Huo Boyan leaned against the headboard with a pale face. A wound over a dozen centimeters long ran across his arm, and the stitches had somehow come undone, flipping open to reveal raw flesh and blood. The doctors and nurses bustled about frantically, and blood-soaked gauze piled up heavily on two stainless steel trays.
“How did it get this serious?” Huo Tinghua frowned deeply. “With all those bodyguards you have, how could you still get stabbed? Has the culprit been caught?”
Huo Boyan seemed too pained to speak. He leaned weakly against the headboard and only managed to croak out “Grandpa” after Huo Tinghua spoke.
After all, he was his own flesh and blood grandson, so Huo Tinghua couldn’t help softening. He added, “Don’t worry about it. Focus on recovering. I’ll handle the investigation.”
Huo Boyan fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, “Will Grandpa classify this as an accident too?”
Huo Tinghua’s face darkened, his expression turning icy.
Huo Tinghua was already over eighty years old. He had built his empire back when Hong Kong Island hadn’t yet returned to China, surviving the truly brutal, cutthroat era. Years of accumulation had given him immense authority—even someone as arrogant as Huo Zhixiao outside the Old Mansion turned into a puddle of soft noodles upon returning to the Old Mansion, kneeling at Huo Tinghua’s feet to whine and plead. Yet Huo Boyan repeatedly challenged him, which was truly outrageous.
But Huo Tinghua secretly admired this bloodthirsty spirit in him. Suppressing his irritation, he said, “Don’t talk nonsense. I’ll make sure you get justice.”
Huo Boyan showed no gratitude, replying coldly, “But what I really want is justice for my parents.”
Huo Zhixiao, who had watched him put on this act for half the day, finally couldn’t hold back. “Huo Boyan, don’t be ungrateful! What’s the point of staging this yourself?”
“Shut up,” Huo Tinghua cut him off coldly before Huo Boyan could respond. “Huo Zhixiao, did I bring you here to pick a fight?”
Huo Zhixiao was silenced. Then Huo Tinghua continued, “That A Biao who stabbed Boyan—he’s your man, isn’t he?”
Huo Zhixiao: “That kid was bought off long ago.”
Huo Tinghua: “Evidence?”
Huo Zhixiao raised his eyebrows. “If it were me, would I be so blatant? Would I let some two-bit thug trace it back to me so easily?”
“Exactly, Second Uncle’s methods are masterful,” Huo Boyan said. “No wonder I kept getting targeted before, but the culprit was never found.”
“Huo Boyan, you—”
“Enough. This ends here,” Huo Tinghua declared. “Huo Zhixiao, you’ve caused this massive disaster—get out of the country and cool off.” After scolding his wayward son, he turned to Huo Boyan. “Boyan, I know you’ve suffered. Your second uncle wronged you, and whatever fate befalls him is what he deserves. But don’t drag family into it. Huo Xitong and the others grew up under your watch. They respect you deeply, even if they don’t say it—they look up to you as a role model.”
Huo Boyan remained unmoved, lifting his eyelids to say, “Grandpa, you know what I want.”
Huo Zhixiao bristled, ready to retort, but Huo Tinghua had his bodyguards drag him out.
The doctor finally finished stitching the wound and left with the bodyguards. Now, only Huo Boyan, Huo Tinghua, and his young wife Anna remained in the room.
Huo Boyan seemed exhausted, lowering his eyes and falling silent.
Huo Tinghua had Anna wheel him to the bedside. Earnestly, he said, “I sent your second uncle away because I wanted to speak frankly with you. He’s hopeless, a total failure—his schemes aren’t even as clever as yours. All these years, he’s been a joke. To be honest, I’ve never felt secure handing the family business to him. I always hoped for harmony among the family, but since your conflict can’t be reconciled, I won’t interfere anymore. I’ll send Huo Zhixiao abroad and leave him just enough to scrape by. The Huo Corporation empire will be yours.”
Huo Boyan still gave no response, but Huo Tinghua didn’t mind the insolence. Sounding frail, he continued, “I’m old now. I can’t manage you young ones anymore. Boyan, if you have any conscience left, drop this now. Besides, that old case is sealed away. The officers who handled it have either retired or been promoted. Restarting the investigation—what does that leave them? Even if I agree, they won’t.”
The light in Huo Boyan’s eyes dimmed, though it was unclear if he had given up or been persuaded.
Huo Tinghua’s body couldn’t hold out any longer. Coming in person late at night was already a huge concession to Huo Boyan. He patted his young wife’s arm, signaling her to wheel him away.
Anna had listened to the entire messy affair with an unchanging expression, like an elegant wallflower. Only as she pushed Huo Tinghua out of the room did she say softly, “Don’t be angry. Boyan’s young and hot-blooded. Even if he doesn’t understand your good intentions now, he will eventually.”
“Yes,” Huo Tinghua sighed with some regret. “If his father had even half his ruthlessness, things wouldn’t have ended like they did back then.”
Anna paused. “Should I remind the people who handled it back then?”
