Huo Xiang was in a terrible state.
But aside from Madam Huo, no one seemed to care. On the way back to the Huo residence, Old Master Huo fussed over Lin Sen with endless concern, treating him like his own flesh and blood, while his actual mother only focused on comforting her adopted son.
The servants traveling with them couldn’t help but exchange puzzled looks.
All they could do was sigh inwardly.
Madam Huo really did dote on the Young Master Xiang she had raised herself. At the same time, they couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for the true young master who had only just returned.
Lin Sen: …Thank you for your concern, but I don’t feel sorry for myself at all.
They finally arrived at the Huo residence.
Everywhere they looked, lanterns and decorations adorned the grounds. Not far away, a long banquet had been set up along the street, with ten full courses laid out in steaming dishes. The aroma made people swallow hungrily, yet no one had touched their chopsticks.
Someone with sharp eyes spotted the motorcade from afar and shouted:
“They’re here! They’re here!”
“The Young Master Huo is coming home!”
The cry rang through the heavens.
Su Ning heard it and sighed with emotion. “Old Master Huo is setting up this banquet so everyone will know who his real grandson is. He wants to clear Huo Xiang out of the way for Huo Lin. His love for his grandson is truly touching.”
That was how it should be. If you really valued your “true young master” or “true heiress,” how could you allow outsiders to misunderstand them or look down on them?
The system also gloated:
“One man’s honey is another man’s poison. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Huo Xiang must be furious, right?”
The moment it finished speaking, that familiar ding sounded again.
One person and one system burst into villainous laughter at the same time.
“But if Old Master Huo finds out that Lin Sen isn’t his grandson at all, he’ll be heartbroken. Host, don’t you feel guilty?”
“Why should I feel guilty?”
Su Ning raised an eyebrow and asked in surprise, “If it weren’t for me, would he ever have experienced the overwhelming joy of being reunited with his grandson? Besides, even if he doesn’t have a grandson, he still has great-grandsons and great-granddaughters. I never planned to let Lin Sen usurp the position, use it to gain leverage, and order him to swallow up the Huo family’s assets. Huo Xiang is so vicious and dangerous—if we put two ordinary children in his place, they might even end up dead… Ah, damn it. The more I talk, the more I feel that I’m such a good person.”
She declared righteously, “So, Old Master Huo should actually be thanking me!”
The system: …
That was exactly the answer it had expected.
Meanwhile.
Old Master Huo led Lin Sen out of the car and introduced him joyfully as his grandson.
“Congratulations, congratulations!”
“Young Master Huo is blessed by heaven. Now that he’s survived this calamity, everything will go smoothly for him from here on out.”
“Yes, the ancestors of the Huo family must be smiling from beyond the grave. Their bloodline will be carried on.”
“People always look their best when something good happens. Old Master Huo looks decades younger already. Maybe the next banquet we attend at your home will be his hundredth birthday celebration!”
The crowd showered him with congratulations.
With hot, steaming food laid out right in front of them, and having eaten the Huo family’s food, no one was about to say anything unpleasant. For instance, not a single person mentioned Huo Xiang.
Every word, every congratulation—
They made Old Master Huo beam with delight.
But to Huo Xiang, they were like needles, stabbing ruthlessly into his heart until even breathing hurt.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Madam Huo comforted her adopted son with heartache. “Old Master Huo is confused, but as long as I’m here, you’ll always be part of the Huo family. You’re my son.”
Part of the Huo family?
Huo Xiang laughed mockingly.
All these years, he had given so much. To live up to the title of Young Master Huo, he had studied hard and done everything he could to please the members of the Huo family. He had even endured not seeing his birth parents.
The entire Huo family should have belonged to him!
His eyes turned dark and sinister as he looked at Lin Sen.
So calm and composed… Did he really think he could obtain everything so effortlessly just because he shared their blood?
Dream on!
………………
The main purpose was simply to let Lin Sen show his face and allow everyone to recognize him.
