Chapter 80

Chapter 80

After Lin Yi returned home, he played with building blocks alongside Huo Mianmian.

He hadn't paid much attention to such toys before, but now that he was engaging with them, he found them surprisingly interesting.

Huo Mianmian had various types of building blocks, including one set designed for constructing houses.

Father and son sat together on the carpet.

Huo Mianmian brought over his house-building blocks.

These blocks were neatly organized in several bags, each containing pieces for different parts of the house.

To help users build more easily, the set came with an instruction manual detailing step-by-step procedures.

Huo Mianmian emptied the contents of bag number one onto the carpet, and a pile of small colorful pieces scattered across, creating a visually impressive scene.

Looking at these complex and diverse pieces, Lin Yi sincerely praised, "Mianmian, I didn't realize you're always undertaking such a grand project."

The pieces were intricate and numerous, and it was unclear how Huo Mianmian managed to find the right ones among so many during each session.

After hearing Lin Yi's words, Huo Mianmian smiled slightly and then placed the instruction manual between them. "Dad, just follow the instructions."

Lin Yi nodded. "Okay."

This time, they were going to build a two-story house.

The house built from these blocks was surprisingly similar to a real one, complete with furniture like televisions, sofas, coffee tables, and even slippers by the door.

Lin Yi marveled at it and began building the house with Huo Mianmian.

It turned out to be quite enjoyable.

Perhaps everyone has a fondness for watching something gradually take shape, even if it's a pretend house made of blocks.

Seeing the house come together piece by piece, with rooms forming and furniture being placed, gave a sense of pride and satisfaction.

Father and son worked together, dividing tasks to build the house.

Lin Yi felt like he was rediscovering the joy of childhood.

Huo Mianmian, on the other hand, was very focused, using his chubby little hands to carefully place each block, ensuring stability before moving on to the next.

Together, they spent over two hours building the house, which turned out to be a charming two-story structure.

The house was brightly colored, vibrant, and full of childlike whimsy.

Looking at the finished house, Lin Yi stretched his wrists, feeling as if he had participated in a significant project.

He extended his hand to Huo Mianmian. "Come on, Mianmian, let's give each other a high-five!"

Huo Mianmian reached out his little hand and laughed as they high-fived.

They had accomplished a remarkable task together.

After finishing the house, Huo Mianmian rummaged through his toy box and found two figurines, one larger and one smaller, clearly representing Lin Yi and himself.

However, after a moment's thought, he retrieved a third figurine.

It would be better to include Dad too.

He placed the three figurines inside their newly built block house.

Thus, a harmonious little family was born.

Lin Yi smiled at the sight.

Although he hadn't previously considered forming a family, it seemed that living with Huo Jihan and Mianmian for the rest of his life might not be a bad idea.

A few days later, it was time to film the parenting show.

Lin Yi prepared their luggage in advance.

Huo Mianmian no longer resisted going out to film shows; he was now just like any other child, eager to play and have fun.

He had also packed his suitcase early, ready to go to a new place with his dad.

Upon learning about this, Huo Jihan deliberately left for the company later to see Lin Yi and Mianmian off.

Lin Yi hadn't traveled far in a long time and was quite excited.

After breakfast, he sat in the living room, humming a tune.

Their flight was scheduled for around noon, so they still had plenty of time before heading to the airport.

Compared to Lin Yi's joy, Huo Jihan seemed somewhat gloomy.

He lifted his dark eyes and looked at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi, relaxed on the sofa, was humming and casually scrolling through his phone.

As he scrolled, he sensed something amiss and looked up, meeting Huo Jihan's gaze.

Feeling cheerful, Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me?"

Huo Jihan asked with an indiscernible tone, "Are you really looking forward to this trip?"

Lin Yi nodded honestly. "I'm quite looking forward to it. Last time we went to the desert; I wonder where we'll go this time."

After all, people enjoy visiting new and unknown places, and he was no exception.

Huo Jihan responded with a faint tone, "Oh."

It was only then that Lin Yi sensed something.

He held back a laugh and asked Huo Jihan, "You don't seem too happy?"

It was rare to see Huo Jihan in such an obviously low mood. Usually, Huo Jihan was emotionally stable and strong, showing no fluctuations.

Huo Jihan didn't deny it but said directly, "I am indeed not very happy."

Lin Yi asked instinctively, "Why?"

Huo Jihan's dark eyes were somber as he said, word by word, "I haven't even chased him down yet, and now he's about to run to the ends of the earth."

Lin Yi: "..."

