The car pulled over at an intersection, where another vehicle was waiting to pick up Fu Xingchen and Duan Yang.
Before parting, Duan Yang gave a special wave to Lin Xun, smiling as he said: “I’ll drop by to hang out with you another day! When the time comes, teach me a few moves!”
Lin Xun nodded slightly. The car door sealed shut again, leaving only him and Huo Tingxiao sitting face-to-face in the vast rear space of the MPV.
At the thought that he might have misconstrued Huo Tingxiao’s intent and gotten into this car entirely out of self-flattery, a wave of anxiety and unease mixed with a tinge of awkward shame rushed over him once more.
Fortunately, they reached their destination before long.
Huo Tingxiao stepped out first, with Lin Xun clutching his backpack and trailing behind.
A white villa stood quietly amidst the darkness of the night and the early summer cicada chirping. Its exterior was grand and elegant, accented by warm lighting. Everything finally took on a sense of reality, no longer feeling like an airy dream. Lin Xun sobered up a bit—this was Huo Tingxiao’s house, and the place he least ought to set foot in.
He stopped in his tracks, refusing to walk any further.
“What’s wrong?” Standing on the porch, Huo Tingxiao looked back at him.
Lin Xun pulled out his phone, moving slowly due to the injuries on his shoulder and hands. He opened the speech synthesis app he had just downloaded and typed out a line of text. The app automatically converted it into a cool, flat male AI voice: You’ve already helped me a lot. Thank you. I can handle things on my own.
Once the audio playback finished, he bowed solemnly to Huo Tingxiao.
Before he could even straighten his back, the man’s gentle voice sounded from directly above his head: “Do you regret it?”
These were the exact words he had written on paper to ask Huo Tingxiao back at the club, never expecting them to be turned right back on him.
Lin Xun looked up blankly, catching the faint, elusive smile on Huo Tingxiao’s face as he asked, “Didn’t you say you were going to protect me? Wanting to back out now?”
A wave of heat surged instantly up his cheeks, spreading wildly across his entire body and burning him to a crisp. Lin Xun felt an overwhelming urge to crawl into a crack in the ground. Overcome more by embarrassment than self-consciousness, he stood frozen on the spot, unable to nod or shake his head.
“Alright, it’s getting late.” Huo Tingxiao put his mind at ease: “Settle in first. We’ll talk about the rest after your injuries heal.”
The armored door of the villa opened from the inside. A man nearly fifty years old with slightly graying temples stood smiling at the entrance. Huo Tingxiao addressed him as “Uncle Ji.”
“Uncle Ji is the housekeeper here. If you need anything, you can go to him. Good night.” Having changed his shoes, Huo Tingxiao headed straight upstairs.
Lin Xun watched him leave, his head still thoroughly dazed.
Uncle Ji seemed to have known in advance that someone was arriving that night; he had not only prepared a new pair of slippers, but the room was also fully arranged. Located on the ground floor, it was a vacant housekeeper’s room—spacious, neat, equipped with a private bathroom, and featuring sliding balcony doors that opened directly onto a small garden.
The conditions were so excellent that Lin Xun began to feel apprehensive all over again.
“The second floor houses the study, tea room, and guest rooms. The third floor is Mr. Huo’s bedroom—he doesn’t like others entering his room,” Uncle Ji instructed.
Lin Xun nodded hurriedly.
Noticing his discomfort, Uncle Ji offered thoughtfully: “Get some rest first. Tomorrow I’ll show you around to help you get familiarized. If you need anything, just call for me. My room is right across from the ground floor elevator hall.”
Lin Xun nodded once more.
Once he was the only one left in the room, he stood by the bed for a long time before burying his face in his hands and taking a deep breath.
It wasn’t a dream. He had really, truly moved into Huo Tingxiao’s home. Half a month ago, this would have been beyond his wildest imagination.
Lin Xun first sent a text to Ah Qing to report that he was safe, without revealing his exact whereabouts. Then, opening the sliding glass door of the balcony, he walked out into the garden and looked up. A light was on inside a window on the second floor.
A silhouette stood by the floor-to-ceiling window. He blinked, recognizing that it was Huo Tingxiao.
