"Uncle Huo, you're changed." Just as Huo Tinglan was trying his best to suppress all the "it's too early" thoughts in his mind, Ye Ci had already put on his clothes, pulled open the curtain and walked out.
Huo Tinglan didn't choose a calm black and gray fabric for him, fearing that he would look pretentious. An 18-year-old boy is just right for the clear blue color of a lake. His originally fair skin is set off by the blue, and his black hair and smooth red lips are so vivid that they are thrilling. The vest of the same color as the jacket shows off his slightly thin chest and a waist that is so thin that people want to hold it in their hands...
“… Not bad.” Huo Tinglan’s eyes jumped, and as if avoiding suspicion, he dropped the tie from his waist directly onto the tie in Ye Ci’s hand, and said in a low voice, “Come here, I’ll tie it for you.”
Ye Ci had never worn this kind of clothes. He tugged at the hem of his clothes nervously, and walked towards him with a youthful look, fresh and green, and clearer than lake water.
When Huo Tinglan lifted up the collar of his shirt and wrapped the tie around his neck, his fingertips accidentally scraped the back of Ye Ci's neck through the shirt. The skin there was soft and emitting an unnatural heat, probably from the glands.
It was just an unintentional scrape, but Ye Ci was so sensitive that he froze, and even his breath stagnated for a moment, like a kitten with its neck bitten by a big cat.
This is an omega's stress response, not for every alpha, but only for alphas with a high degree of match and a trusting relationship. It is probably a physiological mechanism for the convenience of alphas... Huo Tinglan noticed that the badness of the alpha in his bones could not be restrained. He tied his tie and put down Ye Ci's collar. His knuckles brushed the back of his neck again. Sure enough, Ye Ci froze again, his eyes widened.
Kittens.
Huo Tinglan laughed secretly.
If you were scratched by a finger on the back of your neck, you would be stunned. But if it was...
Huo Tinglan hid his smile and said calmly: "Go look in the mirror."
Ye Ci was confused and didn't understand what was going on. He thought Huo Tinglan didn't notice his two strange behaviors. He calmed himself down and walked over to look in the mirror.
An omega who knows nothing... is too easy to be bullied.
Huo Tinglan, who couldn't help but bully the young master a little moments ago, felt a little worried.
Ye Ci tried on the formal suit, and Huo Tinglan added some small things to him, teaching him everything carefully.
Gentlemen should always carry a square scarf with them. The Astaire style is more casual, while the Kennedy style is more suitable for serious business people. Silk cufflinks are not suitable for dinner parties, while chain cufflinks are elegant enough. Black lace-up Oxford shoes are suitable for all formal occasions in life...
"The small ring under the collar on this side," Huo Tinglan turned up Ye Ci's left collar, casually picked up a rose from the vase beside him, passed the fresh and tender stem through the button, and hooked the end of the stem on the small ring, "can be used to fix the flower branch."
His tone was gentle and slow, and although what he said were things Ye Ci did not understand, he did not sound arrogant or pretentious. He simply gracefully led a young boy into the world of men.
Ye Ci lowered his head and looked at the corner of the mirror. He seemed cold, but in fact he had been listening with his ears pricked up. His blue and white eyes trembled slightly.
After Huo Tinglan finished speaking, when Ye Ci looked up again, his eyes were almost filled with a kind of admiration that he wanted to hide but revealed.
Ye Ci thought it was perfect in every way for his first formal suit, but Huo Tinglan still found a few flaws and asked the tailor to modify it. When he came to pick up the suit a few days later, even Huo Tinglan could not find any faults. On the weekend, Ye Ci wore this suit to attend the family dinner at the old house.
The Huo family's old house is located in the suburbs. It is a manor where Huo Changyu and his wife enjoy life after handing over power to his son. The manor is equipped with private horse farms, hot springs, and golf courses. In order to ensure that the food his family eats is of high quality and natural, Huo Changyu also divided an area as a small ranch and picking garden, and hired experienced farmers to take care of it all year round. Drones responsible for real-time environmental monitoring hover over the manor.
There were nearly a hundred guests at this family dinner. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon when Huo Tinglan and Ye Ci arrived, which was still early for the dinner to start.
In the early summer, the sun was warm and the wind was calm. Lin Yao asked the housekeeping team to set up an outdoor afternoon tea for the guests by the lake. The water was as bright as gold foil, the grass was green, and the dining table was covered with a crisp white tablecloth and decorated with flower vines, stretching along the lake bay, making it look like a wedding.
That's too exaggerated.
Ye Ci had only seen such occasions in the 8 o'clock TV dramas about family feuds among the rich.
