Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Huo Jinchen walked up the stairs at ten o’clock the next morning.
He was still wearing the same suit jacket he wore to company meetings, which was slightly wrinkled after several hours on the plane. He would normally change his clothes, but even though his personal assistant had prepared a new suit jacket for him, he had no desire to change.
He kept thinking about what Yuan Yuan who loves eating grass, had said to him on WeChat.
There were also reports he had heard from Butler Duanmu.
Lan Ting actually resorted to such methods in order to get close to that girl named Gu Yuan, which was something Huo Jinchen never expected.
Because he was afraid to admit he had already eaten, he ended up having another meal with the other person, resulting in overeating and causing intestinal problems?
Huo Jinchen recalled why Lan Ting went to such lengths to get to that island. Although he was mischievous, he wasn’t usually that naughty. So, was he just trying to see that girl in the first place?
Huo Jinchen couldn’t recall his son ever showing such intense interest and dependence on anyone, not even his grandmother who usually doted on him.
As Huo Jinchen stepped onto the stairs, Butler Duanmu followed beside him and whispered, “We’ve already sent someone to investigate.”
Huo Jinchen nodded and said nothing more.
His son’s unusual emotional dependence on a stranger made him want to know her background. Even though he knew she was likely connected to the Nie family of the United Kingdom and the Ji family of the AK Group, he still had to investigate. After all, his son was too important, and his son’s dependence on Gu Yuan was far too abnormal.
When Huo Jinchen came up to the third floor, Butler Duanmu had already gone downstairs quietly. Huo Jinchen walked to the small hall on the third floor and turned left to his son’s room.
This was a south-facing room. Outside the large bedroom was a study and a semi-open balcony. When he walked to the door, he could see that the girl named Gu Yuan was playing with her son on the balcony.
Two people, one big and one small, lay side by side on a beige beanbag chair, with all four of their feet sticking up.
Looking further ahead, two heads were huddled together, chins in hand, reading a book, which appeared to be an A4 hardcover picture book for learning characters.
Huo Jinchen didn’t speak or make a sound. He just stood there silently, waiting for them to finish reading the book before he went over.
“Officer Murphy was busy directing traffic when that confused old man rushed out of the supermarket with a huge bunch of bananas in his hand. He was trying to run away!” The girl read the storybook in a gentle, sweet voice, full of emotion: “Murphy, look! He stole your motorcycle!”
Huo Jinchen knew that such books were beneath Lan Ting’s notice, given his exceptional intelligence; why would he read such childish material?
But now, the little guy was resting his chin on his hand, listening intently.
The warm and tranquil sunlight of early winter shone through the elegant blinds onto the balcony, like scattered gold dust. There was a faint, indescribable fragrance in the air, gentle and soothing. The gentle voice of a young girl flowed into your ears like a trickling stream.
Murphy was furious. Just then, the little kid and the earthworm crawled by. The little kid said to Murphy, “Quick, get on my bicycle, let’s chase after him.”
When Huo Jinchen received Gu Yuan’s message, he was in an important group meeting. He left the company in a hurry before the meeting ended, and rushed over in a helicopter afterwards.
On the plane, his eyes swept over the messages Gu Yuan had sent countless times. He imagined that the girl who sent the messages must be angry and would righteously accuse him.
He even used his limited understanding of women and his meager imagination to piece together a picture of her being angry.
But he never expected to see this.
The restlessness that came from rushing around gradually dissipated under her clear and sweet voice. Huo Jinchen stood quietly outside the door, listening silently to her story.
Her voice was beautiful, like a soft dream.
When Sheriff Murphy finally caught the muddle-headed old man, the story finally came to an end. Then the rustling sound of turning pages came from the balcony: “Alright, let’s start the next story. You read this one to me.”
The little boy pleaded softly, “No, no, I can’t read. Please read it for me!”
The young girl laughed: “Come on, I don’t believe you. Read for me, or I won’t tell you.”
The boy relented: “Okay, then we’ll each read one?”
The two quickly reached an agreement: each would read a story.
Huo Jinchen remained silent. He silently stepped back, turned and left, went downstairs, found a study, ordered his assistant to bring his notebook and related materials, and began to continue the meeting that had started several hours earlier.
….
Gu Yuan and Huo Lanting didn’t know Huo Jinchen had arrived until lunchtime, two hours later.
When Huo Lanting saw his father sitting in the dining room, he was completely stunned. The little expression on his face was so interesting that it looked like a child randomly drawing with watercolors.
Huo Jinchen glanced calmly at his son, then stood up and greeted Gu Yuan: “Hello, Miss Gu.”
Gu Yuan was also taken aback and quickly greeted him, “Hello, Mr. Huo.”
She had no idea that Mr. Huo would suddenly appear. Her impression of him was still from that WeChat conversation that was completely without a closing remark. But after she woke up, he was waiting for her and Huo Lanting to dine in the dining room. He looked perfect, elegant, and calm, as if he was always supposed to be there.
Gu Yuan felt like she needed to recharge her IQ; she couldn’t understand what was going on.
Huo Lanting looked at Butler Duanmu with intense suspicion: How could this be?! Why, why did his father suddenly appear here?!
