Dinner time arrived.
At the dining table, Grandpa Huo was the first to sit down. Wen Zhili also chose a chair and sat down, with her left side next to Grandpa Huo.
Huo Cheng had originally intended to sit on Wen Zhili’s right, but just as he was about to walk over, Huo Shengbai beat him to it and took the seat beside her.
Huo Cheng had no choice but to change seats.
Wen Zhili tried her best to maintain the relationship between her and Huo Shengbai as that of an elder and a junior—polite yet distant.
She stiffened her legs, making sure they didn’t touch Huo Shengbai.
But whether intentionally or unintentionally, his knee brushed against hers.
Wen Zhili, startled like a rabbit, quickly shifted her leg to the side.
But as she retreated, he advanced.
He pressed his knee against hers again.
Wen Zhili’s heart raced, her face flushed, yet she didn’t dare glance at Huo Shengbai.
He was doing it on purpose.
Huo Cheng, as if suddenly inspired, tried to impress Grandpa Huo by having a servant bring over a bowl of chicken soup and placing it in front of Wen Zhili.
“Zhili, have some soup. It’s your favorite chicken soup.”
Grandpa Huo nodded approvingly.
This kid Huo Cheng finally knew how to care for his future wife.
Wen Zhili rolled her eyes inwardly, having no appetite at all.
Beneath the table, Huo Shengbai clenched his palm tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
Possessiveness and jealousy once again surged wildly in his eyes.
Huo Shengbai stood up personally, ladled a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup, and placed it in front of Wen Zhili.
He knew all of Wen Zhili’s preferences.
His Lili didn’t like greasy chicken soup at all—she preferred white fungus and lotus seed soup.
Huo Shengbai said gently, “Try the white fungus soup.”
Wen Zhili smiled nervously. “Thank you, Sheng… Uncle.”
She had almost used the wrong form of address just now.
Neither Huo Cheng nor Grandpa Huo found anything amiss about this scene.
After all, Huo Shengbai and Wen Zhili were two people who had nothing to do with each other.
It was well-known that Wen Zhili loved Huo Cheng too much.
Huo Shengbai’s attitude toward Wen Zhili was simply an elder’s concern for his junior’s future wife.
Wen Zhili tasted the sweet white fungus soup—it was sweet and delicious, just as she expected.
She didn’t even glance at the chicken soup Huo Cheng had brought.
Huo Cheng’s expression darkened.
He simply thought Wen Zhili was still acting up, deliberately embarrassing him.
But in front of Grandpa, he couldn’t make a scene. He could only think about teaching her a lesson when they met alone later.
After taking a few sips of the white fungus soup, Wen Zhili set down her bowl.
She thought the meal would continue peacefully, but she never expected that the next moment, her calf would itch.
Her fingers trembled, and she almost lost her composure.
Because Huo Shengbai was no longer just pressing his knee against hers—his actions had become even more excessive.
He was actually hooking his foot around her calf.
Wen Zhili’s eyelashes fluttered like startled butterflies, trembling uncontrollably.
Huo Shengbai was too wicked!
Why was he doing this?
She didn’t dare openly stop Huo Shengbai’s behavior, so she could only secretly try to push his leg away under the table with her small hand.
But it was useless.
She couldn’t move him.
She also didn’t dare make too much of a commotion, lest others notice something unusual between them.
Wen Zhili pretended to eat as if nothing was wrong, allowing the man’s leg under the table to hook around her foot.Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the man beside her maintaining a calm and composed expression, eating with an elegant demeanor, which instantly infuriated her.
This man…
Who would have thought that while he appeared to be eating properly, he was actually doing such… improper things under the table.
Wen Zhili couldn’t help but think that what they were doing felt like having an affair right in front of others.
It was too thrilling!
And too embarrassing for her!
Master Huo noticed Wen Zhili’s flushed face and asked with concern, “Lili, why is your face so red?”
Wen Zhili replied guiltily, “I… I’m feeling a bit hot. It’s nothing, Grandpa.”
Just then, Wen Zhili heard the sound of chopsticks falling to the floor.
She looked toward the source of the sound and saw that it was Huo Cheng, sitting across from her, whose chopsticks had fallen.
Her scalp instantly tingled, and her heart raced wildly, almost leaping out of her throat.
She quickly pushed Huo Shengbai’s leg forcefully, signaling him to stop fooling around!
But to her surprise, Huo Shengbai was audacious.
He clamped her foot between his legs as if trapping prey.
At the same time, Huo Cheng had already begun bending down to pick up his chopsticks.
If this continued, Huo Cheng would definitely see under the table that her leg and Huo Shengbai’s were tangled together.
Wen Zhili’s ears burned with nervousness. Almost in tears, she pleaded with Huo Shengbai beside her.
