I Became the Rich Family’s Stepfather and Couldn’t Stop Laughing - Chapter 24

Huo Siyi fell into a brief moment of bewilderment. His gaze remained fixed on the spot where the light had disappeared into the distant horizon for a long while; he could not discern what this strange emotion emerging in his heart truly was.

“Stop the car.” The man quickly regained his customary composure.

The driver immediately pulled the car to a steady stop nearby.

Huo Siyi dialed Secretary Dong’s number while simultaneously raising the soundproof partition between the front and back seats.

On the other end, Secretary Dong had been home for a while. Because he often accompanied Huo Siyi on flights, he had purchased a home midway between the airport and the company, which was much more convenient than the remote suburban manor where Huo Siyi lived.

When he received the call from Huo Siyi, the thought that “as expected” immediately sprang to mind. How could Huo Siyi possibly spend the New Year quietly with his wife and child?

He couldn’t imagine a work machine like Huo Siyi staying at home to keep watch on New Year’s Eve, wrapping dumplings, watching the Spring Festival Gala, or taking the kids to build a snowman and set off fireworks… It was simply too incongruous; this was not something Huo Siyi was supposed to do.

Before Dong Xi became Huo Siyi’s secretary, the development of Creative Thinking (Chuangsi) had already left industry giants far behind. Some joked in private that the reason Huo Siyi could make the AI industry, a sunrise industry, so prosperous was because he himself was an AI robot no feelings, purely work, no regard for sentiment, looking only at technology.

Dong Xi, however, felt that compared to old capitalists who liked to talk about feelings and paint big pictures, he preferred a boss like Huo Siyi, who distributed rewards based on work and was clear about punishments and rewards.

Every time he worked overtime, he could mentally load the sound of an ATM spitting out money. Especially since the overtime pay on statutory holidays was outrageously high, he didn’t mind Huo Siyi’s bad temper at all. After all, working is for making money; as long as the money is there, everything else can make way.

Thinking that this call from Huo Siyi was likely asking him to go back to work, Dong Xi felt a bit excited. Mortgage, here I come!

Dong Xi walked quickly toward his study while answering the phone, aiming to get into the elevator before the call ended. However, before he could even push open the door to the room, his footsteps paused: “You… want to watch the replay of Madam’s livestream today?”

“Understood! I will send you the account, password, and operation guide immediately.” Dong Xi hung up the phone with a dazed expression.

His fingers flew, and he quickly wrote a concise and clear operation guide for this “robot,” Huo Siyi, who never watched entertainment programs and had no life experience.

A moment later, Huo Siyi logged into the Shanzhu platform following Secretary Dong’s instructions. He still believed that Xi Ling had not intentionally avoided waiting for him, but rather that it was due to passive intervention by the production team.

After finding a reasonable explanation, the congestion and stuffiness in Huo Siyi’s chest quickly dissipated, replaced by some annoyance toward the production team.

As the livestream replay video skipped forward, Huo Siyi first noticed that the interior of the house had changed significantly since he had left.

The dining room and living room now had many red ornaments; there were Spring Festival couplets of various sizes on the windows and doors, and small red lanterns were hung on the crystal chandelier with thin threads… The house not only had the atmosphere of the New Year but also a sense of vitality.

Every time he saw something that brought him closer to the existence of “Little Feather,” Huo Siyi’s eyes softened slightly.

Soon, the skipping video reached the mealtime for the two adults and two children.

Although there were only two sets of fathers and sons, Chu Xinnian had still prepared six main dishes, plus a prepared dish and a palate-cleansing fruit platter, making a total of eight large plates.

Although there were first-class chefs in the manor, Xi Ling had eaten too much Michelin food and wanted to change his taste. Chu Xinnian’s carefully cooked home-cooked dishes stunned him. The moment they came out of the pot, he tasted one, beamed, and gave a thumbs up immediately: “Absolutely amazing!”

After swallowing the red-braised large intestine, Xi Ling couldn’t help but ask, “Have you ever considered opening a restaurant? This is definitely the best red-braised large intestine I have ever eaten!”