Butler Duanmu kept his eyes down, not daring to meet his young master’s gaze.
He was completely innocent.
He intended to report the young master’s situation to his master, but before he could do so, his master had already called and started asking questions.
What could he do? Could he possibly keep quiet about it?
So it had nothing to do with him, really nothing to do with him.
Lunch began amidst Gu Yuan’s bewilderment and Huo Lanting’s trepidation.
Lunch was very lavish. Normally, Gu Yuan would have had a great appetite and could have enjoyed the food to her heart’s content, but now she clearly didn’t have an appetite. Huo Lanting, who was next to her, was also not allowed to eat much because of his upset stomach.
“Butler Duanmu will prepare some thin porridge for you. You can drink half a bowl of porridge two hours later.” The elegant and noble man had the most perfect table manners Gu Yuan had ever seen. He gently wiped his long, beautiful fingers with a white tablecloth and said this to his son.
“Oh…I know.” Huo Lanting said in a low voice without daring to raise his head.
“Ms. Gu, I am very grateful for your care towards my son. I hope my arrival will not affect your appetite. Please make yourself at home and don’t feel awkward,” Huo Jinchen said, looking at Gu Yuan across the table.
“Mr. Huo, thank you for your hospitality.” Gu Yuan felt that Mr. Huo was too polite and considerate, making it impossible for her to feel close to him.
But thinking about it, it made sense. He was the world’s richest man. Someone so wealthy wasn’t human; he was a god. He should indeed continue sitting on his divine throne and not have to come down.
Having finally endured the grueling lunch, Gu Yuan got up to prepare to leave.
She was only helping out in an emergency, and now that Huo Lanting’s father had arrived, there was no need for her to stay any longer.
When Huo Lanting heard that she was leaving, his little mouth immediately pouted, and he looked like he was about to cry, appearing quite pitiful.
Gu Yuan could only comfort him: “We can video chat, or I can come see you again tomorrow. Once you’ve recovered, we can go out and have fun together.”
Huo Lanting hung his head and remained silent; clearly, Gu Yuan’s promises had not made him happy.
Huo Jinchen: “Lanting, you go upstairs first. Your Aunt Gu and I have something to talk about.”
Upon hearing this, Huo Lanting hesitated for a moment, but after glancing at his father, he didn’t say anything more. He just looked at Gu Yuan with reluctance and muttered softly, “Aunt Gu, can you come see me again tomorrow?”
Gu Yuan nodded vigorously: “Okay!”
Huo Lanting went upstairs, and Huo Jinchen’s gaze fell on Gu Yuan: “Miss Gu, thank you for taking care of my son.”
Looking at Huo Lanting’s repeated turning back, Gu Yuan felt a little sad. She felt that this child had had a hard life.
She didn’t actually care much about the child, but he was already very attached to her, which showed that he usually received too little love.
Thinking this, her gaze toward Huo Jinchen carried a hint of helplessness.
“Mr. Huo, you’re welcome. I believe that anyone with a compassionate heart would feel sorry for a child who is stranded in a foreign land and has no relatives to care for him. They would also come and take care of him.”
“This is Miss Gu’s kindness.”
Huo Jinchen knew she must have misunderstood him, but it was just his son’s little scheme, and he didn’t want to expose it.
“Mr. Huo, you may be kind to me today, and someone else may be kind to you tomorrow, but the next person you meet the day after tomorrow may not be kind either.” Gu Yuan finally couldn’t help but say a few words for Huo Lanting: “Mr. Huo was able to come here immediately despite his busy schedule, which shows that you care about Lanting. In that case, shouldn’t you spend more time with him and show him more concern? I have seen him alone several times, without anyone to take care of him. No matter how smart he is, he is still just a four-year-old child.”
“Yes, Miss Gu is right. I didn’t do well enough,” Huo Jinchen said, lowering his eyes.
His admission of mistake made Gu Yuan a little embarrassed, and she didn’t have anything more to say. She nodded and said, “Mr. Huo, I may have spoken too frankly even though we’re not old friends, but the child is really cute, and I couldn’t help but meddle. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”
….
After seeing Gu Yuan off, Butler Duanmu approached Huo Jinchen with trepidation: “Sir, why don’t you explain?”
Clearly, Miss Gu misunderstood Mr. Huo, thinking that he had reported to him and that he had completely ignored the young master’s illness, which was why she reprimanded him.
Mr. Huo was also wronged and innocent!
The master has always devoted a lot of time to the young master. This time, the young master insisted on coming to China, and the master was unable to get away, so this arrangement was made.
Huo Jinchen gazed at the blinds next to the living room. They were the same style and color as the blinds on the balcony outside Huo Lanting’s bedroom. The sunlight was even stronger at this time, spreading out loosely onto the carpet next to the window, looking very warm.
He recalled the scene he had seen before: she was lying there, her feet up, telling a story in a gentle and moving voice.
After a long pause, he said calmly, “Although she misunderstood, she actually made a valid point. I did not do well.”
When Huo Jinchen saw Huo Lanting so engrossed in listening to such a simple children’s story, he realized that he must be lacking in his role as a father and that he did not understand his son well enough.
He must have overlooked something.
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