Huo Suicheng hadnât moved yet when Old Master Huo stood up first and took the feather duster from Aunt Zhaoâs hand. He glared at Huo Suicheng and scolded, âYou dare beat her when I am around? You dare to touch her? I havenât beaten you since you were a kid. Do you want to give it a try now?â
Aunt Zhao also realized Huo Suichengâs intentions. She frowned in displeasure. âMaster. Sheâs just an ignorant child. Just teach her patiently; how could you hit her?â
Yi Qian also vigilantly stared at Huo Suicheng. Although he didnât say a word, he used his eyes and body movements to say âyou canât beat herâ!
A room full of people taking her side made Huo Xiaoxiaoâs courage swell, and she said, âYes, yes!â
All this was done for his own good. Yet, she got nothing in return for being kind, even getting beaten up.
He would thank her later!
Huo Suicheng almost laughed out loud in anger at Huo Xiaoxiaoâs small face, looking like a clever little devil.
That was right. With so many people protecting her, she had nothing to fear.
Therefore, under everyoneâs eyes, he gave Huo Xiaoxiao a stare, but it had no deterrent effect on her.
âIf you touch Daddyâs things next time, no matter who protects you, it will be useless.â
Done speaking, he picked up the stack of papers that Old Master Huo threw down on the coffee table and went upstairs.
âDonât be afraid; your father is only angry. If he really dares to hit you, you come to Grandpa and see if Grandpa doesnât beat him!â
Old Master Huo handed the feather duster to Auntie Zhao.
For the rest of her life, Huo Xiaoxiao felt terrified whenever she saw the feather duster. âAuntie, hurry up! Burn all the feather dusters!â
Auntie Zhao couldnât help but laugh. âSure, sure, sure, I will burn it now.â
Huo Xiaoxiao was relieved that this matter was finally and perfectly cleared up.
Although it was a pity that she couldnât find the letter of guarantee that her dad forced her to sign, in the end, she didnât get beaten. Her dadâs project fell through, and the Huo family wouldnât be facing a bankruptcy crisis for the time being.
âOkay, letâs leave this now. But Xiaoxiao, you are not allowed to climb on Daddyâs desk anymore. Itâs so high; what if you fall?â
Huo Xiaoxiao nodded.
âAlso, you are not allowed to touch your Daddyâs things, understand?â
Huo Xiaoxiao nodded again.
âItâs late already. Go to bed now. At night, you will sleep in the same room as Yi Qian. You are not allowed to whisper and stay up too late.â
âHuh?â Huo Xiaoxiao turned to look at Yi Qian. âSleep with him? Isnât there another room?â
They indeed had guest rooms, but for such a small kid, the bed there wasnât equipped with a safety bed crib like in the childrenâs room, so it was not safe to sleep.
Only Xiaoxiaoâs room had a bed crib, and it was enough for two children to sleep.
âXiaoxiao is not willing?â
A boy and a girl alone at night⊠it didnât count, though.
Although their gender was different, for just a three- or four-year-old child, it wasnât anything to be upset about.
âIf you donât want to, you can sleep with Daddy.â
Huo Xiaoxiao shook her head quickly. âI didnât say that I donât want to. Iâll sleep in the same room with Yi Qian. Do you agree with me, Yi Qian?â
Yi Qian blushed slightly. âYes.â
âGood night, Grandpa. Yi Qian and I will go upstairs first.â
âGo, go, remember to get up early tomorrow.â
Huo Xiao Xiao was puzzled. âWhy get up early?â
Old Master Huo seemed to have just remembered and smiled. âGrandpa almost forgot. Your father said that he would take you two out to play.â
âTomorrow? Go out to play? Daddy?â Huo Xiaoxiao frowned. âThen⊠will Daddy still take us to play tomorrow?â
Old Master Huo had also forgotten about the incident just now and smiled awkwardly. âIt doesnât matter. There will be many more chances to go in the future.â
âGrandpaâŠâ
ââââ
________
Nine oâclock in the evening.
On the second floor, a lamp was lit on the study table.
Huo Suicheng sat behind the desk in his study, his back facing a floor-to-ceiling window. The darkness in the corner perfectly blended with the night outside.
He had been sitting there for almost an hour while staring at the dirty documents in front of him. He tiredly rubbed his eyebrows.
The Luming Mountain project had been postponed repeatedly, and several other key development plans had also been delayed due to various reasons. He was under a lot of pressure lately.
