After living at the Huo residence for more than a week, Nian Le felt he had adapted quite well and had become thoroughly familiar with all the public areas of the villa.
He could already get used to his younger brother’s cold and distant temperament. Now that the two of them were a bit more familiar, Huo Weiran’s habit of sticking close didn’t feel strange at all.
At school, Huo Huohuo often followed Nian Le around too, claiming he needed a “meal buddy,” a “study buddy,” and even a “shower buddy.” In reality, it was because he was forgetful and needed to mooch off Nian Le’s all-in-one card, textbooks for various subjects, and daily necessities.
Nian Le stood midway on the staircase, smiling as he looked back at Huo Weiran.
Only at moments like this were they roughly the same height, so he didn’t need to tilt his head up to look at him.
“I think I adapted to you a long time ago,” Nian Le said with a slight lift at the corner of his lips. “But what about you have you adapted to my presence?”
The competition was already halfway through. If he made it into the top thirty-two, Nian Le would have to stay here for at least another two weeks. After the competition ended, he also planned to spend a day or two visiting Jiangzhou’s famous sights, combining work with rest.
If his younger brother could accept that, it would be even better.
Meeting Nian Le’s eyes, which held a faint, pleasant warmth, Huo Weiran froze. He hadn’t expected the other to so openly admit that he was used to being with him.
The straightforward fondness revealed in those words struck Huo Weiran square in the chest, releasing an absurd sweetness that kept spreading.
Thin-skinned as he was, Huo Weiran turned his face slightly away to avoid Nian Le’s gaze, heat already uncontrollably rising to his cheeks.
He had once thought that he would prefer a more reserved, literary way of expressing affection. But now it seemed that just a single sentence from Nian Le was enough to throw the rhythm of his heartbeat into chaos.
That subtle joy continued to spread, difficult to put into words.
As for the question Nian Le had thrown out, Huo Weiran knew he needed to give him an answer, one that wouldn’t dampen his enthusiasm. Otherwise, he might never hear such pleasing words again.
“At the beginning, I wasn’t very used to it,” Huo Weiran said, forcing himself to turn back around. With his face already starting to burn, he tried to let Nian Le see the seriousness in his eyes.
“But now, I admit that it’s a bit…”
The words “I can’t live without you” lingered on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them. In the end, what came out was simply, “I’ve adapted.”
Seeing his younger brother suddenly soften like this, Nian Le glanced at Huo Weiran’s arm in a cast and understood what he meant.
All the hard work he had put in before was acknowledged and accepted at this moment. Hearing the aloof younger brother say the word “adapted” made Nian Le, as the one who had been putting in the effort, feel deeply gratified.
“See you tomorrow morning.” Nian Le spoke gently, gave Huo Weiran’s shoulder a light pat, then turned and went upstairs, stopping in front of the guest room door.
The footsteps behind him paused. Nian Le glanced back at Huo Weiran, who was standing not far away, quietly watching him. He gave him a soft smile, opened the door, and went inside.
The door cut off Huo Weiran’s line of sight.
Huo Weiran stared at the door panel for a long time before finally withdrawing his gaze. He walked toward his bedroom, turning back every few steps. His fingers rested on the doorknob, yet he couldn’t help turning around again.
Even he himself didn’t know what he was waiting for.
After returning to the guest room and finishing washing up, Nian Le took out his phone, intending to check the day’s news. Instead, he unexpectedly saw more than a dozen messages from Huo Huohuo.
Huo Huohuo already knew about the accident from the day before yesterday. Afraid of letting his mother find out, he had originally planned to handle things remotely. Unexpectedly, one careless slip, and his phone fell from the yacht into the sea.
After the yacht docked, Huo Huohuo hurried to make contact and deal with the situation, but it was still noticed by Madam Huo. The moment she heard that something had happened at home, she nearly fainted.
[Is Auntie okay now?] Nian Le’s eyes flickered slightly as he typed quickly.
[My mom is fine. The real issue is Huo Weiran!] Huo Huohuo wiped his face at the international airport, glancing apologetically at his pale-faced mother beside him.
Huo Weiran’s previous accident had already caused the Huo family immense worry. After half a year of recuperation, his mental state was still poor. And now, even while staying safely at home, he had been attacked by intruders.
Huo Huohuo didn’t dare imagine what condition Huo Weiran might be in now. After learning the truth, Madam Huo caught her breath and immediately insisted on returning to the country, her eyes filled with worry and anger.
Huo Weiran hadn’t grown up by Madam Huo’s side. Ever since the younger son’s talent was discovered, he had stayed in Australia with his father. At three years old, he was already using simulators; at seven, he began participating in various competitions; at twelve, he entered a junior training driver program; and at sixteen, he transitioned into Formula racing.
Even now, Madam Huo often recalled the sight of such a small child whose days consisted of nothing but training after training.
Raising a race car driver was extremely expensive. Yet for a period of time, Huo Weiran’s father had a falling-out and refused to accept financial support from the Huo family, causing Weiran to suffer greatly as well.
At their poorest point, Weiran couldn’t even afford to replace his training tires. Madam Huo flew overnight to see the father and son, and saw that small figure standing by the track watching others train. Even when mocked by others, he didn’t cry or show frustration, he simply stood there quietly, as if imagining himself practicing.
Clearly only six or seven years old, with extraordinary talent, yet so mature and sensible that even adults felt ashamed by comparison.
She watched Huo Weiran grow bit by bit, win award after award, even being listed among the most promising drivers in the Asia-Pacific region. He was about to turn eighteen, had already received invitations from teams, and was set to test-drive an F1 car.
Then the sudden accident felt like a cruel joke played by fate. Despite such severe injuries, everyone had clung to hope at first. But surgery after surgery shattered that hope into pieces, let alone the person at the center of it all, who had to endure double the pain.
