Ch11 Marriage Agreement
Huo Yu glanced to the side, and the soft, affectionate look he had been looking at Xia Wan with since sitting at the table quickly changed. His eyes grew deep and intense.
Xia Wan tilted his head and smiled at him, his rosy lips slightly smeared with oil from the food, making him look irresistibly tempting.
"Is it okay?" he asked
Huo Yu stayed quiet for a moment, his gaze fixed on those pure, bright eyes, before he realized he couldn't help but nod.
"Hmm," he replied.
He wasn't sure if Xia Wan had Just happened to guess right, or If he was genuinely that sharp. understanding his meaning with just a few words and uncovering a truth that had been hidden for over twenty years.
But either way, the words "I'll go get it with you" made his heart flutter.
It was as if an invisible hand had gently brushed against his heart, and a long-buried bitterness and pain slowly surfaced, flooding his chest.
This pain was familiar to him.
It had crept through him during countless lonely, helpless nights, and had festered deep inside when he was betrayed by those he trusted the most.
It had stayed with him until he became invulnerable to swords and spears, impervious to both water and fire.
Until he had finally become Invulnerable, immune to the pain.
But now.....
Bang!!
Huo Lin could no longer stand the affectionate display of love across from him. He slammed his chopsticks on the table and stood up abruptly.
"I'm full!" he snapped.
"Sit down." Huo Peixue shot him a cold glance. "Your brother just came back. Sit and eat with him properly."
Huo Lin snorted in frustration, clearly unwilling, and reluctantly sat down again. His abrupt movement caused the dining chair to scrape loudly against the floor.
Wanting to vent her son's anger, Li Yun harshly put down her bowl and chopsticks as soon as Huo Lin sat down. "I have something else to do. You guys eat," she said.
Huo Peixue looked at her helplessly for a moment, but in the end, he let her go.
"Huo Yu, do you like the car that your uncle gave you?" Huo Peixue attempted to change the subject as the dining table fell silent once more after Li Yun left.
"I like it," Huo Yu smiled. "But since I have too many cars to drive, and it's rare that Wanwan likes it, I gave it to him."
Huo Lin, who was drinking water, almost choked when he heard this.
Even if all their love seemed pretentious, Huo Yu was being too generous, right?
On the other hand, Huo Peixue was taken aback. He shot a subtle glance at Xia Wan, secretly relieved that Li Yun had already left. If she had stayed, with her short temper, she likely would've exploded by now.
After all, that car was worth 10 million, which wasn't a small amount. Even he had hesitated for a long time when Huo Lin wanted it.
Although the original intention of ordering the car was to surprise his son, who knew that Huo Yu would return so unexpectedly? And he would have no other choice but to painfully hand it over to him.
But spending ten million to gain a good reputation wasn't too much. However, now that the car had been casually given to someone like Xia Wan, he felt as disgusted as if he were eating something vile.
For a moment, he was so angry that he almost slammed the table like Huo Lin and wanted to question this ungrateful brat.
However, he wasn't Huo Lin, who couldn't control his emotions.
"Are you kids nowadays so generous when giving gifts?" Huo Peixue asked with a gentle smile, though his gaze on Xia Wan was heavy and gloomy.
Meanwhile, Xia Wan acted like he didn't understand what Huo Peixue was saying. He smiled sweetly, his voice soft and warm, filled with a happy, loving tone, not noticing that some rice soup had dripped on the corners of his lips.
He looked up at Huo Yu, his smile even brighter than before as he said, "It's all thanks to my lover. He's so good to me."
Huo Yu glanced at him for a moment, then reached up to wipe the soup off the corner of his lips. He whispered, "If I don't treat you well, whom would I treat well?"
Xía Wan tilted his head and smiled, his eyebrows bending in a playful way as he looked at Huo Yu.
Huo Yu tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, making his soft, delicate cheeks look even more beautiful.
He was really enjoying this meal.
