The flying tray collided with the wooden staircase railing, and shattered into a fragrant mess on the floor.
The waiter fell backwards after getting punched. Amidst the chaos and guided by the belief that “Even in death, you have to find a scapegoat”, he grabbed hold of Mr. Zhang’s belt.
Everyone watched in astonishment as Mr. Zhang’s face froze in shock, emitting a startled cry and flailing his arms wildly in the air before tumbling out of the room. As they rolled on the floor of the lobby, he continued wrestling with the waiter before finally stopping on the steps.
The man who was walking downstairs had his path obstructed by this “artificial roadblock” and came to a halt.
The audience in the lobby fell into stunned silence.
The hush lasted for three seconds before the people in the private room reacted. They rushed over to help the dazed Mr. Zhang, dusting him off and inquiring, “Are you okay? Where did you get hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Standing on the stairs, Huo Mingjun cast a glance at the commotion from a higher vantage point. His gaze slightly shifted to focus on the young man who just emerged from the private room.
Most of his face was concealed in the dim shadows, making it difficult to judge his face, but his posture was straight like a flagpole, with narrow shoulders and a slender waist. He walked out gracefully while casually rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. Standing a few steps away from the crowd, the young man bowed his head politely and asked with genuine concern, “Are you okay, sir?”
Seeing this man in such a poised manner infuriated the disheveled Mr. Zhang. He almost had a stroke due to anger and roared as he broke free from the others to charge at the young man.
Xie Guan nonchalantly flexed his wrist and said, “Asking for more?”
Mr. Zhang’s steps hesitated.
At that moment, the silent Wang Zhe suddenly rushed forward and grabbed Xie Guan. Without saying a word, he swung his arm to deliver a resounding slap in one swift motion.
Xie Guan’s full attention was on Mr. Zhang, leaving him unguarded against the sneak attack. As a result, he bore the brunt of the force, with Wang Zhe’s fingertips grazing his face and leaving a red mark like a whip.
Seizing this opportunity to assert control, Mr. Zhang threw a punch at Xie Guan’s stomach.
A swift, excruciating pain erupted from the area and Xie Guan gasped in agony. Mr. Zhang was not satisfied and attempted to follow up with another kick. Clutching his stomach, the other instinctively moved towards the exit and he navigated through the dimly lit private room door into the bright lobby.
In an instant, an indescribable shock overwhelmed his heart. Huo Mingjun stared fixedly at Xie Guan with the air in his lungs sucked away. Despite the stifling silence that gripped the room, he could somehow hear the sound of pouring rain, like a distant hallucination.
Sensing an old wound, he stood in a daze for a moment. Then, he covered his mouth and began to cough violently.
Huo Zhikuan, his younger brother who had been accompanying him, was taken aback and rushed over to support him. “Brother, what happened? Are you choking? Is it serious?”
Among the siblings, Huo Zhikuan was relatively close to him, yet he only dared to hold the other’s arm weakly without getting closer. Two bodyguards appeared behind them at some point and handed over warm water and a handkerchief while maintaining their distance. After coughing for a long time, Huo Mingjun finally caught his breath. He regained his composure and noticed the commotion he caused. Downstairs, the brawl stopped, and everyone was staring in their direction.
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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Seeing that the other was trying to escape, Huo Mingjun sternly ordered, “Stay put!”
Having just stopped coughing, his voice was hoarse, making this low reprimand sound even more intimidating. Xie Guan obediently stopped in his tracks.
Mr. Zhang’s group exchanged glances, while an alarmed Ms. Nie, who was silently observing, quietly asked the producer, “Is that… Mr. Huo?”
The producer was utterly confused and asked, “Mr. Huo? What are you talking about?” After asking, he promptly realized and took a sharp breath. “How… How could it be him? How does he know that kid?!”
Everyone stared in disbelief as Huo Mingjun decisively walked over. He reached out and held Xie Guan’s chin, forcefully turning his face to look at him, and whispered in a low voice, “Why are you running? Do you know me?”
His grip was extremely strong, and Xie Guan felt like his jawbone might shatter in his hand. He recognized the man as the one he encountered last month at Cuiping Mountain, but driven by his survival instinct, he shook his head and mumbled, “No… I don’t know you.”
