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Chapter 24: Bullying (1)
In the end, Huo Xiaoxiao didn’t go to Yi Qian’s birthday.
After all, she didn’t promise that she would go over the phone, so there was no breach of appointment.
The reason for not going was simple. After Yi Qian called her, Old Master Huo looked at her with a smile on his face and asked her, “Did Xiaoxiao make some new friends?”
She thought about it seriously. They had only met for one day, and the end of their meeting was not very pleasant. Hence, she should not be regarded as a friend, right?
“Why did the little master of the Yi family call you?”
“He… invited me to his birthday.”
“Do you want to go?”
Although these little kids had a good face, they were naive and ignorant. They probably would cry after being teased. ‘It’s not fun at all!’
She shook her head.
‘It’s annoying, I don’t want to go.’
Old Master Huo didn’t force Huo Xiaoxiao when he saw that she wasn’t pleased about going. “Alright. If you don’t want to go, then don’t. Let’s talk about something else.”
Huo Xiao was stunned.
‘Oh no! Here it comes!’
She knew this day would come sooner or later. She just didn’t expect it to be so soon.
Aren’t you supposed to send kids to kindergarten when they were three years old? Why did she go to kindergarten when she was only two years old?
“Kindergarten?”
“Yes. Don’t you always want to go out to play? There are many children in the kindergarten you can play with…” Before the words were finished, Old Master Huo noticed Huo Xiaoxiao’s drooping face. “In fact, Grandpa is reluctant to let you go to kindergarten. I can’t wait for you to stay with Grandpa every day, but it’s your father who wants to send you. Grandpa can’t stop him,” Old Master Huo calmly explained to her.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, your daddy, that man, the arm-flinging shopkeeper who only knows to be busy with his own affairs all day. But it doesn’t matter. If you don’t want to go, Grandpa and your father will discuss it again.”
Huo Xiaoxiao nodded her head.
When Huo Suichen came back the next night, his face was not as relaxed as usual. After having dinner in the dining hall, Old Master Huo especially went to his study.
His desk was full of documents, and Huo Suicheng’s eyebrows were frowning as he flipped through them.
Old Master Huo leaned on his cane and glanced at the papers scattered on the desk. “You have been leaving early and coming home late recently. You seem to have a lot of trouble. What happened?”
Huo Suicheng frowned, put down the documents in his hand, and rubbed his eyebrows. “I am afraid that the Luming Mountain project will be stopped for a while.”
“What’s wrong?”
Huo Suicheng got up and handed a document to his father. “Dug something out. I have to wait for the relevant department to send experts to check it out.”
“Ancient tomb?”
Huo Suicheng lowered his eyebrows.
Old Master Huo flipped through the file and frowned. It was obviously beyond his expectation. “Didn’t you survey the area before? How did you suddenly find an ancient tomb?”
Huo Suicheng sighed. “It was too deep. We didn’t go that deep before.”
Developing this kind of thing was the most taboo matter.
Take Xi’an as an example. It used to be the capital of the 13th Dynasty, with ancient tombs everywhere. It was not uncommon to discover a tomb while digging a subway line, but as long as cultural relics were excavated, the construction must stop.
If he was lucky, he would have to wait for the archaeological expert group to excavate and safeguard it. He could then continue the project, usually one or two years later. However, if his luck was bad and the tomb could not be excavated and could only be protected, then he would have to drop this project.
Luming Mountain was near the sea. Who would have thought that an ancient tomb was buried under it?
Old Master Huo glanced over and saw that his eyes were slightly narrowed; there was a fierceness in his gaze. Guessing his thoughts, he coldly said, “Use your brain first before acting. Think about it, how many people are staring at you now because of this? Stop this project according to regulations. Huo Group will not go bankrupt.”
“I have my own plans regarding this matter, so don’t worry about it.”
Old Master Huo’s wrinkles deepened between his brows, “Do you know the term discretion? After being honest for a few days, you want to make trouble again?”
Huo Suicheng was silent.
“Also, don’t forget about Xiaoxiao’s kindergarten issue. Keep it in your mind.”
Speaking of Xiaoxiao, Huo Suicheng’s eyebrows stretched a little. “I have collected some information about several kindergartens here. If you don’t mind, I will pick two to show you in a couple of days.”
Old Master Huo said earnestly, “I’m relieved that you’re working hard on this, but you have to communicate with Xiaoxiao in advance. What if she doesn’t want to go?”
Huo Suicheng obviously didn’t take this matter seriously. “Yi Yang said that children who just went to kindergarten are not willing to go at first, but in the end, they get used to it.”
“Then I won’t care about this matter. Talk to Xiaoxiao and solve it yourself.”
Huo Suicheng raised his eyes.
Old Master Huo was taken aback. “What are you looking at me for?”
“Don’t you always personally take care of Xiaoxiao’s matters?”
“…I’m powerless when it comes to matters like this.” After that, he coughed twice. “I have been in poor health and lack of energy recently. So, I will leave this matter to you.”
Huo Suicheng was clearly suspicious.
It was not nine o’clock yet, and Huo Xiaoxiao had not gone to sleep. She chatted with Aunt Zhao as she bathed and changed her clothes.
“Auntie, today’s food… fish, delicious!”
She was two years old, so her speech still wasn’t that coherent. There were even some words that she had to think deeply before she could barely spit them out.
The best way to practice speaking was to talk more.
It was so out of hand that her bodyguard at the door would hide at the sight of her.
“If Xiaoxiao likes it, I’ll make it for you tomorrow.”
“But, Grandpa said that Daddy is going to send me to kindergarten.”
“Xiaoxiao is already two years old. You can go to the nursery and play with the kids. Don’t you want to go?”