Not only was the food delicious, but he was also enjoying it because he could shamelessly disgust people.
Most importantly, Huo Yu's uncle's situation made him realize that things weren't as bad as they seemed, and maybe Huo Yu could still be saved.
Before, Huo Peixue had only thought the kid was good-looking, but now he understood why both Huo Lin and Huo Yu were so taken with him.
He glanced at Huo Lin and noticed that Huo Lin had straightened up, his eyes locked on the couple, his fist clenched in anger.
At the same time, Huo Yu's palm was tenderly covering half of Xia Wan's face.
"Be careful."
The small half of Xia Wan's face turned in his palm, warm and soft, the delicate skin pressing softly into his hand, reminding him of the kiss Xia Wan had just given him.
Wet, warm, sweet...
Thinking about it, Huo Yu paused for a moment before silently withdrawing his hand.
Huo Peixue smiled faintly.
For the first time since Huo Yu returned to China, he finally relaxed his guard against him.
After all, Huo Yu was still a child, and like everyone else, he was controlled by faces.
A child from such a small background, with no discernment at all, was like playing the lute to a cow-what else could he expect from such person except for looks and novelty?
"Uncle, you know I don't have much else to give," Huo Yu said as he finished serving Xia Wan. Finally, he remembered to respond, "Only this car can show my true sincerity."
"Don't you still have the Huo family?" Huo Yu's words about having nothing made Huo Peixue feel more at ease.
The tension in his expression eased, and his gaze toward Xia Wan softened slightly. "Xiao Xia, can you drive?" he asked.
"Yes," Xia Wan nodded obediently. "I got the license with my roommate during my freshman year.
"Oh," Huo Peixue nodded, "I heard that Shen Yan's younger brother is also studying at your school, right?"
Xia Wan did know Shen Yan, but he didn't know who Shen Yan's younger brother was.
He shook his head. "I don't know him."
"Hmm," Huo Peixue didn't care whether Xia Wan knew him or not; he just wanted to take the opportunity to say what he had In mind. "I heard from Lin Lin a while ago that Shen Yan and Wen Yunzhi's nephew were in love with each other. Are they still together? Is he still trying to build a connection with the Xue family?"
It was the Xue family again. Xia Wan couldn't help but feel curious.
That huge X building sign suddenly appeared in his mind, which was identical to the one his family had.
He was faintly lost in thought.
This Xue family seemed unusual, and it appeared that even Huo Peixue couldn't get along with them.
"No. They broke up a long time ago," Huo Yu said faintly.
Everyone in their circle knew that Shen Yan had stepped on a landmine with Wen Yunzhi's
nephew. It was a miracle he hadn't offended the Xue family.
Huo Peixue was just asking questions knowingly.
"That's a pity." Huo Peixue smiled meaningfully, "Young people's relationships... they're not always so stable."
Huo Peixue's words were enough to snap Xia Wan out of his daze, and he responded earnestly.
"But uncle and aunt's
relationship is very stable," he said, setting down his soup bowl and starting to count on his fingers. "Uncle, you're not even fifty yet, but Huo Lin is already
twenty-four. When you were of Huo Yu's age, didn't you already have kids?"
Huo Peixue: "..."
Xia Wan smiled sweetly, resting his chin in his hand as he glanced at Huo Yu. "You should work hard too."
Huo Yu pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow after a moment. "Then you have to be able to have kids too."
Xia Wan laughed even more happily, leaning in close to Huo Yu's ear. He whispered something softly.
Hearing what he said, Huo Yu looked down, his lips curling into a smile as he let out a soft chuckle.
"Should I book a room for you two?" Huo Lin asked, his voice filled with anger and sarcasm.
Xia Wan pulled back from Huo Yu's ear, stretching his arms and rubbing his stomach with a satisfied smile. He said calmly, "I'm full."
From start to finish, Xia Wan completely ignored Huo Lin, treating him like an air.
As a result, Huo Lin's face turned blue with anger.
