“What are you looking at? Why are you smiling so much?” Huo Yu turned back, happily sorting the papers on the table, unaware of his own big smile.
“Nothing,” Xia Wan grinned, “just thinking about happy stuff.”
Huo Yu chuckled softly as he carefully organized the information into different categories. Unconsciously, his hand reached for the cigarette box nestled in the corner of the table. With a light tap, a single cigarette emerged from the pack, ready to be lit.
Xia Wan thought Huo Yu was going to smoke it, but he just put it under his nose for a moment and then put it back.
Xia Wan knew it was hard to stop smoking, but Huo Yu hadn’t smoked since the last time he did.
He still had the scent of ebony roses on him, but the tobacco smell was gone. That day, there were nine cigarettes left in the pack on the corner of the table. Many days later, there were still nine cigarettes, unchanged. Not a single one was missing.
Xia Wan’s eyes softened, a gentle warmth slowly spreading through his heart. It felt as if a soothing and tender sensation was embracing every part of his heart.
“Eldest master,” Xia Wan said, “if you really want to smoke, you can have one.”
“No,” Huo Yu replied, pushing the cigarette case back to the corner of the table.
“Yes,” Xia Wan nodded, gazing at him with gentle and focused eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Huo Yu laughed, paying no attention to the phone vibrating wildly on the desktop. He focused on Xia Wan, a half-smile playing on his lips.
“Are you happy?” he asked with a smile, his eyes reflecting happiness. “The whole world knows that we are husband and wife,” he added.
With joy in his eyes, he looked at Xia Wan and couldn’t help but ask again, “Are you happy?”
“Happy,” Xia Wan replied, his smile illuminated by the sunshine. As he stood up, the genuine joy in his expression seemed to radiate purity and warmth.
At that moment, he suddenly felt that the voices from the outside world no longer held importance.
Whether it was a blessing, a slander, something pleasant, or something unpleasant…
It was clear that just moments ago, Xia Wan was on cloud nine due to those blessings. But he also experienced a moment of darkness because of those “revelations” and bad words.
But now, in this quiet room, watching Huo Yu, seeing him sniff the cigarette and put it away, chatting about random stuff…
All these little things made Xia Wan feel special, especially today.
No matter how good other things are, this time the person in front of him can’t be compared or replaced.
The phone, which had stopped, buzzed again. Huo Yu’s smiling eyes turned sideways for a moment and looked at Xia Wan again. “Should I have answered the call?”
“You can answer it,” Xia Wan couldn’t help but smile and roll his eyes, “You don’t need to report it to me.”
Then he said, “As long as you’re busy, I won’t disturb you.”
Turning around with a smile, Huo Yu reached for the phone and picked it up.
On the other end was the manager of Huo’s public relations department, making the call.
The public relations manager was quite troubled by this phone call.
Since Huo Yu took office, many tasks that were once considered significant have become less important, leading to a significant reduction in the workload for the entire public relations department. Huo Yu has even received praise from colleagues in the public relations department.
Huo Yu and Huo Peixue were completely different.
Huo Peixue loved to take on superficial projects, but Huo Yu was the opposite. He never cared about outsiders’ opinions. If he had to silence them, he preferred using his own accomplishments rather than words. So, even when Huo Peixue’s gossip became so unbearable that even colleagues in the company couldn’t stand it, Huo Yu didn’t involve the public relations department.
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.
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Since the boss might treat this situation differently, and after thinking about it a lot, the public relations manager, who usually relaxed the rules for emergencies, decided to call Huo Yu.
The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered until it hung up by itself.
The PR manager paused for a moment and dialed again.
This time, he didn’t have to wait long before Huo Yu’s deep voice came from the other side, asking, “What’s the matter?”
“Boss,” the PR manager explained, “it’s like this after you announced the identity of the lady boss last night…”
“It’s Mr. Xia,” Huo Yu interrupted, his voice calm but firm.
The manager of the public relations department was stunned.
“He is a boy,” Huo Yu’s voice dropped to a low tone. “You can call him Mr. Xia,” his words carried a quiet authority, making it clear how he wanted Xia Wan to be addressed.
“Yes, yes, yes,” the public relations manager coughed lightly and said immediately, “It’s Mr. Xia. After you announced Mr. Xia’s identity last night, it caused quite a stir. Today, Mr. Xia posted another photo from the same series as yours on Weibo, which led to another situation.”
“Yeah,” Huo Yu’s voice remained calm. “Go on.”
The public relations manager heard the remarks and roughly explained the content posted on Weibo.
