"Hubby, this barbecue is really good. Can you smell it?" Luo Beishi felt the barbecue was so delicious he could cry, but he could not eat too much. His stomach still had not quite adjusted. Back at the Luo Family's home, he had never had things like this to eat.
At the Luo Family's home, he had never been allowed to eat at the table with his parents... He had once found the way his parents treated him strange, and for a time, he had even thought no children were allowed to eat at the same table as their parents.
If he wanted something good to eat, he had to wait until his parents took him to a banquet, where he could sneak some cake and other delicacies.
In fact, this was his first time eating barbecue.
Perhaps no one would believe him if he said it.
Huo Cixiao could not smell it, but from the way his bargain wife was smacking his lips, it must have tasted good, right?
If he liked barbecue so much, why not just hire a chef specifically to make it?
"I don't mind telling you, this is my first time eating barbecue. I used to see everyone enjoying it, but all I could do was watch." Huo Cixiao could not hear him anyway, so after taking another bite, Luo Beishi continued talking to himself.
Huo Cixiao: "???" Don't you have a lot of money? Were you too reluctant to spend it, or what?
Oh! I get it! He's stingy!
He had never expected his bargain wife to begrudge even buying barbecue for himself, yet be willing to spend so much money on him. And he still dared to say he did not like him. He liked him enough to hand over his beloved money.
Actually, it did not quite count as giving it away, but entrusting it to him to hold was another sort of gift. Either way, it was in his hands.
"Hubby, you're so pitiful, not being able to eat barbecue! Sigh!" Luo Beishi added.
Huo Cixiao: "..." Actually, it was fine. His body had no sensation, so he would not crave it. Besides, he was a man who knew restraint and forbearance. There was no way a mere barbecue could tempt him! Hmph.
Luo Beishi said, "This grilled beef with pickled peppers smells amazing, and the cumin and chili are sprinkled on just right. Add in that irresistible chewiness of the beef-wow, the flavor just explodes across my taste buds. Even after I swallow, the taste keeps lingering... Ah, you can't even smell it, let alone eat it. My poor hubby."
Huo Cixiao: "..." Thank goodness his body had no sensation, or that description really would have made him hungry.
And was this really sympathy? Was he sure he was not showing off? I'm not that young. Don't try to fool me!
After saying that, Luo Beishi went back to munching away.
Outside the manor villa, meanwhile, a woman whose clothing was not particularly luxurious, but who carried a faint air of nobility, was pressing the iron doorbell at the gate. The doorbell seemed broken; it made no sound at all.
By seven or eight that evening, Mrs. Qin and the driver had been waiting outside for over an hour without anyone coming. Her legs were almost numb from standing.
"Madam, why don't you try calling the fourth young master?"
Mrs. Qin, dressed in a pale yellow cheongsam, drew the shawl around her arms closer and said with a worried expression, "He won't answer my calls."
In truth, she had been too embarrassed to tell the driver that Luo Beishi had already blocked her number.
"Forget it. Let's go back." Mrs. Qin let out another long sigh and got back into the car.
She did not dare message her husband. She knew he was still angry over what Luo Bai had said, but she believed Luo Bai had not meant it either. Perhaps there was something he could not bring himself to explain...
Beishi refused to give way and kept putting pressure on the Luo Family. How hard would Luo Bai's life be in the future? In the end, she decided to take a hundred million from her private savings as compensation for Luo Bai.
That should cheer Luo Bai up a little.
Besides, she could not use their joint account. If her husband found out, he would scold her.
After receiving the hundred million Mrs. Qin transferred to him, Luo Bai was not happy. Instead, he grew angrier and angrier.
What is this supposed to mean? Are they tossing scraps to a dog?
She doesn't want to contact Luo Beishi, so she's just fobbing me off like this? Ha... Really, the Qin Family is such a disappointment!
When Mrs. Qin returned home, she looked at Mr. Qin sitting on the sofa.
"A hundred million? Transferred to Luo Bai? The Luo Family is a bottomless pit. Throw your money in, and you won't even hear an echo!" His brainless wife had practically infuriated Mr. Qin into laughter.
"What do you mean, I won't hear anything? Can't I just want to make Baibai happy?" Like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, Mrs. Qin felt no guilt even after being found out. Instead, she spoke as though she were perfectly justified.
"Naive. And where did you go?" Mr. Qin withdrew his gaze from her and asked coldly.
"To see Beishi, but I didn't see him," Mrs. Qin said quietly.
"You won't be able to get near him. Haven't you seen the news online?" Mr. Qin gave a soft laugh and lowered his head to continue reading the newspaper.
"What?"
Frowning, Mrs. Qin took out her phone and searched for Luo Beishi. The related terms included:
#Luo Beishi, Shen Dong#
#Luo Beishi, Luo Ming#
#Luo Beishi, Luo Bai#
She tapped the top trending result. It was the conversation between the bodyguard and Shen Dong.
"Good thing you didn't see him, or you would have embarrassed yourself today too." Sometimes, Mr. Qin felt that his fourth son, Luo Beishi, had quite a sharp tongue and a very unyielding temper. He would never admit he was wrong or bow to anyone.
That part of his temperament was very much like his own. He could be called obstinate-extremely stubborn.
But he certainly did not have the nerve to see Luo Beishi. After all, he could recognize that he had done wrong. His wife was utterly foolish, still defending their adopted son. She really was a complete fool.
"If none of you will help Luo Bai, what am I supposed to do?" After standing for over an hour, Mrs. Qin's legs ached from exhaustion, and she sank wearily onto the sofa.
"Help him? He's lucky I haven't beaten him to death." Mr. Qin's tone remained merciless, and he sneered after speaking.
"Beaten him to death? How can you say that? He's still the son you raised for over a decade!" Mrs. Qin shouted at him in disbelief.
"I don't have a son like that. If you want to acknowledge him, do it yourself. Who would want to admit they raised something like that, anyway?" Mr. Qin snapped the newspaper shut, set it back on the table, and headed to his study.
Qin Feiyu, who had gone unnoticed all this time, spoke up. "Mom, you're pretty rich, huh? You won't even spend an extra five hundred on me, but you gave Luo Bai a hundred million. Could you be fair and give me and my two other brothers a hundred million each?"
Mrs. Qin lowered her head, her tone softening a little. "That was all Mommy had in her private account..."
Qin Feiyu did not really care about that bit of money, but seeing his mother's outrageous favoritism struck him as ridiculous. "Mom, do you think Qin Feibai-oh, no, Luo Bai-that Luo Bai is your biological son?"
"How can you say that? Feiyu, you're hurting Mommy's feelings by talking like that." Mrs. Qin frowned and rebuked him.
"Huh? Hurting your feelings? How could I? Do you even have a heart? All your attention is on Luo Bai. Never mind Luo Beishi-even I, right here beside you, have never received a shred of genuine concern." Qin Feiyu stood and strolled lazily upstairs.
Left where she was, Mrs. Qin still felt rather hurt by those words. If she had never cared for Feiyu, where had all her time gone?