Chapter 73

Early the next morning, Ye Leyao, carrying the birthday gift he had prepared for Chu Cheng, had just come downstairs when he saw Papa Huo, Mama Huo, and Huo Yan all ready to go in the living room, as if they were about to leave.

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but be puzzled: “Papa Huo, Mama Huo, where are you all going?”

[It doesn’t seem like they’re going to work.]

Papa Huo cleared his throat: “Yes, I’m planning to go fishing at a nearby resort today, and your mother is coming with me.”

Ye Leyao understood and nodded, then his gaze fell on Huo Yan.

[Isn’t Second Brother the one who hates accompanying Papa Huo fishing the most? Why is he going too today?]

Huo Yan replied without blushing: “Since Mama and Papa aren’t at home, it’d be boring for me to stay alone, so I figured I’d join them for a day of fun.”

It wasn’t because he wanted to see what was going on!

[That makes sense.]

Ye Leyao was no longer confused and said, “Alright, have fun then. I’ll be heading out now!”

The driver was already waiting outside. After saying goodbye to the others, Ye Leyao got into the car.

Once Ye Leyao’s car drove off, Papa Huo, Mama Huo, and Huo Yan hurried into another car.

“Are you sure it’s the newly opened resort?” After the car had been on the road for a while, Mama Huo asked Huo Yan again.

Huo Yan reassured her: “Don’t worry. Last night, I confirmed with several people that it’s the newly opened resort…” He paused, then pointed to the car ahead in traffic. “Look, isn’t that Ye Leyao’s car?”

Seeing the familiar vehicle, Papa and Mama Huo finally felt more at ease.

“It seems like we are heading in the right direction,” Papa Huo said, and reminded the driver, “Be careful not to let Xiao Yao notice us.”

The driver was genuinely confused.

Didn’t Papa Huo say they were going to the resort for fishing? Why not just go openly, instead of following behind Ye Leyao’s car?

Though puzzled, the driver didn’t ask further and just focused more on driving.

If Papa and Mama Huo knew about the driver’s confusion, they would surely explain: It’s not that they didn’t want to go openly, but Chu Cheng hadn’t invited them at all.

Since Chu Cheng’s mother divorced, he had moved abroad with her.

The reason he had recently returned was that his grandfather, Mr. Gu, had fallen gravely ill and wanted to see his eldest grandson one last time. That’s why Chu Cheng came back to the country.

However, after Chu Cheng’s return, Mr. Gu’s condition stabilized. Though the old man was no longer in serious danger, Chu Cheng couldn’t just leave right away. He decided to stay for a while, mainly to keep the old man company.

Ever since his father remarried after divorcing Chu Cheng’s mother, Chu Cheng’s position had been somewhat awkward. Naturally, he didn’t want to stay at the Gu family home, and certainly wouldn’t live there, so he’s been staying elsewhere during this period.

Even for his birthday, Chu Cheng had no plans to celebrate at the Gu household, nor had he invited any Gu family members or any prominent family elders.

Today’s party guests were all Chu Cheng’s personal friends, young people around his age.

As for why Chu Cheng had asked Qin Yao to invite Ye Leyao, it was because Ran Jing and Ye Leyao had a good relationship, and Chu Cheng wanted to learn more about Ran Jing through Ye Leyao.

So, even though they knew the birthday party would be lively, Papa and Mama Huo couldn’t openly tag along with Ye Leyao. They had no choice but to let Huo Yan first find out the party’s exact location and then create a “coincidental” meeting.

Papa and Mama Huo had it all planned out, but they never expected that as soon as they arrived at the resort entrance, Ye Leyao would walk right toward them after getting out of his car.

Mama Huo suddenly felt guilty: “Why is Xiao Yao coming toward us? Could it be that we’ve been discovered? When did he figure it out?”

Huo Yan shook his head repeatedly.

He didn’t know either; he had fallen asleep not long after getting in the car.

Plus, he hadn’t heard any of Ye Leyao’s inner thoughts just now, so how did they get found out?

