Everyone idealized love, but reality was too tempting

Huo Yuchen turned around, smiling as a junior should. "You gave me strict orders. How could I not come?"

Then he turned to introduce her to Xu Su. "This is my great-aunt."

He looked back at Huo Ruyu. "Great-aunt, this is Xu Su."

Huo Ruyu's aged but clear eyes curved in a kindly smile. "I know. Your grandfather isn't the only one watching that variety show. I watch it every day too."

She took Xu Su's hand, her eyes full of affection and fondness. "Oh, I can tell at a glance that you're a kindhearted, broad-minded boy. Wonderful. Just wonderful."

Though Xu Su was thoroughly confused, he kept feeling that Huo Yuchen had brought him here for a reason.

Still, he had no time to dwell on that now. After all, nothing was more important than getting on good terms with the Huo Family's great-aunt.

Just look at that strand of richly colored Imperial Green beads around the old lady's neck, and the matching Imperial Green jade bangle on her wrist.

Tsk, tsk.

She wasn't just Huo Yuchen's great-aunt. She was clearly Xu Su's own grandmother from a past life!

He hurriedly clasped Huo Ruyu's hand in return, fussing over her and showering her with flattery until the old lady couldn't stop grinning.

Watching his shameless display from the side, Huo Yuchen looked somewhat helpless, but he couldn't suppress the fondness in his eyes.

After this harmonious scene had continued for a while, singing as loud and piercing as a lioness's roar came from next door again:

"Tell me, why on earth!!!"

"It's all my fault!!!!"

"We all idealized love, but reality was too tempting!!!!!"

Everyone in the room: "..."

Huo Ruyu's smile faded, and she said reassuringly to Xu Su, "That wretched girl just has a voice like that. Don't mind her."

Xu Su magnanimously said it was fine, and expressed a wish to meet this lioness with the heavenly voice.

Grandma Liang Wei promptly stepped forward to introduce her:

"That's my granddaughter. She's also a good friend of Yuchen's-they grew up playing together. She just graduated and came back from Country M this year. She has a lovely, outgoing personality. You two will definitely get along."

With that, she instructed the butler beside her to fetch the girl.

Xu Su obediently acknowledged her words, but couldn't help feeling puzzled.

So he leaned closer to Huo Yuchen and asked in a furtive whisper:

"What did Grandma Liang mean by 'get along'? She isn't planning to set me up with her granddaughter, is she?"

"..."

Huo Yuchen had no energy to explain and replied bluntly, "You're overthinking it."

Xu Su narrowed his eyes slightly. "How are you so sure I'm overthinking it?"

Huo Yuchen raised a hand and pinched his cheek. "Never mind how I know. It's not happening."

Xu Su gritted his teeth and was about to argue when the person from next door arrived.

Her voice reached them before she did. "I've already finished singing thirty songs, and you've only just arrived! What took you so long?"

Xu Su looked over and saw a slender, curvaceous young woman in a leopard-print camisole striding toward them.

She looked at Huo Yuchen first, displeasure on her face, seemingly ready to give him a good scolding. But the moment her gaze landed on Xu Su, her expression changed completely.

"Huh?!"

"You?!"

Her bright eyes suddenly widened, gleaming with an unusual light.

"Are you Xu Su?!"

"Are you, are you, are you?!?!?!"

Xu Su immediately shook his head like a rattle drum. "Ah, no, I'm not, blublublublublublu."

Rules for celebrities when recognized:

Number one: Excuse me, are you so-and-so?

Acceptable answer: Yes, hello.

Number two: Aaaaaah, are you so-and-so, are you so-and-so, are you so-and-so!!!

Instant answer: Blublublublublublu.

Leopard-print girl: "..."

Grandma Liang Wei smiled and pulled her granddaughter away. "Shoo, you're scaring poor Xu."

The leopard-print girl felt wronged. "I am not! I asked him very gently!"

Xu Su: "..."

You must have some enormous misunderstanding of the word "gentle."

Huo Ruyu took Xu Su's hand again and explained on the leopard-print girl's behalf:

"Don't mind her. We didn't tell her Yuchen was bringing you. We wanted to surprise her, so she's a little excited. It is her first time meeting her idol, after all."

Xu Su was a little surprised. "Idol?"

He even pointed at himself. Me?

From the announcement that filming was being suspended until now, Xu Su hadn't had any time to go online, so he had no idea what his reputation was like now. He still thought he was being hated all over the internet, as he had been when he first transmigrated.

And meeting a fan in a wealthy neighborhood like this made his surprise even harder to hide.

His fan nodded furiously. "Yes, yes! I became a fan of yours through Return to a Simple Life! That way you're so calmly unhinged without caring whether anyone else survives is seriously captivating! I absolutely love it!"

"Ohhh!"

Xu Su looked as though he had understood, then held out an open hand toward the leopard-print girl and turned his gaze to Huo Yuchen. "Did you hear that? She said she absolutely loves it."

Huo Yuchen: "..."

She can love you all she likes, as long as you don't love her.

An inexplicable surge of irritation rose in his chest, and Huo Yuchen gave Huo Ruyu a disgruntled look.

That was right. His great-aunt hadn't warned him that the leopard-print girl was Xu Su's fangirl either. That was going a bit too far.

Huo Ruyu, however, thought nothing of it. Her grandnephew's wife was so dazzling that of course she had to bring him out to show him off.

Ignoring Huo Yuchen's displeasure entirely, she led Xu Su toward the mahjong table. "Good boy, do you know how to play mahjong...?"

"Yes, yes..."

While answering his great-aunt, Xu Su furtively looked back and silently mouthed to Huo Yuchen, Playing mahjong isn't a problem. The question is, who pays if I lose?

"..."

Marveling at what he chose to focus on, Huo Yuchen replied with a touch of helplessness and abundant fondness, I do.

As if unwilling to leave it there, Xu Su asked again, What if I win?

Huo Yuchen: Yours. It's all yours.

Xu Su made an OK sign.

Happy times always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Xu Su had played eighteen rounds of mahjong with Huo Ruyu and signed sixty autographs for Ling Yi, the leopard-print girl, keeping himself happily occupied.

Of course, this "happiness" mainly came from Huo Yuchen's promise to give him a hundred thousand yuan for every round of mahjong he lost.

It also came from Ling Yi's declaration that he would receive ten thousand yuan for every autograph he signed.

He had to admit, rich people's money really was easy to earn. They sprinkled it around like water. He felt as though he should have met everyone in this room much sooner.

Then, just as the nineteenth round was about to begin, an exceptionally beautiful hand suddenly reached over beneath the table.

A little slip of paper was held between its well-defined fingers.

His gaze followed the wrist and met Huo Yuchen's eyes.

Those eyes stared steadily at him, holding a trace of displeasure wrapped in possessiveness.

Xu Su raised his brows slightly, took the note, and unfolded it.

Written plainly on it were eight Chinese characters: Time to go home. I want to sleep.

For some reason, Xu Su read a hint of coaxing petulance in that brief message.

He looked back at Huo Yuchen and, with a mischievous smile, teased him quietly, "Go tell your great-aunt that~"

"..."