Chapter 24: Palpitations He likes Huo Zong, not the kind of affection one has for a fictional character…

Chapter 24: Palpitations He likes Huo Zong, not the kind of affection one has for a fictional character...

The sudden question left Huo Zong stunned.

He held the candy in his mouth, unconsciously avoiding Jiang Fengmian's gaze, his eyes shifting to the rocking chair on the balcony, a faint fear stirring in his heart.

But what exactly he was afraid of, Huo Zong himself couldn't articulate.

He paused for a long, long time, the buzzing tinnitus exploding in his head, his fingers gripping the cracked wristwatch, only after a long while did he hear his own voice.

"Do you really like Xiao Yi?"

Vague, evasive, yet carrying a hint of cautious probing.

Huo Zong suddenly felt trapped in a dead end, a dense net covering him, his breathing becoming rapid.

"Brother, Xiao Yi is the only one besides you who likes to talk to me, doesn't dislike me, he's a good person, I also like talking to him."

"They all ignore me, no one cares about me, Xiao Yi is different, his eyes are beautiful, he doesn't look at me like that."

From Jiang Fengmian's jumbled words, a trace of heartache flashed in Huo Zong's eyes.

After the head injury, Jiang Fengmian had no social life, in the Jiang family he was like a dog chained up, even the nanny could boss him around and abuse him at will.

Three years of a dark life, Jiang Fengmian was probably lonelier than he thought.

"Huo Zong, Xiao Yi is good, but you are the best."

The rest of the words Jiang Fengmian silently kept in his heart, he didn't want to be Xiao Yi's aunt, he just wanted to be Huo Zong's boyfriend, a boyfriend who would be together forever.

Before, he always thought that liking Huo Zong was the kind of affection a fan has for a fictional character, like my idol is the best in the world, I just have to like him.

But after spending time together day and night, Jiang Fengmian was sure, he didn't like the cold fictional character in the book, he liked Huo Zong, a real person.

The Huo Zong who would awkwardly protect him, draw stick figures to cheer him up, worry about him being deceived, and go to great lengths to find someone to teach him.

"Brother, I see the moon."

Jiang Fengmian gazed at Huo Zong with the utmost tenderness, he probably already knew what Huo Zong would do, nothing more than bringing up a new topic, awkwardly glossing over it.

Huo Zong was very, very good, he was the unattainable moon in the water, even if he jumped into the river, he couldn't hold onto the moon in the water.

"Brother, you haven't answered my question yet."

To think, Huo Zong didn't dare to answer.

Someone like him, whether he was a jinx or not was unclear, Huo Zong didn't dare to gamble, nor could he.

"Jiang Fengmian, can we keep the answer?"

Jiang Fengmian's eyes curved into a smile, he contentedly gave Huo Zong another candy.

Keeping the answer was already the very, very best answer.

Did it mean that, in Huo Zong's heart, there was a tiny, tiny bit of something different towards him.

It was already very, very good, Huo Zong had never experienced what it was like to be liked, what it was like for someone to care about another person without expecting anything in return.

In his world, there were only two emotions, disgust and hatred.

Why didn't he die back then? Why hasn't he died yet?

Huo Qing already has an excellent son. Huo Zong's arrival in this world was not anticipated; it was only because of the persistence of the person he loved that he was kept. After that person died, all that remained for Huo Zong was hatred.

Hatred for why it wasn't him who died, and even more hatred for having to raise him.

Books say that emotional apathy is caused by a lack of love from childhood.

A father who despises him, a brother who turns a blind eye, and a nephew who schemes to frame him.

In the grand courtyard of the Huo family's old mansion, it's a miracle that Huo Zong didn't develop a dangerous, anti-human personality.

Surviving was the compulsory course of his first twenty years.

In a way, he and Huo Zong are actually the same kind of people.

Cold and detached, yet gentle; obsessive and gloomy, yet stubborn.

Thinking of this, Jiang Fengmian's heart softened again, and his tone followed suit. His palm rested on Huo Zong's shoulder, his chin propped on the back of his hand, his warm breath spraying onto Huo Zong's neck.

"Huo Zong, say whatever you want, whenever you want."

Creak.

The sound of the door opening.

Sheng Zhiyi awkwardly looked at Huo Zong. Why isn't this over yet? They're almost hugging. He came back at the worst possible time.

At this point, he could only brace himself and greet them: "Hi."

"Uncle, I... I'm hungry, so I came back."