At this moment, Ye Leyao had already waved to stop their car.

The driver couldn’t pretend not to see him.

He had no choice but to pull over reluctantly.

Papa Huo was also nervous. After hesitating for two seconds, he still rolled down the window and, upon seeing Ye Leyao, feigned surprise: “Xiao Yao? What are you doing here?”

Ye Leyao was genuinely confused.

[Isn’t that the question I should be asking?]

Before Papa Huo could continue, Ye Leyao suddenly had a moment of realization and said: “Could it be that you all are also here to fish at this newly opened resort?”

[This resort has indeed been quite popular lately. I didn’t expect Papa Huo and the others to come here too.]

Ye Leyao had handed them the perfect excuse, and Papa Huo quickly nodded: “Ah, yes, yes, we came to this resort to fish. So, Chu Cheng’s birthday party is being held here?”

“Leyao.”

At this moment, a familiar voice called out.

Ye Leyao’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t bother speaking to Papa Huo anymore. He turned around and waved, “President Qin!”

Qin Yao had been waiting for Ye Leyao at the entrance of the resort for a while. When he saw him get out of the car, he walked over. However, to his surprise, Ye Leyao didn’t notice him at all and, carrying his gift bag, walked toward the car behind instead.

Qin Yao was puzzled and followed him.

As he got closer, he realized that it was Papa Huo, Mama Huo, and Huo Yan sitting in the car.

Qin Yao’s heart skipped a beat.

He thought his feelings for Ye Leyao weren’t that obvious, so why were Papa and Mama Huo here? Could they have figured it out?

Feeling a little nervous, Qin Yao still approached and politely greeted Papa and Mama Huo, then asked, “Uncle Huo, did you come with Leyao to attend the birthday party?”

Papa Huo hurriedly explained, “No, no, we just happened to run into Xiao Yao.”

“As it turns out, I had heard a few days ago about a newly opened resort nearby, so I thought of coming over to fish. We happened to have some free time today, so your aunt and I came over.”

They weren’t intentionally following him!

Huo Yan cleared his throat and explained as well, “We just didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence that you guys are here too. If Xiao Yao hadn’t come over to greet us, we wouldn’t have known we were headed to the same place.”

Ye Leyao nodded repeatedly, “Mhm, mhm, mhm.”

[What a coincidence!]

[I only noticed it when I was about to get out of the car and the driver mentioned that the car behind looked like ours.]

Papa Huo, Mama Huo, and Huo Yan: “…”

So, they had been sold out by the family’s other driver!

Qin Yao’s gaze lingered on Ye Leyao for a moment, then shifted to Papa and Mama Huo, his brows furrowing slightly.

Mama Huo instantly sensed something was off.

What was it?

Could it be that their excuse wasn’t convincing enough and Qin Yao didn’t believe them?

Papa Huo also felt something was wrong. Why was Qin Yao frowning? Their excuse wasn’t that far-fetched, was it?

But before they could think any further, Qin Yao relaxed his brow and gave them a small smile. “Uncle Huo, it seems you’ve come to the wrong place.”

Papa and Mama Huo exchanged a glance.

Mama Huo asked, “What do you mean?”

Qin Yao pursed his lips slightly before deciding to tell the truth. “This newly opened resort doesn’t have a fishing program.”

No fishing program.

No—

Which meant they couldn’t fish at all.

Wait, no fishing?!

As soon as Qin Yao finished speaking, everyone inside and outside the car fell into silence.

Mama Huo raised her hand to rub her forehead slightly.

Papa Huo clenched his teeth, barely holding his expression together.

Huo Yan’s vision darkened, and his toes curled into the ground in embarrassment.

Why didn’t Papa Huo check before making up a lie?

And why does such a big resort not have a fishing program?!

What were they supposed to do now?!

They couldn’t just say they were changing their destination, right?

If they left now, what about the drama later?

Huo Yan was utterly anxious.