Madam Huo now had no other wishes. She only wanted Huo Weiran to live well. As long as it could make him happy, she was willing to do anything.
Clearly, their previous efforts had finally begun to show some progress, so why did someone have to break in at this moment and cause Huo Weiran to be injured once again?
Madam Huo was filled with rage, mixed with overwhelming sorrow.
Weiran’s mental state had already been bad enough. If he were hurt again like this, Madam Huo didn’t even dare imagine what condition her youngest son might be in now.
Looking at the messages Huo Huohuo had sent asking about Huo Weiran, Nian Le thought for a moment about his younger brother’s current situation and began typing.
[The exhibition hall has basically been repaired. Xiao Ran has a few small injuries on his palm that have already been treated. Auntie and Huohuo don’t need to worry too much.]
When Huo Huohuo’s new phone chimed, Madam Huo immediately looked toward her eldest son. She saw him staring at the screen, his expression carrying a hint of confusion.
Don’t need to worry?
Sensing his mother leaning closer, Huo Huohuo openly held up the phone so they could look together.
“Ask how Weiran’s mental state is right now whether he’s left his room, whether he’s eaten,” Madam Huo said, her eyes full of concern.
Huo Huohuo followed her instruction and sent another message. Before long, a new reply came in.
[Xiao Ran’s mental state is good. Not long after I returned from the competition, he came out of his room. He ate scrambled eggs with beef spine, braised pork ribs, stir-fried Chinese yam, a bowl of rice, and drank one and a half bowls of glehnia-and-goose soup. He has already returned to his room.]
Staring at the long reply, Huo Huohuo blinked. Madam Huo reread it three or four times, feeling that the description was almost too perfect, so perfect it hardly seemed real.
Huo Huohuo exchanged a glance with his mother, both seeing disbelief in each other’s eyes.
Madam Huo gave him a look, and Huo Huohuo understood, lowering his head to type.
[For real or nah?]
Smack—Madam Huo knocked him on the head, clearly exasperated.
“At a time like this, you’re still being cute?”
Huo Huohuo teared up as he clutched his head, only to see a reply pop up:
[For real.]
“He’s being cute too,” Huo Huohuo said aggrievedly, pointing at the phone.
“He’s so nice—he even plays along with you,” Madam Huo paused, then spoke gently.
“I want to see Weiran,” she said. She was still uneasy, but she also knew this request was somewhat excessive.
Huo Weiran had always been aloof. Unless it was necessary, he didn’t accept interviews or take photos. Now, he barely even left his room, let alone show his face in front of a camera.
“Forget it. Don’t make things difficult for your friend,” Madam Huo said, glancing at the time. There was still an hour before boarding.
Huo Huohuo’s hand, which had already pressed “send,” paused. He turned and looked innocently at his mother.
A mother wanting to see her son was only natural. When Nian Le received the message, he took his phone and stepped outside, unexpectedly spotting Huo Weiran standing in front of his bedroom door.
Had he not gone in yet or had he gone in and come back out?
Nian Le didn’t think much about it and walked over with his phone in hand.
“Xiao Ran, can I take a photo of you?”
Seeing Nian Le come out of the room, Huo Weiran’s gaze focused. When he heard that Nian Le wanted to take his photo, his expression immediately brightened.
“Yes,” Huo Weiran agreed without hesitation. He lowered his head, tidied his clothes with one hand, and adjusted the metal pendant chain on his chest.
Nian Le opened the camera and stepped back a few paces, putting some distance between them. He wanted to capture Huo Weiran’s full body so that Auntie could see his younger brother’s limbs were intact.
Through the phone lens, Huo Weiran’s nine-head-tall proportions looked extremely photogenic. However, the lights in the second-floor corridor were off, making his face hard to see.
Nian Le walked over and turned on the corridor light, then returned to his original spot. In the lens, confusion and displeasure surfaced in Huo Weiran’s gray eyes.
“Are you… sending my photo to someone else?”
Nian Le lifted his eyes from the screen and glanced at Huo Weiran.
The question was a little strange. Late at night, if not for his family’s request, why would anyone take his photo?
If he wasn’t sending it to someone else, was Nian Le supposed to keep it for himself to look at?
“Auntie wants to see you,” Nian Le replied concisely. But in the lens, Huo Weiran’s lips immediately drooped. He turned his face away from the camera, crossed his left arm over his chest, unconsciously blocking the cast, his expression turning icy.
Huo Weiran felt a trace of self-mockery.
What was he expecting?
That Nian Le would keep his photo to look at when no one was around?
Or that he would think of Huo Weiran all the time, maybe even set the photo as his wallpaper or lock screen so he could see him constantly?
But Huo Weiran also knew that the person in front of him had been chosen by his mother in the first place. Now that his mother wanted this, of course he would have to cooperate.
Seeing Huo Weiran’s stiff, cold expression, Nian Le quickly snapped two photos, lest his younger brother’s mood worsen tomorrow and lead to some rebellious behavior.
“All done,” Nian Le said briskly. He pulled up the photos he had just taken and stepped closer so the subject could look. “How about sending this one to Auntie?”
Huo Weiran lowered his gaze to the photo, his chest weighed down by heavy displeasure.
Why couldn’t Nian Le take a few more photos to keep for himself? Why just this single pose—was it purely to finish the task?
Seeing his younger brother remain silent, Nian Le sensed his dissatisfaction. He was about to suggest touching up the photo, but before the words could leave his mouth, the phone in his hand was suddenly taken.
Standing to the side, Nian Le watched as Huo Weiran switched the camera to selfie mode and aimed it straight at his own face, taking photo after photo with a cold, serious expression.
