Chapter 10: Family Dinner
Huo Zhanlin: ?
Digging wild vegetables?
The young man before him had a clean, neat appearance. He wore a white shirt with black suit pants, and it was obvious his hair had been carefully styled. He had bright eyes, white teeth, and when he spoke, he looked people in the eye to show sincerity. Huo Zhanlin had never met An Yi before, but he had heard plenty of rumors about him.
Looking at An Yi, Huo Zhanlin found him completely different from what he had imagined. He had assumed the other party would be someone who could not be brought out in public, but judging from appearances alone, he was not bad at all.
That line about digging wild vegetables was probably meant as a self-introduction. Huo Zhanlin had heard that, for certain reasons, An Yi had been raised in the mountains since childhood. He probably had not received much of a proper education, so it was only normal for him to be lacking in knowledge and skills. If one combined that with his past and treated digging wild vegetables as a skill introduction, then it was not strange at all.
At that moment, the teenager standing beside Huo Zhanlin gave a snort. “How is digging wild vegetables even a strength?”
An Yi: !
Was the Huo family’s internet really this slow?
No. An Shaofeng had once said that smart people could make their stance clear in a single sentence. He had already made his stance clear, and yet the other party still did not understand.
An Yi did not argue back. Instead, he looked at the teenager with a hint of pity in his eyes.
Who would have thought the other party was not a smart person?
Mountain birds and fish do not walk the same road. This was not your fault.
Huo Zhanlin frowned slightly, giving the teenager a disapproving look. “A-Xiao!”
Huo Xiao looked displeased. The sour look he had worn from the start turned even uglier. He simply could not stand someone who had no learning and no upbringing in etiquette, yet because of the birth chart nonsense from some dead fortune-teller, he got to marry Huo Beixing and rise to the heavens in a single leap.
What he despised even more was a man relying on marriage to get by.
From the bottom of his heart, he felt that An Yi marrying Huo Beixing was an insult to Huo Beixing. If not for that damned fortune-teller, the two of them would never have had any intersection in this lifetime.
But since Huo Zhanlin had spoken, Huo Xiao, though unhappy, did not say anything more.
Huo Zhanlin looked steady and composed. “I’m sorry for making you witness that.”
An Yi waved a hand. “It’s fine. As long as I don’t laugh.”
Huo Zhanlin: …
He really was rather considerate.
His thoughts circled back once more to the subject of digging wild vegetables. Huo Zhanlin smiled at An Yi. “Mr. An is truly a man of many talents.”
The little frog shook hands with him. Eldest Brother Huo really knew how to talk. As expected of a smart person, he understood what An Yi meant and did not make things difficult for him like some little dummy.
Although Huo Xiao was cold toward him and did not approve of him, An Yi had no intention of holding it against him. After all, whether the boy approved or not, in two years An Yi would have nothing to do with the Huo family anyway. Besides, his words had not been too excessive. He was just not very bright. He looked like he was probably still in high school, and since they were relatives, An Yi mentally decided to refer to him as Little Dummy from then on.
Still, the goodwill Huo Zhanlin showed him after accepting him left An Yi stunned for a couple of seconds.
That afternoon, when he had spoken to An Shaofeng on the phone, the man had explained the interpersonal situation inside the Huo family. On the surface, the Huo family was divided into three factions: one supported Huo Zhanlin, one supported Huo Beixing, and the last was made up of the unnamed Huo family members who supported only themselves.
Things had ended up like this because back when Huo Zhanlin took over the Huo family, there had been controversy. Huo Zhanlin and Huo Beixing were brothers born of the same father and mother, and they should have gotten along harmoniously, but since they had both been raised as heirs, comparisons between them were inevitable. There had always been a degree of rivalry between them, and over time the two sides gradually came to odds with one another.
When Huo Zhanlin first took over the Huo family, some people had openly objected, saying that Huo Zhanlin was not as capable as Huo Beixing and did not deserve the position. They said he had only managed to take control of the company by taking advantage of the time when Huo Beixing was overseas negotiating a project and currying favor with the board of directors during that gap. Those words had caused no small stir within the Huo family at the time, and if one thought about it carefully, that really did seem to be the case.