Meanwhile, Qin Yao, standing outside the car, was even more frustrated.

Before Papa Huo spoke, he had only been speculating, but now, after hearing such a half-hearted lie, it was pretty much confirmed—

The Huo family didn’t trust him around Ye Leyao, which is why they made up an excuse to follow along.

But when had they figured out his ulterior motives towards Ye Leyao?

Was it on the last day of filming?

Qin Yao pursed his lips. After the show ended, he had watched the edited footage again. He remembered clearly that there were no slip-ups in his expressions or actions.

Even Ye Leyao himself hadn’t noticed the slight change in Qin Yao’s attitude toward him.

Besides the brief moment when Ye Leyao held his hand and ran, there had been no other intimate contact between them.

Even Huo Yan, who had been so close to them, hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

So how had Papa and Mama Huo figured it out?

And now that they had followed them here today, did it mean they weren’t happy with him?

Qin Yao suddenly felt a little nervous and uneasy.

But he hadn’t even done anything yet! He hadn’t even confessed his feelings to Ye Leyao!

Both groups were caught up in their own thoughts.

Only Ye Leyao remained clueless, asking in confusion, “Papa Huo, you didn’t check before deciding to come fishing?”

Papa Huo: “…”

Because he never actually intended to fish here!

Papa Huo cleared his throat and pretended to stay calm. “I must have remembered it wrong.”

Ye Leyao: [Well, it happens, especially as people get older.]

Papa Huo: “…”

He really wanted to pause his father-son relationship with Ye Leyao right now!

Mama Huo snapped back to her senses and asked, “So, what should we do now? We’re already here, and it wouldn’t make sense to just…”

Leave now?

She really didn’t want to go back!

Papa Huo received her signal and was even more embarrassed.

He was trying to come up with something, but no other excuse was coming to mind!

In the end, it was Qin Yao who spoke first. “Even though there’s no fishing at this resort, there are other fun activities. Uncle Huo, would you like to join us for Chu Cheng’s birthday party?”

Papa and Mama Huo had followed them here because they didn’t trust Qin Yao and Ye Leyao being alone together.

If Qin Yao had suggested they leave, they would have been even more worried. Instead, it was better to invite them openly to the party, so they could feel reassured, and Qin Yao could also take the opportunity to test the elders’ thoughts.

Papa Huo, hearing this, said, “That wouldn’t be appropriate, right? After all, it’s a party for you youngsters, and we’re the older generation…”

Huo Yan quickly said, “Then I’ll go?”

Since it was inconvenient for the elders, it wouldn’t be a problem for him, the younger generation!

Mama Huo gave Huo Yan a glare.

You’re only thinking about yourself!

Huo Yan awkwardly averted his gaze.

When it comes to gossip, everyone relies on their own abilities!

Qin Yao nodded at Huo Yan, “Alright,” then looked at Papa Huo, “Uncle Huo, if you don’t want to attend the party, there’s a newly built golf course next to the resort. How about playing some golf?”

He then turned to Mama Huo and said, “Right next to the villa we rented, there’s a spa resort. Aunt Lin, you could have a beauty treatment.”

Papa and Mama Huo immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

One had to admit, Qin Yao was really good at reading the room!

He’d arranged everything perfectly for them!

Papa and Mama Huo’s impression of Qin Yao skyrocketed.

Although they were quite satisfied, they still had to maintain an appearance of reservation.

After all, they originally came here to “fish.”

So Papa Huo glanced at Mama Huo and said, “What do you think?”

Mama Huo smiled, “There’s a spa and beauty treatments; I think it’s pretty good.”

Papa Huo then said, “Alright, we’ll just have to make do. After all, if we go somewhere else to fish now, it’ll take quite a bit of time on the road.”

Qin Yao smiled but said nothing.

He turned to Ye Leyao beside him and extended his hand.

Ye Leyao’s gaze fell on Qin Yao’s palm.

The young man’s fingers were long and slender, his knuckles distinct, with rounded, neatly trimmed nails that looked nice.