The distance between the two of them was very close, with only a few centimeters between their faces, enough for Huo Mingjun to see some subtle details beyond their striking resemblance.
He relaxed his grip slightly, “What’s your name?”
Xie Guan’s thoughts raced like lightning, unable to comprehend how this man spotted him and what he intended to do. He caught sight of the onlookers from the corner of his eye and realized that he couldn’t rely on telling lies to get out of this situation. With so many people who knew the truth, it wouldn’t take much for someone to extract the real story.
A surge of pain pulsed through his face as the man seemed to see through his uncertainty. “Tell the truth.”
“Xie Guan.”
“Your real name?”
“Yes.”
“Date of birth.”
Xie Guan hesitated for a moment. His ID card stated a different birthdate, as he lied about his age by two years when he joined the company. He typically used his actual birthdate, but in this situation, he chose the date on his ID card. “1992.”
Huo Mingjun’s heart suddenly sank.
The age didn’t match… No, he knew that the person in front of him couldn’t possibly match.
The restraint on his chin quickly loosened, and the man’s fingertips fell upon the depths of his eyes, almost with a hint of gentleness, gently caressing them.
The skin on his face was incredibly sensitive, and this touch felt like an electric shock, causing his facial nerves to tingle all the way down to his tailbone. Xie Guan’s reflex arc was shorter than others and acted without warning. Without hesitation, he flung Huo Mingjun’s hand away.
It was a crisp sound, like a slap.
Huo Zhikaun and the producer, both privy to the situation, nearly suffered heart attacks. The former stared in shock and pinched the thigh of a nearby waiter. “Did I see correctly? Did that little brat just… hit my brother?”
The waiter, holding his thigh in pain, nodded tearfully.
Xie Guan never realized that a slap could be delivered with such a chilling impact. He was already quite apprehensive of Huo Mingjun, and now he could easily anticipate his own impending fate.
Huo Mingjun asked, “Have you had plastic surgery?”
“Huh?”
Xie Guan suspected that he was hallucinating due to fear.
He was avoiding direct eye contact with Huo Mingjun, but now he lifted his head in surprise and happened to meet his gaze. The man’s eyes were deep and profound, and the line from his forehead to his nose was smooth and well-defined, with a shallow furrow forming between his eyebrows. With such a resolute and handsome visage, as long as he didn’t smile, he exuded an aura of authority at all times. However, when it came to facial features alone, this man was so good-looking that Xie Guan felt inferior. If it were a young girl being stared at so intently by him, she might just faint from his overwhelming handsomeness.
Unfortunately, Xie Guan was a rugged old man.
“No, I haven’t had surgery,” Xie Guan said, glancing at him skeptically, then asked bluntly, “Are you sure you haven’t mistaken me for someone else?”
There was a subtle momentary stiffening of Huo Mingjun’s expression, only noticeable due to his proximity. Although he didn’t make any extra movements or expressions, Xie Guan could sense a hint of disappointment. Since he had already encountered this man once before, the emotional distance wasn’t as strong. Thus, Xie Guan decided to create an opening and smiled, “You must have been mistaken.”
Xie Guan had enough distinctive features to be signed by Starlight Films; ones that weren’t easily forgettable. He tilted his head, and immediately, Huo Mingjun recalled the man he encountered back in May on the streets of Cuiping, the one who could catch airplanes barehanded. The strange feeling that briefly crossed his mind at the time finally had an explanation—he was just too familiar with this face.
“So, it’s you,” Huo Mingjun said, allowing Xie Guan to step back, and added with a tone that sounded like he had found a long-lost archenemy, “I finally found you.”
Xie Guan’s shin began to ache faintly again.
“In May of this year, in Cuiping Mountain, do you remember?”
“Oh,” Xie Guan pretended to have a sudden realization in his heart while inwardly screaming at Huo Mingjun to leave already. On the surface, he forced a surprised expression and said, “Oh… hi?”
This difficult man finally seemed satisfied with this response. He turned and beckoned to Huo Zhikuan. The owner of the Blue Horizon Club quickly approached, well-trained in his subservient role, and asked, “Brother, what are your orders?”