Cooking was hard work, but upon hearing someone recognize his culinary skills so highly, a smile appeared on Chu Xinnian’s gentle face: “As long as you like it, I was worried it wouldn’t suit your taste.”

Not far away, Mianmian, who was forced to socialize with the energetic Mingming, smelled the fragrance and also ran in with da-da-da footsteps.

Seeing the tempting color of the large intestine Xi Ling picked up, the little bun drooled as he ran. With a milky voice, he asked eagerly and fluently, “Wat is dat?”

Xi Ling looked down and saw the baby licking his lips until they were shiny. He laughed and picked the baby up: “It’s the delicious food your Uncle Niannian made.”

Saying this, he brought the hot large intestine to the baby’s mouth: “It’s very hot right now; Mianmian, blow on it before you eat.”

The large intestine was placed in front of the baby’s nose, and the fragrance rushed straight to his head.

It smelled so good that the baby’s eyes went wide. While carefully blowing on it, he swallowed his saliva, completely unaware that Xi Ling had been using his chopsticks to move the food in front of the livestream camera, intending to leave a 4K ultra-high-definition dark history for the baby.

As the baby, who was pouting and blowing hard, got closer to the camera, the barrage became denser. The audience was completely captured by the human toddler, and the barrage soon became so thick that it had to be lowered in transparency to see anything at all.

Although the baby didn’t notice the little trap Xi Ling had dug, having been in a father-son relationship with his stepfather for a while, he had mastered some survival skills.

For example, when Xi Ling told him it was cool enough to eat, the baby’s first move wasn’t to take a big bite, but to reach out with his two little paws and grab the chopsticks, preventing Xi Ling from teasing him back and forth with a piece of meat. This made Xi Ling burst into loud laughter.

The barrage was also laughing crazily at the little baby’s reaction:

[One look and I know Xi Ling bullies our little Mianmian often! Where are the Mian fans!!]

[+1, it’s too much! Proof that Xi Ling “abuses” the kid!]

[Really? People are hating on this? Isn’t this just a normal interaction between father and son? Although I hated Xi Ling before, watching the stream today made me feel that his relationship with his stepson is truly very good…]

[Hahahaha, dying of laughter, there’s an honest person in the front, brothers, go bully him!]

Xi Ling said with a straight face: “Mianmian, how could you think of Dad like that!”

Huo Xingmian didn’t have time to pay attention to him. After eating the fragrant large intestine, the whole baby narrowed his eyes in happiness: “Hmm, yum, yum…”

After the baby finished enjoying it slowly, he learned to praise like Xi Ling. His two little paws kept clapping: “Niannian! Uncle! So amazing!”

Just then, the millet steamed ribs were also ready. Chu Xinnian smiled and picked a small piece for the little bun, and the baby immediately became Chu Xinnian’s smallest die-hard fan.

Clapping was not enough. It was so delicious that he jumped up: “Wow, good, yummy! Uncle Niannian, you’re the best!”

After praising Chu Xinnian, he wasn’t done. The baby turned back to look at Xi Ling: “Dad, look!”

Although he didn’t finish his sentence, his little expression vividly told Xi Ling, Look at this other dad!

Xi Ling made a “hiss” sound and hugged the baby, rubbing against him: “You little glutton, you can’t step on one and praise the other, otherwise Dad will be sad.” As he spoke, he began to act, pretending to be sad and looking down.

The little bun, who was extremely excited a second ago, suddenly froze. He licked his little lips awkwardly: “…No, Dad is also the best, don’t, don’t be sad.”

Xi Ling laughed: “Good! Dad forgives Mianmian!”

A flicker of speechlessness passed through Huo Xingmian’s eyes. Hmph, although this stinky stepfather is dramatic and didn’t buy me a Little Genius phone watch as a New Year’s gift, he gave me the prettiest little red envelope, so… forget it!

The baby was actually a little jealous and wanted one, but his inner emotions were too complex for his small brain to analyze. Regardless, no matter how good Chu Xinnian was, he still wanted this stinky stepfather in front of him more.