Sheng Zhiyi, who was so full he wanted to burp: Help! Why did I say that? Now Jiang Fengmian is already rummaging for snacks again.

Huo Zong nodded faintly, casually smoothing the wrinkles on his shoulder, signaling Sheng Zhiyi and Bao Jiu to sit down.

"Here, Xiao Yi, have some bread."

"Alright, alright, Xiao... uh, don't trouble yourself."

He wasn't sure if he could call him "auntie." Sheng Zhiyi glanced at Huo Zong, wondering what the best way to address him would be.

"Xiao Yi, you're the same age as Jiang Fengmian. Just call him by his name."

Since his uncle had spoken, Sheng Zhiyi immediately perked up. He hummed in agreement and pulled Jiang Fengmian to sit down.

"Fengmian, you have some too."

"I like this one, it's soft and delicious."

Huo Zong secretly observed Jiang Fengmian. Since Xiao Yi arrived, the smile on his face had grown, as if he had become much more cheerful.

"Xiao Yi, can you still get in touch with Dr. Wu, who treated your grandfather before? I noticed he's no longer at the First People's Hospital in the capital."

"Dr. Wu retired this March. He was supposed to be rehired, but he declined. Now he basically works every Wednesday at the First People's Hospital in the capital, and occasionally goes to other hospitals for a day or two."

"Why, Uncle? Are you thinking of seeing him?"

Huo Zong looked at Jiang Fengmian, softly acknowledging, and whispered, "For Jiang Fengmian to see him."

Jiang Fengmian's mouth was stuffed full, and he looked up in disbelief upon hearing his name.

Eh, for him to see Dr. Wu, could it be that renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Wu?

Would he be able to tell that he's not actually dumb? After all, he did hit his head, so there must be some neurological issues, right? At the very least, there should be some injuries.

Jiang Fengmian remembered that he already had injuries when he transmigrated, could it be...

He raised his hand to touch his head, and indeed, there was a faint scar at the back of his head. When his fingertips brushed over it, there was a slight bump, as if from a poorly healed suture.

"Uncle, you sent me a message yesterday and then withdrew it, was it about this?"

Jiang Fengmian also looked at Huo Zong, his eyes flickering. Huo Zong wasn't just acting on a whim after Sheng Zhiyi arrived; he had planned to get him medical treatment long ago.

"Yeah, it was too late, so I withdrew it."

"Ah, eleven o'clock is just the start of nightlife. How come you're like Second Uncle, what young person goes to sleep at ten? Only you guys."

"Sheng Zhiyi, are you saying I'm old?"

Huo Zong was particularly sensitive to the word "old," having been called an old man before. It felt like a knife had been plunged into his heart, and he was ready to explode like a firecracker.

Bao Jiu pursed his lips and stared intently at Sheng Zhiyi; he was two years older than Huo Zong.

Three pairs of eyes turned to him, and Sheng Zhiyi clenched his fists and began to apologize.

"No, no, not old at all, I was just talking nonsense."

"Jiang Fengmian, what time do you sleep?"

Jiang Fengmian, who stayed up late every night, dared not tell the truth under Huo Zong's cold gaze and weakly replied, "Ten o'clock."

Huo Zong, having won this round, was in a good mood and squinted his eyes, saying, "Xiao Yi, you need to change your habit of staying up late; it's very unhealthy."

"Second Uncle, look at Uncle, you need to back me up."

Sheng Zhiyi tugged at Bao Jiu's arm, acting coquettish, and took the opportunity to lean into his embrace.

All of this was seen by Jiang Fengmian. Bao Jiu was about to become a "Ninja Turtle"; if Sheng Zhiyi acted coquettish a few more times, Bao Jiu's ears would turn red enough to open a dye shop.

Yet Sheng Zhiyi didn't notice, how dense.

"Xiao Yi, your uncle is right."

Hmph, right about what? You don't understand young people's thoughts.

"Uncle, let's change the topic, like talking about Dr. Wu."

"When we get home, I'll have Grandpa call Dr. Wu and then forward your number to him so you can contact him. The consultation fee can be discussed after the visit, but you should prepare a red envelope in advance, a thousand yuan."

"Uncle, if it's not urgent, you could first go to the First Hospital for a systematic check-up. Dr. Wu is hard to book. Besides, Fengmian's condition has been like this for two or three years; we can't tell just by looking. Let's see what the machines say about the treatment."

"Yeah, got it."

"Stay for lunch, you like Aunt Wang's clay pot chicken, she'll make it."

