After eighteen, I rarely went the rebellious route

Outside the villa, on a garden path.

Keeping pace beside Huo Yuchen, Xu Su curiously surveyed the scenery that practically smelled of money and declared with certainty, "A thief who came here could bring honor to his ancestors!"

Never mind anything else-those few pots of exotic flowers beside the ornamental rocks alone would cost at least five hundred thousand yuan.

Huo Yuchen raised an eyebrow slightly. "You know about plants, too?"

Xu Su gave a smug scoff. "Hah!"

Of course he didn't!

In his original world, he had been an utterly ordinary citizen. He'd never had the chance to encounter things unrelated to survival, let alone study them.

But that didn't stop him from estimating their price. After all, he had the original owner's memories in his head.

As a young celebrity who had once been wildly popular, the original owner had naturally seen a thing or two. With those memories, Xu Su could put on a convincing act.

"I wouldn't call it expertise, but I know a little."

As he spoke, Xu Su rubbed his hands together, looking mercenary. "How about giving me a few pots to take home when I leave, so I can study them properly?"

His little scheme was written all over his face. All he lacked was a megaphone to announce how much he loved money.

Huo Yuchen held back and held back, but finally, despite himself, he laughed.

They walked along the hexagonal stone path for a little longer before Xu Su could no longer suppress his questions. Tilting his head, he asked:

"What exactly am I supposed to do during this week as your assistant?"

Meeting his innocent, bewildered gaze, Huo Yuchen was silent for several seconds before speaking, his tone full of amusement:

"Nothing much. Just some basic tasks, like waking me up in the morning, laying out my clothes for the day, attending to me during my three meals, accompanying me when I exercise, giving me a massage during my afternoon nap, doing odd jobs while I work, and when I..."

He walked along at a leisurely pace as he listed a mountain of basic tasks.

Xu Su listened, dumbfounded.

Stunned for a long moment by how much work Huo Yuchen had managed to cram into that one short minute, he hardly knew what to say. Finally, he asked numbly:

"Have I offended you somehow?"

For you to want me dead this badly.

Still not satisfied with teasing him, Huo Yuchen pretended not to understand the implication. He indicated the gate with his eyes, looking utterly unconcerned.

"You can leave if you don't want to. The gate's over there."

He seemingly believed in "mutual consent."

Xu Su didn't stand on ceremony. He turned and left. "Okay, I'm off, then. Bye."

Huo Yuchen: "..."

This didn't seem to be how things had gone earlier.

Somewhat speechless, Huo Yuchen nevertheless reacted quickly enough to catch Xu Su and stop him from leaving.

"You're leaving just because I told you to? That obedient?"

Xu Su looked back. "I'm past the age of being an obnoxious scene kid asking for a beating, after all. After eighteen, I rarely went the rebellious route."

"Then why do I feel like you're rebellious down to your bones?"

Huo Yuchen wore a half-smile, his interested gaze fixed on Xu Su, an almost imperceptible emotion stirring deep in his eyes.

Xu Su denied it solemnly. "You must be imagining things."

"Am I?"

Huo Yuchen chuckled. Whether he was imagining it or not, he pulled Xu Su toward the villa. "Then behave yourself and work as my assistant for a week. Let me see whether I'm imagining things."

"..."

It was like a thunderbolt on a rainy day.

Although Xu Su had already expected Huo Yuchen wouldn't let him off easily, he hadn't expected him to actually mean it!

How hateful!

Alas, lowly as an ant, he couldn't overpower this elephant. He could only let himself be molded and flattened at will.

Once they returned to the villa, Huo Yuchen immediately assigned his assistant his first task:

"Come out with me."

Xu Su immediately slipped into character, too. "Yes, young master! Will you be admiring the sweet potatoes in the fields or inspecting the rice paddies?"

Huo Yuchen drew on over twenty years of cultivated manners to suppress the urge to press a hand to his forehead. "...We're not a family of landlords."

But you're even better off than landlords!

Xu Su shouted inwardly, then obediently followed Huo Yuchen out.

Inside the perfectly unremarkable Maybach, he asked curiously, "Where are we going?"

Huo Yuchen answered simply, "Out for some fun."

Xu Su gave a casual "Oh," then asked, "Street racing or gambling?"

"..."

Huo Yuchen turned to look at him. "Thanks for not saying we're visiting prostitutes."

"Oh↗"

Xu Su smiled with narrowed eyes, seemingly about to reject that idea. Huo Yuchen watched him expectantly, inexplicably feeling a certain sense of relief.

Only to discover in the next second that his relief had ultimately been misplaced.

"For rich people, there's no such thing as visiting prostitutes. It's called a short-term kept lover."

Huo Yuchen: "..."

What exactly was I expecting just now?

Before long, they reached their destination.

Standing beside the car, Xu Su examined the private property, which looked much like a classical Suzhou garden, and thought that whoever they were about to meet had to be a highly cultured artist.

Yet the moment that thought crossed his mind, a deafening noise came from inside.

"I want a life in full bloom~~~"

"Like flying through the boundless sky~~~~~~"

Xu Su: "..."

What little brat has a voice that loud?

"Do all rich people's karaoke places look like this?"

Huo Yuchen glanced toward the sound. "Only a lunatic's karaoke place looks like this."

As he finished speaking, the main door opened from within, and a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit hurried out.

"Young Master Huo, you're here."

He greeted Huo Yuchen respectfully, then turned his head slightly toward Xu Su.

"This must be your friend, Mr. Xu?"

"Yes."

With that confirmation, he smiled and greeted Xu Su as well. "Hello, Mr. Xu. Please come inside."

Xu Su glanced at Huo Yuchen, his eyes brimming with questions: What's going on? Aren't I here as your assistant?

Huo Yuchen gave him a look in return: .

Xu Su: "..."

What does that mean?

He had already been confused. Now he was even more confused.

Utterly bewildered, Xu Su stayed close beside Huo Yuchen as they headed inside.

The first thing he saw after entering was three mahjong-playing old...

"Very elderly grannies?!"

"Oh, what a good boy!"

An elderly woman promptly rose from the mahjong table and approached Xu Su, beaming. "Good boy, Yuchen told you about us before you came, didn't he? Just call me Granny Gao. No need to call me Granny Gao Lin."

"...?"

Xu Su's brain froze for a moment, and he opened his mouth to explain. "I just..."

"Gang Cai, he's calling you."

Gao Lin turned straight toward another elderly woman at the mahjong table and called out.

"Yes, yes, he's calling me."

The elderly woman named Gang Cai then came over, also smiling kindly. "Oh, I'm sorry, child. I'm old and a little hard of hearing. I didn't hear you."

Xu Su: "...??"

His brain froze again.

After a pause, Xu Su tried to speak again. "You two..."

"Liang Wei, your turn. The boy's saying hello to you."

"Oh, here I come. What a good boy, greeting us as soon as you arrive. Such a well-mannered child."

The third elderly woman stood up.

Xu Su: "...???"

His brain could no longer reboot.

Xu Su stiffly turned toward Huo Yuchen. "My great-aunt, what on earth..."

"Oh~"

An elderly, gentle voice suddenly drifted over from behind him. "You're here? Hehe, that was quick."

Xu Su: "..."