His concept of a family dinner had always been to set up a few large round tables in the dining room to look festive. When he saw this arrangement from afar, he was so nervous that his expression became stiff and he didn't even notice that he had walked a few steps with his hands and feet together.
Isn't it just afternoon tea
Afternoon tea... looks like this
Seeing Ye Ci's eyes drifting away, Huo Tinglan paused and laughed at himself: "Compared with Lao Huo, the arrogant and extravagant capitalist, I am just a worker who barely makes a living, and I am exploited by Lao Huo every day..." After a pause, he teased, "You won't dislike me, will you?"
This may sound Versailles, but Huo Tinglan's expression is too serious.
Having said that, Huo Tinglan's daily duties are indeed heavy. Unlike the CEOs in the melodramatic dramas about wealthy families who spend their entire lives in love, when he is busy he will work at his desk until late at night. He also has to attend various banquets and social events, and often goes to bed later than a high school student like him, and he never stays in bed too long.
This state is indeed different from that of Huo Changyu and his wife, who enjoy life wholeheartedly.
To use the terminology of workers, it is even more tiring than 996 and is infinitely close to 007.
Although they are busy with the Huo family's own business, but...
Ye Ci couldn't help but think of the programmers who became bald at a young age or died from overwork in the social news.
He couldn't help but quickly glance over Huo Tinglan's head.
The hair... is quite thick.
With such a good figure, she must exercise a lot, and her heart should be healthy too.
Ye Ci was aroused by Huo Tinglan's pitiful words and had no time to be nervous. He looked down at the green lawn under his feet, pursed his lips and said: "Well, when I am able in the future, I will try my best to help you share the burden, and you won't have to be so tired."
These words were bound to sound empty coming from the mouth of a high school student, but Ye Ci looked serious. Huo Tinglan was stunned, and a playful smile flashed across his eyes.
"…Are you not nervous anymore?" Huo Tinglan achieved his goal and pointed to the other side of the lawn. "Over there are some of my elders. I'll introduce them to you when I walk over. Just say hello."
He smiled and said gently, "I'll say the rest for you, and you'll be responsible for nodding and smiling... Is this arrangement okay?"
"Okay." Ye Ci nodded eagerly.
"You nodded your head well." Huo Tinglan put his hands in his pockets, bent down slightly, tilted his head to observe the cold little face, and joked, "Where's the smile?"
Ye Ci was stunned, the ice on his face melted away, the corners of his lips raised shyly, he adjusted his state and walked towards the lakeside side by side with Huo Tinglan.
Lin Yao was having afternoon tea with several elders of the Huo family. When she saw someone coming, she stood up slowly, took Ye Ci's arm elegantly and intimately, and led him to sit next to her.
There were not many people at the table, and Ye Ci followed Huo Tinglan to greet everyone one by one. After some polite exchanges, Lin Yao hurriedly pulled Ye Ci to talk. She was well-maintained and did not look old at all. She spoke in a soft voice, complaining: "Tinglan said that you are shy and have a heavy workload, so he has been stopping you from coming to the old house. I think he is narrow-minded and stingy, and he doesn't want others to see his husband..."
Huo Tinglan sneered and let Lin Yao happily scold him, as if he agreed, and just leaned forward to pour tea for Ye Ci.
"Alpha was like this when he was newly married. He was jealous and unreasonable. His husband and wife wanted to hide in the safe. It was the same when Changyu and I just got married. I wanted to go shopping with my friends, and he blocked the door and pretended to be a door god, forcing me to lose my temper with him..." Lin Yao pretended to be angry, and Huo Changyu apologized with a smile. The Huo family members who were drinking tea at the table had to support him and laughed.
The Huo family is prosperous. Although Huo Tinglan is the only son of Huo Changyu, he has many uncles and cousins. These people know that his susceptible symptoms are getting worse year by year, and it is impossible for him to match an omega heir. The power in his hands will not last long, and sooner or later, the power will be divided, so they are happy to see it happen.
Who would have thought that an omega who was 100% compatible with him suddenly appeared in the Chu family a while ago. Now Huo Tinglan not only had a cure for his illness, but he even had hope for offspring. Naturally, they did not have the slightest fondness for this omega.
As a result, some harsh rumors were inevitably spread in the family, saying that the omega was born in poverty, was an illegitimate child, and did not recognize his ancestors, so he was not qualified to leave descendants for the Huo family. Huo Tinglan's family of three did not take him seriously and just regarded him as a medicine jar for curing diseases. They also said that the two of them were not emotionally compatible, and it was useless to have a high compatibility, the probability of conception was low, and it was difficult to have offspring. Some people also said that even the compatibility between the two was fake, and it was not that high in fact, but Lin Yao was unwilling to accept it, and she swallowed her anger and put on a show for the other members of the Huo family to see...
