Chapter 6: The Male Lead with X-Ray Vision VS Five Female Leads (6)
Anna possessed a noble and cold demeanor, different from Fang Manyun’s superficial brilliance and Liu Xuxue’s reserved elegance. She was like a blooming red rose, passionate and flamboyant. Every glance was like a queen surveying her subjects, compelling obedience.
It was somewhat unexpected, yet also expected, by Huo Xian.
Huo En, however, was quite flustered by Anna’s arrival. The tea and snacks she offered were what Huo Xian had recently purchased—inexpensive in Huo En’s eyes. She only remembered the need for hospitality at the last minute and had no time to prepare anything else, resorting to Huo Xian’s supplies.
Anna only lightly touched her lips to the tea before setting it aside, showing no displeasure or dislike. Her upbringing was clearly excellent.
She didn’t beat around the bush, getting straight to the point.
“The jade bracelet and the Pixiu that broke in the shop came from the same piece of jade. The bracelet was originally a gift from my father to a friend, but the friend’s family had a sudden misfortune, and it was sent to the auction house,” Anna’s voice was cold and clear, her speech unhurried and pleasant. “Imperial green jade is becoming increasingly rare. That piece was of superior quality, which is why I remembered the bracelet when the Pixiu broke. Ms. Huo, you must understand my intentions, so I won’t beat around the bush. If you’re willing to part with it at a reasonable price, I’d like to buy back the bracelet. May I know your asking price?”
In front of the powerful Anna, Huo En seemed naturally inferior. She nervously fiddled with her fingers, “This…”
Anna then asked, “Is there some difficulty?”
“No, no, no…” Huo En, startled by the formal address, hurriedly shook her head.
“Then, do you need to discuss it with your family?” Anna thoughtfully guessed.
Before Huo En could respond, there was a gentle knock on the door of the meeting room, followed by Huo Xian’s voice, “Second Sister, I’m here to deliver the bracelet. Can I come in?”
Huo En’s eyes lit up immediately. She quickly said “Please wait a moment” to Anna, then got up to open the door. She saw the box in Huo Xian’s hand. She took it, opened it, and it was indeed the bracelet her father had bought.
“Where did you find it?” Huo En instinctively asked, then realized it wasn’t the time. She turned to Anna, asking for her opinion, “Miss An, the bracelet was my mother’s. I can’t decide on its sale alone. Could my brother and I discuss it first?”
Anna nodded, “Please feel free.”
Her gaze swept over Huo Xian again, briefly meeting his. After the door closed, she frowned. From the moment she entered the Huo house and saw Huo Xian to this second encounter, he was completely different from the spoiled and lustful person described in her investigation. The Huo Xian she saw was composed and handsome, his eyes clear. Except for a slight initial surprise, he hadn’t shown any lecherous behavior or deliberately tried to please her as Miss An of An’s Jewelry. If he was acting, his skills were truly exceptional.
But she still couldn’t understand how her brother, who had been weak since childhood and rarely left home, knew Huo Xian. An’s family and the Huo family had never interacted. Why did her brother keep mentioning him, and even use the broken jade as a pretext to get the jade bracelet back from the Huo family’s auction house? She wondered if there was some mystery to the bracelet.
While pondering, the meeting room door opened again. Anna glanced at the clock on the wall. Only five minutes had passed since Huo En and Huo Xian left to discuss the matter, but Huo En seemed to have already reached an agreement.
She asked, “What does Mr. Huo think?”
Huo En smiled and said frankly, “Axian said I can decide.”
Anna was surprised. For a deal worth at least 100 million, the young master Huo actually let his sister make the decision alone? Was it trust, or did his inherent spoiled nature make him hesitant to decide?
Since Huo En could decide, and Anna really wanted to buy back the bracelet she believed held a mystery, both sides reached a preliminary consensus. Next, Anna needed to verify the bracelet’s authenticity, and Huo En needed to set a price. Once they agreed, the transaction could proceed.
In the garden, there was little green left, but Huo Xian was still tending to the flowers: crabapples, tulips, wintersweets, camellias, peonies, and azaleas—mostly cold-hardy varieties.
[Host, aren’t you going to look?] The system couldn’t help but speak.
Huo Xian, having checked the weather forecast and knowing that it was about to get colder, began moving the flowerpots into the greenhouse, casually asking, “Look at what?”
[Anna.] The system said.
Huo Xian: “I’ve already seen her.”
The system fell silent for a few seconds, eventually asking, [Host, don’t you have other thoughts?]
Huo Xian: “What do you mean?”
System: [Anna comes from the top-tier An family, the jewel of An’s Jewelry, and the future heir. She’s beautiful and has a unique temperament. The host still doesn’t like her?]
Huo Xian chuckled softly, slowly saying, “Beautiful appearances are all the same. I pay more attention to inner beauty.”
System: [……]
After a long while, the system spoke again: [Host, please don’t forget your task.]
“By the way,” Huo Xian suddenly felt like chatting with the system.
The system immediately said: [Host, what are your orders?]
Huo Xian heard a hint of eagerness in its emotionless mechanical voice. He asked, “Anna’s last name is An, and you mentioned the ‘world bug’ An Chun also has the last name An. Is there a connection between them?”
[The host can investigate on their own.] The system said.
Huo Xian: “The original’s former friends have distanced themselves from him due to the Huo family’s downfall. Huo En is busy dealing with the company’s aftermath and submitting evidence to save Huo Ting. And the original had a bad reputation; if I ask her about the An family, she’ll think I’m interested in Anna.”
System: [Anna is one of the host’s future wives.] The implication being that being interested was acceptable.
