15 – “Didn’t they say the Chief Instructor doesn’t associate with women?”
Huo Yuzhou gently pressed her swollen ankle, then looked up at her. “That easy to satisfy?”
Song Yuan had intended to tease him, expecting he’d pretend not to hear, but instead found herself caught off guard.
His fingers worked the ankle with a light massage meant to promote blood circulation and reduce swelling, yet it felt like he was stoking her nerves as well.
Just as she was about to say something, Huo Yuzhou gently set her leg down on the sofa. “That’s enough.”
“You’ll need a few more days of rest.”
“I’ll have someone take you to the dormitory building later.”
Song Yuan was still hoping to use her twisted ankle as an excuse to linger at his place for a few days, but hearing his arrangement, she said, “I think this place is pretty spacious.”
“And I can’t walk on my own right now. If I twist it again, it could easily damage the bone.”
“Besides, it’s really unsafe for me to be alone in the dorm.”
Huo Yuzhou, who had gone to the kitchen counter to pour water, was fully aware of her implication. With his back to Song Yuan, a faint smile involuntarily tugged at the corner of his lips.
A moment later, he set a glass of water on the coffee table, returning to his usual cold, taciturn demeanor.
“Staying under the same roof as a man you’ve only met a few times.”
“You think that’s safe?”
Song Yuan tilted her head to look up at him. “Doesn’t everyone say the head instructor doesn’t get close to women?”
Huo Yuzhou replied, “Mm, doesn’t get close to women who are wolves.”
Doesn’t get close to women.
Commonly known as, doesn’t get close to female wolves.
Song Yuan: Which novel male lead acts like this??
How does “doesn’t get close to women” become “doesn’t get close to female wolves”??
Song Yuan leaned sideways against the sofa, her gaze fixed on him. She lifted her left foot and lightly brushed it against his thigh, pressing further. “Is the head instructor scared?”
Huo Yuzhou lowered his eyes. He’d never noticed before how strikingly beautiful her feet were—smooth, fair, and delicate, with a seductive pinkish hue, her elegant bone structure tracing the contours of a jade-like, exquisite foot.
Suppressing the emotions rising within him, he said, “Better save that energy for taking care of the one at your place.”
Just as Song Yuan was about to retort, Huo Yuzhou’s phone rang, cutting off their exchange.
He rose and headed toward the study.
The call was from He Chuan.
“What’s the situation over there?”
“Sister-in-law got hurt?”
Huo Yuzhou replied, “Mm, she twisted her ankle.”
Knowing it wasn’t serious, He Chuan didn’t press further and simply said, “Want me to lead the training for a few days?”
Huo Yuzhou said, “Sure, that works—I’ll take care of her these few days.”
“Third Brother, you’ll need to be careful then.” He Chuan warned him. “Staying together makes it easy to slip up.”
Huo Yuzhou said coldly, “That’s not your concern.”
He Chuan knew he’d said something unnecessary—after all, his Third Brother was formidable!
He knew disguise arts.
On the other end, He Chuan tapped the cigarette against the desk and got down to business. “Third Brother, I heard Huo Zhou has something planned tonight.”
“He’s going to strike from the North Harbor district.”
Huo Zhou, the eldest son of the Huo family, had been causing trouble ever since Huo Yuzhou single-handedly seized control of the family inheritance. He’d thrown countless obstacles in the way, desperate to see Huo Yuzhou dead!
Back then, the marriage contract between the Huo and Song families was only meant to fall on the heir.
Huo Zhou had been poised to secure the winning card of marrying Song Yuan.
Who would’ve thought a ruthless and merciless Huo Yuzhou would emerge out of nowhere and snatch everything that rightfully belonged to him!
On their wedding day, in the villa district, Huo Yuzhou looked down at the battered and bloodied Huo Zhou and said, “The victor becomes king, the vanquished becomes the outlaw—that saying will always apply to the dragon’s den and tiger’s lair that is the Huo family.”
“You think you’re worthy of marrying her with the status of the Huo family’s eldest son?”
Now, hearing what He Chuan had to say about this matter, Huo Yuzhou showed no emotional reaction. “Mm, I’ll head over later.”
Night.
North Harbor district.
Waves crashed against the rocks, and streetlights lined both sides of the wooden boardwalk. The sea surface mirrored the scenery on shore, and occasional gusts of wind overturned the calm, sending ripples across the water. As the season edged into autumn, the night’s low temperature dispelled the lingering daytime humidity.
Sails were tethered to the masts.
A precaution against the storm expected to hit tonight.
At the head of the fleet, a luxury yacht worth billions was hosting a maritime auction, drawing together the major capitalists.
The auctioneer’s calls rose and fell, punctuated by the decisive strike of the gavel.
Sitting on the sofa in his suite, Huo Zhou watched the auction unfold on the large screen. He lifted his wine glass, swirling it gently, his eyes betraying not a trace of unease—as if calmly waiting for the show to begin.
A black handgun sat on the side table beside him, a blatant display of his fearlessness.
He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there, until a firework burst in the sky. Through the screen, Huo Zhou watched the capitalists scatter in panic, and the smile in his eyes gradually spread.
Hearing a sound from outside the door.
He fired a single shot through the yacht’s glass, vaulted out, and dove into the boat his men had prepared below.
After reaching shore, Huo Zhou climbed into a black Porsche and sped through the rain. The car’s million-dollar sound system blasted Gavin DeGraw’s “Fire,” and his eyes brimmed with contemptuous amusement.
Just as he believed his plan had succeeded—
A black Cullinan sped past, a pistol extending from the driver’s side window. Bullets struck the rear tires on both sides with precision—one shot, then another that shattered the left rearview mirror.
The car skidded several meters before slamming to a halt.
The black Cullinan tore around the bend, coming to a head-on standoff. Just as Huo Zhou reached for his gun, a shot from the hidden opponent pierced through his windshield.
Huo Zhou instinctively raised his arm to shield himself from the shower of glass shards.
At that moment, the other party got out of the car and stomped down on his deployed airbag. Huo Zhou was knocked unconscious by the violent impact.
“Take him away!”
In the dead of night, a tall, dark figure raced against the wind and rain.
Night fell. It was past three in the morning.
Huo Yuzhou went to the bathroom to shower. His arm had been grazed by a bullet—luckily, it was only a flesh wound.
After washing off the smell of blood, he applied medicinal solution to the wound. The medication was highly effective and left no scent, but the stinging pain was more than most people could bear.
He then grabbed a towel from the rack, roughly dried himself off, and slipped on a black robe.
The moment Huo Yuzhou stepped into the bedroom, his heightened vigilance told him something was off.
The person on the bed suddenly turned over, kicking off the blanket.
Under the light from the hallway, Song Yuan, wearing a men’s shirt, lay with her graceful figure barely covered, her long legs exposed, knees slightly bent.
Huo Yuzhou stood outside the door, watching the scene, his brow furrowed.
She really had no sense of caution at all!
That night, cold wind swayed, rain fell hard.
In one place, all was calm.
In another, screams rang out.
The next day.
The moment Song Yuan opened her eyes, she instinctively reached for her phone.
As soon as she unlocked it, she saw a strange text message: [Where are you?]
Song Yuan was puzzled—her number wasn’t something just anyone could find. She replied directly: [Who are you?]
The other side responded instantly: [Your husband.]