Impossible, Your Grandfather Doesn't Like Children

A week later, the Huo Household held a gathering. The moment Shen Can arrived, he saw Su Nanxing seated beside Elder Su. Shen Can went over, greeted Elder Su first, then sat beside Su Nanxing and began chatting with him.

A little while later, once nearly everyone had arrived, a woman came downstairs.

The instant Shen Can saw her, he guessed that she was Huo Xi's mother, Han Yanhu.

As soon as Han Yanhu came down, she greeted everyone. After chatting with them for a while, she asked Huo Xi, "He hasn't arrived yet?"

"He's here. Assistant He said he's at the door." As Huo Xi finished speaking, a middle-aged man walked in. His shoulder-length hair, beard, and faintly melancholic air made him stand out.

Looking at the members of the Han Household, White Household, Su Household, and Shen Household seated before him, the man asked in confusion, "Why are there so many people?"

After speaking, Huo Zhang asked again, "Did something happen at the company?" Otherwise, why had they specifically called him back and invited other families to this gathering?

It couldn't possibly be to welcome him. He did not have that kind of standing with Huo Xi. His son was too clever—so clever that Huo Zhang felt he was difficult to approach. Besides, their father-son relationship was not particularly close. There was no need for Huo Xi to throw him a welcome party.

Looking at this lineup—the Han Household, his mother's family; the White Household, also his mother's family; the Su Household, with Elder Su being his teacher; and the Shen Household, whose eldest son seemed to be his son's classmate. On the way back, Huo Xi's assistant had also mentioned that they were collaborating on a major project.

He had not done anything wrong. There was no need for a crowd to interrogate him. Other than something happening to the company, he truly could not think of any other reason.

"Son, you said you had something to tell us, so say it now. Everyone here has business ties; we're all in the same boat," Han Yanhu said to Huo Xi after finding a seat.

Seeing this, Huo Zhang found himself a seat as well. Once Huo Xi sat down to one side, he said to Huo Zhang, "Grandfather has an illegitimate child. More precisely, an illegitimate child whose gender is unknown."

"Impossible! Your grandfather doesn't like children at all. Why would he create an illegitimate child just to cause trouble for himself? And your grandfather has always conducted himself properly. I've never heard of him having any confidante."

"The possibility of someone setting him up and leaving him with a child is even less likely. If it had happened when your grandfather was young, with his ruthless methods, he would definitely have made that woman get an abortion. Even in his old age, your grandfather isn't some shameless old man who'd go after young girls."

"Have you been set up? Maybe some old man in the family is trying to secure a position for his son or grandson again, deliberately feeding you false information to drive a wedge between you and your grandfather."

"Even if there really is one, that child wouldn't be an obstacle to you. You've already secured your position as family head. Your grandfather doesn't like children, so he might not acknowledge the child at all. And even if he did, it would damage his reputation."

"And there can't possibly be one anyway. It has to be some old man from a family trying to stir up trouble. You were always so calm and collected before, so how did you fall for it this time? You even specifically called me back. I'd just picked out a new place to paint from life. I'm leaving."

Huo Zhang was the first to voice his doubts, and after he finished speaking, he intended to leave. Han Yanhu stopped him. "Can't you let your son finish?"

The Han Household, White Household, and Su Household had indeed looked puzzled when they first heard it. After hearing Huo Zhang out, they too felt that Huo Xi might have been set up. Only the Shen Household knew it was true.

"It's true. It's the child of Grandfather's first love. He and Grandmother had a marriage alliance between two powerful families, but before that, he had a first love."

"After marrying Grandmother, he encountered that woman again on a business trip. He rented a place with her, and they stayed there together for three months."

"That woman got pregnant, and Grandfather knew. He saw her prenatal examination report. He had always known that the child existed; he simply never said anything."

"This is the examination report. That child is only a few months younger than you, Father." After speaking, Huo Xi took the report from his assistant and placed it on the table.

Huo Zhang immediately snatched up the examination report to inspect it. It was a report from many years ago. Though newly printed, it still looked like an antique.

"But this could also be someone deliberately guiding you to investigate. What if it's fake—" Before Huo Zhang could finish, Huo Xi interrupted him.

"My people found the son of the former landlord. They showed him a photo of Grandfather when he was young, and he said he remembered him because he was very generous. Whenever he was in a good mood, he often gave him large tips. He was the most generous guest he'd ever met."

"Furthermore, my people found the original in a treasured little box in Grandfather's study. Father should remember the look in Grandfather's eyes whenever he looked at that box. A locksmith opened it while my people were right beside him, so there was absolutely no possibility of a switch."

"And Grandfather's most loyal subordinate has been searching for someone all these years. This is what my people coaxed out of his son's mouth."

After speaking, Huo Xi placed photographs taken by his men on the table. Huo Zhang stared at one of them in silence for a long time. The photo bore marks of wear from being frequently stroked.

"If that woman truly did not want Grandfather to know he had a child, she would never have carelessly dropped something so important. She would have kept it safe."

"If it appeared before Grandfather, then it could not have been a coincidence. I don't believe she did this without an ulterior motive. Would someone who knowingly had an improper relationship with a married man really want nothing at all?"

Huo Zhang clenched his fists tightly and cursed, "Don't call him Grandfather again. Huo Zhenyun, how dare you treat my mother like this!"

Huo Zhang had never imagined that his father had cheated and even had a child with someone else. At last, he understood why his father had been so cold.

It turned out he had never been the child his father expected or longed for. Yet he had always thought his father simply did not like children and only cared about power, so it was normal for him to be treated with cold indifference.

When Huo Xi was born, he had secretly watched his father's reaction, wondering whether he might like Huo Xi.

If he liked Huo Xi, it would prove that perhaps he simply did not like Huo Zhang. But afterward, he was cold and detached toward Huo Xi as well. At that time, Huo Zhang concluded that his father simply did not like children.

When Huo Xi displayed intelligence far beyond ordinary people, Huo Zhang became curious again about whether his father might react differently. Huo Xi was a genius, after all. How could anyone not take notice?

Yet his father remained indifferent. Back then, Huo Zhang had even suspected that he suffered from some kind of emotional detachment disorder. It turned out that Huo Zhang simply was not the child his father had hoped for, and likewise, Huo Xi was not the grandson he had expected.

No wonder. No wonder his father had always acted as if he did not exist when he was young. Being ignored was even more terrifying than being hated, especially when the person being ignored was his own biological son.

Perhaps his mother had sensed something too—sensed that, in his father's eyes, Huo Zhang was nothing and did not matter at all. That was why she had treated him twice as well. Even when he said he wanted to study art, his mother had agreed.

As an only son, studying art meant that without an outstanding son like Huo Xi, the family's power would fall into someone else's hands. Yet his mother had still supported him.

Unlike his father, who probably wished he would stay away from family affairs, his mother had truly supported every decision he made because she cared for and loved him.