As expected the next day, Huo Mingjun gave Fang Hui a day off and asked her to accompany Xie Guan around the area. Despite complaining about how difficult it was to be the assistant of the big boss, she joyfully swiped his credit card non-stop. Xie Guan didn’t have strong feelings about the city, so he let Fang Hui plan the route and just followed along like a good companion.
Fang Hui had been to Hong Kong Island many times with Huo Mingjun, so she was very familiar with the place. She explained the local customs and culture to Xie Guan while suddenly coming up with an idea, “I think I should get a tour guide license. This way, if I ever get fired by the boss, I can still work as a tour guide.”
“That’s a good choice,” Xie Guan said, moving her to the inside of the sidewalk. He then added with a smile, “You can change your lifestyle and explore the scenery while getting exercise. Most importantly, tour guides don’t need to buy tickets for tourist attractions, which saves money.”
Fang Hui laughed and replied, “Well, that’s not the main point. We’re not short of money.”
Xie Guan also smiled, his eyes curving at the corners as if he had captured the sun within the narrow space between them. He appeared incredibly bright and gentle. Fang Hui was caught off guard and met his smiling gaze, covering her chest in surprise.
God knows that for people like them who lived under air conditioning for so long, the sudden appearance of such a gentle, approachable and handsome guy in the cold world is no different than a ray of light in the dark night or a handful of charcoal in the snow. A group of People's Liberation Army soldiers in the occupied area suddenly felt that the world was full of love, peace and hope.
Sometimes, Fang Hui found it strange; she read some information about Xie Guan and knew that he was born into an ordinary peasant family with poorly educated parents. Despite being in the entertainment industry for seven or eight years now, he never stood out. After finally getting a rare opportunity, he offended a wealthy benefactor while trying to protect a female colleague and was forced to make adult films as a last resort. How could a background like that nurture such a well-mannered and patient personality?
“Speaking of which, my documents were stolen, so it might be a bit troublesome to go back. Do I need to inform Mr. Huo in advance?” Xie Guan frowned.
“Ah?” Fang Hui snapped back to reality and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, private jet procedures aren’t that complicated. Besides, Mr. Huo has already informed the police, so once the case is solved, your documents will definitely be recovered.”
Xie Guan felt slightly surprised.
Huo Mingjun never mentioned these matters. In front of Xie Guan, he preferred playing the role of a “villain” who brought up old grudges. Having grown accustomed to hardships, Xie Guan became suspicious when others treated him well, and Huo Mingjun’s nonchalant attitude alleviated his worries. Xie Guan learned how to endure malice but was clumsy when dealing with kindness. Suddenly faced with this indirect consideration, he didn’t know how to feel for a moment.
He remained silent for a while before speaking sparingly of his true thoughts, “Mr. Huo… he’s actually a very good person.”
Fang Hui silently accepted the “good person card” on behalf of her boss.
That evening when Xie Guan returned to his room, he coincidentally met Huo Mingjun’s other assistant, Lu Ming, in the elevator.
He saw Lu Ming once when he came to pick up Huo Mingjun, and they were not acquainted. Xie Guan nodded in greeting, but Lu Ming took the initiative to speak, “Mr. Xie, the police in Shenshui District arrested a gang of habitual thieves this afternoon. They found your documents in their hideout, and Mr. Huo asked me to bring them to you.”
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.
Lf tjcvfv bnfg j agjcrqjgfca yju, jcv Wlf Xejc rjk tlr kjiifa jcv rfnfgji vbmewfcar lcrlvf.
“Ktjcx sbe,” tf vlvc’a rtbk wemt regqglrf jcv bcis jrxfv, “Ljr Zg. Leb gfaegcfv?”
Oe Zlcu gfqilfv, “Lf’r lc tlr gbbw.”
Leb Zlcupec abbx atf bqqbgaeclas ab fzfgmlrf obg jc tbeg, jcv ktfc Wlf Xejc fcafgfv, tf pera olclrtfv rtbkfglcu. Llr yjatgbyf tecu ibbrfis bc tlr ogjwf, gfnfjilcu j qjamt bo qjif rxlc atja tjvc’a yffc fzqbrfv ab atf rec. Wlf Xejc uijcmfv ja atflg gfrqfmalnf ybvs rlhfr jcv gfjilhfv atja fnfc atbeut Leb Zlcupec kjr ajiifg, tf kjrc’a rluclolmjcais wbgf wermeijg.
Xie Guan lost seven or eight pounds during this period of turmoil, while Huo Mingjun maintained a similar physique despite living a life of luxury. Coupled with his relentless cough, he inexplicably felt a wave of panic.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been staring at me since you came in,” Huo Mingjun walked over to check his expression, “Did something happen? Were you bullied…”
Suddenly, Xie Guan grabbed his wrist.
He couldn’t take a pulse; relying on feeling the subtle beats beneath the skin with his fingers. He counted the pulses for a while, almost like he was bewitched. Not only did Xie Guan fail to calm down, but his breathing also became increasingly erratic. Anxiously, he bent down to listen to Huo Mingjun’s heartbeat.
Above his head, Huo Mingjun noticed his actions, and his expression changed dramatically.
“Xie Guan,” Huo Mingjun grabbed his shoulder with the hand that wasn’t held down, forcefully pulling him away from his chest without hesitation. “Calm down, look at me, what are you doing?”
Xie Guan raised his head, his gaze unfocused and scattered. It took him a long time to break free from the hollow and frenzied fear. By the time he finally regained consciousness, he was drenched in cold sweat with a splitting headache. His legs weakened and he almost collapsed to the floor—it was only thanks to Huo Mingjun’s quick reflexes that he avoided this embarrassing fall to the ground.
