Chapter 33

Chapter 33

At the private villa.

After Lin Yi and the others finished lunch, they headed to the horse field.

The horse field was a vast expanse of grassland, undulating endlessly as far as the eye could see.

Neither Lin Yi nor Xiao He knew how to ride horses, so they found a coach to teach them.

Before going to learn, Lin Yi said to Huo Mianmian, "Mianmian, I'm going to learn how to ride a horse. Will you sit by the side and wait for me?"

Huo Mianmian nodded naturally.

There happened to be a quiet girl with long hair who didn't like riding horses, so she could keep Huo Mianmian company.

After Lin Yi asked the girl to watch over Huo Mianmian, he walked towards the coach.

After Lin Yi left, Huo Mianmian sat on a bench but kept his eyes fixed on Lin Yi.

At this moment, the long-haired girl turned to look at Huo Mianmian, charmed by his adorable appearance, and wanted to get closer to him. She took out a chocolate from her bag and said, "Little boy, do you want some chocolate?"

Huo Mianmian shook his head, still looking in Lin Yi's direction.

The girl then took out a jelly from her bag. "I also have jelly. Do you want some?"

Huo Mianmian shook his head again.

The girl: "..."

Her dream of teasing the little one shattered.

With no other choice, the girl gave up on getting closer to Huo Mianmian and joined him in watching the horse field.

Over here.

Lin Yi and the others had never ridden horses before, so the coach taught them very carefully, demonstrating several times how to mount a horse and control the reins.

Lin Yi and the other three boys learned quickly and were more daring, soon each picking a horse and mounting it.

After mounting their horses, they followed the coach's instructions and circled around a few times, ensuring there were no issues before riding freely.

Lin Yi sat on a tall white horse and rode it leisurely for a while.

When he felt it was time, he sped up.

Soon, the white horse carried Lin Yi into a gallop.

The white horse was beautifully built, its mane flying, exuding strength and speed.

Lin Yi easily controlled it, his face full of exhilaration. "Giddyup! Giddyup!"

The white horse ran faster and faster, Lin Yi's bangs flying, revealing his handsome face, his almond eyes bright and fiery.

This made Lin Yi look exceptionally free and captivating.

Everyone around was mesmerized.

Huo Mianmian was no exception. Watching his father riding freely around the horse field, he couldn't help but clap his small hands.

His father was amazing!

After a while, Xiao He and the other girls also mounted their horses and began riding around the field.

For a moment, the horse field was filled with cheers and shouts.

A group of young people in their early twenties gathered together, full of vitality and energy.

Xiao He urged her horse to Lin Yi's side and smiled at him. "Shall we race? I lost to you at mahjong this morning, so I can't lose this time."

Lin Yi smiled back. "Sure."

Soon, they raced against each other, and everyone started cheering them on.

In a tea room within the villa.

The owner of the villa was brewing tea.

At this moment, a staff member hurriedly knocked and entered. "Boss, we have an important guest!"

The boss continued pouring tea calmly. "If they're here, they're here. What's the fuss about?"

To be honest, his villa often received important guests, but none were worth his personal reception.

Given his excellent family background as part of a scholarly family, now in his forties, only others rushed to respect him; he had no reason to cater to anyone.

Seeing that his boss remained calm, the staff member grew anxious. "Boss, hurry up! It's really an important guest! Mr. Huo is here!"

The boss finally stopped brewing tea and asked, "Which Mr. Huo?"

Staff member: "Who else could it be? The one from the Huo Group."

After all, only that one was truly intimidating.

"What?!" The boss, who had been calm just moments ago, suddenly stood up, nearly knocking over the teacup. He hurriedly put on his coat and frowned at the staff member. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Forget it, come with me to greet him."

After all, if they offended him, they would all suffer the consequences.

The staff member repeatedly agreed and followed the boss out.

At this moment, the boss added, "Quickly notify the other staff members to be on high alert. There must not be any mistakes whatsoever!"

The staff member understood the gravity of the situation and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, I'll inform them right away."

At the entrance to the villa.

A group of seven or eight people were walking in.

Apart from Huo Jihan and his two companions, there were also some executives from other companies.

Leading the group was naturally Huo Jihan.

He wore an expensive black suit and walked with a composed demeanor, his gaze never lingering on the surrounding scenery, as if he wasn't here for sightseeing at all.

The others cautiously accompanied him, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Ji Yunchuan had a playful nature and found everything fascinating.

He had brought a camera specifically for this trip and took photos every few steps.

After taking a photo, he approached Huo Jihan with a grin. "Big Brother Huo, I heard the hot springs here are great. Should we try them out later?"

Huo Jihan's voice was cold. "We'll see."

Ji Yunchuan didn't mind Huo Jihan's attitude; he was used to it and continued chatting. "And we can go horseback riding too! I'm definitely going to show off my skills at the riding range!"

Qin Ling teased him, "Show off your skills by falling flat on your face?"

Ji Yunchuan immediately protested, "With my level of skill, I'll look so cool riding that all the girls will cheer for me!"

