Chapter 106 - 105: Prospective Brother-in-Law, Huh?

Chapter 106: Chapter 105: Prospective Brother-in-Law, Huh?

"Li Lu was my mentor," Huo Xinghai recalled. "It was my debut variety show. I was so nervous that I didn’t perform well, and the audience’s reaction was lukewarm. I started to seriously doubt my own abilities and even felt the urge to drop out of the competition."

"She was the one who kept encouraging me, cheering me on, and helping me with my sheet music. It’s only because of her that I was able to finish filming that show." Huo Xinghai’s expression was serious. "Without her encouragement back then, I wouldn’t be where I am today."

"I’m very grateful to her."

Gu Qingyin understood. A mentor and a friend, plus a debt of gratitude and the rose-tinted glasses of a childhood idol—it was easy to see how one could get carried away... Carried away, my ass! ’What a foolish son!’

’Repaying a debt of gratitude is only natural, but not at the cost of your own well-being!’

Gu Qingyin’s brows furrowed tightly. Her impression of Li Lu had plummeted to rock bottom.

Huo Xinghai continued, "Li Lu had a very difficult comeback, and my own path wasn’t smooth either. It’s hard to make it in the entertainment industry without a backer, and there are countless disgusting people and incidents. Li Lu and I often encouraged each other during that time..."

"Wait!" Gu Qingyin looked horrified. "You didn’t fall for her, did you? How old is Li Lu? When she was famous, you were only in middle school. She has to be at least ten years older than you!"

Huo Xinghai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "No, we don’t have that kind of relationship. I have a lot of respect for her."

Gu Qingyin let out a sigh of relief and waved her hand sheepishly. "Alright, then. Go on."

"There’s not much else after that. I happened to meet Xia Zelin, learned about the existence of the Curse Doll and the Wooden Carved Ghost Doll, and placed an order." Huo Xinghai glanced cautiously at Gu Qingyin and said guiltily, "I was the one who took it upon myself to buy the Ghost Doll for Li Lu. At first, she was too scared and didn’t even want to accept it."

Gu Qingyin pressed a hand under her nose as if to stop herself from fainting, her eyes rolling back in sheer frustration.

’She was going to die of anger!’

"Mom! Don’t get worked up!" Huo Xinghai said urgently. "I didn’t know what the consequences would be back then! If I had known, I definitely wouldn’t have done it!"

Gu Qingyin took a deep breath and pointed a finger at him. "You! Contact Li Lu right now. Set up a meeting. We’re going to get that Ghost Doll back!"

"Okay, okay, okay," Huo Xinghai readily agreed, but then added, "She’s been filming in Heng City these days, though. I don’t know if she’ll have any free time."

"Then we’ll go there and find her!" Gu Qingyin couldn’t wait another second. "We’ll wait for her to get off work. We won’t interfere with her job!"

"But the little ghost might not be with her."

"We’ll deal with that later. Just let me see her first," Gu Qingyin said, her tone leaving no room for refusal. "Now! Book the tickets!"

Huo Xinghai obediently took out his phone and started booking tickets.

He searched for the earliest available flight and bought three tickets. While he was doing this, he heard someone come out of the kitchen, but he didn’t look up. He just asked, "Mom, what’s your ID number?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a slightly cold voice replied, "310000..."

Huo Xinghai typed away on his phone—TAP, TAP, TAP. A doubt crept into his mind. ’That voice sounds familiar, but I can’t place it... And why would this man know Mom’s ID number by heart?’

After buying the tickets, Huo Xinghai looked up. The next second, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Dad?!!!"

Huo Yunjing sized him up for a moment. "No need to shout. I’m not deaf."

’Of my three sons, the eldest is a mix of my wife and me, the youngest looks like me, and the middle one takes after his mother. A face like that is definitely suited for the entertainment industry. Handsome.’

Huo Xinghai was completely stunned. He stared at Huo Yunjing for several seconds before whipping his head around to look at Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen. When he saw that neither of them was the least bit surprised, he instantly understood.

