Chapter 14 Cherish life, stay away from beast

During dinner, Jiayi noticed that Huo Tianpei's mood was affected by Yao Zhenru and her son, so she kept serving dishes to the old master, and even chatted about the knowledge of orchids remaining in her memory, which finally made the old man's face relax, and he even asked the butler to open a bottle of red wine from the home's cellar.

"This one is a red wine from the Golden Estate of Burgundy, France, young master, Miss Luo, why not join the old master for a couple of sips?" the butler said with a smile.

This prized wine had been treasured by the old master for twenty years; he wouldn't open it even when distinguished guests visited. Today's rare indulgence showed just how delighted the old master was.

Huo Zhenyang put down his utensils and dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin, "I have to drive later, I won't drink."

His tone was neither cold nor warm, keeping people at a thousand miles distance.

Huo Tianpei's smile faltered slightly, a touch of disappointment on his face.

This man, like an emperor to his subordinates, like a tyrant to her, was also like a cold stone to his own father.

Jiayi couldn't stand to see the old man disappointed and couldn't help but stretch out her leg underneath the table to gently hook the foot of the man beside her, signaling him to stop talking. Then, turning to Huo Tianpei with a sweet smile, she offered, "Uncle, I'll drink with you then."

Huo Zhenyang felt a warm and soft touch lightly grazing his ankle, and his gaze sharpened as it fell on the girl, the corners of his mouth imperceptibly hooking up.

The little girl was really not reserved, acting like the host after only a few hours as a guest, even daring to signal to him.

As a warning to the presumptuous little thing, the man's hand slid under the table and took advantage of their proximity to firmly grasp the girl's outstretched ankle, trapping it in his palm.

This man, he's crazy! Jiayi almost cried out in shock but held back for fear of becoming a laughing stock in front of the old master and didn't dare make a sound.

Huo Zhenyang saw her like a bullied kitten that couldn't tattle, the smile on his lips widening.

Jiayi wanted to retract her leg, but without his strength, she bit her lip and could only shrink back into the broad, carved chair.

"Miss Luo, what's wrong?" Huo Tianpei, sitting across the dining table, noticed Jiayi's unusual behavior and asked with concern.

"No... nothing." The man's domineering behavior under the table caused Jiayi's voice to tremble slightly, like a pitifully soft-boned cat.

"Really nothing?" Huo Tianpei looked at Jiayi skeptically as her pink, creamy face turned a flushed red, like she was drunk from wine, "Are you sure you're not feeling uncomfortable?"

"Really, it's nothing." Jiayi tried to make her voice sound normal as she fiercely glared at the man while the old master wasn't paying attention.

Instead of a glare, it resembled more of a flirtatious gaze, making Huo Zhenyang feel somewhat warm all over. Noticing she didn't dare to take the initiative again, he finally withdrew his hand.

Jiayi breathed a sigh of relief and discreetly moved her chair a few inches away.

This pervert! Really capable of anything!

Value life, stay away from beasts!

The man beside her, however, behaved as if nothing had happened, merely lifting the corners of his thin lips as he watched the little girl's swift retreat.

Jiayi accompanied Huo Tianpei in drinking a few small glasses of red wine and, after dinner, as it was getting late,

the group rested on the sofas for a while, and Huo Zhenyang intended to leave Huo Garden with Jiayi.

A look of reluctance appeared on Huo Tianpei's face as he said, "Miss Luo is from out of town and doesn't have a place to stay in G City. Why not stay at Huo Garden? Staying at the villa on Huanglong Mountain is too inconvenient."

Ever since Huo Zhenyang became CEO, he had purchased several apartments outside and seldom returned home. If Jiayi stayed at the mansion, Huo Zhenyang could also come home, which was actually what the old master wished for.

"There's no need, Dad. I've arranged a place for Jiayi," Huo Zhenyang said indifferently.

Huo Tianpei knew his son still did not want to move back to Huo Garden and sighed without saying much.

Jiayi saw the old man seemed quite downcast, blinked her eyelashes, and sweetly comforted him, "Uncle, it's okay, in a few days Zhenyang and I will come to see you again."

"Good, good child." Huo Tianpei brightened up, liking the girl more and more the longer he looked.

Even though the girl looked very young, as long as Zhenyang liked her, her age was not an issue.

Maybe this girl's family couldn't compare to even a fraction of the Huo Family's, but if she could make their proud and aloof eldest son take heart, that was enough.

After all, Zhenyang hadn't acknowledged a formal girlfriend for many years, nor had he ever brought a woman home, to the point where the old master Huo even once thought his son might be gay.

So, the appearance of this girl meant a tremendous deal to the elder Huo.

Besides, this girl seemed to have been raised well and did not look like one of those bad girls.

When selecting girlfriends, the biggest hurdle for the real scions of wealthy homes is the girl's temperament and character, not her family's wealth.

With this in mind, Huo Tianpei turned his head toward his son, "Zhenyang, you should treat Miss Luo well."

Jiayi's dimples showed as she smiled, "Uncle, just call me Jiayi. Always 'Miss Luo' is too formal."

"Okay, Jiayi." Huo Tianpei smiled so wide he couldn't close his mouth.

Huo Zhenyang saw her getting along famously with his father, but his expression grew colder; he took her hand, got into the sports car, and left Huo Garden.

As the most bustling coastal city, G City was just beginning its night.

The aftereffects of the red wine surged up, and Jiayi hadn't felt anything before, but now her face burned red; she secretly searched for the car window lock, couldn't find it, and could only pitifully press her face against the side of the window.

Suddenly, the car window slowly slid down, opened, and the cool, refreshing evening breeze flowed in, much more comfortable.

Jiayi glanced at the man driving, who had opened the window. A feeling stirred in her heart—was he watching over her all the time?

"Still drinking with such a low alcohol tolerance," the man's voice was neither cold nor warm.

"Actually, the old master wanted to have a drink with you," Jiayi turned her head, looking at him.

Huo Zhenyang didn't speak, still facing forward. His profile was sculpted to perfection, stunningly handsome with slightly pursed lips. The hauntingly beautiful darkness of his features made it hard to breathe, yet his eyes were cold as iron, like the deadly chill of a millennium-old deep pool, each word chilling,

"Enough, you don't fucking know anything!"

Jiayi hadn't realized the danger looming, swallowed her saliva, and tried to soothe the man's suppressed fury, "After all, the old master is your father, you shouldn't be so cold to him..."

In a sudden emergency stop, the screech echoed through the night, and the sports car smoothly changed direction, veering away from the neon-lit, brightly illuminated main road onto a secluded, green-lined path before abruptly stopping!

Away from the crowd, the surroundings quieted down. The dense greenery of the belts acted like a natural barrier, completely covering the car and the two people inside from any passersby.

"What, what are you doing?" Jiayi sobered up a bit.

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