Chapter 64

Chapter 64

There was a faux mountain in the villa area.

It was perfect for cooling off during the summer.

On this day, Lin Yi led Huo Mianmian up the faux mountain.

This faux mountain covered a large area.

It was adorned with flowers, trees, and two pavilions—one halfway up the mountain and one at the top.

It was Lin Yi's first time here, so he walked slowly, stopping occasionally to admire the scenery.

The plants on the faux mountain were clearly well-maintained, free of any weeds, and comprised of expensive varieties.

Although Lin Yi did not know the specific species, he could tell they were valuable.

They followed the stone steps upward and eventually reached the pavilion halfway up the mountain.

The pavilion was beautifully constructed from solid wood, with intricate carvings under the eaves.

Inside, there was a stone table surrounded by four stone stools.

Sitting here, even without any particular reason, would improve one's mood.

Lin Yi sat down contentedly at the stone table and placed a bunch of grapes he had brought, treating it like a picnic.

Huo Mianmian climbed onto a stone stool and sat next to Lin Yi.

After sitting down, he swung his short legs back and forth.

It was clear that he was very happy.

At this moment, a cool breeze blew into the pavilion, causing both father and son to squint their eyes in contentment.

Lin Yi peeled a grape and offered it to Huo Mianmian: "Come on, kiddo, have a taste!"

Huo Mianmian leaned forward and took the grape with a "nom."

Lin Yi laughed: "How is it? Sweet?"

Huo Mianmian's eyes curved into crescents as he said happily: "Sweet~"

Father and son then spent some time eating grapes in the pavilion.

Suddenly, a dragonfly fluttered its wings and flew into the pavilion.

This dragonfly was bright red and exceptionally beautiful.

Huo Mianmian's attention was immediately drawn to it.

He watched the red dragonfly with his round eyes, following its flight path.

He kept his focus entirely on the red dragonfly.

Eventually, it landed on a nearby blade of grass.

Huo Mianmian's eyes sparkled as he said to Lin Yi: "Dad, I want to catch the dragonfly."

Lin Yi smiled: "Go ahead."

Huo Mianmian slid off the stone stool and tiptoed toward the dragonfly.

Lin Yi continued eating grapes while watching Huo Mianmian with amusement.

Huo Mianmian moved step by step, cautiously approaching the dragonfly.

But just as he was about to reach it, the dragonfly flew away.

Huo Mianmian: "..."

Huh?

Why did it fly away?

The dragonfly circled around.

Huo Mianmian turned to follow its movements.

Finally, the dragonfly landed on the pavilion railing.

This time, Huo Mianmian was even more careful, afraid of making any noise that might scare the dragonfly away.

He slowed his movements, inching closer like a little kitten, making no sound at all.

This time, he got even closer to the dragonfly.

Then he stretched out his hand, reaching for it...

In the next second, the dragonfly flew away again.

This time, it flew out of the pavilion, disappearing from sight.

Huo Mianmian felt a bit discouraged after failing twice.

He walked back to Lin Yi, squatted in front of him, rested his head on Lin Yi's knee, and said in a soft voice: "Dad, catching dragonflies is really hard."

Lin Yi looked at Huo Mianmian lying on his knee, finding him incredibly adorable.

Huo Mianmian looked incredibly adorable.

His little head rested on Lin Yi's knee, revealing a round, chubby face like a tender white milk bun.

Lin Yi decisively reached out to poke Huo Mianmian's cheek.

The feeling was surprisingly good, as if he were poking jelly.

Huo Mianmian cooperated, resting his small head on Lin Yi's knee, allowing him to poke it.

However, he still couldn't let go of the fact that he hadn't caught the dragonfly: "Dad, why did the dragonfly fly away? I wanted to play with it."

Lin Yi withdrew his hand and said with a smile, "I don't know either. Maybe next time you see a dragonfly, you can ask it."

Huo Mianmian could only accept this suggestion and nodded: "Okay."

But soon, another creature caught his attention.

He heard the sound of cicadas coming from a nearby tree—

"Chirp—" "Chirp—"

Huo Mianmian instantly perked up.

He sprang up and set a new goal for himself: "Dad, I'm going to catch a cicada!"

Lin Yi smiled and said, "Go ahead."

Huo Mianmian stood straight, then walked with his short legs towards the tree with the cicada.

The cicada was perched high in the treetop.

When Huo Mianmian arrived at the tree and looked up, he was stunned.

It was so tall; how could he possibly catch the cicada?

Huo Mianmian didn't give up. He tried shaking the tree hard, hoping to shake the cicada down.

But it wouldn't budge.

He then found a branch, intending to use it to knock the cicada down.

However, even though the branch was long, it still couldn't reach the cicada.

Huo Mianmian: "..."

This was too difficult!

Huo Mianmian gave up on catching the cicada and returned to Lin Yi's side.

