Chapter 20 I Won't Mind If You Call Me Second Brother (2)

Qin Yucen came back to her senses, and before she withdrew her gaze from Huo Jingtang, she awkwardly said, "Yuxuan, what are you talking about? I was just watching you guys fish. I was just thinking about what dish to make if you lost..."

"I clearly saw you staring at Mr. Huo." Qin Yuxuan felt he wasn't mistaken, "You always say one shouldn't lie, so why won't you admit it? Second Brother, isn't that right?"

Qin Yucen's face burned, her eyes flustered, not daring to look at Huo Jingtang, who hooked his thin lips, leisurely watching her closely, curious about how she would respond.

"I didn't say I wouldn't admit it—"

"So you're admitting it?" Huo Jingjing interrupted her mid-sentence, "Everyone admires beautiful things and people; there's no shame or need for denial in that."

Qin Yucen, somewhat speechless, rolled her eyes. Although she admitted he was exceptionally handsome, did he need to be so narcissistic?

"Sis, the fish is about to die, pick it up quickly. I want to keep fishing. I can't lose to Second Brother." Qin Yuxuan interrupted her again, seeing that Huo Jingtang had already cast his line into the sea, he too didn't want to show weakness, determined to take the competition seriously.

Qin Yucen smiled and shook her head; her brother got along especially well with Huo Jingtang.

After all, everyone in the village knew he was simple-minded; even the children didn't want to play with him, let alone the adults who were always busy with their daily routines. He always helped grandma and dad with fishing. Now that he finally had someone willing to play and compete with him, he couldn't express how happy he felt. The smile in his eyes rippled like water waves.

"Yuxuan, how can you call Mr. Huo 'Second Brother'? You shouldn't be so informal." Qin Yucen, seeing how affectionately Qin Yuxuan called Huo Jingtang, felt it wasn't quite appropriate.

Qin Yuxuan felt a bit lost, bit his lip, and lowered his head.

Huo Jingtang took in Qin Yuxuan's expression and turned back to Qin Yucen, explaining, "It was me who let Yuxuan call me that. It's just a nickname, is there a need to make such a big deal out of it? This isn't a workplace; there's no Mr. Huo here, only Huo Jingtang, or Second Brother. If you don't mind, you can call me that too. I certainly won't mind."

Having said that, he casually turned his head back towards the sea. Qin Yucen knew she shouldn't have said such words that dampened the spirits of both Qin Yuxuan and Huo Jingtang.

"Yuxuan, just listen to him," she said.

Stars returned to the depths of Qin Yuxuan's eyes, and only then did he resume competing freely.

Huo Jingtang handed a bottle of water to Qin Yuxuan, who in return handed him a towel, their interactions filling Qin Yucen with a warm, familial closeness, just like family.

She took a deep breath, thinking about what Huo Jingtang had said, realizing it wasn't a workplace indeed, and there really was no need for formality. She came back to let go of all the hassles in the city, to find peace here. So, she decided to set aside those statuses and let her brother have more happiness, which was what truly mattered.

Later, Huo Jingtang and Qin Yuxuan wrapped up their fishing as time approached noon, then started to count their catch to see who had caught the most. Just as Qin Yuxuan had said, he really did beat Huo Jingtang.

"Sis, I won; now you don't have to cook," Qin Yuxuan jubilantly hugged his sister.

Qin Yucen also felt happy for her brother; turning, she met Huo Jingtang's gaze, his thin lips curving into a beautiful arc, "Perhaps I should be the one to cook."

As a prominent man, and the president of the illustrious Tanghuang Group, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, could he possibly cook? Even if he could, she dared not eat his cooking.

"A bet is a bet," Huo Jingtang said, seemingly seeing through Qin Yucen's doubts.

"Then I'll handle the fish," Qin Yuxuan volunteered eagerly.

"That'll be great," he said, easily lifting the bucket of fish he had picked out, leading them into the yacht.

The interior of the yacht was very spacious and lavishly equipped, complete with a bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, café, audio-visual room, and crew quarters. The living room was carpeted with Italian rugs, furnished with white leather sofas, and on the coffee table sat a crystal vase holding the most common yet pure white gardenias. The crisp green leaves paired with the delicate white flowers exuded a soft, jade-like luster, emanating a fresh, subtle, and rich fragrance.

However, it was not the season for gardenias in the deep winter.

"Please have a seat," Huo Jingtang offered them water. Qin Yucen, feeling a bit embarrassed, took the cup, "I can get it myself."

"Just have a seat, the magazines over there are quite interesting. It will just be a moment," Huo Jingtang then turned and headed to the kitchen.

He first skillfully killed the fish and soon was bustling about the kitchen, moving around the counter, his tall figure shimmering in front of Qin Yucen's eyes. Watching his busy silhouette, she suddenly felt inspired—if any woman were to marry him, how blessed she would be. He was a man who could grace a hall as well as command the kitchen.

"Sister, if Brother Huo were your husband, that would be so wonderful…" Qin Yuxuan said innocently, voicing his thoughts.

"Yuxuan, you shouldn't say such things carelessly, he's just a friend," Qin Yucen held his hand and spoke to him, but she was also warning herself.

Though he was a perfect man, to her, he was just an unattainable beautiful dream.

When a table full of delicious dishes was presented in front of Qin Yucen and her brother, they were so shocked they could hardly believe it was real. The feeling was like stepping on cotton, unreal.

All dishes were fish, but each was cooked in a different style; some were mild, others spicy, and just looking at them made one's mouth water.

"Brother Huo, you are truly amazing," Qin Yuxuan said, eyes coveting the dishes.

"How do you know how to cook fish so well?" Qin Yucen asked, looking across at Huo Jingtang sitting opposite her, the soft light casting half-shadows on his face.

"I like fishing, so naturally, I explored ways to cook fish. After cooking it many times, I just got the hang of it," Huo Jingtang explained as he poured the already opened and breathing red wine into a clear goblet and handed it over, "Having some wine with fish improves the taste."

"I want some too," Qin Yuxuan said, eyeing the dark red liquid, finding it beautiful.

"This is wine, you can't drink it," Qin Yucen shook her head.

"This is red wine, a little bit won't hurt," Huo Jingtang placed the wine glass in front of Qin Yuxuan, reminding him, "Just this one glass."