Volume One, Chapter 42: I'm Afraid Someone Misses Me

After chatting with the family members for a while and seeing off the officers who had responded to the call, Ye Sheng left the hospital. Night had fallen deep and silent. She was just about to hail a car at the roadside when she heard a double beep of a horn. Instinctively, she looked up and saw a black Bentley pulling up in front of her.

The driver got out and called, “Miss Ye.”

“Brother Wang?” Ye Sheng stared at Huo Lin Dong’s driver in surprise.

The driver opened the car door for her. “Master Nine sent me to pick you up. He said it’s too late for a young lady to go home alone. It wouldn’t be safe.”

Once Ye Sheng was seated and had buckled her seatbelt, Old Wang added, “Master Nine couldn’t get away, otherwise he’d have come himself.”

Surrounded by such shrewd people, Ye Sheng knew these were polite words, but she still felt warmed by them.

By the time she got home, it was already 11 p.m.

Ye Sheng was both sleepy and hungry; her steps felt light and unsteady. She keyed in the password to her door twice, but got it wrong both times.

Her own door remained shut, but the door across the hall opened.

“You’re back?” A deep, cello-like voice sounded behind her, making her ears tingle. She turned to look.

Even at this late hour, Huo Lin Dong was still impeccably dressed in a suit and tie.

Ye Sheng suddenly recalled an old set of photos she’d seen at the Huo family home. Back when Old Master Huo was young, he had been strikingly handsome, exuding a natural charisma, with ambition gleaming unmistakably in his eyes.

Many said that the Huo family member most like the old master was his great-grandson, the current CEO, Huo Ming Ting. Ye Sheng had once agreed.

But after learning that Huo Lin Dong was Master Nine of the Huo family, her opinion changed.

It was the youngest son who most resembled the old master, not the great-grandson.

And this son had also inherited the height of his supermodel mother. Standing there in his dark, well-tailored suit, with a composed air, deep and captivating features, he looked as striking as Adonis, the most beautiful god of Greek myth.

To say she wasn’t dazzled would be a lie.

“Yes, Brother Wang picked me up. Lin, you’re still awake?”

Huo Lin Dong replied, “Just finished a video conference—had to accommodate the time difference. The chicken soup is still hot, would you like some?”

Without hesitation, Ye Sheng answered, “I’d love to!”

She opened her door, tossed her bag and coat inside, and made straight for the food.

At last, she got to eat the chicken noodle soup.

Seeing how much she enjoyed it, Huo Lin Dong smiled and said, “I didn’t have time to roll out noodles myself, so I bought some fresh egg noodles from the supermarket. It’s makeshift.”

“This is perfect…” Ye Sheng took a sip of the broth and remarked in surprise, “Lin, you make your own hand-pulled noodles?”

“Xiao Bei loves noodles. Homemade ones are chewier and have no additives, so I feel more at ease letting him eat them.”

He spoke lightly, but as Ye Sheng picked up another bite of noodles, she smiled, “Actually… you really spoil him.”

Huo Lin Dong smiled and nodded. “I do.”

“But it’s understandable. When a child is sick, parents can’t help but feel soft-hearted.”

Ye Sheng recalled the commotion that evening. The Li family was considered a prestigious household in Beijing; husband and wife had built a business empire together and were influential figures, yet they showed their gentlest side to their child.

“That’s not the only reason,” Huo Lin Dong said quietly. “No one ever spoiled me as a child, so I decided that if I ever had a child of my own, as long as it wasn’t something against morals or the law, I’d give him as much freedom as possible. A bit of spoiling is no harm.”

Ye Sheng was taken aback.

A genius like Huo Lin Dong—everyone assumed he owed his achievements to rare talent, to fate’s special favor.

But few realized that, to succeed in any field, talent was never enough; it had to be paired with relentless effort.

—

The next morning, Huo Xiao Bei stayed home from school with a cold.

After breakfast with them, Ye Sheng left for work. Huo Lin Dong was working from home that day, so he assigned his driver to Ye Sheng.

Wan San Dao called Huo Lin Dong on business, and after they finished discussing work, he changed the subject. “I tried to give Ye Sheng a sports car before, but she wouldn’t take it. She doesn’t want to drive the G-class either—says it’s too showy and hard to park. Maybe I should just get her a driver.”

Huo Lin Dong, on speakerphone and glancing at his computer screen, raised an eyebrow slightly. “Then give Wang Liang to Ye Sheng. I don’t need him.”

“Hey, now…” Wan San Dao immediately caught the odd tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Little clever Huo Xiao Bei piped up in a childish voice, “Uncle San, can’t you be a little more understanding?”

“Huh?”

Wan San Dao was bewildered for a moment, then caught on and laughed, “Oh…haha, I suppose I wasn’t being thoughtful.”

“All right, all right.” He ventured, “So, big brother, I’ll just… leave it alone?”

Huo Lin Dong replied impassively, “Go mind your own business.”

“Sure thing, let me know if you need anything.”

Just as he was about to hang up, Huo Lin Dong glanced at his phone. “Don’t go blabbing nonsense to Ye Sheng, or I’ll deal with you myself.”

“I won’t! My lips are sealed, you can rest assured!”

After the call ended, Huo Xiao Bei, curled up on the sofa, giggled to himself and then looked over at Huo Lin Dong.

“Dad, I’m feeling much better. Why don’t you take me to school this afternoon?”

Huo Lin Dong glanced sideways at him. “Something going on at school?”

“No…” Huo Xiao Bei tugged at a little pompom on his blanket and muttered, “I just think someone might be missing me.”

“Achoo!”

In the classroom, Huo Cong let out a loud sneeze.