9 – This Indifferent Youth
Lin Jingbei’s expression instantly darkened. He pulled out his phone and made a call.
“Hello? Brother? What’s up?”
A lazy young voice came through the phone, which Lin Yaojia naturally heard as well.
Lin Jingbei fumed, “Where the hell have you been?”
Lin Yaojia: “…”
She was startled.
Was this still the gentle, kind older brother she had imagined?
Noticing Lin Yaojia’s gaze, Lin Jingbei coughed and swallowed back the words he was about to blurt out.
“Yaoyao is home. Let’s all have a reunion dinner together.”
“I’m not coming back,” Lin Ci sneered. “I wouldn’t want to accidentally ‘jinx’ your precious sister into stupidity again.”
His disdain for Lin Yaojia practically radiated through the phone.
The villa fell silent for a few seconds.
Lin Jingbei quickly hung up and said apologetically, “Lin Ci speaks without thinking. Don’t take it to heart.”
“I won’t,” Lin Yaojia replied with a smile.
Internally, she thought, It seems my cheap younger brother isn’t the easiest to get along with.
Lin Mu chided, “Xiao Ci’s temper is getting worse and worse.”
Lin Fu hurriedly changed the subject, “Madam, why don’t you take Yaoyao to see her room?”
“I almost forgot.” Lin Mu walked over, took Lin Yaojia’s hand, and led her to the third floor—the top floor.
“Your father and I live on the second floor, and the servants live on the first.”
Lin Mu’s voice was gentle, like the soft clinking of jade.
Lin Yaojia loved listening to her speak.
After ascending the stairs to the third floor, Lin Mu pointed to the three rooms on the left. “These are your older brother’s and younger brother’s bedrooms. Yours is on the right.”
Lin Yaojia asked in surprise, “All three of these are mine?”
“Yes,” Lin Mu replied, ruffling her hair. “Yaoyao had poor health, so she lived with her grandmother.”
The two children she had raised were both boys—Lin Jingbei was introverted and mature for his age, while Lin Ci had a fiery temper. She rarely experienced this kind of feeling.
Stroking the girl’s smooth, jet-black hair, Lin Mu sighed with emotion, Girls really are better.
“Our Yaoyao is a girl, of course she can’t live with them.”
Hearing this, Lin Yaojia was taken aback for a moment, then a sweet smile spread across her face. “Thank you, Mom.”
For the first time, she tasted the sweetness of favoritism.
The two entered the bedroom, which was decorated entirely in pink—a princess bed, a vanity mirror, and a large sofa.
Lin Yaojia’s eyes ached at the sight.
998, noticing her constipated expression, couldn’t help but gloat.
This little critic probably doesn’t like pink much.
Just look at the pile of Ultraman figures on her dorm bed.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”
Seeing her discomfort, Lin Mu pressed anxiously.
“No, I was just… curious about where the clothes are?” Lin Yaojia hurriedly changed the subject.
Lin Mu teased playfully, “Guess, Yaoyao.”
“I can’t guess,” Lin Yaojia shook her head.
Lin Mu smiled and led her out to the room next door.
As soon as the door opened, Lin Yaojia felt breathless.
It was clearly a walk-in closet, designed with a suspended ceiling. Everything was there—from T-shirts to winter coats, from hair accessories and necklaces to anklets, from baseball caps to ski hats.
All the clothes were the latest styles from major brands, stylish and high-quality.
For the first time, Lin Yaojia truly understood what it meant to be rich.
Lin Mu took her hand and led her to the third room.
【998, I have never been as grateful to you as I am now. Thank you so much for choosing me.】
998: 【Let’s get this straight—it wasn’t me who chose you.】
Ignoring it, Lin Yaojia opened the door with anticipation.
Without a doubt, it was a study.
Everything from paper and ink to brushes and inkstones was available.
Squinting her eyes, Lin Yaojia even spotted first-grade textbooks.
Elementary Chinese, Elementary English.
