Chapter 14: If you can’t, I don’t mind helping
Huo Qingyan didn’t even blink, his voice icy: “You can leave directly without eating.”
Jiang Su belatedly understood something and stepped in front of Huo Qingyan: “Is it because I opened your wine, making you unhappy?”
Zhou Fu was loyal to Huo Qingyan, he must have already told Huo Qingyan about him opening the wine.
Huo Qingyan sneered: “You’re not entirely brainless.”
Jiang Su had the urge to turn around and leave.
His impulse was only temporary; the next second, he had already continued to follow Huo Qingyan’s steps.
…
When the two entered the hall, Huo Zhenheng happened to be coming down from his study.
Huo Qingyan and Huo Zhenheng looked very much alike, and their cold temperament was also extremely similar.
But Huo Zhenheng appeared even more imposing; he looked at Huo Qingyan and Jiang Su and simply said, “You’re here.”
Huo Qingyan only glanced at Huo Zhenheng before turning to the dining room.
Jiang Su was always more obedient in front of his elders; he nodded slightly to Huo Zhenheng: “Yes.”
Huo Zhenheng nodded, and didn’t say anything more.
In the dining room…
Under the cold-toned lights, a luxurious dinner had already been laid out on the long, black lacquer wooden dining table.
Huo Qingyan’s grandfather was recuperating abroad, and Huo Qingyan’s mother had gone abroad to take care of him.
Therefore, only Jiang Su, Huo Qingyan, and Huo Zhenheng were having dinner.
The dining table was large, and the three of them were seated far apart.
Jiang Su didn’t like large dining tables; it felt distant, not like a family.
Neither Huo Qingyan nor Huo Zhenheng spoke, and Jiang Su naturally didn’t dare to speak either, making the meal very awkward.
After enduring the meal, Huo Zhenheng finally spoke his second sentence of the evening: “I have something to discuss with Qingyan, Xiao Qi, you can have some tea downstairs.”
“Xiao Qi” was a very affectionate term, but coming from Huo Zhenheng, it sounded stiff.
Before Jiang Su could speak, Huo Qingyan spoke: “Let him go back.”
Huo Zhenheng looked at Huo Qingyan, his gaze lingering on him for a while, as if trying to see through him.
After a long while, he turned to Jiang Su and said, “In that case, Xiao Qi, you should go back first. Qingyan has been doing some wrong things lately, I’ll help you discipline him well.”
Huo Zhenheng’s tone was light, but Jiang Su inexplicably felt a chill.
If another father said such words, it would mostly be a half-joking, half-serious tone, but Huo Zhenheng’s tone was too serious.
Huo Zhenheng instructed a servant to find a driver: “Send Xiao Qi back.”
Since the elder had spoken, Jiang Su had no reason to refuse, so he got up and left.
Once Jiang Su left, the already cold dining room seemed even more empty.
Huo Zhenheng didn’t say a word and got up to leave.
Huo Qingyan followed behind him.
The two walked one after the other, their height and gait very similar.
The father and son went upstairs to the study.
Huo Qingyan entered afterwards, and as he closed the door, he heard Huo Zhenheng ask, “What’s going on between you and Lin Siyue?”
Huo Qingyan’s hand paused slightly: “Nothing.”
After closing the door, Huo Qingyan turned around and saw Huo Zhenheng stroking a baseball bat, his gaze cold.
Huo Qingyan looked directly at Huo Zhenheng’s cold gaze, his eyes revealing understanding, fearless and unafraid.
The next second, Huo Zhenheng suddenly raised the baseball bat and slammed it down on Huo Qingyan, making a loud “bang.”
The sound showed that he used all his strength.
Huo Qingyan gritted his teeth, tightening his jaw, motionless, without even blinking.
Huo Zhenheng looked displeased: “Why aren’t you making a sound? Doesn’t it hurt?”
Huo Qingyan didn’t say a word, just stared at Huo Zhenheng impassively.
Huo Zhenheng’s displeasure turned into anger, and he hit Huo Qingyan again with the baseball bat. This time, the bat broke.
Huo Qingyan still remained silent, but his brows furrowed slightly.
Only then did Huo Zhenheng become satisfied and threw the broken bat aside.
He adjusted his clothes, appearing once again as a serious and upright head of the family: “It was you who wanted to marry the youngest of the Jiang family, now that you’re married, settle down. The Jiang family cherishes their youngest son the most; if you coax Jiang Su well, the Jiang family’s connections and power will become assets for our Huo family.”
“As for that Lin Siyue, end it soon. If you can’t do it, I don’t mind helping.”
Huo Qingyan, who had remained expressionless, finally raised his eyelids when he heard the last sentence.
Huo Zhenheng sneered: “Since you don’t want me to take action, you handle it yourself.”
Huo Qingyan’s gaze sharpened: “Lin Siyue is my friend, don’t touch him.”
“Friend?” Huo Zhenheng suddenly smiled, then instantly retracted it, kicking Huo Qingyan: “No Huo needs friends!”
Huo Qingyan was unprepared and was kicked back several steps by Huo Zhenheng.
Huo Qingyan steadied himself against the wall, his dark eyes as deep as night: “If you want me to continue working for the Huo family, don’t touch him.”
After speaking, he opened the door and went out.
Standing outside the door, he heard the continuous sound of things being thrown in the room.
When he reached downstairs, the sound of things being thrown became louder.
The servants downstairs were busy with their own tasks, as if they hadn’t heard the sounds from upstairs, or as if they were already used to it.
Huo Qingyan left Huo’s house, got into his car, and then fiercely clenched his brow, leaning on the steering wheel and taking several deep breaths to relieve the pain.
After a while, he slowly straightened up, his expression once again cold and indifferent, and drove away.
In the car not far away, Jiang Su saw Huo Qingyan’s car leave and followed.
The Huo family driver had sent him away earlier, and all the way he had been thinking about Huo Zhenheng’s words, and the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
So, he got out of the car under a pretext, and took another taxi back to see what was going on.
Coincidentally, he happened to see Huo Qingyan coming out, and he didn’t seem unusual.
Jiang Su felt relieved.
However, he was curious about where Huo Qingyan was going, so he instructed the driver to follow.
If it were the usual Huo Qingyan, he would have already noticed Jiang Su following him.
But today he had been beaten quite badly by Huo Zhenheng, and he didn’t have the energy to pay attention to these things.
At an intersection, he looked blankly ahead, took out his phone, and called Lin Siyue.
Lin Siyue answered the phone quickly.
“Qingyan.”
“Come out for a drink.”
He hung up directly.
After Lin Siyue hung up, a look of confusion appeared on his face.
Huo Qingyan was always calm and rational; almost nothing could affect his emotions.
What had made Huo Qingyan look for him for a drink in the middle of the night?
However, this was a good opportunity.
Huo Qingyan looking for him for a drink in the middle of the night meant that he still trusted him.