Huo Qingrang could never have imagined that Huo Tingyun already saw through all of this.
"I'm talking about the company's funds," he said.
The next second, Huo Tingyun spoke indifferently.
Huo Qingrang's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, settled back down.
So, Huo Tingyun wasn't talking about Yu Xue.
"Yes, I'll find a chance to explain it clearly to your mother."
"It's getting late, get some rest early." Huo Tingyun left the greenhouse before Huo Qingrang.
As he passed by, Huo Qingrang couldn't help but sigh.
He couldn't believe he had such an old son.
It felt like time had flown by in the blink of an eye. Apart from the title of family, he hadn't truly cared for Huo Tingyun even once.
Huo Qingrang slowly walked along the garden path.
Back then, he and Sheng Yu Xue were deeply in love, so affectionate.
Sheng Yu Xue became pregnant, but the old man cruelly broke them apart, forcing them to separate.
He was forced to marry Qin Xue. Qin Xue and Sheng Yu Xue were completely different types.
Sheng Yu Xue was passionate, unrestrained, cheerful, and talkative. Qin Xue was gentle, indecisive, dull, and uninteresting. Even in intimacy, she was shy and wooden, lacking any feminine charm, and certainly not his type.
But because of the marital title, he still fulfilled his duties as a good husband.
However, he couldn't let go of Yu Xue and rekindled their old flame in private.
Over the years, he had devoted his time to work, Yu Xue, and their twins. He had always felt guilty towards Qin Xue and Tingyun.
But it was truly unavoidable.
He cherished Su Qi, treating her as his own, perhaps because he was reminded of Yu Xue back then.
They were forcibly separated and forced to do things they didn't want to do.
Furthermore, Su Qi resembled Sheng Yu Xue in her youth, radiant and captivating.
Su Qi returned to her room. She shared a room with Huo Tingyun. Not seeing Huo Tingyun return for a long time, she felt sleepy. Suddenly, a strong wind began to blow outside the balcony.
The glass door of the balcony was open, and the wind rustled the curtains. Su Qi got up to close the door.
The sky was dark, and several flashes of lightning streaked across it. Being in the mountains, it appeared even more terrifying, as if it were right before her eyes. The lightning seemed to tear open a large gap in the sky.
It's going to rain...
Su Qi murmured inwardly. Not seeing Huo Tingyun return, she propped herself up and stood, intending to find him. She asked around, but no one had seen him. Su Qi took an umbrella and walked towards the back garden. "It's going to rain, where are you going? Come back quickly. The garden is full of trees, and it's thundering outside. It's so dangerous!"
Qin Xue was sitting in the living room. Seeing Su Qi about to go out, she quickly put down the knitting she was doing and walked over to take the umbrella from Su Qi's hand.
"I'm just going for a moment." Su Qi held the umbrella tightly in her hand.
Qin Xue sighed, "Alright then, be careful. You're already five months pregnant and still causing trouble."
Before, when Su Qi followed the old man, she thought Su Qi was a well-behaved and sensible child. Now she realized that Su Qi was not what she had imagined.
Su Qi took the umbrella and went out. After taking just two steps, the sky rumbled with a loud noise, and then large raindrops began to fall.
She quickened her pace, heading towards the greenhouse.
Because of the rain, the streetlights had gone out. Su Qi turned on her phone's flashlight to illuminate the path ahead. She walked forward, and the rain grew heavier. Water splashed on her skirt, and a cold wind hit her face. Su Qi couldn't help but shiver, but she kept walking forward.
Upon reaching the greenhouse, Su Qi hurried inside. The UV lights were still on, and the dim light illuminated everything within, but there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Tingyun, Huo Tingyun!"
Su Qi couldn't help but shout. She picked up her umbrella, turned, and went out to search again.
After walking a few steps, her phone's light illuminated a corner. A tall, imposing man was curled up in a ball in the corner, his hair and clothes soaked with rain. He remained motionless, like a homeless stray dog.
"Huo Tingyun..."
Su Qi hurried forward. The anger that had filled her instantly vanished upon seeing the man. She held the umbrella over his head and stood there quietly. Fortunately, the umbrella was quite large, enough to shelter both of them.
The rain soon turned into a downpour.
"Huo Tingyun..."
Her calls were swallowed by the sound of the rain.
Amidst the heavy rain, she clearly heard Huo Tingyun's sobs.
Was he... crying?
Why?
Was he afraid of the thunder?!
Countless thoughts flashed through Su Qi's mind.
She couldn't help but think of the blind little boy.
One evening, as she was about to leave, the sky suddenly darkened with clouds, and it started to rain, accompanied by flashes of lightning.
Just as she was about to leave, she heard the boy's scream from behind.
The boy covered his ears with both hands and hid under a table. Since he was blind and couldn't see, he hit his head against a stone pillar. He stumbled and crouched down, then squeezed himself under the table, trembling uncontrollably.
She stopped in her tracks, walked forward, and hugged the boy from behind.
She had heard before that some people were afraid of cockroaches, some of thunder, some of...
But this was the first time she had seen it.
Under her gentle comfort, the boy seemed to gradually relax.
He turned around and hugged her.
They stayed like that, hugging in the rain for a long, long time.
Only when the rain stopped and the clouds dispersed did she let go.
Looking at the boy's face, his fair little face had turned completely red.
"Th-thank you..."
"You're welcome! You should be thanking me. You're so soft and fragrant. I thought boys were all smelly, but you smell so good and are so clean!" she said with a sweet smile.
Then, under her gaze, the boy's entire face became flushed, like a ripe red apple.
The boy was a few years older than her, but because his skin was so fair and his features exquisite, he looked like a girl. When he blushed, he looked even more delicate.
Since then, whenever it rained and thundered, Su Qi would think of that boy, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
She wondered how that boy was doing and if he was still so afraid of thunder.
Blinking, Su Qi snapped back to reality.
For the first time, she realized that Huo Tingyun was afraid of thunder.
From this angle, she could only see the man's curled-up back.
For some reason, with a thought, Su Qi leaned down and hugged Huo Tingyun from behind.
He was soaked with rain and very cold in her embrace.
Su Qi continued to hold him, not letting go.
After a long, long time, as if sensing her embrace, the man's body trembled slightly. Su Qi didn't speak, but patiently waited, maintaining the same posture.