She stared blankly at the textbooks, an overwhelming sense of foreboding washing over her.
Lin Mu asked with a smile, “How about letting Yao Yao start first grade when school begins?”
No, thank you.
Gritting her teeth, Lin Yaojia held back and said, “I can continue with the second year of high school.”
“Can you keep up?” Lin Mu asked with concern.
Of course I can.
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Lin Yaojia kept a clear head and changed them to, “I can catch up over the summer break.”
As Lin Mu hesitated, Lin Yaojia quickly pleaded, “Mom, I’m already this old. Going to first grade would be so embarrassing.”
“You’re right.” Lin Mu easily gave in. “Mom will discuss it with your brother and hire a tutor for you. For now, just play around here.”
“Okay.”
Lin Yaojia nodded with a bright smile.
Once Lin Mu’s figure disappeared, she let out a sigh of relief.
She grabbed 998, who was nearly laughing itself to pieces beside her, and gave it a good shake.
“What are you laughing at?”
998: 【…You change your expression way too fast.】
【I’ll take that as a compliment.】 Lin Yaojia snorted and, upon returning to her bedroom, eagerly jumped onto the bed.
The bed was soft. Leaning against the headboard, she opened WeChat.
Huo Songjin’s WeChat was simple—just a capital letter “h.”
He hadn’t sent any messages after accepting her request.
After a moment’s thought, Lin Yaojia tentatively sent a sticker.
The reply came quickly.
h: 【】
Tsk, how cold.
A cold big shot, a cold young man.
Lin Yaojia typed away furiously.
【Hey there, when do you…】
Damn.
Remembering her persona, Lin Yaojia silently deleted the message and started typing again.
Be Her Hero: 【Bro, when are we starting a game?】
h: 【I’m free anytime, up to you.】
Lin Yaojia checked the delivery status of the voice changer—it would arrive in one more day.
Be Her Hero: 【Tomorrow night?】
h: 【ok】
After replying, Huo Songjin straightened up, grabbed a random T-shirt from the bedside, stuffed his phone into his pocket, and headed downstairs.
The shop wasn’t too busy today. Cheng Yan sat on a high stool, using clippers to give a little boy a buzz cut.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“Yeah.” Huo Songjin replied casually, his voice still hoarse from sleep. The silver hair at his forehead was slightly damp, clearly from just washing up.
The black T-shirt accentuated his fair skin and handsome features—an aggressively striking appearance with an utterly noble aura.
A few young women nearby blushed and stole glances at him.
Huo Songjin paid them no mind, walking straight to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of Coke.
Cheng Yan saw it all clearly in the mirror: “You’ve already finished off the entire box of Coke we just brought in.”
The cool liquid slid down his throat, bringing a wave of comfort.
Huo Songjin sat on an empty high stool nearby and lazily asked, “Where’s Pang Meng? Didn’t he say he’d come help today?”
Cheng Yan said, “Fatty mentioned in the group chat this morning that someone’s daughter is back and they’re throwing a banquet. His mom took him to get a suit tailored because his old one doesn’t fit anymore. I think Aunt Pang is about to lose her mind.”
“You don’t really browse your social media feed much, so you probably didn’t see Aunt Pang posting last night saying she’s raising a pig at home.”
Cheng Yan couldn’t help but laugh as he spoke, “Fatty commented underneath, ‘Did you forget to count yourself?'”
“He’s definitely going to get a beating from his mom.”
Huo Songjin responded lazily, his eyelids drooping.
Lost in thought.
Suddenly, he asked, “The daughter came back… was she missing before?”
Cheng Yan’s mother was the Huo family’s housekeeper, having taken care of Huo Songjin since he was young.
For over a decade, she had treated him like her own son, no less than she treated Cheng Yan.
Cheng Yan and Huo Songjin were as close as brothers, which was why he knew all about the messy affairs of the Huo family.
Hearing Huo Songjin’s question, the smile on his face faded slightly.
“Fatty didn’t say much about it. I’ll ask him later.”