Unexpected Encounters and Hidden Secrets

Si Xi’s remark about being the richest man’s illegitimate son was, of course, nothing more than a jest.

The richest man was reportedly only in his thirties; how could he possibly have a son as old as Si Xi?

Fourth Master Ye had likely approached them initially out of deference to the Shao family, and only made that statement to save face after Si Xi exposed the annulment of the engagement.

Still, Si Xi had to admit, it felt incredibly gratifying.

Witnessing Yu Wanjia pound his chest and stomp his feet, looking as if he wished to slap himself repeatedly, was particularly exhilarating.

‘Serves you right for looking down on others.’

Soon after Fourth Master Ye departed, a staff member returned and repaired the switch on the armrest of the chair.

Si Xi, getting his wish, lifted the armrest, allowing him to lean against Jing Chen.

However, he possessed absolutely no artistic inclination.

Not long after the symphony began, his eyelids started to droop.

Jing Chen, who had been listening with rapt attention, suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder.

He turned his head, only to find Si Xi leaning against him, completely lost in sleep.

He had initially assumed Si Xi invited him to the symphony because he enjoyed it, even thinking that despite his seemingly restless nature, the young man had a rather calm heart.

Now, it was clear he had overthought things.

Jing Chen helplessly reached out, gently supporting Si Xi’s head to prevent him from waking up later with a sore neck and complaining.

No sooner had he adjusted Si Xi’s head than Si Xi stirred awake.

He groggily lifted his head, hearing Jing Chen softly say, “Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when it’s over.”

Si Xi leaned his head back, finding a comfortable position, and mumbled, “Does leaning on your shoulder cost extra?”

Jing Chen paused briefly before replying, “Tonight, it’s complimentary.”

Si Xi grumbled, “You have so many additional charges; I’m afraid I won’t be able to afford to keep you anymore.”

‘Who knows, with all your money, you might just find someone else pleasing to the eye and take them in.’

Jing Chen patted the top of his head, the soft sensation making him instinctively rub it again.

“Sleep,” he instructed.

Their conversation was quiet, easily masked by the music, so it was unlikely anyone else would have overheard.

Of course, some abnormal individuals could still hear.

For instance, Huo Siyuan, seated behind them, whose attention had been entirely fixed on them throughout.

His usually aloof uncle, who seemed to view nothing in the world as worthy of his gentle affection, treating that young man with such tenderness had already left him utterly dumbfounded.

Even more preposterous, he thought he heard the young man suggest he was ‘keeping’ his uncle?!

Shock alone could not describe Huo Siyuan’s state of mind at that moment; he even reached out and pinched his own thigh.

‘Hiss.’

‘That damn hurt.’

‘It’s not a dream.’

‘His uncle, it seemed, was playing a very new kind of game…’

****

The concert concluded at ten o’clock.

Si Xi, fully rested, left Tianhe Mansion energetically with Jing Chen.

Once they were in the car, Jing Chen asked, “Shall I take you home?”

“My… my place is quite a mess, haha. Perhaps we should find a hotel nearby instead.” Si Xi’s words carried a hint of guilt.

While it was true he was captivated by Jing Chen’s allure, their eventual separation was inevitable, and he understood the principle of not bringing a lover home.

Jing Chen’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, and he replied evenly, “Alright.”

****

The next day was Saturday, a day off from work.

Jing Chen, who typically rose early, indulged in a rare lie-in.

Yet, accustomed to self-discipline, his “lie-in” merely meant sleeping until eight o’clock.

After waking, Jing Chen first attended to his morning routine and breakfast, made a phone call, then reviewed the day’s early financial news, stock market trends, and important emails.

After another thirty minutes of reading, it was already nearly ten o’clock.

Si Xi showed no signs of waking.

‘Youth truly is wonderful; give him a bed, and he could sleep through the entire planet.’

However, any later and they would run out of time.

Jing Chen walked to the bedside and gently roused him.

Si Xi was deep in slumber, and even after being woken, his mind remained hazy.

Rubbing his eyes, he groggily asked, “What time is it?”

“Ten o’clock,” Jing Chen replied.

“Oh, that’s still early,” Si Xi yawned widely.

“I’ll just sleep a little longer.”

He rolled over, about to drift back to sleep, but Jing Chen gently held him in place.

“The developer gave out mid-year benefits a few days ago, and I won two tickets for a luxurious two-day trip to Jianhai.

Tonight, I heard there’s ‘blue tears’ there.

Would you like to come with me?”

Jing Chen considered himself no scoundrel who would simply leave after intimacy; now that he had slept with Si Xi, he needed to find opportunities to cultivate their relationship.

He happened to have these two days free.

“Perhaps another time,” Si Xi mumbled.

“I have plans today.”

“…”

“They expire in a couple of days,” Jing Chen hinted.

“Then just let your friends use them.”

Si Xi cupped Jing Chen’s face, leaned in, and kissed the corner of his mouth.

In a coaxing tone, he said, “Be good, next time, your sugar daddy will compensate you with something even more luxurious and fun.”

Jing Chen was speechless.

Si Xi’s claim of having plans was not merely an excuse to brush off Jing Chen.

He was genuinely enjoying his time with Jing Chen and, having the rare weekend off, longed to spend every hour clinging to him.

However, he truly did have an important engagement.

The top tech expert Xie He wished to poach had attended the concert yesterday using the tickets Si Xi provided.

Perhaps feeling indebted, the expert finally patiently listened as Xie He introduced their game.

After hearing the pitch, the expert found the game to have promising development prospects, not merely a fly-by-night operation designed to fleece investors, and thus relented, agreeing to help them resolve technical issues.

This particular expert had a somewhat eccentric personality and insisted on signing the employment contract today.

