Chapter 102: Huo Jinyan

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Huo Jinyan

Xi Yunxui was still staring at the television when someone cleared his throat behind her.

"Ah?"

The unexpected sound made her jump.

She turned around so quickly that she nearly lost her balance, her attention snapping away from the black box that had been displaying its strange moving images.

A young man stood several steps behind her.

Xi Yunxui’s eyes widened slightly.

He was handsome.

Not merely handsome in the ordinary sense, either. There was an almost bewitching quality to his appearance that immediately drew the eye, from his refined features and fair complexion to the faint curve of his lips. His dark hair was neatly styled, and although his facial features bore a striking resemblance to Huo Jingchen’s, the similarity ended there.

The aura surrounding him was completely different.

Where Huo Jingchen possessed a cold, imposing presence that made people instinctively cautious around him, this young man’s aura was warm and captivating, carrying an effortless charm that made it difficult not to pay attention to him.

If he had been a woman, Xi Yunxui was certain she would have been considered a beauty capable of making flowers pale in comparison.

It was almost a pity that such a beautiful face belonged to a man.

The young man looked at her for a moment before a bewitching smile appeared on his lips.

"Who might this beautiful young lady be?"

His voice was gentle, carrying a natural charm that made the simple question sound almost flirtatious.

Xi Yunxui blinked.

She had not expected someone to approach her like this.

Still, remembering that she was standing in the Huo family’s main residence, she quickly composed herself and offered him a polite smile.

"Hello. My name is Xi Yunxui. I’m a maid working for the Huo family."

The young man’s smile deepened.

"So you’re Xi Yunxui."

There was something about the way he said her name that made her pause.

It was not the words themselves, but the faint familiarity beneath them, as though he had already known exactly who she was before she introduced herself.

Before she could think much of it, he took a step toward her.

"Since we’ve met, there’s no need to be so formal. You can—"

"Stop! Stop, Second Brother!"

The voice came from the staircase.

The young man’s foot halted halfway through his next step.

Xi Yunxui looked toward the stairs and saw Huo Yuning walking down toward them.

Huo Yuning’s expression carried a mixture of amusement and helplessness as she approached.

"Yunxui is not someone you should be flirting with."

The young man raised an eyebrow.

"Flirting?"

Huo Yuning gave him a pointed look.

"You know exactly what you’re doing."

Xi Yunxui’s attention shifted between the two of them.

Second Brother?

Her gaze returned to the handsome young man.

Second brother...

There was only one person Huo Yuning could possibly be referring to.

Her eyes widened slightly.

This was Huo Jinyan.

Huo Jingchen’s younger brother.

The realization made Xi Yunxui instinctively straighten her posture.

She had heard of Huo Jinyan before, though she had never actually met him. He was the second young master of the Huo family and worked as a doctor, but knowing those facts and actually standing in front of him were two very different things.

So the handsome man who had just approached her with that charming smile was actually the famous second young master.

Huo Jinyan glanced at his younger sister and sighed dramatically.

"Yuning, you’ve ruined the atmosphere."

"I saved her from you."

"From me?"

Huo Jinyan placed a hand against his chest, looking genuinely offended.

"Do I look dangerous?"

Huo Yuning gave him a flat look.

"Yes."

Xi Yunxui almost laughed.

Huo Jinyan stared at his sister for a moment before shaking his head helplessly.

"What a cruel younger sister."

Huo Yuning ignored his complaint and walked over to Xi Yunxui.

"Don’t mind him. My second brother has always been like this."

Xi Yunxui smiled politely.

"It’s all right."

Huo Jinyan’s gaze returned to her.

There was still that same charming smile on his face, but now Xi Yunxui found herself looking at him more carefully.

Something about the encounter felt strange.

She could not identify exactly what it was.

Perhaps it was simply because she had not expected anyone to speak to her so familiarly, or perhaps it was because Huo Jinyan’s appearance was so different from Huo Jingchen’s that the contrast had caught her off guard.

But beneath his warmth and easy charm, she sensed something tightly controlled. His smile reached his lips, yet not his eyes. His gaze lingered on her with an attentiveness that felt less like casual interest and more like quiet assessment.

