Chapter 8: The Male Lead with X-Ray Vision VS Five Female Leads (8)
Huo Xian received a call from Liu Chengpei and was unsurprisingly scolded. Of course, this was only a metaphorical scolding. Huo Xian put his phone on mute and set it aside while Liu Chengpei ranted. He only replied after a suitable amount of time, “Anyway, the Qiao family has plenty of money; we should squeeze as much as we can. Brother-in-law, you know I’m so poor I’m practically selling myself. 300 million isn’t enough for me.”
Liu Chengpei swallowed the words “Didn’t I just give you 200,000” that were about to leave his mouth. 300 million was still too little, let alone a measly 200,000?
“Because of this, I offended the Qiao family. Forget about the car,” Liu Chengpei said coldly.
“No, brother-in-law, you already agreed…” Huo Xian’s words were cut short as the other end hung up.
To maintain his persona, he called twice more. Once, the call was answered, but the conversation was cut short. The second time, the call didn’t even go through.
Today he was going to pick up his biological brother, Huo Ting. Huo Ting was a few years older than Huo En, already in his twenties when Huo Xian was born. Their relationship was like that of a father and brother; Huo Ting doted on his younger brother like a son. His wife, however, didn’t care for her own son as much as she did for Huo Xian. Once, due to her negligence, their son nearly suffered a high fever that could have left him brain damaged. This incident led to their divorce, and she took their son abroad.
Huo Ting has never remarried, devoting himself entirely to the company. Even during the investigation, he never forgot to check on his brother’s meals and sleep, making Huo Xian feel like—no, making him feel like the original Huo Xian was a giant baby.
Out of both obligation and affection, he should personally pick up Huo Ting.
Huo En came to pick him up first, and then they went together to pick up Huo Ting.
On the way, Huo En smiled and said, “With Big Brother back, the burden on my shoulders is lifted.”
“The company is gone, and the other family businesses have been mostly handled. You can completely relax and rest for a while.” The most important thing is to deal with the marriage with Liu Chengpei.
Hearing this, the smile on Huo En’s face faded. “We’ll get the company back. Once Big Brother returns, we’ll rebuild ‘Ting En’. Our father started from nothing and built an empire for us. We weren’t capable enough to protect it, but now we simply start over. I believe we can do it.”
Huo Xian opened his mouth to speak, thinking his older sister was a bit stubborn.
Before Huo Xian could speak, Huo En continued, “By the way, A Xian, I’ll be busy in two days with the jade transaction with Miss An. Can you go in my place? The process is simple: professional appraisal and notarization, then a trip to the bank.”
“Will Miss An be there in person?” Huo Xian asked.
Huo En glanced at him and said sullenly, “A Xian, don’t blame Second Sister for being harsh. A toad can’t eat swan meat. The An family isn’t a family we can aspire to. You and Miss An are from two different worlds.”
Huo Xian: …
Those words were indeed quite harsh.
He didn’t explain that he had no ulterior motives towards Anna, nor did he intend to “eat swan meat”—heck, swan meat might not even be as delicious as ordinary goose meat.
=v=
Two days later.
Huo Xian saw Anna again. He thought that, given Anna’s status, she wouldn’t be present in person, but she was. And, he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt there was a hint of inquiry in her gaze.
The transaction process went smoothly; both the appraisal and notarization were conducted by reputable institutions.
After Father Huo gave the jade bracelet to Mother Huo, she only wore it briefly. Apart from regular maintenance, she never took it out again, so its condition was still perfect, worth 210 million.
The final stop was the bank. Anna invited Huo Xian to go with her, and he didn’t refuse.
In the spacious backseat, each occupied a seat. Huo Xian didn’t seem to be conscious of being in a car with a beautiful woman, attentively watching a movie on the car’s TV. He noticed Anna’s occasional glances but pretended not to notice.
