Chapter 3: The Huo Family
“Wherever President Huo is, there are us little yellow people!”
“Who exactly came up with that nickname for President Huo? Come out here and let me see who’s this accurate!”
“President Huo lives to be a pervert.”
“I don’t know why, but even when President Huo is fully covered up, I still think he gives off a very sexy vibe.”
“Don’t worry. All little yellow people are like that.”
Seeing the nickname, and how deeply the image of a playboy had taken root in people’s minds, An Yi formed a rough impression of Huo Beixing.
To put it in village terms:
A man with no self-respect.
The information online also said that Huo Beixing had been born into an exceptionally privileged family, with a wonderful atmosphere at home, harmonious family relations, and siblings who loved one another dearly.
An Yi’s brows twisted into caterpillars.
Everything seemed perfectly normal. Logically speaking, the man should have grown up healthy.
So why was he taking four all by himself? And why were people saying he played in such a perverted way?
There was no shortage of online obsession with Huo Beixing. In fact, he had even more discussion around him than some popular young celebrities.
Could it be that this kind of thing was actually normal, and that he was just narrow-minded from living at the bottom of a well, having seen too little of the world?
But An Yi quickly dismissed the idea.
Madam Chen Lin had said it before: better to frame someone else than blame yourself.
So it definitely was not his problem.
Unless…
An Yi suddenly understood!
Could this be the legendary case of a devoted lover coming from a playboy, a genius coming from a fool, and a pervert coming from a normal person?!
An Yi patted his little chest.
Thank goodness the pervert wasn’t him.
But on second thought, that did not make things much better, because Huo Beixing was the pervert—and the one marrying Huo Beixing was him.
An Yi: So happy. 🙂
But since he had already agreed, there was no road left for regret. Besides, the An family would also benefit from the marriage alliance and be able to turn around their current crisis. Two years at most. He would just treat it as experiencing something new, An Yi comforted himself.
Besides, brave little frogs never look back.
Because frogs do not have necks.
These past two days, An Yi had started packing his things. This apartment had been bought for him by the An family. It was more than four hundred square meters, and when he had first moved in, he felt like even his voice echoed.
He carefully packed away his measuring tape and his half-finished design drafts like treasured possessions. Then he opened his suitcase and—smack! smack! smack!—packed in several issues of men’s fashion and macho magazines he had lovingly collected.
That’s right. They were full of muscular men without shirts on. Some of them even did not have pants on.
An Yi declared: A macho man likes looking at this kind of stuff!
This is what macho men are supposed to look at!
Usually, An Yi looked at these for design inspiration. Ever since he was little, he had liked keeping himself clean and tidy.
The people in his village did not care much about appearance or personal hygiene, but An Yi was different. He was not like the others who were dusty and grimy every day. Even when he went out to work in the fields, he always washed his face clean, and his hair never looked full of dirt.
An Yi: That’s what being handsome is all about.
Whether he was going out to school or down to the fields to do farm work, no matter how hard or tiring it was, his clothes were never that dirty. Even an old sleeveless undershirt would be washed snow-white, and he always looked fresh and neat. Even when he went down to the river to catch fish and got splashed with mud, he still somehow did not look dirty, just clean and refreshing.
Though he spent every day under the wind and sun and was a little dark, his features were actually handsome.
Known far and wide as the number one handsome guy in the village!
From time to time, he would also help the girls in the village braid flower bracelets, and when he walked several kilometers to the market, he would help them bring back clothes in new and interesting styles. Whatever color, whatever design—most of the girls would let An Yi pick for them, and whatever he chose always turned out to suit them perfectly.
An Yi never got tired of it and had never once refused. He thought girls ought to dress a little prettier, use prettier things, and let all the beautiful parts of life show.
The girls in the village all called him Brother An Yi, Brother An Yi. Whether they were walking the mountain roads to school or doing farm work at home, they would always talk a little about him.
How was Brother An Yi doing today? What was Brother An Yi going to do tomorrow?
To the point that the young men in the village all disliked An Yi.
