Chapter 81 - 80: That’s Just How It Is

Chapter 81: Chapter 80: That’s Just How It Is

Liu Ergou was a little surprised. "Your third brother is a Heavenly Master, too?"

Huo Xingye lowered his gaze and smiled. "Not exactly. It’s just something he’s liked since he was a kid. We didn’t understand it before, but now it seems he’s probably inherited our elders’ talent. It’s good timing since he’s back in the country. It’ll be good for him to tag along and see the world."

When they were young, he had seen the talismans Huo Xingchen drew in his room—they looked like ghost talismans. But as an older brother, he was very tolerant and mindful of his younger brother’s pride. So, he pretended he hadn’t seen them and never brought it up.

Later, Huo Xingye discovered that Huo Xingchen was also secretive about his hobby, probably because he found it embarrassing himself.

Being a good big brother, Huo Xingye helped him hide it.

To this day, Huo Xingchen still hasn’t realized that his little secret was exposed long ago.

Liu Ergou nodded in deep agreement. "Indeed. The child of an outstanding Heavenly Master is very likely to inherit talent in this area." After a pause, he said, "If your mother has no objections, it’s fine to bring him along."

Huo Xingye nodded and stood up. "My mom probably won’t be up for a while. Please, have a seat. I’m heading to work."

Liu Ergou also stood up politely. "Alright, alright. You go on and get to work."

The moment Huo Xingye stepped outside, he dialed Huo Xingchen’s number. The instant the call connected, he said, "I don’t care if you want to or not, you have to follow Mom today until she’s home safe."

Huo Xingchen was still half-asleep, but upon hearing this, he subconsciously replied, "I’m willing." ’Are you kidding me? A free opportunity to keep an eye on her? Of course I wouldn’t turn it down.’

Huo Xingye paused, then said with satisfaction, "Good. Keep an eye on that old Daoist. Don’t let him get too close to Mom."

’Hm?’ Huo Xingchen blinked in confusion. ’What old Daoist?’

After hanging up, Huo Xingchen got up to wash his face and brush his teeth. While he was at it, he removed his manager’s number from his blocklist.

Before he could even finish, his manager’s call came through.

Huo Xingchen put the call on speaker, tossed his phone to the side, and treated it as background noise. He went about his business, only giving a lazy response when his manager called his name, his tone utterly perfunctory.

The manager tried to hold it in, but he couldn’t take it anymore and roared, "Huo Xingchen! Get on a plane and fly back here right now!"

Huo Xingchen spat out his mouthwash and said coolly, "No."

The manager’s head was about to explode. "Do you have any idea how important this training camp is?!"

"I know," Huo Xingchen said. "But I have more important things to do right now." After saying that, he felt a little irresponsible himself and added, "I’ll come back when someone breaks the record I set."

The manager was speechless once again.

"That’s it. Hanging up," Huo Xingchen said, and ended the call.

The manager was so furious his eyes rolled back in his head. The coach, who had been listening in the whole time, was startled and quickly shouted, "Oxygen! Ambulance!!"

The manager waved his hand, took a deep breath, and said with bloodshot eyes, "What sins did I commit in my past life to end up with an ancestor like Huo Xingchen in this one!"

The coach sighed in solidarity, patting him on the back. "This isn’t the first or second time. There’s no need to get this worked up every time."

At these words, a wave of sorrow washed over the manager. "But the trouble he gets into is different every time! No manager in the entire industry has it worse than me! I’m done! I quit! Let someone else deal with him! If I keep this damn job any longer, it’s going to kill me!"

The coach paused, then stated a hard truth. "But you also make the most money."

The manager’s wailing came to an abrupt halt. He was silent for a long time.

The coach asked, "Are you still quitting?"

The manager’s lip twitched. He gritted his teeth and said, "...I think I can still be saved."

...

After getting ready, Huo Xingchen went out to find some food. Just as he came down the stairs, he saw two figures, one large and one small, facing off on the sofa.

’Hm... To be more precise, it was one old and one young. The old man had his hair in a bun, and it was starting to turn white.’

Huo Xingchen narrowed his eyes. ’Is he one of the old guys from a branch of the Huo Family? He doesn’t look familiar.’

Hearing the noise, Mao Mao leaped off the sofa. It turned its head, saw it wasn’t Gu Qingyin, and pursed its lips in disdain before running out through the floor-to-ceiling window.

Liu Ergou looked up as well. A handsome and exquisitely featured young man came into view. He offered a kindly smile. "You must be the third young master of the Huo Family, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m a friend of your mother’s. You can call me Uncle Liu or Liu Daoist."

Huo Xingchen had a flash of insight. ’So this is the old Daoist my big brother was talking about.’

His eyes darted, and he asked with blunt honestly, "Are you into my mom?"

Liu Ergou froze, looking slightly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and said, "This is grown-up business. Kids shouldn’t meddle."

Huo Xingchen pursed his lips in disdain. He didn’t press the issue, simply walking past him into the dining room to eat.

Hua Xin had seen him come down earlier and had the kitchen prepare his breakfast.

Huo Xingchen asked as he ate, "Where is everyone? Did they all leave?" He mainly wanted to ask about Gu Qingyin. He knew she hadn’t left, but he was being difficult and didn’t want to seem too eager.

Hua Xin smiled and said, "The Family Head has gone to the company, the Second Young Master left for the airport before dawn, and the Madam isn’t up yet." Fearing he might not know, Hua Xin added, "When the Madam has nothing scheduled, she usually wakes up around ten. She sleeps very well."

Huo Xingchen scoffed. ’I’ve caught you now,’ he thought. His mother’s notes were perfectly clear: Wake up at five for morning practice, breakfast at seven, draw talismans at eight, chant incantations at ten, lunch at twelve, followed by two hours of meditation. After that came physical training and swordsmanship practice. Dinner was at seven in the evening, and after eating, she would continue memorizing information on ghosts and monsters from all ages.

In short, she never had a single idle moment.

His mom was indeed exceptionally talented, but even the greatest talent will fade into mediocrity if not constantly honed.

The blood, sweat, and tears required to fully convert talent into strength was something an ordinary person could never achieve.

Huo Xingchen couldn’t do it either, which was why he admired his birth mother from the bottom of his heart. And because of this, he was certain that Gu Qingyin was definitely not his mom. His mom would never sleep in!

Just as he was about to finish eating, Gu Qingyin came downstairs, full of energy. She was surprised for a moment to see Liu Ergou, then an annoyed expression crossed her face. "Look at my memory. Have you been waiting long?"

She had been so preoccupied with Huo Xingchen’s situation last night that she’d completely forgotten about her trip to the Mystic Association.

Liu Ergou smiled nonchalantly. "Not long. I’m free anyway, so waiting here or anywhere else is the same. Plus, you have tea and snacks here. Much better than the hotel."

Gu Qingyin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "If you like them, I’ll have someone pack a box for you."

Of course, Liu Ergou wasn’t going to be modest. After so many years of friendship, there was no need. If he liked something, he’d just take it.

Huo Xingchen, who had been watching the entire exchange, narrowed his eyes. ’Isn’t their interaction a little too familiar?’

’Liu Daoist... This person wasn’t in his mother’s notes at all. Could he be an actor Gu Qingyin hired to play along?!’

The more Huo Xingchen thought about it, the more convinced he became that this was exactly the case!