“Please Take Me In.”
“Why was the birthday banquet canceled so suddenly? I had prepared so much, even wrote each invitation by hand myself.”
Zhuang Jing sat at the head of the dining table, her tone tinged with complaint.
Huo Guoxun wrapped an arm around her shoulder and comforted her softly, but he must have said something wrong, as it only earned him a reproachful glance from Zhuang Jing.
In this household, Huo Guoxun had always been at the bottom of the food chain.
He shot a meaningful look, signaling his most beloved youngest son to say a few nice words so the matter could be put to rest.
However, seated at the table, Huo Kairan kept his head lowered, his face pale, as if unsure how to explain himself.
He had always been fair-skinned, with a somewhat sickly pallor, like a delicate porcelain doll living in a duke’s castle. His temperament was unpredictable, so no one else noticed anything unusual.
Only Huo Lin’s gaze lingered on him. After a long while, he spoke calmly, “I canceled it. He’s still young and shouldn’t indulge in extravagance. Besides, even if he had a disagreement with Zhang Zhen, he shouldn’t have beaten him to the point of disability. Keep a low profile these days and reflect on your actions at home.”
These words decisively took responsibility, neither revealing that it was Huo Kairan’s impulsive decision nor failing to grasp Zhuang Jing’s mindset.
Sure enough, seeing Huo Lin speak so seriously, Zhuang Jing’s anger had mostly dissipated, and she began defending her son instead: “Hitting someone is wrong, but that Zhang boy is notoriously spoiled. Ranran was just delivering justice, in a way.”
Finally, Huo Guoxun stepped in to smooth things over, declaring the family meeting adjourned: “Alright, alright. Xiao Lin rarely comes home. It’s nice for our family to celebrate his birthday privately. Who knows when we’ll get to gather like this again.”
He meant that since he had stepped back from the front lines, Huo Lin was usually too busy to come home except during holidays.
But these words felt like a thorn, piercing Huo Kairan’s heart.
His pupils trembled, his expression tightened, and he abruptly looked up
Zhuang Jing took the opportunity to place a birthday hat on his head, saying gently, “The banquet at Jinxiang Tower may be canceled, but the ceremony must go on. Come, make a wish and blow out the candles.”
She started the song, and everyone followed along, clapping to the rhythm.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, may you be happy, may you be healthy~”
Huo Kairan stared blankly at the scene before him. The image seemed filtered with a dreamlike haze, constantly zooming in and out.
He blinked hard but still couldn’t see clearly.
Until that deep, resonant voice, slightly off-key, whispered close to his ear.
He shuddered all over, finally seeing each of their expressions clearly.
Huo Guoxun smiled kindly, Zhuang Jing’s gaze was gentle, and even Huo Lin’s usually stern features softened slightly, his eyes filled with sincere blessings.
He had been surrounded by this every day before, taking it for granted.
Only now did he realize how much he truly loved this family.
“Whoosh ” The candles went out.
He made a wish: that on this day next year, the people around him would remain the same.
Huo Lin left after the meal.
The heavy burden of the group rested on his shoulders alone, and he was always busy.
Huo Kairan never understood what he was busy with before, and he still didn’t understand now.
Because no one ever gave him the chance to understand.
Huo Guoxun would only say, “As long as Xiao Ran is happy.”
Zhuang Jing would only say, “As long as my baby is healthy and happy.”
Huo Lin would always look at him calmly and say, “If you run out of money, just use the card.”
Huo Kairan was like a rare flower nurtured in the sheltered greenhouse of a wealthy family, untouched by the harsh winds, scorching sun, bitter cold, or sweltering heat of the outside world. There were always others to shield him from storms and nourish him with care.
But now, the flowerpot had shattered.
“It’s your birthday today. Why are you still hanging around my place?”
Song Shiwei poured a glass of milk for the little tyrant who had taken over his desk, then moved to another table. Picking up a small brush, he carefully began restoring a cracked tortoiseshell inscribed with ancient scriptures.
Glancing up, he saw the young master, who usually carried himself with an air of superiority still slumped lazily over the desk, gazing blankly out the window with an uncharacteristic hint of melancholy in his eyes.
Their families were neighbors, living in the same upscale villa community.
The Song family was also a distinguished lineage, known for generations of scholarly integrity and cultural refinement.