Australia and New Zealand projectsâŠ
Huo Suichengâs expression was grave. He clearly understood the risks in this project, knowing that there was no investment with absolute safety. All that mattered was boldness and insight. This project might be risky, but he didnât think it would be as bad as Old Master Huo said.
He opened the other drawer and prepared to put this contract inside. The letter of guarantee with Huo Xiaoxiaoâs fingerprint was also in it.
The palm print on the letter was so smaller than his.
Thinking of Huo Xiaoxiaoâs clever devil performance tonight, Huo Suichengâs face was gloomy.
Sometimes, he really wondered if the child was an adult. She clearly didnât know how to read and write, yet she always cared about this letter of guarantee.
At this moment, the door handle was suddenly pressed down. The sound was particularly clear in the quiet night.
Huo Suicheng got up and walked to the door, which quietly opened. There was a rustling movement outside, followed by a deliberately lowered childish voice.
âYi Qian, be quiet. Donât get caught.â
âWhy are we here?â
âHelp me see if Daddy is still angry,â Huo Xiaoxiao whispered. âWe must coax him. So troublesome.â
From the doorâs gap, a shadow poked his head inside.
âI didnât see Uncle Huo.â
âHow is it possible? Take a good look again.â
âUm⊠I took a closer look and didnât see him.â
âSo stupid. Get out of the way. Iâll do it myself.â
The gap widened, and a fidgety little head peeked in.
Huo Xiaoxiao looked up.
Huo Suicheng tilted his head and looked at her.
The four eyes meet each other.
Huo Xiaoxiaoâs eyes widened while her pupils shrunk slightly, as if she had seen a ghost. She retreated a few steps. Before Yi Qian came back to his senses, Huo Xiaoxiao dragged his collar and ran away.
Yi Qian couldnât react in time, being carried away by his collar. While he ran, his left foot tripped, and he fell to the ground.
Huo Xiaoxiao busily pulled him up. âRun. Be quick!â
As Huo Suicheng gazed at the duoâs rushing backs, the negative emotions in his heart disappeared at once.
For some reason, Huo Xiaoxiaoâs words flashed in his mind.
âDaddy, you have to work hard to make lots of money. You must not do something bad; otherwise, Xiaoxiao will have a miserable life without anyone to support me in the future.â
If a spoiled child grew up to be arrogant and domineering, wouldnât she be miserable if she had no one to support her?
He couldnât imagine what Xiaoxiao would look like when she grew up. However, his brows furrowed again at the thought of her being bullied someday in someplace he didnât know.
Even ordinary people couldnât get along well with her.
People who could bully her would probably bully her terribly.
He didnât want to listen to this kid crying and grieving in the future.
That was too annoying.
After thinking thrice, he returned to the desk and put the letter of guarantee back in the drawer.
The document that had been spoiled by Huo Xiaoxiao lay quietly on the table. Huo Suicheng was silent for a moment before he gritted his teeth and threw it into the trash.
Forget it. The children were here to collect debts anyway.
At the same time, Huo Xiaoxiao, who had run back to the room with Yi Qian, closed the door and patted her chest with lingering fear.
âScared to death, almost scared to death.â
Yi Qian looked at her while panting. âWhy are we running?â
Huo Xiaoxiao said bitterly, âDidnât you say you didnât see Daddy? He was clearly behind the door!â
âAh, I didnât see him. So, what are we going to do now?â
Huo Xiaoxiao seriously pondered on the question. Judging from her performance today, her father would definitely not take her out tomorrow.
But it had been a long time since she last went out to play.
Even an adult, not to mention a child, could not resist this kind of âimprisonmentâ.
No, she had to think of a way.
Aunt Zhao carried two bottles of milk to the third floor and bumped into Huo Suicheng in the corridor.
âMr. Huo.â
Huo Suicheng glanced at the two bottles of milk in her hand.
âThis is for Xiaoxiao and Yi Qian. The children have a fast metabolism, so they are hungry again.â
âGive it to me. Iâll bring it over.â
Aunt Zhao handed him the milk.
Huo Sui Cheng then took the bottles of milk and entered Huo Xiao Xiaoâs room. He immediately noticed the lump in the bedâs corner.
It was so late, but the two kids didnât sleep and hid under the blankets. Even when Huo Suicheng entered the door, no movement was heard.
Huo Suicheng quietly stood by the bed for a while, watching the bulging and swollen blanket. He then stretched out his hand to open the blanket.
When the blanket was removed, the two children were stunned for a moment as they looked back at Huo Sui Cheng.
