After the Wealthy Family's Favorite Was Mistaken for a Fake Young Master - Chapter 2

It was a paternity test report.

Outside the auction venue, a majestic silver-gray extended luxury car started up under the watchful eyes of the crowd and drove away smoothly.

Inside the spacious vehicle, Huo Kairan and Qin Qin sat on opposite sides of the back seat.

Qin Qin kept shrinking toward the car door, terrified by the snake in his arms that was hissing and flicking its tongue at her.

“Scared?”

Seeing this, Huo Kairan gently covered the small snake’s eyes and tucked it into his embrace. “It saved you today.”

Only then did Qin Qin let out a sigh of relief, relaxing her tense body slightly and sitting up straighter.

“Thank you, Young Master Huo, for helping me out today,” she said with deep gratitude. “And for worrying I might face retaliation, specially taking me away with you.””

Huo Kairan glanced at her. “If that’s how you want to see it, sure.”

Silence fell in the car.

Huo Kairan was clearly not much of a talker. He rested his head on his hand and closed his eyes to relax, the top-grade blue diamond worth 300 million spinning casually between his slender, pale fingers.

Qin Qin couldn’t help but stare for a moment.

After a few minutes, she spoke softly, “Young Master Huo, do you like keeping snakes?”

Huo Kairan slowly opened his eyes. “Hmm.”

Qin Qin tried hard to keep the conversation from dying. “Why?”

Without looking at her, Huo Kairan lightly tapped the small snake’s head with his fingertip. “Because it’s much more sincere than people.”

Qin Qin’s fingers subtly tightened on the hem of her clothes. “Young Master Huo, what do you mean by that?”

Huo Kairan slowly turned his head. “You’ve been getting close to Zhang Zhen for so long, and you deliberately lured him to the auction today. Actually, you were targeting me from the start.”

Qin Qin’s face stiffened, but her acting skills allowed her to quickly regain her composure. “How could that be, young master? You’ve misunderstood.”

A mocking smile had already curved Huo Kairan’s lips. “More accurately, you wanted to get close to my elder brother, Huo Lin, through me.”

Huo Lin, the CEO of Huo Corporation, twenty-eight years old, unmarried, averse to women, with a blank romantic history practically the template for a domineering CEO in standard romance novels.

Those coveting the position of “CEO’s wife” were as numerous as fish in the river, yet no one could find a breakthrough.

Thus, many set their sights on his younger brother, known for his eccentric, unpredictable temperament.

Qin Qin’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

The information she’d received clearly stated that the Huo family’s young master was empty-headed, had never passed an exam in his life, and was a good for nothing playboy. How could he be so perceptive?

“Because you’re the tenth one this month.” Huo Kairan seemed to see through her confusion, his gaze shifting to the scenery speeding past outside the window as he sighed. “I’ve been deceived ten times, and I only just figured it out.”

“I…”

Remembering Huo Kairan’s ruthless methods in dealing with Zhang Zhen, Qin Qin couldn’t stop trembling, wrestling internally over whether to kneel and beg for mercy or deny everything to the death.

But Huo Kairan had already signaled the bodyguard in the front to pull over.

The car door slid open silently.

“You all have your ambitions, but please don’t come to exhaust what little kindness I have left. Otherwise, next time, the one truly in trouble won’t be so lucky.”

Hidden in the shadows, his face pale and cold, his sinister demeanor was like that of a venomous snake.

Yet in the end, he only issued a warning before lightly letting her go.

Qin Qin stood dazedly by the roadside, and only after a long while did she seem to confirm her narrow escape from death. Covering her still-pounding heart, she murmured in shame, “I’m sorry…”

But the car had long since disappeared into the distance, not even its taillights visible.

She stared blankly at the empty intersection, her mind in a daze.

Huo Kairan… seemed different from the rumors.

Xihai City, Huo Family Residence.

Hearing movement at the entrance, Zhuang Jing immediately rose and hurried to the door. “Darling!”

Seeing his mother, Huo Kairan casually handed the small snake to a bodyguard specialized staff would settle it in its designated room.

“Got a new pet again?”

“Did you have fun at the auction?”

Zhuang Jing took his coat and handed him a cup of warmed traditional medicine as she asked casually.

Huo Kairan frowned but took it and drank it anyway.

“Where’s Dad?”

Zhuang Jing’s expression shifted slightly. “He had some business to attend to outside.”

