Huo Chuyun, I came to love you

"You! How dare you talk to me like that-urgh..."

Halfway through speaking, Lu Yihao felt something running down his face.

He reached up and touched it. A glob of yellow, foul-smelling slime stuck to his hand, with several black flies occasionally landing on it. Unable to hold back, he threw up.

Zhou Fenglan saw Lu Xingchen swing the chainsaw in his hand toward Lu Yichen. Lu Yichen's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, screaming in terror.

"We'll pay! We'll pay! Lu Xingchen, you... please be magnanimous and spare Chenchen!"

Hearing this, Lu Xingchen stopped. The chainsaw was only ten centimeters from Lu Yichen.

Lu Yichen was drenched in cold sweat and dared not move a muscle. Overwhelming terror filled his heart. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted from fright.

"Sure. Transfer the money now."

Lu Xingchen put away the chainsaw, brought up his payment QR code, and held it out to Zhou Fenglan.

Zhou Fenglan glared at Lu Xingchen. With the chainsaw in his hand, she dared not voice her anger. She could only dip into her private savings and transfer the money, as though carving off a piece of her own flesh.

"Alipay payment received: fifty million yuan."

The pleasant mechanical female voice was like a spring rain, instantly soothing Lu Xingchen's agitated heart.

Zhou Fenglan looked at Lu Xingchen hatefully and pointed at the Lu family's front door, telling him to get out.

"The money's been transferred. Now get out!"

"Sure, but you were the ones who broke your word first. That fifty million was just the fee for my promise not to chop up Lu Yichen. As for anything else, I can't make any guarantees."

"Lu Xingchen! You've gone too far!"

"Lu Xingchen, you little bastard!"

Lu Xingchen curled his lips into a chuckle, turning a deaf ear to the Lu family's curses. He packed his "weapons" into the bag and left the Lu family home with Xiao Huang and Tofu, walking out like a victor in an excellent mood.

Seeing Lu Xingchen leave the Lu family home safely, Lin Yufan replied to Huo Chuyun and left with the bodyguards.

Little did he know that Lu Xingchen had seen his every move.

When it came to anything involving Huo Chuyun, Lu Xingchen could use even the fewest clues to deduce the truth with the sharpest reasoning.

The man wore gold-rimmed glasses and an earpiece, occasionally lowering his head to report something. He exuded an intellectual air, the watch on his wrist was expensive, and the license plate on the car he drove was one that even a fortune could hardly buy in the capital.

If he was not mistaken, the man before him was Huo Chuyun's assistant, Lin Yufan.

The man who had faced life and death alongside Huo Chuyun, only to end up permanently disabled because of Huo Junchi.

Huo Chuyun was worried he would be bullied at the Lu family home and had sent Lin Yufan to help him.

Huo Group.

A knock sounded at the door.

Huo Chuyun was busy reading a contract. Without raising his head, he called, "Come in."

"Mr. Huo, someone sent you these."

Lin Yufan placed the bouquet he was holding on Huo Chuyun's desk.

Huo Chuyun looked up in puzzlement at the brilliant golden bouquet of sunflowers before him.

He could not help being drawn to their vibrant, lively colors. Sunlight streamed through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows into the room, casting a wash of bright light.

Huo Chuyun's first suspicion was that someone wanted to harm him by sending flowers. "Throw them away. Don't bring in anything of unknown origin like this again."

"Yes." Lin Yufan picked up the sunflower bouquet and was just about to leave the office.

Ding-dong.

It was Huo Chuyun's phone.

A WeChat message.

Tomato Egg Rice Bowl: Huo Chuyun, did you get the sunflowers? Do you like them?

Ding-dong.

Tomato Egg Rice Bowl sent another photo, a picture of a young man with two little animals.

In the photo, a pure white kitten was asleep in a comical position, its eyes rolled back and its tongue sticking out. Beside it, a tan puppy wearing an Elizabethan collar, with its leg wrapped in bandages, was noisily wolfing down dog food. The young man with striking features was grinning mischievously as he played with the kitten's protruding tongue.

Tomato Egg Rice Bowl: I rescued both Tofu and Xiao Huang. Want to come see them? They're both adorable.

Tomato Egg Rice Bowl: Huo Chuyun, I got fifty million back from the Lu family today. I donated ten million to the animal protection association. Aren't I amazing?

Tomato Egg Rice Bowl: I saw Lin Yufan. I know you're worried about me. Huo Chuyun, you're so good to me~

Huo Chuyun: ...

"Wait!" Huo Chuyun could not help calling out to stop Lin Yufan. "Leave the flowers."

Lin Yufan stumbled and turned to look at Huo Chuyun in surprise. A second later, he recovered and put the flowers back on the desk.

"Yes... Mr. Huo, I counted thirteen sunflowers in this bouquet. I suspect someone is trying to convey some kind of message to us..."

Halfway through, Lin Yufan stopped, unsure whether he should continue, and looked hesitantly at Huo Chuyun.

Huo Chuyun gave him a puzzled look. "Why did you stop?"

"Uh, I looked it up, and the message thirteen sunflowers convey is..."

"...It's... a secret crush."

Huo Chuyun had just taken a sip of water. At the words "secret crush," he spat it out. "Cough, cough... I see. Don't go telling people about this. You can leave now."

Was this how Lu Xingchen acted when he had a secret crush? He was being even more blatant than someone openly pursuing him.

"Yes, Mr. Huo."

As Lin Yufan closed the door, he saw the usually aloof and dignified Mr. Huo gritting his teeth as he typed on his phone, his ears tinged with a suspiciously faint blush.

Huo Chuyun: If you're sending flowers, just send flowers. Why make it a riddle?

Tomato Egg Rice Bowl: You figured it out! I was planning to tell you in person what thirteen sunflowers meant the next time we met.

Tomato Egg Rice Bowl: Huo Chuyun, don't you like them?

Several minutes passed.

Only then did Huo Chuyun reply: Lu Xingchen, what is your purpose in getting close to me? You've never even met Lin Yufan. How did you know he was my assistant? What exactly do you want from me?

Tomato Egg Rice Bowl: Huo Chuyun, I came to love you, not to hurt you.

Tomato Egg Rice Bowl: Huo Chuyun, I just can't wait to enter your world.

Tomato Egg Rice Bowl: Huo Chuyun, everything you hope for will come true.

Lu Xingchen knew Huo Chuyun was highly guarded, and he was glad of it. Danger lurked everywhere around Huo Chuyun; only by being perceptive and suspicious could he better protect himself.

Besides, they had only known each other for a few days. Lu Xingchen's current identity was that of the Lu family's unfavored young master. What sources could he possibly have to know so much about Huo Chuyun? It was perfectly normal for Huo Chuyun to be suspicious.

Lu Xingchen knew he had been too impatient.

But he still could not wait to enter Huo Chuyun's world by being direct.

By the time Lu Xingchen came out of the veterinary hospital with Tofu and Xiao Huang, it was already dark.

Following the original owner's memories, he found the apartment the original owner had rented away from home. It was not large, just over fifty square meters, with one bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

For Lu Xingchen, who was used to living in large villas, it did take some getting used to. But now that he had Tofu and Xiao Huang to care for, a smaller place would also be easier to clean.

Lu Xingchen let Tofu and Xiao Huang get familiar with the apartment first, while he opened the pig's trotter rice and milk tea he had just bought and began eating.