For a time, the voices dissatisfied with Huo Zhanlin were very loud.
But naturally, Huo Zhanlin also had followers and supporters who believed that if he could take the position, then he must have had his own strengths. The capable rose to the top. If he had won that seat through his own ability, then it should belong to him.
Both sides clung to their own arguments. On the surface, they remained polite and cordial, greeting each other’s parents with courtesy. In private, they argued bitterly—still courteously greeting each other’s parents.
Some people had even speculated that Huo Beixing’s accident this time had been secretly orchestrated by Huo Zhanlin.
Because in the entire matter of Huo Beixing becoming stupid, the only person who stood to gain was Huo Zhanlin.
And at the time of Huo Beixing’s accident, no one had been present. There was no one else to suspect, so the only possible target of suspicion became Huo Zhanlin.
After all, back when the successor question was being decided, support for Huo Beixing had far exceeded that for Huo Zhanlin. Even after Huo Zhanlin entered the board, doubts about him had never gone away, while Huo Beixing’s supporters had remained numerous. Living under that kind of pressure, it was only natural for certain thoughts to arise. So perhaps he had resorted to some underhanded means and had someone turn Huo Beixing into a fool.
But those were only rumors. None of it had ever been proven.
An Yi was a small figure with little voice. Having come here today, as long as no one provoked him, he intended to keep his presence as low as possible. But if someone made things hard for Huo Beixing, then that would not do either. After all, Huo Beixing was his food-bucket husband and his long-term meal ticket for the next two years.
An Yi: obedient.jpg
When Huo Beixing had been about to get out of the car, he discovered that Summer Sweetheart and Princess Lily’s leashes had become tangled together. As the good father of two adorable little dogs, Huo Beixing immediately halted his path out of the car and stayed inside to untangle the leashes for them. But with his limited practical ability, after struggling for a long time he still could not untie them, so by instinct he called for someone.
“Wife.”
When he got no response from behind him, Huo Beixing poked his head out of the car and looked up, only to see An Yi making friends hand in hand with someone.
Huo Beixing: !
A strange burst of unhappiness shot straight up through his heart!
In TV dramas, only the male and female leads held hands, and clearly he was the male lead here.
After several days of eating and sleeping together, Huo Beixing had subconsciously classified An Yi as part of his own belongings. With his childlike state of mind, Huo Beixing actually did understand sharing under certain circumstances, because people had told him that if he shared with others and they were happy, then he would be happy too.
But now, seeing An Yi holding hands with his own older brother, Huo Beixing instantly felt awful inside, let alone happy.
The other party was trying to shake his position as the male lead!
“Ah!” Huo Beixing let out an unhappy roar.
The sound made An Yi’s heart jump. For a second he thought Huo Beixing must have gotten his hand caught when getting out of the car.
But before he could even turn around, An Yi, who had originally been half a head shorter than Huo Zhanlin, suddenly became half a meter taller than him.
An Yi: ???
And just like that, the little frog had grown taller.
Huo Beixing strode out of the car with his long legs, crossed the distance in a couple of steps, saw that the two were still holding hands, and with one burst of force, picked An Yi straight up into his arms.
At that moment he looked exactly like someone who had discovered his favorite toy had been touched by someone else and was deeply dissatisfied. Not even one touch was acceptable.
Huo Beixing glared at his older brother with open hostility.
Mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine…
Huo Zhanlin: ?
Why are you throwing a dog tantrum?
He did not know why Huo Beixing had suddenly gotten angry, but since the other man now had the mind of a five- to eight-year-old, he did not bother arguing with him.
Besides, his younger brother had been domineering since childhood. The only things he could share were things he did not care about. Once he marked something as his own, no amount of sweet talk or pleading would ever get it away from him.
Huo Zhanlin spoke softly, his tone gentle. “Beixing, put Mr. An down first. You’re going to frighten him like this.”
An Yi said, “It’s okay.”
Huo Zhanlin: ?
An Yi added, “I’m not afraid of heights.”
The air up there was actually pretty fresh.