The goal had been achieved.
After telling everyone to eat and drink their fill, Old Master Huo led the group back into the residence. The main doors creaked open, and the doorman called out respectfully yet warmly:
“Young Master, welcome home.”
The next servant immediately followed:
“Young Master, welcome home…”
One after another, the voices rang out, echoing through the mansion.
Old Master Huo said gently to Lin Sen, “I’ve already had your living quarters prepared. Everything inside is brand-new. I’m old and don’t really know what young people like these days, so if there’s anything you’re unhappy with, just say so and we’ll change it. Don’t hold back. This is your home.”
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
Lin Sen kept a neutral expression, but the mention of his living quarters instantly stirred up a certain memory.
He steeled his heart.
His eyes dimmed as he said, “Whatever you arranged must be wonderful, Grandpa. I’ve never lived anywhere nice. Growing up, I either stayed in a shack or slept in crowded dormitories. Sleeping on the street was common too. What right do I have to be picky? Unlike Huo Xiang—he’s grown up in the Huo family since childhood, surrounded by its influence. The place he lives in must be beautiful and tasteful, right?”
Huo Xiang snorted inwardly.
Of course it was. At least he knew his place…
But in the next moment, Lin Sen continued:
“We’re both young, so I’m sure I’ll like it. Why don’t I just stay there?”
Huo Xiang: …What?
“It’ll save everyone the trouble of moving things around,” Lin Sen said with a blink, speaking with obvious restraint. “Grandpa is getting on in years. I don’t want to trouble you.”
Old Master Huo hesitated.
A flicker of hope rose in Huo Xiang’s heart. Then—
“But that place has already been lived in, so it’s old now. Wouldn’t that be too unfair to you? Good child, I don’t mind the trouble. You should still stay in the place I had prepared for you. Everything there is new and of the best quality.”
“It’s all right.”
Lin Sen tried to persuade him a few more times, but Old Master Huo simply could not be swayed. With a grand wave of his hand, he declared:
“How about this? You can have both places!”
“Then where am I supposed to live?”
Seeing that the matter was about to be settled in just a few sentences, Huo Xiang finally couldn’t hold back.
“There are so many courtyards in this house. Why can’t I live in one of them?”
Old Master Huo’s face remained completely unmoved. “Everything in the Huo family, including this residence, will belong to Lin’er in the future. Wherever he wants to live is only natural. You have no right to say anything.”
Lin Sen smiled.
His gaze deliberately skimmed lightly over Huo Xiang, and the curve of his lips deepened.
Hearing the system’s repeated dings, Su Ning couldn’t help saying, “See? Thanks to the intensive pre-exam tutoring and endless practice questions I gave him, Lin Sen’s performance is excellent.”
Indeed.
Even the system had to admit that this was a classic. This kind of scene was simply too classic.
But the more classic it was, the more effective it tended to be.
Huo Xiang’s reason had already dropped to its limit. So, during dinner, when Lin Sen mentioned that he would also be helping Su Ning build a white-feather chicken farm in Nanyang, he completely exploded and let out a cold laugh.
“No wonder people say that servility is impossible to change. You’re the Young Master Huo, yet you still think of yourself as a servant. Aren’t you afraid people will laugh when they hear about it?”
“Then let them laugh.”
Lin Sen smiled, his expression calm and untroubled.
“I only know that without Miss, I might have died on the streets long ago. I don’t know whether I would have starved to death or been beaten to death. For such kindness… no matter who I am, I will always be Miss’s assistant.”
“For the rest of my life.”
At those words, Huo Xiang sneered disdainfully.
What a born lowlife.
“Host, what do you think?” the system asked out of nowhere.
“What do I think?”
Su Ning spoke with great interest. “Of course I have thoughts. As the saying goes, the soft overcomes the hard. Lin Sen handled that perfectly. Look—the old man’s heart is breaking for him again!”
The system fell silent.