Huo Kairan nodded.

Noticing his low spirits, Zhuang Jing asked, “What’s wrong, darling? Didn’t you have a good time at the auction?”

The bitter taste of the medicine still lingering in his mouth, Huo Kairan slumped into the sofa. “Just a minor conflict.”

Zhuang Jing’s expression turned serious at once. “Who bullied you?”

The “Jade-Faced Asura,” who had dominated the auction hall moments ago, now showed a hint of grievance in front of his mother. “Zhang Zhen. He insulted me, but I already ”

Before he could finish, Huo Kairan looked up to see Zhuang Jing already on the phone, tattling:

“A-Lin! Someone bullied your brother!”

Zhuang Jing’s voice was sharp, and when agitated, it carried even more.

“broke his leg.” Huo Kairan rubbed his ear and silently swallowed the rest of his sentence.

A deep voice came from the other end of the line. “Who was it?”

Zhuang Jing urgently shoved the phone into Huo Kairan’s hand, urging him to speak to Huo Lin directly.

Huo Kairan stared at the screen, a flicker of discomfort in his heart. “It’s nothing.”

Zhuang Jing immediately protested, “How can it be nothing? Didn’t you just say that Zhang kid insulted you?”

“The Zhang family? Understood.” The other end of the line sounded noisy, as if a meeting was still in progress. The deep voice, mingled with static, said, “Leave it to me.”

After the call ended, Huo Kairan blinked slowly, his expression sour. He felt both annoyed and helpless at Zhuang Jing’s habit of reporting to Huo Lin without his consent.

Zhuang Jing dotingly tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “Ranran, he’s your own older brother! Your brother is the smartest and most capable in our family. If anyone bullies you outside, you must tell him right away. Don’t be afraid of losing face in front of him we’re family. The closer you are to him, the more he can help you with anything.”

Huo Kairan seemed tired of hearing such talk. “I know, he’s the best, he’s the most outstanding, he”

He suddenly paused, as if sighing, then turned and walked upstairs, entered his room, and closed the door.

Yet, the more it was like this, the more it seemed from childhood till now that he could never do anything right, that he… was nothing but a troublemaker, a good-for-nothing.

Frustrated, Huo Kairan rolled halfway across his bed, then suddenly remembered something and opened WeChat.

A list of ten contacts appeared each with a selfie avatar taken at a 45-degree angle, big-eyed, all looking more or less the same.

Among them was someone who had accidentally spilled coffee on him at a café and insisted on compensating him.

Another, red-eyed in a park, had been about to jump into the river, only to claim he was her emotional anchor after he saved her.

There were also those who, just like Qin Qin, were being harassed by thugs and appeared fragile enough to make him step in to help even the methods they used were exactly the same.

“Do I really look that stupid?”

Huo Kairan stared at the chat window, only now realizing that aside from a few flattering remarks in the first couple of days, these people had been subtly probing for information about Huo Lin ever since.

“Took you this long to figure it out yeah, you are pretty stupid.”

He curled his lips in a self-mocking smile.

“And here I thought they genuinely wanted to be friends with me.”

“They’re all liars.”

Annoyed, Huo Kairan went through the list of contacts he’d added this month, blocking and deleting them one by one.

After wallowing in a brief five-minute emo session, he began to console himself: Being a loser wasn’t so bad, at least… he wouldn’t end up like Huo Lin, so busy that he didn’t come home for three or four months, all while being targeted by so many schemers.

He flopped onto his silk duvet, gazing at the bedroom that was larger than the average person’s living room, idly tossing and catching the moonlight-blue diamond he’d bought at auction for 300 million.

That tiny flicker of ambition was once again completely smothered by the decadent life of the wealthy.

His phone chimed with a “ding-dong.”

Huo Kairan glanced at it probably a message relayed by the butler, saying that the Zhang family’s chairman would be bringing Zhang Zhen over tomorrow to apologize in person and asking when would be convenient for him.

He rolled over and opened the message, the silk duvet slipping to one side and revealing a patch of smooth, fair skin. Raising an eyebrow, he scoffed and replied:

[No time. Tell him to get lost.]

Then he turned off the screen.

Whatever. With Huo Lin holding things down, he really could do whatever he wanted in Xihai, lazing around and waiting to die.

Xihai City, Zhang Family Residence.

“You useless piece of trash!”

Zhang Bolun slapped Zhang Zhen across the face, the sharp sound of the impact echoing through the spacious living room.

