Huo Zhixiao’s flight was delayed, and it was already afternoon when Ding Yinan picked him up. The two hadn’t seen each other for several days, and as soon as they got in the car, Huo Zhixiao hooked his arm around Ding Yinan’s neck and leaned in for a kiss.
“Wait,” Ding Yinan said, pushing Huo Zhixiao away gently. He wasn’t in the mood for intimacy. He pressed his hand on Huo Zhixiao’s shoulder and said seriously, “I have something to tell you.”
Ding Yinan’s serious tone indicated that something important was on his mind. Usually, when he spoke like this, it meant they needed to discuss a significant matter.
Huo Zhixiao settled back in his passenger seat, considering Ding Yinan’s demeanor. He asked, “Is it about my dad?”
“No,” Ding Yinan shook his head. “It’s about my sister.”
After a brief pause, Huo Zhixiao put down his phone, furrowed his brow, and looked at Ding Yinan. “Why would you send that kind of video to your sister?”
“Uh, my bad,” Ding Yinan cleared his throat awkwardly, then admitted guiltily, “She’s family, and she’s seen me naked when we were kids.”
“That’s not the point,” Huo Zhixiao said. “I mean, why would you send it to anyone other than me?”
“Well, it was a mistake…” Ding Yinan began, then sighed. “But she won’t delete it. I think she wants to keep it as blackmail material.”
Huo Zhixiao caught the plea for help in Ding Yinan’s words. He operated his phone for a moment, then turned to Ding Yinan and said, “She’ll have to delete it.”
Ding Yinan had assumed that Huo Zhixiao messaged his sister to ask her to delete the video in a casual way. But when he looked at the phone, he realized that Huo Zhixiao had forwarded the video to himself for keepsake.
Back home, their dog San Baisui rushed over to greet them, and Ding Dong, Ding Yinan’s sister, also came over, playfully calling out “Brother-in-law.”
Ding Yinan pretended not to notice Ding Dong’s teasing gaze and focused on changing his shoes. Huo Zhixiao quickly set down his suitcase, came to the point, and extended his hand toward Ding Dong, saying, “Give me the phone.”
Ding Dong suddenly realized the situation was serious. She raised an eyebrow and declared, “No.”
Huo Zhixiao maintained his outstretched hand and said coldly, “It’s mine.”
This assertive statement left no room for negotiation. Ding Dong hesitated, her eyes flickering. She turned to Ding Yinan with a pleading look and said, “Brother…”
Ding Yinan finished changing his shoes, walked toward the living room, and said casually, “He’s right.”
At times, traitors are more intolerable than enemies, and Ding Dong’s resentment instantly shifted towards Ding Yinan. She unlocked her phone and handed it to Huo Zhixiao, mimicking Ding Yinan’s tone as she said, “You find a savior to bully me.”
“He’s not a savior, but my husband,” Ding Yinan retorted, turning to Ding Dong and playfully licking the corner of his mouth. “You could also ask your husband for support, oh… sorry, my mistake, you don’t have one.”
Ding Dong exaggeratedly acted like she was spitting blood, flopping onto the sofa and complaining to the two, “You two lovebirds are insufferable…”
After Huo Zhixiao deleted the video, he tossed the phone to Ding Dong. On the other side, Ding Yinan had already put on an apron, preparing to cook for tonight’s New Year’s Eve dinner.
However, just as Ding Yinan was about to put the fish into the pot, Huo Zhixiao’s phone suddenly rang.
“Wife,” Huo Zhixiao came to the kitchen while still on the call, “My dad ordered too much food for the hotel’s New Year’s Eve dinner, and he can’t finish it all.”
“Can’t finish it?” Ding Yinan paused, looking at Huo Zhixiao. “What do you mean?”
Despite Ding Yinan and Huo Zhixiao’s plan to celebrate New Year’s Eve with the entire family, Huo Xun had insisted that Huo Zhixiao spend it alone at home. In the end, Huo Zhixiao chose to stay with Ding Yinan.
“What else?” Huo Zhixiao shook his phone, indicating he was still on the call. “He wants us to come over.”
Ding Yinan’s New Year’s Eve dinner was halfway prepared, and he held the fish in his hand, unsure about changing their plans so suddenly.
But Huo Xun, by personally making the call and offering a lame excuse about not wanting to waste the food, had put Ding Yinan in a difficult position. He sighed and agreed to let Huo Xun come over to their place.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“To your house, then?” Ding Yinan asked.
