From Huo Jinchen’s perspective, he could see a tall, straight-backed figure that looked exactly like his uncle.
However, the black umbrella the man held was tilted too low, and since Huo Jinchen couldn’t see his face, he couldn’t be sure if it was really his uncle.
“Is that really Uncle Huo?”
The girl in a sailor uniform standing beside Huo Jinchen asked in a sweet, coquettish voice.
The black umbrella was lifted slightly, and the man holding it turned halfway, revealing a sharp, handsome profile.
With sword-like eyebrows and phoenix eyes, he carried an extraordinary presence.
Huo Jinchen tensed up immediately. Just as he was about to greet the man, his gaze shifted and he noticed Jiang Youwan, who had been hidden behind Huo Linyuan.
His pupils dilated in shock, and he subtly distanced himself from the junior student beside him.
“What a coincidence, Wanwan, you’re here too?”
He strode forward, completely ignoring the junior student he had left behind in the rain, his expression filled with anxiety.
“How did it go at the hospital? Are you okay, baby?”
Jiang Youwan glanced at Huo Jinchen, then at the girl closely following him, her voice unusually calm.
“I’m fine.”
“That’s good!”
Huo Jinchen’s young, handsome face was etched with worry, as if he were deeply concerned for her.
“You said you were going to the hospital, and I’ve been worried about you all day. Wanwan, you have no idea how I’ve been feeling since this morning. Just thinking about you saying you were unwell breaks my heart—”
Huo Linyuan’s icy gaze fell on him, forcing Huo Jinchen to swallow the rest of his overly sentimental words.
His perpetually stern uncle stared at him calmly, though his tone was cold.
“If you were so worried, why didn’t you go to the hospital?”
Without hesitation, Huo Jinchen responded, acting cautiously toward Huo Linyuan while playing the victim in front of Jiang Youwan.
“I went with Dad to the company last night to handle some matters. Dad said I’m in my twenties now and should learn to share some of the burden with Uncle. I didn’t sleep at all last night, and this morning I went out of my way to buy crab roe soup dumplings for Wanwan. By the time I got to school, I couldn’t hold on anymore and fell asleep at my desk.”
He looked at Jiang Youwan with deep affection.
“I’m sorry, baby. I was just too exhausted. It’s my fault for not taking better care of you.”
“And I really must thank Uncle for taking Wanwan to the hospital today.”
His face was full of respect, and his gratitude seemed genuine.
Anyone who saw him would think he was the perfect model boyfriend.
The handsome man standing beside Jiang Youwan held the black umbrella, his tall frame shielding her from the slanting rain. His tone was indifferent.
“Your father didn’t go to the company yesterday. He attended an auction.”
“When did you see your father? I wasn’t aware you were together.”
Huo Jinchen was speechless.
He opened his mouth to say something, but his face only showed the embarrassment of being exposed, completely losing the eloquence he had displayed moments before.
“Hello, Senior! Hello, Uncle!”
The persistent junior student beside Huo Jinchen took the initiative to greet them, her gaze lingering on Huo Linyuan’s face with undisguised admiration.
She had thought Huo Jinchen was impressive enough.
But now that she had seen Huo Jinchen’s uncle, she realized there was simply no comparison between the two.
Despite sharing the same bloodline, standing face-to-face with his uncle, Huo Jinchen was completely overshadowed—not just in presence, but in height and looks as well.
To put it bluntly, it was like comparing a fish eye to a luminous pearl.
But she dared not harbor any thoughts about Huo Linyuan. She and Huo Jinchen were currently in the midst of a passionate affair, and she was on the verge of becoming his official girlfriend. At this critical moment, she couldn’t afford to be distracted and risk being abandoned by Huo Jinchen.
“Uncle, it’s actually not Senior’s fault. Last night, I was in a car accident, and Senior helped me. We were busy until late into the night.”
“Actually, we didn’t want to deceive you, Senior, but girls tend to be more sensitive, and you, Senior, are…”
The girl in the sailor uniform trailed off, deliberately brushing aside her wavy hair to reveal large, ambiguous marks on her neck.
“We were afraid you might overthink things, so we kept it from you.”
“Senior, I hope you don’t mind me saying this…”
In that moment of exchanged glances, Jiang Youwan saw the pride and hostility in the other girl’s eyes.
She lifted her gaze and turned to look at the boyfriend who had pursued her for so long.