Although he didn’t have a phone watch for a New Year’s gift, he could listen to “Good Luck” every day… Hmm… suddenly, he wasn’t so sure he wanted the stinky stepfather that much…

Huo Siyi did not miss the interaction between Xi Ling and the child, which stemmed from the lively cunning Xi Ling displayed, making him feel incredibly familiar.

The big one and the small one on the screen, with somewhat similar faces, interacted as warmly as a biological father and son. Huo Siyi’s brain subconsciously generated an emotion called anticipation.

However, his emotional deficiency made it difficult for him to discern exactly why this anticipation arose.

The reason he had saved this child, who had the same severe genetic defects as himself, was precisely because Huo Siyi had seen the shadow of “Little Feather” in that overly thin foundling when they first met…

While waiting for the dishes to finish, Xi Ling asked the staff to help watch the fire, while he and Chu Xinnian each took one of the children to the wine cellar to choose some drinks for the meal.

Xi Ling had always thought his alcohol tolerance was quite good, and he liked drinking, but he needed the right atmosphere to be willing to drink.

Staying with the baby every day, even when eating kaiseki cuisine, he only tasted the high-priced wines in the shop. He felt it was mediocre after one sip and put it down.

“How is your alcohol tolerance?” Xi Ling asked with an excited twinkle in his eye.

Chu Xinnian shook his head: “Not very good. My body lacks the enzyme to metabolize ethanol; it’s not good in every sense.”

Xi Ling nodded without looking down on him: “It’s fine. There’s some fruit wine here with low alcohol content. We can have a drink for the New Year to celebrate.”

When they officially started eating, Xi Ling called the three production staff members over to eat together. Since they were still working, they couldn’t drink much, so in the end, each person just dipped their lips in the glass.

It was Xi Ling’s first time drinking the fruit wine from the manor’s cellar. The bottle looked colorful and didn’t seem like expensive wine, but the taste was surprisingly good.

However, because it was already dark, the little buns were impatient to go out and set off fireworks, so Xi Ling had to finish his meal quickly to keep up with the pace.

After eating their fill, the two adults and two children immediately ran outside.

Xi Ling took an extra pair of gloves and put them on Mingming, instructing Chu Xinnian: “It’s better not to let the children handle these. We’ll set them off for them to watch.”

Chu Xinnian nodded, agreeing. Some fireworks looked harmless and safe, but if one encountered a defective product, a child wouldn’t be able to react in time and could easily get hurt.

Mingming had been looking forward to this all day, thinking he could set off as many as he wanted. He was very disappointed upon hearing this and tried to argue: “Mingming is a man! Mingming can do it!” As he spoke, he tapped his little chest.

Xi Ling really envied the kid’s physical strength, but no matter what, he was still a four-year-old toddler. He definitely couldn’t let him set them off, but Xi Ling always had a way.

He pulled a separate black bag from the pile of fireworks: “Mingming can set off this kind.”

Huo Xingmian curiously stretched his head to look. When opened, it was full of odd fireworks like cats, dogs, and little chicks that were left over from before.

Huo Xingmian: “…”

Mingming’s attention was immediately captured by the flashy appearance of the “oddballs,” his eyes wide: “Are these all okay?”

“Yeah, Mianmian has played with them before. These were specifically kept for you.” Xi Ling was like a “Wolf Grandma,” his brilliant smile revealing ill intentions.

Huo Xingmian was usually the one being tricked. Standing from the perspective of an observer for the first time, his little heart was filled with countless thoughts… Stinky stepfather, you really are too! Stinky!

As soon as Mingming heard that Mianmian had played with them, he turned to him with a look of anticipation: “You’ve played with them? How was it, is it fun? Which of these is more fun?”

Huo Xingmian: “…” Lighting a match is more fun than these, this stinky stepfather is really too dark-hearted.