Huo Zhanlin: …
At that moment, he suddenly understood a little better why the Huo family had designated An Yi as the first-choice candidate for the marriage alliance. In some areas, only this person’s instinctive reactions really matched Huo Beixing’s.
There were a lot of mosquitoes and insects outside in summer, so after exchanging a few casual words, the group headed toward the main house.
An Yi was put back down by Huo Beixing, but after doing so, Huo Beixing cast him a somewhat aggrieved glance. Huo Beixing was very handsome, and if one ignored that clear, foolish look in his eyes, he could be called extremely alluring. Every gesture of his carried force and presence.
An Yi wanted to ask what was wrong with him, but just as he was about to speak, Huo Beixing turned his head away and ignored him.
As they walked, Huo Beixing kept positioning himself between An Yi and Huo Zhanlin. Huo Xiao had originally wanted to go over and say a few words when he saw Huo Beixing appear, but with someone constantly in the way, he never got the chance.
An Yi observed the surroundings. As expected of a prestigious, powerful family, the Huo family’s old residence was grand and magnificent. Quite a few people had come for the family banquet, while servants and household staff of the main branch bustled busily in and out. Watching them, An Yi felt tired on their behalf and found himself breathing an extra sigh for them.
Before they had even reached the entrance hall, An Yi had already been washed over by countless gazes. Along the way there were no fewer than fifty people, if not eighty.
Anyone who did not know better might have thought the little frog had moved into a zoo.
And not just any zoo, but a full 360-degree panoramic enclosure for public viewing.
And Huo Beixing, sensing so many people looking at An Yi, looked even worse than before. His whole face practically screamed, I’m unhappy.
Once they entered the house, An Yi and Huo Beixing stood in the front hall and instantly became the center of attention.
First, because this was Huo Beixing’s first return to the old residence since his accident.
Second, because not only had he returned, he had also brought back the male spouse from his marriage alliance.
The Huo family had no precedent for marrying a male spouse, and the people present all had different levels of acceptance toward it. On top of that, An Yi’s reputation was not especially good, so most people’s expectations for him had not been very high.
But when they actually saw him in person, they still could not help being slightly dazed.
After all, An Yi had only been brought out by An Shaofeng a few times before—once a year ago, and once half a month ago at the engagement banquet.
At that engagement banquet, none of the Huo family’s core members had attended. Only the unlucky Huo Zhanfeng had lost at drawing lots and been forced to go at the last minute. Even the words he spoke there had been improvised on the spot. He had probably never expected he would be the one going, but if not a single important family member showed up, it would have been too hard to save face.
And the only way most people had known about An Yi before this was through the photos from the charity banquet An Shaofeng had attended with him a year ago.
Huo Beixing was the grandson Old Master Huo doted on most, and at the same time the one who had always been the biggest troublemaker. The Huo family naturally paid a great deal of attention to him. So when he was going to marry a male spouse, people had of course secretly looked up information about An Yi.
And when they saw the photos, they had all sucked in a sharp breath.
What the hell, was that black charcoal?
No one would get that dark even after standing under the sun for a whole year, would they?!
Or had the mountain he lived on actually been a mining mountain, and he had gone there to dig coal???
There had always been plenty of romantic scandals around Huo Beixing. The men and women around him were all top-tier in looks and style, and any one of them would have been pleasing to the eye if brought out in public. Who would have thought that when it came time for him to marry, he would end up with someone not so satisfactory?
If one went by fate, maybe it counted as karmic retribution.
But the young man standing beside Huo Beixing now looked completely different from the black-charcoal person in the old photos. His face was so fair it practically glowed. Anyone who did not know better might have thought he had washed himself in bleach.
Whispers began to rise around them.
“Did the An family swap him out? Why does he look so different from the one in the photos?”
“They wouldn’t dare, would they?”
“Doesn’t the An family also have an An Yuan? Could it be An Yuan married over here in An Yi’s place?”
“Isn’t that one studying abroad?”
“The An family didn’t swap anyone. It’s him. If you don’t believe it, look at his teeth.”
Everyone’s gaze immediately focused on An Yi’s face.
An Yi suddenly felt a chilly breeze across his little white teeth. The grin he had been showing instantly snapped shut.