Even though Huo Peixue clearly disliked Xia Wan, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for his son, watching how badly he was being ignored and humiliated.
The whole meal was filled with subtle jabs, but Xia Wan happily enjoyed his food. It didn't stop him from making sharp remarks.
Xia Wan stretched lazily as he walked out of the Huo house, looking up at the wide sky with stars shining brightly. Just as he was about to get into the car, Huo Yu tossed the car keys into his hand.
"What's this for?" Xia Wan asked, glancing up at him.
"Didn't I say I'd give it to you?" Huo Yu replied. "Drive it yourself."
For a brief moment, Xia Wan was stunned. When Huo Yu first said it, he thought it was a joke. And when he mentioned it again at the dinner table in front of Huo Peixue, Xia Wan assumed he was just trying to annoy Huo Peixue.
However now, he had no choice but to believe that Huo Yu had been serious from the very beginning.
Xia Wan looked back. When Huo Yu had arrived, there were people to welcome him, but now, there was no one to see him off.
"How generous!" Xia Wan smiled, then teasingly called out, "Eldest Master."
But then, he handed the keys back to Huo Yu. "No work, no reward. And no matter how much you hate it, it's still yours."
"Didn't you just provide
praiseworthy service? Take it, I haven't seen anyone who doesn't take something in return," Huo Yu said, twirling the car key between his fingers.
"Today, I'll show you," Xia Wan said with a playful grin as he opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. He lifted his chin slightly and added with a teasing tone, "Driver, drive."
"Tsk." Huo Yu let out a soft laugh, shaking his head in amusement. Without saying another word, he slid into the driver's seat, clearly willing to drive.
Xia Wan's house wasn't too far from Huo Yu's-it was just a ten-minute drive away.
The only difference was that Huo
Yu lived in an exclusive villa area in the city, where even the rich couldn't afford a house, while Xia Wan's home was an old building, 40 or 50 years old. Though the
distance was only ten minutes, one lived in a palace, and the other in a shack.
As they passed by a small supermarket, Xia Wan asked Huo Yu to stop the car and got out. A little while later, he returned carrying a fairly large cardboard box.
"What did you buy?" Huo Yu asked as he got out of the car, took the box from him, and placed it in the trunk.
The box appeared large, but it wasn't heavy.
"I bought a humidifier," Xia Wan said. "My dad's been coughing a bit lately."
"You're quite a filial son," Huo Yu remarked.
"Not like you, who's just trying to make your elders die of anger," Xia Wan said, recalling the expressions on Huo Peixue and Huo Lin's faces at the table, finding it a bit funny and amusing.
Huo Yu just smiled and said nothing.
Despite the fact that the other party didn't respond, Xia Wan clearly understood his thoughts from his expression: the only way to be truly filial was to piss them off to death.
It seemed that ever since he realized Huo Yu wasn't fully blackened, Xia Wan had subconsciously started to relax a little around him.
Xia Wan talked a lot, and Huo Yu didn't say much. But even with just a few short conversations, they had already arrived at their destination.
The rows of old-fashioned houses were like silent sculptures in the night, dark and full of traps.
"Where do you live?" Huo Yu asked, looking out the window. He unbuckled his seatbelt and added, "I'll take you up."
"No need." Xia Wan took his bag and the humidifier, getting ready to go upstairs without looking back.
His soft black hair was blown by the night wind as he walked up, and his back looked happy and full of energy.
"Xia Wan."
He had only taken two steps when he heard Huo Yu calling him from behind.
"Mm?" He stopped walking and turned his head, looking back with doe-like eyes, under the light of the moon and stars.
"This is for you," Huo Yu said, handing him a folder.
"What is this?" Xia Wan asked, feeling a little puzzled. He was holding the big box with both hands, so he didn't reach out to take the folder.
"Agreement," Huo Yu said, looking into Xia Wan's eyes. He spoke slowly, "A marriage agreement."