I Became the Rich Family’s Stepfather and Couldn’t Stop Laughing - Chapter 5

Although Huo Siyi traveled by private jet and could use a separate terminal, the paparazzi eager to “eat meat” were not about to let him off easily.

It wasn’t just because Xi Ling’s popularity had exploded today, involving the explosive issue of his wealthy husband’s suspected infidelity. Compared to the Huo family’s second young master, whose fame was no less than that of a star, the eldest young master, Huo Siyi, was far too mysterious. There was very little information about him online, and his personal schedule was kept very low-key.

Even though “Xi Ling” had “accidentally” let it slip not long ago that he was linked to Huo Siyi, Huo Siyi had remained in the shadows throughout this marriage. The public only knew that Xi Ling’s wealthy husband came from the top-tier Huo family, a name synonymous with money.

But nobody could even find his appearance or specific age they only knew he was older than the 22-year-old Second Young Master Huo, and that while studying abroad, he had single-handedly founded the now highly sought-after CreaThink Technology.

Paparazzi from all walks of life had racked their brains but found no way in. The only reason they finally managed to dig up Huo Siyi’s itinerary was that the news of him being invited to a high-end summit in Country D was public, allowing them to follow the clues and obtain flight route details.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; who knew when the next one would come? Thus, even at the risk of offending the Huo family, the paparazzi lurking at the airport were determined to give it their all.

After the Huo family driver picked him up, they hadn’t even left the airport before the paparazzi began a planned “bump” of the car. The paparazzi wanted to swarm in while Huo Siyi was temporarily changing vehicles to ask pointed questions about Xi Ling’s claims of infidelity during the marriage.

But the moment they attempted the “bump,” a security team immediately emerged. Over a dozen brawny men stepped out from vehicles to form a solid human wall. Throughout the process of Huo Siyi changing cars and leaving, the paparazzi didn’t even manage to snap a single head-on photo, let alone force any usable response out of him.

Even so, after shaking off the paparazzi, Huo Siyi’s expression remained terrifyingly gloomy. When he spoke to Secretary Dong, his voice was so cold it was almost inorganic: “What has he done this time?”

On the other side, Xi Ling, who had just stepped through his front door, sneezed a string of times.

He rubbed the tip of his nose, somewhat puzzled, and muttered: “Who’s bad-mouthing me behind my back?”

Thinking of the original owner’s situation, the list of candidates was far too long.

Xi Ling turned back to look at the cub held in the nanny’s arms. The little guy had been exhausted and drifted off to sleep again on the way back. He was now half-awake, his long, thick eyelashes trembling from time to time like little brushes.

Even though he was thin, small, and suffering from abuse, one could still see the boy’s striking features. He hadn’t cried or made a fuss on the road, remaining very quiet truly an adorable, lovable little guy.

Xi Ling felt a softness in his heart looking at the sleepy cub. However, the cub being looked at and the nanny holding him both entered a state of high alert.

Huo Xingmian opened his eyes, timidly burying himself in the nanny’s arms. The nanny also turned her body to help shield the cub from his gaze, tentatively speaking up: “Madam, shall I hold the Young Master back to his room to sleep?”

Xi Ling pulled his slightly raised hand back into his pocket and replied softly: “Go ahead.” In his impression, children were always sleeping and eating.

Watching the back of the nanny carrying the cub as she hurried away, Xi Ling twiddled his fingertips, his heart itching. He wondered when he would finally be able to rua (stroke/fondle) the kid’s fluffy little head.

With no reply from Fu Hao, Xi Ling decided to go back to his room for a shower.

Thinking of the original owner’s heinous black history and the vengeful cub who paid back every debt, he couldn’t help but sigh that the future looked bleak.

But when he took the elevator from the first floor into his luxury suite, picked up a change of clothes, and stepped into the spacious, bright, and golden bathroom, he was healed by the “worth-its-weight-in-gold” luxury environment before he even turned on the square shower head.

Hehehe, rich people probably don’t have worries, right?

Xi Ling felt his body wrapped in the warmth of the cascading hot water, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the lake and mountains.

This year was a rare warm winter in Yunjing City. The lake water in early January hadn’t frozen yet. Dark, dusk-colored clouds drifted, and fine, small snow began to fall, passing through the gentle halo of streetlights and landing on the greenery by the water, quietly coating them in a thin layer of silver, making the scenery even more pleasing to the eye.

