Chapter 26 Part 2

“Corporate spy?” Zhu Ran frowned. “Where did you hear that?”

“I have my own sources. And you didn’t know this, but Huo Boyan has had people tailing you all along.” Seeing Zhu Ran’s face drain of color, Zhu Yanqing finally scored a point and said almost smugly, “I told you early on that Huo Boyan isn’t my only option. I just saw you were close to him and wanted to give you a chance to get ahead. Others beg for this and can’t get it, but you won’t appreciate it…”

Zhu Ran didn’t hear a word of what followed. He returned to his bedroom, put on noise-canceling headphones, and isolated himself in a vacuum.

Fake, right? Huo Boyan thinks of him as a corporate spy?

Forget whether he had any motive—even with his appearance, what could he possibly do?

The suspicion was utterly ridiculous.

Unless Huo Boyan had a pig’s brain, Zhu Ran couldn’t fathom why he would reach such a conclusion.

But at the same time, many past events flashed through Zhu Ran’s mind.

Huo Boyan’s direct gaze when they first met on the island, urging him to fly the plane on the return trip and saying he could hold his life in his hands…

Back then, Zhu Ran had only felt puzzled, but if Huo Boyan suspected him of being a corporate spy, it all made sense—that was blatant testing, to see if he would harm Huo Boyan!

Zhu Ran looked down at the bracelet on his wrist. Was there a tracker inside? And the phone Huo Boyan gave him!

Zhu Ran itched to rush to Huo Boyan right then and demand if it was true.

No, calm down first. Zhu Ran took a deep breath, forcing himself to carefully sort through the events. He couldn’t let Zhu Yanqing’s words disrupt him.

He was just an ordinary college student—neither a hacker nor from a prominent background. He had no value as a surveillance target.

Even so, the incident planted a seed of doubt in his heart.

That night, Zhu Ran slept very restlessly. The next day, he woke to a message from Huo Junlin, saying that a cruise ship under the Huo Corporation was about to set sail on its maiden voyage and inviting him aboard to play.

Such an event was bound to include Huo Boyan. Zhu Ran planned to use the opportunity to get answers, so he agreed.

The maiden voyage was scheduled for Saturday. They boarded at noon, spent a night at sea, and returned the next day.

Besides Zhu Ran, Little Aunt’s family and his own parents were invited. But before departure, Zhu Yanqing suddenly said Wang Ruyun wasn’t feeling well and would stay at the hotel. When Zhu Ran asked what was wrong with Mom, Zhu Yanqing said it was nothing and told him not to worry.

Zhu Ran hesitated for a moment, sent a message to his mom, and only relaxed a bit after getting a positive reply. Then he boarded the ship with peace of mind.

Huo Junlin had personally invited Zhu Ran, but with the elders from both sides present, he didn’t dare approach rashly. He only kept glancing at Zhu Ran and secretly messaged him after boarding, arranging to meet on deck.

The cruise ship sailed out of the port, and the land gradually vanished from sight. The humid sea breeze lifted Zhu Ran’s hair and shirt in a romantic scene straight out of a movie.

Huo Junlin arrived to see this and couldn’t help but stare blankly for a good while.

At that moment, Zhu Ran turned his head and said indifferently, “What do you want with me?”

To make it formal, Huo Junlin had specially worn a suit, but the deck was scorching. His back was soaked with sweat the moment he came up.

Afraid Zhu Ran would smell it, Huo Junlin didn’t dare get too close and just stood nearby, rambling on. Huo Junlin enjoyed outdoor sports, so his skin was two shades darker than Huo Boyan’s. At that moment, his cheeks were sunburned red, giving him a cute, honest look.

Zhu Ran couldn’t help but smile. Huo Junlin’s mind blanked, and he blurted out, “Zhu Ran, you… I…”

He was too nervous; sweat slid down his forehead and stung his eyes.

Huo Junlin lowered his head to rub his eyes, but when he looked up again, a tall figure had appeared before him. Huo Junlin was stunned. “Bro… why are you here?”

Zhu Ran’s breath hitched, but he didn’t turn around.

Men’s leather shoes stepped onto the deck, and Huo Boyan entered Zhu Ran’s line of sight. He was dressed formally too, his suit crisp. He rested one hand on the railing, revealing a green watch face and a Silver Bracelet.

Silver Bracelet…? Zhu Ran’s eyes widened suddenly.

It was the matching pair to the one on his hand. Why was Huo Boyan wearing this bracelet?

Zhu Ran’s heart raced chaotically, pounding away. He was glad he’d worn a shirt that day and quickly pulled down his sleeve to cover his wrist.

Huo Boyan showed no hesitation, boldly displaying it.

His movements were so obvious that it was impossible not to notice. Huo Junlin asked curiously, “Bro, why did you suddenly start wearing a bracelet?”

Huo Boyan glanced at Zhu Ran and said unhurriedly, “I made a promise with someone.”

Zhu Ran: ?

Excuse me? Who did you make a promise with?

“A promise?” As expected, Huo Junlin took the bait immediately and asked gossipily, “With who? Does that mean I’m getting a sister-in-law soon?”

Huo Boyan didn’t look at Zhu Ran. His fingers slowly caressed the bracelet, and he smiled faintly, tacitly agreeing.

Zhu Ran couldn’t stand it and turned to leave.

“Hey, wait for me,” Huo Junlin said at once. “I’ll walk with you.”

“Junlin.” Huo Boyan suddenly spoke, stopping him.

“Anything else?” Huo Junlin was a bit anxious and reluctant to stop.

Huo Boyan looked at him for a moment before saying confidently, “I’d advise you not to confess. Zhu Ran won’t accept.”

“How do you know I was going to confess?” Huo Junlin was stunned.

Huo Boyan said indifferently, “Roses, fireworks, gifts, and you secretly got a bunch of friends to cheer you on. You think you can hide that from me?”

Huo Junlin felt a bit embarrassed. “I just wanted to make it formal.”

“Too extravagant, and too many people,” Huo Boyan disapproved. “Don’t confess in public. Zhu Ran won’t like it.”

Huo Junlin sensed something off but couldn’t pinpoint it. He asked doubtfully, “How do you know Zhu Ran won’t like it?”