Just then, the villa's owner arrived with several employees.

He had never met Huo Jihan before but had seen him in financial magazines.

Someone like Huo Jihan was unforgettable after just one glance.

Therefore, the villa's owner recognized Huo Jihan instantly and approached him with beads of sweat on his forehead. "Mr. Huo, I didn't know you were coming. Please forgive me for not greeting you properly!"

Huo Jihan's voice was icy. "It's fine."

His commanding presence was so strong that even uttering two simple words could make one's heart tremble.

The villa's owner did not dare relax and continued bowing. "Mr. Huo, which activities in our villa interest you? I can personally introduce them and guide you."

However, at that moment, a cheer drowned out the owner's voice.

The sound came from the riding range.

Huo Jihan lifted his dark eyes to look over.

The others followed his gaze.

At the riding range.

Lin Yi had won against Xiao He.

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

Although Xiao He lost, she had enjoyed herself thoroughly and pretended to complain, "Why do I always lose to you in every competition?!"

Lin Yi smiled. "There is one thing you're better at than me."

Xiao He eagerly asked, "What is it?"

Lin Yi replied, "Your beggar's chicken is delicious. If I tried to cook it, it would probably burn."

With that, he dismounted gracefully.

"Then if there's a chance, I can cook it for you again!"

Xiao He spoke while dismounting as well.

But at that moment, her horse suddenly moved, and she almost fell off.

Lin Yi, standing next to her, quickly caught her. "Be careful!"

With Lin Yi's help, Xiao He managed to dismount safely.

To the others, however, it looked like Lin Yi had carried Xiao He down from the horse.

Especially from a distance of over a hundred meters, where they couldn't hear their conversation, the scene seemed quite intimate.

The handsome young man and the beautiful girl, chatting and laughing, looked perfectly matched.

Huo Jihan's dark eyes were deep and unreadable, showing no change in expression.

Ji Yunchuan, on the other hand, had a curious look on his face.

Wow!! Why is Sister-in-law here at this villa?!

More importantly, why is she suddenly so close to another girl?!

Ji Yunchuan immediately turned to look at Big Brother Huo's expression.

Unfortunately, Big Brother Huo's face remained indifferent, showing no emotion.

Even in this situation, he merely glanced over and then quickly turned to leave.

The others, seeing this, immediately followed.

Ji Yunchuan: "!!"

Amazing!

His brother's self-control is truly worthy of a god-like man!

When Qin Ling saw Lin Yi over there, he suddenly understood.

No wonder Huo Jihan wanted to come here.

It all makes sense now.

At the equestrian center.

After Lin Yi had his fill of riding horses, he returned to Huo Mianmian and asked, "Sweetheart, how was my riding just now?"

Huo Mianmian nodded enthusiastically, afraid that it wasn't obvious enough, and raised both hands to give Lin Yi two thumbs up.

Lin Yi immediately smiled and said, "With our Mianmian's encouragement, I'll ride even better next time."

Then he asked Huo Mianmian, "By the way, Mianmian, do you want to try riding a pony?"

Huo Mianmian shook his head.

He wasn't an active child and didn't particularly fancy such intense activities like horseback riding.

Lin Yi didn't force him but suggested, "How about just sitting on the pony while I take some photos for you as a keepsake?"

This time, Huo Mianmian didn't refuse.

So, Lin Yi brought Huo Mianmian to a reddish-brown pony and lifted him onto it.

Initially, Huo Mianmian was a bit nervous, pursing his lips.

But soon, he realized that the pony was very gentle and didn't move at all, so he gradually calmed down.

Today, Huo Mianmian was wearing a brown bear costume, with only his round face visible under the hat, making him look like a real little bear.

Thus, when he sat on the pony, it looked incredibly cute, like a chubby little bear on a pony.

Lin Yi immediately took out his phone and snapped several photos in quick succession.

The others, seeing this adorable scene, gathered around and started taking photos too.

Lin Yi smiled and said to them, "Don't just take photos; there's a fee!"

The people were already charmed by Huo Mianmian and wished they could feed the little one.

After hearing Lin Yi's words, they eagerly offered snacks.

"This is cheese stick; it's delicious."

"Lollipop! Does the little one want a lollipop?"

In no time, Huo Mianmian's arms were full of snacks.

Lin Yi laughed and said, "Kid, this is our new path to wealth. Whenever we run out of food, we can use this method."

Huo Mianmian looked down at the snacks in his arms, then at his father, and solemnly promised, "I will earn money to support Dad."

Lin Yi laughed even more happily upon hearing this, "Really? Then I can be even more carefree."

After all, even their three-year-old son said he would support him.

So, this useless adult could continue being lazy.

After a bout of joking, Lin Yi walked over to say goodbye to Xiao He.

He planned to take Huo Mianmian back to their accommodation since they were quite tired and needed some rest.

Xiao He and the others were reluctant to let them go.

"Leaving so soon? It's still early."

"How about playing together tomorrow?"

