Chapter 16: The Male Lead with X-Ray Vision vs. Five Female Leads (16)
“Swift and decisive” perfectly described Huo Ting and Huo En. With the New Year’s approaching, they had already arranged everything overseas and left for abroad with their father, who was in a vegetative state, before the new year. It was as if even a day’s delay would burden Huo Xian, the “protagonist,” affecting the speed of his shining.
Was it reasonable?
Of course not. Chinese people value family reunion during the Spring Festival. For Huo Xian, a family darling who didn’t get the companionship of his brother and sister during the Spring Festival, it was illogical.
However, Huo Xian didn’t mention it. In the system’s mechanical logic, human emotions and joys and sorrows were beyond its comprehension.
“Axian, where are you?” Liu Chengpei, who hadn’t been in contact for a while, called Huo Xian the day before New Year’s Eve. Before Huo Xian could speak, he started cursing Huo Ting and Huo En, calling them heartless and unfilial for taking their father to abroad without him, and cursing Huo En for being shameless and cruel. He cursed for a full half hour, venting his frustrations and slandering Huo En to Huo Xian.
The reason Liu Chengpei hadn’t contacted Huo Xian recently was twofold. First, Liu Chengxiang was closely watching him. Second, Huo En had presented evidence of him hiring someone to frame her for adultery. Even as husband and wife, Liu Chengpei’s actions were illegal. Huo En didn’t hesitate to report him, and with solid evidence, he was arrested. He was eventually bailed out by the Liu family, but when he tried to trouble Huo En again, he discovered she was abroad.
Because Liu Chengpei was in detention, Huo Xian hadn’t been able to have a “chat” with him.
Now was a good opportunity.
Huo Xian chatted with him for a few minutes before arranging a meeting. Thinking of his tendency to encounter female leads wherever he went, he carefully chose a place that neither he nor Liu Chengpei favored—a roadside eatery.
When Liu Chengpei arrived at the destination according to the navigation, he was shocked and bewildered, with question marks popping up above his head.
Seeing Huo Xian, whose attire was completely out of place with the entire street, Liu Chengpei immediately concluded that Huo Xian’s location was wrong. As he walked towards him, he complained, “Axian, is there a problem with your phone’s GPS? What a broken place you led me to…”
“No,” Huo Xian interrupted him, “I chose this place.”
Hearing this, Liu Chengpei looked as if Huo Xian was joking with him. Before he could speak, Huo Xian had already walked past him towards the eatery.
Liu Chengpei hesitated for two seconds before following him in. Fortunately, although the eatery was small, the tables and chairs were new and clean. Even Huo Xian was a little surprised. Perhaps this was the setup for the protagonist of good fortune?
Despite this, Liu Chengpei still looked disgusted, “Axian, you’re treating your brother-in-law to this place?”
Huo Xian ignored him. It wasn’t mealtime yet, and such small restaurants were usually individually run. He took a thin menu, scanned the dishes, quickly selected a few, and then called the owner, who was playing with his phone, to take the order. Whether Liu Chengpei’s disgust annoyed the owner or the owner was simply bad-tempered, his face was quite unpleasant when he approached.
“Boss, make the spicy dishes slightly spicy, thank you,” Huo Xian added.
“Got it,” the boss replied coldly and walked to the kitchen.
Liu Chengpei slammed the table in dissatisfaction, “What’s his attitude?”
“Just bear with it; I might not even be able to afford small eateries later,” Huo Xian said dejectedly.
Upon hearing this, Liu Chengpei ignored the bad-tempered restaurant owner, “What do you mean? What do you mean you can’t even afford small eateries? I remember you sold a jade bracelet to the An family recently? 200 million!”
Huo Xian lifted his eyelids, his expression even more disheartened, “Do you think my brother and sister will give me the money?”
“What’s going on? Your father-in-law became a vegetable, and they ganged up to bully you?” Liu Chengpei slammed the table, indignant, then added reproachfully, “Axian, you’re too spineless. The Huo family isn’t just theirs; you’re also a member of the Huo family. You are your father-in-law and mother-in-law’s most beloved son, and you should inherit the largest share of the Huo family’s assets. How can you let Huo Ting and Huo En bully you?”
“Because I’m a useless waste who doesn’t know anything, they easily fooled me. By the time I realized it, the money had already been transferred to them,” Huo Xian said, apologizing to Huo Ting and Huo En in his heart: Sorry, I made you take the fall.
“All of it? 200 million?” Liu Chengpei asked, his eyes wide.
Huo Xian nodded irritably.
Liu Chengpei felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out, the pain making it difficult to breathe. He subconsciously covered his chest.
After a while, he remembered something and hurriedly asked, “What about Happy Garden? The Qiao family is willing to pay 300 million. With that 300 million…”
“Don’t mention it,” Huo Xian waved his hand to interrupt him, “My brother told me he found a buyer for Happy Garden who’s willing to pay 3 billion. After the transaction is successful, he’ll give me 2.5 billion, and then I…”
“Then what?” Liu Chengpei’s voice trembled. 3 billion? Even a pig could hear that the price was wrong. Was Huo Xian, this idiot, even stupider than a pig???
And then Huo Xian, who was stupider than a pig, languidly replied with drooping eyelids, “I transferred ownership to him. Then he ran abroad with the property rights.”
Liu Chengpei almost fainted. He pointed at Huo Xian’s nose and cursed, “Are you eating sh*t and growing up…”
Huo Xian was stunned for half a second, then slammed his chopsticks on the table with a fierce expression and cursed back, “Fck you! If I grew up eating sht, you, a dog, would be no better than me!”
“You…” Liu Chengpei’s face turned livid. Just as he was about to curse again, he suddenly remembered that he had another important matter for inviting Huo Xian out today. A quarrel would only create trouble for him. He quickly calmed down.