He almost choked on his own saliva and sat up straighter.

Huo Jihan could always say things that stirred one's emotions.

After saying that, Huo Jihan didn't avoid the topic and kept his gaze fixed on Lin Yi.

Feeling his gaze, Lin Yi started to feel uneasy.

This unease included a bit of nervousness, a quickened heartbeat, and more complex feelings.

The two of them silently stared at each other for a while.

It felt like the air around them was about to crackle with tension.

Lin Yi tried to calm himself down before speaking, "Well, it's not like we won't be back in a few days."

Huo Jihan's voice was low, "Is that so? Why do I feel like every day will be a year?"

After saying this, he looked seriously at Lin Yi and asked, "Lin Yi, what should I do?"

Lin Yi: "..."

He didn't know how to respond.

How was he supposed to know what to do?

At this moment, Huo Jihan's gaze was intensely penetrating, his dark eyes like a vast net that could envelop Lin Yi entirely, making it impossible to escape.

Feeling this gaze, Lin Yi felt a jolt through his body, and his thoughts became muddled.

He vaguely understood why some people would get lost in sweet love, unable to break free. It was a mysterious thing that made you lose control, invisible and intangible, yet affecting your breathing and heartbeat.

After a while, Lin Yi regained his composure.

Just as he was thinking of changing the subject, his phone rang, inadvertently saving him.

Lin Yi let out a light breath and quickly answered the call.

Only then did the dizziness from feeling like he was sinking into an abyss gradually dissipate, and his mind cleared up a bit.

When Lin Yi answered the phone, Shen Feng's voice came through.

Shen Feng asked bluntly, "Lin Yi, have you left yet? Hurry up!"

Lin Yi: "..."

He took the phone away, checked the time, and put it back to his ear, "It's only nine o'clock, why are you in such a rush?"

If they drove fast, it would take about half an hour to reach the airport. The flight was at noon, so leaving around eleven-thirty would be fine.

Upon hearing that Lin Yi was still at home, Shen Feng exclaimed, "You're moving too slowly! Hurry up, I'm waiting for you, and it's scorching hot."

Lin Yi replied, "Scorching? Have you already arrived at the airport? If so, don't stand outside, go inside to cool off."

Last time when they went to film the variety show, Shen Feng had already been waiting at the airport.

Shen Feng instinctively retorted, "Who said I'm at the airport?"

Lin Yi asked, puzzled, "Then where are you? Still at home? What's there to be scorched by at home?"

Shen Feng: "I..."

He wanted to say something impulsively but stopped, instead saying, "Hurry up, what are you doing dawdling at home?!"

Lin Yi replied indifferently, "What business is it of yours?"

Shen Feng huffed arrogantly, "Who cares about you?"

With that, he hung up the call.

Lin Yi: "..."

He put down the phone, feeling baffled by Shen Feng's unpredictable temperament.

Meanwhile.

Outside the iron gate of the Huo family villa area.

Shen Feng had his hands in his pockets, dressed in a stylish outfit, and wearing sunglasses, making him look both cool and arrogant.

Unfortunately, the expression on his face was far from pleasant.

He had been excited for days about going to record a show, even waking up before dawn to get ready today.

His behavior was so unusual that it startled the household staff who were used to getting up early.

One of the servants asked why he was so excited about recording a show, since their young master wasn't usually this enthusiastic about such things.

Shen Feng mumbled something incomprehensible, not giving a clear answer.

The servant assumed he was excited because he was going on a long trip.

Only Shen Feng knew that he was excited because of someone else.

Now, Shen Feng stood outside this person's villa complex, under the glaring sun, his face darkening with frustration.

He wondered why he had come here to wait for Lin Yi instead of just going straight to the airport.

At least the airport would be air-conditioned, cool, and comfortable.

Despite his thoughts, Shen Feng didn't leave.

What made him even more annoyed was the incessant chirping of cicadas in a nearby tree, disturbing the peace.

Frustrated, he shouted at the tree, "Why are you chirping so much?!"

The cicadas paused briefly before chirping even louder.

Shen Feng: "..."

How infuriating! Even the cicadas were against him!

Meanwhile.

Lin Yi was completely unaware of all this.

It was a bright, sunny day, with harsh sunlight.

Even inside an air-conditioned room, it felt somewhat stuffy.

So Lin Yi took an ice pop from the fridge, unwrapped it, and started eating it.

Instantly, he felt refreshed.

Just then, his phone rang again.

It was Shen Feng calling once more, only twenty minutes after the last call.

Lin Yi: "..."