Young men: bleep—bleep bleep——bleep———
An Yi had always liked designing clothes for people. After he was brought back to the An family, Chen Lin learned about it and showed complete support, telling him to go for it boldly.
That kind of warm, certain encouragement felt like the sun goddess herself had cast her light upon him. The dried-up well the sunlight had never been able to reach was suddenly filled with brilliance, and the little frog at the bottom of the well had wings strapped to its back so it could finally soar.
An Yi: I can do it! I can make it!
But before he could even take off, his wings were snapped.
An Yi ran into trouble right from the start. He wanted to design women’s clothing, but his horizons were too limited from growing up in the village. He had not seen much of the world; his vision was narrow.
The female model had only been wearing fairly normal, close-fitting garments so he could take measurements, nothing particularly bold, but An Yi was so flustered he did not even know where to look. His face turned bright red like a giant tomato, embarrassed to the core.
When Chen Lin saw him, she thought An Yi had choked on something while eating. Terrified, she scooped up her son on the spot and began performing the Heimlich maneuver.
Chen Lin screamed in a shrill voice, “An Yi! An Yi!!!”
An Yi struggled to make a sound. “Squeak…”
Who would have thought that although Chen Lin looked gentle and slender, her grip strength was terrifyingly strong?
An Yi had almost died right there.
At the same time, he also felt the greatness of motherly love.
It was not that he thought the female model was dressed too revealingly. That was perfectly normal. It was work.
It was just… just that he was shy.
After that, he changed course and started designing menswear instead. Whenever he had no inspiration, he would buy a lot of popular best-selling magazines.
Some treasured or limited editions could not be bought, and An Yi would feel genuinely disappointed.
After packing everything up, An Yi returned to the An family home early on the morning of the third day. First, he wanted to see Chen Lin. Second, the An family driver was going to take him to the Huo family.
Actually, he also wanted to see An Shaofeng on the side, but compared to fatherly affection, his feelings for Chen Lin ran deeper. An Shaofeng always gave him the feeling of being some bargain-bin father picked up off the street.
There were feelings between father and son, yes, but on both sides they were somewhat flimsy.
Knowing that An Yi was going to the Huo family today, Chen Lin kept going to the front gate of the villa after breakfast, checking every so often to see whether he had come back yet. She had plenty of things she wanted to give him.
An Shaofeng took a sip of tea. “He’ll be here in a minute.”
Chen Lin was so angry she raised her hand and smacked him. An Shaofeng nearly sprayed out his tea.
“You…”
Then, seeing her look aggrieved, An Shaofeng took a deep breath. “Could you hit a little lighter?”
Chen Lin acted like she could not hear him and raised her hand again to smack his arm. “Isn’t it all because of you? It’s you, you, you! An Yi is still so young. Getting married is bad enough, but you’re making him marry into someone else’s family. If he gets divorced in the future, what’s he supposed to do? What respectable girl would want him then?”
An Shaofeng tried to soothe her, his tone helpless. “Alright… alright, wasn’t it because we had no other choice? Two years. He’ll be back in two years. Anyone hearing you would think our An Yi was a daughter.”
Chen Lin snapped, “What do you know? These days, chastity is the best dowry a boy can have!”
An Shaofeng: …
Chen Lin looked on the verge of collapse, stamping her foot in anger. “And you’re marrying him off to some playboy like that! That Huo Er is a famous womanizer—where is the dowry in that?!”
An Shaofeng said, “But the Huo family gave a bride price.”
Chen Lin: …
In other words, that bride price had secured their family a lifetime of wealth and luxury.
What was this, some kind of ultimate one-for-one trade?
Chen Lin said, “I’m still angry!”
An Shaofeng changed the subject. “What do you think An Yi will wear to the Huo family? Formal dress or a suit?”
Chen Lin gave him a look and answered confidently, “Of course a suit.”
But An Shaofeng held a different opinion. “I think formal dress. Since it counts as making a formal visit.”
Chen Lin said, “A suit is more composed.”
