“Huo Kairan, you really are utterly.”
Huo Kairan had been ill for three consecutive days, only beginning to recover today, though his spirits remained low.
Perhaps the subconscious notion of “clinging to Huo Lin’s coattails” was already deeply ingrained. After this serious illness, the thought not only failed to fade but was magnified infinitely.
He became exceptionally clingy, almost to the point of being inseparable.
Huo Lin enjoyed this, shifting all his heavy workload to online processing so he could stay at the old mansion to personally care for his particularly needy younger brother during his illness.
So much so that when Huo Kairan recovered enough to get out of bed and habitually looked for Huo Lin, he suddenly realized the space beside him was empty.
“Young Master has returned to the company to handle some matters,” Butler Wu replied gently.
Huo Kairan blinked, the light in his eyes dimming for a moment before he responded with a muffled “Mm.”
“What about Mom and Dad?”
“Master and Madam left early this morning to meet an important client out of town. They said they’ll be back in two days.” Butler Wu handed him the warmed milk. “They were supposed to go a couple of days ago, but it was delayed because you were ill. Now that you’re better, they set off.”
Huo Kairan’s hand holding the milk cup trembled almost imperceptibly, his fingertips instantly turning cold.
“Are they going to Beigui?” His voice tightened.
Butler Wu hissed softly, carefully recalling before patting his forehead. “I think that’s the name of the place. How did you know?”
Huo Kairan, who had just been warmed up, suddenly felt as if he had plunged into an ice cellar.
In two days, the true young master, Zhao Yan, would return.
“I need to find Big Brother!” Huo Kairan abruptly set down the cup, his voice strained with urgency. “Uncle Wu, please call the driver for me. I need to go to the company.”
“Young Master!” Butler Wu quickly steadied him, his emotions suddenly agitated, and soothed him gently. “Young Master has been extremely busy lately with that important cross-border project. The backlog of work at the group has piled up like a mountain. He specifically instructed me to take good care of you and not let you run around. He said he’ll definitely return to the old mansion tonight.”
Hearing this, Huo Kairan leaned against the wall, looking somewhat helpless.
These past few days of being together day and night, with such meticulous care.
Had Huo Lin developed even a little bit of affection for him that went beyond familial duty?
He wasn’t sure.
This uncertainty, mixed with the panic of impending abandonment, weighed on his heart like a heavy boulder. With no outlet for release, he felt like a trapped animal, pacing back and forth in his room, restless and anxious.
His phone suddenly rang twice.
Huo Kairan almost frantically lunged to open it, expecting it to be Huo Lin. However, the name that popped up on the screen made him pause.
Gao Chaoguang.
His class monitor from high school.
Due to a leg injury, Huo Kairan had received treatment and studied abroad. After returning to the country, Zhuang Jing had wanted to arrange for him to attend a more comfortable and well-protected private elite school, but he had vehemently refused.
At that time, he was in his adolescence, sensitive and gloomy because of his leg disability, and filled with a rebellious streak. He always felt that the gazes directed at him were filled with pity or disdain, so he insisted on entering Xihai No. 1 High School a prestigious public school in Xihai City known for its rigorous academic atmosphere and intense competition.
To make this happen, Huo Lin donated two laboratory buildings to the school, which allowed Huo Kairan, with his abysmal grades, to be admitted as a transfer student.
The environment at Xihai No. 1 High School was completely different from anything Huo Kairan had experienced before.
This place gathered the most outstanding students from the entire city and even the province. Everyone valued academic performance and rankings more, paying little attention to family backgrounds. Many diligent students didn’t even know what the “Huo family” meant.
This atmosphere of equality made Huo Kairan feel a long-lost sense of ease and freedom at the time.
Looking back, he actually held a fondness for those two years.
Gao Chaoguang was the class monitor back then excellent in academics and down-to-earth in character. Later, it was said he got into the local Xihai University.
He was one of the few people who could exchange a few words with Huo Kairan back then.
[Kairan, it’s been a long time. I wonder if you’re still in Xihai? We’re organizing a high school reunion. Would you like to join?] Gao Chaoguang sent the message.
Huo Kairan’s fingertips brushed against the cool back of his phone, hesitating.
Although he had a decent impression of the school, his aloof personality meant he hadn’t made any real friends. Gao Chaoguang was probably the closest among them.
If the real young master returned and he was truly sent away, leaving Xihai, he might never see them again.
Thinking this, he lowered his gaze, tapped lightly on the screen, and sent a reply:
[Sure. Send me the address.]
