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The old man in his family just couldn't stand the sight of him. He always thought other people's children were better than his own. And he even wanted to marry Huo Yan off to that dead fox Tao Yan!

"What the hell is so great about that dead fox Tao Yan? Ever since we were kids, all he knew was how to suck up, act cute, and put on airs!" Huo Baichuan was both jealous and furious, so angry his back teeth itched. "My dad actually wants to marry my sister to him!"

Listening to Young Master Huo's complaints, his childhood friends all deeply sympathized. Because of Tao Yan, that model child from someone else's family, they too had been nagged and beaten by their parents plenty of times growing up. They understood Young Master Huo's feelings all too well.

Though Huo Baichuan had a fiery temper, he was actually easygoing. Even when he got angry, it came like thunder and rain—once it passed, it passed. He never held grudges. After watching him unleash a storm of complaints, the expression on his face finally eased from stormy to merely cloudy. Everyone knew Young Master Huo had vented enough. The handsome men and beautiful women who had been quiet as mice gathered around him with smiles, soothing and flattering him in soft, sweet voices. At last, Young Master Huo's mood went from overcast to sunny, and the yacht party became lively with laughter again.

"That Tao guy is probably some loser nobody knows where he crawled out of, and he dares set his sights on the Huo Group's precious daughter? You can tell from his name that he's annoying. A toad trying to eat swan meat! The old chairman must have been fooled by him. Want me to find a few guys—" A blond young man in sunflower-print beach shorts poured wine for Young Master Huo as he smiled obsequiously and cursed Tao Yan on his behalf. His family dealt in steel raw materials. Last summer, one of Huo Group's longtime suppliers ran into trouble. After fierce bidding, the blond man's father had finally become Huo Group's new supplier. To protect that partnership, his father had gone to great lengths to place him at Huo Baichuan's side, hoping his son could become friends with Young Master Huo.

Calling it friendship was generous. His real job was to flatter Huo Baichuan and make sure the young master stayed happy. Burdened with such an important task, the blond young man naturally pulled out all the stops. Unfortunately, while Huo Baichuan was spoiled and loved gathering friends around him, he had his own principles when it came to making friends.

The blond young man had schemed everywhere and shamelessly tagged along for over half a month. Despite waiting on Huo Baichuan hand and foot, he still failed to break into Young Master Huo's social circle. Even the assistants and hangers-on around the young master treated him with neither warmth nor coldness.

He was still a second-generation rich kid from a family worth over a billion, raised on flattery. Yet now he had become an errand-running lackey who smiled ingratiatingly and still wasn't particularly welcome. The blond young man felt uncomfortable, but he knew better than to fight the tide. To please Young Master Huo, he joined in the indignant abuse of that irritating guy who had appeared out of nowhere. Unfortunately, he was new here and didn't know his limits. His words were careless and excessive, and he somehow hit a nerve with Huo Baichuan. Instead, Young Master Huo tore into him without mercy.

"...Shut the hell up!" Huo Baichuan glared viciously at the blond man, then flung the champagne he had so eagerly poured straight into the sea. "No matter how annoying that fox Tao Yan is, trash like you doesn't get to curse him. Who the hell do you think you are? Find a few guys? What are you trying to do?"

Huo Baichuan's face was livid. The blond man's words had struck Young Master Huo's reverse scale. Since childhood, he had hated most those wastrel brats who relied on their family backgrounds to do whatever they pleased. Though they were all more or less of the same sort, Huo Baichuan believed that both his moral character and his methods of squandering money were far superior to those rotten people.

Those who walked different paths could not work together. Huo Baichuan pointed toward the shore and said coldly, "Get lost."

The blond man had never expected Huo Baichuan to turn on him in front of so many people, without leaving him even a shred of dignity. His face flushed bright red with embarrassment and humiliation. Unable to stop himself, he cursed inwardly. This Huo guy was a stubborn mule that couldn't be handled. The slightest displeasure and he started kicking.

After berating him, Huo Baichuan drove the blond man off the yacht. Yet he only felt worse afterward. With a dark expression, he looked aimlessly toward the shore, when his gaze suddenly caught sight of someone.

In the blazing summer heat, with temperatures over thirty degrees Celsius, that man was still wearing a perfectly fitted black suit. His hair was combed meticulously, and gold-rimmed glasses rested on his high nose bridge. His entire bearing radiated the cold, distant aura of an elite professional. Striding toward the pier on long legs, he clearly had a destination in mind.

Huo Baichuan suddenly froze.

Beside him, several childhood friends also stared in astonishment. "Isn't that Tao Yan?"

"He's actually at a seaside pier on a Wednesday morning? That's unbelievable!"

"He's actually wearing a three-piece suit at the beach. That's even more unbelievable, okay?"

"What's he doing here? Could he be looking for Huo?"

"How could that be? Tao Yan and Achuan don't get along. They've been classmates since high school and even roommates in college, but the total number of words they've exchanged probably doesn't exceed a hundred. He's an elite. He isn't on the same road as playboys like us."

As everyone discussed it and wondered why Tao Yan, a workaholic, had appeared at the seaside on a weekday morning, a shrill, desperate cry suddenly shattered the surrounding noise.

"Help! Somebody save him! My son fell into the sea!"

Everyone turned toward the sound.

In a flash, they saw Tao Yan, who was normally immaculate and unapproachable in his suit, swiftly kick off his shoes and strip off his jacket before diving deep into the sea.

Even in the height of summer, the seawater was still eternally cold and salty. Tao Yan dove beneath the surface and swam as fast as he could toward the drowning victim. The child looked only twelve or thirteen. He was thrashing desperately in the water, staring at Tao Yan with terror on his face.

Tao Yan reached beneath the boy's arms and wrapped an arm around him, intending to swim him back to shore. But the terrified boy flailed and grabbed Tao Yan around the neck. Like he had seized a piece of driftwood, he clung to him with all his strength and refused to let go. The sudden restraint made it difficult for Tao Yan to breathe. He gripped the boy's arm and signaled for him to release him, but the panicked child instinctively held on even tighter.

Watching this from the yacht, Huo Baichuan's face turned livid as he cursed, "...Why the hell are you playing the hero?"