An Shaofeng said, “Formal dress shows more respect.”
Chen Lin snapped, “I gave birth to him. Wouldn’t I know him best?!”
An Shaofeng shot back, “As if I had nothing to do with that. Didn’t I participate too? I know him as well!”
At that moment, a taxi stopped in front of the An family gate, and An Yi jumped into view wearing his oversized T-shirt and baggy shorts.
Chen Lin: …
An Shaofeng: …
Wonderful. Turns out neither of them understood him at all.
Looking at An Yi’s simple and unadorned outfit, An Shaofeng silently comforted himself.
Purest goodness. Purest goodness.
As the taxi drove away, the An family driver had already parked at the front gate.
Chen Lin hurriedly had people bring out the things she had prepared for An Yi and handed them to him one by one.
“These are passion fruits, two a day. This is the expensive face mask I’ve been stocking up on lately—remember to use it. And this too.”
Chen Lin handed An Yi a huge water jug, at least two liters.
An Yi stared in surprise and lifted the giant bottle. “What’s this?”
Chen Lin said, “Lemon water. Freshly squeezed. Don’t forget to drink it. Finish it within two days, and remember to keep it in the fridge.”
She had worked so hard to nurse her son back to fair skin—he absolutely could not get dark again.
Looking at An Yi with more and more things piled onto him, anyone who did not know better would think he was a country boy going into the city, carrying huge bags and even bringing his own water.
Chen Lin took a deep breath. “There’s one last thing.”
As if she had made some kind of heavy decision, her face turned serious. The usual softness in her expression faded. She shut her eyes, steeled her heart, and declared, “Mom’s limited-edition macho magazine collection, treasured for half a year—it’s yours now!”
An Shaofeng glanced over, saw the shirtless muscular man on the cover, and nearly blacked out.
“How do you even have this kind of thing?!”
Chen Lin acted as though she had not heard him at all, though the reluctance in her eyes was obvious.
An Yi’s mouth fell open in shock. A limited collector’s edition macho magazine—when it was first released, there had only been one hundred copies in total. Who would have thought Chen Lin actually had one?
Really? Was this something he was allowed to own?
An Yi tested the waters. “Can I really?”
Chen Lin’s tone was resolute. “Take it.”
An Yi reached out to take it.
Only to find that the book did not budge at all in Chen Lin’s hand.
He tugged again.
Still did not move.
Hm?
It was literally impossible to pull away.
An Shaofeng stepped in, yanked it away in one go, and stuffed it into An Yi’s arms.
Give it here.
Looking down at the macho magazine in his hands, An Yi asked, “Mom, won’t you miss it?”
Chen Lin hardened her heart. “No. Just take it. Worst case, I’ll go to Auntie Li’s house and read hers.”
An Shaofeng: …
After the family reluctantly said their goodbyes, An Yi carried his things to the car. The driver helped him load everything into the trunk, then opened the car door for him.
An Yi nodded politely. “Thank you.”
The driver, still stern-faced, replied, “You’re welcome. From here on, Young Master An, I will be sending you on your way.”
An Yi: …
Would you like to hear yourself speak?
What kind of way? The road to the underworld?
But after three whole days of mental preparation and reading quite a bit about same-sex romance, An Yi felt that now he could totally—
To hell with totally can. How had he ended up marrying a man?!
The little frog looked up at the sky with tears in his eyes.
I’m marrying a man. A hard, solid man.
And on top of that, he was a pervert. Even the driver knew it.
But thinking more carefully, it did count as something new. He had to try it first. If he never tried, how could he make such a firm judgment that he could not accept it?
Besides, you could not understand a person just from rumors.
And really, trying something like this did sound a little thrilling.
Recalling the educational little same-sex films he had watched over the past two days, An Yi’s small face flushed yellow all over.
After all, he had never tried it before. Just thinking about the future, about living an adults-only life with a pervert—
An Yi felt a wave of fearful aftershock, and at the same time…
Damn it. He was actually a little excited.
Sure enough, even before reaching the destination, he was already being assimilated by the pervert.
