When a Wealthy Family Collapses, Only Lobster Is Worth Living For

The Huo Family Old Residence's main hall had descended into complete chaos.

At Huo Zhenhua's command, the butler and several bodyguards swiftly sealed every exit. When the family doctor, Doctor Wang, hurried in carrying his medical case, the tense atmosphere in the hall frightened him so badly he nearly dropped his stethoscope.

"Draw blood! Test it immediately!" Huo Zhenhua sat on the sofa, his chest heaving violently as his cloudy eyes fixed on the pale-faced Liu Mei. "And have the finance department send the transaction records from the past six months to my phone right now! Immediately!"

Liu Mei was utterly panicked.

Like a shrew, she sprang up from the floor, her red-polished finger stabbing straight at Jian Ning as she screamed, "Zhenhua! Are you insane? You're going to suspect me and Xiao Yu just because of this outsider's slander? What is he, anyway? He's a jinx! Ever since he entered this Household, there hasn't been a single peaceful day!"

As she spoke, she actually tried to rush over and claw Jian Ning's face.

Before Jian Ning could dodge, a tall figure had already stepped in front of him.

With one hand in his pocket, Huo Si did not even raise the other. He merely shifted slightly and rammed his shoulder hard into the charging Liu Mei.

"Ah!"

Liu Mei was wearing high heels and already unsteady on her feet. Knocked by that force, she fell back into the sofa in a miserable heap, her hair completely disheveled, looking like a madwoman.

Huo Si looked down at her, his gaze as cold as if he were looking at a corpse. "You want to touch him? Are you worthy?"

Jian Ning poked his head out from behind Huo Si. Seeing Liu Mei in such a sorry state, the little person in his heart was already setting off firecrackers wildly:

[Great hit! President Huo is mighty! That "Savage Charge" was insanely cool!]

[Old witch, save your strength. You look just like some jumping clown right now. You want to scratch my face? This face of mine is what puts food on the table. Could you even afford to compensate me if you damaged it? Oh, right, you're about to go bankrupt. You definitely can't afford it.]

[System, hurry up and livestream the finance department's progress! Let's see how many more minutes this old witch can keep hopping around!]

Listening to that gloating voice in his head, much of the hostility Huo Si had built up over the Lineage scandal strangely dissipated.

He even felt that the little thing's thoughts behind him were more pleasant to hear than the entire room's clamor.

Just then, Huo Zhenhua's phone chimed.

The financial transaction records had arrived.

The hall instantly fell silent, with only Huo Zhenhua's heavy breathing remaining.

His trembling fingers opened the file, his gaze sweeping quickly across the screen. The more he read, the darker his face became, until it turned the color of liver.

"Good... very good!"

Huo Zhenhua suddenly hurled his phone viciously at Liu Mei's face.

Smack!

The phone struck Liu Mei's forehead, and a huge bump immediately swelled up.

"Fifty million! You transferred fifty million out just last month!" Huo Zhenhua roared hoarsely. "The recipient was 'Tony Elite Fitness Studio'? Liu Mei, have you no shame at all?! You used my money to support your gigolo!!"

Upon hearing the name Tony, Huo Yu went completely blank. "To... Tony? Isn't he my fitness coach?"

[Pfft—]

Jian Ning truly could not hold it in anymore and nearly laughed aloud.

[My dear idiot son! That intelligence really comes from your muscle-brained biological father. You still dare to acknowledge him at a time like this? He isn't a fitness coach. He's part of the Biological Fathers Alliance!]

Ignoring the searing pain in her forehead, Liu Mei crawled over, wrapped herself around Huo Zhenhua's leg, and cried, "Zhenhua, listen to my explanation! It's because... because I wanted to invest in the fitness industry! Tony and I really have nothing going on! Xiao Yu is your son! He really is yours!"

"Whether he's mine or not, we'll know after the test!"

Huo Zhenhua shoved her away and turned to roar, "Doctor Wang! What are you standing there for? Draw the blood!"

Doctor Wang shakily stepped forward with the syringe. Huo Yu had already been restrained by the bodyguards, and his pig-slaughtering howls rang through the entire hall. "I'm not getting blood drawn! Let me go! Mom! Save me, Mom!"

For a time, the scene was utter chaos, comparable to a brawl at a wet market.

