Chapter 39: Awesome
The moment Huo Beixing finished speaking, the scene fell into a brief silence, as though heaven and earth had fused together and all else had vanished—a deathly stillness.
The collective silence of the media people was like being frozen solid by the early winter wind. They lost the very professionalism that made them media people. One single dirty rumor from Huo Beixing had blocked them so completely they were left speechless.
Did he even know what he was saying?
Did he know what he was saying?!
Did his conscience not hurt at all?
Had those dirty rumors really been made up by them?
Wasn’t it him who had taken young models to the seaside, brought little celebrities abroad, and gone on trips in groups of four?!!
They hadn’t added even the slightest exaggeration to any of it.
It was simply that he played too wildly.
Passing the blame like that would get you struck by lightning!
Yet Huo Beixing looked at them without blushing or skipping a beat. He felt not the slightest guilt or shame about what he’d just said. His face was completely earnest, determined not to let anyone sully his innocence.
The reporters did not dwell on it further, afraid of offending him. After all, he was rich, and when rich people spoke, they were always right. So they began steering the topic toward the information they actually wanted.
“President Huo, may we ask what your relationship with Lu Mingnan is?”
Huo Beixing sounded puzzled. “Lu Mingnan?”
The reporters all stretched forward eagerly, waiting for the audio.
The next moment, they heard Huo Beixing say, “Who’s Lu Mingnan?”
Reporters: ……
You really are a bastard, huh.
You don’t even remember the person’s name.
That’s the little star who had a scandal with you three years ago, and now he’s a big star.
Huo Beixing had come here today, and all the time he’d spent together with An Yi barely totaled three hours. On top of that, he’d run into a skinny dog coveting his wife. Now he was being blocked in by a huge crowd of reporters, so naturally his mood wasn’t good.
Huo Beixing stopped paying attention to them and strode forward on his long legs. He had already answered their question. He truly did not know any Lu Mingnan.
Looking at this moving tabloid headline in the flesh, the reporters hurried after him.
“President Huo, won’t you say a little more?”
“President Huo, would you still be willing to do an interview?”
“President Huo…”
With a lazy expression, Huo Beixing turned his head toward the reporters behind him and said, “I have urgent business.”
A reporter immediately asked, “What urgent business is that?”
Huo Beixing thought for a moment. “Mm… probably going home to eat dinner.”
Reporter: ……
Don’t think we can’t tell you just made that up on the spot!!
From the distance, the driver spotted Huo Beixing and the swarm of reporters behind him, and quickly brought the bodyguards over to block them off. Huo Beixing bent down and got into the car. Only after catching sight of the teeth marks on his neck in the rearview mirror did his mood improve a little.
Because Huo Beixing had been exposed that morning as having gone to the same location as Lu Mingnan to watch the elimination round, the topic had remained at a blazing level of popularity and had hung on the hot search all day. Countless people were waiting to see what came next.
So when Huo Beixing was being interviewed just now, one of the media outlets had turned on a livestream.
The scrolling comments flowed across the screen like a surging river.
“I thought I came in here to ship a CP…”
“President Huo is really this awful? He doesn’t even remember Nannan’s name.”
“Is this officially over now?”
“Could it be that the two of them had a fight, and President Huo is only pretending not to know him on purpose?”
“I think that’s possible. President Huo’s expression wasn’t very good.”
“Why are all of you CP shippers? Am I the only random passerby here?”
“No, me too.”
“Me too…”
“Sorry everyone, I know it hurts that your ship sank, but President Huo saying with a straight face that people shouldn’t spread dirty rumors about him absolutely kills me.”
“I watched this in class and nearly ground my molars to dust trying not to laugh.”
“Do dirty rumors about President Huo even need spreading? He’s standing right there, isn’t he? Hahahahaha.”
“The person upstairs just lost one point of merit.”
—
Lu Mingnan, during a break in the elimination round, saw Huo Beixing’s interview and felt utterly heartbroken. So President Huo truly didn’t remember him at all.
