Chapter 4: The Male Lead with X-Ray Vision VS Five Female Leads (4)
The Liu family was one of the top families in City A. Liu Chengpei, like the original Huo Xian, was a spoiled brat, but he had good luck with his birth. Huo En marrying him was undoubtedly a step up for her.
Liu Chengpei had an older brother, Liu Chengxiang, the current head of the Liu family, with only one daughter—Liu Xuxue.
Liu Xuxue’s welcome banquet attracted many prominent figures. It was less of a welcome banquet and more of a husband-selection event for Liu Xuxue. After all, she was twenty-three years old, cultured, gentle, quiet, talented, and the jewel of the Liu family. Marrying her, whether to keep her as a lucky charm or to spoil her, was a good deal.
Huo Xian was the least impressive among the many young masters. After entering the banquet hall, he was ridiculed and, in character, rolled up his sleeves to fight back before his brother-in-law, Liu Chengpei, intervened.
“Axian, this is Xuxue’s welcome banquet. Give your brother-in-law some face and don’t cause trouble, okay?” After once again “rescuing” Huo Xian, Liu Chengpei took him to a corner of the banquet hall, somewhat helplessly.
Huo Xian scowled, clearly not wanting to give him face.
Liu Chengpei changed the subject, saying, “Later, your brother-in-law will take you to meet Xuxue. You’re about the same age; young people should have things to talk about.”
Huo Xian’s eyebrows twitched, suppressing his slight interest. He sarcastically said, “Brother-in-law, taking me to meet your niece, aren’t you afraid I’ll have ulterior motives towards her?”
Liu Chengpei didn’t care, lowering his voice and hinting, “Xuxue is our Liu family’s only little princess. If she takes a liking to you, the Huo family’s revival isn’t impossible.”
Huo Xian seemed tempted but maintained his facade of indifference, saying, “Forget it, those goody-two-shoes girls are boring.”
“Goody-two-shoes girls are good. So obedient, so well-behaved. You can marry her and then do whatever you want outside; she won’t make a fuss, will she?” Liu Chengpei’s tone was seductive.
Huo Xian showed hesitation, then glanced at the banquet hall, showing annoyance. He reached for a cigarette but found none. He remembered that he was wearing an outfit provided by Liu Chengpei, and his cigarettes weren’t in his pockets.
“I have nothing now. How could such a wealthy young lady look at me? Even if she did, would her father let her marry me?” Huo Xian’s tone was agitated.
Liu Chengpei heard the clear indication that he was tempted but couldn’t bring himself to admit it. He sneered inwardly, putting on a good brother-in-law act and offering advice: “Axian, if you want to, your brother-in-law has a way to help you succeed.”
“…Succeed?” Huo Xian looked at him questioningly.
Liu Chengpei made a lewd expression, rubbing his fingers together. Huo Xian showed a hint of embarrassment. Seeing this, Liu Chengpei teased, “Are you shy? Is this still my Axian, who’s thicker-skinned than anyone?”
Huo Xian’s expression didn’t change, but he inwardly scoffed, saying, “I just suddenly remembered, brother-in-law, you’re Liu Xuxue’s uncle. Why does it seem like you don’t want her to be happy?”
“What do you mean? Of course, I want my niece to be happy.” Liu Chengpei glared at him lightly, then complained again: “When Grandpa was alive, I had unlimited allowance. After Grandpa passed away, my brother took over, and I only get this much now,” he held up two fingers, continuing with a worried expression, “Last week, he told me that the group’s revenue wasn’t good and that he had to cut my allowance. I swear…cough, our Liu family is such a large enterprise; even if the revenue isn’t good, it shouldn’t affect my one or two million. How dare he say that?”
Huo Xian raised an eyebrow: “So, brother-in-law, you’re getting back at your brother?”
“Don’t use such a harsh word as ‘revenge’,” Liu Chengpei glared at him. “I’m finding him such an excellent son-in-law; he should be thanking me.”
Shameless people are invincible. That’s probably what Liu Chengpei was.
Huo Xian changed the subject: “If I marry Liu Xuxue, how will our generations be calculated?”
Liu Chengpei rolled his eyes at him: “Don’t you think I can still live with your second sister? I can’t find her now, but if things go well between you and Xuxue, I’ll file for divorce immediately. You don’t need to worry about generations.”
A dark gleam flashed in Huo Xian’s eyes, quickly disappearing. He hesitantly said, “This is Liu family territory. If I really do something to Liu Xuxue…”
Liu Chengpei patted his shoulder confidently, “Leave it to your brother-in-law; everything will be perfect. After today, you’ll be our Liu family’s ideal son-in-law.”
Huo Xian looked at the man whose scheming wasn’t even hidden, a smile slowly forming on his lips. He said meaningfully, “Then I’ll trouble you, brother-in-law.”
=v=
Huo Xian stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his hotel room, looking up at the sky. The night sky sparkled with stars, and a crescent moon hung high. This world was real, yet unreal.
[Ding, Host, Liu Xuxue is within twenty meters of you. Please seize this opportunity to complete one of the main quests.] The silent system finally appeared again.
Huo Xian looked down at the wine glass in his hand. The red wine had been swirled countless times, but he hadn’t taken a sip since receiving it from Liu Chengpei, as if it were merely a decoration.
