Chapter 59 – Your Wife?

Chapter 59 - Your Wife?

Huo Lanjing's car was parked at the corner of the first floor. He got in directly after descending.

"Master, did you meet Madam?" asked a fifty-year-old gentleman, dressed in a black tuxedo with black-rimmed glasses, softly from the driver's seat.

Upon asking, he caught sight of Huo Lanjing's grim face through the rearview mirror and inferred that things hadn't gone well.

He was the butler of the Huo family, having served three generations of family heads.

Although Huo Lanjing had already become the new head of the Huo family, the butler still found himself addressing him as "Master."

"Uncle Wang, he hates me," Huo Lanjing said abruptly.

The butler was taken aback. Their Master had always been introverted since young, rarely expressing his emotions openly. Even during the passing of the previous two family heads, he had never shown such an expression of seeking help.

He was well aware of how outrageous Young Master had treated Lady, and it truly was excessive.

However, he had raised Young Master after all; he couldn't just stand idly by.

"Young Master, given how you treated Lady previously, it's only natural for her to hate you."

Huo Lanjing lifted his head, searching for Luo Le's window with his gaze. Of course, he knew it was normal for Luo Le to hate him.

Still, he felt... somewhat pained.

"Master, are you going to give up just because Madam hates you?"

Winter arrived early, and the days were short. Though it was only around four o'clock, the sky had already turned dusky, prompting people to switch on their lights.

Huo Lanjing remained gazing upward, his eyes fixed on that lamp as if he hadn't heard a word.

Housekeeper Wang sighed and continued, "Young Master, having made a mistake, our next step should be to make amends, not to flee. Escaping won't solve the problem."

Indeed, running away wouldn't solve anything.

Actually, Huo Lanjing wasn't trying to escape; he was just a bit lost and needed reassurance.

"Uncle Wang, take us to the nearest hotel."

Upon hearing this, Butler Wang smiled. He knew that Huo Lanjing wouldn't give up so easily.

To be honest, he didn't have any particular feelings towards Madam – neither dislike nor fondness. Simply put, he was indifferent. However, he couldn't bear to see the young master in such a dispirited state, so he wholeheartedly supported his efforts to win Madam back.

The next morning, Luo Le woke up with a full bladder.

After taking care of that, he sat back down on the sofa. Just as he finished drinking some water, he caught a whiff of an unpleasant odor.

Following the scent, he discovered that it was coming from the trash bin.

He had forgotten to dispose of the rotten vegetables from last night, which contained meat. The warm temperature inside the room had exacerbated the smell.

It was imperative to get rid of the contents immediately.

Luo Le slipped into a padded jacket before venturing out with the trash. The pungent smell almost overwhelmed him.

With one hand covering his nose, he opened the door and looked up to see someone leaning against the wall.

How did Huo Lanjing get here?

He wasn't wearing particularly thick clothing, nor did he have a hat on. His raised coat collar concealed his ears.

His nose was red, indicating that he had been standing there for quite some time.

"Le Le, have you had your... breakfast?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Luo Le walked past him as if he hadn't seen him.

Huo Lanjing turned around and noticed the trash in Luo Le's hand, along with his protruding belly heading towards the stairs.

In one swift move, he stepped in front of Luo Le, snatched the trash from him, and simultaneously handed over what he was holding.

"You eat first, I'll go," he said.

Luo Le watched as Huo Lanjing strode downstairs and then glanced down at the item in his hand.

Since he had such great stamina, let him climb back up.

Finding it difficult to crouch, Luo Le pondered for a moment, placed the item on the railing, and then turned to leave.

Huo Lanjing descended the stairs at a run. After a few steps, he heard the door close.

His pace paused momentarily, and he slowed down, descending steadily.

After disposing of the item, he returned upstairs. As he softly stepped onto the final stair, he lifted his gaze to see his own lunch box on the railing.

Huo Lanjing sighed, walked over to retrieve the lunch box from the railing, and after some consideration, approached the door to knock.

Knocking for quite some time, there was no response, as if nobody was inside.

"Knock, knock, knock! Do you have any idea what time it is?!"

A disheveled man poked his head out from the neighboring room, pointing at Huo Lanjing and scolding him.

"And that one inside, can't you just open the door and pull him in to talk?"

Upon hearing Luo Le mentioned, Huo Lanjing's brow furrowed slightly as he gave the man a cold glance.

The man, seeing the towering figure before him, realized he couldn't win in a fight, so he pulled the door inward, "What are you looking at? You were the one disturbing the peace first."

Huo Lanjing rummaged through his chest pocket, causing the man to panic, "What are you doing, what are you doing?"

In the next moment, Huo Lanjing took out a stack of blue banknotes and handed half of it over.

The man was bewildered, staring at him suspiciously without making a move.

Huo Lanjing frowned, glanced at him again, then peeled off some more notes and offered them, "Take it."

The commanding tone compelled the man to reach out and accept them.

He swallowed, "What's this?"

"Compensation," Huo Lanjing replied.

This was the fresh currency the butler Wang had just exchanged for him this morning. On this planet, without a Star Brain, transactions were done with paper bills and cards.

Huo Lanjing had no idea about the exchange rate here, so seeing that the man wasn't leaving, he assumed he hadn't given enough.

"Too little?"

The man hastily stuffed the bills, which he estimated to be over five thousand, into his pocket and shook his head. "Not at all, not at all."

He glanced at the neighboring closed door and, pointing at it, whispered, "Your wife?"

Huo Lanjing cast a glance at the door and nodded honestly.

"Did you upset your wife?" The man still spoke in a whisper.

Huo Lanjing stood there silently, as if being punished.