More importantly, Ye Leyao had held Qin Yao’s hand several times before—President Qin’s hand was really comfortable to hold!

Without thinking, Ye Leyao reached out with his right hand and naturally interlocked his fingers with Qin Yao’s.

[So why does President Qin want to hold my hand?]

Papa Huo, Mama Huo, and Huo Yan, who had just stepped out of the car: “???”

Qin Yao: “…”

Don’t accuse me wrongly!

The morning sun was already a bit warm, and a ray of sunlight just happened to land on Qin Yao’s ear. That small patch of skin turned red almost visibly, and the temperature at the tip of his ear was scorching.

Seeing the Huo family all staring at him, Qin Yao covered his slightly flushed face with his other hand and softly said, “I… I wanted to ask if the gift bag was heavy and if you needed me to carry it for you.”

Ye Leyao blinked, feeling disappointed.

[What? So he didn’t want to hold my hand!]

Huo Yan felt a vein throbbing on his forehead.

Hold hands for what?!

Did you even think about your relationship with Qin Yao? You two have no relationship at all!

He reached out to you—how could it possibly be because he wanted to hold your hand?!

Huo Yan took a step forward, but Papa and Mama Huo quickly held him back.

“Calm down!” Papa Huo lowered his voice.

“Did you forget what I told you earlier?” Mama Huo also whispered.

At the same time, Qin Yao let go of Ye Leyao’s hand, took the gift bag from him, and turned to say, “Let’s go, we should head in.”

Perhaps feeling a bit guilty, Qin Yao didn’t even notice Papa and Mama Huo holding Huo Yan back.

But Ye Leyao found it odd and asked, “What are you doing?”

Papa and Mama Huo quickly let go of Huo Yan, with Mama Huo smiling and saying, “Nothing, let’s go.”

She took Ye Leyao by the arm and followed Qin Yao.

Papa Huo grabbed Huo Yan’s hand and trailed behind, patiently advising, “Xiao Yao dating is his own business. Even if you disapprove, shouldn’t you ask for his opinion first?”

Huo Yan snorted, “Ye Leyao doesn’t even like Qin Yao right now!”

“If he doesn’t like him, why would he want to hold Xiao Qin’s hand?” Papa Huo hit the mark.

Huo Yan gritted his teeth, “That’s because Ye Leyao doesn’t even understand what liking someone is. He just thinks it’s fun, which is why I don’t want him to get too close to Qin Yao!”

“If he doesn’t understand liking someone, why does he want to hold Xiao Qin’s hand?” Papa Huo asked again, hitting the nail on the head.

Huo Yan: “…”

He gave up!

How would he know why?!

Papa Huo gave Huo Yan a knowing look. “I won’t say more, but just based on experience in relationships, how many times have you, your older brother, and the third son been in relationships?”

Huo Yan was silent.

Papa Huo continued, “Those two have never been in one. As for you, you’ve had one, but I’d say it was more of a ‘scammed experience’ rather than a real relationship. Do you think you’re qualified to meddle?”

Huo Yan’s face darkened as his sore spot was poked. “Dad!”

Can’t they ever have a normal conversation without bringing that up?

Hearing Huo Yan’s voice, Ye Leyao turned back in confusion, “What’s Second Brother talking about with Papa Huo? Why is he getting worked up again?”

Papa Huo and Huo Yan exchanged glances.

After a moment, Huo Yan gave in.

“Fine, fine, I won’t interfere, okay?” Huo Yan muttered, “Anyway, even though Qin Yao is a bit older, he’s still a decent guy.”

Papa Huo smiled, “Now you’re getting it. Let’s just let things take their natural course.”

Though they weren’t quite sure about Ye Leyao’s feelings for Qin Yao yet, time would eventually give Ye Leyao an answer, and they would know it sooner or later.