Just like when he failed to catch the dragonfly, he squatted in front of Lin Yi and rested his head on Lin Yi's leg, saying in a soft voice, "Dad, catching cicadas is also really hard!"

Lin Yi laughed heartily: "Hahaha!!"

The little one was so amusing!

Lin Yi peeled a grape and put it into Huo Mianmian's mouth, then comforted him, "It's okay. If we can't catch small animals, let's just eat grapes together."

"Okay~"

Huo Mianmian quickly cheered up, sat on the stone bench, and continued eating grapes with Lin Yi.

Soon, night fell.

After dinner, Lin Yi sat on the sofa playing with his phone.

He scrolled through Weibo for a while.

Recently, Huo Shi's retirement had been a major event, constantly trending and being pushed by Weibo.

Lin Yi inadvertently came across several posts about it.

At one point, he saw a fan's comment in Huo Shi's super topic.

The comment was very brief, just one sentence: "Huo Shi, will you come back and compete again?"

Although it was just one sentence, the fan posted it every day without fail.

Lin Yi clicked into the fan's Weibo profile and found that the fan was a loyal follower of Huo Shi, posting only things related to him.

It was clear that Huo Shi's retirement had hit the fan hard.

Lin Yi sighed and exited Weibo, planning to use other apps.

But at that moment, he heard some faint voices from upstairs.

Lin Yi instinctively looked towards the staircase.

He didn't see anyone, but he heard some of Jihan's words.

Jihan's voice was cold.

"Huo Shi, you chose to run away from home. Who are you showing your self-pity to now?"

"I told you, adults must bear the consequences of their decisions."

"..."

The rest of the conversation became unclear.

After a while, Huo Shi came down from upstairs, his usually rebellious and handsome face now somewhat clouded.

Lin Yi couldn't help but whistle in surprise.

This unlucky kid, how did he manage to upset his brother again?

When Huo Shi descended the stairs, he saw Lin Yi sitting in the living room. He was taken aback for a moment before walking over and sitting beside Lin Yi.

After sitting down, he hung his head, the lines of his profile carrying a hint of coldness, lost in thought.

Lin Yi didn't disturb him and prepared to continue playing with his phone.

Unexpectedly, Huo Shi turned to look at him: "Sister-in-law, have you ever done something you regretted?"

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow at this sudden question.

Is this guy planning to have a heart-to-heart talk with me?

Thinking this, Lin Yi put away his phone and said, "Who hasn't had a few regrets in life?"

Huo Shi continued, "What if it's something that can't be undone?"

Lin Yi nodded. "Sure, there are plenty of those."

For example, in his previous life, he worked tirelessly, pushing himself to the brink, and although he succeeded in the investment banking industry, he ended up dying suddenly. That was certainly a significant and irreversible event.

Huo Shi asked, "Would you come to terms with it?"

Lin Yi smiled. "Of course, life is unpredictable. No one knows whether the next thing will be good or bad, so I accept everything that comes my way. I accept all the changes in my life."

He then changed the topic, "Besides, everyone hopes for a chance to restart time and go back to a certain moment, but who can guarantee they'll make the best choice when given another chance?"

Take himself as an example; he entered the investment banking industry and worked too hard, leading to his sudden death. If he could go back, would he really achieve a work-life balance? What if external pressures forced him to keep pushing himself? It's all uncertain.

After listening to Lin Yi's words, Huo Shi lowered his eyes and said, "Sometimes, I can't understand certain things."

Lin Yi guessed that what Huo Shi referred to might be related to his sudden retirement.

However, he didn't pry further and continued, "If you can't figure it out, don't dwell on it. Remember, time is powerful. Even if you can't accept something right away, eventually, you'll find yourself letting go without even realizing it."

Huo Shi listened and gave a faint smile. "Sister-in-law, I find you really live life with clarity."

Huo Shi rarely smiled these days, but when he did, it brought a youthful charm.

Lin Yi also smiled. "What clarity? It's just day by day, isn't that life?"

After this conversation, Huo Shi seemed less burdened. He leaned back on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling, saying, "No one has ever told me these things."

Lin Yi understood this well.

The Huo family's way of interacting differed from ordinary families, lacking warmth in some ways.

It wasn't that they lacked familial love; their expressions were just more rigid and cold.

Lin Yi comforted Huo Shi, "Don't worry. You should know that being born into the Huo family and becoming the second young master means you've gained far more than most people."

Huo Shi didn't say anything in response.

At this point, Lin Yi got up and took a few bottles of beer from the fridge, asking Huo Shi, "Want a drink?"

Huo Shi sat up straight, surprised. "Are you specifically drinking with me to cheer me up?"

Lin Yi opened a can of beer and glanced at him. "What are you thinking? I just wanted a drink myself and figured I'd ask you."

With Lin Yi's explanation, Huo Shi relaxed.

Meanwhile, Huo Shi began to understand why his brother chose Lin Yi.

Because Lin Yi was truly special and made people feel comfortable, drawing them closer without them even realizing it.