Amid the commotion, Huo Zhenhua suddenly clutched his chest, his liver-red face turning deathly pale in an instant.

"Urgh—"

A pained groan escaped his throat, and his entire body fell straight backward.

"Master!" the butler cried in terror.

"Zhenhua!" Liu Mei was dumbfounded as well.

Huo Si, who had been watching coldly all along, frowned and was about to step forward when Jian Ning's urgent warning sounded in his mind:

[He's down, he's down! The poison is acting up! This is what happens after drinking chronic poison for a long time!]

[Doctor Wang! Stop focusing only on the DNA test! Check the old man's pupils! Are they dilating? That's neurotoxin poisoning!]

[Ah, I'm dying of anxiety! That old man isn't a good person either, but wouldn't dying now just let that old witch off easy? He has to live! Living and suffering is the greatest punishment for him!]

Huo Si's eyes sharpened.

Neurotoxin.

Jian Ning had mentioned it before.

He strode forward, shoved aside the helpless butler, calmly pressed his fingers to Huo Zhenhua's pulse, and barked at the terrified Doctor Wang, "Check his pupils! Prepare emergency medication for neurotoxins! Quickly!"

The shout jolted Doctor Wang back to his senses, and he hurried forward to examine him.

A few seconds later, Doctor Wang's expression changed drastically. "Dilated pupils, arrhythmia... Th-this really is evidence of poisoning! Quickly! Bring me my emergency kit!"

At the word "poisoning," Liu Mei, who had been crying and screaming moments earlier, instantly collapsed to the floor, her eyes empty. It was over. Everything was over.

The hall became a complete mess, with people calling ambulances, reporting to the police, and performing emergency chest compressions.

Huo Si stood in the center of the crowd, directing everything with orderly composure, like the only anchor in the midst of the chaotic storm.

And in a corner no one noticed.

Jian Ning, who had been standing behind Huo Si as background decoration, had somehow quietly begun inching, little by little, toward the dining room.

[It's too chaotic, too chaotic. This kind of high-level battle isn't suitable for a weak little rookie like me.]

[Anyway, Huo Si has already taken control. That old man probably won't die.]

[If I don't run now, then when? Besides... do I smell cheese-baked lobster?]

Jian Ning sniffed, and his gaze instantly locked onto the long dining table several meters away.

Because the incident had happened before the family banquet even began, the lavish spread of dishes sat there forlornly, completely ignored.

At the very center sat an Australian lobster as thick as an arm, covered in a golden layer of cheese and giving off an irresistible aroma.

Jian Ning swallowed.

[This is way too wasteful! Such good lobster won't taste good once it gets cold! As a fine young man of the new era with a strong awareness of conservation, I absolutely cannot tolerate such wasteful behavior!]

[Huo Si, you go ahead and save your father. I'll eliminate this lobster for you. No need to thank me. It's simply what I should do!]

Twenty minutes later.

Ambulances and police cars arrived with sirens blaring, taking away the unconscious Huo Zhenhua and Liu Mei and her son, who were suspected of poisoning and fraud.

The once-noisy old residence instantly became empty, leaving only the mess strewn across the floor and the bodyguards who had yet to leave.

After dealing with the police statement, Huo Si rubbed his slightly throbbing brow.

The world was finally quiet.

The Huo Household's cancer had finally been uprooted tonight. Though the process had been much faster—and far more absurd—than he had anticipated.

He turned around and swept his gaze across the hall.

Where was that little tail who had been following him all along?

"Jian Ning?" Huo Si called.

No one answered.

Huo Si's heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

Things had been too chaotic earlier. Had Liu Mei's people harmed that little thing? Or had he run off in fright?

His face darkened as he strode through the corridor. Just as he was about to have the bodyguards pull up the surveillance footage, his steps abruptly stopped as he passed the dining room.

Beside the long dining table, large enough to seat twenty people, only a dim wall lamp was lit.

A slender figure in a white suit was sprawled over the table without the slightest regard for his image, clutching an enormous lobster claw and eating with total abandon.

Cheese sauce covered Jian Ning's mouth, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster sneaking food. As he gnawed away, he continued providing food commentary in his mind:

[Wuwuwu, this is so delicious! Is this what money tastes like? The meat is so springy and firm! And the cheese is rich and silky!]

