Jiang Youwan was choked by these words and couldn’t help coughing.
That faint, elusive familiar woody scent began to spread again, enveloping her in wisps, as if to invade and devour her whole being.
The man’s palm landed on her back, gently patting from bottom to top, his voice low,
“Slow down… take a deep breath…”
Jiang Youwan’s eyes reddened from the choking water.
Between the words “slow down” and “take a deep breath,” she vaguely heard two indistinct words that didn’t sound like “Wanwan.”
More like “baby”…
Like catching a glimpse of light through dense clouds, but before one could take a closer look, it vanished again.
Her loose long hair was tucked behind her ear. Jiang Youwan held the cup, drinking water while trying hard to decipher what Huo Linyuan had just said.
The old fox of the business world was unfathomable, and his words were strange and confusing.
The child could be hers, and Huo Linyuan could also be hers?
Could it be that he was mocking her, thinking her claim to want the child was an outrageous demand, too absurd to consider?
Right—
Huo Linyuan was such a busy man, yet he had wasted half a morning with her, going to the hospital and having a meal. He must value the Huo family’s lineage greatly.
How could he possibly let her take the child away?
Old men really were no good, never speaking plainly, always full of twists and turns.
The young girl holding the cup lifted her long eyelashes, her fair little face carrying a hint of barely noticeable grievance, her voice slow and deliberate,
“Mr. Huo really knows how to joke.”
The handsome man sitting opposite raised one eyebrow, his low, lazy voice tinged with a hint of laughter,
“Not calling me ‘uncle’ anymore? Are you angry?”
The pitiful little thing holding the cup seemed to want to glare at him, but upon meeting his gaze, she pursed her lips instead.
The lip bead, moistened by the warm water, grew fuller and more luscious, the crimson lips bitten into a more seductive shade, like ripe berries.
She even puffed out her snow-white cheeks while muttering softly and without backbone,
“How dare I be angry with Mr. Huo…”
Even her boyfriend, Huo Jinchen, had to act subservient in front of his own uncle. As an outsider with no status or background, how could she dare to act out in front of the cold-faced King of Hell?
A low chuckle echoed in the air. The man seemed to be in a pleasant mood. He leaned forward slightly, his narrow phoenix eyes curving as if coaxing a little girlfriend,
“You’ve called me ‘uncle’ so many times. As an elder, how could I not indulge a junior’s temper?”
The pitiful little thing with slightly puffed cheeks glanced at him.
Though resentful in her heart, her mouth remained stubborn,
“I’m not angry at all.”
The hair tucked behind her ear fell loose, cascading down her slender swan-like neck to her shoulders—snow-white skin against dark hair, breathtakingly beautiful.
The man’s gaze followed the strands of her falling hair, but the next moment, as if remembering something, his Adam’s apple subconsciously tightened.
Seeing that Huo Linyuan hadn’t spoken for a while, Jiang Youwan turned her little face toward him, only to meet his deep, obscure gaze.
She hadn’t realized how close the two of them had gotten. Jiang Youwan had never seen Huo Linyuan’s eyes so clearly before. In that fleeting moment of distraction, it felt as if her very soul was being seized by him.
Feathery lashes, dark as crow’s wings, framed a pair of jet-black eyes. Huo Linyuan’s double eyelids were deeply creased, and combined with his sharp, well-defined features, they made his gaze appear even more profound.
The cold, domineering eyes she remembered from the past now rested gently upon her, filled with an unfathomable smile that seemed both detached and deeply affectionate.
Jiang Youwan’s heart skipped a beat.
A knock came from outside—a staff member at the door—and Jiang Youwan snapped out of her daze, quickly putting a safe distance between herself and Huo Linyuan.
Though she had moved away, her heart still raced in the lingering, ambiguous tension.
She wasn’t narcissistic enough to think Huo Linyuan liked her.
She simply believed he had a malicious personality—clearly scheming to take her child, yet putting on an act to deceive her. His intentions were far from good.
Not only did he bully others with his power, but he also used his handsome face to manipulate people.
She took another fierce sip of the water Huo Linyuan had poured for her, mentally cursing him as an old fox.
Once the staff member left, the man beside her finally spoke.
“I’m not lying to you, Wanwan. The baby in your belly is yours—you gave him life. All decisions are yours to make, and no one can take him away from you.”
“The Huo family won’t, and neither will I. I promise you that.”
“But Wanwan, your reaction today surprised me. I heard you and Xiao Chen have a good relationship. You just started dating not long ago—shouldn’t you be in the honeymoon phase? Do you really not want to marry into the Huo family?”
In Jiang Youwan’s mind, marrying into the Huo family was no different from marrying Huo Jinchen. She didn’t pay attention to his wording, but his question caught her off guard.
She really hadn’t thought about marrying Huo Jinchen.
On one hand, their family backgrounds were too different—they weren’t even in the same social class. On the other hand, their relationship wasn’t strong enough to warrant marriage.
If it weren’t for what happened between her and Huo Jinchen on the night of his birthday party, she wouldn’t have agreed to date him the next morning.
After all, at the time, it seemed perfectly reasonable to Jiang Youwan—
She had slept with Huo Jinchen, so she felt she owed him responsibility.
Besides, Huo Jinchen had pursued her relentlessly for five months.
He was sunny, cheerful, kind, and honest. He never cared about the rumors surrounding her. He stood up for her reputation in front of everyone, even turning against his basketball team friends.
He brought her breakfast every single day without fail. When he heard she liked crab roe soup dumplings, Huo Jinchen woke up at five every morning, spending nearly two hours traveling between the school and Louwailou Restaurant, delivering the dumplings to her dormitory at exactly 7:40, rain or shine.
Everyone could see how much Huo Jinchen cared for her, and Jiang Youwan’s heart wasn’t made of stone—she saw it too.
But for some reason, after getting together with Huo Jinchen, she never experienced the sweet, heart-fluttering romance she had imagined.
On the contrary, she disliked intimate contact with him and wasn’t fond of the little affectionate gestures couples shared. She always felt a subtle sense of guilt and a faint resistance toward him.
Perhaps she was being overly sensitive, but there were many moments when she felt Huo Jinchen didn’t truly like her that much either.
His gaze carried scrutiny and examination.
It held the very condescension and disdain she despised most.
As if to say—Jiang Youwan, you’re nothing special.
A large, well-defined hand waved before his eyes.
Jiang Youwan fluttered her lashes, pulling her thoughts back.
She curved her eyes at the man, her voice soft and gentle,
“Uncle, being in a relationship doesn’t necessarily mean marriage.”
The man, who had been listening patiently, had a glimmer of light in his phoenix eyes, the smile at his lips unwavering.
The girl spoke again, her voice quiet:
“And liking someone doesn’t mean you have to be together.”
The man’s slender fingers suddenly tightened, his sharp, blade-like gaze tearing through the calm and proper facade, revealing a possessive desire that was both obsessive and terrifying,
“Is that so?”
His pitch-black eyes fixed on the girl, the words from his crimson lips both mad and dangerous,
“If it’s someone I like, I’ll use any means to be with them.”