Translator: Yunyi
Huo Tian stood there, not daring to make a sound. Seeing that Huo Yunque had not noticed her, she knew that this was a great opportunity. She quickly got on her feet and tiptoed quietly towards the door.
âOh.â
Song Yaoyao sniffed, grabbed his hand, and pressed it against her cheek, rubbing against it lovingly.
The skin under her palm was delicate, and there were still wet tears. With a gentle press, it could leave a red mark.
This scene made Huo Yunqueâs throat dry. Behind his deep, bottomless eyes, there was something that was clamoring, but he quickly suppressed it.
He could not scare the little girl.
Huo Yunque asked, âWhere were you going just now?â
Song Yaoyao had forgotten about it when Huo Yunque suddenly came back and interrupted her. Now that she thought about it, she immediately became mute.
âHuh?â
Her sharp chin was lifted, and her slender neck was stretched into a beautiful curve.
Song Yaoyao looked up at him.
âWhat were you going to do?â
His fingers were cold. As he spoke, he leaned slightly closer to her, and their eyes met.
Song Yaoyao knew that she couldnât hide anything from Huo Yunque in this house. She gritted her teeth and said angrily and aggrievedly, âI want to beat Huo Ningxi up!â
She was like a child who had been wronged and was clamoring to get back at him.
Huo Yunque suddenly laughed.
He gently pecked between her eyebrows, and the coldness in his body gradually melted. âOkay, beat him up.â
Song Yaoyao did not sleep well last night and took some medicine. Soon, she fell into a deep sleep in Huo Yunqueâs arms and forgot to take revenge on Huo Ningxi.
â¦
It was quiet in the study.
Uncle Zhang held the whip in his hand and stood quietly at the side.
Huo Ningxi knelt in the middle with an indifferent expression, as if he was not the one who was about to be punished.
There was a dead silence in the air.
After a long time.
The man picked up the cup and took a sip. The steam from the cup stung his eyes and they began to hurt.
âAre you unwilling to accept this?â
The pressure coming from above grew stronger. Huo Ningxi gritted his teeth.
âYes.â
âOh? Thatâs interesting.â
Uncle Zhang was about to faint. He looked at Huo Ningxi, then at Huo Yunque, whose face was calm and had a slight smile on it. He really felt that he was getting old and useless.
The young master was too bold. Was he afraid that the Master wasnât angry enough?
âBefore I punish you, I will ask you a few questions.â
The cup was put down with a crisp sound.
âWere you the one who insisted on breaking off the engagement back then?â
Uncle Zhangâs eyelids twitched when Huo Yunque said this.
He looked at the silent Huo Ningxi and sighed softly. What a sin. He did not know how to cherish her back then. What was the use of regretting it now.
âYes.â
Huo Ningxi clenched his fists tightly on his lap. The word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth.
âDid I stop you from being nice to her?â
Huo Ningxiâs body trembled violently. After a long while, his eyes reddened. âNo.â
âHuo Ningxi.â Huo Yunque lowered his eyes and twirled his prayer beads one by one, âYou must know that there is no medicine for regret in this world. Although you and I are nominally uncle and nephew, I donât mind you using your own abilities to compete against me. If you can win her heart, then itâs your capability.â
The light in the study was dim, and his face was hidden in the dim light. His eyes were clear and bright, and he looked high and mighty.
It was as if he was a god that looked down on all living things from the nine heavens.
He lamented the heavens and pitied people.
Huo Ningxi suddenly raised his head, and his bloodshot eyes stared at the man sitting above him. âWhat right do you have to say that? What do you take Song Yaoyao for?â
âHaââ
Huo Yunque smiled and said slowly, âOf course I think of her as a treasure, but first, she is a human being.â
Since she was a human being, she had the right to choose.
âAlright, letâs do it.â
Huo Yunque smoothed the nonexistent creases on his sleeves and picked up the teacup again.
The tea leaves were standing up, and the sparkling water reflected in his eyes.
âA hundred lashes, Iâll watch from here.â
Uncle Zhang bowed. âYes.â
In the past, this whip had hit Huo Yunque. Later, when Elder Huo had grown old and his temper was no longer bad, the whip was put away and he never touched it again.
Huo Yunque had watched Huo Ningxi grow up, but he was a reserved person and did not easily hit others.
A dull sound came from the study.
After a long while, Uncle Zhang stopped, panting.
âMaster, a hundred lashes exactly.â
âOkay, you go down.â
The study became quiet. All that could be heard was Huo Ningxiâs heavy breathing.
His back was badly mutilated, but his back was stubbornly straight, and he did not want to lower his head in front of Huo Yunque.
A pair of shoes appeared in his line of sight.
Huo Yunqueâs voice seemed to come from far away.
âDo you know why she chose me instead of you in the end?â
âSome people will never understand the feeling of knowing what they want. Huo Ningxi, I hope you can take care of yourself.â
The sound of footsteps faded away, and when the door clicked, Huo Ningxi seemed to be the only one left in the world.
âDo you know what you want? Haâ¦â
Huo Ningxiâs back gradually bent and his head drooped.
Even if he understood, it was too late.
Was it still useful?
â¦
It was already two days later when Song Yaoyaoâs illness was completely cured.
She never saw Huo Ningxi again at Huo Manor. Huo Tian also moved out and went to the apartment that the studio had provided for her to prepare for training.
They would be very busy after this; they would attend variety shows to increase their exposure, attend parties, and perform. At the same time, they would not miss out on training.
Huo Manor seemed to have quietened down all of a sudden.
Song Yaoyao was at a loss and wanted to go to school.
Huo Yunque could only comply with her.
The rules of the film academy were different from before. As long as they did not fail their professional classes, they could completely go about their own business and the school would not care.
Therefore, everyone was used to Song Yaoyao not coming to class for a few days.
But Song Yaoyao suddenly arrived one day with a bruise on her forehead. It was the size of an egg, and there were blood stains amidst the bruise. It was terrifying to look at.
After class, Song Yaoyao returned to the dormitory. On the way, she ran into Ye Meichen and Wang Jiayu.
The two of them obviously came to look for her together. They both expressed strong heartache about her injury.
Song Yaoyao didnât take it seriously. She washed her face every day and carefully avoided the area of the wound. She was afraid of pain.
However, she didnât expect that the mediaâs way of thinking was always different from that of ordinary people.
That night, various major marketing accounts released a new piece of gossip.
[Rookie Director S suffered domestic violence? Went to school with an injury! Is it really that easy to marry into a wealthy family?]
To be honest, when Song Yaoyao was surfing the internet, she didnât even think of herself when she saw the hot searches about a Rookie Director S.
There were new people in the industry every day. Song Yaoyao could be considered to have been famous for quite some time, so she had long since removed herself from the list of rookies.
It wasnât until Wang Jiayu, who was sleeping on Ye Meichenâs upper bunk next to her, poked her head out and asked in shock, âYaoyao, tell me honestly, did Mr. Huo hit you?â