Matthew lowered his head and kissed his wife's red lips. "Are you still sad?"

She shook her head and answered firmly, "I'm not sad. I'm just angry because Phoebe provoked me!"

"Okay, then why did you hit me?" Matthew was under the impression that Erica had slapped him because she was feeling envious.

However, he just found out that she was just angry with Phoebe. He was a bit disappointed as he felt like he had been slapped for nothing.

"You made me think you two were having an affair. What would you have done in my place? To tell you the truth, I felt sorry for you too. After all, you're a handsome man.

How about I just slap myself next time?" she suggested. 'Slap yourself? Why?' Matthew couldn't find meaning in her words.

When she caught his confused expression, Erica explained to him, "I have such a handsome and rich husband that even when we fight, I don't have the heart to hit you.

I suppose I could only slap myself instead." 'What? Then I'd prefer you to hit me instead, ' he thought.

When the car arrived at their villa, Erica was still in a bad mood. She didn't talk much on the way, but she rested her head against Matthew's chest, deep in thought.

Matthew carried the woman to the villa and said to the bodyguards at the gate, "You can go home now!"

"Yes, Mr. Huo."

Thanks to Matthew, Erica's mood was better in no time.

At Li family's house in A Country

Gifford appeared at home out of the blue. While no one was noticing, he went back to his bedroom, took something and walked out just as quickly as he had come in.

As he closed the door behind him, he glanced at the innermost room in the corridor.

He hesitated for a moment and walked over. When he was about to knock on the door, he heard a faint noise coming from the door of Wesley's room.

Suddenly, Wesley pushed the door open from the inside.

Gifford turned around and strode over, just in time to meet his father.

Wesley frowned in confusion as he wasn't expecting to see his son. "Why did you come back at this hour?"

'Isn't he glad I am back home in the first place?' Gifford thought to himself and rolled his eyes. "I came back to fetch something before heading out to Y City," he answered honestly.

"Why are you going to Y City?" Wesley asked.

"I'm going to see Matthew!" Gifford mumbled as he was about to leave.

"Come back here!" Wesley called out to his son, realizing that something was not right.

Gifford stopped in his tracks, turned around and looked at his father. "What?" he asked impatiently.

"What are you going to do in Y City in the middle of the nigh

t your mind?" Wesley strongly believed that Matthew would never do anything to hurt Erica. Besides, she wasn't complaining when he was on the phone with Matthew just now, which implied that there was nothing serious to be worried about.

Indeed, if it were a big deal, she would have already run away from Matthew by now. Erica wouldn't have waited for Gifford to come to her rescue if that were really the case.

'It seems as though Rika was right all along. Dad loves Matthew as if he were his own son. Rika, Yvette and I must have been picked up from the street or something!'

With this thought in mind, Gifford spoke in the same tone as Erica's. "Dad, did you really pick me up from the trash bin when I was a baby?"

"Yes!" Wesley said and walked towards the bedroom door.

"Good to know! Fine! I'll cut all ties with you," Gifford declared.

Wesley paused and turned around to face his son with a deadpan expression. "Really?"

Gifford had an illusion that as long as he dared to nod, Wesley would really sever their father-son relationship. "I know you don't want to do that, so forget it..."

"Don't flatter yourself.

How about this? Since you want to break off ties with the Li family, you can cut your flesh and bones and return them to your father and mother*!" (*TN: This is from the story of Nezha. In order to break off relations with his family, Nezha cut his flesh and bones and returned them to his parents.) Gifford felt a little embarrassed. 'Why is Dad being so cruel to me?'

"Dad, I'd better cut your flesh and bones and return them to Mom!" He ran as fast as he could once the words left his mouth.

Without another word, Wesley picked up his slipper from the floor and threw it at his fleeing son.