Huo Xian placed his hands under the faucet, the cool water flowing through his slender fingers, washing away the soil. His expression was serious and focused, as if he were handling a precious work of art. The tranquil and beautiful atmosphere made the system hesitant to interrupt.
He gently wiped the water droplets on his hands with a tissue. Just when the system thought the topic had passed, it heard him say, “I’m not a puppet in your plot. My future is only in my hands.”
[Host, you probably forgot that you’re already dead and have lost your future.] The system’s cold tone contained a hint of irony.
“But you let me live in ‘Huo Xian’s’ body, didn’t you?” Huo Xian threw the tissue into the trash can and walked out of the greenhouse unhurriedly.
At the door, he encountered Huo En seeing Anna off. They exchanged a glance. Huo Xian nodded slightly at her, stepping aside to let her pass first, showing courtesy and composure, which caused Anna to take a second look.
To be fair, the original’s appearance had the potential to be a playboy, but his slovenly habits had diminished his handsomeness. Huo Xian hadn’t made any effort to improve it either; simply straightening his posture had greatly improved his demeanor.
The system suddenly said: [It seems that compared to the host, the system’s understanding of humans is still lacking.]
Huo Xian: “……?”
The system didn’t explain and went silent.
Soon, Huo En returned and told Huo Xian the result of her discussion with Anna. Huo En didn’t know much about the current market price of imperial green jade, only that it had increased slightly since a few years ago. However, she wasn’t greedy and discussed with Huo Xian that as long as they could recover their costs, it would be a profit. She was surprised that Anna brought data on jade prices for the past few years. Due to the excessive mining of jadeite in previous years, imperial green jade had become priceless, often sold at high prices as soon as it appeared.
Therefore, Anna offered Huo En 210 million, almost double the original price.
Huo Xian wasn’t overly happy. His attitude calmed the ecstatic Huo En, who then remembered to ask him where he found the bracelet.
Huo Xian didn’t reveal his X-ray vision ability, vaguely explaining that he had seen his mother store the jewelry before and only remembered the hidden safe in the bedside cabinet when she mentioned it today. Huo En didn’t suspect anything.
“By the way, Axian, did Liu Chengpei come to see you?” Before leaving, Huo En thought of Liu Chengpei, her expression unpleasant.
“He came,” Huo Xian nodded.
As soon as he spoke, Huo En immediately became alert, “What did he want? You didn’t go out with him, did you? After Grandpa’s death, he’s not as well-treated at home and resents Liu Chengxiang, seeming to have plans for revenge. Liu Chengxiang’s only daughter has returned home, and if he uses her as an excuse to get you out, remember not to agree. Liu Chengxiang cherishes his daughter very much. If you have any intentions towards his daughter, he’ll make you disappear without a trace. Don’t doubt it, there are countless ways to make someone ‘disappear’ quietly.”
Huo Xian didn’t tell her that Liu Chengpei had already framed him once, using Liu Xuxue as an excuse. But Liu Chengpei’s methods were dirtier; he aimed to ruin Liu Xuxue’s reputation.
“I know,” he nodded.
Huo En was still worried and warned again, “Don’t be fooled by his sweet talk. He has no good intentions; keep your distance from him.”
Huo Xian agreed.
After seeing Huo En off, Huo Xian was thinking about what to eat for dinner when his phone rang. The caller ID: Liu Chengpei.
Speak of the devil.
“Hello…” Huo Xian answered.
As soon as he spoke, Liu Chengpei’s complaints came from the other end, “Axian, what’s wrong with you? I created such good conditions for you—the right time, the right place, and the right people. Why didn’t you seize the opportunity? You wasted my efforts. I don’t know if there will be another chance.”
Huo Xian curled his lips, his eyes icy, but he said regretfully, “Brother-in-law, you can’t blame me. I don’t know if I ate something bad at the banquet or if the alcohol in the room was bad, but my stomach hurt so badly that I had no mood to mess with women. You’re the one at fault. I waited in the room for so long, and you didn’t bring her. If you’d brought her earlier, it would have been done!” He complained to Liu Chengpei instead.
Liu Chengpei laughed angrily, “So, it’s my fault?”
Huo Xian remained silent, clearly thinking so.
Liu Chengpei took a deep breath and let it out heavily, “Okay, let’s not dwell on the past. Are you free today?”
“Did you get me a car? If you did, I’m free,” Huo Xian said shamelessly.
Liu Chengpei was silent for a moment, suppressing his displeasure, trying to make his voice sound normal, “I’ll take you to choose a car tomorrow. There’s something else… Don’t say your brother-in-law doesn’t care about you. Your sister asked me for help, and I’ve already contacted the Qiao family. Now your sister, without telling anyone, filed for bankruptcy of ‘Ting En,’ and the Qiao family is quite unhappy. I spent a lot of effort to appease them, and they’re interested in your family’s ‘Happy Garden’ community. Let me tell you, two beautiful girls are handling this from the Qiao family’s side. If you can use half the effort you used to charm girls, and make them happy, the Qiao family connection will bring you great rewards.”
He laughed lewdly, then changed his tone, his words subtly suggesting, “Huo En is calling the shots in the Huo family now, and you’re twenty-five years old. You can’t always rely on Huo En. You should have your own assets. Brother-in-law is a man of experience. I always have to watch my brother’s expression, which is truly uncomfortable. I understand this feeling very well. Brother-in-law is doing this for your own good, not wanting you to follow in my footsteps.”
Huo Xian: Today is another day of being provoked and alienated.
Author’s Note: Huo Xian: Beautiful appearances are all the same, there’s nothing to see.
Soon after—
Huo Xian: It’s so delicious.