While still eating his ice pop, he answered the phone with a hint of exasperation, "What do you want? Just say it."

Shen Feng urged, "Hurry up, isn't it better to leave earlier?"

Lin Yi: "...I didn't know you were the type to be so eager about work."

Shen Feng was taken aback but continued, "So what? When are you leaving?"

Lin Yi was about to say it was still early when he faintly heard the sound of cicadas in the background of Shen Feng's call.

Lin Yi fell silent for a moment before asking, "Where are you exactly?"

This time, Shen Feng hesitated, perhaps planning a surprise or suddenly feeling embarrassed.

Lin Yi: "..."

He had a pretty good idea where Shen Feng was.

After a brief pause, he told Shen Feng over the phone, "Wait there, I'm leaving now."

With that, he hung up and said to Huo Jihan, "Mr. Huo, I need to leave earlier."

Huo Jihan was reading a document and put it down upon hearing this, asking, "Why?"

Lin Yi explained, "Shen Feng is already waiting for me outside, probably at the entrance of the villa complex."

Huo Jihan's eyes darkened slightly. "He came all the way here just to wait for you?"

Lin Yi hadn't expected this either but said, "He must have come by chance."

Huo Jihan's expression remained inscrutable.

Lin Yi asked, "Is something wrong?"

Huo Jihan replied, "Nothing."

He put down the document and said, "Let's go. I'll drive you and Mianmian to the airport."

Lin Yi thought Huo Jihan meant he would just see them off at the car.

But when they got into the car, Huo Jihan followed them in.

Surprised, Lin Yi blinked and asked, "Mr. Huo, what are you doing?"

Huo Jihan: "I'm taking you to the airport."

Saying this, he directly instructed the driver in front, "Drive."

The driver respectfully replied, "Yes, Mr. Huo."

With that, he started the car.

Seeing that the situation was settled, Lin Yi didn't say anything more.

Before long, the car drove out of the villa area and reached the iron gate outside.

From a distance, Lin Yi saw a figure under the tree.

Who else could it be but Shen Feng?

Once the car passed through the iron gate, Lin Yi said to the driver, "Could you please stop the car?"

"Yes."

The driver hit the brakes.

Lin Yi opened the door and got out of the car.

Huo Jihan's gaze followed him as he moved forward.

Lin Yi walked to the tree and called out, "Hey, what are you doing squatting here?"

Shen Feng was squatting on the ground, fiddling with his phone, about to call Lin Yi again. Suddenly hearing Lin Yi's voice, he jumped in fright, almost leaping up from the ground. "Do you walk without making any sound?!"

Lin Yi replied speechlessly, "Why are you so scared? Are you doing something you shouldn't?"

Shen Feng quickly turned off his phone, "N-nothing!"

He was just about to continue harassing Lin Yi.

Inside the car, Huo Jihan watched the two of them joking around with a cold eye.

It was clear that Lin Yi and Shen Feng were quite familiar with each other. They interacted in a relaxed and easy manner, chatting away freely.

Although they occasionally teased each other, it was precisely because of their good relationship that they could be so casual.

Huo Jihan's eyes darkened as he watched the scene not far away.

Through the rearview mirror, the driver keenly sensed the change in his boss's mood, breaking into a cold sweat.

He felt the temperature inside the car drop.

Only Huo Mianmian, the little human cub, remained oblivious. He just thought his dad had been gone for a while, so he pressed his face against the window, watching and waiting for his dad to return.

Over here, after talking to Shen Feng for a bit, Lin Yi asked, "Are you coming with us to the airport?"

Shen Feng bluntly replied, "Of course! Otherwise, why would I go through all this trouble to come here?"

Lin Yi nodded and led Shen Feng towards the car, asking, "Where's your nephew? Why isn't he here?"

Shen Feng replied, "He went to the airport with my assistant."

Lin Yi: "..."

So why did you come over here alone?

Though Lin Yi was speechless, he didn't say anything more.

He opened the car door and got in.

Shen Feng followed closely behind, intending to sit in the back seat. "Hey, let me tell you, our shooting location might be..."

As he spoke, his voice suddenly cut off.

Because he saw Huo Jihan sitting in the back seat.

When Shen Feng met Huo Jihan's icy gaze, he felt himself freeze.

Some people naturally exude an intimidating aura, making others wary, and Huo Jihan was clearly one of them.

So why was Huo Jihan also in the car? Was he going to send Lin Yi to the airport?

If he had known this, he wouldn't have come.