The movie ended, and the car stopped at a traffic light. Anna spoke first, “I wonder if Mr. Huo knows anything about raw jade?”
Hearing her question, Huo Xian showed surprise, “Raw jade? The kind of stone that can be cut into jade?”
Anna nodded.
“Um… I think I heard someone mention it once, but I’ve never handled it.” Huo Xian said, then asked curiously, “Why would Miss An ask this?”
“It just came to mind, a casual question. Mr. Huo doesn’t need to mind it.” Anna’s tone and expression seemed as if she was just looking for a topic of conversation.
But, was it reasonable to ask a complete layman about raw jade? The Huo family made their fortune in real estate, and they had never touched any other industry. The original Huo Xian was known as a useless good-for-nothing; he might buy jewelry to give as gifts, but raw jade was a completely different concept.
Anna suddenly said, “Next month, our An family will transport a batch of raw jade from a newly acquired mine for a low-price auction with on-site cutting and display. Mr. Huo, would you like to see the ‘one cut makes you rich, one cut makes you poor’ scene firsthand?”
Huo Xian showed interest, but he held back his curiosity, asking, “Such an event would be something many people would kill to attend. Miss An and I have only met twice; our acquaintance is still shallow, and I don’t know anything about raw jade. Why would Miss An invite me?”
Anna’s response was very natural, “I couldn’t find a substitute for the shop’s prized possession, the broken jade Pi Xiu, in the short term. The Huo family’s jade bracelet solved my urgent problem. Consider it a debt of gratitude from me to the Huo family.”
Huo Xian chuckled, “Miss An didn’t get it for free.”
Anna also curved her lips and took out a gold-embossed invitation from her bag, “Mr. Huo, would you grace us with your presence?”
Huo Xian accepted it with both hands, “Then I’ll gladly accept.”
By this point, they had arrived at the bank.
Logically, for a top-tier family like the Ans, large sums of money could be transferred directly from the company’s accounts. Going to the bank was unnecessarily troublesome. Unless, the bank had a “plot” to follow, or…
There was no “or.” Huo Xian, Anna, and Anna’s assistant had just entered the bank when the already-scheduled bank manager, with a smiling face, hadn’t even had a chance to speak when the situation in the lobby suddenly changed.
The man who entered behind Anna’s assistant pulled out a handgun from his bosom, without saying a word, and shot a security guard. At the same time, two people jumped up from the queuing area, pulling out submachine guns from black bags at their feet. Two people sitting outside the counter also pointed their guns at the tellers, and finally, a “customer” assisting with an ATM machine also pointed their gun at the staff.
The sudden bank robbery caused a commotion in the bank lobby. Anna, even in her composure, was stunned by the scene. Her composure was gone, replaced by fear, but before she could feel it fully, an irresistible force bent her over, and a hand covered her mouth before she could scream.
She smelled a fresh scent of mint, strange yet familiar. The man’s closeness made her heart skip a beat; it was Huo Xian.
Huo Xian half-dragged, half-carried her past the ATMs, straight to the self-service area connected to the bank lobby. There was an exterior door there. By the time the robbers began to lower the security gates, Huo Xian had already taken Anna out of the bank without leaving a trace.
The bank alarm bell rang throughout the street. Anna’s face was pale, her body trembling, her legs weak; she could barely stand with Huo Xian’s support. At this moment, she was still worried about her assistant.
Huo Xian handed her over to her bodyguards, listening to the approaching sirens, and reassured her, “He will be safe.” Then he looked at the two bodyguards, “You should take Miss An back first.”
The bodyguards were more than happy to do so. They had nearly put their employer in mortal danger. Fortunately, before they risked rushing in to save her, Huo Xian had saved their employer. Fortunately, fortunately!
“What about you?” Anna saw Huo Xian was about to leave, and instinctively grabbed his arm, asking anxiously.
“I’ll wait for the police to arrive.” Huo Xian subtly withdrew his arm from her grasp.
