“Delayed by twenty minutes? Why?”
In the hotel banquet hall, many young masters and ladies from wealthy families had already arrived.
Upon hearing the staff announce that the banquet would be delayed, many expressed confusion, while some voiced their dissatisfaction.
“Why delay it for no reason?”
“Exactly! Do you know how precious our time is? How can such a large banquet pull something like this?”
“Ah, what’s wrong with a delay? It’s fine!” others agreed.
Someone chimed in, “That’s right! Quite a few people are here this time. It’s a good chance to get to know more people. Besides, I heard someone from the Huo family is coming too!”
“Yes! I heard that too! It seems to be Huo Shengye, the head of the Huo family!” a young lady excitedly added.
“Really?! I know him—he’s incredibly handsome. His official age is 29, but he doesn’t look it at all. He seems like a fresh-faced young man. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of him from afar once—he’s especially good-looking.”
“Oh, sister, who doesn’t know about the head of the Huo family? He’s the dream of every beautiful young lady in the entire capital!”
Single, handsome, incredibly wealthy, and he seems quite impressive in that department too.
Who wouldn’t like him?
Anyone who doesn’t like him must be blind!
Ungrateful!
Not knowing how lucky they are!
“That’s true,” the earlier young lady said, slightly embarrassed, but quickly laughed generously. “He really is a catch. I wonder if there’s a chance to see him this time.”
She didn’t dare hope to have any interaction with such a big shot in this lifetime, but catching a glimpse from afar shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?
Just as they were talking, several young ladies hurried into the banquet hall entrance, speaking excitedly:
“Oh my god, did you see? Huo Shengye!”
“What Huo Shengye? Hey, what about Huo Shengye?” The ladies who had just been discussing Huo Shengye immediately gathered around like wolves catching the scent of prey.
A few minutes later, gossip spread throughout the banquet hall—
Huo Shengye, the head of the Huo family, was carrying a young lady from who-knows-which family toward his private lounge!
Those delicate feet, that jet-black hair—no doubt she was an absolutely stunning, gentle beauty!
“Ah, heartbreak again, another day of heartbreak!” one young lady pretended to be sad, covering her face.
In a corner of the banquet hall, a cocktail glass slipped from someone’s hand, falling to the floor and spilling wine onto the carpet.
A nearby staff member quickly rushed over with cleaning supplies to deal with the mess.
The woman who had knocked over the glass offered no apology and instead walked straight toward the circle of young ladies.
Private Lounge.
On the spacious sofa, Wen Yuan turned over, mumbling softly as she pulled the thin blanket over her head once again.
Beside the sofa, Huo Shengye sat on a stool, watching with a mix of helplessness and amusement.
He reached out gently, took hold of a corner of the blanket, and pulled it down for Wen Yuan.
“Yuan’er, be good. Don’t cover your face when you sleep.”
In just ten minutes, this was already the third time Huo Shengye had said this. Lu Ming, standing guard by the lounge door, was so shocked his eyes nearly popped out.
When did Huo Shengye fall for this Miss Wen?
Lu Ming felt his job might be at risk. No, wait—he had been by Huo Shengye’s side for so many years and had never heard of Huo Shengye having any romantic history.
How could he suddenly be so attentive to Miss Wen Yuan? Ten minutes, and this was already the third time!
And isn’t Huo Shengye always very particular about punctuality? Yet for this person, he actually had the organizers delay the event by twenty minutes.
Really…
Lu Ming felt his world had cracked open, struck by lightning, turned to stone.
Who could tell him what was going on with his boss?
However, Lu Ming snapped back to reality, but one thing could be clearly confirmed—
This Miss Wen, well, their currently acknowledged first sister-in-law, he needed to curry favor with her properly in the future.
About ten minutes later.
On the sofa, Wen Yuan furrowed her brows slightly, raising her hand to block the light. Huo Shengye reached out, his broad palm covering Wen Yuan’s eyes, shielding her from the light.
“Yuan’er, awake?”
Wen Yuan opened her eyes, and once she had adjusted, Huo Shengye withdrew his hand, asking as he did so.
Wen Yuan hummed in acknowledgment, belatedly feeling her ears turn red. “I… I fell asleep?”
She looked up and saw a clock hanging on the wall of the lounge.
It was already…
“Late! Mr. Huo…” The banquet had already started.
She had actually overslept, but why hadn’t Huo Shengye woken her?
Wen Yuan was both puzzled and mortified, hurriedly getting off the sofa. She straightened her skirt, tidied her hair, picked up the thin blanket from the sofa, glanced at it, and quickly folded it.