He took a deep breath and said earnestly, “Axian, it’s not that your brother-in-law wants to scold you…”
“Remind you, you’ve already divorced Huo En. You’re not my brother-in-law,” Huo Xian said coldly, his eyes full of disdain, like a child throwing a tantrum.
Liu Chengpei was taken aback. He wanted to get angry but had to hold back, coaxing him, “Okay, okay, I’m not your brother-in-law, alright… Axian, it’s not that I’m saying this, Huo Ting and Huo En clearly plotted against you. They took all the money and ran abroad, leaving you alone in China. Such heartless siblings, I feel sorry for you, and I feel sorry for you!”
Huo Xian thought, you’re probably feeling sorry for the money.
“Let’s just eat. While I can still afford to treat you to this,” Huo Xian portrayed himself as a pitiful person.
The system suddenly spoke: [Host, the first time you met Liu Chengpei, he gave you two cards totaling 200,000.]
Huo Xian scoffed inwardly: [200,000? What can that do for a prodigal like the original owner? Not even enough for a bottle of wine.]
The system fell silent and silently went offline.
Liu Chengpei saw his appearance and felt intense contempt, thinking: A good-for-nothing is indeed a good-for-nothing. He deserved to be swindled by Huo Ting and Huo En until he had nothing left.
“Right, I suddenly remembered something…” Liu Chengpei slapped his forehead, “Wasn’t there a thief who broke into your house and got caught? I heard that the thief stole many valuable jewels, and the police recovered them. If you sell those jewels, you should be able to live comfortably for the rest of your life, saving a little.”
Huo Xian frowned upon hearing this, “Don’t mention it. I’ve lived in that house for over twenty years, and I only found out that there were several safes in the house. If it weren’t for that thief, I might never have seen those jewels and jewelry in my life.”
A flash of light appeared in Liu Chengpei’s eyes, then he wondered, “Those jewels and jewelry should be your mother-in-law’s, right? They’re not in your hands now?”
“There are two bandits in the house. Do you think they’d let me have them?” Huo Xian said self-deprecatingly.
Liu Chengpei’s heart tightened again, and the curse words he was about to say almost came out, but the boss luckily delivered the food, so he swallowed them back.
Despite being small, this eatery had excellent food—delicious and aromatic—and from Huo Xian’s seat, he could see the semi-open kitchen where the chef was washing and chopping vegetables. The movements were fast but meticulous, and the ingredients were clean and hygienic.
After coming to this world, Huo Xian either ate takeout or cooked two dishes himself. The few times he went out to eat were steaks or wine. This was the first time he felt like he was really having a meal at a restaurant, a very down-to-earth experience.
He urged Liu Chengpei to eat. Liu Chengpei didn’t like the food at the eatery, and his mind wasn’t on eating. He only ate a few bites before casually saying, “I remember your father lived in that villa for twenty years, and besides occasional repairs and maintenance, he never thought of moving elsewhere. He used to be an architect. Maybe, there might be more than one or two safes at home?”
He’s hooked…
A subtle curve appeared at the corner of Huo Xian’s mouth before quickly flattening. He looked up at Liu Chengpei, “What do you mean?”
“Huo Ting and Huo En can leave, they can take the money, and your father-in-law can be taken abroad. They can’t take the house with them, can they?” The more Liu Chengpei spoke, the more his excitement couldn’t be suppressed. To be honest, he wasn’t suitable for acting; he couldn’t even pretend well.
He said confidently, “Axian, there must be other safes in your house!”
Huo Xian naturally knew whether there were safes in the villa or not. He cooperated with Liu Chengpei’s act, “Really? After I finish eating, I’ll go back and look…”
“What are you eating for? Once you find the other valuables your father hid, you can eat whatever you want!” Liu Chengpei urged, reaching out to pull him away, impatient.
Huo Xian dodged his hand and said seriously, “The house isn’t going anywhere. I haven’t had a full meal in days. You have to wait until I’m finished.”
Eat your mother! Liu Chengpei only had this sentence in his mind; he wished he could stuff all the food into Huo Xian’s mouth and make him swallow it. However, he couldn’t be too obvious. If he was too obvious, Huo Xian might suspect his intentions. He needed to calm down. He wasn’t against leaving Huo Xian outside and finding someone to enter the villa to search, but Fang Sheng had taught him a lesson; he trusted himself more than others.
Huo Xian ate the delicious food slowly, subtly enjoying Liu Chengpei’s anxious yet hesitant expression. He was so stupid.
After Huo Xian had almost finished eating, he was about to pack another portion for dinner when Liu Chengpei couldn’t wait any longer; he directly swiped his card to pay and dragged Huo Xian away, as if Huo Xian’s treasures would be discovered and taken away if they were even a second slower. After all, it was Mr. X who told him about the treasures in Huo Xian’s home, and Mr. X must have known too. Maybe he couldn’t get into the Huo family villa for certain reasons and couldn’t act on it. And he failed once before with Fang Sheng. If Mr. X revealed the information to other capable people, wouldn’t he get nothing?
“Help—”
As Liu Chengpei was running silently, he suddenly heard a cry for help. Without time to look at the situation, he was pulled aside by a force. The next second, a figure like a cannonball crashed into his arms. His chest and ribs hurt from the impact. He was about to burst into curses when he suddenly saw a familiar face and was stunned. “Miss Qiao?”
Qiao Yirong pushed Liu Chengpei away, her gaze fixed on Huo Xian behind him, pleading, “Huo Xian, save me!”
Huo Xian: …
F*ck, here we go again!
I should have packed the food to eat at home earlier!
Bad luck!!!