I Became the Rich Family’s Stepfather and Couldn’t Stop Laughing - Chapter 20.1

At 1:00 AM, everything was silent, and the anonymous gossip thread that had been buzzing all day suddenly vanished.

The onlookers who noticed this instinctively assumed that President Huo, the person involved, had taken action. After all, having a high-stakes collision between luxury cars in a branch office garage with a notorious, scummy ex-husband wasn’t just disgraceful; it made both parties look incompetent.

In reality, the person who started the thread had requested its deletion.

As a junior employee at the Rolls-Royce service center, they had been so eye-opened by their first day on the job that they couldn’t help but post about it on the anonymous forum, only for the thread to explode.

Some even used the original poster’s vivid description to create a comic version reconstructing the scene of Xi Ling and his ex-husband, Huo Siyi who had “cheated” each other clashing in the garage (Cullinan vs. Phantom). The buzz spread to other social media platforms.

The original poster was so scared they wanted to flee while carrying a train, deleting the thread overnight for fear of being tracked down and held accountable by Huo Siyi.

The fact that the post was deleted only served to confirm the authenticity of the car collision to the gossip-mongers, who then gave this pair of wealthy, estranged lovers who were already divorced and had a history of mutual betrayal a rather wicked CP name: the “Crash-to-Death” (Chuang-Si) couple.

Netizens had their fun, but considering they had to work or go to school the next day, most of the beginner-level night owls were getting ready to sleep. To their surprise, “Daju Entertainment” dropped another bombshell

#CarsCollideTearingOffMasksXiLingExHusbandAppearsAtManorForFirstTime#

Clicking into it, it was another sneak-peek video with a heavy Daju Entertainment watermark.

One could tell at a glance that the video was shot outside the manor where Xi Ling lived. It contained two key pieces of information: first, a black business car driving into the manor, and second, a modified white long-wheelbase MPV medical vehicle driving out of the manor’s main gate.

The sky was already dark and the distance was far, so the footage wasn’t very clear. However, Daju Entertainment thoughtfully circled the license plate of the black business car, noting that it was the same security car Huo Siyi had switched to after his Phantom was wrecked.

As for the white medical vehicle, Daju’s paparazzi followed up and confirmed it contained only Huo Siyi’s private medical team. It was confirmed that Huo Siyi had not only appeared at the manor for the first time but had also stayed there.

The question was: what was the medical vehicle doing there so suddenly? And what had kept Huo Siyi who had never once set foot in the manor at the estate after their divorce?

Combining this with the car collision incident, Daju Entertainment’s narrative was clear: they hinted that the Chuangsi couple’s wealthy marriage had ended very unpleasantly, suggesting that not only had they engaged in bumper cars with luxury vehicles, but they had likely come to blows inside the manor as well.

Everyone knew that their relationship had completely collapsed after Xi Ling wore a “Fluorescent Big Green Pepper” outfit to hint at Huo Siyi cheating during their marriage.

Then there was the rumor that Xi Ling had extracted a huge amount of wealth from the divorce agreement, followed by Xi Ling “pouncing” on a “young boy toy,” with a secret affair exposed.

It was obvious that Huo Siyi had been caught with dirt on his hands and had paid Xi Ling a huge “hush money” settlement, only to turn around and find out he’d been cheated on as well, leading to a rage that escalated to the point of needing a medical team.

[Although I hate Xi Ling, violence is not the answer…]

[Heh, Xi Ling, not surprised at all. If he really was beaten up for cheating during the marriage, he deserves it. President Huo is just doing justice~]

[??? Is the person above crazy? Cheating is a moral failure, but assault is a criminal matter!]

[Am I the only one whose focus is on the cars? Luxury security cars and medical vehicles cost one or two million? I’m so sour, woo woo woo, who stole my rich-kid life! (Lemon)(Lemon)(Lemon)]

[Don’t even get me started. When ordinary people get divorced and fight, they slap each other in the mouth; when rich people get divorced and fight… they crash a Rolls-Royce Phantom into a Cullinan… Damn it!]

[Honestly, Xi Ling’s life is so colorful. I suggest Xi Ling start a reality show; it would definitely explode. I’ve even thought of a name for you: “Traveling with the Discarded Rich Man’s Wife.”]

