Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lin Yi drove the Ferrari back to the villa, enjoying the breeze all the way.

As for the experience, it was simply unprecedentedly exhilarating!

Lin Jie's taste was indeed excellent. This Ferrari not only had sleek lines but also packed a powerful punch, and it was a convertible to boot.

Such a fine sports car was naturally meant for Lin Yi's own use. He wasn't some fool who would buy a sports car for that bloodsucking younger brother of his.

After returning to the villa, Lin Yi executed a drift to park the car, got out, and walked towards the villa with his car keys in hand.

The Steward saw him return and immediately greeted him, "Mr. Lin, you're back."

Lin Yi nodded casually, "Mm."

With that, he continued walking upstairs, intending to go to his room.

At this moment, the Steward hurried to catch up and said, "Mr. Lin, the young master hasn't gone to bed yet. Would you like to see him?"

Lin Yi wondered why he should go see Huo Mianmian.

But then he thought about how the Steward genuinely hoped he would spend more time with Huo Mianmian, so that Huo Mianmian could interact with more people and become a bit more outgoing.

Thinking this, Lin Yi glanced at the Steward.

It was truly difficult for the Steward, nearly sixty years old, to still be worried about their young master day after day.

Thus, Lin Yi changed direction and headed towards Huo Mianmian's room. "Alright, I'll go see him."

Besides, he had nothing else to do right now. Seeing the adorable little one might improve his mood.

The Steward watched as Lin Yi walked towards Huo Mianmian's room and couldn't help but smile in relief.

He hoped that with Mr. Lin's company, the young master would get better and better.

Lin Yi arrived at Huo Mianmian's room.

There was no denying that a child's room was beautiful.

Take Huo Mianmian's room, for example. It was decorated warmly and cutely, filled with cartoon stickers and plush toys. Stepping inside felt like entering a dreamy world.

At this moment, a servant was keeping watch in Huo Mianmian's bedroom.

Upon seeing Lin Yi arrive, the servant greeted him and then left.

Lin Yi entered the bathroom.

Huo Mianmian was standing on a small stool, preparing to wash up before bed.

He was squeezing toothpaste onto his small toothbrush. Due to his lack of strength, it took him two tries to get enough, and then he put down the toothpaste and started brushing his teeth attentively.

Lin Yi crossed his arms and leaned against the bathroom door frame, watching the scene unfold.

There was no denying that apart from being quiet, Huo Mianmian had no other flaws.

His appearance was exquisitely cute, like a little porcelain doll, and he was exceptionally well-behaved, able to do many things on his own without needing any adult supervision. He was truly the dream child for countless people.

At this moment, Huo Mianmian had finished brushing his teeth. He tilted his head back to take a sip of water, swished it around, and then spat it into the sink.

He repeated this twice, rinsed his mouth, and neatly placed his toothbrush and toothpaste in the cup, setting it aside.

After doing this, he picked up his small towel and began washing his face.

First, he wet the towel under the faucet, then wrung it out with great effort, his expression focused as if even his chubby cheeks were working hard.

Once the towel was wrung out, he lifted it to his face and started washing.

The entire process was incredibly adorable.

Lin Yi never thought he would find himself so engrossed watching a child wash his face.

Was this the magic of human children?

Finally, Huo Mianmian finished washing up.

He climbed down from the stool and walked towards the bathroom door.

After taking a few steps, he noticed Lin Yi leaning against the door frame, smiling at him.

Huo Mianmian blinked in confusion and tilted his head to look at Lin Yi, as if wondering when Lin Yi had arrived.

Lin Yi found this utterly adorable and laughed, "I came to see if you're going to sleep nicely."

Hearing this, Huo Mianmian immediately walked towards his small bed.

He first leaned over the edge of the bed, then used both hands and feet to climb up, arching his body like a little penguin until he reached his sleeping spot. He then lay down obediently and covered himself with the blanket.

Having done all this, he looked up at Lin Yi with big, round eyes.

Though he didn't speak, his eyes seemed to say—

Did I do well?!

Seeing this, Lin Yi felt that Huo Mianmian had become even cuter.

However, having been single for twenty-six years in his previous life, he had no experience putting a child to bed and wasn't sure what to do.

So he thought for a moment and said, "Are you asking me to tell you a bedtime story?"

Based on his limited experience, it seemed that children usually had bedtime stories before they went to sleep.

Upon hearing this, Huo Mianmian's big, dark eyes instantly lit up.

A bedtime story?

He had never heard a bedtime story before.

But in the cartoons he watched, children would fall asleep listening to bedtime stories with their parents by their side.

Could he have such a treat too?

Huo Mianmian's eyes filled with anticipation.

Although he was usually taken care of meticulously by the steward and the servants, that kind of care was different from the warmth of family. It always felt like something was missing.

But now, he could listen to a bedtime story.

Huo Mianmian felt a small sense of joy, and tiny dimples appeared on his cheeks.

Lin Yi didn't know what was going through Huo Mianmian's mind, but seeing how happy the little one seemed, even the dimples on his cheeks looked sweet.

Since that was the case, he couldn't disappoint the little one's expectations.

So Lin Yi walked to Huo Mianmian's bed, sat on the edge, and prepared to tell him a bedtime story.

However, just as he was about to speak, he realized an awkward situation.

He didn't actually know any bedtime stories.

In his previous life, Lin Yi, being a straight man with a STEM background, wasn't familiar with anything artistic. Later, he entered the investment banking industry, dealing with cold data every day, leaving him with even less artistic inclination.

At that moment, Huo Mianmian lay obediently in bed, watching Lin Yi without blinking, waiting for him to tell a bedtime story.

Lin Yi: "…"

He pretended to cough, "Ahem, ahem, well, Mianmian, how about I sing you a nursery rhyme instead?"

