Under Huo Linyuan’s clear and profound gaze, Jiang Youwan took out her phone, which was ringing with an alarm.
“Uncle, I still have a required class this morning.”
The man reached out and patted her head. “Alright, I’ll take our Wanwan to class first.”
Only after watching Jiang Youwan go upstairs did Huo Linyuan turn and walk in the other direction.
The driver had already driven the car inside. Huo Linyuan went to the car to change into a spare suit.
The rain-soaked suit was casually tossed onto the leather seat. The man’s pale, slender fingers moved to the buttons of his shirt. As each button was undone, a broad, firm, and sensual chest was revealed.
His perfectly proportioned broad shoulders and narrow waist, paired with well-defined abs, exuded an overwhelming sense of strength. The sculpted lines flowed smoothly down to his waist, radiating an intense aura of masculinity.
Huo Linyuan lowered his phoenix-like eyes slightly, his cool and sharp face carrying a faint, elusive smile as he fastened the sapphire cufflinks at his wrist. He seemed genuinely pleased.
His movements were casual and unrestrained, yet undeniably captivating.
The assistant in the front seat leaned an arm over the backrest, clicking his tongue in admiration.
“Boss Huo, with a physique like yours, you must have Sister-in-law completely mesmerized!”
Huo Linyuan shot him a glance.
The other man showed no awareness of his role as an assistant, raising an eyebrow at him provocatively.
“Do you know what they say about you online?”
Huo Linyuan changed into the silver-gray custom suit handed to him by the driver. Knowing the other man was up to his usual antics, he simply refused to engage.
“I don’t want to know.”
Sure enough, the assistant clicked his tongue again, leaning forward slightly.
“They say your fingers are long and your nose bridge is high—definitely a sign of strong desires. You probably love going all out in bed.”
“Looks like you could go for eight days and nights without a break!”
The driver stifled a laugh.
This time, Huo Linyuan finally reacted. He lifted his thin eyelids, a faint, teasing smile on his lips.
“Gu Jiali—”
The man’s deep voice carried a slight huskiness, like the slow, resonant notes of a cello.
“If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll pack you up and send you back to the Gu family.”
“Your uncle happens to be annoyed about being forced to return home and take over the family business. Do you think he’d give your backside a good thrashing if I handed you over to him, all carefree and irresponsible?”
Gu Jiali, sitting in the passenger seat, stiffened and leaned back, immediately protesting.
“Forget it, forget it, forget it! There’s no need to tell my uncle about me!”
“If he finds out I’ve been slacking off every day, he’ll definitely lecture me to death!”
As he spoke, Huo Linyuan stepped out of the car with his long legs.
Gu Jiali quickly followed.
The Gu and Huo families had always been close. As the young master of the Gu family in the capital, he had been sent to S City after graduation to learn how to manage a company under Huo Linyuan’s guidance.
After all, looking back two generations in the Gu family, his father hadn’t taken over the family business, and his uncle had gone straight into the entertainment industry as a director.
With no one to learn from, he had been unceremoniously handed over to Huo Linyuan to start from scratch.
“Didn’t we just drop off Sister-in-law? What are we doing now?”
The tall man walked ahead, the well-tailored silver-gray suit cutting a graceful arc in the air. The faintly visible sapphire cufflinks added an extra touch of elegance and nobility.
Without glancing sideways, he replied calmly,
“Donating money.”
“Throwing money around again?”
Gu Jiali whispered loudly from behind, unable to contain his surprise.
“I really don’t understand. If you like Sister-in-law so much, why didn’t you pursue her from the start?”
“You really know how to pick up the bowl after someone else has washed the pot, and you only start making an effort when someone else is in love. While Wanwan and your nephew are all lovey-dovey, instead of seizing the moment to steal her away, you have time to come to the school and throw money around?”
“Bro, if you don’t break them up soon, just think about what the child Wanwan gives birth to will call you!”
As soon as these words left his mouth, Gu Jiali himself felt a chill run down his spine, and he couldn’t help but gasp.
Huo Linyuan, who was walking ahead, also stopped in his tracks.
“What’s wrong, bro?”
Gu Jiali looked up and followed Huo Linyuan’s gaze, immediately spotting the young man standing not far away—
“Holy crap! Huo Linyuan, you’re playing dirty—how did you manage to bring my little uncle here!”
Huo Linyuan curled his lips into a smile. “Jinling, long time no see.”
Gu Jinling waved at him, his voice bright and cheerful. “Old Huo!”
Hearing this address, the handsome man raised one eyebrow, blocking Gu Jinling’s attempt to high-five him as he rushed over, and said seriously,
“I’m still young, don’t call me ‘Old Huo.'”
Gu Jinling looked utterly shocked, almost circling around him in disbelief.
“What’s going on with him?”
Gu Jinling pointed at Huo Linyuan, who was acting out of character, and asked Gu Jiali,
“Why was it fine to call him ‘Old Huo’ before, but now it’s not okay?”
Gu Jiali clicked his tongue lightly, crossing his arms.
“What else could it be? He’s been called ‘too old’ by the one he likes!”
“You have someone you like?”
Gu Jinling stared at Huo Linyuan as if he had discovered a new continent. He even reached out to touch Huo Linyuan’s glittering cuff while clicking his tongue in admiration:
“Men really do get all flashy once they fall in love. A while ago, Pei Heng dressed up like a peacock, strutting around everywhere, and even deliberately lowered his voice when he spoke—it gave me goosebumps…”
“It’s been a few months, and now it’s your turn! So, are you in a relationship too?”
Huo Linyuan thought carefully before giving a very precise answer,
“Almost.”
Gu Jiali, standing beside him as his assistant, chimed in sarcastically,
“Almost indeed—almost about to marry into their Huo family, and then serve him tea and call him ‘little uncle’ the day after the wedding!”
Gu Jinling was shocked once again.
He practically wore the expression “You’re playing it that wild?” on his face.
Huo Linyuan turned his sharply defined profile slightly, his phoenix eyes shimmering with a brilliant light. As the image of the young girl hesitantly touching her belly flashed through his mind, his eyes curved, softening his usually aloof and noble face.
His thin, rosy lips curled into a smile, as if he were boasting or declaring his sovereignty,
“No, they’ve broken up.”
Gu Jiali: “When? Weren’t they fine just now on the way to the hospital?”
“Bro, what did you do in such a short time? Did you confess and then force yourself on her?”
“Hospital? What hospital? Who’s sick?”
Gu Jinling, slow to react, asked somewhat confusedly.
Huo Linyuan: “Nothing.”
Gu Jiali: “The girl is pregnant.”
The two voices spoke at the same time. Huo Linyuan tilted his head slightly, his dark gaze falling on Gu Jiali’s face, cold and piercing.
Gu Jiali blurted out: “Holy crap! Should I not have said that?”
Gu Jinling, standing to the side, seemed to have misunderstood, looking at Huo Linyuan with sympathy, his expression a mix of emotions.
“So… you’re going to be a stepdad?”
Gu Jiali’s face flushed crimson. Under Huo Linyuan’s piercing gaze, he forced the words through gritted teeth,
“The child is his.”
“He wants to be the biological father.”