The other side seemed surprised he actually agreed and sounded a bit excited: [Really? Then… how about I come pick you up? Where do you live?]
Huo Kairan thought for a moment, replied with “That works,” and sent over the address.
Afterward, he gently pulled his bedroom door open a crack and peeked downstairs.
Uncle Wu was busily directing the housekeeping staff to clean.
“Uncle Wu,” he raised his voice, “I want to take a long nap this afternoon and might sleep for a while. Don’t call me for dinner.”
After receiving an affirmative response, Huo Kairan quickly changed into thick outdoor clothes, tiptoed downstairs, and slipped out of the courtyard through the side door while no one was looking.
If he said he was going to a class reunion, he’d have to seek Huo Lin’s approval, and Huo Lin would most likely refuse. Even if he agreed, he’d probably bring five or six bodyguards, making a big fuss it would be strange.
Better to go quietly himself, slip back before Huo Lin returned to the old mansion in the evening, unnoticed by anyone.
A cold wind hit his face. Huo Kairan buried his face deeper into his coat collar. His weakened body after the illness couldn’t withstand the chill, causing a slight shiver and a faint cough.
He didn’t wait long at the agreed-upon intersection before a blue-gray BYD slowly approached, looking out of place in the upscale, elegant villa area.
Huo Kairan hadn’t seen this car model before and glanced at it curiously a few more times.
Only when the window rolled down, revealing Gao Chaoguang’s cheerful smiling face, did he realize this was the car coming to pick him up.
He instinctively reached for the backseat door but paused, then opened the passenger door instead and got in.
“Kairan,” Gao Chaoguang started the car, ” you live here?”
Huo Kairan fell silent for a moment, avoiding the main point: “Not permanently.”
Gao Chaoguang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and smiled. “You scared me for a second. I thought our class had a hidden wealthy young master. If that were really the case, I’d probably be even more afraid to talk to you.”
Huo Kairan fastened his seatbelt and turned to look at him. “Why?”
The car smoothly left the villa area and merged into the traffic on the main road.
Gao Chaoguang gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “Because even back in high school, I felt you were different from the other classmates. It’s just your aura was unique.”
Xihai No. 1 High School, as a top-tier public institution, attracted countless students from humble backgrounds who had earned their place through outstanding academic performance.
Gao Chaoguang was one of them. Having tested into the school from a rural district, he was once considered a local prodigy. But after entering No. 1 High, he quickly realized that geniuses were everywhere.
Here, everyone wore simple uniforms, living a repetitive routine between the dormitory, classrooms, and cafeteria. Conversations mostly revolved around practice problems and rankings.
Yet Huo Kairan’s arrival was like a painting in a completely different palette.
A beautiful boy with waist-length hair, his demeanor cool and distant, his eyes carrying a subtle hint of pride and fragility as if he came from an entirely different world.
Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up in front of a tastefully decorated restaurant.
Gao Chaoguang led Huo Kairan into a reserved private room.
Inside, quite a few people were already seated, laughter and chatter filling the air.
It seemed the class reunion had started some time ago, and Gao Chaoguang had specifically excused himself to pick him up.
“Look who’s here?” Gao Chaoguang announced with a smile.
“Huo Kairan! It’s the school beauty. I mean, the school heartthrob!” a girl blurted out before catching herself, quickly covering her mouth and whispering in awe, “The class monitor really managed to invite you!”
Huo Kairan gave a slight nod to the group, his gaze sweeping over a few familiar faces before he quietly took a seat in an empty corner.
Even though he deliberately kept a low profile, his striking appearance instantly drew the attention of most people in the room especially the hushed whispers and occasional glances from the girls.
Gao Chaoguang naturally took the empty seat beside him.
Seeing the girls’ attention shift so completely clearly displeased some of the boys.
A tall, athletic-looking boy stood up with a glass in hand, heading straight for Huo Kairan. “Huo Kairan, it’s been a long time. Here, let me toast you.”
Huo Kairan looked up, matching the face in his memory to the name Jiang Xu, the class sports committee member.
Their relationship had never been good. Because of Huo Kairan’s leg condition, which he kept hidden to avoid being treated differently he often made excuses to skip P.E. classes, something the sports committee member saw as a provocation.
Sensing the tension in the air, Gao Chaoguang quickly tried to smooth things over. “Kairan, aren’t you in poor health? Can you even drink?”
Huo Kairan was sensitive to remarks about his “poor health.” Instead of backing down, he picked up the glass in front of him, meeting Jiang Xu’s gaze calmly before downing it in one go. “I can.”
