She said those were all developed by Zhao Pingsheng. “I heard some of them are high-quality seedlings Captain Huo spent a lot of money to collect.”
Lin Shuangshuang kept sighing in admiration, thinking how incredible they were. The fact that Huo Ling, Zhao Pingsheng, and Zhang Dapeng had managed to prepare this small castle so early was truly impressive.
Really amazing.
The two of them chatted and stayed on the rooftop for most of the day. Gao Lei rarely came upstairs today; when he saw them, he didn’t interrupt and just turned back down again.
On the fourth floor—
Huo Ling was drying his hair. His mental ability allowed him to sense what the two people on the rooftop were talking about.
Lin Shuangshuang was like a little fool.
Rona chattered endlessly, and Lin Shuangshuang responded with either surprised or admiring “Mm-hmm!” sounds. Somehow, the two of them communicated perfectly.
Thinking of her dazed expression, Huo Ling couldn’t help but curl his lips upward. But then, as if remembering something unpleasant, his smile quickly faded.
His mood soured.
So he went to the third floor.
Zhao Pingsheng was busy reviewing experimental data and frankly didn’t want to deal with him at all.
After barging in, Huo Ling casually pulled over a chair and sat down without ceremony. A towel was draped around his neck. Having just finished washing his hair, he looked softer than usual—his black hair was slightly tousled, reducing his usual rebellious coldness and adding a rare hint of boyishness.
Zhao Pingsheng glanced at him but ignored him.
Huo Ling sat for a while, idly tapping the floor with his long legs and spinning the chair.
Zhao Pingsheng still didn’t respond, though a bad feeling began to rise.
Then Huo Ling suddenly said, “She’s very enthusiastic toward me. Just like before.”
Zhao Pingsheng internally screamed: Here we go again!
He really wanted to escape—but he couldn’t. This was his lab.
Huo Ling continued, “Actually, she’s quite cute when she’s not lying. Why does she always lie?”
Zhao Pingsheng closed his eyes and endured it.
Huo Ling, lost in another thought, added, “She really loves maple syrup cupcakes. I already bought the recipe. If Little One and Little Two sync the updates and we gather the ingredients, I can make them for her.”
Zhao Pingsheng finally couldn’t hold back. “Then just make them for her.”
Huo Ling glanced at him like he didn’t understand, and said flatly, “What if I spoil her? Should she get everything she wants just because she asks?”
Then why did you even buy the recipe?!
Zhao Pingsheng felt like hitting someone. “If you have nothing better to do, get lost.”
Huo Ling ignored him and after a pause asked, “Do you think she still loves me?”
That was the last straw.
Zhao Pingsheng grabbed him and threw him out. “Get lost! You’re 27, not 17! Enough already!”
Is he here to show off his love life?!
Zhao Pingsheng snapped.
Huo Ling calmly adjusted his sleeves, feeling slightly better. “You’re getting worked up again. I was just talking to a friend about my feelings.”
Zhao Pingsheng locked the door and hung a sign: “Temporarily Closed.”
He truly couldn’t take it anymore.
And honestly, it wasn’t entirely Huo Ling’s fault.
Ever since six years ago—since Huo Ling started sitting at his bedside in the middle of the night crying—he had been forced to listen to this love story over and over again for six whole years.
Anyone would go insane.
When Huo Ling said he was going to bring Lin Shuangshuang back, Zhao Pingsheng felt nothing but relief. He just wanted her found already so his friend would stop acting like a lovesick ghost.
He had seriously considered digging three feet into the ground to find her himself.
In fact, the situation was clearly psychological trauma. But Zhao Pingsheng wasn’t a psychologist—and Huo Ling refused treatment anyway, insisting he was fine.
Even after Zhao Pingsheng studied psychology later, it still didn’t help. Huo Ling was stubborn to the core.
And spoiled beyond repair.
Born into a powerful family, his mother passed away, his father remarried—though his status never changed, he never truly got over it emotionally.
Then he moved out, met Lin Shuangshuang, and somehow ended up secretly dating her for six years.
It was absurd.
Even now, Zhao Pingsheng still couldn’t understand it.
“How do two people manage to date for six years under all that security without anyone noticing? You two are unbelievable!”
After complaining, he sighed and returned to his professional demeanor.
But he still couldn’t figure it out.
Logically, they shouldn’t have even met. A mysterious girl and a wealthy heir, tightly guarded estate—how did they even cross paths? And fall for each other?
Even Huo Ling, despite living outside the family home, still had top-tier security. Not even a fly could get in.
He didn’t like crowds, never held parties, and kept his house empty of outsiders.
Yet Lin Shuangshuang had somehow slipped in.
That alone was impressive.
When Huo Ling questioned her sudden disappearance, Zhao Pingsheng had already wanted to complain—but the real issue was: how did she even get in the first place?!
At the time, Huo Ling had looked at him like he was stupid and said, “Of course I questioned it. I’m not an idiot. She said it was an accident.”
And it really was that coincidental.
A shift change in security happened to have a gap, and she slipped in unnoticed.
Huo Ling checked the surveillance. She had walked in openly.
Sometimes the world really was just that sloppy.
One-in-a-million coincidences had brought them together.
After that, Huo Ling deleted the footage and allowed her to secretly enter his home. At first, she often stayed over, and he even prepared toiletries for her personally.
When Zhao Pingsheng heard that, he seriously considered shaking his head to see if water would spill out.
He already knew the entire love story by heart and didn’t want to hear it anymore.
He had even suggested breaking up once—and got yelled at for it.
A love-brained man to this degree was also a kind of talent.
Zhao Pingsheng could only sigh that the world was fair. Huo Ling got everything—status, looks, family—but also got a love brain that made him suffer emotionally.
And then—
Just as Zhao Pingsheng was feeling slightly guilty for being too harsh, his wrist device rang.
He instinctively opened it.
Huo Ling’s voice came through, slightly rising in tone:
“Lin Shuangshuang came to see me again.”
Zhao Pingsheng: “……”
The world is truly unfair to single people—especially single people stuck with a love-brained best friend.
He gave a thumbs-up emoji.
He lost.
Then he clasped his hands together and sincerely prayed:
May these two stay locked together forever.