He was simply too exhausted to come up with the usual roundabout excuses.
His fingers tapped the screen haphazardly.
Ying: [Fine, just take care of yourself lately.]
Qu Huo: [Okay.]
Another instant reply.
His already foggy mind grew even drowsier, and the lightweight phone gradually became heavier.
Sleepiness swept over him.
Finally, he could sleep in peace.
The faint glow of the screen faded, and the boy hugged his pillow, curling up like a cat.
The next day, noon.
“Good afternoon, Miss Yingying. I’m calling to confirm tomorrow’s pickup time.”
Steward Wang’s voice chattered endlessly from the phone. With the speaker on, Wen Ying spitefully poked at the fruit cereal in his bowl.
“Okay.”
The chocolate rings soaked in milk cracked apart.
His movements were fierce, but his voice remained gentle and restrained.
Five minutes later.
“Have a wonderful weekend. We’ll see you tomorrow at eight in the morning.”
Having gone over everything and ensured nothing would go wrong, the satisfied Steward Wang hung up.
Eight in the morning.
Wen Ying ate a spoonful of cereal with a blank expression.
He really hoped the Huo family would land some eighty-billion-yuan deal tomorrow, and that Huo’s parents would stand him up at the last minute.
Unfortunately, that was unlikely.
Sure enough, lying in his chat with Huo Jue was the reply he’d sent after waking up that morning.
Though this time, Huo Jue’s attitude was considerably better he was actually speaking like a human being.
Huo·Jue: [That busy? Can’t even spare half a day.]
Since his attitude had improved, Wen Ying’s tone softened a bit too.
Ying: [I really don’t have the time.]
Ying: [Good luck getting first place in your race.]
He genuinely hoped Huo Jue would take first.
That way, counting the qualifiers, semifinals, finals, and the award ceremony, Huo Jue would start racing at noon and probably not be home until evening.
By then, Wen Ying would have already left the Huo estate, no chance of running into him.
He’d only said it casually, but Huo Jue suddenly perked up like he’d been injected with adrenaline, replying twice in quick succession.
Huo·Jue: [Hmph, that’s more like it.]
Huo·Jue: [Just wait and see I’ll win that first place for you!]
He didn’t need some street racing trophy.
Wen Ying didn’t reply to Huo Jue’s messages.
He paced around the house a few times for exercise, reviewed some notes at his desk, and finally collapsed back onto his bed.
Tomorrow was another battle, and rest was the most important thing.
The shock of wearing women’s clothing was simply too much.
He’d woken up three times in the middle of the night, even dreaming he was wearing a skirt.
Wen Ying finally endured through the agonizing hours until the dawn of the next day.
“Scattered rain expected in parts of the city, with a noticeable drop in temperature. Citizens are advised to take precautions when going out.”
Listening to the weather forecast playing on his phone, Wen Ying picked out a hoodie made of the softest fabric from his closet and tied his hair up neatly.
Obviously, elders preferred children who looked harmless and unthreatening.
To avoid getting his clothes dirty at Huo Jue’s place for some inexplicable reason, Wen Ying made sure to pack a change of clothes in his bag.
A black stretch limousine pulled up punctually not far from his house. Wen Ying slung his bag over his shoulder and walked unhurriedly toward the car.
“Miss Yingying.”
The robotically rigid Steward Wang showed rare admiration on his face: “You look lovely today.”
“Thank you.” Wen Ying watched the car door close automatically, then turned back and gave Steward Wang a proper, polite smile.
Playing the obedient child he was a master at it.
The villa district was sprawling and sparsely populated, so the limousine drove through without a hitch.
The distant mountain ranges stretched on the most prominent feature of the entire villa area, and naturally, they belonged to the Huo family.
A castle hidden among the trees came into view. More than the imposing European-style architecture, what caught Wen Ying’s attention was the grassland surrounding the castle.
The green lawn was covered in snow-white petals Marguerite daisies with orange centers as if a grand wedding was about to take place here.