Lin Yi was still waiting for Shen Feng to finish his sentence, so he asked, "Where did you say the shooting location is?"

Shen Feng stammered, "P-possibly in the south."

After saying this, he quickly moved from the back seat to the front passenger seat.

Lin Yi was puzzled, "What are you doing?"

Shen Feng, while stiffly fastening his seatbelt, replied, "T-the view is better up front."

Lin Yi: "...Alright, if you're happy."

Soon, the car continued moving forward.

This time, Shen Feng, who usually chattered non-stop, fell silent.

Lin Yi noticed this but didn't think much of it, instead chatting with Huo Mianmian along the way.

Half an hour later, the car arrived at the airport entrance.

Shen Feng seemed unable to sit still any longer. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and said to Lin Yi, "Take your time. I'll go in and wait for you."

With that, he hurriedly got out of the car like a startled rabbit.

Lin Yi: "…"

Why did he feel that Shen Feng was acting so jumpy?

At this moment, the driver also got out of the car with good timing and took Huo Mianmian with him. "Little Master Mianmian, there's a cotton candy stand over there. Do you want to buy some?"

Soon, everyone had left the car, leaving only Lin Yi and Huo Jihan inside.

Lin Yi also unbuckled his seatbelt, preparing to get out.

But at that moment, Huo Jihan pressed the button to close the door.

The car door slowly shut, turning the interior into an enclosed space once again.

Lin Yi watched the door close, looking at Huo Jihan with some confusion.

At this moment, Huo Jihan gazed deeply at him. "Lin Yi, don't you have something to say before you leave?"

Lin Yi was somewhat bewildered. "Say what?"

He thought for a moment and tentatively said, "Goodbye, Mr. Huo?"

Huo Jihan's eyes remained fixed on him, showing a rare hint of dominance in front of Lin Yi. "You should know that's not what I want to hear."

Lin Yi was a bit taken aback.

He couldn't figure out what Huo Jihan wanted to hear.

His eyes showed genuine confusion. "Then what do you want to hear?"

At this moment, Huo Jihan leaned closer, placing one hand on the backrest next to Lin Yi, trapping him between himself and the car seat.

His dark eyes looked deeply into Lin Yi's. "Think about it."

Lin Yi leaned against the car seat, feeling as if he were in Huo Jihan's embrace.

They were very close, their breaths mingling.

Lin Yi could clearly smell the fragrance of Huo Jihan's cologne, and his entire field of vision was filled with Huo Jihan, as if his whole world consisted of just him.

Lin Yi's mind was a bit foggy, and a certain emotion began to ferment within him, making his heart beat faster than usual.

After a while, he managed to gather his thoughts and asked Huo Jihan, "Is it because of Shen Feng? There's nothing between us."

Clearly, Huo Jihan's gaze softened, having heard the answer he wanted.

However, he didn't detain Lin Yi just for that assurance.

He slightly lowered his head, looking at Lin Yi, who was almost in his arms, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Lin Yi, can I do something first and then explain?"

Lin Yi blinked. "What is it?"

Huo Jihan's lowered voice was incredibly alluring. "This."

With that, he pulled Lin Yi into a tight embrace.

His grip was strong, as if he were holding onto everything.

Lin Yi was caught off guard by the sudden hug, momentarily stunned, then blinked.

Now, they were even closer.

His chin rested on Huo Jihan's broad and sturdy shoulder, their bodies touching through the thin summer clothes. The warmth and heartbeat of the other person were clear and distinct.

The unique scent of the other lingered in the air, making him feel a bit dizzy, as if he had been drinking, though he hadn't.

Lin Yi's hands, hanging by his sides, moved slightly, seemingly wanting to return the hug, but ultimately did not.

Fortunately, Huo Jihan released him soon after and said in a deep voice, "Alright, go. I'll visit you when I have the chance."

Still a bit dazed, Lin Yi nodded subconsciously and got out of the car.

Once he stepped out, pulling his luggage and leading Huo Mianmian toward the airport, he finally came to his senses.

Wait, Huo Jihan had acted first and then explained, and he hadn't even confronted him yet!

Thinking this, Lin Yi turned his head and saw Huo Jihan.

At that moment, Huo Jihan was leaning against the car, not in a hurry to leave, watching them depart.

Huo Jihan stood tall and imposing, creating a unique scenery all by himself.

After watching for a while, Lin Yi suddenly didn't care about the "act first, explain later" anymore.

He turned back and continued walking with Huo Mianmian.

Feeling his heart beating steadily.

Damn, it seems to be beating a bit fast?