There’s a saying that’s been quite popular online recently: when a man gets flirtatious, women have nothing to say. Similarly, when a man gets tough, women have nothing to say as well.
Fu Li clicked his tongue in wonder and said, “Nephew, Shu Er is likely your true lifesaver, and you treat her like this?”
Although “Shu Er” and “Shu Er” sound the same, Fu Li understood what Huo Chao meant. For Huo Chao to say such a thing so boldly—asking Shu Er to leave the wealthy Shu family and return to the Shu family—was typical of him.
Huo Chao spoke in a calm tone, “One thing is one thing.”
Being saved is one matter; being switched at birth is another. How can the two matters be considered together?
Fu Li chuckled, “Nephew, seventeen years of raising her is no small matter. You must have seen some reports on Weibo, right? Blood ties are important, but years of living together matter too. How many parents end up favoring the children they raised themselves?
Seventeen years of companionship. Even if Shu Er is willing to leave, Shu family’s parents might not be so eager to let her go. Seventeen years of careful nurturing involves not just money but also a significant amount of time and effort. They likely expect some return from Shu Er. Most importantly, does Shu Er even want to leave? Probably not, right?”
Shu Er is likely unwilling to leave.
She lives a good life, able to buy whatever she wants and travel wherever she wishes. How could she accept returning to an ordinary life, going from a favored daughter to an ordinary girl?
Huo Chao smiled slightly. “Even if she doesn’t want to leave, she will have to. Both of them returning to their respective places is the best outcome, right?”
Fu Li shrugged at this. The logic may be sound, but reality doesn’t always operate according to logic. However, with some effort, even a difficult situation can yield the desired results.
“Alright then, if you need help, just contact me.”
“I got it, uncle.”
After hanging up, Huo Chao barely had time to breathe when there was a loud knock on his door.
“You ungrateful bastard, open the door for me!”
Hearing this shout filled with energy, Huo Chao’s face showed a heavy hint of irritation and weariness. The constant bickering day in and day out left him feeling exhausted.
“Bastard, open the door!”
With a cold expression, Huo Chao opened the door. As soon as the door swung open, a finger jabbed toward his face; if he hadn’t backed away quickly, he might have been poked in the forehead.
“You’ve got some nerve, huh? At such a young age, you know how to throw a birthday party for a girl on a luxury cruise? What did I tell you last time?”
The nanny rushed up with a worried face, trying to mediate, “Sir, let’s talk this over calmly, don’t get angry.”
Huo Chu sneered, “Talk calmly? Do you think he’ll listen if I talk calmly? Look how much easier it is with A Chi, and this brat here never gives me a moment’s peace. Spending my money and showing off in front of girls…”
Huo Chao scoffed and calmly replied, “I haven’t spent a penny of your money. Everything I’m using is what Mom left me.” Huo Chu had given him a card that he hadn’t touched in years.
Huo Chu was momentarily at a loss for words, but in the next second, his anger flared even more. “Oh, so you’ve grown up, huh? Got your wings, do you? Now you even argue back when I talk to you? Why can’t you just learn to behave?”
The nanny tightly hugged Huo Chu’s waist, afraid that the father and son would get into another fight like last time.
Huo Chao smirked, the smile not reaching his eyes. “Does it really matter whether I learn to behave or not? After all, you have an older brother to rely on.”
After saying this, Huo Chu froze in place as if someone had pressed the pause button on him. Seizing the moment, Huo Chao left his room without looking back.
A few steps out of his room, Huo Chao saw his brother Huo Chi standing a short distance away. Huo Chi, a junior in college this year, rarely went to school and mostly learned from Huo Chu.
Although they were brothers, they didn’t resemble each other much. Huo Chi had strikingly similar eyes to Huo Chu—narrow and proud. In contrast, Huo Chao’s features were inherited from his mother, strikingly beautiful.
The two brothers seldom interacted. As Huo Chao walked past Huo Chi, he continued without pausing, “Don’t worry, I have no interest in the company.” After saying this, Huo Chao left the Huo family without caring about Huo Chi’s reaction.
Once outside the Huo family, Huo Chao looked at the bustling street filled with cars and people, momentarily unsure of where to go. The excitement around him belonged to others; he had nothing. The world was vast, but nowhere felt like home.
After spacing out for a while on the busy street, Huo Chao had planned to wait until Monday after school to discuss the matter of Shu Er with Shu Er, but since he had nothing to do now, maybe he could bring it up in advance.
When Shu Er received Huo Chao’s WeChat message saying he was at the entrance of her neighborhood, she was comfortably soaking her feet. Although it was almost October and the weather wasn’t too cold yet, Shu Er enjoyed the combination of soaking her feet and doing her own thing.
Upon receiving the message, Shu Er felt immensely grateful. It was nearly ten at night, and Huo Chao had specially come to her neighborhood for her matter, which showed how good he was.