He was holding a phone, likely making a call.
Taking advantage of the deep night, Lin Xun tilted his head up and greedily stared for a couple of seconds, never expecting the person upstairs to suddenly glance down.
The instant their eyes met, eight hundred thoughts flashed through Lin Xun’s mind as he pondered whether he should greet him, how to greet him, or how to withdraw his gaze naturally and return to his room without looking too deliberate.
Before he could figure out a strategy, however, the person upstairs pulled the white sheer curtain closed.
“Are you even listening to me?”
On the other end of the line, Fu Xingchen raised his voice slightly.
Standing behind the curtain, Huo Tingxiao watched Lin Xun still standing in the small garden downstairs, letting out an absentminded “Mm.” Walking back behind his desk, he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, asking Fu Xingchen, “What are you actually trying to say?”
Fu Xingchen: “…You really weren’t listening.”
Huo Tingxiao chuckled softly: “It’s because you’re not getting to the point.”
Fu Xingchen was rendered speechless for two seconds. He felt as though all the patience in his lifetime had been expended on these two big figures, Duan Yang and Huo Tingxiao.
“Then listen carefully, I’ll say it one more time: Lin Xun’s motives are questionable. Only a mindless guy like Duan Yang would believe he’s just a helpless, pathetic soul with nowhere else to go. Are you sure you want to keep a ticking time bomb by your side?”
“If Duan Yang hears you say that, you’re in trouble,” Huo Tingxiao said, his smile deepening.
Fu Xingchen snapped back: “Stick to the point.”
“The point is, whether he’s a helpless soul or a time bomb, you have to keep him close to find out.”
Huo Tingxiao only voiced half of his reasoning. The other half was that business card stuffed into Lin Xun’s hand—regardless of Huo Cheng’s motive for passing it, the person could under no circumstances be left to him.
“Fine. As long as you know what you’re doing. As for Lin Xun’s background, I’ll run a check on him.” With a congressman in his family, it was relatively easy for Fu Xingchen to look into someone’s file and life history.
Huo Tingxiao reminded him: “Focus the check to six years ago.”
Fu Xingchen picked up on something subtle: “Do you know something?”
Huo Tingxiao smiled: “I’m just pointing out the key focus for you.”
After finishing the call, Huo Tingxiao walked over to the window. The small garden downstairs was now empty.
Lin Xun lay on his side in bed without pulling the curtains, silently staring in a daze at the square of light projected from the second floor onto the garden lawn. Only when that light disappeared did he close his eyes.
The succession of tough fights that night had drained a vast amount of his strength. He fell asleep quickly, yet the reality of sleeping at Huo Tingxiao’s place was still far too overwhelming for him; he woke up just as day was breaking.
Quietly washing up, he returned to the bedside and used one hand to fold the thin quilt into a crisp, neat block.
Then he sat in the nearby chair, staring in a daze at the small garden outside the window.
Only when he heard movement outside did he open his door and step out.
The housekeeper was in the ground floor kitchen verifying the day’s menu with the cook. Seeing Lin Xun come out, he wished him a good morning, and Lin Xun offered a gentle nod in response.
Noticing how frequently he glanced toward the staircase, Uncle Ji said: “Mr. Huo has already left for the company. He instructed me that you need to go to the hospital this morning on an empty stomach. Someone will be here to pick you up shortly.”
Lin Xun’s eyes widened slightly.
Although his entire body was aching and he walked with a slight limp, he felt it wasn’t a major issue and saw no need to make a trip to the hospital—especially since it meant troubling someone to shuttle him back and forth, which made him deeply embarrassed.
However, since it was already set, Uncle Ji walked over with a warm, elder-like smile on his face and said: “Since we have time now, let me show you around upstairs and downstairs. It’s quite large here.”
Describing it as “quite large” was a modest understatement.
Only after taking a full tour did Lin Xun realize just how vast this place actually was.
It was an estate-style villa built against the mountain, complete with a grand front entrance and courtyard. Entering through the foyer, the simple yet beautiful ground floor hall featured a double-height ceiling; in the corner beneath a massive decorative painting stood a grand piano. Passing through the hall toward the backyard, a frameless glass door opened out to a shimmering open-air swimming pool.