Lin Yao was very proud and had always been pampered by Huo Changyu. How could she bear this grievance? She was furious at the gossip. She had been holding it in for a long time and finally got a chance to vent her anger. She had to act in a warm and intimate way. Besides, the child was pretty and quiet, and was really likable. Although she was acting, it was also about 70% true.
Lin Yao playfully put her arm around Ye Ci's shoulders like a girl, deliberately irritating him: "The more you don't let me see, the more I want to see it. You can't control it this time." As she said that, she turned to Ye Ci and said softly: "Xiao Ci, you have to stay here for a few days and talk to me."
Ye Ci was confused by Lin Yao's enthusiastic offensive, and he didn't understand these social etiquettes, so he nodded honestly and said, "Okay."
Good boy.
Lin Yao felt pity and a little more fondness for him.
Huo Tinglan smiled and shook his head, "He has to go to school tomorrow. He has to get up half an hour earlier to get to school. He also has a lot of homework to do on weekends..."
"Don't listen to him, Xiao Ci." Lin Yao interrupted, angrily teaching her son a lesson, "It's a rare day out, and you're still watching him do his homework. Isn't that annoying? Take Xiao Ci out to relax later, ride a horse, play golf, and make your husband happy. It's your responsibility and duty."
Huo Tinglan smiled gently and raised his hand to beg for mercy: "No problem, I'll take him there after I finish grading his homework."
"You..." Lin Yao was furious, while Huo Changyu laughed loudly beside her.
The atmosphere at the table gradually became lively.
In fact, Lin Yao's behavior this time was to express her opinion to the Huo family members - she was satisfied with this marriage, and also satisfied with Ye Ci. The relationship between the four of them was harmonious, and it was not the turn of others to point fingers. The uncles, aunts and aunts of Huo Tinglan at the table were all smart people, and they would never make themselves unhappy. They all put on friendly smiles and talked to Ye Ci, praising him endlessly.
As planned, Huo Tinglan had been answering for Ye Ci with ease until Lin Yao gently complained to him that he had spoken all the time and that he was bullying others. Huo Tinglan then gently defended himself, "My young master is quiet and doesn't like to talk, so I just said a few more words for him." As he spoke, he tilted his face to look at Ye Ci, as if he was afraid of his wife, but also as if he loved her. He smiled and sighed, "How dare I bully him..."
The tone was too ambiguous. Ye Ci looked up panickingly and met a pair of dark eyes. They were affectionate, smiling, and gentle enough to make one's heart palpitate.
His heart suddenly hung in the air, Ye Ci's fingers tightened, almost crushing the teacup, and he lowered his eyes in confusion and panic.
… I don’t know where Uncle Huo’s acting skills come from.
It must be acquired through practice in business and commercial negotiations.
Lin Yao's eyebrows were curved, and she pondered the two people with interest. Suddenly, as if she had tasted something, the curve of her mouth became more obvious.
At this time, Chu Wenlin, his wife and young son came to the table and greeted everyone in the Chu family.
Chu Wenlin's youngest son is named Chu Rui, who has the same father as Ye Ci but different mothers. Perhaps he inherited his parents' shortcomings and was born stupid, fat, and like a fried sausage, which makes people dislike him at first sight. Huo Tinglan glanced at the three people with a cold attitude, only nodded slightly, and then took Ye Ci away on the grounds that he had a lot of homework due to the upcoming midterm.
He led Ye Ci away from the crowd, walked into the main house from the secluded garden path, and came to the tidied guest room on the second floor. He stood at the door: "I have brought your schoolbag. You don't need to socialize in the afternoon. Just study with peace of mind. When you finish your homework, give it to me for inspection..."
"Yeah." Ye Ci turned his face away, looking a little evasive.
Huo Tinglan looked at him for a moment, understood, smiled apologetically, and explained: "I don't want to be too distant with you in front of our elders, so I acted a little more intimate..."
"I understand." Ye Ci's ears suddenly turned red and hot, as if chasing someone away, "I, I'm doing my homework... You go ahead and do your work."
After saying that, he reached out and closed the door.
The door was half closed, but was firmly blocked by a forearm. Huo Tinglan hid his smile, softened his voice, and asked softly, "Are you angry with me?"
At first glance, it looked like he was about to apologize for the ambiguous remarks he made during the meal, which was extremely decent.
If you look closely, you can see a lot of love hidden in his eyes and brows, as if he was clearly innocent and was willing to plead guilty just to indulge the young master.
When Ye Ci was not paying attention, he secretly coaxed him.
To secretly transgress the rules.