Then again, someone as insignificant as him—how could President Huo possibly remember? The two of them had only met a few times three years ago, after all.
But he truly felt so unwilling to accept it.
Lu Mingnan’s eyes reddened. Since he was in the lounge, if he made any sound at all, someone would definitely notice. And if word got out that he was upset, the media would swarm him at once. A broken-heart story being reported by the press would be nothing less than rubbing salt into a wound.
So Lu Mingnan could only cry silently in the lounge.
Crying while making soundless little duck-like wails.
Exactly how beautiful did someone have to be in order to be loved!!!
When it was Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart’s turn to go in and hand over their preliminary design draft, the sacred duty—like passing along the Olympic flame—naturally fell to the beautiful woman, Gu Lingling.
After that, the three of them stood in front of the four judges: one from the brand, two people from the fashion world, and the last one was none other than Lu Mingnan, who had just gone through heartbreak.
Before them, two groups had already performed so badly that they were judged out on the spot, before the elimination list was even officially announced.
Noticing Lu Mingnan’s red-rimmed eyes, Lin Jiu lowered his voice and said to An Yi, “Why are his eyes red from just looking at our design draft?”
An Yi replied, “Maybe he was moved by it.”
Lin Jiu suddenly understood.
So that was it.
They were awesome.
Fortunately, Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart passed the elimination round smoothly this time. The brand was very satisfied with their preliminary design draft and couldn’t help casting a few more looks at the three of them.
If the final designs later matched expectations, then their draft would be adopted.
To be honest, the brand had looked forward to today’s elimination round quite a lot. After all, these were the studios selected earlier from the runway venue. Who would have thought that once the drafts were handed in, there would barely be a handful worth looking at?
There were plenty of wealthy second-generation heirs with family background who also made an effort to work hard, but in the design circle there were very few. Their earlier works had likely been designed by outside designers they hired, then bought outright and attached to the names of their own studios, making the finished designs appear to belong to them.
To celebrate successfully passing the elimination round, the three members of Pink Crystal Girl’s Heart charged straight for the convenience shop after the competition ended, each buying two grilled sausages to reward themselves.
This victory was what gave them even more drive to work hard and run toward the finals.
But just as An Yi and the others walked out of the convenience shop, they spotted the huge crowd of reporters currently interviewing fashion figures and Lu Mingnan.
Gu Lingling’s internal alarm bells rang at once, and she immediately tried to lead the other two away as fast as possible.
The shadowy past was not worth revisiting.
A face only came in one piece. She’d already lost enough face the last time. She absolutely could not afford to lose it a second time.
But even so, some sharp-eyed reporters noticed them.
Ever since their previous interview clip had gone out, these three had become the most talked-about people of all. Quite a few netizens had even been hoping to see them interviewed again.
Very quickly, the media blocked their path completely.
A microphone was thrust right up against An Yi’s face, nearly poking the sausage out of his mouth.
“Would the three of you be willing to do an interview?”
The three of them: ……
Did they even have the right to refuse?
Gu Lingling straightened her hair, then checked Lin Jiu and An Yi’s appearance. Not exactly polished, but still presentable.
The media asked, “This is our second time interviewing you. How are the three of you feeling?”
An Yi answered, “Pretty good.”
The media asked, “Is there anything you’d like to say to us?”
Gu Lingling replied, “Please fix my dark circles in post-production.”
Media: ……
Looking at the three of them with smiling faces, the media steered things back to the main topic. “May we ask whether the three of you learned anything from this elimination round?”
Gu Lingling gave the official answer with a bright smile. “We learned a lot.”
The media followed up, “For example?”
The three of them: ……
Silence was Cambridge tonight.
The grilled sausages were delicious, but they still hadn’t made up what they’d learned.
Seeing the three of them suddenly go mute like they’d all been drugged dumb, the media paused too, then probed carefully, “N-not even a single sentence?”
Gu Lingling pinched An Yi.
An Yi stepped forward. “Of course there is!”
The media immediately asked, “And what is it?”
Lin Jiu got punched too, jerked in alarm, and blurted, “We’re awesome!”