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Leb Itlzljb wjvf j atewyr-eq ufraegf jcv rqbxf lcab atf qtbcf, “Qf’ii tfjv bnfg cbk.”
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In reality, anyone could see that Huo Xun was feeling lonely spending New Year’s Eve alone. That’s why he asked Huo Zhixiao to bring Ding Yinan along, but he masked his true intention by citing the excess of food.
Huo Zhixiao didn’t bother to expose Huo Xun at all and pretended not to hear. But Ding Yinan didn’t want to embarrass Huo Xun, so he said, “You don’t need to order it next time, just let me do it.”
“Okay,” Huo Xun blurted out but felt something was wrong in the next second, and changed his words, “I’ll talk about it next time.”
Ding Yinan introduced Huo Xun and Ding Dong. However, while the two were still greeting each other, San Baisui had already rushed into the living room and was having a good time in the spacious and bright room. It sniffed here and there, and finally made a horoscope pose on the carpet. Ding Yinan was shocked when he saw this, and Ding Dong beside him also had the same expression.
Generally speaking, if a dog sniffs and makes horoscopes pose at the same time, it means that it is about to poop. Ding Dong yelled “San Baisui” and rushed over, but it was too late. San Baisui’s butt sank, looked at Huo Xun, and made a pile of fresh feces on the carpet.
“What’s the matter with you, dog?” Huo Xun looked at the stained carpet in shock. “Why are you so uneducated?”
“He’s just a dog,” Huo Zhixiao shrugged his shoulders habitually. “What bad thoughts can a dog have?”
Unlike Huo Zhixiao, Ding Yinan felt more at ease in this situation. He apologized to Huo Xun, saying, “I’m sorry, Mr. Huo.”
Before Huo Xun could continue to criticize the two, Huo Zhixiao took Ding Yinan’s hand and walked into the living room. Meanwhile, Ding Dong had already thrown San Baisui’s feces into the bathroom toilet. Seeing Huo Xun’s darkened face, she took the initiative to speak, “Uncle Huo, things like dog feces are not something you can ask for, they just happen.”
Ding Dong was braver than most of her peers. She wouldn’t be intimidated in front of her elders, even if she met strangers online.
However, Huo Xun wasn’t just an ordinary elder. He had a lot of experience and knowledge, so he wasn’t easily fooled. Ding Yinan was about to signal Ding Dong not to speak casually, but to his surprise, Huo Xun actually engaged in conversation with Ding Dong.
“How is it ‘not something you can ask for’?”
“Dog poop luck represents good luck. It means, Uncle Huo, that you’re going to have good luck next year.”
“You’re at least a college student. Why are you so superstitious?”
“Uncle Huo, aren’t you superstitious too?”
“I’m not superstitious.”
“Then what about the money tree you planted in your yard and the golden toad on the coffee table?”
“… Just decorations.”
“The positioning of this toad isn’t right, so it won’t have the effect of gathering wealth.”
“Then how should it be positioned?”
Huo Xun and Ding Dong chatted about Feng Shui with great interest, and Ding Yinan smiled helplessly. Among the people he knew, Ding Dong was probably the only one who dared to converse so casually with Huo Xun. Even his elder brother wouldn’t dare to do that.
The New Year’s Eve dinner that Huo Xun had ordered wasn’t extravagant, just enough for a family of three. With the addition of a few dishes brought by Ding Yinan, it was just right for the four of them to enjoy.
This was the first time Huo Xun had tasted Ding Yinan’s cooking. Although he didn’t express anything verbally, almost everything in front of him went into his stomach.
“Uncle Huo, isn’t my brother’s cooking good?” Ding Dong asked proactively.
Ding Yinan kicked Ding Dong’s slipper under the table, telling her not to bring the topic to herself. Although Huo Xun had reluctantly accepted the relationship between the two of them, it didn’t mean he fully acknowledged it.
“It’s acceptable,” Huo Xun glanced at Huo Zhixiao lightly. “This kid has good taste.”
Ding Yinan’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing the words. He always felt that this statement had something to do with approval, but it was also like a passing comment.
“Of course,” Huo Zhixiao said.
“My assistant chose well,” Huo Xun concluded.
“I have good judgment,” Huo Zhixiao competed in a playful manner.
“If I hadn’t arranged for him to be your assistant, would you have been able to start your own company?”