Shu Er told Huo Chao to wait a moment, then used a towel to dry her feet and poured out the foot-soaking water. After finishing these tasks, she calmly took her phone and headed downstairs.
By the end of September, mosquitoes were still rampant, buzzing in swarms. After standing at the entrance of the neighborhood for a short while, Huo Chao had several mosquito bites on his arms and feet. Even his fair and handsome face had two red mosquito bites, perfectly symmetrical on either side, which gave him an oddly amusing appearance.
When Shu Er arrived at the neighborhood entrance, the first thing she saw was Huo Chao, who was being mercilessly attacked by mosquitoes. He didn’t even try to avoid them, just standing there and letting the mosquitoes bite him.
Seeing this, Shu Er felt displeased. She was the only one who should be pushing Huo Chao around; how could these tiny mosquitoes bully him?
As soon as she arrived, she waved her hands everywhere to shoo away the mosquitoes. However, this method was only temporary relief; soon the mosquitoes returned. Habitually, Shu Er took Huo Chao’s hand and pulled him toward the 24-hour convenience store.
The convenience store had air conditioning and electronic mosquito repellent, making it almost mosquito-free. At this hour, besides the staff, there was no one else in the store. Under the bright white lights, Shu Er finally noticed the two mosquito bites on Huo Chao’s face. She couldn’t help but burst into laughter, her eyes crinkling with delight.
Huo Chao let her laugh as he bought two cups of Coke and some snacks. After paying, he sat down next to Shu Er again.
At this time, Shu Er happened to be hungry as well. She opened a pack of low-calorie seaweed and chewed slowly.
Huo Chao didn’t forget the main topic; he told Shu Er about the investigation he had asked his uncle to do.
In the end, he also took the time to list the pros and cons of Shu Er returning to the Shu family.
“Although the Shu family doesn’t treat you well, at least the family dynamics are simple, with fewer interests involved. Life may not be wealthy, but the pressure is low. The Shu family has many members, fierce internal competition, and a fast-paced lifestyle. It may not be easy for you to adapt right after returning. However, along with the high pressure, the Shu family has abundant resources and extensive connections—things you won’t get from your current family.”
After finishing, Huo Chao asked, “What do you think?”
Shu Er didn’t seem to care. “I can do it. If I don’t go back, wouldn’t that just benefit that person?”
“But life at first might be a bit difficult,” he pointed out. Integrating back into the Shu family quickly would be a challenge.
Shu Er hadn’t thought that much, and she tilted her head with a smile. “Brother, you’re still here for me, right? You’ll have my back, won’t you?”
Huo Chao lowered his eyes, and for once, he didn’t show his usual arrogance or pride.
His father’s future company belonged to his older brother, and while he held some shares, beyond receiving a considerable annual dividend, he could do nothing else.
Huo Chao gave a self-deprecating smile, long eyelashes casting shadows on his eyelids. “I’m not as omnipotent as you think.”
Hearing this, Shu Er was momentarily surprised.
It was rare to see the male protagonist in such a low spirit.
She rolled her eyes and immediately guessed a rough idea.
The male protagonist in “Extremely Addicted” was actually a bit pitiful. He came from a distinguished family, but he has an older brother who was exceptional to the extreme. If this brother were in any other story, he would definitely be a typical Gary Stu¹. In the family, the male lead wasn’t particularly favored; all the good resources leaned toward that brother. He didn’t receive attention from his father, had once been self-destructive in his childhood, and in high school, he was a slacker. He had played hard for the first two years, and just not getting expelled was a small miracle.
Shu Er hadn’t read the entire novel, so she didn’t know how far the male lead could eventually go. But since he was the male lead, he probably wouldn’t end up too badly, right?
“Oh, in that case, I have even more reason to go back to the Shu family,” she said as she popped another piece of seaweed into her mouth, crunching it.
“Huh?”
“If things go wrong for you, I’ll support you.”
Huo Chao: …
At that moment, should he feel moved or helpless?
However, hearing “I’ll support you” from Shu Er was absolutely unexpected for Huo Chao.
He never imagined that this little drama queen would one day want to repay him.
It seemed that his efforts over the past few months hadn’t been in vain.
Huo Chao was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “That day probably won’t come.”
Shu Er responded with a soft “Oh.” “Brother, you have to do well then. You see, in today’s society, there are so many ways to get rich. Inheriting a family business is one way, and starting your own is another. It depends on what you want to do.”
As long as his Gary Stu brother is around, Huo Chao’s chances of inheriting the family business are slim. However, the options available to him are still much more than those of the average person, aren’t they? As long as he doesn’t give up, he could still reach the pinnacle of success one day.
Who knows, he might become even more powerful than the Huo family.
Notes:
¹Gary Stu – Or Gary Sue, if you may. The male version of Mary Sue. 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔
