Chapter 9 A Mother’s Concern

Chapter 9: Mom's Concern

Gu Qingyin’s smile faded as she turned toward the voice. A woman in a professional suit strode over with a commanding presence, not sparing her a glance. Instead, she smiled at Huo Xingye and said, "Good morning, President Huo. I’ll take care of her."

Gu Qingyin frowned in confusion, then looked at Huo Xingye. "Your girlfriend?"

"My secretary, Bai Jiali," Huo Xingye introduced. "This is Gu Qingyin, my... family."

Gu Qingyin looked too young to pass as his mother. Besides, calling her "mom" wouldn’t convince anyone, but since "mother" was technically part of the family, he wasn’t lying.

Huo Xingye comforted himself inwardly while sneaking a glance at Gu Qingyin. Seeing her unfazed expression, he relaxed—only to feel a flicker of annoyance. Why wasn’t she upset about his vague introduction?

Bai Jiali’s surprise was fleeting before she turned apologetically to Gu Qingyin. "So you’re President Huo’s family. My apologies for the misunderstanding."

She stepped forward, edging Gu Qingyin out whether intentionally or not, then pressed the elevator button and smiled back. "After you."

Gu Qingyin blinked, feeling something was off.

This secretary seemed to hold a lot of hostility toward her. Had they met before? Was there some grudge?

Huo Xingye glanced at Gu Qingyin. "Let’s go."

Only after Gu Qingyin entered the elevator did Huo Xingye follow, casually taking the food container from her. "What did you bring?"

Gu Qingyin brightened again. "Crab roe soup dumplings, mixed noodles, and some homemade floral tea to cut the richness."

Bai Jiali was the last to enter, standing with her back to them at the elevator door. Unable to help herself, she rolled her eyes.

Girls these days sure were crafty—chasing men all the way to the office. And President Huo indulging her like this. "Family"? A pet bird didn’t qualify as family. She’d be dumped sooner or later.

"Did you make the dumplings and noodles too?" Huo Xingye’s tone carried a hint of expectation, though his face remained neutral.

Gu Qingyin hesitated awkwardly. "No, my cooking isn’t great. I only made the tea."

Huo Xingye was disappointed but still consoled her. "Brewing tea is still impressive."

Bai Jiali balled her fists. Why was the president being so gentle with Gu Qingyin? How dare a gold-digger get special treatment?

It wasn’t surprising she was upset. In nearly two years by Huo Xingye’s side, she’d never seen him spare a glance at any woman! Could he actually like this pet bird?!

The idea made Bai Jiali’s eyes sting with jealousy.

*Ding.* The elevator arrived at the sixteenth floor.

Gu Qingyin stepped out, surprised. "Not the top floor?" In all the novels she’d read, a tycoon’s office was always at the pinnacle, overlooking their empire.

"The middle floor streamlines coordination," Huo Xingye explained.

Gu Qingyin nodded in understanding.

"President Huo, there’s an international meeting at nine that you need to chair," Bai Jiali said, glancing hesitantly at Gu Qingyin. "What about Miss Gu...?"

"I’ve got this. Go on ahead," Huo Xingye replied coolly.

Bai Jiali’s smile froze for a second before she nodded politely and headed back to her desk.

The entire sixteenth floor housed not just the president’s office but also a dedicated executive office coordinating all departments, with nearly twenty secretaries and aides of varying roles.

Bai Jiali was merely one among them.

Bai Jiali fumed again as she watched Huo Xingye lead Gu Qingyin into the office. At nine o'clock, the CEO emerged for a meeting and left that woman alone in the office! What if she had ill intentions and stole the company's trade secrets?

Did the CEO really trust her that much?!

Bai Jiali was once again on edge.

Meanwhile, Gu Qingyin was sprawled on the leather sofa, resting—the crab roe soup dumplings had been so delicious that she accidentally ate too much and now felt stuffed.

She rubbed her stomach to aid digestion while worrying: *Huo Xingye’s appetite is so small—he barely ate half as much as I did. Could my son already have stomach problems at such a young age?*

Gu Qingyin sighed. Her poor son, shouldering so much responsibility at such a young age—it was truly tough on him! And those two rascals didn’t even stay to help out at the company, just leaving all the pressure on the eldest!

During breakfast, Huo Xingye had briefly mentioned his two younger brothers.

The second son, Huo Xinghai, loved the stage. After graduating high school, he joined a talent show and blew up overnight thanks to his striking looks and exceptional songwriting talent.

Currently, he was secluded on a small island in the Pacific, working on his second original album.

The third son, Huo Xingchen, was a hardcore gamer. Since high school, he had juggled studies and competitive gaming. Fortunately, he was both smart and talented, getting into a decent university while also making it into the professional esports scene.

At the start of the semester, his team flew him abroad for boot camp, and barring any surprises, he wouldn’t be back for another three months.

So, for the time being, Gu Qingyin wouldn’t be able to meet her other two sons in person. But since one was a public figure and the other semi-public, there were plenty of updates about them online.

When Huo Xingye returned from the meeting, he found Gu Qingyin sitting in his chair, chuckling at her phone. He gave her a sideways glance. "What are you looking at?"

Gu Qingyin’s eyes sparkled with pride. "Xinghai’s New Year’s Eve performance! My boy’s a looker!" Though they were triplets, the three brothers had their own brand of handsome, and the second son’s looks took entirely after her.

Huo Xingye’s expression softened slightly. "You’ve been watching videos on your phone this whole time? Your eyes must be tired."

Now that he mentioned it, Gu Qingyin did feel her eyes were a bit dry. Checking the time, she was shocked—it was already 11:05!

"Do your meetings always take this long?" She put away her phone and sat up straight. "Are you hungry? Does your stomach hurt?"

Huo Xingye’s expression remained neutral, but his voice warmed. "I’m fine, it’s normal for me."

Gu Qingyin frowned disapprovingly. "I heard the company cafeteria is pretty good. Mind showing me?"

Huo Xingye paused, giving her a slight sideways glance. They had just finished breakfast at nearly nine, and only two hours had passed—was she seriously hungry again? She had eaten more than him in the morning!

"You don’t want to go?" Seeing his silence, Gu Qingyin’s frown deepened. "No matter how busy work gets, you can’t skip meals. Wrecking your stomach isn’t worth it."

Huo Xingye froze for a moment before realizing—Gu Qingyin was worried about him.

Instantly, his entire demeanor softened, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes. "I’m perfectly healthy. Let’s go a little later—they’re still setting up the lunch spread."

"Alright." Gu Qingyin agreed, standing up and heading for the door. "I’ll grab you a snack from the breakroom."

After she left, Huo Xingye gazed at the empty doorway, slowly pressing a hand to his chest. *Is this what it feels like to be cared for by a mother?*

It was like being drenched in warm honey—warmth enveloping him from all sides.