But facing Mingming’s look of anticipation, which was the same as his own back then, the words that came out of the baby’s mouth were: “Um… very fun…”

His dark eyes rolled around, and he shakily bluffed: “That… doggy, is the, the most fun.”

Xi Ling almost couldn’t keep a straight face after hearing that. He thought the baby would expose him, but he never expected this child to learn to be bad so quickly.

The evil gazes of the father and son met in the air for a moment. Huo Xingmian blinked his increasingly bright eyes and continued to bluff with his halting, milky voice.

Mingming was instantly full of anticipation, picking up the plastic bag and preparing to rush toward the clearing.

Seeing that the father and son’s evil plot was about to succeed, Xi Ling felt that this was a rare opportunity and that the baby must be taught a deeper lesson about the malice of the human heart ginger is still spicier when it’s old.

He stuffed the baby’s little hand into the hand of Mingming, who was about to take off: “Mingming is a big brother and a man now. Why don’t you take your brother to play together?”

Huo Xingmian was shocked: ???

I don’t want to! I don’t want to watch the puppy fireworks poop anymore!!!

Upon hearing this, Mingming puffed out his little chest. Although he had only lived for fifty-some months, he couldn’t stand the phrase “real man”: “That’s a must! Uncle Xi Ling, don’t worry! I will take my brother to play with every single firework!”

The four-year-old little bun said it decisively. Huo Xingmian, on the other hand, just wanted to cry for help, but he had just finished cooperating with Xi Ling to blow on the new fireworks and say how fun they were…

Before the baby could change his mind, Mingming had already dragged his little paw like a kite and flew off, not giving the weak little baby any chance to resist.

Xi Ling watched the back of the baby, who was turning into a little pufferfish with anger, disappearing into the distance. He laughed until he was out of breath. Raising a kid is just too fun, hehehe…

Huo Siyi watched the video on double speed until the end and saw no trace of forced interaction by the production team.

Xi Ling not only played happily with the other guest named Chu Xinnian and the children but also called the staff over to set off fireworks together.

The large fireworks in the courtyard had been laid out by the master from the fireworks factory during the day. When the button was pressed to ignite them, the other party didn’t hesitate at all.

The barrage was even more lively:

[Wow! A hundred flying jellyfish set off at once! This is just too beautiful!]

[Hahahaha, it feels like Niannian and Xi Ling holding the two kids and watching the fireworks looks like a family of four. I’m shipping them!]

[Sob sob sob, as a child, I’m crying with envy. Can you add one more to your family?!]

[Do not recommend playing like this, too dangerous, because I haven’t played it before QAQ…]

The faint glimmer in Huo Siyi’s eyes turned completely cold. He put the tablet aside and sat silently in the darkness for a moment, letting the strange emotions in his heart surge.

After a while, he answered the phone. It was from a psychological expert specializing in micro-expressions. Not long ago, he had sent all the audiovisual materials Xi Ling had left behind to the other party.

The psychological expert stated that the complete analysis results had been sent to his mailbox and directly told him the conclusion after the study:

“Comparing the micro-expressions, habitual actions, and subconscious reactions to similar situations of the second and third personalities, I believe the third is an independent personality distinct from the second, however—”

“Because of the lack of reference material for the first personality, I can only distinguish the second and third to a certain degree.”

Huo Siyi hung up the phone. Too many emotions that he couldn’t distinguish surged up in his heart, making his thoughts chaotic.

He really had changed…

There was not much surprise in Huo Siyi’s eyes. He didn’t know if it was because of his emotional deficiency or because he had vaguely realized this point long ago.

Could it be that his Little Feather had returned?

No one could give him an answer. Huo Siyi was silent for a long time, only feeling that the discomfort lodged in his heart was becoming more obvious. Of course, he didn’t believe that he would become like this just because of one small broken appointment.

After thinking for a while, Huo Siyi attributed everything to the complex emotions leading to an imbalance in his body’s feedback program.

Just a small runtime bug.

Huo Siyi had delayed too long near his home. By the time he got out of the car, the livestream had already ended, and the staff had left the manor with Chu Xinnian and Mingming.

