Chapter 39

Chapter 39

After attending the auction, Lin Yi had nothing else to do.

He was considering whether to go straight home.

At that moment, Li Feng received a message. After glancing at it, he said solemnly to Lin Yi, "Mr. Lin, a bodyguard just sent me a message. Something seems to have happened with Mr. Huo."

Lin Yi was somewhat surprised. "What happened?"

Li Feng frowned. "I'm not sure. Why don't we go and check it out now?"

As he spoke, he took the vase from Lin Yi's hands and held it himself.

Since Lin Yi had nothing else to do, he nodded. "Let's go."

Soon, the two of them took the elevator to the tenth floor.

The tenth floor was usually reserved for meetings, with a large conference room and several private rooms.

Expensive carpets covered the floors, and imported green plants adorned the corners, making it clear this was a place frequented by the upper class.

At this time, Huo Jihan and his group had finished the corporate meeting and moved into one of the private rooms nearby.

Lin Yi followed Li Feng to the door of the private room.

Li Feng quietly pushed open the door.

Lin Yi instinctively looked inside.

The room was eerily silent, as if something significant had occurred.

The lighting in the room was dim.

Huo Jihan sat in the main seat, his expression inscrutable, his dark eyes like ice-covered pools.

Seated in the shadows, he seemed to exude a chilling aura.

The people around him dared not breathe loudly, all trembling in fear of Huo Jihan's wrath.

When Lin Yi reached the door, he shivered from the cold atmosphere.

What was going on?

At that moment, a bodyguard approached and quietly explained what had happened.

It turned out that an old CEO wanted to curry favor with Huo Jihan but, lacking a proper approach, resorted to an underhanded tactic—trying to insert someone into Huo Jihan's presence.

The CEO found a particularly beautiful model, dressed provocatively, who pretended to accidentally fall into Huo Jihan's arms.

Huo Jihan naturally avoided her, but this incident infuriated him.

At that moment, the CEO, under Huo Jihan's pressure, was pale and drenched in cold sweat.

The model was so frightened she was about to faint.

After hearing the bodyguard's explanation, Lin Yi raised an eyebrow in understanding.

No wonder Huo Jihan was so angry; such an incident had occurred.

In his view, Huo Jihan was emotionally detached, almost devoid of normal human feelings, which was why he had chosen a contractual marriage partner to avoid trouble.

Yet, today, such an incident still happened.

Lin Yi thought for a moment, wondering if he needed to do anything.

From the heart, he didn't care if Huo Jihan interacted with other men or women, after all, they were only in a contractual marriage—a business partnership where Huo Jihan provided money, and Lin Yi acted as a shield when necessary. Their roles were clearly defined.

Of course, even though he didn't care, he knew he had to take some action.

After all, he couldn't take five million every month without doing anything. There were times when he needed to step up.

With that thought, Lin Yi walked into the private room.

The people inside, already anxious, were startled to see someone enter. They all looked at him in surprise.

Lin Yi was dressed casually today, wearing a light gray hooded jacket and jeans with white sneakers.

His attire was worlds apart from the formal suits worn by the elites present, making him look like a college student who had wandered in by mistake.

He wore a mask, obscuring his face, but his bright, captivating eyes shone like stars.

Just from those eyes, it was easy to guess his top-tier looks.

Everyone in the room stared at him in amazement.

Who was this person?

He didn't seem to be part of their circle.

At that moment, Huo Jihan, seated in the main seat, noticed Lin Yi, his eyes flickering slightly.

Lin Yi walked over to Huo Jihan and smiled. "Why hasn't it ended yet? I've been waiting for you for a while."

His tone was relaxed, and his voice was pleasant, like a soothing night breeze under the moonlight, giving a comfortable feeling.

Hearing Lin Yi speak so casually to Huo Jihan, everyone's eyes widened.

They were always cautious and measured in their words around Huo Jihan, afraid that a single wrong word might offend him.

Huo Jihan looked at Lin Yi in front of him, and the violent aura around him finally subsided somewhat. Then, he spoke in a low voice, "It's over."

