However, in the end, Huo Yan failed to understand this point.
The same was true for Mrs. Huo. She never truly understood her daughter. She thought that correcting her daughter was good for her and that it was she who had shaped her daughter into what she was today.
The fact was indeed so, but Huo Yan had been forced into this by Mrs. Huo, going against her true nature. Mrs. Huo wrongly believed that Huo Yan had finally seen the light and understood that to survive in the Huo family, one couldn't be indecisive.
The two had never sat down for a serious conversation. Later on, one was sincere while the other was insincere, and they could never see eye to eye.
As time went by, no matter what Mrs. Huo said or did, Huo Yan no longer believed her. She always thought that Mrs. Huo had some hidden agenda. Moreover, Huo Yan always investigated Mrs. Huo's affairs.
After all, Mrs. Huo was the mistress of the Huo family. Although Huo Yan had been accumulating her own strength over the years, she was still just a child. How could she be a match for the grand mistress of the Huo family?
When Mrs. Huo learned that the pastries and snacks she had brought had all been thrown away by Huo Yan and that Huo Yan had even sent people to inquire about her whereabouts, she was initially suspicious. She couldn't understand why her daughter would do such a thing.
Sometimes, Mrs. Huo would bring things to see Huo Yan and deliberately drop hints. Every time, Huo Yan would just perfunctorily respond with some very reasonable words, and Mrs. Huo couldn't find any fault with her.
But as soon as Mrs. Huo left, Huo Yan would immediately arrange for people to investigate Mrs. Huo's recent schedule. While making the arrangements, she would casually throw away all the things Mrs. Huo had brought into the trash can.
Fortunately, every time Mrs. Huo brought only food. If it was thrown away, it was just gone. Huo Yan could even claim that she had eaten it all.
She thought she was being foolproof, but one time, Mrs. Huo happened to overhear her.
One time, Mrs. Huo came to see her as usual. Huo Yan still had the same attitude, looking obedient and well - behaved, without a single flaw.
But Mrs. Huo still felt something was off. She always felt that Huo Yan was absent - minded and her attitude was perfunctory. The long - standing doubts had been weighing on her heart, and she really wanted to ask Huo Yan.
But when she looked at Huo Yan's expression, she knew that even if she asked, Huo Yan wouldn't easily tell her.
If she wanted to tell her, she would have done so long ago.
So Mrs. Huo told Huo Yan that she had something to do and left first. After going out, she didn't leave in a hurry but stood outside the door.
After all, Huo Yan was still a child. As soon as Mrs. Huo left, she immediately lost her composure. Huo Yan called the servant she always used and began to give instructions, not knowing that Mrs. Huo was listening clearly outside the door.
"Go and find out what my mother has been doing recently. Who she has met and what she has done. Make sure to get all the details. Oh, and also find out about Huo Cheng."
"Do it the same way as before?"
"Yes. Be discreet."
"Yes, Miss." After receiving the order, the servant seemed to have something else to say but hesitated.
"Miss, why do we always have to investigate Madam like this?" The servant finally asked.
"Just do as you're told. Where do you get all these nonsense questions from?"
"Yes, yes, yes, Miss. I'll go and do it right away." The servant seemed a bit terrified and immediately prepared to leave.
Hearing this, Mrs. Huo at the door quickly prepared to leave. Suddenly, she heard Huo Yan call the servant back.
"Wait. Take these things and throw them away."
Mrs. Huo vaguely guessed what it was. After the servant came out, Mrs. Huo hid behind a pillar and saw that what the servant was holding was exactly what she had just given to her daughter.
Even though Mrs. Huo was a very intelligent woman all her life, she never thought that in the ruthless Huo family, one day, her own daughter would become one of the wolves and tigers, and even start to scheme against her.
Judging from the conversation between Huo Yan and the servant, this should not be the first time. Mrs. Huo could hardly imagine how her daughter had been treating her secretly.
Sending someone to investigate her own mother and throwing away the things she had brought. In fact, all the pastries she had brought were made by Mrs. Huo herself. But it seemed that Huo Yan had never eaten any of them.
She must have thrown them all away, Mrs. Huo guessed. And indeed, that was the case. Huo Yan had thrown them all away. She didn't know that these things were made by Mrs. Huo herself. She only thought that Mrs. Huo had abandoned her.
With this thought in mind, no matter what Mrs. Huo did for her, it would only make Huo Yan think that Mrs. Huo was doing it for her own interests.
So Mrs. Huo's pastries also seemed ridiculous. Huo Yan never ate them. She only pretended to eat one or two pieces when Mrs. Huo was around.
Huo Yan didn't know yet that Mrs. Huo had already found out about her actions. All she could think about was the look on Mrs. Huo's face when she slapped her.
Huo Yan still remembered that at that time, Huo Cheng was being held in Mrs. Huo's arms, crying loudly. In the blink of an eye, several years had passed, and Huo Cheng had grown up.
But Huo Yan still couldn't forget that scene. Now, whenever Huo Yan saw Mrs. Huo come to her place or saw Mrs. Huo and Huo Cheng together, she couldn't help herself.
She couldn't help but think of that scene. Whenever this scene filled her mind, Huo Yan would try to calm herself down. These scenes always tortured her and gave her a headache.
This was also the reason why Huo Yan didn't like Mrs. Huo coming to her room to see her. As soon as Mrs. Huo left, Huo Yan would inexplicably feel upset, and her mind would be filled with the scenes she hated the most.
This had almost become a physical reaction. Huo Yan didn't know why. She tried to adjust herself and not think about these scenes. It had been so many years.
Every time Huo Yan thought she was about to forget that incident, Mrs. Huo would come to her room. Every time, if it weren't for the fact that only she knew about this incident, Huo Yan would almost think that someone had informed on her and that Mrs. Huo was deliberately trying to make her uncomfortable.
Huo Yan still remembered waking up from countless nightmares, constantly calling "Mom, Mom" in her mouth.
At that time, Huo Yan really needed Mrs. Huo. She really wanted to throw herself into Mrs. Huo's arms and have a good cry and rest.
But she was also afraid. She was afraid of hearing the words that Mrs. Huo always said:
"Don't cry and whine. You're already grown up. Girls should be strong. Tears are worthless."
Although it seemed like a kind and comforting sentence, with Mrs. Huo's solemn and unyielding tone, no matter how nice the words were, they couldn't move Huo Yan. Instead, they would only increase her pressure.
The most frequent nightmare Huo Yan had was that she was still the same as before, lying on Mrs. Huo's lap and acting coquettishly. Mrs. Huo didn't treat her like she did now.
Just like the gentle Mrs. Huo in her memory, in the dream, Mrs. Huo was kind - faced. She would talk to Huo Yan, take walks with her, solve her problems, and listen to her confessions. Everything was harmonious and beautiful.