The decorative light strips around the main building had been turned back on, and just like the interior Huo Siyi had seen through the screen, there was a rich New Year atmosphere, and…

The pungent smell of sulfur dioxide after the fireworks had burned out.

Although the air had cleared quite a bit because the venue was spacious, Huo Siyi’s five senses were keen, and he could still clearly capture the smell of gunpowder. A faint, stuffy feeling rose in his heart again.

Before he returned, Xi Ling had already put the sleepy-eyed baby back to bed, promising that there would be a New Year’s gift when he woke up tomorrow, before he managed to pull the little red envelope that the baby had been clutching out of his hand.

Huo Siyi knew that if he came back at this time, he wouldn’t see anything.

He walked alone in the long, dark night, recalling those rare and precious memories in his heart.

He had always regarded the second personality as an intruder occupying Little Feather’s body, never Little Feather himself. Confirming that the second personality had “left” should be a cause for celebration, but what after that? How was he supposed to “retrieve” the only and most important friend in his life?

Memories flashed through his mind: the two of them building a snowman, digging for clams, watching fireworks, playing marbles… The mountains and fields were filled with bits and pieces of their laughter and play…

Thinking again of the final fireworks he saw outside the manor, his cold, pale hand covered his chest. He had no way of knowing whether he was suffering because he missed a chance to distinguish the truth or something else.

Suddenly, Huo Siyi’s pace paused. He noticed someone sitting on the stone steps of the main building.

The person was wrapped in a long black coat, clutching an empty wine bottle in his hand. Only when he heard the movement did he slowly look up.

Xi Ling’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes unfocused as if he had just woken up. He stared intently for a long time before suddenly breaking into a big smile, shouting with surprise: “Huo Siyi?!”

Huo Siyi couldn’t clearly define his current feelings, only feeling that as the clear, melodic voice rang out, the stuffiness in his heart seemed to disappear instantly.

He understood anticipation; he could hear the anticipation in Xi Ling’s voice. Was he expecting him to come back?

Facing this brilliant smile, the corners of Huo Siyi’s mouth would always unconsciously curve slightly.

Huo Siyi responded. His voice was deep, and his tone was stiff because he was intentionally trying to be soft. This unsuccessful expression made him suppress the arc of his lips.

Fortunately, Xi Ling didn’t mind at all. Instead, he stood up excitedly, seemingly wanting to come forward to welcome him.

However, although Xi Ling’s eyes were clear, he was actually already drunk. He stood up suddenly and almost fell over. He swayed back and forth, finally managing to steady himself, but he dropped the beautiful wine bottle in his hand, and it rolled to Huo Siyi’s feet.

Xi Ling immediately shouted anxiously: “Bottle! My wine bottle!”

Huo Siyi also smelled the faint scent of alcohol on him.

He had always hated all strange odors, yet for the first time, he felt a hint of sweetness in this one.

Afraid that Xi Ling would fall, Huo Siyi reached out to stop him: “Don’t move.” He said, then leaned down to pick it up for him.

The smile on Xi Ling’s face deepened, and he said softly with some drunkenness: “You are so nice~” Then, he waited obediently for Huo Siyi to pick up his pretty bottle.

Little Young Master, you are so nice~

Huo Siyi’s gaze lingered for a long time on the familiar expression before moving to the empty wine bottle on the ground.

He leaned down. The bottle was already stained with dirt, but his cold, white, slender fingers gripped it without hesitation. A soft light quickly flashed across his cold, hard eyebrows, and complex emotions surged in his chest…

Just then, Xi Ling’s voice suddenly pierced the quiet night, a nonsensical compliment ringing out loudly: “What a handsome back!”

Xi Ling didn’t give Huo Siyi any time to react, making a quick dive in three steps.

Immediately following this, he pressed his hands against the beautiful back covered by clothing in front of him, instantly spread his legs to vault over, and flew over Huo Siyi’s back. A moment later, his feet landed steadily.

He had completed a, quite frankly, perfect leapfrog.

Huo Siyi: “……”