of certainty.

“But I…” She couldn’t say it.

Huo Xiaoran pulled her into his arms. “Alright, you don’t have to say it.”

Huo Xiaoran said, “I’ll take you out for a walk tomorrow to relax so that you won’t let your imagination run wild.”

Qiao An felt that she was suffering now. She suddenly sealed Huo Xiaoran’s lips with her mouth and asked softly, “Brother Xiaoran, shall we?”

Huo Xiaoran was slightly stunned when he realized that Qiao An wanted to vent her frustration through love-making. He readily agreed. “Okay.”

… .

In the end, Qiao An was exhausted.

She fell asleep in Huo Xiaoran’s arms.

Huo Xiaoran looked at her quiet sleeping face and liked it very much. His heart ached.

What had such a beautiful and delicate girl experienced to make her so careful?

The next day , Qiao An slept until she woke up naturally.

Huo Xiaoran had already sent the children to kindergarten. At this moment, he was sitting on the sofa and reading the trending searches on his phone.

When Qiao An went downstairs, Huo Xiaoran was so engrossed that Qiao An didn’t notice when she walked up to him.

Qiao An glanced at Xiao Ming’s photo on the phone screen and snatched it away. She looked at it seriously.

It turned out that Xiao Ming had been placed on the wanted list of the narcos.

The reports described Xiao Ming as a high-IQ, high-strength, and dangerous criminal leader. It was as if Xiao Ming was a heinous bastard that everyone couldn’t wait to get rid of.

The netizens naturally hated Xiao Ming. They cursed him with all kinds of words and were filthy and embarrassing. Those netizens who cursed Xiao Ming even attacked his family. Some even cursed him to have no descendants.

Qiao An’s heart ached to the point of tears when she saw these unsightly filthy words.

Hui Xiaoran pulled Qiao An into his arms and comforted her softly. “Do you feel sorry for Joey?”

The name was like a bolt of lightning that completely woke Qiao An up. She looked at Huo Xiaoran in shock and asked in fear, “Why did you suddenly mention Joey?”

Huo Xiaoran said, “She’s Xiao Ming’s daughter.”

Qiao An trembled. “How did you know?”

Huo Xiaoran said apologetically, “An’an, I did a paternity test with them.”

Qiao An’s face instantly paled. “Who else knows the secret?”

“Huo Zhou.”

Without another word, Qiao An ran for the door.

Huo Xiaoran picked up Qiao An’s jacket and chased after her.

Fortunately, Huo Zhou and Huo Xiaoran lived next door. Qiao An ran straight to Huo Zhou’s villa and shouted.

“Cousin.”

Huo Zhou was about to leave in a panic when he saw Qiao An.

“Sister-in-law, are you looking for me?”

When he opened the door, Qiao An grabbed his shirt in agitation and said incoherently, “Don’t breathe a word about Joey’s background. For the rest of your life, I want you to keep this secret.”

Huo Zhou looked at Qiao An in shock. “Why? Is she a child of the Xiao family?”

Qiao An snarled hysterically. “Why can’t you listen to me? Joey is my daughter. She can only be my daughter for the rest of her life.”

Huo Xiaoran stepped forward and pulled Qiao An away.

Then, Huo Xiaoran said to Huo Zhou, “Zhou Zhou, do you want Joey to have a criminal father?”

Huo Zhou looked pained. “The first branch of the Xiao family is loyal. However, Xiao Ming, this bastard, appeared. Xiao Ming has committed such a huge crime and his life is ruined. Now, the first branch of the Xiao family only has Joey as a descendant. If Joey doesn’t return to the Xiao family, the first branch will be empty.”

Huo Xiaoran said, “Qiao An and I are raising Joey. How can we call it an end to the Xiao family?”

Huo Zhou was also open-minded and quickly accepted this fact.

He took it that Qiao An loved the child and was unwilling to share her, so he just accepted the fact helplessly.

But Qiao An exhaled heavily.

These days, the Xiao family and the Huo family were on tenterhooks. Everyone’s attention was focused on Xiao Ming.

The entire Xiao family was furious that Xiao Ming had gone astray. The second branch of the Xiao family, led by Xiao Yue’s father, had publicly requested to personally arrest his nephew, Xiao Ming, to comfort his brother’s soul in heaven.

When Old Madam Xiao found out about this, she was so anxious that she almost fainted. She was also a righteous person and knew that the interests of the country were paramount, but she could not accept the fact that her descendants were killing each other.

She comforted her second son, Xiao Gang, “Xiao Ming is your brother’s only child; yet you want to arrest him personally. If he resists and you fight each other, one of you will die. Either way, it’s not what I want to see. Why can’t you let others do this mission?”