An Yi: confused frog.jpg
At the moment, there were people everywhere around them. Although Huo Beixing was foolish now, he still knew these people were his relatives, so he lowered his head and whispered by An Yi’s ear.
“Wife, what should I call them all?”
He looked exactly like a child at Lunar New Year who had no idea what rank all the relatives were.
An Yi: 🙂
You don’t know, and somehow I’m supposed to know?
But there was one solution.
Just as An Yi was about to answer, Huo Beixing bent down to let him speak into his ear more easily.
An Yi said, “Just call them all elders.”
Huo Beixing: I see. That makes so much sense.
This entire scene happened to fall right into the eyes of the Huo family members who were sizing them up. Standing to the side, Huo Zhanlin had not expected Huo Beixing to actually like An Yi quite a bit.
Ever since childhood, Huo Beixing had always been the type to go by pure feeling. If he did not like someone at first glance, then no matter how hard they tried later, he would never like them in this lifetime. He had always lived freely and casually, never letting anyone restrain him.
But looking at the scene before him, it seemed the two of them were getting along quite well.
Little did he know the two of them fought every single day.
This same scene also happened to be witnessed by Zhu Shu, who had come looking for her two sons. She walked around to the side and only then noticed a fair, clean-looking boy standing beside Huo Beixing.
“You’re An Yi, aren’t you?”
An Yi turned his head and saw a woman adorned with pearls, smiling beautifully. She was dressed exquisitely and maintained herself so well that it was impossible to guess her true age.
An Yi nodded. “Hello. May I ask who you are?”
Zhu Shu replied, “I’m Zhanlin and Beixing’s mother.”
An Yi was startled and instantly grew a little nervous. He was still somewhat at a loss when facing elders.
The moment Huo Beixing spotted his mother, a bright smile appeared on his face. He had been about to go over and talk to her, but was immediately stopped in his tracks by a group of children.
Before Huo Beixing became stupid, there had never been much fun in returning to the main house. Most of the time, he spent those visits teasing and playing with the kids, which was why every time some relatives’ children saw him, their eyes would light up.
An Yi followed Zhu Shu over to sit on the sofa. Huo Zhanlin came over too and sat down beside An Yi, though he kept a bit of distance.
Zhu Shu could not help looking An Yi up and down as she smiled. “So, how have things been lately? Are you getting used to living with Beixing?”
An Yi replied, “I’m pretty used to it.”
An Yi adapted easily. He could live anywhere.
“That’s good, then.”
Looking at An Yi’s obedient appearance, Zhu Shu said, “You’re very different from the rumors.”
An Yi blinked. “Different?”
“Yes.”
Curious, An Yi asked, “Then what kind of person am I in the rumors?”
Zhu Shu answered, “A wild man.”
An Yi: …
Who exactly was out there spreading lies about him?!
“What kinds of things do you usually like to do?”
An Yi answered, “I like digging wild vegetables.”
“Oh my, that’s very nutritious.” Zhu Shu found An Yi easy on the eyes and wanted to get closer to him. “Are you a horticulturist?”
An Yi said, “I’m a designer.”
Zhu Shu: …
Wasn’t that career jump a little too wide?
Meanwhile, on the other side, Huo Beixing had just fought his way out of the crowd of children when he saw Huo Zhanlin sitting beside An Yi.
At first, he had been listening very nicely as his mother and An Yi chatted. But all of a sudden, Huo Zhanlin felt something squeeze in at his side. He turned to see Huo Beixing, who was nearly six-foot-three, forcefully wedging himself between him and An Yi. After sitting down, Huo Beixing even shoved him a little.
Huo Zhanlin: I really do punch idiots, you know.
Seeing Huo Beixing come sit down, Zhu Shu smiled and said to An Yi, “Don’t believe the outside rumors about them not getting along. Actually, Beixing and Zhanlin have a very good relationship.”
After hearing that, An Yi turned to look at the brothers.
Just in time to see Huo Beixing shove Huo Zhanlin straight off the sofa with one butt.
An Yi: …
Author’s Note:
Huo Beixing: The Only Male Lead