Lin Yi still smiled, "Shall we go home?"

As he said this, he even reached out to hold Huo Jihan's hand.

Lin Yi's hand was fair and slender, fitting perfectly into Huo Jihan's large palm.

The people around them drew a sharp breath when they saw Lin Yi's action.

Who is this person? Is he courting death? How dare he touch Huo Jihan directly?

After all, even the model who didn't touch Huo Jihan made him furious.

Everyone instinctively closed their eyes, thinking that the next scene would be too shocking to watch.

This time, Huo Jihan must be even angrier.

Unexpectedly, Huo Jihan showed no signs of anger; he only lowered his gaze to look at the hand Lin Yi held.

Caught off guard by Lin Yi's sudden gesture, Huo Jihan stared at Lin Yi's hand for a while.

Lin Yi's voice carried a smile, "What's wrong?"

Huo Jihan's voice was low, "Nothing."

He did not refuse Lin Yi's hand.

Soon, he clasped Lin Yi's hand firmly and stood up, saying word by word, "Let's go."

Then, Huo Jihan led Lin Yi out.

Everyone's gaze followed them.

Huo Jihan, dressed in a well-tailored black suit, had a tall and slender figure with a cold expression. Lin Yi, on the other hand, wore casual clothes and had a faint smile on his face.

Logically, these two had completely different auras, like ice and fire, incompatible.

But strangely, when they walked together, they seemed perfectly matched and harmonious, as if there were only the two of them in the world, with no room for others.

The people kept staring at Lin Yi and Huo Jihan until they disappeared from the private room, then reluctantly came back to their senses, exchanging glances.

So Mr. Huo already has someone by his side, and it looks like a particularly handsome young man. They seem very well-matched.

No wonder their attempts to introduce people to Huo Jihan always failed. It seems they should give up on that idea now.

Lin Yi and Huo Jihan held hands and walked towards the elevator.

It was neither a short nor long distance.

Lin Yi's fingertips were slightly cool, but being enveloped by Huo Jihan's warm hand, they gradually warmed up.

Their steps synchronized, and even their breathing seemed to align.

Apart from the time when Lin Yi sprained his ankle at the villa and Huo Jihan carried him, this was the first time they had been so close.

Close enough that their clothes occasionally brushed against each other, and their breaths carried the unique scent of the other.

Then, they entered the elevator.

Once inside the elevator, there were no outsiders watching.

Like waking from a dream, Lin Yi released Huo Jihan's hand.

Huo Jihan's palm felt empty, and for a moment, it seemed his heart skipped a beat—though it might have just been an illusion.

Huo Jihan instinctively turned to look at Lin Yi, his dark eyes filled with incomprehensible emotions.

Lin Yi, however, acted as if nothing happened, snapping his fingers cheerfully, "Mission accomplished!"

Huo Jihan stared intently at Lin Yi, "Mission?"

Lin Yi laughed casually, "Yeah, wasn't I pretty convincing? I bet I fooled those people. Pretending to be a married couple isn't that hard."

Huo Jihan remained silent for a moment.

Unaware of Huo Jihan's expression, Lin Yi continued excitedly, "If you need me again, let me know in advance. I promise I'll do even better next time."

He then added to himself, "I didn't realize how realistic my acting could be. They should give me an Oscar for this..."

Seeing Lin Yi about to continue talking, Huo Jihan interrupted him, "Lin Yi."

Lin Yi stopped talking, looking at Huo Jihan in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Huo Jihan seemed to want to say something else, but ended up speaking calmly, "No talking in the elevator."

Lin Yi: "..."

How did he not know about such a rule?

Besides, there were only the two of them in the elevator. Even if he talked, it wouldn't bother anyone, right?

Lin Yi felt puzzled but didn't continue speaking.

Anyway, hadn't he helped Huo Jihan a lot? Why didn't this person seem very happy?

The two then rode the elevator in silence to the underground parking lot.

When they reached the black Rolls-Royce, both of them stopped.

At this moment, Huo Jihan turned to Lin Yi and said, "I still have some other matters to attend to. Let Li Feng drive you back."