Suddenly, the door on the left opened, and Luo Le appeared, looking at them with an unpleasant expression.

Huo Lanjing stood there wordlessly, seemingly in the middle of a silent punishment.

Luo Le cast a fleeting glance at the man, who, fearing that his freshly earned cash might be taken back, awkwardly said, "Oh, I suddenly remembered that my eggs are boiling. Take your time chatting, take your time."

With that, he hastily shut the door, leaving only the two of them outside once again.

Huo Lanjing held the lunch box, gazing eagerly at Luo Le.

Luo Le had started listening from when the man asked about his wife, so he hadn't witnessed the money exchange. If he had, he would have surely accused the man of having too much spare cash to burn.

"What do you actually want?"

"I'll leave once you accept this."

Looking at the item in Huo Lanjing's hand, Luo Le didn't take it, but instead quietly threatened in a hushed tone, trying not to disturb the neighbors, "If you ever guard my doorstep like today again, well, just try it. Also, I made myself very clear yesterday – you should go back where you came from. Do you understand?"

Closing the door, Luo Le left Huo Lanjing with a lowered gaze, his expression unreadable.

Silently, Huo Lanjing placed the item on the ground, knocked once on the door, and then turned to descend the stairs.

Yesterday, Huo Lanjing had instructed Manager Wang to return home early to tidy up the house and prepare necessities. They couldn't possibly bring Luo Le back with an empty house.

He had purchased that porridge from the Western City early in the morning; it was said to be quite renowned there.

However, it remained uncertain if Luo Le would even drink it.

After such an early setback, coupled with his lack of rest recently, dark circles adorned Huo Lanjing's face, making him look uncharacteristically haggard.

Recalling that this car had a reclining seat, he gave it a try.

Sure enough, with a gentle push, the seat leaned back.

As dawn broke, Huo Lanjing slowly regained consciousness, his stomach empty, reminding him of the porridge from that morning.

After some thought, he opened the car door and made his way upstairs.

The lunch box was still by the entrance.

Huo Lanjing approached and crouched down, lifting the container to inspect its weight. It seemed untouched.

Perplexed, he unscrewed the lid.

"Ah, isn't this the handsome guy from this morning?"

Huo Lanjing replaced the lid, pursing his lips as he stood up.

"Oh dear, is this seafood porridge? Your wife seems pregnant, she shouldn't eat this."

The mention of 'your wife' pleased Huo Lanjing, dispelling some of his gloom.

But then his heart sank. "She can't eat it?"

"Right, the crab in there is considered cold, it's not good for pregnant Omegas."

Huo Lanjing paused in his action. Thankfully, Luo Le hadn't touched it.

"What else should she avoid eating?"

The man glanced at the door to his right and whispered, "Come in with me, I'll make you a list."

Huo Lanjing didn't refuse and followed him inside.

After compiling the list, the man pushed it across and cautiously asked, "By the way, how did you anger your wife?"

Huo Lanjing's demeanor changed upon hearing this, his icy gaze furrowing slightly.

Feeling his gaze, the man inwardly thought that this person was not easy to deal with.

If it weren't for the fact that he felt uneasy holding onto the five thousand yuan, he wouldn't have bothered meddling in this.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm just kindly reminding you. With your current approach, you won't win her back; instead, you'll push him further away."

Further away?

Huo Lanjing lifted his gaze, looking at the man with a puzzled expression, as if asking why.

The man chuckled and said, "Please, he's already upset. Your persistent pursuit will only scare him off. Don't press too hard."

Upon hearing this, Huo Lanjing found it very reasonable. After some thought, he took out all the money in his pocket and placed it on the table. "Do you have any suggestions?"

The gesture clearly indicated that if the suggestion was good, the money on the table would be his.

It was a generous offer, a clear sign that money was no issue for him.

"I do have an idea, but for now, I don't need the money. If it proves useful, you can bring it to me then."

"Hmm."

"Here's what you should do...and then..."

Hearing the practical advice, Huo Lanjing nodded from time to time in agreement.

"Alright, that's about it."

Huo Lanjing wasn't one for empty words; he always let his actions speak for him. Without hesitation, he took a third of the money and handed it over.

"You've earned it."

The man didn't refuse and cheerfully took the money, seeing Luo Le off to the door. Suddenly, something came to mind.

"By the way, if you get kicked out by your wife again, you can hang out here for a while. But it'll cost you five hundred each time."

Huo Lanjing acknowledged with a murmur, eager to leave. After hearing the man's words, he already had a plan in mind.

Grandma had accidentally injured her leg and couldn't come upstairs to collect the little clothes today. Luo Le would have to bring them down.

Grandma lived on the first floor, and it had snowed again last night, leaving a thick layer of snow on the ground.

After some consideration, Luo Le decided to wear a pair of cotton shoes.

Just as he changed and opened the door, he bumped into someone carrying a lunch box.

Luo Le: ...

Was his doorstep a gathering spot? Why did Huo Lanjing love hanging around here so much?

Luo Le simply closed the door, brushing past Huo Lanjing without a word.

Huo Lanjing hurriedly followed, not walking alongside but maintaining a safe two-meter distance from him.

This way, he wouldn't provoke any displeasure while still being able to provide protection.

He accompanied Luo Le to the stairwell, intending to draw closer to be ready to lend support if needed. However, Luo Le turned right.

Pausing for two seconds, Huo Lanjing caught up and eventually reached the elevator entrance after a while.

Huo Lanjing: ...

So there was an elevator here. No wonder he didn't see anyone exit the building when they were in the car last time.

Did Luo Le deliberately lead him to take the stairs last time then?