Huo Xiaoxiao was taken aback. After the two waves of feather duster warnings during dinner, she was really nervous.
Her dad wouldnât hold a grudge and come to hit her now, right?
âDaddy?â
âUncle Huo?â
Huo Suicheng passed the milk over.
Huo Xiaoxiao glanced at the bottles of milk in Huo Suichengâs hand. She reluctantly crawled over, picked up a bottle, and crawled back. She then gave it to Yi Qian, and the two children sat on the bed drinking the milk.
The father and daughter stood and sat without talking. Only the sound of gurgling and pacifiers could be heard in the room.
Even when Huo Xiaoxiao finished drinking the milk and passed the empty bottle over, the two still didnât talk.
Huo Suicheng took the empty bottles and left the room without a word.
Huo Xiaoxiao and Yi Qian stared at each other.
âUncle Huo must still be angry.â
ââŠDonât jinx it.â
The jinx kept saying, âHe doesnât speak, so he must be angry. He wonât take us out to play tomorrow.â
âOkay, shut up.â
Huo Xiaoxiao sighed helplessly while lying on the bed.
Her dad was so temperamental. He actually gave a silent treatment to his own child.
He certainly wouldnât take her out to play.
Forget it.
What was the big deal if she didnât go out to play?
Just wait another two years, and she would go out by herself.
The door of the room was pushed open again.
Huo Suicheng came in with two cakes.
âCake!â Huo Xiaoxiao got up in high spirits. âIs it for us?â
âCome here.â
Huo Xiaoxiao and Yi Qian hurriedly got out of bed and took the cake from Huo Suicheng.
âAfter eating, brush your teeth and go to bed.â
Huo Xiaoxiao held the fork in her hand and asked cautiously, âDaddy, are you still angry?â
âWhat do you think?â
âThen, how could you not be angry?â
After thinking about it, Huo Xiaoxiao scooped a large piece of cake and tiptoed to feed him.
Huo Suicheng knelt down and took a bite of the cake that Huo Xiaoxiao handed over.
The fluffy cake and sweet cream melted in his mouth, even sweeter than the cake he had after dinner.
Huo Xiaoxiao looked at him expectantly. Countless lights blended into her eyes, like bright stars falling in the dark and clear night sky.
âI didnât mean it. I wonât touch Daddyâs things anymore. Will Daddy forgive me? Well⊠as long as Daddy can forgive me, Daddy can do anything.â
âAnything?â
Huo Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth and nodded.
For the sake of her familyâs laughter and happiness, she would sacrifice a little.
Huo Suicheng suddenly laughed at her solemn expression and lightly patted her. âOkay, Daddy forgives you.â
Huo Xiaoxiaoâs eyes widened. âReally?â
âYes.â
âThen, will you take Yi Qian and me out to play tomorrow?â
âWhere do you want to go?â
Huo Xiao Xiao glanced at Yi Qian. âWhere do you want to go?â
Huo Suicheng also looked over.
âXiaoxiao, where do you want to go?â
Huo Suicheng retracted his gaze.
Huo Xiaoxiao carefully pondered on the topic.
There were limited places where children could go, and she didnât really want to go to playgrounds. However, with her dad accompanying her, it was different.
âUnderwater world!â
âSure. Go to bed after eating. Iâll take both of you to the underwater world tomorrow morning.â
Huo Xiaoxiao cheered, âThank you, Daddy!â
Her dad was pretty easy to persuade, agreeing with just a piece of cake.
After eating the cake and brushing their teeth, the two children went to bed.
It was late at night, and a silhouette crept into the quiet room.
On the bed, Huo Xiaoxiao was sleeping on her back. The blanket half-covered her body, with the rest under her back. She had a Rubikâs cube in her hand.
Before going to bed, as she was teaching Yi Qian how to play Rubikâs cube, the two children became drowsy and fell asleep due to exhaustion.
Huo Suicheng glanced at Yi Qian sleeping in the corner and covered him with some blankets. He then bent down, picked up Huo Xiao Xiao, and hugged her back to his room.
At this moment, the phone screen suddenly lit up. Seeing that the caller was from Yi Yang, Huo Suicheng walked to the balcony outside to answer the call.
âI heard that Yi Qian is staying at your house. Did he cause you any trouble?â
âWhen are you coming back?â
The voice on the phone turned quiet for a while. ââŠI have been busy recently, so it might take some time. Whatâs wrong?â
âCome back early. Your son misses his father.â