[Hahahaha, “Traveling with the Discarded Wife,” what is that! You sure know how to be wicked (applause.jpg)]

[o78k, keep exploring and report back! I’m so curious to see how far the Chuangsi couple will take this? (doge)]

…

Daju Entertainment retweeted the “keep exploring and report back” comment, replying: [Daju Entertainment will strive to report for you (adjusts glasses.gif)], instantly sparking another climax of discussion in the middle of the night.

Daju Entertainment’s official Weibo account gained a massive surge in followers; clearly, no one wanted to miss out on the spectacular follow-up.

In the dead of night, Xi Ling was sound asleep while hugging the cub. Li Jie, who was on night duty, sat on the sofa in the main hall, also dozing off with her phone in her hands.

Ever since Mother Tian was taken away by the police, the “Madame” had stopped acting out in the middle of the night, and the rotating night shifts had become much more relaxed; there was basically nothing for them to do.

Once she relaxed, even the dog-blood short drama Li Jie loved watching couldn’t stop the drowsiness.

It wasn’t until the paging bell rang suddenly that Li Jie was jolted awake. She walked quickly to the guest room door where Huo Siyi was staying: “Sir, what are your orders?”

A cold, detached voice came from inside: “Clear out my bedroom.”

The main building was designed for the masters of the manor. The master bedroom on the second floor occupied nearly half the floor, divided down the middle the left side was the “Master’s Room,” and the right side was the “Madame’s Room” where Xi Ling was currently staying, connected by an invisible door in the middle.

Although Huo Siyi had never stayed here, the supplies in the Master’s Room were all crafted to his dimensions and preferences, including a prohibitively expensive custom-made mattress.

Not only were the materials excellent, but it was specially customized according to different spinal curvatures. Huo Siyi used this same model at his other residences and had been accustomed to the support of a custom mattress for years.

Usually, it was fine, but his recent workload had not only led to headaches but also induced mild intercostal neuralgia. The basic-model mattress in the downstairs guest room couldn’t meet his needs.

Lack of sleep would aggravate his condition, entering a vicious cycle. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken the initiative to move into the “Master’s Room” next to Xi Ling.

Li Jie was efficient. Since every room in the main building was cleaned regularly, she quickly had everything ready.

A while later, watching Huo Siyi walk into the other master bedroom, Li Jie took a careful look from top to bottom. It really seemed like there were no bruises on her master, so why had he been carried back lying down?

Her drowsiness vanished completely. Li Jie pondered haphazardly in her heart, while idly pressing the play button to continue watching the soapy short drama on her phone.

Li Jie had missed a few episodes while sleeping, but the short drama was quite formulaic, it was just about a guy forcibly taking the girl, and then the jerk getting his comeuppance.

After the guy reformed and became a better person, it was the girl’s turn to act out, completely chilling the male lead’s heart. Only after the male lead wrote a letter of separation and let her go did the girl realize she had always loved the male lead and started chasing him back.

With three to five minutes per episode and forty episodes in total, the short drama had no substance, just pure “dog-blood” drama. Skipping through didn’t affect the plot much. When she clicked on it, it happened to be playing a scene where the spoiled princess faked a faint to win back her husband’s heart, and the cold-hearted prince, despite trying to break all emotional ties, couldn’t bring himself to watch someone die, so he helplessly carried her back.

Li Jie nodded thoughtfully as she looked at her phone screen, feeling like the plot was a bit familiar. A moment later, her eyes suddenly widened

Could it be… that President Huo is the Princess?

The Madame had stopped trying every way possible to attract attention, and President Huo had come back to stay over… and he was also carried back lying down!

Li Jie gasped. Is the manor about to change heaven…

Meanwhile, Huo Siyi first walked to the invisible door between the two bedrooms, lifted the touch panel on the side, scanned his fingerprint, and then locked the invisible door without hesitation.

Perhaps beckoning to the call of the snow, the next morning, the little fluff-ball in Xi Ling’s arms opened his eyes, dazed.

He rubbed his fair, tender little claws against his eyes. Huo Xingmian breathed in the good, warm scent of Xi Ling’s arms, taking a moment to fully wake up.

Build! Snow! Man!

YES!!! He wanted to build a snowman!!!

The little cub stood up from the covers in a whoosh, only to find his stepfather was still snoring like a pig. The cub’s dark, bead-like eyes turned.

How could a truly sensible, good baby wake up a sleeping adult just because he wanted to play?

Huo Xingmian buried himself back into the side of Xi Ling’s neck, his fuzzy little head spinning like an electric drill, while he hummed in a milky voice: “Pee… pee… Mianmian, wants to pee…”

Xi Ling felt like he’d been smacked in the mouth with a feather duster in his sleep, and he snapped awake. Only after opening his eyes did he realize it wasn’t a feather duster, but a “cub-duster.”