Set on high ground, the edge of the pool seemed to merge with the sky, offering an unobstructed view of the scenic mountain landscape at a glance.
Walking a few steps around the pool led to a descending stepped walkway that went straight to the back garden.
The back garden covered an even larger area than the upper section, with exquisitely landscaped gardens featuring not only an orchard and flower beds, but also two standard tennis courts built on a flatter patch of ground nearby—one clay court and one hard court.
“Mr. Huo is very fond of playing tennis. I used to be able to hit a few volleys with him, but as I’ve gotten older these past two years, I clearly can’t keep up with young people’s stamina anymore,” Uncle Ji laughed hearty.
Lin Xun smiled along, then was led to check out the gym beside the courts.
Just as the two returned to the villa and prepared to tour the wine cellar and entertainment room on the two underground levels, a car horn sounded at the front entrance; Assistant Ding had arrived in person to take Lin Xun to the hospital.
As Huo Tingxiao’s special assistant, every second of his time was precious, which made Lin Xun feel all the more apologetic.
Ding Jun treated him with great courtesy and said with a smile: “It’s no trouble at all, this is part of my job too. Things have already been arranged over at the hospital; once we get there, we’ll get right to it. It will be fast.”
Upon arriving at the hospital, guided by Ding Jun, Lin Xun had his injuries dressed again before going through blood draws, an ultrasound, and X-rays—an exhaustive head-to-toe, inside-and-out checkup that even included a digital rectal exam.
Lin Xun was somewhat resistant.
However, hearing Ding Jun mention that all these checkup items were scheduled at Huo Tingxiao’s request, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk into the examination room.
Once the examinations ended, Ding Jun handed Lin Xun a bag with a breakfast package: “Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Lin. Eat something to line your stomach first, and I’ll drive you back.”
Lin Xun typed on his phone: Just call me Lin Xun. Thank you.
Ding Jun agreed, then handed him a new phone: “Switch to using this. The number is new, and private numbers for Uncle Ji, Mr. Huo, and me are pre-saved inside. Try to avoid contacting people from your past for the time being, at least until we deal with Scorpion’s matter.”
Lin Xun accepted it with slight hesitation, typing to ask: How much was it? I’ll transfer the money to you.
Ding Jun said: “Consider it an employee benefit.”
He pulled open the car door, winking at Lin Xun: “Mr. Huo’s intention is for you to serve as his personal bodyguard once your injuries heal. As for the contract, I’ll drop by in a couple of days for you to sign.”
Processing this news, a complex rush of excitement surfaced on Lin Xun’s face. He tightened his grip on the phone, lowering his head to type: Thank you, I will work hard!
On the way back, Lin Xun suddenly touched his neck with a guilty conscience.
Opening the speech synthesis app on his phone, he said to Ding Jun: I want to go buy something. Is that okay?
Ding Jun glanced at him: “What are you buying? I can go buy it for you, or…”
Lin Xun typed: I need to go myself. I’ll head back on my own after buying it. I remember the address.
Even though the AI lacked vocal inflections, Ding Jun picked up on Lin Xun’s insistence. He said no more, pulling over at the next intersection to let him out. Once Lin Xun’s figure vanished from the rearview mirror, he called Huo Tingxiao to report the matter.
“Understood.”
Hanging up the phone, Huo Tingxiao signed his name on a document handed over by his secretary.
Once the secretary left, he opened his phone and tapped a few times, bringing up a blinking red dot on the screen.
He watched with keen interest as the red dot moved slowly through the streets on the city map, ultimately circling a certain location, coming and going repeatedly.
It seemed he was deliberating.
Thanks to an increasingly precise GPS positioning system, the map not only clearly rendered the layout of the streets, but also thoughtfully labeled the names of the shops.
Huo Tingxiao zoomed in on the details, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Where the red dot flickered was neither a weapons exchange for buying murder weapons nor a public phone booth for leaking information—it was an adult novelty store named “Midnight Wildcat.”