Lin Yi replied coldly, "Oh."

Lin Yi usually spoke in a carefree manner with an upbeat tone, making it easy for others to sense his cheerful mood.

However, at this moment, his mood was clearly not great. His voice was flat and unresponsive, as if he refused to engage in conversation.

Huo Jihan looked at Lin Yi, his gaze deep and inscrutable.

But Lin Yi didn't look at him; instead, he stared straight ahead.

There seemed to be an indescribable and subtle atmosphere between the two of them.

Huo Jihan sighed quietly and then said, "I wasn't being harsh with you just now."

He couldn't quite explain the feeling that had come over him in that instant, leaving him somewhat unsettled, as if he had lost grasp of some fleeting thoughts.

Lin Yi still didn't look at Huo Jihan.

It wasn't that he was really angry; it wasn't a big deal after all.

It was just that being spoken to like that by Huo Jihan left him unsure of what Huo Jihan meant, so he didn't want to talk to him for the time being.

Lin Yi remained silent, and the two stood quietly in front of the car.

Li Feng, holding the car keys, stood at a distance without approaching.

As Huo Jihan's assistant, reading the situation was a basic requirement for him.

He sensed that he shouldn't interrupt them at this moment.

Over here, Huo Jihan looked at the silent Lin Yi and finally added, "You did very well in the private room just now. You deserve praise."

Feeling acknowledged, Lin Yi's expression improved slightly, and he turned to look at Huo Jihan. "Right? With my entrance just now, no one will try to push anyone else onto you for a long time."

Huo Jihan nodded. "Yes, you're right."

Lin Yi smiled broadly. "No need to thank me too much. After all, it's part of our contract. I'm here to shield you from those who might cause trouble."

Lin Yi's tone was purely business-like, defining their relationship as a transaction.

After a brief pause, Huo Jihan asked Lin Yi, "So, you know the terms of the contract very well?"

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I've read it over several times."

Mainly because he feared that if he missed any clause, it might affect the five million he received each month. So, after entering the book, he carefully studied the agreement originally signed with Huo Jihan.

Huo Jihan remained silent.

Lin Yi countered, "What? Could it be that you don't remember the content?"

That shouldn't be the case. With Huo Jihan's high IQ, remembering one agreement, let alone a hundred, would be effortless.

After asking this, Lin Yi stared intently at Huo Jihan.

Please don't forget about our agreement. If he couldn't get the five million every month, he wouldn't be able to live a carefree life.

Under Lin Yi's intense gaze, Huo Jihan paused for a moment before answering, "...Yes, I remember."

Lin Yi finally felt relieved. "Good, then let's work together happily!"

Huo Jihan's gaze remained deep, and he didn't say anything further, his thoughts unknown.

Meanwhile, Li Feng saw that the conversation between the two masters had finally concluded and approached with the car keys.

In the process, he couldn't help but sneak a glance at Mr. Huo.

For some reason, he felt that Mr. Huo seemed close to forgetting about the agreement with Mr. Lin.

An hour later, Lin Yi was driven back to the villa by Li Feng.

Huo Jihan went off to attend another event. As a busy person like Huo Jihan, there was no time for leisure.

Of course, the most important thing was that Huo Jihan himself was a workaholic, which is why he even brought documents to a private mountain retreat.

Lin Yi's lifestyle was completely different.

After returning to the villa, he first took the vase from the auction to upstairs and placed a bouquet of flowers in it.

After doing this, he lazily went downstairs, sat on the living room sofa, turned on the TV, and opened a bag of chips.

He lounged on the sofa, watching TV and munching on chips, living a life of utter comfort.

Huo Mianmian was playing on a fake hill within the villa complex.

His small body crouched on the ground, plucking a dandelion and blowing it, watching the seeds scatter in the wind.

Huo Mianmian's eyes sparkled as he watched the scattered dandelion seeds, finding it fun, and plucked another one to blow.

He rarely used to go out to play, always staying in his room alone.

But since spending time with Lin Yi, his personality had become more outgoing, and he was willing to venture outside.