Jiang Xu’s lips twitched that familiar, provoking feeling was back.
“Alright,” he sneered, shifting the topic. “Speaking of which, which university did you end up at after the college entrance exam? Almost everyone from our class who got into universities in Xihai is here today, but I’ve never heard anyone mention seeing you around. Don’t tell me you didn’t get in?”
Huo Kairan’s fingers, resting on his knees, tightened slightly.
“Jiang Xu! Don’t talk nonsense,” Gao Chaoguang frowned, immediately defending Huo Kairan.
“Not getting in isn’t a big deal,” Jiang Xu turned his fire toward Gao Chaoguang as well. “A degree isn’t worth much these days anyway. Look at our class monitor the top student back then, got into Xihai University, and now he’s still just working for someone else, isn’t he?”
“Jiang Xu, that’s enough. The jealousy is practically oozing out of you,” Gao Chaoguang, who was quite popular in the class, immediately had someone speak up for him. “Aren’t you just jealous that the class monitor got an offer from Yunke Tech?”
“Yunke ? Is that the Yunkē Tech under the Huo Group?”
“Wow! I heard that company has an incredibly high bar for campus recruitment!”
“The class monitor is amazing!”
The conversation quickly shifted to discussing Yunke Tech.
Class reunions were always like this half reminiscing about the past, half subtly competing and showing off their current status.
Huo Kairan tilted his head slightly. “You’re joining Yunke?”
Gao Chaoguang felt a bit embarrassed. “Yeah, that’s right. Kairan, you know about Yunke too?”
Huo Kairan shook his head and didn’t press further.
The drink he had just downed made him feel dizzy, and an unnatural flush spread across his cheeks.
Yet, this slight tipsiness seemed to relax his perpetually tense nerves a little.
He began to understand why people said alcohol could drown a thousand sorrows. After drinking, his mind felt foggy, and he didn’t have to think about anything upsetting.
What a good thing…
Gao Chaoguang poured him a glass of juice, but Huo Kairan gently pushed it away.
As if he had discovered a new toy, he pressed his small mouth against the rim of the glass and took small sips, voluntarily drinking more of the fruit wine.
Seeing that the wine looked beautiful and tasted sweet, Gao Chaoguang assumed it wasn’t very strong and that Huo Kairan had a decent tolerance, so he didn’t stop him.
Gao Chaoguang suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right, you mentioned earlier that you don’t usually live near Linjiang Garden. So, what were you doing there?”
Huo Kairan, lost in thought, mumbled somewhat incoherently, “Hmm… working, I guess.”
This was overheard by Jiang Xu, who wasn’t far away.
He immediately raised his voice, his expression exaggerated. “Working? At Linjiang Garden? You’ve got to be kidding! I have a friend who lives in Linjiang Garden a big boss with a net worth in the billions! His garage is filled with a row of limited-edition luxury cars! Working there? What, as a garage attendant?”
His words instantly grabbed everyone’s attention.
“Really? Jiang Xu, you have a friend who lives in Linjiang Garden?”
“Billions?! Oh my god, how much money is that…”
“Tell us more! What does your friend do?”
Everyone immediately crowded around Jiang Xu, firing questions at him.
Having experienced the real world, they understood the importance of connections and resources even more than they did in their student days.
Jiang Xu was thrilled. Just as he was about to continue boasting
Huo Kairan found it amusing but couldn’t be bothered to expose him. He pushed himself up from the table, feeling the room spin. He steadied himself with effort. “I’m going to the restroom.”
He staggered out of the private room, splashing cold water on his burning face in an attempt to clear his foggy mind.
But the effects of the alcohol only seemed to intensify. Everything around him began to sway and blur.
Leaning against the wall, he stumbled back, feeling as though he were trapped in a maze, unable to find his way back to the private room.
Suddenly, as he turned a corner, he collided headfirst into a firm, warm chest.
“Ouch…” Huo Kairan rubbed his aching forehead and looked up dazedly. His blurred vision revealed a stern, shadowy face.
He blinked his bleary eyes, trying to focus, then suddenly broke into a grin. He reached out a finger, pointing vaguely at the other person’s nose.
“Huh? You look a lot like my big brother.”
Huo Lin waved his hand, signaling the manager who was about to step forward to shoo him away to step back.
He steadied the little drunkard who could barely stand with one hand, his voice low and cold:
“Huo Kairan, you really… have quite the nerve.