Huo Jinchen’s usually handsome face was now filled with guilt. He avoided her gaze, his heart burdened with shameful secrets.
Surprisingly, however, Jiang Youwan felt no anger at this moment, not even a ripple of emotion in her heart.
Her soft voice was unusually calm, as if she were merely commenting on the day’s bad weather.
“Let’s break up, Huo Jinchen.”
Huo Jinchen instantly turned his face toward her, disbelief in his eyes.
“Wanwan, let me explain! I didn’t mean to deceive you—”
He reached out to grab Jiang Youwan, but a large, well-defined hand intercepted his movement.
Huo Jinchen stubbornly stared at Jiang Youwan, but she only glanced at him indifferently before quickly turning away, hiding behind her uncle.
That dismissive look, as if he were something filthy!
Huo Jinchen’s boiling emotions were almost impossible to contain.
Since childhood, he had always been the one to reject others. No girl had ever dumped him before.
He was the rightful Eldest Young Master of the Huo Family, pampered and spoiled since childhood, with his family never daring to speak a harsh word to him. How dare Jiang Youwan look down on him?
Furious, Huo Jinchen’s sunny, handsome face twisted almost grotesquely. He had pursued Jiang Youwan for nearly half a year, groveling like a lovesick fool, saying every sweet word imaginable.
And now, after getting together, before they had even done anything, Jiang Youwan had dumped him!
How dare she dump him? How dare she look down on him?
And she had the nerve to call him unclean?
Huo Jinchen sneered, his words spilling out recklessly:
“Wanwan, there’s no need for this! I admit I was impulsive last night, and I’m sorry, but weren’t you already slept with by someone else? You—”
A crisp slap rang out abruptly. Stunned, Huo Jinchen’s head snapped to the side, a bright red handprint clearly visible on his cheek, the burning pain unmistakably sharp.
“Get out of here!”
Huo Linyuan’s low, icy voice seemed laced with frost, chilling and terrifying.
He took a step forward, his long legs clad in suit trousers, completely shielding the slender, delicate figure behind him.
Huo Linyuan’s brows furrowed, his dark eyes gathering a suppressed storm, his terrifying and powerful aura almost enough to tear someone apart.
Grabbing Huo Jinchen by the collar, his furious voice carried a murderous intent, each syllable dripping with danger:
“Go kneel in the ancestral hall. Tell your father to come see me.”
Huo Jinchen’s pupils trembled, his lips turning pale.
“Uncle, there’s no need for this…”
His voice wavered, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
He had been spoiled by everyone since childhood, and the only time he was ever beaten was when he nearly ran over an old man while street racing at night.
Even though the matter had already been settled, he was still dragged by Huo Linyuan’s men to the ancestral hall and whipped.
His back was torn and bloody, and his knees were scraped raw.
He lay on his stomach in bed for half a month, and even now, just thinking about it sends a chill down his spine.
He was afraid of Huo Linyuan.
The man’s icy gaze fell on his face, sharp as a blade scraping across it.
Huo Jinchen covered his reddened cheek, his arrogant demeanor completely gone. He shrank back, admitting defeat, and quickly corrected himself,
“It’s necessary, it’s necessary.”
“I’ll go kneel in the ancestral hall, I’ll go right now!”
The umbrella snapped in the fierce wind, but Huo Jinchen didn’t even dare to pick it up and keep holding it. He fled like a stray dog.
The junior girl proudly glanced at Jiang Youwan, like a victorious rooster, and quickly chased after Huo Jinchen.
Turning back from the end of the bluestone path, they faced the largest teaching building on campus. Huo Jinchen finally let out a sigh of relief, covering his hot, painful face.
“I really don’t understand why Uncle would help her?”
“I’m his own nephew!”
Huo Jinchen grumbled indignantly:
“How could he side with an outsider and speak up for her?”
The junior girl, who had been following him closely, also stopped, shielding her head from the rain with both hands, and followed his gaze forward.
The towering teaching building stood majestically before them, its gilded characters washed by the heavy rain, making the three words “Xiangwan Building” even clearer.
The next second, the junior girl’s eyes widened, a terrifying suspicion rising in her heart.
“Brother Chen, didn’t you say before that this building was donated by Mr. Huo?”
She forgot to shield herself from the rain, her trembling finger pointing ahead.
“Xiangwan Building. Xiangwan, Jiang Youwan.”
“Brother Chen, what exactly is the relationship between Jiang Youwan and your uncle?”