“……”
Not a trace of the word modesty could be found in the three of them.
Though it didn’t show on their faces, the three of them remained in a state of constant tension throughout the rest of the competition. Either they would win and secure next spring’s design qualification, or they would fail and go back home to rot.
Yet on the final day, after handing in the finished garments and design drafts, the brand informed them that the competition results would not be announced that day. Instead, all the studios were told to go home and wait for the news.
Once the results were out, they would be informed later by communication.
After living here for half a month, quite a few people had already begun missing their rich and comfortable life back home.
An Yi sat on the carpet packing his suitcase when He Ting came over to say goodbye, telling him that if he ever had difficulties in the future, he absolutely had to look for him.
An Yi blinked. “Like what?”
He Ting answered, “If you get divorced and can’t find someone for a second marriage.”
An Yi: ……
He Ting expressed himself with great boldness, while An Yi politely declined the other man’s goodwill.
Lin Jiu said he would send Gu Lingling home, so An Yi could just go back in peace.
Dragging his suitcase, An Yi walked to the main gate and spotted the Huo family driver craning his neck and looking out in eager anticipation. He went over, put his luggage away, and climbed into the car.
As luck would have it, Gu Lingling happened to come out just then. The moment she saw the driver, she froze. An Yi immediately flung himself flat beneath the seat.
The driver was so frightened he hurriedly tried to roll the window up, only for Gu Lingling to step over first and greet him warmly.
“Uncle, what a coincidence! You’re here visiting graves again?”
Driver: ……
Driver: “Yes.”
In the end, the driver carried all the burden alone.
Only after Gu Lingling had left did the two of them finally let out a breath. The driver started the car and drove away from the outskirts.
Knowing that his wife would be coming back today, Huo Beixing had been waiting by the gate since morning. It was already early winter now, and the temperature outside had dropped sharply, but Huo Beixing showed not the slightest intention of going back inside. He stood in the courtyard like a stone watching for his wife’s return.
Very soon, a black car entered his line of sight, and Huo Beixing’s peach-blossom eyes lit up with life.
An Yi, who was afraid of the cold, had wrapped himself up into a ball and rolled out of the car.
Yes, rolled.
The moment he landed, he saw Huo Beixing running toward him. Huo Beixing wore an open, sunny smile, looking as cheerful as an energetic big dog, and the instant he reached him, he scooped the ball up into his arms.
“Wife, welcome home.”
The warm winter sunlight made the snow on the ground sparkle brightly. Half of An Yi’s face was buried in his collar, but his brows and eyes curved into a smile.
It was the first time anyone had welcomed him back like this, as if the place he was returning to truly was his home.
Looking at Huo Beixing’s ears, red from the cold, An Yi reached out with his gloved hand and patted him on the shoulder. “Go inside quickly. It’s cold out here.”
Huo Beixing grinned foolishly. “It’s not cold. Even if I wasn’t wearing clothes, it still wouldn’t be cold.”
Faced with such a bold thought, An Yi said, “Since when does anyone go through winter without clothes on?”
Huo Beixing pointed to the two Dobermans nearby.
Princess Lily and Summer Sweetheart were playing wildly in the snow without any clothes on.
An Yi: ……
Then they were very shameless indeed.
Back inside the house, the servants carried An Yi’s suitcase upstairs for him. An Yi also went to take a hot shower and change clothes before coming back down.
They hadn’t seen each other for half a month, and Uncle Zhong kept asking An Yi whether he had been doing well recently, whether he’d eaten enough, and if not enough meant one meal or every single meal.
An Yi didn’t understand why the other man was asking. “Every meal was pretty filling.”
Uncle Zhong said, “It looks to me like Young Master An Yi has lost a lot of weight.”
An Yi, who had actually gained three pounds: ……
There was a kind of skinny called other people think you’re skinny.
Seeing that he’d only just come back from outside, Uncle Zhong poured him a cup of black tea to warm him up.
Uncle Zhong asked with concern, “It’s cold outside, isn’t it?”