With such a brilliant employee joining, Si Xi, as the company’s investor and nominal boss, naturally had to be present.

****

Huo Siyuan had inadvertently stumbled upon his uncle’s secret last night, and the more he thought about it back home, the more unsettling it seemed.

To prevent being ‘assassinated’ by his uncle at such a young age, he promptly went to his uncle’s house today, hoping to gauge his attitude.

However, his uncle was not home.

The butler, subtly yet with undeniable pride, announced, “The master is out on a date.”

Even the butler knew, so it seemed it was no secret.

Huo Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief, then, consumed by gossip, asked, “When did this happen? How come there wasn’t a whisper about it before?”

The butler happily chimed, “I only found out this morning when he called to ask Fangfang and Yuanyuan, the twin sisters who handle the garden, where one should go for a first date.”

Sister Liu, who was currently arranging fresh flowers indoors, smiled widely.

“After the call, he said he wouldn’t be back for the next two days and even gave us all bonuses.

I think this house will soon have a new mistress.”

“It might not be just one,” the butler mused, then said to Sister Liu, “Little Liu, after you’re done with the flowers, go tidy up the nursery.”

Sister Liu eagerly responded, “Yes, yes!”

Huo Siyuan was speechless.

He dared not mention that his uncle’s new partner was a man, fearing their efforts to tidy the nursery would be in vain.

Seeing the joyous atmosphere throughout the household, it seemed they were genuinely concerned about his uncle’s marital future.

“Well, I won’t delay your work,” Huo Siyuan told the butler.

“Let me know when Uncle returns.”

“Of course, Young Master Huo the Third.”

Huo Siyuan was about to leave when the security monitor at the entrance chimed, and a mechanical female voice announced, “Yan B85005, welcome home.”

Both the butler and Aunt Liu were stunned.

“Isn’t that the car the master drove out yesterday?” Aunt Liu wondered.

To provide the most thorough welcome for their master, the entrance monitor would broadcast in real-time whenever his car appeared, informing them of his return.

The butler let out a dry laugh.

“It’s possible they didn’t need the car for their trip to Jianhai and had a chauffeur drive it back.

I’ll go check.”

As he spoke, the butler walked to the monitor.

Seeing their master’s familiar face in the driver’s seat captured on screen, his smile froze.

Huo Siyuan also approached, and seeing his uncle’s expression colder than an iceberg, immediately sensed trouble.

“I have to go now don’t tell my uncle I was here I’ll come back another time to see him bye.”

Huo Siyuan rattled off the words without punctuation, and without waiting for the butler’s reaction, he quickly bolted out the back door.

He was now dying of curiosity about his uncle’s partner but dared not ask his uncle directly, nor did he dare investigate his uncle.

For now, he could only set his curiosity aside and go out with friends.

Arriving at the agreed-upon spot, Huo Siyuan got out of his car, tossed the keys to the valet, and was about to enter when the corner of his eye caught a familiar figure entering the coffee shop next door.

Huo Siyuan quickly pushed his sunglasses down.

Once his vision was clear, he confirmed it: that was his uncle’s partner.

‘Haha, this isn’t me investigating my uncle; his uncle’s partner just ran into me.’

After Si Xi signed the contract with the tech expert, the expert immediately began discussing technical matters with Xie He.

Unable to understand a single word, Si Xi went down to the coffee shop, planning to treat the employees who had worked overtime today because of this matter to afternoon tea.

Just as he was about to order, someone approached the counter and, upon speaking, told the barista, “Beautiful lady, I’ll pay for this handsome gentleman’s order.”

Si Xi was speechless.

Si Xi turned his head and saw Young Master Huo the Third, whom he had met yesterday at the elevator of Tianhe Mansion.

Young Master Huo the Third, seeing Si Xi look his way, raised a hand and waved.

“Hi.”

‘No good deed goes unpunished.’

Si Xi hadn’t forgotten Young Master Huo the Third’s reaction upon seeing Jing Chen yesterday.

Facing a potential love rival, he coldly withdrew his gaze and said, “No need, I have my own money.”

Huo Siyuan assumed Si Xi mistook him for a lecher and quickly explained, “I don’t have any ulterior motives; I simply want to be friends with you.”

Si Xi thought, ‘I’d be a fool to believe you.’

He ignored Huo Siyuan and proceeded to order seven coffees, along with several desserts and snacks.

‘This future aunt-in-law has quite a personality.’

Huo Siyuan’s curiosity intensified.

The coffee shop offered an 8.8% discount for university students.

Seeing Si Xi pull out a student ID, Huo Siyuan’s eyes widened slightly, and he blurted out, “Are you a student at Yan University?”

“Guess,” Si Xi replied.

‘…’ ‘Guess what? It’s right there on the student ID.’

Seeing Huo Siyuan’s dumbfounded expression, Si Xi couldn’t help but ask, “Is it that shocking?”

Jing Chen had seemed equally surprised when he learned Si Xi was a student at Yan University.

‘Did he really look so little like a student?’

It was more than just shocking.

Huo Siyuan opened his mouth, and it took him a while to find his voice.

“No, I just remembered, I have a cousin who also attends Yan University.

He’s a freshman this year and should be undergoing military training at the base right now.”

Si Xi said, “Then your cousin is as awesome as I am.”

Huo Siyuan was speechless.

Seeing Si Xi’s complete lack of reaction, he dared not reveal who his cousin was.

He had a feeling there were many secrets between his future aunt-in-law and his uncle, and if he accidentally exposed any of them, his uncle would surely ‘skin’ him.

‘He never expected his uncle, that old iron tree, to bloom after thirty years, and when he finally did, it would be a grand spectacle.’