Anna wanted to say more, but the two bodyguards unceremoniously escorted her into the car. The reason was simple: people who had heard the commotion were gathering on the street, and the entire street would be impassable in a matter of minutes.
[Host, are you crazy?] The system’s first words were once again questioning Huo Xian’s mental state.
Huo Xian asked back, [What’s the problem?]
What’s the problem?
The problem is huge! This was a chance for the protagonist to dramatically increase the female lead Anna’s favorability. The protagonist was supposed to rescue the damsel in distress during the robbery and win Anna’s heart. Now?
Huo Xian rescued her before the robbery even started!
Rescued! Her! Beforehand!!!
It’s like a two-hour movie where the exciting middle part is cut out, leaving only the beginning and the end. What’s the point of making this movie? Is it a joke?
Police officers from a nearby station arrived first, setting up barriers and dispersing the crowd. Even so, the area, located in the bustling city center, was still jammed. It took more than ten minutes for the armed police to arrive.
“Can I go in and talk to the officer in charge of the operation?” Huo Xian found a police officer maintaining order, and before a refusal could be given, he added, “I know there are several robbers in the bank.”
The officer immediately became alert, “How do you know?”
“I just entered the bank before the robbers started. While they were attacking, while the situation was chaotic, I ran out from the self-service area.” Huo Xian explained concisely, then handed over a document, “I just sold a jade bracelet for over 200 million. The buyer is transferring the money to me now, and the buyer’s assistant is still in the bank.”
The officer saw the glaring 210 million and became serious, quickly contacted his superior, obtained permission, and took him to the operational command center.
When they arrived, Huo Xian was hearing the commander relaying the detective’s message: “There are a total of six robbers…”
He corrected, “Not six, seven.”
The commander’s words paused, and he looked at him. Among a group of armed police officers in neat uniforms, Huo Xian in civilian clothes looked out of place. The commander’s eyes narrowed, and the young police officer who brought him immediately broke into a cold sweat, trembling.
Before the commander could question him, Huo Xian quickly said, “Besides the six armed robbers, there’s another accomplice, the bank manager. He was the one who lowered the security gates so quickly. I can help pinpoint the robbers’ exact location.”
“Do you know you’re obstructing justice…”
“Officer, you have two pairs of handcuffs and two keys on you, your service weapon is here…” Huo Xian interrupted again, pointing to the location on his body, “You have a large pink-wrapped strawberry-flavored Vitamin C candy in your pocket, and there’s a hole in the toe of your right sock.”
The commander’s expression shifted from displeasure to seriousness and alertness, and finally to disbelief. His mouth hung open, his eyes wide, and his breathing became rapid, asking, “How do you know?”
Huo Xian slightly curved his lips, calmly answering, “I can see.”
[Host, do you know what you’re doing? How could you let others know you have abilities?] The system’s voice seemed to have lost its usual cold and mechanical tone, sounding frantic.
Huo Xian looked straight ahead at the bank, his tone calm, “[I’ve always felt that X-ray vision shouldn’t be used for peeping, because I consider myself a gentleman.]”
[No one told you to peep. You could have used it for gambling on jade!] The system was somewhat exasperated.
Huo Xian didn’t respond, instead saying, “[Now, I’ve found the correct use for X-ray vision. System, thank you for that electricity, for not letting me miss this good, unique, ability.]”
System: […………] I’ll thank you for nothing!
Author’s Note: Huo Xian: Didn’t expect that, huh.
System: F*** you!
=v=
Thank you to little fairy Wuzai Ke for throwing 1 landmine =3=
Thank you to little fairies “windy Huashentear” for watering 1 nutrient solution, “Xiaohua Hua Za Ni =￣ω￣=” for watering 10 nutrient solutions, “Xingyin” for watering 14 nutrient solutions, and “Wuzai Ke” for watering 1 nutrient solution. I love you guys, hearts =333=