Song Shiwei’s parents were an archaeologist and a cultural relic restorer, often away on business trips. As the only child at home, Song Shiwei was currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Xihai University, following in his father’s footsteps by specializing in cultural heritage research.
Huo Kairan had once been entrusted to Song Shiwei for tutoring by Zhuang Jing, but it hadn’t made much difference even a top student couldn’t salvage a blockhead who scored a total of three hundred points across six subjects.
Still, the two had grown closer because of it.
From this window, the Huo family’s backyard garden was visible.
“Shiwei-ge, you don’t get it,” Huo Kairan mumbled, his face pressed against the unfinished letter of apology on the desk. “I’m not the same person I used to be…”
Today was his birthday, and presumably also the birthday of the true young master.
While his biological son was still suffering in the countryside, he an outsider was here enjoying a life of luxury. He couldn’t bear to show his face in front of his parents, so he’d taken refuge at the neighbor’s house.
Besides, although Huo Lin had agreed to cancel the birthday celebration for him yesterday, he’d also punished him for his momentary recklessness and the incident with Zhang Zhen. The two offenses combined had earned him a ten-thousand-word letter of apology Huo Lin’s only form of discipline for this younger brother he couldn’t bring himself to scold or strike.
In the past, Huo Kairan would have scoffed, ignored the task, and forgotten all about it.
But now he had no choice but to obediently pick up his pen.
Yet after writing only a few lines, he was already scratching his head in frustration.
What had he done wrong? He hadn’t done anything wrong at all!
“I’m not convinced,” Huo Kairan grumbled.
“Your showdown with Zhang Zhen has earned you quite the notorious reputation and I mean that in a negative way,” Song Shiwei adjusted his glasses. “Your heroic deeds have already spread throughout the circle. I doubt anyone in Xihai dares to cross you now.”
Hearing this, Huo Kairan lifted his chin proudly, accepting this “notoriety” with satisfaction.
“But Zhang Zhen is still Zhang Bolun’s son. Even as an illegitimate child, he’s deeply favored. By breaking his leg and publicly dumping him at the Zhang family’s doorstep, you trampled all over their dignity. Even so, it could have been dismissed as a scuffle among the younger generation. The problem is that Huo Lin intervened. The Zhang and Huo families had recently been exploring collaboration, but Huo Lin cut ties without hesitation. All the preliminary investments went down the drain, and both sides suffered significant losses. My guess is that the Zhang family’s losses were even greater, which is why they swallowed their pride and apologized to you.”
After Song Shiwei’s calm explanation, Huo Kairan was momentarily stunned, his raised chin slowly lowering.
So that’s what Huo Lin meant by “leave it to me”?
The Huo family… had also suffered considerable losses?
He looked down at the letter of apology on which he’d only written a few words.
There was so much more behind all this? And Huo Lin had only punished him with a five-thousand-word letter. It didn’t seem all that harsh, after all.
“Besides, you canceled the birthday banquet at the last minute. The invitations had already been sent out, and the guests are all wealthy or influential figures, many of whom are newcomers to West Sea. Canceling on such short notice is no easy task, and if handled poorly, it could offend quite a few people. Your eldest brother will likely be busy all day today.” Seeing that he was listening, Song Shiwei chuckled softly at his rare obedience, then lowered his head to continue repairing the cracks in the tortoiseshell. “Having a brother like that is something to envy.”
“It’s only because.” Huo Kairan slumped dejectedly.
It was only because Huo Lin had always believed he was his biological younger brother, that they were family.
His chest tightened, and his gaze drifted toward Song Shiwei. Staring at the invisible “scholar’s halo” above the other’s head, he couldn’t help but ask:
“Shiwei, do you know about the ‘true and false young masters’? The kind of wealthy family drama often seen in TV shows and novels.”
“Not really.” Song Shiwei tilted his head slightly. “But lately, the ‘true and false emperors’ trope has been quite popular in unofficial history circles.”
Huo Kairan didn’t understand anything about unofficial or official history and nodded casually. “Pretty much the same! That kind of thing. If the true young master is about to return home, and you were the false one, what would you be thinking right now?”
Hearing this, Song Shiwei actually gave it some serious thought before replying thoughtfully, “I’d be wondering what my biological parents are like. Not being able to care for them all these years would feel unfilial.”