At this moment, the nanny looking after him smiled and said, "Young Master Mianmian, Mr. Lin has returned."

Huo Mianmian's eyes lit up at these words, and the little one clearly became happier.

He wanted Lin Yi to experience the joy of blowing dandelions, so he picked several more dandelions and held them in his hands. Then he got up, left the rockery happily, and headed towards the main house.

Lin Yi was munching on chips when a soft little one suddenly jumped into his arms.

The little one was like a round, fluffy rice ball, with a soft body and a sweet scent.

Lin Yi paused for a moment, then looked down at Huo Mianmian in his arms and smiled, "Sweetheart, did you have fun playing at home today?"

Huo Mianmian nodded brightly and then, like presenting a treasure, handed something he had been hiding to Lin Yi. "Little Dad, this is for you."

But when he extended his hand, it revealed several... bare branches.

Huo Mianmian: "..."

Huh?

Where were his dandelions?

Lin Yi looked at what Huo Mianmian was holding out and was also puzzled. "Mianmian, what do you want to give me?"

Huo Mianmian pouted slightly. "Dandelions."

He thought dandelions were fun and wanted to share them with Little Dad. But apparently, they had been blown away by the wind along the way, and he hadn't noticed because he was eager to return and share them with Lin Yi.

Seeing Huo Mianmian's dejected expression, Lin Yi quickly comforted him. "It's okay, sweetheart. I received your gift."

Huo Mianmian still hung his head unhappily.

Fortunately, a servant who had arrived just then handed over a bunch of dandelions. "Young Master Mianmian, look at this."

The servant had noticed that Huo Mianmian seemed to love dandelions and had picked some extra, which came in handy now.

Seeing the dandelions in the servant's hand, Huo Mianmian immediately brightened up, took them, and offered them to Lin Yi. "Little Dad, play!"

Only then did Lin Yi realize that Huo Mianmian wanted to share dandelions with him. He smiled and ruffled Huo Mianmian's hair. "Okay, let's play together."

Next, father and son went to the lawn in front of the villa and blew the dandelions apart, enjoying themselves thoroughly.

When they re-entered the villa, Lin Yi noticed the steward busily directing the servants to prepare something.

Lin Yi asked instinctively, "Uncle Wu, what is everyone doing?"

The steward smiled. "Today is Mr. Huo's birthday, and we are decorating the villa."

Lin Yi was stunned for a few seconds upon hearing this.

Today was actually Huo Jihan's birthday?

He had spent quite some time with Huo Jihan in the morning, but Huo Jihan hadn't mentioned it at all. It made sense, though; Huo Jihan wasn't the type to bring up his own birthday.

No wonder Huo Jihan had gone somewhere else after parting with him earlier. He must have gone to attend some birthday celebration.

After all, as the president of the Huo Group, many people would want to fawn over him, and there would be countless ways to celebrate.

So, should he celebrate Huo Jihan's birthday?

Although they were only married by contract, they lived under the same roof, and it wouldn't be right to ignore his birthday completely.

Should he pretend he didn't know?

After all, he didn't know until the steward told him.

Lin Yi hesitated for a while and decided to prepare something for Huo Jihan. After all, pretending not to know wouldn't be appropriate.

Time passed until evening.

Even past nine o'clock, Huo Jihan still hadn't returned.

The steward, clearly used to this, said, "Mr. Huo probably won't come back for his birthday. He's always very busy on his birthday."

Lin Yi understood.

After all, Huo Jihan wasn't an ordinary person and couldn't easily take time off on his birthday. As the head of a large group, he inevitably had social obligations.

Time continued to pass.

Soon it was eleven o'clock.

The steward, certain that Huo Jihan wouldn't return for his birthday, called the servants to rest and left himself.

Not long after, it was eleven forty.

In the living room, only Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian remained.

Huo Mianmian, being a child, couldn't resist sleepiness, and his head was nodding, his eyes half-closed.

Lin Yi patted Huo Mianmian's back, soothing him. "Mianmian, go to sleep. It's very late now."