Xi Yunxui’s instincts stirred.

For the briefest moment, she had the unsettling impression that Huo Jinyan was not meeting her for the first time at all—that he was confirming something he had already suspected.

Huo Yuning, meanwhile, glanced between her second brother and Xi Yunxui.

A trace of confusion crossed her eyes.

Her eldest brother had specifically asked her to keep an eye on Xi Yunxui whenever she had the opportunity.

At first, she had assumed it was because Xi Yunxui was an excellent maid working in the household and Huo Jingchen wanted someone to make sure she was settling in properly.

But after thinking about it, Huo Yuning found herself even more confused.

Why was her eldest brother paying attention to a maid?

Huo Jingchen had never been the type to concern himself with ordinary household matters. Even when something happened within the residence, he rarely involved himself unless it was important.

Yet he had specifically told her to look after Xi Yunxui.

There had to be a reason.

Huo Yuning glanced at Xi Yunxui again, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought.

Is there something going on between them?

Xi Yunxui, unaware of Huo Yuning’s thoughts, glanced toward the television.

The strange screen was still displaying the scientists and their mysterious experiments.

Her curiosity returned almost immediately.

She had nearly forgotten that she had come to the main residence because she was hungry.

More importantly, King C, Hui, and Biyu were waiting for her.

"I need to go to the kitchen to get some food," Xi Yunxui said politely.

Huo Yuning nodded.

"All right."

Xi Yunxui gave both siblings a small bow before leaving the sitting room.

As she walked away, she could still feel Huo Jinyan’s gaze following her.

She did not turn around.

For some reason, the sensation made her uncomfortable.

It was not because he had done anything wrong. In fact, Huo Jinyan had been perfectly polite, and his flirtatious manner seemed more playful than malicious.

Yet there was something she could not put her finger on.

Perhaps it was simply his aura.

Xi Yunxui had become particularly sensitive to people’s auras since beginning her cultivation. There was nothing obviously dangerous about Huo Jinyan, but there was a subtle quality about him that made her instincts remain slightly alert.

Worse, the feeling did not fade when she put distance between them. It clung to her like a faint chill at the back of her neck, making her wonder whether his harmless expression had been nothing more than a carefully chosen mask.

She frowned faintly as she continued toward the kitchen.

’Maybe I’m just tired.’

After everything that had happened on the mountain, perhaps she was simply being overly cautious.

By the time she reached the kitchen, she had pushed the strange feeling to the back of her mind.

The kitchen staff were already preparing lunch, and the smell of freshly cooked food immediately made her stomach growl.

Xi Yunxui’s attention was captured at once.

She looked toward the dishes being prepared and smiled.

’This is much more important.’

She collected a portion of lunch for herself and, remembering the three hungry companions waiting in her room, also gathered several fresh vegetables and other suitable food for King C, Biyu, and Hui.

She carefully arranged everything so that nothing would spill on the way back.

As she stepped out of the kitchen, however, that inexplicable feeling returned.

Xi Yunxui paused.

She looked back toward the main residence.

Nothing appeared unusual.

The corridors were still busy, servants continued going about their work, and the sounds of conversation drifted faintly through the halls.

There was no obvious reason for her to feel uneasy.

Yet the sensation remained.

It was faint, almost instinctive, like the feeling of being watched without actually seeing anyone there.

Xi Yunxui tightened her grip on the food tray.

Her thoughts briefly returned to Huo Jinyan.

His charming smile.

His unusual aura.

The way he had looked at her when they first met.

The way he had said her name, as though it carried a meaning she did not yet understand.

She could not explain why, but something about that brief encounter had left an impression on her—one far more disturbing than a little harmless flirting should have.

Xi Yunxui finally shook her head.

’Forget it.’

She had enough problems already.

There was no reason to invent another one.

With that thought, she turned and continued toward the staff quarters, carrying lunch for herself and enough food to satisfy three very hungry companions.

Behind her, the main residence remained as peaceful as ever.

But Xi Yunxui could not completely shake the feeling that her brief encounter with the second young master of the Huo family was going to matter far more than she realized.

And deep within her instincts, a quiet warning continued to repeat itself.

Huo Jinyan was not as harmless as he appeared.