Volume One, Chapter 21: Do You Think We Made the Wrong Choice Back Then...
“Ah! Is Huo Yanchuan out of his mind?” Lin Jie, clutching her iPad and sporting a messy hairdo, stood in the study, transformed into a screamer.
Tang Ruan shifted her gaze from the computer screen to Lin Jie’s face and asked, “What happened?”
“Ruan Ruan, look! Huo Yanchuan is actually defending Lu Xiaorou, that manipulative woman, on social media!”
She placed the iPad in front of Tang Ruan.
In the video, Huo Yanchuan was dressed in a meticulously tailored lead-gray suit, his tie and hairstyle impeccable, exuding a strong elite aura.
Yet, his words clashed starkly with his refined appearance.
He was speaking up for Lu Xiaorou, claiming she was pure and kind-hearted, and no matter what, he believed in her.
Tang Ruan frowned deeply.
Lin Jie wore an expression of utter disbelief. “Has Huo Yanchuan lost his mind?”
“The comments below are calling him a naive, love-struck fool.”
“Does the Huo family really approve of him speaking like this?”
This was utterly reckless!
Tang Ruan shook her head. “He probably didn’t get permission from the Huo family.”
If the Huo family actually allowed Huo Yanchuan to speak like this in public, their fate would truly be sealed.
Meanwhile, at the Huo family estate,
The patriarch sat at the head of the room, with Huo Qingjun and Zhang Shuqin standing on either side behind him.
Opposite them stood Huo Yanchuan, head bowed in shame.
“Kneel!”
The old patriarch barked angrily.
Huo Yanchuan knelt down straight away.
The old man struck Huo Yanchuan’s shoulder with his cane, eliciting a muffled grunt as Huo Yanchuan staggered.
“Kneel properly!”
Gritting his teeth, Huo Yanchuan knelt obediently.
“Have you lost your mind? Posting that kind of video?!” The old man jabbed the cane into Huo Yanchuan again, his face full of bitter disappointment.
During dinner, the butler had reported Huo Yanchuan’s reckless online statements. When the old man glanced at it, his blood pressure spiked to 180 before he nearly passed out.
That grandson!
Such actions were not only self-destructive but dragged the entire Huo family into disgrace.
“What’s so special about that woman? Is she worth risking everything for?”
Zhang Shuqin tried to reason, “Dad, Yanchuan was just momentarily blinded; he didn’t mean it...”
The old man cut her off harshly, “He didn’t not mean it—he did it on purpose!”
Purposely dragging the Huo family down!
Despite being married into the Huo family for years, Zhang Shuqin had never been scolded like this by the patriarch and dared not defend Huo Yanchuan any further.
She nudged Huo Yanchuan, urging, “Yanchuan, quickly explain yourself to your grandfather! Hurry!”
But Huo Yanchuan stiffened his neck stubbornly and said, “Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Xiaorou is a good girl. The rumors online are all false.”
Did he not know about Xiaorou’s messy private life?
Not to mention the blood stains on the sheets, her reaction was so innocent, so helpless...
Clearly, it was her first time.
“Smack—”
The cane struck Huo Yanchuan again, then dropped to the floor with a dull thud.
The old patriarch was utterly disappointed.
“Get out! I want you gone!”
Huo Yanchuan looked pleadingly at Zhang Shuqin. “Mom, I’m telling the truth.”
She shot him a fierce glare.
The old man was already enraged; what more was there to say?
Wasn’t it time to leave?
Gritting his teeth, Huo Yanchuan rose. Before leaving, he quietly said, “Grandpa, I’m leaving. Please take care of your health.”
Only after Huo Yanchuan’s silhouette disappeared into the night did the old man’s posture collapse, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
He gazed out into the dark window and sighed softly.
“Dad, please take care of yourself,” Huo Qingjun stepped forward, patting the old man’s back to ease his breath.
The old man seemed not to hear, murmuring to himself, “Qingjun, do you think we made the wrong choice back then...”
His voice was faint but pierced the silent living room.
Huo Qingjun and Zhang Shuqin’s faces changed suddenly.
“Dad, given the current situation, we can’t afford regrets. That child is stubborn. We’ve rejected him twice; he’ll only resent us.”
Huo Qingjun added, “Yes, Dad, Yanchuan grew up under our watch; we know him inside out.”
The room fell silent.
The old man stared at the tea table, seemingly contemplating their words.
After a long pause, he sighed resignedly, “Give Yanchuan proper guidance.”
Being so easily swayed and played by a woman now—what about the future?
How could he entrust such a vast family empire to him?
“I will, Dad,” Huo Qingjun nodded solemnly.
The old man issued his order: “Make sure Yanchuan cuts ties completely with that woman.”
“Yes.”
—
Huo Yanchuan drove his newly purchased sports car down the road, agitated and speeding.
Fortunately, it was night, and the roads were relatively empty.
The wind rushed into the car, helping him calm down a little.
His phone rang.
He glanced down, answered, and asked, “Dad, how is it? Has Grandpa calmed down?”
“Not a chance!”
Huo Yanchuan pursed his lips, knowing full well his grandfather was still furious.
“Dad, I’m telling the truth! Xiaorou really is a good girl!”
“I’ll bring her to meet you and Mom next time. I promise, you’ll like her—”
“Idiot! You still haven’t seen that woman’s true colors? How did I end up with such a fool like you!” Huo Qingjun’s voice was furious.
Huo Yanchuan was baffled. “Dad, what are you talking about?”
Why was he suddenly being scolded?
“I’m sending you some files. Take a look immediately!”
After saying that, Huo Qingjun abruptly hung up.
Huo Yanchuan’s phone buzzed twice with new WeChat messages.
It was a document.
Sent by Huo Qingjun.
Recalling his father’s words, Huo Yanchuan slammed on the brakes and pulled over.
He opened the chat with Huo Qingjun but hesitated to tap the document.
An inexplicable urge to retreat crept into his heart.
The phone buzzed twice more.
[Look at this now!]
Taking a deep breath, Huo Yanchuan finally tapped the document.
Ten minutes later, after reading its contents,
His dark eyes glinted with cold fury. The veins on the back of his hand gripping the steering wheel stood out, teetering on the edge of rage.
How dare they lie to him!
He started the car and sped toward Maple Bridge Garden.
What should have taken over twenty minutes, he arrived in just over ten.
“Slap—” The car door slammed shut heavily.
Holding his car keys and phone, he strode toward the elevator.
Using fingerprint recognition, he unlocked and entered the house, only to find it eerily quiet.
Before coming, Lu Xiaorou had messaged saying she was waiting inside.
“Lu Xiaorou?”
He searched around but found no one.
He called Lu Xiaorou; it rang for a long time before someone answered.
“Hello?”
It was an unfamiliar male voice.
“Who are you?”
Sensing the harshness in Huo Yanchuan’s tone, the man’s voice turned cold.
“This is the Nan City Police Station.”
Nan City Police Station?
“Why is she at the police station?”
No sooner had he spoken than he regretted it.
He recalled the document’s contents: Lu Xiaorou had bullied another girl in high school so severely that the girl committed suicide by jumping off a building.
If his father could uncover this, others certainly could as well.
The man patiently explained, “Ms. Lu Xiaorou is involved in a criminal case and is currently under investigation at the station.”
“Is it related to her bullying that led someone to jump?”
“No comment.” The man’s voice was icy.
“I’m coming over now!”
The man warned, “Mr. Huo, coming here won’t change anything.”
Huo Yanchuan was taken aback. “You know who I am?”