“Mind your step, miss.”
Steward Wang bent down to open the car door, shielding the roof with his hand.
“Madam loves Marguerites and champagne roses.”
Walking past the endless sea of flowers, Steward Wang explained: “So the master planted ten acres of flower fields near the estate, controlling the temperature to keep them blooming all year round.”
Too extravagant.
Wen Ying looked at the champagne roses blooming out of season in the distance.
They were just as vigorous as the endless red roses outside the Star Palace, and just as tiresome to look at after a while.
Steward Wang said proudly: “No one could love Madam the way the master does.”
Wen Ying hummed softly in acknowledgment and followed quietly behind.
His father had loved his mother too planting tens of thousands of roses for her in his youth and buying out the entire galaxy’s headline news feeds.
His love was passionate and flamboyant, but that hadn’t stopped his father from fooling around outside.
Wen Ying’s legs felt heavy.
Just as he’d expected, he didn’t like the Huo estate.
The Huo estate was simply too large so large that the two of them walked for over ten minutes just to reach the foot of the castle.
When the wind settled, the white Marguerite petals formed a carpet, and the castle’s grand doors slowly swung open.
Like a scene straight out of a fairy tale.
“Yingying, it’s been so long.”
A beautiful woman looked at Wen Ying with a smile, and beside her stood a handsome man.
Huo Ting and Bai Wanqing were both approaching fifty, yet they were still well-preserved, looking no older than their mid-thirties.
“Uncle Huo, Auntie Bai.”
Wen Ying called out softly, a practiced, obedient smile on his face.
“Ah.” Bai Wanqing’s eyes curved into a smile as she stepped forward a few paces. “I knew it after all these years, Yingying must have missed me.”
Unlike Huo Ting, who was always stern and unsmiling, Bai Wanqing was an outgoing woman, her movements carrying a hint of girlish liveliness.
She placed her hands on Wen Ying’s arms and, without ceremony, took out a white crystal hairpin, pinning it loosely in Wen Ying’s hair.
“So pretty.” She said softly, her eyes shimmering with a delicate light.
Bai Wanqing ran her own jewelry design studio, unaffiliated with the Huo Corporation, and was quite renowned in the industry.
As a professional, her aesthetic sense was naturally excellent the hairpin didn’t look out of place in Wen Ying’s hair; if anything, it added a touch of playfulness.
Wen Ying didn’t resist, though his body stiffened for a brief moment.
When he was little, his mother had also liked to tuck flowers and grass into his hair, asking him with a smile if he liked them.
But later, his mother stopped smiling.
He called her “Mother Empress,” and she would seriously tell him to call her “Mother.”
“I might no longer be the mistress of the Star Palace.”
Later, his mother left the Star Palace.
She didn’t divorce his father; she went alone to a remote star system and rarely returned to the imperial capital.
Wen Ying was happy for her.
He knew that on that distant star with its beautiful mountains and waters, she had become a baroness and was living happily.
“Standing out here all day, what’s that about?”
Huo Ting coughed, snapping Wen Ying back to his senses.
Bai Wanqing shot him a sidelong glance, and the suit-clad CEO immediately looked down at the floor.
“Your Uncle Huo has a point.”
She deftly clipped the hairpin onto Wen Ying’s head, then draped an arm over his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
“Auntie just happens to have lots of pretty clothes.”
Wen Ying, now wearing a crystal bunny hairpin:
Wearing women’s clothes today was unavoidable.
Hearing his wife’s words, Father Huo rarely cracked a smile. “Right, Wanqing has the best taste in clothes.”
“Shameless old man!” Mother Huo scolded with a laugh.
Wen Ying, sandwiched between the two, forced himself to keep a straight face.
He felt like a spare lightbulb.
Passing through a maze of hallways, they arrived at a reception room as large as a classroom.
“Have the kitchen make some rock sugar pear soup.”