Not being able to tell a bedtime story, he decided to substitute with a nursery rhyme.

Fortunately, Huo Mianmian wasn't picky and nodded expectantly.

Seeing this, Lin Yi cleared his throat and started singing, "A happy little frog..."

After one line, he got stuck.

Wait, what comes next?

Huo Mianmian was listening intently when suddenly it stopped, looking at Lin Yi in confusion.

Lin Yi: "…"

Huo Mianmian: "??"

Lin Yi: "…"

It had been a long time since he felt so embarrassed!

He could only say, "How about we try another one?"

Huo Mianmian nodded obediently again.

Lin Yi started singing again, "Huluwa, Huluwa, seven flowers on one vine..."

And then, he got stuck again.

Huo Mianmian: "??"

He looked at Lin Yi in confusion.

Lin Yi: "…"

After a few seconds, he calmly took out his phone and began searching for bedtime stories and nursery rhymes.

Eventually, he found a satisfactory bedtime story and read it to Huo Mianmian from his phone, "Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit who got lost while walking..."

This time, he managed to continue smoothly.

Huo Mianmian became focused again, becoming a good little listener.

Lin Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness for technology!!

Then, Lin Yi leaned against the headboard and slowly told the story to Huo Mianmian.

Huo Mianmian's eyes sparkled, and he listened happily.

As he continued telling the story, Huo Mianmian fell asleep at some point.

Lin Yi noticed this and stopped talking, looking down at Huo Mianmian.

Only then did he realize that Huo Mianmian had somehow moved closer and was now nestled in the crook of his arm.

Huo Mianmian was usually quiet, and even more so when sleeping. His beautiful eyes were closed, and his thick lashes occasionally fluttered slightly. His chubby face rested on the pillow.

One of his small hands had somehow slipped outside the blanket, loosely curled into a fist.

The whole person was like a soft little kitten.

Lin Yi grabbed Huo Mianmian's small hand, gently placed it under the covers, and then stood up.

But before he left, taking advantage of Huo Mianmian being asleep, he secretly pinched his chubby little face, feeling satisfied as he left.

After leaving Huo Mianmian's room, Lin Yi received a message from his agent.

"You signed up for a kids' variety show, which is about to start filming. Get ready soon."

After sending the first message, perhaps realizing that Lin Yi might not be so easy to control now, another message followed.

"If you don't go, you'll have to pay a penalty fee. You decide!"

Looking at the second message, Lin Yi narrowed his eyes.

It had to be said that the threat of a penalty fee indeed had a grip on him.

After all, in his previous life, as a big shot in investment banking, the last thing he could tolerate was losing money for no reason. It felt like a direct challenge to his professional integrity.

This habit, once formed, made Lin Yi unable to refuse when faced with a penalty fee.

It's just a kids' variety show, right?

Fine, he would go!

But if he were to participate in a kids' variety show, he needed a child.

Where would he find a child?

Could Huo Mianmian work?

If he decided to bring Huo Mianmian to the show, he should first ask for the opinion of his biological father, the legendary head of the Huo family, Huo Jihan.

Lin Yi wasn't one to procrastinate, so he picked up his phone to contact Huo Jihan.

However, as soon as he opened his contacts, he remembered: the original owner didn't have Huo Jihan's number.

Tsk tsk, what a fake couple they were.

Not only had they never met, but they didn't even have each other's contact information.

In this entire villa, only the Steward had Huo Jihan's number, since he had to report the villa's situation to Huo Jihan occasionally.

So Lin Yi found the Steward.

Upon hearing that Lin Yi wanted Huo Jihan's contact information, the Steward beamed with joy: "That's right! Couples need to communicate more to build a relationship."

Lin Yi: "??"

Did he misunderstand something?!

Lin Yi explained: "I need to talk to him about something."

The Steward continued unperturbed: "Communicate more, and your feelings will grow deeper."

Lin Yi: "..."

Alright, alright, as long as you're happy.

But clearly, the Steward wasn't done talking yet: "By the way, Mr. Lin, you don't know much about our Mr. Huo, do you?"

Lin Yi laughed dryly: "Heh heh, well..."

He just wanted the five million a month; who cared what kind of person that cheap husband was!

The Steward seemed eager to match them up immediately and said: "Let me tell you, our Mr. Huo is outstanding. He skipped three grades from elementary school to high school, went to an Ivy League university abroad after high school, and got his Ph.D. by the age of twenty-five. After returning home, he took over the Huo Group and led it to unprecedented success, turning it into a commercial empire today..."

The Steward rambled on, and finally, asked Lin Yi for his thoughts: "What do you think of our Mr. Huo?"

Lin Yi: "..."

What else could he think?

He thought Huo Jihan was a freak!!

Did this guy ever sleep?

But since the Steward had said so much, Lin Yi recalled some of the plot points from the book.

Indeed, Huo Jihan was an exceptional person, not only brilliant but also ruthless.

Five years ago, when he returned to take over the Huo Group, some uncles and aunts in the old Huo residence were unhappy, thinking that Huo Jihan, being young, couldn't handle such an important position. Some even tried to obstruct his actions.

Huo Jihan, with his cold and indifferent nature, showed no mercy to these people. With a series of swift moves, he purged most of the group, including those uncles and aunts. During that time, the Huo Group was in turmoil.

Some people even fled the country out of fear.

After Huo Jihan's purge, the group was refreshed and eventually became the top-tier company in Jing City, admired by everyone.

Now thirty, Huo Jihan seemed even colder and more heartless than five years ago, devoid of any human emotion. Even marriage was a mere formality to avoid trouble, without even meeting the other party.

Thinking about it, Lin Yi felt his earlier thoughts were correct.

Huo Jihan was indeed a freak, not a normal person at all!