Huo Kairan: “…”
He felt as if he saw a golden light
The light of righteousness.
Song Shiwei chuckled. “What’s with that expression? Then what are you thinking?”
Huo Kairan took a deep breath. “I’m thinking. I can’t bear to part with my mansion and luxury cars, my entire floor of new clothes, the rooftop swimming pool, or the reptile park I just finished building. I can’t accept that my little white and the new little blue won’t get to eat imported, air-freighted feeder mice anymore. I won’t be able to just glance at things and have them all wrapped up for me, and when I go out, there won’t even be bodyguards to carry my shopping bags. I won’t be able to stand up for others anymore, I won’t be able to fight back when people insult me, and I can’t say cool lines like ‘I am the rules’ anymore. And also.”
Song Shiwei’s hand, holding the dressing, paused slightly, clearly not expecting Huo Kairan to go on for half an hour.
“That specific, huh?” He couldn’t help but laugh.
Huo Kairan curled up fearfully, his beautiful long hair falling beside his ears. “I can’t live without money.”
“I think,” Song Shiwei said gently, “sometimes experiencing a different kind of life might not be such a bad thing.”
Huo Kairan covered his ears. He couldn’t even bear to hear such words! They were practically blasphemous!
After a moment of silence, he couldn’t help but ask anxiously, “Do you think that once the true young master returns, everyone will really have no feelings left for the false one?”
Song Shiwei rinsed his brush. “That depends on how the false young master usually behaves. If he’s a malicious, arrogant villain, then according to the usual tropes, he’d probably get put in his place by the true young master?”
Oh no. Huo Kairan felt faint. He really was exactly that kind of malicious, arrogant villain, with not a single redeeming quality!
Song Shiwei carefully aligned the cracks and said casually, “But if the false young master is well-behaved and sensible, and knows when to cozy up to the right people, maybe he could stay in the family as an adopted son? After all, it’s a wealthy family they can afford to feed one more mouth.”
Obedient? Sensible? Adopted son? Huo Kairan caught the key words, tilting his head slightly. “Whose coattails are we riding?”
Song Shiwei shook her head, smiling as she met his gaze. “The most powerful one, of course.”
In the CEO’s office of the Huo Group, the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows framed the bustling skyline of Xihai City.
Zhang Bolun stood before the desk, his expression grim. “President Huo, letting a petty rivalry among the younger generation affect our collaboration isn’t that too emotional? Our families have cooperated for years, with deeply intertwined interests. Acting so decisively will likely harm more than just my Zhang family.” Though aware his son had started the trouble, he still maintained the demeanor of an elder. Over the past few days, he had tried everything apologies with gifts, subtle pressure, a mix of soft and hard tactics yet this young CEO remained unmoved.
Huo Lin stood with his back to him, gazing down at the city below. At these words, he slowly turned around.
His face showed no expression, his voice not loud, yet each word carried immense weight, falling clearly in the silent office:
“You consider it a trivial matter, Mr. Zhang. To me, it is not.”
With that single sentence, he shut down all of Zhang Bolun’s prepared arguments.
Without waiting for a response, Huo Lin pressed the intercom and crisply instructed his waiting assistant outside:
“Notify all departments: effective immediately, the Huo Group and all its affiliated companies will terminate all existing collaborations with Zhang Enterprises. All projects that have been approved but not yet launched, or launched but not completed, are to be withdrawn. And,”
He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Bolun, whose face instantly paled. His tone was calm yet brooked no argument:
“Add them to the permanent no-cooperation list.”
There was no room for negotiation, not the slightest concession.
“Yes, President Huo.” Assistant Wang replied calmly and turned to carry out the order.
Zhang Bolun’s face turned ashen. He took a step forward. “Huo Lin! Have you lost your mind”
Assistant Wang had already stepped in, gesturing for Zhang Bolun to leave. Huo Lin paid him no further attention.
Outside the window, the entire Xihai business district lay spread out below, a miniature sandbox of flowing traffic and flickering neon lights.
And new upheavals were decided with nothing more than a word from those in power.
The Huo Group maintained an entire secretarial department serving the CEO’s office.
Besides Assistant Wang, Assistant Sun was Huo Lin’s personal aide, responsible for driving, arranging his meals, tidying the office, and verifying documents.