"Dad came with you?" Huo Xinghai’s mind was in a total whirl. "Dad’s been gone for so many years... why hasn’t he been reincarnated yet?"

Hearing this, Huo Xingchen cleared his throat guiltily. "Dad doesn’t want to leave. He can’t bear to part with Mom." He stood up and pulled Huo Xinghai over. "Go eat first. Dad made breakfast especially for you. You should give it a try."

Huo Xinghai let Huo Xingchen pull him to the table, but his eyes remained fixed on Huo Yunjing as he muttered to himself, "I must still be dreaming."

"Second Brother, Dad’s cooking is really good. You have to try it!"

Huo Xingchen shoved a pair of chopsticks into Huo Xinghai’s hand and helped turn his head to face the dining table.

A fried egg, sausages, a slice of toast, and blueberries, with a glass of milk on the side—a simple yet nutritionally balanced meal.

Huo Xinghai subconsciously thought, ’This definitely looks way more delicious than Mom’s cooking.’

But! He still didn’t quite dare to eat it! ’This was made by my dad, and my dad is a ghost! Is it really okay to eat food made by a ghost? Will I be spirited away?!’

Huo Xinghai swallowed nervously. "Little Brother, have you eaten Dad’s cooking before?"

"Of course!" Huo Xingchen had a wistful look on his face. "Dad made me a big plate of dumplings last night. They were amazing."

Hearing this, Huo Xinghai calmed down a bit. It seemed that living people could, in fact, eat food made by ghosts.

He picked up a piece of sausage with his chopsticks, hesitated for two seconds, then clenched his teeth, shut his eyes, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing hard.

’Hm? Hmm?? You know, it’s actually pretty good.’

Huo Xinghai’s stomach belatedly started to growl—GURGLE GURGLE. He began to eat bite after bite, quickly polishing off the entire breakfast.

After downing the last sip of milk, Huo Xinghai wiped his mouth and asked in earnest, "Mom, when you first got together with Dad, was it because you fell for his cooking?"

Gu Qingyin rolled her eyes. "Was I too poor to eat at a restaurant or order takeout that I’d get with a man just for a bite to eat?" After a pause, she shot a sidelong glance at Huo Yunjing. "Besides, back when we were together, he never cooked for me once."

Huo Yunjing immediately panicked. He floated over and hugged Gu Qingyin. "Honey, I was too busy back then. Don’t be mad. From now on, I’ll cook all your meals."

Gu Qingyin turned her head away with a light "Hmph," ignoring him, but she didn’t reject his embrace.

Seeing this, Huo Xinghai suddenly let out a burp. He had just been thinking the breakfast portion was perfect, but now he suddenly felt a bit stuffed.

Huo Xingchen, on the other hand, was already used to it. He’d developed an immunity ever since his parents had abandoned him to leap off the second floor, lost in their own romantic world. A small scene like this was nothing new to him.

After finishing his meal, Huo Xinghai put the dishes in the dishwasher, went to his room to grab his documents, and got ready to head to the airport. It wasn’t until they were in the car that he remembered to ask, "Did you all bring your IDs?"

Gu Qingyin always kept her ID in her shoulder bag.

Huo Xingchen was also used to carrying his with him, since he never knew when he might be summoned back to Europe.

The family of three, plus one pet, Mao Mao, who was invisible to ordinary people, made it onto the plane just in time.

Two hours later, the plane landed in Heng City.

Huo Xinghai, clearly familiar with the place, rented a car outside the airport and drove Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen at lightning speed toward the film studio complex.

On the way, Huo Xinghai contacted Li Lu’s assistant and said he was coming to visit the set.

The assistant was thrilled. "Sister Li is about to wrap up her scene! She’ll be so happy to see you! I’ll go wait for you outside right now!"

After he hung up, Gu Qingyin remarked sarcastically, "Well now, listen to all that enthusiasm. Don’t tell me they think of you as their future brother-in-law?"

Huo Xinghai: "..."

He hadn’t thought anything of it before, but now, even he felt that something wasn’t quite right.