Having a general direction is good. If it's really a neurological issue, curing Jiang Fengmian is more important than anything else.

"No, no, Grandpa is waiting at home. As long as you're fine. Uncle, Fengmian and I will head back first."

"Bye, Xiao Yi, come and play again."

[Uncle: This is Jiang Fengmian, you can talk to him more when you have time, he's quite lonely.]

[Xiao Yi: Okay, Uncle, we've already added each other as friends, you might not have noticed. He's nice, very cute, I quite like this little aunt.]

[Xiao Yi: Hehe.jpg]

Huo Zong didn't reply anymore, just noticed that Jiang Fengmian seemed a bit down, head lowered, lost in thought.

"Jiang Fengmian, what's wrong?"

Jiang Fengmian pouted, sadly saying, "Brother, do I need to shave my head for the check-up? I don't want to shave, it looks ugly here."

He stretched his head towards Huo Zong, pulling at the faint scar on the back of his head, extremely upset.

"No, it's just a basic check-up."

"Huo Zong, is it really ugly?"

"Not ugly, it's like a little crescent moon, pretty."

Wow, Huo Zong being so sweet all of a sudden made Jiang Fengmian feel shy, his ears turning red.

He took advantage of the situation and grabbed Huo Zong's finger, mumbling, "Brother, touch it."

Huo Zong pressed his index finger and gently touched Jiang Fengmian's head.

"Not ugly at all."

"That's good, brother, I'm a bit scared."

Afraid of being exposed, afraid that Huo Zong would be devastated if he found out he was lying.

There were already few people who treated Huo Zong sincerely, and if he became the biggest liar, what would Huo Zong do?

Just thinking about it made Jiang Fengmian's heart race.

"Don't be afraid, I'll have Chen Chen make an appointment with Dr. Li for a full brain check-up to rule out any issues. Jiang Fengmian, this is good for you, I'll be with you, don't be afraid."

"Okay."

Chen Chen acted quickly, and that very afternoon, Jiang Fengmian, filled with anxiety, appeared at the examination room door with Huo Zong.

His palms slightly sweaty, leaning against the hospital corridor wall, he wanted to hold Huo Zong's hand but was afraid Huo Zong would find his hand dirty.

After a long internal struggle, Huo Zong suddenly grabbed the back of his hand.

"Jiang Fengmian, if you're scared, we can go in together."

"No."

Jiang Fengmian pointed at the words on the wall, seriously telling Huo Zong, "There's radiation, I can do it myself."

"Huo Zong, when I come out, hug me, okay?"

Huo Zong's palm was empty, the door in front of him slowly closing, he only had time to catch a glimpse of Jiang Fengmian's back.

He seemed, even more nervous than Jiang Fengmian.

A beep sounded.

Huo Zong's soul seemed to return with it, and he instinctively opened his arms. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Jiang Fengmian's warmth filled his embrace.

"Jiang Fengmian."

The person in his arms nuzzled against his chin, tightly encircling his waist, and complained, "Being sick is so annoying, with all those machines."

The test results came out an hour later. The doctor examined the scans for a long time and concluded that there was nothing wrong with Jiang Fengmian's brain.

Jiang Fengmian blinked guiltily and huddled with Huo Zong to study the report. The initial treatment after the fall had ensured no nerve damage, and the superficial wounds would heal with time. As for why he seemed "dumb," the doctor couldn't explain.

Cough, naturally, it was because he had been replaced. There was nothing wrong with his brain.

"Huo Zong, let's go home."

Huo Zong remained silent the entire way. He observed the carefree Jiang Fengmian through the rearview mirror, saving himself the trouble of comforting him. Jiang Fengmian was much stronger than he had thought.

"Huo Zong, don't be unhappy."

Jiang Fengmian's cool fingertips gently smoothed the furrow between Huo Zong's brows, earnestly flattening the crease.

"Everything is fine now. If Huo Zong is fine, then I'm fine."

"Mm, I'll make an appointment with Dr. Wu to have him check you again."

Jiang Fengmian nodded in satisfaction. At least he had managed to bluff his way through this. He wiped away a nonexistent cold sweat and began to worry about how to subtly become smarter.

If only there were a potion for intelligence in the world, one sip and you'd be smart.

***

Huo Zong was truly a law-abiding and responsible CEO. Even the task of arranging his drawing assignments was scheduled precisely at 9:00 AM on Monday.

