NH chapter 003

Chapter 03: The School Beauty Gets Married

The address given by Xiong Ying was in the suburban villa area. Although it wasn’t located in the city’s golden district, the housing prices were still astonishing, just second to Shenzhen. To buy a property here outright, it would take at least… several hundred thousand to millions, and without an eight-digit figure, it wouldn’t even be possible.

Huo Ye calculated seriously. Given the current market, where a fresh graduate earns a monthly salary of only 3,000, even if he didn’t eat or drink, he would have to start working from the Qing Dynasty to afford a house outright.

This brutal reality truly disturbed him.

In mid-August, Huo Ye officially went to the landlord’s house to take over. This villa area was called “Bancheng Liufang,” surrounded by mountains and rivers, with pleasant scenery.

When he first arrived, the guard didn’t stop him much, probably thinking he was the landlord because his looks often gave people the impression of wealth—who knew Huo Ye honestly showed his identification and smiled, correcting that he wasn’t the landlord but just a housekeeper here to clean.

The guard looked stunned: “Huh?”

“Housekeeping” and “aunt” seemed like a bound phrase, just like when you encounter a female police officer on the road, you unconsciously call her “Officer.”

“Thank you.” Huo Ye slightly nodded at him and, under the guard’s bewildered gaze, confidently walked in.

His landlord was an elderly woman in her eighties, living alone in the large house and inevitably feeling lonely.

Upon learning about Xiong Ying’s mother’s situation, the elderly lady expressed her understanding. After a few days together, not only did she not question Huo Ye’s age and abilities, but she also quite liked him.

The elderly lady happily said, “I have a little grandson who’s about your age, and he’s going to be in the second year of high school this year. He used to come back to see me during summer vacations, but this year he didn’t come. Since you’re here, you can keep me company.”

“What’s your name? You’re called Xiaoqi, right?” The elderly lady stood in front of Huo Ye, barely reaching his chest, making him seem like a giant. She touched his face, ears, and hands as if he were some large plush toy, her face full of joy.

“How tall are you? You look like my little grandson. He should be about your height too; oh, I miss him.”

“Do we resemble each other?” Huo Ye let her explore, smiling down at her, “Grandma, your little grandson can’t be as handsome as me.”

The elderly lady chuckled, “Oh, I haven’t seen him for so long. You’re handsome, you’re handsome.”

“My little grandson has a terrible temper. He’s sometimes as difficult to deal with as a spoiled princess. He’s taken after his parents’ cold personalities; it’s hard to see him smile.” As she spoke, the elderly lady pouted in a reproachful manner, yet her eyes were full of unconditional affection.

“You’re different. Look at you, you can cook and are very diligent, keeping the house neat and tidy. Unlike my little grandson, at his age, he doesn’t lift a finger; he probably hasn’t even washed a single bowl. How’s he going to find a wife? If you two meet one day, he should learn from you.”

Huo Ye laughed, “That won’t work; spoiled princesses usually have rebellious psychology. The more you ask him to do, the more he might end up hating me.”

“That won’t happen.” The elderly lady was adamant.

“This boy is very likable; he won’t dislike you. If you ask him, he will surely do it.”

Huo Ye couldn’t help but smile, shaking his head.

As September arrived, various universities in the city opened for the semester, and Lanjing Second Middle School seemed to suddenly enter the bustling summer cicadas, coming back to life under the blazing sun, as if it had never experienced any quiet.

Before heading to school, Huo Ye drove Huo Yan to the taekwondo training center and then turned around to head back.

He obtained his C1 driving license as soon as he reached the legal age, driving the hotel owner’s Wuling Hongguang, which he sometimes used to help with deliveries; when not needed for that, the owner allowed him to use it freely.

Huo Yan wanted to learn dance instead of taekwondo, so she had some tantrums for two days until Huo Ye coaxed her, saying that girls should learn some self-defense techniques when out. If she were bullied by a thug, her brother wouldn’t be able to help her immediately, leading her to reluctantly compromise.

Watching Huo Yan enter the training center, Huo Ye sat in the car and greeted the coach before stepping on the accelerator to re-enter the urban road.

The morning sun was blistering, shining straight through the windshield, nearly blinding him. Huo Ye felt dizzy under the glare, thinking of lowering the sun visor above the driver’s seat. Just as he raised his hand, a car unexpectedly rushed out from the intersection to the right front, and when he slammed the brakes, it was already too late; his body lurched to the left.

“Skreeech!!—”

Huo Ye tightly gripped the steering wheel, crashing against the car door, the seatbelt fiercely digging into his stomach, almost making him vomit his breakfast.

What the hell?

Heavens, couldn’t that car see the road was so wide?

This car wasn’t his, so if an accident occurred, of course, he would have to compensate. No matter how much of a nice guy Huo Ye was, he was also provoked at that moment. He released the seatbelt and got out of the car, marching forward in anger.

However, just a couple of steps in, as he got a good look at the other car, Huo Ye suddenly stumbled, standing upright on the spot.

The vehicle that collided with the Wuling Hongguang was a Maybach S680.

Forget selling a kidney; even if he sold all his organs, he still might not be able to pay for that.

A young man in his late twenties climbed out from the driver’s seat, looking even more flustered than Huo Ye himself. He hurriedly went to the rear seat, bent down, seemingly asking the person inside if they were okay.

From too far away, Huo Ye couldn’t see who it was, but he thought it couldn’t be worse than crashing into a president.

After apologizing to the occupant in the back seat, the driver was sweating profusely from fright before he turned around, hurrying over to Huo Ye.