“It didn’t matter if it was just one Weibo post; it wouldn’t have created any big waves,” the public relations manager concluded, “but not long ago, several influential public accounts just retweeted this Weibo, and it attracted a lot of traffic. Many people joined in, so the comments below were not pleasant.”
There was silence on the phone. Even though Huo Yu didn’t speak, the public relations manager felt an inexplicable change in the atmosphere.
Unconsciously, his face became serious.
“Check,” Huo Yu’s voice remained calm and cold. “From the source to the public accounts that forwarded it, to the netizens who made the bad remarks, no matter what means are used, investigate them one by one and report them all.”
Huo Yu paused, the weight of his words lingering in the air. With emphasis, he repeated, “Don’t miss anyone.”
The workload was substantial, but the public relations manager swallowed nervously and replied with utmost respect, “Yes, Mr. Huo.”
When Xia Wan heard Huo Yu’s words, he unconsciously raised his eyes from the phone screen. He wasn’t looking at his Weibo painting page at the moment but was on his food page.
Fans who were disappointed about not getting selfies last night have been delighted by Huo Yu’s photos from last night, and he was currently reading the cheerful comments in the comment section.
Some people even interpreted Xia Wan’s so-called “selfie” as a cover, thinking that he and Huo Yu might have discussed making their relationship public after the charity function.
The “curses” from fans that Xia Wan was worried about didn’t appear. Instead, there was joy everywhere.
Fans who had initially viewed him with filters added words like cute, good-looking, sincere, talented, low-key, noble…
[Good guy, everything my brother eats always tastes better. I always thought it was because my brother’s family was poor and had never eaten anything delicious, so he wanted to make up for past things. But it turned out that the clown was me, and my brother had already married into a wealthy family.]
[But I saw someone on Weibo breaking the news that my brother’s family was indeed not good.]
[That revelation, is it true or false? Was it intentional or someone’s ill intention behind sharing private information?]
[When I saw that revelation, I just felt it was particularly tough for my younger brother. Growing up in a family like that must have been challenging. It makes me feel sad.]
[So even though my brother married into a wealthy family, he still values food so much, right? Because he has eaten a lot of Kuyi, he isn’t picky about food at all and can enjoy everything. Making every simple dish look very delicious.]
[My younger brother is the best person I’ve ever met. His family isn’t good, but he’s not braggy about it. He’s talented but never shows off. When he married into a rich family, he didn’t act stuck-up. He’s always just himself, not too proud or too shy. It’s like he’s the same wherever he is. Mr. Huo has really good taste, choosing our awesome brother.]
[+1, the sisters upstairs are really good at talking.]
[+10086]
[…]
Those comments were all praising him so much that Xia Wan’s face almost turned red from the compliments.
“What’s wrong?” Xia Wan asked.
“It’s nothing,” Huo Yu came over. He bent down, and took the phone out of Xia Wan’s hand. “Don’t look at it anymore,” he said.
“Yeah,” Xia Wan looked at him with a smile, “Has someone told you about those messy things on the Internet?”
Huo Yu sat down next to him, a concerned look on his face. “Aren’t you angry?” he asked.
“It’s not worth it,” Xia Wan said, then smiled and rubbed Huo Yu’s eyebrows. “Don’t be angry either.”
The more caring Xia Wan was, the tighter the corners of Huo Yu’s lips pursed.
“They don’t deserve it,” Huo Yu said after a moment. “But I’m still angry.”
In order to coax him, Xia Wan had to resort to a little trick. He took Huo Yu’s hand and said, “Eldest Master, my body hurts.”
……
At the same time, Xia Yang was pacing back and forth in the room uneasily.
“Brother,” Zhang Hao’s eyes were almost blurred, his nose was bruised, and his face was swollen. The wound at the corner of his mouth almost split when he spoke, so he couldn’t speak clearly. “I told you it’s okay. This account belongs to my friend abroad. It’s impossible for them to find out the registered fake account.”
Zhang Hao was Xia Yang’s cousin and had lived in the Xia family with his mother, Zhao Chengjiao, since he was a child.
Seeing that Xia Wan was good-looking but cowardly, he tried to touch him more than once. However, because Xia Chenglin still found some use in keeping Xia Wan, he never succeeded.
Now, Xia Wan not only soared to new heights but also, along with the father, colluded with the Zhang family to bring down the Xia family.
The Xia family’s villa was gone, and they still owed a lot of debt to the bank. The conditions of the house they rented then were extremely poor, and they had to face pressure from several creditors every day. Their life had fallen from heaven to hell in an instant.