Caught off guard, Zhang Zhen tumbled from his wheelchair onto the floor.

Clutching his cheek, he glared up furiously. “Dad! Huo Kairan humiliated me in public, and instead of standing up for me, you’re making me go apologize? Are you even my real father?!”

Zhang Bolun trembled with rage, nearly choking on his anger. He pointed a shaking finger at his son on the floor. “If I weren’t your real father, I’d beat you to death right now to save you from causing more trouble!”

He took a deep breath, forcing down his fury. “Of all the people to provoke, why did it have to be someone from the Huo family? Everyone knows how protective they are! Did you think Huo Kairan was someone you could mess with? Now, because of you, the project I’ve been working on for half a year has been completely shut down by a single word from Huo Lin! Do you have any idea how much money we’re losing? You were used as a pawn and didn’t even realize it you idiot! Good-for-nothing!”

Like father, like son Zhang Zhen’s temper flared even hotter at these words. He roared, “I’m the good for nothing? Then what the hell is Huo Kairan? It’s all your fault, you old fool! You can’t measure up to Huo Lin, you’re trampled under his feet that’s why Huo Kairan dares to act so arrogantly toward me!”

“Animal!” Zhang Bolun kicked him, staggering with rage. The butler hurried over to steady him as he scolded in bitter disappointment. “Do you even know who Huo Lin is? Ten years ago, the Huo Group was on the verge of bankruptcy under Huo Guoxun, practically falling apart from the inside. Everyone was waiting to pick the carcass clean. Then, six years ago, Huo Lin parachuted in as CEO and completely revitalized the company in just two years. Now, it’s reached an unprecedented peak!”

He grew more agitated as he spoke, his trembling finger pointing at Zhang Zhen. “Saving a company single-handedly such a feat is considered a fantasy in the business world, yet he’s the only one who’s achieved it. I’m incompetent, utterly incompetent! Is that why you’ve been running wild in Xihai for so long? You brat, do you have any idea how much Huo Ling cherishes his younger brother? All these years, he’s treated him like royalty! And you dare insult him, provoke him have you grown tired of living?”

“He’s Huo Ling’s brother, not his wife!” Zhang Zhen clutched the spot where he’d been kicked, stubbornly dragging himself to a nearby chair to sit, even with a broken leg. “Once Huo Ling gets married and has children, what will Huo Kairan amount to? Besides, that sickly runt might not even live for many more years he could die before you! Why are you so afraid of him?!”

“Utterly hopeless!” Zhang Bolun shook his head in disappointment, feeling as though he must have committed some grave sin to have fathered such a son.

He waved a hand, unable to bear the sight any longer, and ordered the servants, “Take him away, quickly, take him away!”

But if Zhang Zhen could simply quiet down, he wouldn’t be Zhang Zhen.

Even lying in a hospital bed with both legs encased in thick plaster and suspended in the air, he insisted on throwing a party.

However, the well-connected young masters who had been in the private room that day didn’t dare show up. Only a few lackeys who usually mooched off him remained, flattering him obsequiously.

“If I don’t get revenge, I’ll change my surname!” Zhang Zhen slammed the bed rail fiercely, grinding his teeth.

His underlings chimed in with feeble enthusiasm, “We support you, boss!”

But Huo Kairan now held immense power, second only to one person and above ten thousand others. It was clear that Zhang Zhen couldn’t topple him at the moment.

Moreover, the man wasn’t even afraid of snakes he kept one as a pet! He was practically a devil!

At the thought of that snake, Zhang Zhen felt a shiver of fear.

He pointed a finger at the silent man in the corner and asked, “Huo Feng, tell me, what is Huo Kairan most afraid of?”

All eyes turned to Huo Feng, who appeared timid and submissive, cowering in the corner.

Startled by the sudden attention, Huo Feng lowered his head and stammered, “E-everything the young master has now depends entirely on the Huo family. What he fears most is probably being abandoned by the Huo family.”

Zhang Zhen narrowed his eyes, a plan seeming to form in his mind:

“Huo Kairan, you brought this upon me. Even if I can’t bring you down now, I’ll make sure to disgust you to death.”

The next morning, Huo Kairan woke naturally, stretched lazily, and opened his bedroom door, only to see a thin envelope flutter down from it.

Frowning slightly, he bent down to pick it up and opened it

It was a paternity test report.