That day, Huo Lin worked until ten in the evening before leaning back in his chair, rubbing his temples.
Assistant Sun took the day’s contracts and documents, verified them one last time, sorted them into folders, and stored them in a drawer.
While tidying the desk, however, he discovered several small, crudely carved silver fragments, alongside a few engraving tools.
His heart instantly tightened. “President Huo, these are.”
Could someone have broken in?
Huo Lin glanced up, then his expression stiffened slightly, as if somewhat embarrassed he had been so busy today he’d forgotten to put them away.
“It’s nothing. Please put them away for me.”
Assistant Sun’s hand paused. So, this formidable CEO, who commanded such respect outside, secretly carved these little trinkets in his office during breaks.
He didn’t dare look too closely, but he could make out the rough shapes of the silver pieces they seemed like something meant for a child.
Later, he drove Huo Lin home, concluding another day’s work.
Although his job often required overtime, it was much easier compared to other secretarial positions, and coupled with the generous salary, he found it quite satisfying.
Assistant Sun happily drove the boss to his destination.
Due to work reasons, Huo Lin owned a spacious apartment on the seventeenth floor of “Jingyuan,” located near the company. He stayed here whenever he wasn’t returning to the Huo family’s old mansion.
In the past, he hadn’t stayed here so frequently. No matter how busy he was, he made sure to spend at least three days a week at the old mansion. But over the past two years, except for holidays or family birthdays, he had been avoiding it, hiding here as if seeing them less could sever the tangled mess of emotions in his heart.
The car door slid open. After bidding farewell to his assistant, Huo Lin stepped out of the car. He instinctively reached to open the radar-icon app on his phone, but his fingertips hesitated and withdrew before tapping it. Instead, he slipped the phone back into his pocket and pressed the elevator button.
Just as he stepped into the elevator, a sharp ringtone echoed from his pocket.
Huo Lin answered.
“A-Lin, what should I do? Your brother is missing! His usual clothes are gone, and all his precious snakes and lizards in the basement have disappeared too!”
“Has he… has he run away from home?”
Zhuang Jing’s voice, already high-pitched, now carried a frantic edge, crackling through the static of the call.
Huo Lin’s heart tightened, but his tone remained steady and reassuring:
“Don’t worry, leave it to me.”
Despite his calm words, the usually composed Mr. Huo fumbled slightly, swiping several times before finally opening the radar-icon tracking app on his phone.
A red dot representing the target flashed on the screen, and a flicker of confusion passed through Huo Lin’s eyes.
The target was less than three meters away from him.
At that moment, the elevator doors opened, casting a faint glow from the corridor lights.
At the far end of the hallway, huddled in the corner by the quiet front door, was a slender figure.
Beside him, the shadow of a large suitcase seemed almost ready to swallow him whole.
“Found him.”
Huo Lin stared at the figure and spoke slowly.
“Found him? Where is he? I’ll come pick him up”
“He’s here with me. I’ll call you back later.” Huo Lin hung up the call decisively, only then realizing what he had just said.
At eleven o’clock at night, scattered lights still glowed in the residential buildings of the city center.
The corridor lights flickered intermittently.
On one side of the hallway was a slender young man curled up in the corner, sleeping peacefully.
On the other side stood a man in a coat and a tailored suit.
The man seemed taken aback, his usually deep and steady eyes flickering with a trace of bewilderment.
The person he had been longing for day and night was right there, one hand resting on a suitcase, his forehead pressed against the back of his hand, sleeping soundly.
The suitcase’s wheels shifted slightly, causing the young man to stumble and wake up. Just as he was about to rub his reddened forehead
He looked up and met a pair of calm, steady eyes gazing at him.
The emotions in those eyes were profound, a turbulent sea he couldn’t decipher.
“Big brother,” Huo Kairan said, a hint of guilt in his voice.
His voice, still soft and drowsy from sleep, carried a sticky sweetness. The red marks left by sleep on his pale skin looked like crimson plum blossoms against snow.
As he reached out, the long-life locket around his neck the one he had once complained about for its old-fashioned design jingled softly in the quiet of the deep night.
He widened his eyes, mustering the pitiful expression he had practiced all night:
“Please take me in.”