…

Since Papa and Mama Huo weren’t attending the party, Qin Yao took them to find a staff member, helped them book a villa right next to the party venue, and also made an appointment for Mama Huo at the beauty salon. Only then did he take Ye Leyao and Huo Yan to the party.

The party venue was actually another villa, just 500 meters away. Although it was a bit far, it was still close enough to see what was going on.

As soon as Ye Leyao and the others left, Papa Huo grabbed his phone and called the driver, telling him to quickly bring over two binoculars.

Mama couldn’t help but laugh after hearing this: “No need for that. If things don’t seem right, we can just go over and join the fun ourselves.”

Papa Huo thought about it and agreed it made sense, so he called the driver again and told him not to bother.

Meanwhile, Ye Leyao and Huo Yan followed Qin Yao to the party venue. Before they even got close, they could hear the deafening music blasting from the villa.

Ye Leyao slightly frowned.

[So noisy.]

Qin Yao said, “Why don’t you both go sit in the backyard for a bit? I’ll go get Chu Cheng.”

Ye Leyao nodded.

Great. He didn’t like such noisy environments anyway.

The villa’s backyard was a small garden. Ye Leyao and Huo Yan had barely sat down when the loud music from inside the villa toned down, and Chu Cheng came out.

Seeing Ye Leyao, Chu Cheng was very excited, quickly coming over to greet both him and Huo Yan, then jumping straight to the point: “By the way, Ye Leyao, can you help me invite Ran Jing?”

Ye Leyao’s lips curled slightly.

[I can tell, Chu Cheng really likes Ran Jing.]

[But today Meng Yue is planning to confess to you. If I call Ran Jing over—]

Ye Leyao almost couldn’t hold back a grin.

Qin Yao was shocked and glanced toward the backyard.

A confession?

Meng Yue?

Last time at the bar, Meng Yue was so crushed, and now he still wants to confess to Chu Cheng?

Qin Yao’s feelings were complicated.

Ye Leyao didn’t immediately agree to Chu Cheng’s request. Instead, he said, “I can help you invite Ran Jing, but whether he comes or not is up to him.”

Chu Cheng, however, was very happy and excited: “No problem! I’m already really grateful you’re willing to invite him for me!”

Ye Leyao smiled at him, picked up his phone, and sent a message to Ran Jing.

Since their last meeting at the bar, it had been a while since Ye Leyao contacted Ran Jing.

According to Huo Jing, Ran Jing hadn’t been attending company classes recently either.

To be honest, Ye Leyao didn’t think Ran Jing would agree to come to Chu Cheng’s birthday party. After all, if he did attend, it was highly likely that he’d run into Meng Yue.

After sending the message, Ran Jing didn’t reply right away, but Ye Leyao wasn’t in any rush.

As the birthday boy, Chu Cheng was very busy.

After chatting briefly with Ye Leyao and Huo Yan, he got up again to greet other friends.

Even Huo Yan didn’t stay long. With his celebrity status, word quickly spread that he was attending Chu Cheng’s party, and soon people started coming over one after another, hoping to take pictures with him or invite him inside to play board games.

With so many invitations, Huo Yan couldn’t refuse and had no choice but to go with them.

That left Ye Leyao alone, lounging comfortably on the sofa chair.

The villa’s backyard had excellent shading, and since the doors to the house were open, cool air occasionally drifted out, making Ye Leyao feel quite comfortable. Before long, he started feeling drowsy, and his eyes slowly closed.

Just as Ye Leyao was about to fall asleep, he suddenly sensed someone sit down beside him.

Ye Leyao opened his eyes and met Qin Yao’s deep gaze: “President Qin?”

Qin Yao smiled: “Tired?”

Ye Leyao nodded, sitting up a bit, and then noticed the cup in Qin Yao’s hand.

Ye Leyao’s eyes lit up immediately: “Oat milk?”

“Oat milk,” Qin Yao handed him the cup with a smile and said, “It’s hot out, so I added a few ice cubes for you. It won’t be too cold.”

Ye Leyao took the cup, took a big sip, and sighed contentedly, “It’s delicious!”

