The rain was getting heavier, like a string of water firecrackers exploding on the ground. Lin Yue Shu crouched behind a pillar at the entrance of the welfare institute, his teeth chattering as he tried to hold onto his already soaked collar. He saw Huo Yi Sen’s custom Bentley, not available on the market, pass through the alley, stopping only briefly at the red light before speeding off. It seemed that the only thing that could make Huo Yi Sen stop was the rules and regulations.
“Achoo!” This time, Lin Yue Shu was really going to catch a cold. He had to admit that those acts of pretending to be weak to gain sympathy had finally bored Huo Yi Sen. Lin Yue Shu flicked his hair, wet as if he had just been fished out of the water. He stood up, his legs numb from crouching too long, and supported himself on his knees to ease the discomfort.
Suddenly, the already dim sky turned even darker, and the buzzing sound of rain above turned into a violent patter. Lin Yue Shu paused, looked up, and saw a black umbrella hanging over his head. Slowly turning his head, he met a pair of deep, dark eyes, and his heart, like the rain pouring down, gradually filled with joy.
He slowly straightened up, murmuring in disbelief, “Representative Huo…” A black umbrella completely covered Lin Yue Shu’s head, while Huo Yi Sen’s shoulder was exposed, his coat soaked. His dark eyes were like the last rain of autumn, cold and distant, like the hidden indifference after the fake tears at a funeral.
“You dropped this.” Huo Yi Sen suddenly raised his hand. With a pleasant jingle, a green Snoopy pendant appeared in front of Lin Yue Shu. Lin Yue Shu was stunned for a moment, then reached out with his wet hand to take the Snoopy. “It really ended up with you.” Even though Huo Yi Sen had originally given him a pink dog, which was still somewhere at home.
Lin Yue Shu tightly clutched the little dog, and after a while, he asked, “Why are you here?” “The kids wrote letters wanting to see me, and I happened to have time,” Huo Yi Sen said nonchalantly, glancing at his watch, looking as if he had rushed over after receiving a call.
Only then did Lin Yue Shu remember his purpose for coming here. As a professional actor, he immediately slipped into the storyline. He turned his face, staring straight into the welfare institute, absentmindedly tugging at his collar and chewing on it. Huo Yi Sen watched him for a moment, then reached out to pull the collar out of his mouth. “Not going in?” he asked.
It took Lin Yue Shu a long time to shake his head, seemingly shivering from the cold, his arms tightly wrapped around himself. Throughout the process, his gaze never left the welfare institute’s hall. Following his gaze, Huo Yi Sen frowned. In the warm, clean hall, the children were gathered around, and a man with an extremely sleazy appearance was holding a plush toy, smiling disgustingly at the children. Behind him was the sharp-eyed director, who would lean forward every time the man shifted in his seat, ready to jump up and fight the sleazy man at any moment.
Indeed sleazy, unprecedentedly so, even Huo Yi Sen couldn’t help but frown. He turned his head, frowning even deeper. Lin Yue Shu was biting his collar again. It was undeniable that if he hadn’t seen Lin Yue Shu crouching at the entrance biting his collar while passing by in the car, he would already be soaking in a hot bath.
Huo Yi Sen knew that Lin Yue Shu only unconsciously bit his collar when he was extremely anxious. He stared at Lin Yue Shu’s eyes, which were filled with swirling fear and horror, his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he swallowed. “Lin Yue Shu,” Huo Yi Sen’s cold voice sounded. Lin Yue Shu didn’t move. “Lin Yue Shu,” Huo Yi Sen’s tone grew heavier, grabbing Lin Yue Shu’s chin and forcing him to turn his face.
Facing him, Lin Yue Shu’s gaze still lingered on the warmth inside the welfare institute. Only then did Huo Yi Sen see that besides fear, there was also anger in his eyes. He grabbed Lin Yue Shu’s hand, forcibly dragging him towards the car. But Lin Yue Shu clung to the gate’s bars, pulling with all his might in the opposite direction, staring at the welfare institute and murmuring, “He… he…”
How could Lin Yue Shu possibly resist Huo Yi Sen, who was 192 cm tall and weighed 185 pounds? He was pried off the bars and forcefully shoved into the car, the door slammed shut. Outside, the rain continued to pour, while inside the car was dim and silent. The dry warm air slowly blew away the moisture from Lin Yue Shu’s body, and he stopped shivering.
In the driver’s seat, Huo Yi Sen glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Calmed down?” Lin Yue Shu looked as if he had just woken from a dream, his mind blank for a moment before turning to look at the welfare institute again. “Do you know him?” Huo Yi Sen was referring to the sleazy man. Lin Yue Shu’s eyes were unfocused as he nodded, then shook his head after a long while.