“Sorry, I might have felt a bit dizzy,” Xie Guan was half-dragged and half-carried by Huo Mingjun to the sofa. He realized he was still holding onto the other’s wrist and quickly let go. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Damn, how did you bruise like this?!”
There was a clear bruise on Huo Mingjun’s wrist, startling the other. Xie Guan stood up to find some medicine for him, but he raised his hand to stop him. Huo Mingjun casually moved his hand, pulling down his sleeve to cover the mark. “It’s nothing, it’ll be fine in a couple of days. But what about you? What happened just now?”
Xie Guan’s gaze remained on his wrist: “I might have zoned out for a moment and felt a bit dizzy, it’s nothing.” He frowned while trying to suppress the headache. “I’m sorry for causing trouble again.”
However, Huo Mingjun didn’t pay much attention to his self-condemnation. “I told you it’s okay. But are you sure we haven’t met before?”
Puzzled, the other replied with a perfunctory “hmm”: “I’m from S Province, and after I came to B City, I was busy with various performances. I didn’t have the chance to run into you.”
Huo Mingjun furrowed his brow and, after a long while, finally said, “It’s nothing. You should go back to your room and rest.”
“I’m sorry,” Xie Guan remained seated on the sofa, adding, “Thank you.”
Huo Mingjun was about to leave but hesitated upon hearing those words.
Xie Guan reminded him, “My documents.”
Huo Mingjun left without a word.
The plane landed at B City Airport, and a car designated to pick them up was parked outside. Xie Guan declined Huo Mingjun’s offer to drive him back, and he carried his luggage alone as he walked toward another gate.
After that night, the atmosphere between the two of them became somewhat strange. Huo Mingjun’s attitude became colder, but he didn’t show any intention of pushing Xie Guan away. On the contrary, he seemed to treat Xie Guan more cautiously. Even Fang Hui didn’t dare to approach him for a chat.
Huo Mingjun wouldn’t reveal what he was thinking, and Xie Guan didn’t want to speculate on his thoughts. So, instead of trying to build a friendship, they returned to their previous distance. Xie Guan remembered Huo Mingjun’s kindness but didn’t attempt to establish a deeper bond.
Xie Guan took a taxi to the outside of the residential complex where he used to live and knocked on the door of his previous rented apartment, but there was no response.
He found the contact number left by the landlord online, and dialed it. Explaining his identity, he asked if he could renew the lease. The location of this place was average, and the landlord was happy to rent it to someone familiar. They agreed to meet the next day to get the keys, solving the immediate housing problem.
He then went to the bank to change his password and found that the balance in his current account was completely withdrawn. Fortunately, he converted most of his savings into fixed deposits before leaving, so that money was still safely tucked away in the bank.
Xie Guan withdrew ten thousand yuan and found a nearby small hotel to stay temporarily. Fearing he wouldn’t be able to sleep well later on, he decided not to think about anything and just get some rest.
Meanwhile, Huo Mingjun had a less relaxing time. He rested in his office for half an hour before immediately convening a meeting with the senior management to plan the next steps.
By the time the meeting ended, it was completely dark outside.
Assistant Zhong Huguang organized the meeting materials and sent them back to the office. He asked Huo Mingjun, “Are you leaving work now? If you need to continue, I can have Fang Hui order you dinner.”
He loosened his tie absentmindedly and felt both physically and mentally exhausted. “No, I’m going back.”
Zhong Huguang replied, “Alright, I’ll go downstairs and bring the car around.”
During the evening rush hour in B City, they encountered traffic congestion, and the Rolls-Royce was stuck in the gridlock. Zhong Huguang glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing Huo Mingjun in the back seat with his eyes closed, a faint vertical crease between his brows, and a slight downturn at the corners of his mouth. He appeared to be in a less than pleasant mood.
Huo Mingjun had three assistants in total. Fang Hui was clever and resourceful, Lu Ming was efficient and proud, while Zhong Huguang possessed meticulousness and decisiveness, making him Huo Mingjun’s most trusted confidant. Zhong Huguang had been by Huo Mingjun’s side since he took over the conglomerate, from serving tea to now handling matters independently. In terms of understanding Huo Mingjun, no one could match him.
For instance, now, it was likely that their boss encountered some troublesome matters.
Zhong Huguang quickly ran through everything that happened in the past few days in his mind. The boss was fine before leaving, and the conglomerate was running smoothly. The only potential issue was during the boss’s absence in Hong Kong. During the meeting to discuss the acquisition, Longfeng Group expressed a positive intention. So, it could only be something related to the boss’s personal matters.
He recalled Fang Hui and Lu Ming eagerly sharing information about their time in Hong Kong, and also remembered the person Huo Mingjun asked him to investigate a month ago. He probably had some idea about what was going on.
Huo Mingjun suddenly opened his eyes in the back seat and asked directly, “What do you think we should do with Xie Guan?”
Zhong Huguang pondered his response while keeping an eye on the traffic. “If you still have doubts… perhaps we can keep him somewhere accessible and observe him for a while. Whether he is involved or not, he’ll eventually reveal some clues. We can make a decision then.”
Huo Mingjun seemed to have taken his words to heart. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Our conglomerate has no connection to the entertainment industry. Where can we place him?”
Zhong Huguang inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
The conversation shifted back to their professional domain, which was undoubtedly easier than speculating about someone’s intentions.
tl note: hi! i’m so sorry, but i forgot to schedule wed’s chapters & just realized now ^^; i’ll post today’s chapters tom
Thank you for the update!
Hmm why was xie guan suddenly so anxious?? This is getting more and more interesting and mysterious at the same time 🤔
Hmm I’m guessing memory alteration of some kind although I’m not sure why Huo Mingjun can’t outright ask him, unless they were in danger before which caused the accident to happen deliberately 🤔 That would explain why Xie Guan has been in the industry for so long as talented as he is with no progress