The master bedroom was covered with a super-thick, three-layered mattress. Although it was incredibly comfortable to sleep on, it was too high for a little tot.

It was relatively easy to climb up with the Ultraman toy as a stepping stone, but it was very easy to lose his footing and fall when jumping down. Plus, the cub’s leg development was already poor, so Xi Ling usually didn’t let the cub get out of bed by himself.

Hearing the child wanted to go to the bathroom, he sat up, blinking sleepily, and handed the little panda tail from the bedside to the cub to attach.

By the time Xi Ling put the cub by the toilet, the cub could use the child-specific toilet stool to go to the bathroom by himself. But this time, the cub stopped Xi Ling: “Daddy, whistle.”

Saying this, he puffed out his goldfish lips and mimicked Xi Ling’s usual whistling. He blew for a long time, but all that came out was the sound of wind.

Xi Ling had no choice but to turn back and rub the cub’s messy hair: “You’re becoming more and more demanding.” After saying that, he started whistling for the cub.

Huo Xingmian acted dazed and sleepy on the surface, but in reality, he was secretly watching Xi Ling, determined to drag the man into a state of alertness so he could get up and go play outside!

Just like that, after the cub was done peeing, he said his mouth was stinky and needed to brush his teeth. Once Xi Ling got his hands wet, he was completely awake, so he just brought the cub along to wash his face and brush his teeth.

Huo Xingmian stood on the small stool, brushing his teeth side-by-side with Xi Ling. While Xi Ling was splashing water on his face, a look of undisguised smugness flickered in the cub’s eyes Hehe, the stupid stepfather has fallen for it~

The restaurant window looked directly out onto the courtyard in front of the main building. The cub’s eyes went straight when he saw the thick snow outside the window.

Xi Ling, however, set his eyes on the big guy that had just been driven out of the garage—a nearly three-meter-high, five-ton Lamborghini tractor!

Since they had woken up earlier than usual and weren’t hungry, and the kitchen hadn’t started serving yet, the green-eyed father and son hit it off instantly. They decided to drink a cup of thick, cheesy corn porridge to pad their stomachs before leaving, then come back to eat properly after playing.

Xi Ling and the cub equipped themselves with gloves, hats, and scarves and ran happily toward the snow-covered field, hand in hand.

Xi Ling was no stranger to these zero-cost games. He scooped up a handful of snow, pressed it together between his palms, and a white ball was formed. He bent his side, like skipping a stone, and tossed the snowball into the snow.

The surface of the pressed-smooth snowball seemed to have its own stickiness, sticking to wherever it rolled. By the time he picked it up, it had become several times larger. Xi Ling changed the angle and threw it again, repeating this several times, until he had harvested a six- or seven-inch-wide snowball, leaving the cub watching with his mouth agape.

Xi Ling smiled and put the snowball in front of the cub: “This is still too small if we want to make the snowman’s body. Mianmian, do you want to roll it bigger?”

The cub’s dark, bead-like eyes clearly lit up: “I, can I?”

Although the stepfather had tossed the snowball around with ease, he was terrified that he would crush such a beautiful snowball. After all, a single step in the snow left a deep footprint.

Xi Ling pulled his gloved little claw and placed it directly on the snowball: “Come on, Mianmian, roll it bigger.”

After saying that, he patted the cub’s little butt, signaling that he could start pushing the snowball.

The cub blinked his bright, shiny eyes, tentatively taking a few steps forward, watching as the snowball grew bigger and bigger under his hands, his excitement impossible to suppress.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Huo Xingmian tried to turn and push the snowball back to Xi Ling’s side. “Mianmian, like this, is it okay?”

He held his confident little face high, clearly asking for praise. Xi Ling took out his phone, hit the record button, and showered the cub with praise: “Oh my god! Our baby Mianmian is just too amazing!”

“Not only do you learn fast, but you build so well! You could go to the Snowman Olympics and win glory for the country!”

“Mianmian, look here! Look at the camera! So handsome! Yes, yes, great smile! A bit brighter! Brighter! BRIGHTER!”

Under Xi Ling’s barrage of flattery, the three-year-old cub, who didn’t fully understand the malice of the world, lost himself once again. His face was nearly frozen into a smile, yet he still hadn’t heard the familiar click.