Huo Yi Sen’s voice was cold as ice. “Do you want to tell me the truth, or should I go in and find out for myself?” Lin Yue Shu screamed internally. Comrade Huo Yi Sen, are you in such a hurry? I haven’t finished my act yet. “I don’t know if he’s someone I know. He seems like it, but also not,” Lin Yue Shu frowned deeply, his delicate brows rippling with emotion.
Huo Yi Sen didn’t rush him, knowing this story would take a while to tell. “When the director first brought me back to the orphanage, I was very thin and dirty, and I wet my pants. No one wanted to play with me. During games where we paired up, the girl who was paired with me cried for a long time because of it, and I ruined the game for everyone.”
Huo Yi Sen’s eyes, which had been lowered, slowly lifted at these words. Lin Yue Shu gazed out at the pouring rain, his thoughts drifting back to when he was six, buried deep in the dust. “At that time, my only friend was a girl a year older than me. Her name was Xiao Man. She would always secretly save her dessert from lunch to share with me, and when I wet my pants, she would sneak up at night to wash them for me. When I broke dishes and was punished to kneel by the director, she would sneak in to accompany me and tell me stories.”
“She often told me to hide when the uncle came.” Huo Yi Sen’s brow twitched, his hand lightly tapping the steering wheel. Uncle? “That uncle donated a lot of money to the orphanage. He was the president of the local charity association, a great philanthropist admired by everyone. The director eagerly anticipated his visits, as his presence meant money and benefits.”
“There was a small room in the orphanage, and often in the middle of the night, cries could be heard. The uncle would lead them in with a smile, and they would come out with injuries, wiping tears and limping, but they would also receive a delicious cake.” Lin Yue Shu held his forehead, seemingly exhausted from the memories, his voice soft and tinged with weariness.
“One day, Xiao Man suddenly found me and said the uncle was coming, telling me to hide.” Lin Yue Shu’s breathing became rapid. “I naively thought the uncle wanted to play hide and seek with me, so I hid under the bed in the small room.” Lin Yue Shu’s words took all his strength, and for a long time, the car was filled with silence.
Huo Yi Sen looked ahead. “And then?” “Then… then I saw Xiao Man’s shoes come in from outside, followed by a pair of expensive-looking leather shoes.” “I… I was very angry, thinking they had betrayed me, playing hide and seek without me.” “The bed above me was creaking, and I couldn’t tell if it was Xiao Man’s screams or the bed about to collapse.”
“I was too scared, afraid the bed would collapse and hurt me, so I ran out.” “I saw a very strange scene. Xiao Man, barely clothed, was pressed on the bed, and the uncle’s pants were down to his ankles. I saw the uncle freeze, and the next second, he smiled.” Lin Yue Shu took a deep breath. “He said… why is there another one, and asked me if I liked the uncle’s big…”
He stopped abruptly. Huo Yi Sen gripped the steering wheel tightly. “And then?” Unlike the previous “and then,” this time the tone was heavy and oppressive, like ice piercing through. “I was very scared,” Lin Yue Shu’s eyes fluttered, his eyelashes trembling. “At six years old, I used a small desk lamp to beat the uncle until his face was covered in blood.”
“I dragged Xiao Man and ran, climbing over the orphanage wall. The anti-theft net left us bloody and bruised. It was raining outside, and we didn’t know where to go.” “I remember the director saying that if we encountered difficulties, we should find the police.” Huo Yi Sen’s Adam’s apple moved. “Did you find them?”
Lin Yue Shu smiled. “We did.” “What did the police say?” “The police said…” Lin Yue Shu lowered his head, weakly holding his forehead, the smile on his lips lingering. “Children shouldn’t lie, and they shouldn’t throw tantrums and run away from home.” As the words fell, the car was enveloped in an eerie silence.
“Everyone believed the uncle was a great philanthropist, even the police. They also believed that children were the best liars because children only acted on instinct, and that instinct was to deceive to protect themselves.” Huo Yi Sen remained silent, seemingly contemplating how to offer comfort, yet feeling that any concern was unnecessary given their relationship, leaving only silence.
Lin Yue Shu raised a smile. “Of course, the story’s ending isn’t entirely tragic. I saw Xiao Man once before. She’s now teaching in an elementary school, volunteering at the welfare institute during holidays, has a dog, and… a good partner…” Lin Yue Shu’s vision suddenly blurred, and he could only swallow hard to suppress his emotions, realizing that when the flood of emotions came, everything in the world was so fragile.