Huo Mianmian, only three years old, didn't fully understand birthdays. He was just waiting with Lin Yi.

With Lin Yi gently coaxing him to sleep, he soon closed his eyes and drifted off, breathing softly.

Lin Yi laid Huo Mianmian flat on the sofa and covered him with a small blanket.

Actually, he was a bit sleepy himself and couldn’t help but yawn.

Lin Yi took out his phone to check the time.

It was already eleven fifty.

He thought that since he had waited this long, he might as well wait a bit longer.

After all, it was Huo Jihan’s birthday; he couldn’t let him come back to a cold, empty house.

At one o'clock in the morning, a black extended limousine stopped at the villa's entrance.

The driver quickly got out of the car and went to open the rear door.

Then, Huo Jihan stepped out of the backseat with a cold expression and walked into the villa step by step.

When Huo Jihan entered the villa, he noticed a small lamp still on in the living room area.

Normally, the villa would be completely dark at this hour.

Huo Jihan’s dark eyes scanned the room and then spotted Lin Yi sitting on the sofa.

Lin Yi was clearly very sleepy, slouching on the sofa with his head slowly sliding down, about to fall over.

Huo Jihan strode over, extending his broad hand to support Lin Yi’s head.

Lin Yi, who had been somewhat dazed, suddenly became more alert when his head landed on a hand.

He opened his sleepy eyes and saw Huo Jihan.

His voice, hoarse from sleep, sounded quite alluring: "Mr. Huo, you’re back?"

Huo Jihan lowered his voice and asked, "Why are you still awake so late?"

Lin Yi yawned again and said, "Isn’t it your birthday today?"

Huo Jihan was slightly taken aback.

So the reason Lin Yi hadn’t slept yet was because of this?

After exchanging a few words, Lin Yi finally woke up fully.

He lifted his eyes to look at Huo Jihan.

Only then did he notice that Huo Jihan looked different tonight.

Huo Jihan must have had some drinks today, as there was a faint scent of alcohol mixed with his usual cologne.

The combination was strangely pleasant, giving off a slightly intoxicating feeling.

Huo Jihan had taken off his suit jacket and draped it over his arm, leaving only a white shirt on.

The usually meticulously buttoned shirt now had the top two buttons undone, revealing his Adam’s apple.

Perhaps it was the late hour that made people less rational.

Lin Yi felt that Huo Jihan looked different from usual.

But Lin Yi only paused for a second before regaining his composure and asking Huo Jihan, "Have you eaten outside? Would you like some midnight snack?"

He had considered buying a gift for Huo Jihan.

But then he thought that someone of Huo Jihan’s status probably had everything they needed.

In that case, it would be better to make something by hand to express his sincerity.

So in the afternoon, Lin Yi specifically learned how to make longevity noodles from the family chef.

Now he could make them for Huo Jihan to eat.

Huo Jihan had indeed eaten something outside, but not much, so he didn’t refuse Lin Yi and nodded, "Sure."

Soon, Lin Yi went to the kitchen.

Although he wasn’t a professional chef, he looked quite confident standing at the stove, preparing longevity noodles for Huo Jihan.

Huo Jihan also came into the kitchen, leaning against the door frame, watching Lin Yi work inside.

The kitchen lights were bright and warm.

Lin Yi stood there, focused on preparing the longevity noodles.

Soon, the water in the pot began to boil, bubbling vigorously.

Lin Yi recalled the steps the chef had taught him and prepared carefully.

Huo Jihan stood at the door, watching Lin Yi the whole time.

Huo Jihan was naturally aloof, rarely showing emotions or sensing anything deeply.

But in the kitchen—

the warm yellow light, the mist rising from the pot, and the focused, busy Lin Yi—

all combined to create a warm, homely atmosphere.

And in this slightly intoxicating ambiance, Lin Yi brought a bowl of cooked longevity noodles to Huo Jihan, smiling with his eyes slightly curved, as if filled with twinkling stars.

Lin Yi looked earnestly at Huo Jihan, speaking lightly and cheerfully, filled with blessings—

"Mr. Ho, happy thirty-first birthday!"