Then, Lin Yi and Huo Shi drank beer bottle after bottle.

Both had good tolerance, and soon they finished the beers Lin Yi had brought out. Huo Shi then fetched more, including a bottle of red wine.

After a few drinks, Huo Shi felt slightly tipsy and more relaxed than he had in a long time, as if some of the burdens weighing on his heart had lifted.

Perhaps his sister-in-law was right; time heals all wounds, and things will get better with patience.

By ten o'clock that night, Lin Yi and Huo Shi had finished their drinks and walked upstairs one after the other.

Although Lin Yi had a good tolerance, he was slightly drunk.

Huo Shi stepped forward and asked, "Sister-in-law, do you need me to support you?"

Lin Yi waved his hand. "Not that dramatic."

As they ascended the stairs, they coincidentally ran into Huo Jihan coming out of the study.

Lin Yi greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Huo, finished your work?"

Though his speech was clear, he stumbled slightly and leaned against the corridor railing.

His peach blossom eyes were slightly glazed, indicating he was indeed drunk.

Huo Jihan's dark eyes immediately turned to Huo Shi.

Caught under Huo Jihan's gaze, Huo Shi sobered up a bit and instinctively explained, "I didn't force him to drink."

Although his sister-in-law indeed probably drank so much just to keep him company.

Huo Jihan retracted his gaze from Huo Shi, then advanced a few paces, reaching Lin Yi's side, and inquired in a hushed tone, "Why have you consumed so much alcohol?"

Lin Yi didn't say anything, just smiled.

Lin Yi's smile was always charming, but now with a hint of intoxication, it was even more captivating.

Huo Jihan took a deep breath, stopped pressing the question, and instead reached out to support Lin Yi: "Let's go. I'll take you back to your room."

Fortunately, even though Lin Yi was drunk, he didn't make a scene but followed Huo Jihan back to the room.

Huo Shi watched his brother and sister-in-law's backs, somewhat stunned for a while.

When had his brother ever been so gentle with anyone? This was truly unique.

After a brief moment of distraction, Huo Shi also headed to his bedroom.

Meanwhile, inside Lin Yi's room.

Huo Jihan supported Lin Yi, leading him to sit on the bed.

Then he straightened up and asked Lin Yi, "Do you want some water?"

Lin Yi seemed genuinely drunk, sitting at the edge of the bed, nodding and then shaking his head, unsure what he wanted to express.

Huo Jihan found this amusing but still poured a glass of warm water for Lin Yi.

However, when Huo Jihan returned, he paused abruptly.

At that moment, Lin Yi was sitting at the edge of the bed, unbuttoning his shirt.

He wore a casual white shirt today, with quite a few buttons.

Probably feeling hot, he started unbuttoning one by one.

Soon, a large expanse of his delicate collarbone was exposed.

And he continued unbuttoning further down.

This scene was undoubtedly very eye-catching.

Lin Yi's slender, pale hands slowly and seductively undid each button, the shirt gradually opening to reveal his pale collarbone and chest...

Huo Jihan watched this, his eyes darkening, and his Adam's apple moved with restraint.

Seeing Lin Yi about to expose his chest, Huo Jihan spoke up to stop him: "Lin Yi..."

Lin Yi, slightly slow due to the alcohol, looked up after a moment: "Ah?"

Looking somewhat dazed.

A rare sight.

Huo Jihan paused for a moment before speaking, his voice slightly hoarse: "Don't unbutton anymore. Go to sleep."

Lin Yi frowned in confusion: "But I'm hot."

Huo Jihan almost coaxed him: "I'll turn on the air conditioning for you."

With that, he picked up the remote control and adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature.

Lin Yi finally felt less hot and obediently slipped under the covers.

Seeing this, Huo Jihan let out a soft sigh of relief.

Drunk Lin Yi was truly troublesome.

After slipping into bed, Lin Yi soon fell asleep, breathing lightly.

Huo Jihan stayed by his bedside for a while, making sure he was fine before leaving.

Before leaving, he gave Lin Yi a deep look, his dark eyes filled with complex emotions.

The next morning.

When Lin Yi woke up again, it was already past ten o'clock.

Rubbing his slightly dizzy head, he sat up from the bed.

Had he really gotten drunk last night?

Rare indeed.

But it seemed Huo Jihan had taken care of him for a long time last night?

And he even undressed in front of Huo Jihan?

Lin Yi: "..."

He always seemed to get into trouble in front of Huo Jihan!

Luckily, it was Monday today, and Huo Jihan must have gone to work. They wouldn't see each other.

Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

But when he picked up his phone, he saw a WeChat message from Huo Jihan?

Was it about last night?

So it couldn't be avoided after all?!

Lin Yi's heart sank once more.

With a resigned determination, he quickly opened WeChat and saw—

"Huo Jihan: Next time, don’t get drunk with others."

Lin Yi: "…"

What?!

What does Huo Jihan mean by this?!