“He has been my assistant for three years. If it weren’t for my insight, he’d still be my assistant now.”
Ding Yinan rolled his eyes inwardly and ate silently. Hearing Huo Xun’s words, it seemed he appreciated him more. That was enough for Ding Yinan to be sure of this.
“By the way,” Ding Dong interjected after listening for a while, “Uncle Huo, were you actually their matchmaker?”
These words were on point. Huo Xun must have recalled all the past, his emotions surging for a moment. He then picked up his chopsticks again with a complex expression.
“At this point, I still have to say,” Huo Zhixiao looked at Huo Xun and said slowly, “Thank you, Dad.”
Huo Xun responded with a simple “hmm,” looked at the table full of dishes, and said, “Eat quickly, it’s getting cold.”
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the family sat in the living room and watched the Spring Festival Gala. Maybe because Huo Xun had dropped his pretenses and was engaging more with Ding Yinan due to his prior words.
“After the Spring Festival, there will be a small alumni gathering. You should come with me, I’ll introduce you to people.”
“Okay, Mr. Huo,” Ding Yinan replied professionally.
“Why still ‘Mr. Huo’?”
Ding Yinan was momentarily confused and tentatively called, “Then, … Father Huo.”
Huo Xun also seemed unsure about what he should be called. He stopped struggling and continued, “I heard you applied for the MBA program at our school. Have your results come out?”
“Results will be out after the Spring Festival,” Ding Yinan answered. “There shouldn’t be any issues.”
“Alright,” Huo Xun said. “The teachers know me well. I’ll have them look out for you.”
Ding Yinan felt flattered and looked uneasily at Huo Zhixiao, who was sitting between them. However, Huo Zhixiao remained nonchalant, as if Huo Xun’s kindness towards his wife was perfectly normal.
“You have three designers in your studio now?” Huo Xun continued. “It’s better to hire new designers for training. Don’t hire well-known ones. You don’t have a strong enough presence in the industry yet, and it could lead to conflicts.”
Huo Xun talked about his entrepreneurial experiences from his youth. Ding Yinan had never known that someone as cautious as Huo Xun had encountered numerous pitfalls. It wasn’t surprising he was always concerned about Huo Zhixiao; he didn’t want his son to repeat the mistakes he had made in his youth.
Huo Zhixiao was stuck in the middle of their conversation, making it awkward to chat. While chatting, Ding Yinan simply moved past Huo Zhixiao, squeezed him to the edge of the sofa, and engaged Huo Xun in conversation face to face.
But this arrangement made Huo Zhixiao uncomfortable after a while. He put his arm around Ding Yinan’s shoulders, gestured towards the TV with his chin, and said, “Wife, watch the magic show.”
Ding Yinan glanced at the TV but continued chatting. Seeing that this tactic failed, Huo Zhixiao once again placed San Baisui in Huo Xun’s lap and said, “Get to know your grandson.”
Finally, the two conversing individuals were aware of Huo Zhixiao’s presence. They were interrupted, and Huo Xun seemed to have forgotten where he left off. He looked at San Baisui in his lap and said, “Why does this seem so familiar?”
“It likes to scratch its chin,” Ding Dong, seated on a single sofa nearby, continued the conversation. “Uncle Huo, give it more chin scratches.”
Usually, San Bai would be asleep by nine or ten in the evening. However, now it seemed tired, no longer playful, but rather enjoying the scratches from Huo Xun.
Huo Xun appeared to be exerting effort, holding up San Baisui and saying cheerfully, “Call me grandpa.”
San Baisui, of course, didn’t respond. However, Ding Yinan and Huo Zhixiao exchanged smiles, holding hands.
Originally, they were planning to leave Huo Xun’s villa the next morning. But when Ding Yinan came downstairs, he found that Ding Dong and Huo Xun had just come in from the yard, covered in morning dew. It seemed they had just returned from walking the dog.
“Brother, you’re up,” Ding Dong greeted Ding Yinan. “All the breakfast shops outside are closed. I’m starving.”
“Let me make noodles,” Ding Yinan said. As he spoke, Huo Zhixiao, who was getting ready upstairs, also came downstairs.
Huo Zhixiao put his arm around Ding Yinan’s waist and asked, “Noodles for breakfast?”
“Or maybe porridge,” Ding Yinan replied.
“Noodles it is,” Huo Zhixiao declared.
