Volume One, Chapter 39: Caught Red-Handed by Professor Huo

When the doorbell rang, Ye Sheng was washing her face in the bathroom and ignored it. She stripped off her clothes and stepped beneath the shower. When her phone rang, she glanced at the screen with indifference. Seeing "Lin-ge" displayed, she reached out and turned on the shower.

Warm water streamed over her as Ye Sheng turned away and closed her eyes, letting the ringing finish on its own. Her phone was always set to ring and vibrate; she rarely silenced it, in case the hospital needed to reach her for an emergency. But often, this brought her inconvenience.

Like now—whenever her phone rang, she felt compelled to check her messages. At the top was a new one from Huo Lin Dong:

—Can we talk?

Holding her phone, Ye Sheng suddenly felt a tightness in her chest. This discomfort was even worse than when, half an hour earlier, Huo Mingting had ambushed her in the hallway, leaning in close.

She flexed her fingers and first dealt with several work messages before opening her conversation with Huo Lin Dong:

—Was just in the shower.

—It’s too late, Lin-ge. If it’s not urgent, can we talk another day?

After sending the message, she set her phone aside, walked to the water dispenser to pour herself a cup of hot water, and scalded herself with the first sip.

Clumsily, she almost dropped the cup. A chime sounded in her ear, as if something had exploded inside her. Ye Sheng took a deep breath; she hadn’t felt this irritable in a long time.

Huo Lin Dong replied: Okay.

—

By the artificial lake at Lanting International, several rows of wooden benches stood clean—wiped daily by the property staff. Huo Mingting sat on one, smoking through half a pack of cigarettes, his gaze fixed on the twinkling lights of the tall buildings.

Security in this community was strict. Huo Mingting could enter because he owned a unit here, though he seldom stayed. Later, Huo Shuting had requisitioned it, turning it into a love nest for herself and her celebrity boyfriend.

Of course, Huo Mingting knew the property prices here. Since Ye Sheng lived in this building, it certainly wasn’t her own place—it had to belong to that Mr. Wan. Grandfather Jiu said that Wan Sandao was his sworn brother, so his protection of Ye Sheng must be for Wan Sandao’s sake.

But just what kind of man was Wan Sandao? For someone Grandfather Jiu called "brother," he could not be ordinary.

And when had Ye Sheng gotten involved with Wan Sandao? Huo Mingting narrowed his eyes. If, as Chu Yue speculated, Ye Sheng had met Wan Sandao while studying abroad as an exchange student, then their relationship predated his own acquaintance with Ye Sheng.

No wonder… He remembered that night—it hadn’t been Ye Sheng’s first time.

A shadow crossed Huo Mingting’s eyes.

Why, then, had Ye Sheng married him? Was it just because she’d accidentally gotten pregnant?

What did he mean to her? Merely a passerby—or a stepping stone for her ambitions?

The cigarette dangling from his lips burned unsmoked, ash growing long before it fell with a soft thud onto his chest.

Lowering his gaze, Huo Mingting suddenly felt as if his heart had been scalded—aching sharply.

—

The next morning, Ye Sheng had no consultations and needed to attend an academic seminar at Beijing Medical University. The schedule wasn’t tight, and she had risen early, so she changed into sportswear and jogged a lap around the community garden. After neglecting exercise for too long, she was exhausted within half an hour.

Clutching her aching side, she returned. As the elevator doors opened, she came face to face with Huo Lin Dong and his son, both impeccably dressed—one in a suit, the other in a school uniform with a backpack.

Huo Xiaobei, still sleepy, looked drowsy until he spotted Ye Sheng. Instantly, he perked up. "Sheng Sheng!"

He swung his arms and rushed toward her. Ye Sheng hurriedly bent down to stop him. "Hey, hey, don’t hug me—I’m all sweaty."

She wore a pure white tracksuit, her hair pulled into a high ponytail—fresh, capable, radiating heat from her run, her cheeks flushed.

Huo Lin Dong smiled. "Out for a run?"

"Yes." Ye Sheng nodded, her gaze flickering over his face before shifting away. She reached out and tapped Huo Xiaobei on the nose. "Go to school, little flower of the nation."

Father and son exited the elevator; she entered. Just as the doors were about to close, Huo Lin Dong seemed to want to say something, but Ye Sheng pressed the button too quickly.

Noticing the breakfast hanging from her doorknob, Ye Sheng paused.

She stood silently in place for a full minute before stepping forward to retrieve the meal.

She didn’t eat the breakfast herself, only drank a yogurt, then brought the meal box to the university center and handed it to Mia, who was moved to tears. "Boss, you’re too good to me!"

Ye Sheng felt a pang of guilt, wanting to take it back, but Mia had already opened the box with a delighted "Wow!"

…So Huo Lin Dong’s breakfast ended up in Mia’s stomach.

Arriving a bit early, Ye Sheng opened her laptop to organize her latest paper. She was always focused, and didn’t notice as more and more people entered the conference room.

Only when her alarm sounded, signaling it was time, did Ye Sheng snap out of her concentration. She saved her document and was about to close her laptop when Mia handed her the washed meal box. "Thanks for feeding me, Boss! The steamed dumplings were amazing!"

Holding the meal box, Ye Sheng suddenly felt a gaze from not far away. She instinctively looked up and met a pair of amber eyes.

The warm meal box in her hands now felt like a hot potato.

Ye Sheng’s face flushed crimson in an instant. Now she truly understood what it meant to die of embarrassment in public.

Huo Lin Dong watched her, lips curling as if to say:

—All right. Well done.