At that moment, Jiang Fengmian had just idly drawn a panel of a comic.

[Huo Zong: Here are the character designs and specific requirements. Contact me once the initial draft is colored.]

[Dong Li: Received.]

The time was exactly 9:00 AM. Huo Zong really went to great lengths to be so precise.

"Mr. Huo, Huo Qilin has just arrived."

"Mm, handle it according to the regulations."

Chen Chen understood immediately. He put down the snacks his colleagues had forced on him and braced himself to speak to Jiang Fengmian. "Young sir, these are from the colleagues."

"Thank you all."

Huo Zong seemed to lift his eyelids slightly, so quickly that Jiang Fengmian almost missed it.

In the temporary logistics office downstairs.

Huo Qilin had just put on the airs of a young master of the Huo family. With one hand in his pocket, he coughed until his throat was raw, but no one in the logistics group paid him any attention.

"Who is Zhou You?"

The bespectacled man by the window looked up and coldly acknowledged with a "Mm." His desk bore the sign of the group leader, and behind him were the logistics group's wall of honors.

"Your seat is over there. Take a seat."

Tsk, who does he think he is, ordering people around.

"I'm Huo Qilin, the young master of the Huo family."

"Alright, Huo Qilin, sit down. You're already ten minutes late, so according to the rules, you've lost your perfect attendance for this month."

"Damn it, you know who I am and still dock my attendance? Don't you know Huo Zong is my uncle?"

Huo Qilin kicked the office chair, his eyes bloodshot, even considering grabbing the water cup on the desk to throw it.

"What's all this commotion?"

"Mr. Chen."

Chen Chen pushed open the door, standing directly in front of Zhou You, blocking Huo Qilin's murderous gaze. He seemed unfazed, calmly stating, "The company has its rules, Huo Qilin. As of now, you still haven't clocked in."

"Are you crazy? Why should I clock in? My presence here is already doing you a favor. Expecting me to clock in with these nobodies, are you out of your mind?"

Huo Qilin was furious. Under the guise of assigning him to a new project team, they had actually stuck him in the logistics group, which was just about making tea and doing odd jobs. Who did they think they were looking down on?

"Company rules are company rules. If you're not satisfied, you can go talk to Huo Zong."

"Get back to work."

"Don't use Huo Zong to pressure me. Everyone knows it's his one-man show here. You're all in cahoots."

Huo Zong had sent him to the company to gain experience, but it was clearly meant to humiliate him.

"Huo Qilin, if you're not satisfied, you can leave anytime."

Chen Chen didn't mince words. Originally, his onboarding procedures weren't even complete. A parachuted-in relative of the Huo Corporation had no self-awareness. What more could they expect?

The logistics group members were all tough, not giving a damn about Huo Qilin's status as the esteemed young master of the Huo family.

Huo Qilin realized he had become the lowest in the office, just like a new employee, assigned tasks like printing and organizing materials.

Except for Huo Qilin, everyone in the office got along well, tacitly treating him as invisible, casually assigning him odd jobs, not caring if he did them, and demanding them ten minutes later, scoffing if they weren't done.

This made Huo Qilin, who was used to being the center of attention, extremely uncomfortable.

"Grandpa, the tasks my uncle assigned me aren't fit for humans. Any pig could do them."

Any pig could do them, but Huo Qilin wouldn't. Zhou You rolled his eyes; they had a spoiled brat on their hands.

"Xiao Lin, don't call me about such things. How you behave in the company is your responsibility. I've already told you, you need to grow up."

"Hey, Grandpa—"

The busy tone sounded. Huo Qilin, whether from shame or anger, turned beet red. He had been on speakerphone, and the whole office had heard his conversation with his grandfather.

The others deliberately made clattering noises, mocking him.

On the other end of the phone, Huo Qing frowned, unconsciously comparing Huo Qilin to Huo Zong. When Huo Zong first joined the company, he had been assigned the toughest and most exhausting positions without complaint. The first project he handled had turned Huo Corporation's fortunes around.

Back then, Huo Corporation was in much greater danger than now. Yet here was Huo Qilin, dissatisfied in the easiest logistics group, showing no ambition. He had to admit, compared to Huo Zong, Huo Qilin was indeed far behind.

All morning, Huo Qilin was in a state of distress. He hadn't come to Huo Corporation to be humiliated.

He couldn't access the core parts of the project; the materials he printed were just introductions to famous landmarks. What the hell was the point?

