Tang Yuan, the junior, obviously looked like he had just graduated a couple of years ago. He was good-looking and loved to smile, presenting an energetic demeanor.
“Senior, your house looks…” After getting out of the car, Tang Yuan stood in front of the villa, looking a bit awkward, and remarked, “It’s quite expensive.”
Lin Wei couldn’t help but chuckle at his straightforward comment, patting his shoulder as he led him inside.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room, Huo Qijun observed this scene, his mood soured a bit.
He instinctively thought little of it, just assuming Lin Wei had brought in the junior to get closer to Fu Xiaoqing. Naturally, he felt uncomfortable, resulting in his face showing a tinge of displeasure.
After Lin Wei brought Tang Yuan inside, he was surprised to find that Huo Qijun was still around. However, he didn’t show it in front of others and introduced them to each other instead.
Fu Xiaoqing greeted Tang Yuan with a warm smile, while Huo Qijun merely nodded coldly, acknowledging the introduction as a courtesy. Lin Wei couldn’t really say that was rude; after all, this guy was consistently aloof and indifferent to everyone.
However, Lin Wei sensed the atmosphere was off, so he sent Fu Xiaoqing to take Tang Yuan to the study first for their discussion.
He stayed behind to explain to this seemingly jealous rich young master why he had suddenly invited someone over: “I just asked someone to talk to Xiaoqing about the exam process. Don’t be so stingy!”
He had completely accepted Huo Qijun’s jealousy being an odd quirk unrelated to his feelings for Fu Xiaoqing.
But Huo Qijun did not believe he was being unreasonable. If he were, how could he sit back and watch Fu Xiaoqing run to the study alone with that guy without feeling anything?
“I don’t mind!” he protested, a bit confused.
Lin Wei thought he didn’t look like he was being honest, but he remained silent, curious to see how long Huo Qijun could suppress his feelings.
Sure enough, less than three minutes later, the clearly uneasy young master couldn’t hold back anymore.
But to Lin Wei’s surprise, after hesitating for a while, Huo Qijun finally asked, “When did you meet this junior? I’ve never heard you mention him before.”
Lin Wei was momentarily stunned, not expecting Huo Qijun to hit him with such a pointed question. After a moment of contemplation, he said, “He’s a few years younger than me. How would I know him otherwise? I just asked around in my circle of friends, and someone introduced us. After we got in touch, I found out he not only is my junior but also works at Qianhe. I thought he was suitable, so I invited him over.”
Seeing Huo Qijun’s expression hadn’t brightened, Lin Wei added, “He’s just here to talk to Xiaoqing about exam procedures and key points. I’m paying him for his time, so you wouldn’t go behind my back and cause trouble for him because of a few hours, right?”
Although he could handle it, less trouble was still better. It was his oversight for not realizing that Huo Qijun didn’t have work today; he would have chosen a different time if he had known.
But on the other hand, Fu Xiaoqing had the right to make friends. There was no point in limiting her interactions just because Huo Qijun didn’t really like her anymore, but his possessiveness hadn’t yet completely faded. It wasn’t right to stifle her, and desensitizing him as soon as possible was better.
Huo Qijun shot him a glare: “I’m not that childish!”
His intention when he went to confront that sleazy guy before was to protect people, okay? Plus, after Lin Wei had subtly counseled him last time, he had dropped the matter!
Yes, after that phone call, he had quickly realized that Lin Wei was subtly advising him not to go too far. He even suspected Lin Wei had suggested transferring that pervy guy instead of just firing him simply because he knew him too well and was wary of him acting out in private.
Though Huo Qijun was domineering, he listened to advice; especially later…
Right now, he didn’t want Lin Wei to develop any disagreements or misunderstandings over such matters—there was no need for that.
“I don’t have a hobby of hurting the innocent!” he emphasized deliberately.
Lin Wei found this statement quite lacking in self-awareness but also knew that Huo Qijun wouldn’t say one thing and do another on this matter. Since he said he wouldn’t, then he wouldn’t.
Great, there was progress.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t reward him with two cans of cat food. Suddenly, the thought came to Lin Wei’s mind, and he smiled involuntarily, just as he was about to verbally commend him, the system hurriedly came online.
[Master! Lady Huo just sent someone to the hospital where the female lead’s brother stayed before to check the transfer records!]
Lin Wei’s expression changed; as the root cause of the obstacles faced by the male and female leads in the original work, he never underestimated the influence Lady Huo could wield in this world.
[She must have realized that both Fu Xiaoqing and Fu Tianlan are missing and suspects they have been hidden by Huo Qijun, which is why she’s so anxious.]
In recent days, Fu Xiaoqing had been living at his house without going out, and all the food supplies were being delivered, which Lin Wei received. Lady Huo wouldn’t easily suspect that Fu Xiaoqing was hiding in his home; after all, she should understand her son’s personality well enough. His possessiveness was so strong that it was impossible for him not to care.
Without a weakness for Huo Qijun, many of Lady Huo’s tactics would be ineffective. No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t arbitrarily target her own son. As long as Huo Qijun didn’t admit that he was hiding someone, they could only see who could outlast whom.
But Huo Qijun was still so young, while she was already older. It was only a matter of time before Huo Qijun took full control; the answer to that question was self-evident—how could Lady Huo not be anxious?
[Master, it won’t be easy to find the female lead’s brother. They used the documents of a foreign hospital when transferring. Right now, the focus is on the female lead; unless she stays indoors all the time, she will be discovered sooner or later.]
[I know. Once Fu Xiaoqing finishes her exam, I’ll take her to Fu Tianlan.]
There’s no rush—the exam dates are fixed.
“Hey! What are you thinking about? So lost in thought!” Huo Qijun saw Lin Wei suddenly zoning out mid-conversation and pushed him irritably.
“Hmm?” Lin Wei turned to look at him, “What’s wrong?”
Huo Qijun took a deep breath and said, “I was asking you! What were you thinking about just now? You suddenly spaced out!”
“Oh…” Lin Wei thought for a moment and didn’t hide it from him. Switching to a different source of information, he said, “On the way back, I was told by the personnel from the hospital where Fu Tianlan previously stayed that someone is checking Fu Tianlan’s transfer records. I think you might guess who it is.”