[Ah, I should have opened that bottle of eighty-two-year-old red wine earlier. Eating lobster alone is a little dry.]

[I wonder if Huo Si is done over there. Did the old man die? If he did, should I pretend to cry a little? Would crying with my mouth stuffed with lobster make me seem unprofessional?]

Standing at the doorway and watching this scene, the eyes Huo Si had kept cold all night finally took on a trace of genuine warmth.

Even... amusement.

Outside, the world had turned upside down, and a wealthy family's dreams had shattered.

Yet this little thing was in here... gnawing on lobster?

Huo Si strode in. The sound of his leather shoes on the floor was especially clear in the silent dining room.

Hearing the footsteps, Jian Ning jolted so violently that the meat in his mouth nearly choked him to death.

He whipped around and saw Huo Si standing against the light, tall and imposing, his powerful presence filling the room as he watched him with a faintly amused smile.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough!"

Jian Ning hurriedly hid the lobster claw behind his back, though it was impossible to hide, wiped his mouth carelessly, and said indistinctly, "H-Huo... Mr. Huo... Are you done? I saw the lobster was about to get cold, and I was afraid it would go to waste, so... so..."

His eyes darted around as he tried to come up with an excuse.

Huo Si walked up to him, braced one hand against the edge of the table, and caged Jian Ning between himself and the dining table.

The intense pressure bore down on him, and Jian Ning shrank his neck.

[It's over, it's over! I got caught stealing food! He isn't going to make me spit it out, is he?]

[President Huo, this really is a misunderstanding! I was helping you test it for poison! Yes, testing it for poison!]

Huo Si looked at his guilty expression and suddenly reached out.

Jian Ning reflexively closed his eyes, thinking he was about to be hit.

However, the pain he expected never came.

Warm, rough fingertips gently brushed across the corner of his mouth, wiping away the trace of cheese sauce left there.

Jian Ning opened his eyes, stunned.

Huo Si looked at the sauce on his fingertip, slowly took out a handkerchief and wiped it clean, his voice low and magnetic, carrying a nearly imperceptible tenderness:

"Is it good?"

Jian Ning nodded blankly. "Y-yes. It's good."

"You heartless little thing." Huo Si gave a soft snort, but there was no reproach in it. Instead, he pulled out a chair beside him and sat down, leaning tiredly against the backrest. "People are practically killing each other outside, yet you still have the leisure to feast in here."

Seeing the faint shadows beneath Huo Si's eyes, Jian Ning's heart inexplicably softened.

Although this old guy was usually pretty fierce, today... he had it rough too, hadn't he? His father did not love him, his mother did not care for him, and his entire family was a mess.

After hesitating for a moment, Jian Ning held out the lobster claw he had not finished eating and asked cautiously:

"Then... would you like a bite? To replenish your strength?"

Huo Si looked at the claw that had been gnawed into a complete mess and frowned in distaste.

But in the next second, Jian Ning's slightly awkward thoughts sounded in his mind:

[Eat it, eat it. This is the best part! Since you were so cool today, I'll give you half.]

[Sigh, being the CEO of a wealthy family isn't easy either. Everyone has turned against him. If you have nothing to eat in the future, I can always support you with that golden trash can?]

Huo Si froze.

Support him... with a golden trash can?

The heart that had been frozen for so long seemed to be lightly struck by something.

It felt both sour and soft.

He did not take the claw. Instead, he suddenly reached out and rubbed Jian Ning's soft hair, turning the carefully styled hair into a bird's nest.

"I don't eat leftovers." Huo Si stood, grabbed Jian Ning by the wrist, and pulled him to his feet. "Come on."

Jian Ning looked utterly confused. "W-where are we going? I haven't finished eating!"

[My giant lobster! I haven't even eaten the abalone yet!]

Without looking back, Huo Si pulled him toward the exit, a gentle curve appearing at the corner of his lips without his even realizing it.

"Home. I'll make you... a new one."

Jian Ning's eyes widened.

[Wait? Did I hear that right? Huo Si is going to cook for me? He can cook? It won't be some dark cuisine, will it?]

[But... the word home sounds kind of nice?]

Moonlight fell across their clasped hands, and their elongated shadows overlapped on the gloomy floor of the Huo Family Old Residence, forming the only warmth there.