Ch15 Perfect match
Xia's family owned a small architectural design studio and had recently started making building materials.
Even though they made plenty of money, because their business was small and couldn't grow much, they never got to work with big real estate companies in the country.
This year, Xia Chenglin used his connections to get into Huo Lin's business circle. He got a chance to compete for a project right after the Huo family.
Additionally, having Xia Wan's face gave the Xia family a big advantage in this competition.
Xia Chenglin and Xia Yang were very ambitious and worked extremely hard, hoping that this opportunity would elevate the Xia family's status in the business circle.
As per their plan, they pushed Xia Wan to Huo Lin. As expected Huo Lin was fascinated by Xia Wan's face and they finally got the opportunity they were waiting for.
Everything was going well, but in the end, something went wrong, and all the early efforts ended up being wasted because of Xia Wan's insignificant involvement.
Who would not feel angry?
Xia Yang tried to fix the situation by finding some kids who looked like Xia Wan and were well-behaved. He sent them to Huo Lin, but Huo Lin didn't even consider them.
Clearly, Huo Lin only saw Xia Wan as a toy that could easily be replaced before, but now it seems that he is only interested in Xia Wan.
The unfortunate twist came when Qiu Qi somehow discovered their involvement.
Consequently, Xia Yang not only failed to resolve matters with Huo Lin but also inadvertently offended Qiu Qi.
Xia Yang felt sad at the gate of the Fine Arts Academy. He was trying hard to control his anger, which kept going up and down.
Only when Xia Wan appeared did
Xia Yang's anger finally explode uncontrollably. Seeing Xia Wan doing well only heightened Xia Yang's anger.
Xia Wan's eyebrows were raised, he had a smile on his lips, his eyes were shining and lively, and even his face looked smoother than usual.
Just seeing Xia Wan's worthless face made Xia Yang explode.
"Do you realize that because of you, our project with the Huo family is ruined?" Xia Yang asked angrily.
"Am I really that important?" Xia Wan seemed scared by Xia Yang's expression. With a confused look on his face, he defended himself quietly, "I didn't do anything wrong. It was Huo Lin who broke up with me."
Xia Yang:".."
Xia Yang fell silent.
In reality, any reasonable person would see that the reason Xia Wan and Huo Lin's relationship ended was solely due to Huo Lin's infidelity, and Xia Wan was just an innocent victim.
However, Xia Yang held a different opinion.
Xia Yang believed that since their family had taken in Xia Wan and her father, they should be grateful and obedient to them.
He thought they should be willing to be used however his family saw fit..
"But Huo Lin still has feelings for you," Xia Yang said, moving closer. "If you apologize to him and say some nice things, our family's business could benefit. Do you understand how many years my dad and I have worked hard for this opportunity?"
"Brother," Xia Wan said with determination, "Huo Lin is already engaged to someone else. Why should I degrade myself for him?"
"So what if he's engaged? He's not married yet," Xia Yang whispered. "Once our family's business surpasses that of the Qiu family, will Huo Lin still marry Qiu Qi? And won't you then have a stable position? Can't you see the logic in this?"
Want to compete with the Qiu family in business? Xia Wan couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Given the current situation of the Xia family, it seemed like nothing more than a distant dream.
Seeing Xia Wan's confusion, as if he didn't grasp his point, Xia Yang scolded him angrily, "Don't you have any aspirations?"
"I really don't have any big dreams," Xia Wan said innocently, blinking. "If anything, I'd probably just want to be a laid-back salted fish, enjoying life."
Xia Wan was telling the truth.
In his previous life, he was like a sick salted fish. His only aspiration and dream was to overcome his illness and live long enough for medicine to find a cure for his condition.
Now that he could eat, drink, and play whenever he pleased... that would certainly be the ideal life in his dreams.
But Xia Yang didn't share the same sentiment. In his opinion, Xia Wan's words were merely making a mockery of himself.
Because this situation has occurred more than once since Huo Lin became engaged.
"Is that so? Since you aspire to be a salted fish," he said, calming down from his anger, his eyes growing darker, "then don't bother treating your father's illness!"
"I have my own method of dealing with my father's illness," Xia Wan asserted. "Brother, let's focus on figuring out how to expand your business first."
He was clearly referring to his business, not theirs.
"Alright, you little white-eyed wolf," Xia Yang said sharply, "your father is an old white-eyed wolf, always in cahoots with Zhang Ruicheng. And here you are, doing the same thing, colluding with Huo Yu. Let's see what consequences you two face."