Now the Xia family found themselves in trouble, and Zhang Hao, mother, and son missed their good days even more.
The most challenging aspect for Zhang Hao was the sharp decline in his status at school.
His once loyal “brothers,” who used to join him in drinking and fighting, quickly distanced themselves when he could no longer afford their lifestyle.
Those who had been bullied by him in the past seized the opportunity for revenge upon discovering the downfall of the Xia family.
Zhang Hao has been super patient lately, and he thinks it’s all because of Xia Wan.
He had no idea how much he disliked Xia Wan! But what bothered him even more than the dislike was that as they were struggling, Xia Wan, who relied on them, had left. Leaving the luxurious life that he used to have once.
It made him feel eerie, like tiny bugs were biting his heart.
That’s why, when Huo Yu announced his relationship with Xia Wan, he spilled these secrets to make things messy.
Xia Yang could see through it all – he understood that Zhang Hao’s actions were just as bad as how Huo Peixue behaved.
Huo Peixue had a decent chance of success considering his actions, but the unexpected twist came when Sun Baijiang decided to put everything on the line. Sun Baijiang risked not only his career but also his family’s reputation and future by bravely exposing the truth, making the situation more complex and surprising for everyone involved.
Just a little while after that, his dumb cousin started doing the same things. It’s not working, and it just seems really silly.
Xia Yang has been super tired lately. He and his dad have been arguing a lot with Huo Lin, but nothing’s changing.
They get that Huo Lin and Huo Peixue can’t do much even if they want to.
They had been to Huo’s before, but couldn’t even get in. However desperate they felt, they knew better than anyone else that they were doomed.
The more it became clear, the less willing he was.
If asked to do it, he wouldn’t be as quick-witted as Zhang Hao. Doing so might lead to a fate similar to Huo Lin and Huo Peixue, condemned by society and facing widespread criticism.
It’s a choice between staying on the sidelines or going for something huge and game-changing.
He was hesitant. For what? Just to see if it was worth it or not.
But losing his property and risking his life was something he wasn’t willing to gamble on.
Xia Yang, after walking around thoughtfully for a moment, he said, “Delete this Weibo.”
The breaking information seemed so obvious that anyone with a little understanding of the Xia family could have guessed the general identity of the person who broke the news.
Not only did it fail to cause much real harm to the other party, but it will cause them a lot. They will be targeted and restrained just because of this news.
Zhang Hao said, “I wouldn’t delete it. What I said is obviously true”
Actually, many people have reposted and screenshotted Zhang Hao’s revelations, and even deleting them won’t help.
Xia Yang found himself consumed with worry, while Xia Chengzhang, who had recently picked up using Weibo, experienced discomfort witnessing Xia Wan being subjected to online. The anger he felt was evident, his hand trembling as he held the phone.
“What’s wrong?” Aunt Zhang who just returned from grocery shopping noticed Xia Chengzhang’s visibly upset expression. Quickly she set down the items in her hands and hurried over.
“I’m fine,” Xia Chengzhang reassured, then after a pause, he added, “Please accompany me to Xia Changlin’s house later.”
“That can’t be done.” Aunt Zhang’s expression changed upon hearing the words. The Xia family has caused trouble here many times recently, almost as if they want to swoop in and devour Xia Chengzhang. Is it worth having him delivered to their doorstep?
“They don’t dare to do anything to me,” Xia Chengzhang said.
“Then we’ll go after dinner,” Aunt Zhang pretended to compromise. “Shall I make two simple dishes first?”
“Alright, but don’t mention this to Wan Wan,” Xia Chengzhang cautioned.
Aunt Zhang fell silent, unsure of what to do for a moment.
However, as she busied herself with setting the food on the table. Xia Chengzhang had a change of heart.
The Xue family made a sudden announcement through Xue Chong’s Weibo, revealing that they had located their youngest son who had been missing for eighteen years. They expressed gratitude and announced plans for a press conference to thank everyone for their concern and support over the years.
The disappearance of the Xue family’s youngest son back then triggered significant turmoil in Beijing.
Having brought up old matters, the news was like a stone that stirred up thousands of waves, quickly attracting people’s attention and curiosity.
With such a big melon falling from the sky without any warning, who would care to pay attention to those nonsense disclosures online?
Thank you for the update! I still can’t believe this story is coming to end 😗
Thank You for the new chapter ♡(ŐωŐ人)
Aaah, the crisp sound of face-slapping 🥰Thank you for the update! I really love this couple.
I can hear it too 😂😂