Huo Boyan had only injured one arm, yet he still held a video conference in cartoon pajamas, amusing his group of trusted subordinates who wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. In contrast, the atmosphere at the Huo Family Old Mansion was far from as relaxed as his.
On the day Huo Boyan was discharged from the hospital, informants from the old mansion reported that the dutiful son Huo Zhixiao had somehow gotten wind of the news that his father planned to send him to a remote region. In a fit of rage, he barged into Huo Tinghua’s ward, his temper so explosive that even Anna and the nurses couldn’t hold him back.
Huo Zhixiao and Huo Tinghua had a massive argument, infuriating the already frail old father to the point that he required two hours of emergency resuscitation.
While sending Huo Zhixiao abroad, Huo Tinghua’s dream of buying Huo Boyan off with the inheritance also shattered amid Huo Zhixiao’s resistance.
“You’re stupider than a pig!” Huo Tinghua jabbed a finger at Huo Zhixiao’s nose, looking as if a zombie had risen from the grave in his fury. “Do you think you can take on Huo Boyan?! Going abroad now gives you a slim chance at survival. If you stay, you’ll end up in prison on your own!”
“In the end, you just look down on me, don’t you?” Huo Zhixiao sneered, a ruthless glint flashing across his no-longer-youthful face. “Back then, you thought I wasn’t as good as Huo Zhilang. Fine, I accepted that. Now you think I’m not even as good as that brat Huo Boyan?”
“And what else?” Huo Tinghua sneered coldly. “Don’t you know your own capabilities? If you were actually useful, would I have to keep cleaning up your messes?”
“Cleaning up my messes, or secretly protecting Huo Boyan—who knows the truth better than you?” Huo Zhixiao dropped the act of the dutiful son, slammed his water cup down, and stood up. “I don’t need you meddling in my affairs. I’ll handle my own business. Dad, your days are numbered anyway. Just enjoy your retirement.”
“Get out—”
Huo Tinghua grabbed something and hurled it, but he had forgotten he was over eighty. His hand trembled so much he couldn’t even hold his phone steady. The object rolled straight out of his hand onto the floor without touching a single corner of Huo Zhixiao’s clothes.
Huo Zhixiao paused in surprise but didn’t stop, leaving coldly without looking back.
These two old men, whose ages added up to nearly 150, fancied themselves above others, but when they tore into each other, they were just as embarrassing and ugly as any ordinary people.
Though the two-hour resuscitation was somewhat exaggerated, Huo Tinghua was indeed badly angered by his unfilial son Huo Zhixiao.
But what could he do? The palms of his hands were all flesh—Huo Boyan was excellent, but he was a generation removed. Huo Zhixiao wasn’t much younger either. As long as he could still move, he’d protect him for one more day.
Once Huo Tinghua had caught his breath, he beckoned to Anna again. “Notify Boyan to come over. I have something to tell him.”
Anna fitted the oxygen mask over his face and said gently yet firmly, “Rest first. No business talk today.”
Huo Tinghua exhaled, white mist condensing on the breathing mask before quickly dissipating. While inhaling oxygen, he stared at his beautiful, attentive young wife for a long moment before saying, “Do you think I’m biased too?”
Anna’s expression didn’t change. “I don’t care if you’re biased or not. I just know you need to rest now.”
Huo Tinghua grasped Anna’s hand and slowly shook his head. “I know Boyan suffered a loss, but these are the only children I have left. I’ve already lost one— I can’t lose the other too, can I?”
Anna pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, “I heard the second young master went through a lot of hardship following you back then.”
“Yes,” Huo Tinghua narrowed his eyes, lost in memories. “When Zhixiao was 14, he was kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded I give up a piece of land. I ruthlessly called the police, and as a result, they shot him in the leg, leaving him lame. Later, he got into trouble, but he lost half his life in that car accident too. How could I blame him?”
“Like two kittens fighting at home—one bit the other. You’ve already lost one cat; you can’t get rid of the other too, right?”
“You’re right,” Anna lowered her eyes submissively. “The palms of your hands are all flesh. They shouldn’t blame you for that.”
Huo Tinghua patted the back of her hand gratefully and sighed. “If only Boyan were as understanding as you.”
Anna lowered her lashes and said no more.
Huo Tinghua murmured wistfully, “I’m just protecting them as long as I can. After I’m gone, they can tear each other apart for all I care.”
After that day, the winds of change began to shift subtly.
Those involved in the old case had tucked their tails between their legs due to Huo Boyan’s investigation, but upon learning Huo Tinghua was protecting Huo Zhixiao, they breathed a sigh of relief, feeling secure once more.