“Wait, let me speak first.” Huo Ye raised his hand, interrupting him before he could open his mouth, “I was going straight; you should know that, right?”

“Yes, yes.”

The driver was exceptionally polite, quickly admitting his mistake, “I was turning at the intersection; I should have yielded to you. I was distracted and slowed down; it’s entirely my fault.”

As they glanced at the accident scene, the originally gleaming Maybach S680 was parked there with the left front badly dented, the headlights shattered to pieces—it was almost a tragic sight. Turning to look, the shabby Wuling Hongguang only had a slight tilt with some minor dents on the right side and half of the rearview mirror hanging down; that was all.

There’s no harm without comparison; viewed like this, it actually seemed like the Wuling Hongguang was intentionally trying to hit the luxury car.

“……”

After two seconds of silence, Huo Ye confidently looked away.

“Uh, how about this, can we settle it privately?” The other person, probably handling such matters for the first time, awkwardly took out his phone.

Is he going to throw money in my face?

Huo Ye slowly turned his gaze back to him.

“I’m sorry, I have to hurry, it’s really inconvenient to call the police. If we can settle privately—”

“No matter how busy you are, can you drive this broken car?”

“……”

Broken car? Which car is he referring to?

This remark was obviously not something Huo Ye would say, so both men slowly shifted their gazes to the back seat of the Maybach S680.

Under the blazing sun, a long, eye-catching leg stepped out first, followed by a delicate, fair hand resting on the car door, clearly outlined with veins.

He had a handsome, cold face, every feature from his brows to chin perfect to the last detail. Wrapped in a suit-like school uniform, his shoulders and waist were as smooth and upright as a jade tree, and his tie was tightly knotted, radiating an air of nobility and flamboyant elitism that was unforgettable.

With a bang, the car door was slammed shut with no mercy.

Huo Ye blinked.

He didn’t even spare a glance at Huo Ye, turning to the driver, saying, “You stay here to handle it; I’ll take a taxi to school myself.”

“But, this…”

“Are you trying to make me late for my first day of school?”

Huo Ye’s gaze shifted down and saw an elegantly embroidered name tag on his left chest—the first line read “Lanjing Private High School No. 2,” and below it were three embossed characters in a classic style.

——Second Year A, Shen Tingyu.

Oh, so he’s an alumnus.

Huo Ye dazedly observed for a moment as the driver repeatedly apologized to Shen Tingyu, who impatiently stood by, trying to order a taxi on his phone while not wanting to give him any attention. This prompted Huo Ye to return to the conversation, wiping away the sweat and saying, “Let’s exchange contacts first, okay? You won’t need to file an insurance claim; just give me the repair costs after it’s fixed and also compensate for your mental distress.”

——What? Such a sweet deal? Dude, why not crash again? Otherwise, I can’t accept this money easily.

After exchanging contact information, Huo Ye’s anger from ten minutes ago vanished instantly, replaced by a delightful mood.

Back in the Wuling Hongguang, the air felt fresher, and Huo Ye originally planned to just drive off, but for some reason, he suddenly turned his head to look back.

That pretty kid named “Shen Tingyu” was still standing there, apparently still waiting for a taxi. He seemed particularly sensitive to the heat, as he had only stepped out for a brief moment, yet beads of sweat sparkled on his forehead, making his fair face and ears appear gracefully flushed.

Although he was sharp-tongued, this expression made him look even more attractive, leaving Huo Ye unable to dislike him at all.

This reminded him of the school beauty Cheng Rongrong from Thirteen Middle School.

From a young age, Cheng Rongrong had been stunningly beautiful—not the delicate kind, but a brilliant beauty like a luxurious flower, with a round and plump face and an hourglass figure. Many boys in their adolescence scarcely dared to glance her way.

However, fair play from the universe dictates that whenever it opens one door, it must close another. Despite being beautiful, Cheng Rongrong had a terrible personality. She was often quick to anger and spoke very harshly.

Once, a boy from the adjacent class confessed to her. Although Cheng Rongrong clearly refused, the boy kept pursuing her relentlessly. After several failed attempts, the spoiled girl, infuriated in front of everyone, soundly slapped him.

It was a painful slap.

Even Huo Ye, who passed by, felt sympathetic for him.

After that day, everyone assumed the boy would give up. But he didn’t.

Among numerous bizarre admirers, he was the only one to persist until the end and finally won Cheng Rongrong’s heart, leading to an enduring relationship.

Perhaps the world is strange that way; some people love your beautifully crafted face, while others love your dark eye circles. Some admire Cheng Rongrong’s glamorous appearance, while others are fascinated by the underlying sharpness that could wound at any moment.

Huo Ye originally couldn’t understand, but after today’s encounter, he suddenly felt a strange comprehension creeping in.

“Hey, over there, Miss Spoiled Brat.”

Huo Ye leaned his elbow on the open car window, gently honked the horn, and leaned his head toward Shen Tingyu, “It’s rush hour now, and it’s gridlocked here; you won’t catch a taxi.”

“……”

Shen Tingyu furrowed his brows, glaring at him, clearly showing a hint of anger and resentment in his eyes, as if to say:

If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been reduced to this!

Huo Ye found it amusing; in fact, he was already chuckling silently against the steering wheel, his voice low, yet Shen Tingyu heard it.

Shen Tingyu put his phone away, his expression growing cold.

“What are you laughing at?”

Huo Ye didn’t answer; he merely unlocked the car door, a playful smile on his lips as he gently proposed,

“It’s hot; would you like to hop in and sit for a while?”