Seeing the little white rabbit so frightened, Huo Shengbai’s heart softened, and he stopped teasing her.
Just before Huo Cheng fully bent down to retrieve his chopsticks, Huo Shengbai swiftly released her leg and returned to his original position.
Only then did Wen Zhili’s heart, which had been lodged in her throat, settle back down.
After waiting for Master Huo to put down his chopsticks, Wen Zhili hurriedly set hers aside, stood up quickly, and fled from the dining table as if escaping.
She rushed straight to the bathroom.
Seeing her flushed face in the mirror, she covered her burning cheeks.
It was all Huo Shengbai’s fault!
She quickly splashed cold water on her face, trying to calm herself down.
Once she had recovered, she left the bathroom.
But as soon as she opened the door, she was cornered by Huo Shengbai.
Huo Shengbai immediately said, “Your face is so red? Is it because of what I did under the table…”
Frightened, Wen Zhili quickly grabbed Huo Shengbai’s arm and pulled him into the bathroom, afraid he might say something scandalous that others could overhear.
Before they officially registered their marriage, their relationship absolutely could not be discovered by anyone else.
She hurriedly closed the door.
“Huo Shengbai!”
This was the first time she had called him by his full name, as she was both angry and embarrassed!
Hearing Lili call his name, Huo Shengbai felt every pore in his body relax.
He was thrilled by it.
Huo Shengbai replied, “Yes, I’m here.”
Wen Zhili bit her lip and asked, “Why did you do that earlier?”
Huo Shengbai’s eyes were filled with tenderness but not without a hint of dominance. “Because you are my fiancée now, my woman. I don’t want to see other men trying to win your favor, not even Huo Cheng.”
So this was a man’s possessiveness at play? Wen Zhili thought.
He was using his own way to “warn” her that she belonged to him and should no longer pay attention to Huo Cheng.
Wen Zhili felt somewhat helpless.
Everyone knew that she, Wen Zhili, was Huo Cheng’s devoted admirer. She loved Huo Cheng deeply, to the very marrow of her bones.
No wonder it was difficult for her to make Huo Shengbai fully believe that she truly no longer wanted to marry Huo Cheng.Perhaps he still thought in his heart that she was mostly using him to spite Huo Cheng.
Wen Zhili looked into Huo Shengbai’s eyes and said firmly, “Huo Shengbai, I promise you, I’ve truly given up on Huo Cheng. No matter what methods he uses to show affection, I won’t feel anything. I will only marry you. I’ll prove it with my actions.”
A gentle smile appeared on Huo Shengbai’s face as he patted her head. “Alright, I understand.”
He seemed to genuinely believe it…
But Wen Zhili felt something was off.
Wen Zhili emphasized, “Before we get our marriage certificate, you mustn’t act recklessly. Don’t let them discover our…”
Affair.
That was close! She almost said it out loud.
Huo Shengbai smiled ambiguously, appearing obedient as he nodded. “Alright, I understand.”
…
Master Huo asked her to stay at the Huo residence for the night, and she didn’t refuse.
However, because of what happened at the dining table, she had become wary.
So after entering her room, she quickly locked the door from the inside.
After taking a shower, Wen Zhili came out of the bathroom in her pajamas and planned to go straight to bed.
Just then, the room door was knocked.
“Lili.” Huo Shengbai’s deep voice came from outside the door.
Wen Zhili immediately jumped up from the bed, alert. “Yes, what is it?”
Huo Shengbai was like a big bad wolf hiding outside the door, disguised as a harmless, gentle dog, coaxing the “little rabbit” inside.
“I brought you a cup of warm honey milk. Drinking it will help you sleep more soundly.”
Wen Zhili was ultimately too afraid and refused. “I won’t drink it, thank you.”
Huo Shengbai said pitifully, “I heated it especially for you and added honey and osmanthus.”
Wen Zhili sighed, ultimately unable to bring herself to refuse him.
“Alright, I’ll open the door, but just to take the milk.”
“Mhm.”
But when the obedient little rabbit opened the door, the big bad wolf seized the opportunity to slip inside, closing the door behind him.
The little rabbit was instantly dumbfounded. “You… you…”
The big bad wolf proactively brought the milk to her lips. “I’ll leave after I watch you finish the milk.”
Fine.
Wen Zhili had no choice but to finish the milk in the cup.
It was sweet, with the flavor of osmanthus honey.
Just as she finished the milk, urgent knocking suddenly came from outside the door.
Huo Cheng’s impatient voice pierced through from outside. “Wen Zhili, Grandpa wants me to sleep in the same room as you. Open the door and let me in!”
Disgust rose in Wen Zhili’s heart. Before she could even open her mouth to refuse, her waist was tightly embraced by the man.
Huo Shengbai pressed her against the wall, sealing her lips with his own, preventing her from agreeing to Huo Cheng outside the door.