Tears fell down his aching nose. Even though it was a happy ending, he didn’t know why he was crying. This time, there was no acting involved. Huo Yi Sen, however, provided the answer for him. “Xiao Man is doing well now, but you’re still trapped in that rainstorm at six years old.”
Lin Yue Shu frowned, trying to digest the words, and after a long time, his pupils uncontrollably dilated. His heart felt like a garden in spring, flowers blooming, and in this atmosphere, a heat surged uncontrollably in his lower abdomen, trembling and rippling. Lin Yue Shu suddenly understood, realizing that Huo Yi Sen was referring to the incident where he attacked the vice president of Alder Jewelry. He had been paying attention to him all along.
It turned out Huo Yi Sen knew everything. Because the other party was a renowned luxury brand’s vice president, a single light sentence from him could turn the tables, making the victim the perpetrator. After a brief silence, a cold voice sounded in the car. “Tell me about what happened at the hotel that day.”
Author’s Note: ———————- CEOs, please check out my upcoming work. If you’re interested, feel free to add it to your collection [kiss kiss] “The Foolish but Excessively Beautiful Stepmom” 1. Lin Xiangyin was born dull, universally acknowledged to not survive half an episode in a palace drama, and then transmigrated into a character with the same name in a novel. Good news: It’s not a palace drama. Bad news: It’s a business war and family drama, with a vicious stepmom, and he’s only read the first three chapters, only remembering the need to fight for the family inheritance. In the original text, a seventy-year-old man married the original character, died from excitement, and didn’t mention the original character in his will. The original character harbored resentment, completely lost his humanity, and ended up with a tragic fate, dying on the streets. Upon transmigrating, it was the old man’s memorial service, and Lin Xiangyin faced the tall and handsome stepson, stunned for a long time, taking notes: [Very handsome… the money issue… put it aside for now] Lin Xiangyin, unwilling to only live half an episode, began trying to please the stepson. He peeked at the stepson’s iPad browsing history, taking notes: [Likes… black stockings… squeezing out… plump flesh] Lin Xiangyin worried over his thin, fleshless legs, had a brainwave, wrapped black stockings around his neck a few times, and the flesh appeared. Wait, he was starting to suffocate. The stepson looked at the fainting person: ? Lin Xiangyin, after a failed plan, returned with a vengeance, checking the stepson’s computer, taking notes: [Likes… big butts… good to touch] In the pool, Lin Xiangyin wrapped two large balls of cotton in his swim trunks, winking at Qin Ce. As his body grew heavier, sinking to the bottom, Lin Xiangyin’s mind took notes: [Cotton… absorbs water and gets heavier] The stepson looked at the two balls of wet cotton heavier than iron: ? At that time, the family butler pondered: Why does Mr. Lin always peek at my iPad and computer? 2. The Qin family had twin brothers, Qin Ce and Qin Xiao. The old man had two good sons but was still unsatisfied, bringing back a stepmom, stunningly beautiful and breathtakingly gorgeous. The brothers, born into a prestigious family, were always iron-fisted and ruthless, so they looked down on this person who only served with their looks. The person claimed loyalty to the old man, but it was just reluctance to give up the Qin family’s long-term meal ticket. Until the seventh day after the old man’s death, the elder brother Qin Ce witnessed the stepmom attempting suicide with stockings, tears in their red eyes, as if saying, “Master, I don’t want to live if you’re gone, I’ll follow you.” On the fifth seven-day memorial, the younger brother Qin Xiao encountered the stepmom attempting to drown themselves, their pale face seemingly saying, “Master, please show me the way, I want to see you one more time.” That night, the two studied the old man’s portrait for a long time, trying to find any merits. 3. After repeated failures, Lin Xiangyin admitted his brain wasn’t working, quickly trying to fight for the family inheritance, finish the plot, and return home. But in his sleep, he felt a hot hand caressing his leg, like a snake slipping into his pajamas. A deep, unfamiliar voice came: “Stepmom, what’s under your robe, may I explore?” Lin Xiangyin shivered, taking notes in his mind: [Under the pajamas… a hand will grow… touching everywhere] After being “nourished” by the “stepson” for a while, Lin Xiangyin became more and more charming. He planned to let go of his prejudices and enjoy himself, but a few trending topics made him lose face: #Explosive! Major conglomerate scandal of incest# #Brothers completely fall out? For inheritance? (N) For stepmother! (Y)# #Less than a year after father’s death, stepson insists on marrying stepmom, why?# That day, Lin Xiangyin finally remembered the original book’s title: “The Seductive Stepmom Becomes the Family’s Public Tool [n/p]”