Bai Wanqing instructed the butler, then turned to Wen Ying, her warm smile deepening.
Her tone carried a hint of complaint: “With you studying so hard every day, it’s no wonder your voice is hoarse.”
“Thank you, Auntie.” Wen Ying said with difficulty.
Even if he drank rock sugar pear soup, there was no way his voice would turn high-pitched.
“You two talk.”
Huo Ting’s phone kept buzzing. With a very CEO-like gesture, he silenced the unimportant calls, lifted his sharp jawline, and looked at Bai Wanqing with his sanpaku eyes, gently. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
Qu Huo took after Huo Ting in looks, while Huo Jueyue resembled Bai Wanqing more.
But Huo Jueyue’s personality probably took after Huo Ting more.
Wen Ying muttered to himself.
“Go do what you need to.” Bai Wanqing moved closer to Wen Ying and took his hand. “From now on, if you want anything, just tell Auntie.”
The more he said, the more mistakes he’d make. Wen Ying’s muscles tensed as he pretended to be obedient and nodded silently.
That earned him a string of silver-bell laughter from Bai Wanqing.
“Auntie needs to thank you for putting up with Jueyue at school.”
After some small talk, Bai Wanqing’s tone grew somber. “I know he’s rebellious and hard to manage, not easy to get along with. Asking you to keep an eye on him is putting you in a tough spot.”
“It’s what I should do.”
Wen Ying felt a twinge of guilt.
He hadn’t actually managed Huo Jueyue much more like Huo Jueyue caused him trouble and he dealt with it.
Could it be that Huo Jueyue, after getting beaten by him, actually spoke well of him to his parents?
“No one is obligated to be responsible for anyone else. He should grow up a bit too.”
Bai Wanqing sighed, weariness showing on her face. “The Huo family only has him now.”
Her words trailed off.
Everyone in the wealthy circles knew that the Huo family once had an eldest son, a year older than Huo Jueyue, who went missing at age two and had never been found.
Wen Ying softened his tone. “He’ll come to understand your efforts.”
The Huo family wasn’t as cold and distant as the book and Huo Jueyue’s own words made them out to be. At most, they were just worried about their son, both doting on him and restraining him.
As for Qu Huo’s identity, he couldn’t reveal it to the Huo family without Qu Huo’s say-so.
Should Qu Huo, who had been away for seventeen years, return to the Huo family?
Wen Ying didn’t know.
“I hope so.”
Bai Wanqing sensed the atmosphere growing heavy, dabbed at the corner of her eye, and changed the subject. “Forget that brat Huo Jueyue today is a good day.”
“The dress Auntie picked out for you was made by a designer in France. Go to the dressing room and see if you like it.”
There it was.
What was coming couldn’t be avoided.
Thinking of the terror of being subjected to women’s clothing, goosebumps instantly rose on Wen Ying’s back.
But seeing the hope in Bai Wanqing’s eyes and remembering his own position, he had no grounds to refuse.
“Okay, th-thank you, Auntie.”
He tried to show a bit of happiness, but the words could only come out one at a time.
Bai Wanqing just took it as him being nervous, patting his shoulder gently. “Treat this place like your own home.”
“With your height, if it’s hard to find dresses outside, just come to Auntie and I’ll have some custom-made for you.”
There were apparently endless dresses to come.
The words meant to comfort her only sounded like one shock after another to Wen Ying.
As they reached the dressing room door, Bai Wanqing saw him hanging his head and fidgeting awkwardly. She covered her mouth with a light laugh. “I won’t go in, so you don’t feel uncomfortable.”
Inside the dressing room, the clock was pointing at twelve.
Soft light fell upon the floor-length gown, making the sheer fabric at the hem look like moonlight cast into water.
The silk daisies on the right chest were pure and dreamlike, their centers adorned with gems, while woven vines of flowers curled up toward the right shoulder.
It was a very beautiful gown.
If only it weren’t being worn by him.