“Does Aunt not like Xiaoxiao. Otherwise… Why would you want to send Xiaoxiao to kindergarten?” Huo Xiaoxiao hugged Aunt Zhao and rubbed her neck, “Xiaoxiao doesn’t want to be separated from Aunt. She wants to play with Grandpa and Aunt.”
Aunt Zhao saw through her little trick and rubbed her little head. “Xiaoxiao has no conscience. Aunt doesn’t like you? Then who likes Xiaoxiao? Besides, it’s not like you’re going to stay forever in kindergarten. Aunt will pick you up from kindergarten every day, OK?”
“Then… if Xiaoxiao doesn’t want to go, can I not go?”
If she could, she would rather skip kindergarten and go directly to primary school. She would shamelessly show her intelligence after returning to the novice village instead of being the boss of those kids who didn’t have any intelligence in kindergarten yet.
At the thought of those little brats crying in her ear during kindergarten, Huo Xiaoxiao felt that her brain would explode.
But it was impossible not to go.
Which parent didn’t send their child to kindergarten?
Even if she protested, her father wouldn’t agree.
“What nonsense! What child doesn’t go to kindergarten? OK, it’s getting late. Go to bed early.”
Huo Xiaoxiao got under the covers of her blanket and closed her eyes.
It would be nice if she could convince her father not to send her to kindergarten.
‘I’ll have to talk to Huo Suicheng someday. We should be able to have a good chat.’ Aunt Zhao thought.
After getting along these days, Huo Xiaoxiao felt that although her father didn’t like to behave himself sometimes, he wasn’t as sinful and evil as the system said he was.
She even felt that the so-called ‘save the villain’ mission that the system had given her, in the beginning, had probably been completed.
Perhaps if I talk to him nicely, this kindergarten thing might turn around.
" "
Then, A’Xiao duly reminded her, [Honey, before you are three years old, anything is possible. The people who killed your father have not yet exerted their power. Be careful not to be fooled by the calm surface.]
“No way.”
[What’s impossible about it? You’re underestimating Huo Suicheng too much.]
Huo Xiaoxiao always felt that A’Xiao was trying to scare her.
The female lead was Su Yuanqing, but she didn’t see how tempted her father was to Su Yuanqing.
With her father’s womanizing ways, he might end up dying alone.
The male lead… The male lead was just a little novice. Could he kill her dad?
Thinking about this, there was nothing to worry about.
A’Xiao remained silent. ‘You didn’t think so before.’
The moonlight outside the window cast mottled shadows on the windowsill through the gaps in the branches. When the wind blew, the branches would sway, along with the shadows, which was a bit scary.
Huo Xiaoxiao lifted the quilt, got up from the bed, and opened the door. She then tiptoed towards Huo Suicheng’s room.
The door was not closed fully, and a thin light curtain in the room was printed on the corridor.
“…Kill it and throw it into the sea.” Huo Suicheng’s voice came from the slit.
Huo Xiaoxiao’s outstretched foot quietly withdrew.
“…” ‘Sorry to bother you.’
Wait.
What was going on here?
Something was wrong.
Huo Xiaoxiao was in a complicated mood as she perked up her ears. Did she mishear?
What her father said just now was… Kill? Throw it into the sea?
Kill what?
Kill fish?
Kill chickens?
…Kill people?
‘Maybe not.’
Huo Xiaoxiao continued to prick up her ears to listen.
“Do I still need to teach you how to do such a trivial thing?” Huo Suicheng’s voice was cold to the freezing point, not the same temperature as when talking at home.
“…and now you’re telling me that the tomb has been excavated?”
“…take someone… go underground and bury them on the spot.”
“I don’t want to hear any more of your explanations. It can’t be solved. I’ll solve you.”
“…Think about your parents.”
Huo Xiaoxiao’s hands and feet froze in place. She stumbled a few steps back and fell to the ground.
If she had heard her father correctly, then all this…
The villain!
That was definitely a standard line for a ruthless, murderous villain!
Kill and throw the body into the sea!
Bury them on the spot!
Dig a grave!
Not only that but also threatening people’s parents!
Thump, thump!
She gulped.
But wasn’t her dad nice at home? Why did he suddenly say these words?
A tiger, though cruel, would not devour its cubs. Was he lying to her because she was a child?
Huo Xiaoxiao, who had overheard her father, was in no mood to talk to Huo Suicheng about going to kindergarten.
The movement outside the door alerted Huo Suicheng. He hurriedly hung up the phone and opened the door to see Huo Xiaoxiao crawling on the floor in the corridor with both feet.
Huo Xiaoxiao stiffly turned back. The light reflected against Huo Suicheng, causing his tall figure to envelop her entire body.
‘Ahhhh, why are my legs going weak at this time!’
Huo Xiao looked up.
‘My legs, move, damn it.’
Further up, Huo Suicheng was dressed neatly in his suit, his bow tie tied under his Adam’s apple. The coldness and impatience of his eyes were something she had never seen before.
The more she looked at him, the more he seemed like one of those gentle scums that she usually saw on TV.
Was her father acting in front of her all this time?
He was a better actor than her?
It was too confusing.
Huo Xiaoxiao was still a bit skeptical.
No, she was not stupid. She had to trust her dad. There must be a misunderstanding!
“What’s wrong?” When Huo Suicheng saw that it was Huo Xiaoxiao, he bowed and picked her up from the ground. Feeling the stiffness of her body, he gently stroked her back, his face eased as before. “Looking for me for something?”
“I…” Huo Xiaoxiao’s voice was trembling. Her mood had not calmed down yet.
She hesitated for half a moment before directly asking him, “I just… heard you say, throw… throw it into the sea.”
Huo Suicheng pinched her face. “I’ll throw you into the sea too if you don’t behave.”
Huo Xiaoxiao: “Σ(⊙▽⊙)”