Huo Qilin tried to probe indirectly with a few questions, but no one even bothered to respond to him.

Frustrated, he stood up and vented all his anger on the desk, kicking it loudly with a series of bangs.

Only after confirming that Huo Qilin had left did the remaining people exchange glances.

Huo Zong never enforced strict clock-in times; being late didn’t result in deductions from full attendance, and the clock-in machine was practically useless. The only time they clocked in was during overtime to calculate overtime pay.

They certainly didn’t want Huo Qilin to take over Huo Corporation in the future; their good days would truly be over then.

With his vindictive personality, the people in the office would be in deep trouble.

Huo Qilin irritably pounded the restroom wall. He hadn’t had a sip of water all morning, and his prostatitis was about to flare up.

"Master, are you sure the elevator is fixed?"

It was Chen Chen’s voice. Huo Qilin stopped his actions. The voice was in the hallway, muffled and unclear.

"Definitely. Remember to check the circuits regularly. The elevator’s circuit isn’t connected to the main circuit, so it’s easy to overlook. The building is too tall, and elevator malfunctions can be very dangerous."

"Got it. Thanks, Master."

Prone to circuit malfunctions, huh? A sinister gleam appeared in Huo Qilin’s eyes. Clenching his fist, he had a plan in mind.

"Mr. Huo, Huo Qilin has been quite unruly all morning. Colleagues reported that he didn’t do the basic tasks assigned to him, saying he didn’t have time, but he had time to complain to Old Mr. Huo."

"Expected. Don’t let him get close to the core content of the project."

Jiang Fengmian silently gave Huo Zong a thumbs-up. No matter how much you guard against outsiders, it’s hard to guard against family thieves, especially shameless ones like Huo Qilin. Jiang Fengmian was even afraid he might leak Huo Zong’s ideas.

"Understood, Mr. Huo. Should we have someone keep an eye on him?"

Chen Chen’s left eyelid kept twitching, as if something was about to happen.

"Wait for Wang Hu to come back and watch him. If there’s really a problem, others can’t handle him."

Huo Qilin had trained in combat for over a year, and he was cunning with too many dirty tricks. It was too dangerous for ordinary people to deal with him.

The office quieted down again. Jiang Fengmian stretched and wandered around. The rough sketch was almost done, so it was a good time to stand up and rest his eyes.

"Jiang Fengmian, are you bored?"

"Not at all. Being with you isn’t boring."

He was afraid his drawing movements were too obvious, so he did it secretly behind Huo Zong’s back. It was thrilling, and he was sweating profusely.

"Hmm."

Night fell.

When Huo Zong finished work, he found Jiang Fengmian already asleep on the sofa.

He looked down at Jiang Fengmian’s peaceful sleeping face, pondering whether he should place a small bed in the office’s partition.

Perhaps Huo Zong’s gaze was too intense, as Jiang Fengmian, who wasn’t sleeping soundly, slowly opened his eyes and mumbled, "Huo Zong."

"Hmm, let’s go home."

Jiang Fengmian took a moment to react before clinging to Huo Zong’s arm to get up. He patted his cheeks, trying to perk himself up.

The lights in the office building were mostly off, and Jiang Fengmian followed Huo Zong into the elevator, his heart starting to race again.

He rubbed his chest to calm down a bit, silently moving closer to Huo Zong, sniffing his scent, and gradually relaxing.

Click.

The elevator suddenly went dark and came to an abrupt halt.

Jiang Fengmian grabbed Huo Zong's arm in panic, his eyes wide with fear. The elevator was pitch black, and Jiang Fengmian's nerves were on edge, as if he had fallen into hell. His mind was buzzing, and he couldn't hear anything.

"Jiang Fengmian."

"Jiang Fengmian."

Huo Zong's arm was slightly sore from Jiang Fengmian's tight grip, his fingertips digging into his flesh. Jiang Fengmian was extremely tense.

Huo Zong called out a few times, but Jiang Fengmian didn't respond at all. Huo Zong didn't dare to make any sudden moves and immediately called the fire department, then contacted Chen Chen.

In the confined space, Jiang Fengmian's rapid and hot breath exploded in Huo Zong's ear, making his heart skip a beat. He suddenly remembered Jiang Fengmian's uneasiness during the past few elevator rides, as if he had mentally prepared himself, but still couldn't control his body's stiffness.

He silently grasped Jiang Fengmian's arm, pulling him into his embrace, and gently called out again.

"Jiang Fengmian, can you still hear me?"