Huo Mingjun, who had briefly displayed his emotions in front of Xie Guan, now reverted to an icy demeanor that kept others at bay. He glanced at Huo Zhikuan and gave a curt command, “Handle the situation here. Don’t trouble him for now.”
Huo Zhikuan nodded in agreement.
Huo Mingjun spoke at a normal volume, and the people standing nearby could hear him clearly. When he referred to “him,” it was obvious who he meant. Although these people had questionable character, they still had some discernment. The smarter ones already deduced Huo Mingjun’s identity from Huo Zhikuan’s use of “Brother.”
Even the slower ones knew that the Blue Horizon Club had three stories, and the higher the floor, the more upscale the private rooms were. Anyone coming down from the upper floor was likely not someone to mess with. At this moment, all of them couldn’t help but cast their gazes towards Xie Guan, silently speculating about this young man’s background and connections.
After Huo Mingjun’s instructions, he left with his bodyguards in the elevator. From start to finish, he didn’t spare Xie Guan another glance.
Once Huo Mingjun left, Huo Zhikuan leisurely approached Mr. Zhang, wearing an insincere expression. “A fight occurred in the private room, and we won’t get involved in your personal matters. However, for the damaged property, compensation according to its value is required. Also, one of our staff members was injured, so who will cover the medical expenses and lost wages?”
No one responded.
“Whoever used violence should compensate. If you don’t acknowledge it, we’ll have to review the surveillance footage,” Huo Zhikuan said, with a warm and sincere smile. “You are all people with influence and status, and I assume you wouldn’t want to see your names in the headlines tomorrow, right? Mr. Zhang from Excellent Union Media, Mr. Li from Multibrand Film and Television…”
“Boss Huo… Boss Huo!” the producer quickly interjected. “Calm down, calm down. It was our recklessness, and I’ll take responsibility for this. Don’t let such a minor incident damage our relationship.”
Huo Zhikuan’s expression slightly improved at this point. He instructed the waiter to tally up the damaged items, and he accompanied the producer to settle the bill.
After the incident, no one was in the mood for drinking anymore. They couldn’t save face after what happened, and one by one, they excused themselves and left. Today, Xie Guan thoroughly offended Mr. Zhang, and it would be difficult to explain to the company. Wang Zhe’s expression was dark, and Xie Guan knew that he was about to face his fury. However, before that, there were two girls he couldn’t ignore.
Xie Guan helped Sun Xiao escort Yin Lisha to the hospital for an examination. The girl held Xie Guan’s hand, crying and incoherently thanking him while Xie Guan comforted her for a long time. After finally sending them away, he stood on the street, trying to catch his breath when someone suddenly called his name from behind, “Xiao Xie.”
A white BMW stopped on the roadside, and the window rolled down slowly, revealing Ms. Nie sitting in the back seat. She gazed at Xie Guan with a complication expression for a moment before sighing softly, “You’re very brave.”
This was the first time someone praised Xie Guan tonight, and he looked up in surprise.
“As a woman, your courage to intervene in that situation is admirable,” she continued, “but as an investor, I don’t believe what you did was right. No company would dare to employ an artist who physically assaulted an investor at a social gathering. This could ruin your future.”
Xie Guan’s attitude became serious, and he nodded. “I understand.”
“But Xiao Xie,” she said with a hint of warmth, “before being an artist, you’re a man. You couldn’t stand by when you saw someone in trouble. However, I can’t help you with what comes next. If you can find a way to communicate with that person, there might still be a chance.”
Xie Guan asked, “Who?”
Nie’s gaze shifted beyond the car window, toward the brightly lit Blue Horizon Club behind him. “Have you heard of Hengrui Group? The person who asked for your name earlier is the current head of the Huo family, Mr. Huo Mingjun. The owner of the Blue Horizon Club, Huo Zhikuan, is his younger brother. If you want to continue in this industry, you’ll need a bigger backer than Mr. Zhang.”
QwQ So thrilling! Electrifying! Thank you for the hard work, both to the writer (who’ll most likely never see this comment) and to the translator!
Translator! Thank you so much for the hard work!!!
So the accident from the synopsis seems to cause xie guan to lose his memories? And he even caught the airplane for huo mingjun afterwards, what a pair of soulmates! XD