Qin Yao’s smile deepened: “There’s more if you want.”

Ye Leyao nodded repeatedly, looking very satisfied.

Just then, Ye Leyao’s phone buzzed with a new message.

Ye Leyao picked it up and saw that it was from Ran Jing.

Ran Jing: “What’s the address?”

Ye Leyao was a bit surprised and sent him the address. Then he asked, “Are you coming?”

Ran Jing replied: “I’m coming.”

Ye Leyao was even more shocked: “What are you coming for?”

[Meng Yue is coming today too! Ran Jing, are you crazy?]

Qin Yao glanced at Ye Leyao. The young man’s fair fingers slid quickly across the screen, his eyes wide open, his expression lively and slightly cute.

Ran Jing: “I’m coming, of course, for Chu Cheng’s birthday. He’s having a birthday party and asked you to invite me. I can’t just ignore the message and not come, right?”

Ye Leyao vaguely sensed something was off. Thinking that Qin Yao was next to him but not one to snoop, he figured sneaking a quick look at his notes would be okay, right?

With that thought, Ye Leyao’s fingers had already opened his notes app and quickly scrolled to the relevant plot. Suddenly, everything became clear:

[Ah, so that’s it! Chu Cheng returned to the country because his grandfather was also sick. But what a coincidence, his grandfather and Ran Jing’s mother are in the same hospital. A few days ago, Chu Cheng went to the hospital and happened to run into Ran Jing, helping him out with something big.]@@novelbin@@

[No wonder Ran Jing agreed to come.]

Ye Leyao exited the notes app but still reminded Ran Jing, “But it seems like Meng Yue will be here today. Are you sure?”

This time, the reply didn’t come quickly. Ye Leyao put down his phone, took another sip of milk, then turned his head and met Qin Yao’s gaze.

Ye Leyao immediately froze.

[Hmm???]

[Why is President Qin looking at me?]

[Wait… we were sitting so close just now. President Qin didn’t see my notes, did he?]

Qin Yao averted his gaze, and suddenly the temperature on his face rose.

He didn’t intend to look at Ye Leyao’s phone. His gaze had always been on Ye Leyao’s profile.

But a gaze’s range is wide, so his eyes inevitably fell on Ye Leyao’s phone. And Ye Leyao opened his notes app so quickly, there wasn’t even time for Qin Yao to look away.

But—

Ye Leyao was still screaming in his heart:

[Ahhhhh, if he really saw it, how am I going to explain this?]

[Can I just say that I made all of this up?!]

The voice in his ears was loud, carrying obvious panic. Qin Yao originally intended to pretend he didn’t know anything, but now he was genuinely a bit confused: “Leyao, what were you looking at just now?”

Didn’t Ye Leyao open a blank note after replying to Ran Jing’s message?

Ye Leyao’s inner voice suddenly paused, and he asked in confusion: “Hmm?”

Qin Yao slightly furrowed his brow: “You were staring at a blank note for quite a while just now. Did something accidentally get deleted?”

Ye Leyao’s pupils widened slightly.

[Blank… So Qin Yao didn’t see anything?]

[That’s a relief—scared me!]

Ye Leyao quickly put on a smile: “It’s nothing, I was just randomly flipping through.”

Although Qin Yao still had some doubts, he didn’t think much more about it.

Ran Jing’s message came through again, and Ye Leyao lowered his head to read it.

Ran Jing: “I’m sure. Besides, Mr. Meng still owes me a bit of money. I’ll conveniently collect it!”

Ye Leyao stared at this message for several seconds before he couldn’t help but laugh mischievously.

[Alright, alright. Meng Yue plans to confess to his white moonlight on his birthday, only for the stand-in to show up and demand repayment. What kind of melodramatic plot is this!]

[I can’t take it anymore, Ran Jing, you’d better hurry over!]

Papa and Mama Huo chimed in together: “Yes! Hurry up and come!”

Looks like they were in for some excitement today!