“I’ll have noodles too.” Huo Xun walked over, paused for a moment, and said, “The breakfast shop outside the community only opens starting from the third day of the Lunar New Year. Maybe you can stay for a few more days.”
There was more than one breakfast place outside the community. The five-star hotels nearby also stayed open during the Spring Festival. If Huo Xun wanted breakfast, he could have it whenever he pleased. Of course, if he wanted to enjoy breakfast cooked by his daughter-in-law, it didn’t matter whether the external shops were open or not.
Ding Yinan looked at Huo Zhixiao with a knowing smile, and said, “Sure.”
The dishes on the table were leftovers from the previous night. After breakfast, Ding Yinan and Huo Zhixiao found themselves on the small balcony on the second floor, sipping tea leisurely. Meanwhile, Huo Xun and Ding Dong were downstairs in the yard, playing with San Baisui.
“Wife,” Huo Zhixiao suddenly spoke, looking at the two people downstairs.
“Hmm?” Ding Yinan replied lazily.
“This is nice,” Huo Zhixiao said, looking away and then back at Ding Yinan.
“Yes,” Ding Yinan agreed, taking a sip of the hot tea. “It really is.”
Author’s Note:
The additional episodes to expand the plot will be serialized up to this point, and there might be some lighthearted small theater scenes in the future.
I originally wrote this book as a way to respond to the severe criticism my previous work received (I questioned my abilities, orz). I wanted to write something light-hearted to balance things out. However, I didn’t expect so many people to enjoy it. Thank you for accompanying me.
My new story has also been launched. It’s set in a prison and features an intelligent, white-collar criminal as the dominant partner and a prison librarian as the submissive partner. PS: The dominant partner is a master criminal, but he’s actually a good person. If you’re interested, you can check it out next door. If I accumulate enough material, I’ll start posting it. Thank you for your support.
Translator’s Note:
Thank you again everyone for sticking to this series until the end of the side stories! I really didn’t expect to come all this way to the end, considering what life has thrown me throughout this half year. But I’m really glad that I get to finish it for me and everyone else too.
I personally like this author a lot and you can check their other works in NU’s too, most of them are pretty short (less than 100 chapters) but packed with a lot of spiciness.
See you again on another webnovel! I hope you enjoy your time in this story!
Thank you Eili! I really appreciated your regular updates and quick delivery of the chapters. A lot! Thank you. I like this author now – after your introduction. Hoping to see you translate more great authors in the future. Wish you good luck with your life too
Thank you for all the work you’ve done so that we can enjoy this story Eili!!! You’ve done such a good job delivering the author’s words to us international readers. Wishing you the best in whatever you do! ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
This novel has really become one of my favourites. Hoping to read more from the author in the future.
Thank you so much for translating! I didn’t even realize that this author wrote another story that I love until I saw the author’s note just now… This has been a wonderful story, and your translation is excellent.
Thanks for your hard work.
Thanks so much for the translation!
I enjoyed this novel quite a lot. Thank you so much for all your hard work translating it!
thank you so much for translating this!!
Second for the author, this is your third work that I have read. And I can trust all your writing in the future…
This is a sweet adult novel, a sexy story in a fun way, there are conflicts and problems but it ends without leaving any annoying worries. Honestly, this is a really sweet, sexy story, very mature in a real way, and a very strong main character.
4.8/5 for me. This is truly a worthy read for everyone. A very classy light story..
The last chapter is so fitting and warm. Peace and together with family. It’s cute that grandpa met his match with the sister and dog. Everyone also got along 🥺💞 no permanent antagonists and face slaps.
Everyone’s together. We get to see the hooman’s pov in one of their son’s scenes in his chapter. Good feelings and closure with this story. Thank you very much for sharing with us this novel and your hard work 💖
This novel was soo good. Thank you Eili!!!
thank you for sharing this story with us ❤️❤️❤️
👏👏👏 Loved it. Thank you for the hard work.
Such nice extras! I’m happy even Huo Xun gets a bit of happiness, he was a lousy dad but he was there still trying to be a dad. I would’ve liked to know whether Lin Guo and Guo Yi solved their issue related to the band or broke up but I guess we’ll never know. Thank you so much for this wholesome translation, Eili.
I enjoyed reading this novel, thank you for translating it!
Thank you very much for the translation! It was sooo sweet:)
Thanks to you, I am now a true fan of this author!
thank you for translating this! i enjoy it so much.
and the least a/n makes me realize that this is the author of restricted area lmaooo. i love that novel!
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