Just then, Huo Shengye, sitting on the stool, looked at Wen Yuan and said gently, “Yuan’er, the banquet has been postponed. There’s still about twenty minutes before it starts.”
Wen Yuan: “…”
Alright, but why hadn’t he said so earlier?
Wen Yuan puffed out her cheeks, feeling that Huo Shengye was teasing her again. She shoved the blanket somewhat forcefully into his arms.
Wen Yuan didn’t know where she had mustered such boldness—perhaps it was a bit of post-sleep grumpiness, or perhaps she felt she was being toyed with.
In any case, that’s what she did, and… Huo Shengye didn’t seem angry?
Wen Yuan actually lost her nerve right after handing over the blanket, but she still mustered her courage and walked toward the door.
Lu Ming, standing by the door, didn’t dare open it without permission. He glanced at Huo Shengye and immediately regretted doing so.
As expected, Huo Shengye made a gesture, signaling him to open the door for Wen Yuan.
On the way to the banquet hall, Wen Yuan kept glancing back at Huo Shengye. Finally, at the entrance, she came to a complete stop, waiting for Huo Shengye to catch up to her.
Huo Shengye curved his lips slightly. “What’s wrong? Can’t Yuan’er go in without me?”
Wen Yuan knew when to back down. She went over and took Huo Shengye’s hand in both of hers, giving it a gentle shake—an obvious display of coquettishness. “Mr. Huo, I was wrong… Please don’t hold it against me.”
“I will hold it against you.” Unexpectedly, Huo Shengye said this, his tone indifferent.
Wen Yuan’s face instantly paled, panic setting in. “Mr. Huo… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been harsh with you earlier.”
“I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you… Please don’t be angry with me, okay?”
Huo Shengye hadn’t even accused Wen Yuan of being harsh, yet she confessed everything in one go. As she spoke, her eyes even reddened—she really couldn’t take a joke.
“Not angry. Mr. Huo isn’t that petty.” Huo Shengye said, his voice gentle once more.
The shift in his attitude was just too drastic.
Wen Yuan composed herself. It seemed that when it came to acting, she and Huo Shengye weren’t on the same level.
Wen Yuan was about to release one of her hands, planning to walk forward hand in hand with Huo Shengye, when he suddenly pulled her into his embrace and looked down at her.
Their eyes met, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered in Huo Shengye’s dark, elongated gaze. “But, Yuan’er, since you scolded me, shouldn’t I ask for some compensation?”
Wen Yuan thought not, but recalling the three rules she had noted down from their blind date—Huo Shengye is always right—she obediently nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
Huo Shengye pointed to his lips. “Three times. Now.”
Wen Yuan’s cheeks flushed crimson. “N-now?”
Although the path they were taking toward the banquet hall was sparsely populated, it wasn’t completely deserted. There were still some staff members around.
Huo Shengye looked at Wen Yuan without speaking, and Lu Ming, who was following behind, discreetly moved farther away.
Wen Yuan stood on her tiptoes, gently tugged at Huo Shengye’s hand, and said in a soft, pleading voice, “Mr. Huo, could you lower your head a little? I can’t reach…” Her tone was pitiful.
He was so tall—how could she possibly reach him if he didn’t bend down? He was bullying her again.
Huo Shengye leaned down but said, “I’m going to hold you, Yuan’er.”
Huh??
The next moment, Wen Yuan remembered: in the car, she had said she was afraid of heights, implying that Huo Shengye had held her then. And Huo Shengye had said he would give her a heads-up before holding her in the future. “Now you can reach. Come, have a taste?”
The word “taste” was used so well it made her want to hide in embarrassment.
Wen Yuan had never kissed anyone like this before, let alone taken the initiative.
She kissed Huo Shengye’s thin lips three times.
“Okay, done…” All three kisses were feather-light, an attempt to slip by unnoticed.
But how could he let her off so easily? Huo Shengye’s eyes darkened as he raised his hand, cupping the back of Wen Yuan’s head. He leaned forward, capturing her lips in a kiss that grew increasingly fierce, lingering for a long time before finally pulling away. “Did you learn, Yuan’er?” he asked.
Wen Yuan’s body went limp, half-collapsing as she leaned against Huo Shengye’s shoulder, breathing lightly. Her jade-like fair cheeks were tinged with a rosy blush, her delicate and exquisite features blending innocence with desire, making her irresistibly alluring in the darkness—tempting enough to make one want to tease her mercilessly.
Huo Shengye gently stroked Wen Yuan’s hair, then carried her behind the shade of a tree, where the moonlight couldn’t reach. He kissed her forehead and coaxed her in a soft, gentle voice, “Follow this standard, be good, again. You can only go in after you finish.”