After driving for over an hour, the car arrived at a grand and luxurious villa estate.
The driver unloaded all of An Yi’s luggage, then bowed deeply to him. “Young Master An Yi, fare thee well. I will miss you.”
An Yi: …
No, it’s actually fine if you don’t.
The driver stepped forward and clasped An Yi’s hand emotionally. Even through the white gloves, his grip was astonishingly strong. “Young Master An Yi, thank you. Please take care of yourself.”
An Yi: ?
The driver said, “If not for your sacrifice, I might have lost my job.”
In other words, without your sacrifice, the An family would have gone bankrupt.
Then the driver waved his little white handkerchief through the car window, hit the gas, and zoomed off in an instant.
Apparently, he was not that reluctant to part with him after all.
An Yi hung the large water jug from his chest, held the daily necessities and passion fruit Chen Lin had given him in his left hand, and his luggage in his right. Nervous and uneasy, he huffed and puffed his way inside.
The summer heat was blazing.
He had thought the An family home was already shocking enough in both size and luxury, but as it turned out, there was always someone above you, and always a mountain beyond the mountain.
The moment An Yi walked in, he thought he had wandered onto a golf course. It was enormous, absurdly huge. The surrounding buildings were equally grand and luxurious, every one of them radiating the unmistakable aura of I am very expensive.
An Yi stared at the architectural design around him like a country puppy seeing the world for the first time. Passing a giant, lavish fountain, he suddenly heard faint voices drifting over.
Someone was there!
After walking all this time, An Yi still had not seen a single person.
He hurriedly followed the sound toward the garden.
Carrying all his bags and bundles, An Yi made his way there and saw several gardeners up on ladders pruning the branches of the trees.
But very quickly, his attention was drawn to a flowerbed.
It was a patch of vivid, blooming roses, and a few steps away from it stood a man.
The man was very tall. He was bare-chested, wearing only a pair of black trousers that draped over the tops of his feet, and he was barefoot on the grass. His hair, damp with water, was slicked back. He had the standard inverted-triangle build, with broad shoulders wide as the Pacific. Around his neck hung a silver chain as thick as a little finger. It was not very long, resting just below his collarbones. Beneath that were strong, vigorous pectorals, and abs so sharply defined they looked like ridges in a field. His waist and stomach were tight and toned, his arm muscles beautifully shaped—not exaggerated, but full of obvious strength—and when he lifted his arms, the serrated lines along his sides were especially striking.
His face was handsome and radiant, with deep-set eyes and brows, a straight high nose, lips neither too thin nor too thick, and a clear, sharp jawline.
Not far behind him, two imposing Dobermans were running around and playing.
An Yi’s eyes lit up.
What a beautiful body!
Not inferior at all to the models in those macho magazines.
At that moment, the man was holding a water hose in his hand. It had to be at least ten meters long, connected to the lawn sprinkler behind him.
All the other sprinklers on the grass were spinning freely like little bamboo dragonflies, spraying droplets of water in every direction.
Oh-ho~ the feeling of freedom.
Only the one behind him had had the throat of fate firmly seized. Its sprinkler head had been removed and replaced with the hose.
Water surged out through the hose. The man’s peach blossom eyes stared down at the roses below.
An Yi glanced over too. They were blooming very beautifully.
It was just that if he kept watering them like this, those roses were going to wilt. And the daisies next to them might wilt too—because they had not received a single drop of water so far.
Daisies: At this point we’re dying of thirst, okay?!
Truly, the dry were dying dry, and the wet were drowning wet.
Yet the man did not seem concerned about that at all. Instead, he kept staring at the stream of water pouring from the hose.
Then his Adam’s apple rolled.
An Yi’s brow twitched.
Oh no. He couldn’t possibly be about to drink from it, could he?
He hurriedly tried to reassure himself. No way. What normal person drinks water from a hose?
The next moment, Huo Beixing opened his mouth and turned the hose toward himself.
An Yi: !
Author’s Note:
An Yi: Amazing~