"I don't get why my brother is so upset. Is it some kind of secret plan? Are Uncle and Aunt also planning something together?" Xia Wan asked.
"You!" Xia Yang sneered. "Fine, since you don't care about the Xia family's interests, then you should return all the money the Xia family spent on you and your father, shouldn't you?"
"How much?" A cold, low male voice interjected. "I'll cover the expenses."
As the words were spoken, a tall figure stepped forward, blocking out the sunlight completely. Xia Yang found himself engulfed in shadow.
"Huo... Master..." Xia Yang stammered, feeling a mix of embarrassment and surprise as he saw Huo Yu pulling Xia Wan into his arms, hugging him lovingly.
Xia Yang stepped back unconsciously. He was unable to speak for a moment, as he processed the unexpected scene.
"Husband," Xia Wan looked up, his eyes filled with redness from his distress. "Brother insisted that I apologize to Huo Lin, but you said it wasn't necessary. I don't know whose advice to follow."
Huo Yu lifted his gaze, meeting Xia Yang's eyes. With the sun casting his silhouette, his eyes became even more captivating.
"What's your take? Whose advice should he follow?"
"Listen? Listen to you?" Xia Yang's initial momentum evaporated under the weight of Huo Yu's gaze.
"How much is it?" Huo Yu asked nonchalantly.
"This," Xia Yang hesitated.
Although Huo Yu had no authority, he was still part of the Huo family, and since Huo Peixue hadn't ended their relationship yet, it seemed like resolving the matter shouldn't be a problem for him. But then...
"Wanwan came here during the following semester of high school, and it's been about three to four years now," Huo Yu inquired, "Would one million be sufficient?"
He is wealthy, isn't he?
Xia Wan couldn't help but shoot a glare upon hearing this. He then glanced at him and extended his hand.
Despite Xia Wan's still-red eyes, they didn't convey any fierceness; instead, they held a sense of affection. Thus, when he asked for more money, "Please give me more money, thank you," it came across as cute and amusing.
Huo Yu's smile widened as he reached out and delicately grasped Xia Wan's extended hand. He couldn't help but notice the size difference - Xia Wan's hand was slightly smaller than his own, but it felt warm and soft against his skin. There was a natural comfort in the way their hands intertwined as if they were meant to fit together perfectly.
Xia Wan seemed bashful about showing affection in public. After a brief moment of hesitation, he pressed his lips together before breaking into another smile, reminiscent of a child's playful expression.
"I'll repay the money gradually with interest," Xia Wan promised.
After chatting with Huo Yu, Xia Wan addressed Xia Yang with a stern tone, "However, from this point forward, my father and I are no longer associated with the Xia family."
Over the years, while living here, Xia Chengzhang managed to earn enough for rent and living costs bit by bit. Only when the tuition fees fell short did the Xia family offer some additional support.
In the first two years, aside from the original owner's expenses for extracurricular painting and drawing classes, the total cost wouldn't exceed 150,000 at most.
Xia Chengzhang has a strong sense of responsibility and doesn't want to owe anyone anything. As a result, he remembers every account clearly, and Xia Wan is well aware of this.
In fact, it's not too challenging to repay it.
Xia Yang was surprised by Xia Wan's firm decision, and he turned red in embarrassment.
Despite the slim chance, there lingered a possibility: What if Huo Yu could truly stage a comeback?
"It's not my fault, okay?" he deflected, pushing the responsibility onto others. "I'm facing difficulties too. I'm caught in the middle and got frustrated and angry a bit," he explained.
As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Yu let out a light laugh. The mockery in his laughter was clear.
Xia Yang felt really embarrassed and humiliated his whole life. He rolled his eyes in anger and said to Wanwan, "I'll see my uncle in two days, then we can discuss this properly."
As Xia Yang walked away, Xia Wan nodded in agreement, knowing that it was the right timing for settling the accounts.
With Xia Yang out of earshot, Xia Wan relaxed and couldn't resist teasing, "Eldest Master, you're quite wealthy, aren't you?"
"That's because your acting was so convincing; it's worth the price," Huo Yu remarked with a lukewarm tone.
Observing Xia Wan's red eye circles, Huo Yu raised his hand and rubbed Xia Wan's eyes hard.
Xia Wan winced as Huo Yu rubbed his eyes, then glared at him, "Do you realize that my excellent acting relies on these eyes?"
Su Tang smiled affectionately while holding the pig's trotters, and as he turned to the side, he couldn't help but admire, "They are such a loving pair: Perfect match for each other."