An Yi replied, “It’s alright. I wore a lot.”
Uncle Zhong then said, “Now that Young Master An Yi has come back, tomorrow you can go with the young master to South Island.”
An Yi blinked. “South Island?”
What sort of place was that?
This little old man, Uncle Zhong, smiled as he explained, “It’s an island with a tropical climate. The environment and economy there are both very good, and the Huo family also owns property there. Winter has heavy chill in it, so every winter, the whole Huo family goes to South Island together to spend it. They usually set out at the beginning of November, when early winter first arrives.”
And besides, with the end of the year approaching, the family members also used the trip to South Island as an opportunity to gather and promote family harmony. Even though there might be competition of interests outside, once they arrived on South Island, it was considered a place for relaxation. Nobody was allowed to talk about work. If the old master heard it, he’d definitely blow up in anger.
They usually set out in November, but it was already mid-December now.
An Yi asked, “Then why didn’t Huo Beixing go?”
Uncle Zhong looked over at Huo Beixing, who was currently preparing canned food for Princess Lily and Summer Sweetheart. “Young Master Zhanlin came to ask the young master to leave with them before, but the young master refused. He said he wanted to wait until you came back, so the two of you could go together.”
An Yi’s thoughts froze for several seconds. He hadn’t expected Huo Beixing to think of him so much.
Uncle Zhong continued, “I’m afraid Young Master Beixing is probably the only one not yet at South Island. The old master even called yesterday to urge him again. I’ve already had someone book tickets for tomorrow. Young Master An Yi can just go over directly with Young Master Beixing.”
—
On the other side, South Island was bright with lovely weather and beautiful scenery.
After learning that his younger son had once again postponed his flight and would only arrive tomorrow, Huo Nanxun’s face grew more and more astonished.
Looking at Huo Zhanlin, who was sitting to the side gnawing on watermelon, Huo Nanxun said, “You mean to tell me your brother delayed the trip again just to wait for that male wife of his?”
Over the past half month, how many calls had the old master made to Huo Beixing? Not one had been enough to make him come back.
Seeing that Huo Zhanlin didn’t answer, Huo Nanxun lifted a hand and smacked his eldest son across the back. “I’m asking you something!”
“Cough cough…” Huo Zhanlin nearly choked to death on a mouthful of watermelon. Even at his age, his father’s temper was no smaller. “Yes.”
Huo Nanxun’s expression darkened somewhat.
Could it be that Huo Beixing had really fallen for this male wife of his?
Back when the idea of marrying a male wife was first proposed, Huo Nanxun had been the first to oppose it.
When Huo Beixing was born, it had been a difficult labor. In Huo Nanxun’s impression, his younger son had always been weak and sickly. Even if someone came now and told him that his younger son was six-foot-three and could punch aliens to death one by one, he would still insist that Huo Beixing was physically weak. So he’d always indulged him more, never interfering much so long as what he did wasn’t completely outrageous.
That was why, no matter how wildly he played outside or how many accusations were thrown at him, Huo Nanxun pretended not to hear any of it.
But that didn’t mean his marriage could be this absurd.
Marrying a man—what kind of nonsense was that?
Then how was he supposed to get grandchildren?
Huo Nanxun’s greatest wish in life had always been to have a sweet and caring daughter. But when his wife went into difficult labor delivering their younger son, he’d been so frightened that he’d collapsed outside the operating room on the spot. He never wanted his wife to take such a risk again, so his hope of having a daughter had changed into the hope of having a granddaughter.
And now, look at things.
Huo Zhanlin was too busy with his career and wouldn’t get married.
Huo Beixing had gotten married, but his wife was a man.
At first, Huo Beixing’s male marriage had been something he entered only because he had no choice. But now that Huo Nanxun knew the two of them had developed feelings, he found himself unable to sit still.
“How did those two even get together? Since when does a political marriage produce feelings?”
Huo Zhanlin thought back to the perfectly synchronized way An Yi and Huo Beixing’s brains operated.
“Maybe they’re suffering from the same condition.”