After Lin Yi agreed to play with them again tomorrow, he led Huo Mianmian towards their accommodation.

Unexpectedly, after walking a short distance and reaching a shrub, someone suddenly burst out from it, shouting, "Sis-in-law, Mianmian, I'm here!!"

Lin Yi was startled and instinctively protected Huo Mianmian. Upon recognizing Ji Yunchuan, he said exasperatedly, "Can you be any more childish? Hiding here to scare people?"

Ji Yunchuan, while brushing off grass leaves, replied, "Isn't this entrance more dramatic?"

Lin Yi: "..."

It was indeed dramatic, enough to scare the wits out of someone.

But Lin Yi asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly come here?"

Ji Yunchuan explained honestly, "A client invited me. Since I can't sit still, I decided to come."

Then he added, "Guess who else is here?"

With a look of anticipation, he waited for Lin Yi to guess.

Lin Yi: "..."

The answer was too obvious.

He asked Ji Yunchuan, "Is Big Brother Huo here too?"

Ji Yunchuan was greatly shocked: "How did you guess that? You and Big Brother Huo are truly in sync!!"

Lin Yi: "…"

Does this have anything to do with being in sync?

When Ji Yunchuan asked him in that tone, there was only one answer.

However, Lin Yi didn’t expect that someone like Huo Jihan, a workaholic, would actually come to the villa. Didn’t he have work to do?

Before Lin Yi could think it through, Ji Yunchuan spoke again: "Brother-in-law, guess what we saw when we arrived at the villa?"

Lin Yi complained: "Why do you like making others guess so much?"

Ji Yunchuan persisted: "Guess, guess."

Lin Yi replied honestly: "How can I guess what you saw?"

This question was too broad—did they see flowers and grass, or some person or event?

After building up the suspense, Ji Yunchuan finally said: "We saw you acting intimately with a girl. So, who was she?"

He then looked at Lin Yi with a gossipy expression, clearly trying to get some information out of him.

Lin Yi: "…"

Acting intimately with a girl?

After thinking for a while, he only remembered helping Xiao He earlier, which was his only physical contact with a girl.

He said to Ji Yunchuan somewhat speechlessly: "I just helped that girl, okay? Where did you see any intimacy?"

Ji Yunchuan, wanting to probe the situation for his Big Brother Huo, asked: "Really?"

Lin Yi wasn’t one to be questioned repeatedly. After explaining once, he didn’t want to explain further and countered: "What do you think?"

Ji Yunchuan: "…"

Ugh! His brother-in-law was indeed not easy to deal with!

Sorry, Big Brother Huo, I can’t help you!

But Ji Yunchuan quickly brought up another point: "But Brother-in-law, Big Brother Huo also saw that scene, and he seemed quite concerned!"

Lin Yi thought Ji Yunchuan was spreading false news.

Someone like Huo Yun would care? Who would believe that? Huo Jihan probably didn’t even change his expression, right?

Besides, they were only married by contract. Why would Huo Jihan bother with him, his contractual spouse?

Seeing Lin Yi’s skeptical expression, Ji Yunchuan gave an example: "I’m telling the truth. Big Brother Huo watched you for five whole seconds!"

Lin Yi: "…What does five seconds mean?"

Ji Yunchuan confidently said: "Big Brother Huo usually looks away in less than a second if he’s not interested. Watching for five seconds shows how special you are to him."

Lin Yi: "…"

Fine, as long as you’re happy.

After a moment of speechlessness, he said: "You really know your Big Brother Huo’s habits well."

Ji Yunchuan proudly replied: "Of course, we’ve been good friends since childhood."

Lin Yi nodded casually, not taking Ji Yunchuan’s words seriously: "Alright, I’ll take Mianmian back to rest now."

Huo Mianmian had already rubbed his eyes several times beside him, looking sleepy.

Ji Yunchuan still had a lot to say, but seeing that Huo Mianmian was indeed tired, he reluctantly held back his burning gossip spirit: "Okay, let’s talk later. If you want to know more about Big Brother Huo, just ask me."

Lin Yi: "…"

There’s no need for that.

Why would he go out of his way to find out about Huo Jihan?

Soon, Lin Yi took Huo Mianmian back to their room.

Who knew that as soon as they walked back, they saw Huo Jihan in the corridor.

At that moment, Huo Jihan was standing outside their room.

His presence made the entire corridor feel chilly, almost like an arctic zone.

Lin Yi was slightly surprised.

Was Huo Jihan waiting for them?

Over there, Huo Jihan heard the commotion and lifted his gaze.

Their eyes met, and he asked Lin Yi: "Did you have fun?"

Huo Jihan usually had no expression on his face, and his tone was always flat and emotionless.

Thus, it was impossible to discern his current mood.

Lin Yi, having just been stopped by Ji Yunchuan and bombarded with all sorts of questions, felt a bit confused hearing Huo Jihan ask this.

What exactly does Huo Jihan mean by this?

Is it a simple inquiry, or does it have some other meaning?