“I’m curious,” he suddenly said.
There was no one else in the room, so the system naturally responded: [Host, curious about what?]
Huo Xian curled his lips, slowly saying, “Is the ‘son of destiny’s’ luck used to make women fall head over heels after sleeping with them? Don’t tell me that after physical intimacy, Liu Xuxue will marry me for the sake of reputation. This world’s background is very similar to my original world. In my understanding, rapists end up behind bars, not marrying their victims.”
The system bluntly said: [The host naturally has personal charm; the host can discover it later.] After a pause, it reminded him: [Host, Liu Xuxue is at the door. Please seize the opportunity.]
As soon as the words fell, Huo Xian heard the sound of a card being swiped at the door, but the door didn’t open.
“Beep—”
“Beep—”
The sounds of the card reader and the doorknob being pressed sounded simultaneously. After several attempts, the person outside seemed to lose patience, their actions becoming more forceful.
[What’s going on?] The system popped up again.
Huo Xian put down his wine glass, straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes, as if remembering something, calmly saying, “I seem to have locked the door from the inside.”
System: [……]
Huo Xian walked to the door, unlocking the security lock and opening the door just as the person outside started knocking. The next instant, a scent of delicate perfume and alcohol filled his nostrils. Before the soft touch, he reached out to steady her.
The girl was in her early twenties, tall and slender, with exquisite makeup and understated yet expensive accessories. She wore a white one-shoulder dress, revealing a graceful swan neck. Her breath was warm, her cheeks flushed, her eyes hazy—a captivating sight.
However, Huo Xian didn’t even flinch.
“Who are you?” The girl, Liu Xuxue, though slightly intoxicated, was quickly alert upon noticing a stranger.
Huo Xian stepped back, maintaining a safe distance, calmly explaining, “You might have gone to the wrong room. I heard a noise and came to check.”
Liu Xuxue frowned slightly, trying to stay alert and looked at the room card number in her hand: 1608, then at the door number: 1608. She hadn’t gone to the wrong room.
Huo Xian also showed a surprised expression. He pulled out the room card from the wall reader; it also said 1608, meaning the room was his.
But how could the hotel give the same room card to different guests?
Liu Xuxue was now quite drunk, her thoughts sluggish, unable to remember who gave her the card. She stood at the door, at a loss.
After a two-minute “standoff,” Huo Xian said, “Can you go to the front desk and get another room?”
Liu Xuxue wanted to, but she couldn’t even stand steadily and just wanted to sleep; she didn’t have the energy to go downstairs.
“…I’ll wait a bit. I’ll pack up and leave.” Without waiting for Liu Xuxue to speak again, he closed the door, pretending to pack.
Unsurprisingly, as soon as the door closed, he heard the system’s questioning: [Host, do you still want to do the quest?]
Huo Xian countered: [Doing the quest doesn’t mean I need to have an intimate relationship with someone, does it?]
System: [Liu Xuxue is one of the female leads, your future wife!]
Huo Xian: [In my world, bigamy is punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment or detention.]
System: [……]
System: [You can only get a marriage certificate with one female lead.]
Huo Xian: [That would be unfair to the other four female leads.]
System: [……What are you trying to do, Host?]
Huo Xian didn’t answer. He had “packed up” and reopened the door. Liu Xuxue was still standing there, in the same position. Seeing him, she was slightly embarrassed. Before she could speak, he said, “My name is Huo Xian. My brother-in-law, Liu Chengpei, booked the room. He was in a good mood today and may have had too much to drink, forgetting that I was resting in his room and gave you the room card. I’ll leave the card here, and I’ll call him later and tell him.”
Liu Xuxue slowly digested his words, nodding after a while: “Okay.”
Huo Xian bypassed her and walked out of the room. He stopped after a few steps, turning back to remind her, “For safety’s sake, lock the security lock after entering the room.” He said nothing more, walking away.
By the time Liu Xuxue’s slow mind processed his words and she wanted to thank him, he was already gone.
Huo Xian… was it him?
[Host, you…] The system’s impending question abruptly stopped.
Huo Xian moved his ears: [System, are you malfunctioning?]
The system’s mechanical voice was cold: [Please actively complete the tasks.]
Huo Xian raised his eyebrows slightly. It actually compromised?
Giving up?
Unlikely.
Huo Xian didn’t leave the hotel but got another room at the front desk—room 1607, next to 1608. He waited for the “good show” to begin.
At 3 am, when people are most sleepy, even with excellent soundproofing, Huo Xian was still awakened by the noise and kicking of the door in the hallway. He went to the bathroom, washed his face with cold water, clearing his mind and gradually increasing his concentration. Soon, his vision penetrated two walls, seeing four people standing at the door of 1608. One was Liu Chengpei, anxiously kicking the door, another was the stern Liu Chengxiang, the head of the Liu family, and behind him were two burly bodyguards.
Liu Chengpei failed to kick the door open and started banging on it, shouting, “Huo Xian, come out quickly. You’ve already made a huge mistake and can’t make another one. Come out quickly…”
Huo Xian listened to the clear shouts, propping his chin on his hand, slowly narrowing his eyes.
Author’s Note: Thank you to the little fairies “Lingxi” for watering the nutrient solution +1, and “Li” for watering the nutrient solution +10, love you =3=