The man’s deep eyes were fixed on her, his crimson thin lips curving into a slight arc, his gaze brimming with tenderness.
“What does Wanwan think?”
The girl, completely enveloped by his gaze, instinctively pursed her lips. The light in her eyes dimmed slightly, and her voice became so soft it was almost inaudible.
“Because of the baby.”
It was because of this child that Huo Linyuan protected her and treated her well.
No one would like her just because she was Jiang Youwan.
But no matter the reason, today she had received a great deal of kindness and what could be called biased protection.
She shouldn’t long for things that didn’t belong to her.
Having this was enough.
Her long eyelashes drooped, casting large shadows beneath her eyes. The black lashes contrasted with her snow-white, jade-like cheeks, making her appear even more fragile and delicate.
Like an extremely thin piece of white porcelain, or like a handful of snow on a pine branch in the mountains.
As if a gust of wind could sweep her away.
Huo Linyuan was slightly taken aback.
He had only meant to tease her, but it had backfired.
Footsteps came from another room, suggesting that the group was about to emerge.
The two of them were standing too close now, and even Jiang Youwan realized it, slowly putting some distance between them.
Mr. Huo was too kind. She didn’t want those people to misunderstand his character or hear anything unfavorable about him from others.
But just as she began to shrink back, a warm, strong hand landed on her shoulder, his fingertips gently brushing her cheek.
The slightly rough texture of his fingers brought a tingling itch, and the tension of being watched by the group spread through her heart. Jiang Youwan’s breath hitched, and her long eyelashes fluttered abruptly.
Her moist, watery eyes met the man’s unwavering, gentle gaze.
The footsteps drew closer, but Huo Linyuan paid no mind.
He even gently brushed her cheek again with his fingers, his dark eyes filled with sincerity as he patiently coaxed her,
“Isn’t it because Wanwan herself is wonderful that I treat her so well?”
The girl’s thick, dark eyelashes trembled, and a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes.
“Because Wanwan herself is wonderful, I can’t help but treat her well.”
“It’s not just me. In the future, many people will like Wanwan. Wanwan deserves their affection, deserves everyone’s affection.”
“Besides, it’s just a child. With over a hundred people inside and outside the Huo family, are we lacking a child?”
A violent cough came from behind.
Jiang Youwan seemed startled, her eyelashes fluttering rapidly.
A tall figure approached, his face somewhat unfamiliar.
He naturally positioned himself in front of Huo Linyuan, blocking the view of the teachers about to step out of the room.
His voice sounded as if it were squeezed from his throat, carrying a tone of exasperation.
“Huo Linyuan, have some shame.”
“This is a school. How can you openly touch someone like this… You don’t study here, but this young lady still has to attend school!”
Jiang Youwan looked up and met the man’s gaze.
He appeared to be around Huo Linyuan’s age, dressed in a slightly casual suit jacket with sharp, elegant tailoring.
He smiled at her, his eyes devoid of any malice, and even waved in greeting.
As if afraid of being overheard by the group behind them, he called out to her in a low voice,
“Sister-in-law, you can just call me Little Gu or Jinling from now on!”
Sister-in-law?
Judging by his age, she hadn’t expected him to be of such a low seniority. Was he a friend of Huo Jinchen?
Jiang Youwan pondered for a moment before replying seriously,
“Hello, but I’ve already broken up with Huo Jinchen, so that form of address isn’t really appropriate for me.”
Gu Jinling choked on her words and coughed.
Huo Linyuan gave him a faint glance, and Gu Jinling quickly spoke up,
“No, no—”
Gu Jinling pointed at Huo Linyuan, speaking earnestly,
“My brother is him!”
Jiang Youwan froze for two seconds, her fair skin visibly flushing, even the tips of her ears turning bright red.
She tightly gripped the glass in her hand, the blush on her cheeks burning like flames, as beautiful as the evening glow lingering on the horizon.
Even her voice trembled with shy uncertainty, her soft tone quivering,
“Mr. Gu, you’ve misunderstood.”
“I—”
She instinctively glanced at Huo Linyuan, their gazes meeting in the air, but he simply looked at her with a faint smile, showing no intention of explaining.
Jiang Youwan’s eyes met Huo Linyuan’s for a moment before quickly darting away, and she stammered as she continued to explain,
“Mr. Huo and I aren’t in that kind of relationship. I should call him Uncle…”
Gu Jinling let out an “Oh~” and then teasingly nudged Huo Linyuan’s leather shoe with his foot.
Huo Linyuan ignored him, his deep and pleasant voice sending shivers down one’s spine,
“You can call me whatever you like, Wanwan.”
“These are just worldly titles. I don’t care about such things.”
The young woman sitting on the sofa softly replied with an “Mm.”
But she couldn’t help feeling flustered.
She clearly knew Huo Linyuan didn’t mean anything else.
Yet he spoke to her in a tone one would use to coax a lover, showed no intention of explaining the misunderstanding, and even gently brushed his fingers against her cheek.
From any angle, it seemed unreasonably ambiguous.
She thought she might be overthinking it, yet she also felt that Huo Linyuan had truly crossed the boundary between an elder and a younger person.
Her heart pounded wildly, and she could only hide her embarrassment by holding the cup with both hands and taking small sips of tea.
The school’s leaders and teachers approached, and Huo Linyuan finally straightened up, the gentleness in his eyes completely vanishing.
His profile was handsome and striking, his sharp features paired with an overwhelmingly imposing presence. Even a single glance from his phoenix-like eyes carried an intimidating chill.
The Principal repeatedly assured him, almost exhausting all pleasantries.
Even toward Jiang Youwan, he was extremely respectful, practically wearing caution on his face.
“The Huo family’s donation contract with your school remains valid, but if our little one encounters anything like this again, I will withdraw all funding for S University, cut off all pathways for S University graduates to enter the Huo Group, and never hire them again.”
Unlike the gentle and affectionate tone he had used with Jiang Youwan moments before, these icy words seemed to lower the room’s temperature by several degrees.
The Huo Group was a leading enterprise in S City and even the entire nation. Over the years under Huo Linyuan’s leadership, it had expanded far beyond its original fields of real estate, new energy, finance, education, and technology, now involved in almost every industry and holding a highly esteemed position within the sector.
Not only S University, but graduates from prestigious schools across the country are all eager to join the industries under the Huo Group.
They hold a high market share and offer more positions for both domestic and international talent. If their university were to be covertly blacklisted by the Huo Group, not only would the employment rate of recent graduates be affected, but even future admissions would likely become problematic.
The Principal kept making promises, almost swearing on his ancestors.
Huo Linyuan lowered his gaze slightly, his sharp and icy stare fixed on the man. After the middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead several times, Huo Linyuan finally deigned to give a slight nod.
A moment later, the tall man turned around and, under everyone’s gaze, reached out a hand toward the young girl. His voice was soft, as if afraid of startling her.
“Wanwan, there’s still an hour before school ends.”
“We should go back to class now.”
More than ten minutes later.
Only after the young girl waved at him and her slender figure disappeared into the art studio doorway did Gu Jinling nudge Huo Linyuan’s shoulder, unable to resist teasing him.
“Such worldly titles~ you can call him anything~”
“Stop pretending to be all serious and proper. Isn’t it just that you want her to call you ‘husband’?”
Gu Jiali burst into laughter beside them, but when Huo Linyuan glanced at him, he immediately fell silent, switching to a vibrating mode.
Gu Jinling: “But I really don’t understand—why haven’t you told Sister-in-law that the child she’s carrying is actually yours?”