Xi Ling suddenly felt that enjoying such wealthy and relaxed life for even one more minute was a gain.

Although he didn’t know the exact “scrapping date” of his “ATM,” he knew Huo Xingmian had just turned three; the current state could at least be maintained for an entire year.

Even though he was covered in online scandals and distorted interpretations, and faced a little cub who would learn to be sensible and vengeful at any moment, the worst-case scenario was that he could still enjoy a five-million-yuan annual salary for over a decade just like in the original plot. And he, unlike the original owner, had no intention of courting death.

Thinking this, Xi Ling’s “little tail” wagged happily again.

Coming out of the bathroom, he discovered two missed calls on his phone: one from Hu Lai, the director of the parenting show, and the other from his agent, Fu Hao. There was also a string of replies from Fu Hao on the chat interface.

Even though he had posted the police report to clarify things, the comment section was still one-sidedly trampling on him. Of course, Xi Ling knew this was all step-by-step “work” done by the original owner. Now that he wanted to turn over a new leaf, he wanted to hire some internet trolls to steer the rhythm in a normal direction, but Fu Hao was still harping on about the parenting show.

Fu Hao: [You don’t need to worry about any of this. Didn’t I tell you before? The worse the outside reputation and the lower the expectations, the better. Once you perform a little bit on the show, Brother will be able to help you wash it clean in no time. The PR plan was prepared long ago…]

Fu Hao: [Director Hu is very angry that you didn’t come today. If he calls you in a bit, watch your attitude.]

Fu Hao: [Where are you? Why aren’t you answering the phone?!]

Fu Hao: [Xi Ling, Brother finds it really hard to work when you’re this willful. You know Director Hu’s status in the circle…]

Xi Ling skimmed through the messages, his lips curling downward as he looked at the agent’s cajoling remarks. What status did Director Hu have now?

In his early years, he relied on plagiarism to create a hit parenting show, Cubs Are Coming. After that, he just kept rehashing old themes. The ratings for the second season were far inferior to the first, the third season began to flop, and after five seasons of flops, the eighth season couldn’t even raise investment. Only the “big fool” original owner could be fooled by him. The two of them were this anxious because they were afraid that if he left, there would be no one to invest money.

Not only that, Xi Ling also knew that Director Hu was aware the parenting show was truly a dead end. He himself knew this season was doomed to flop. If it weren’t for the mutually beneficial relationship with Fu Hao to hook the “sucker” original owner, this season couldn’t have been put together at all.

So, this was the final season of Cubs Are Coming. Director Hu was not only selling out the last of his reputation but also lacked any shred of integrity in gathering wealth. He took the original owner’s massive investment but provided travel and accommodation comparable to the cheapest shopping tour groups, and because security measures weren’t in place, both the adult and child guests suffered varying degrees of injury.

With that kind of situation, what was there to be arrogant about?

Xi Ling’s eye-roll finally receded, and Director Hu’s call came through again.

“Director Hu, I have decided to quit the parenting show.” Xi Ling went straight to the point.

The other end of the phone was somewhat noisy. Director Hu said drunkenly: “Little Xi, this isn’t very honorable of you. Do young people today have no sense of contractual spirit?”

The voice, heavy with alcohol, was very stern, like a leader reprimanding a junior who didn’t understand the industry’s unspoken rules.

Xi Ling wasn’t the least bit panicked. Are you kidding? I’m the Gold Master Dad! Who are you trying to intimidate with your seniority?

“Contractual spirit requires meeting a proper partner. In any case, I have decided to quit. You figure it out yourself.”

He had never heard of anyone having to persevere to the end after being scammed. Knowing the precious cub would get hurt and still rushing into it that wasn’t “contractual spirit,” that was mental illness.

Director Hu slammed the table and roared: “If you breach the contract now, you’ll have to pay ten times the penalty!”

Xi Ling held the phone further away, his eyes widening slightly: “Ten times??”

Although Director Hu was a bit drunk, he could still clearly distinguish the change in Xi Ling’s tone. Upon hearing this, the left corner of his mouth twisted with triumph: “How about it? Do you want to reconsider, young man…”

Xi Ling’s Huo family was rich, but Hu Lai had long heard that Xi Ling had no status in the Huo family. This time, he had even dragged the eldest Huo son into it without even pretending to be a loving couple; he probably wouldn’t have a good ending in the future…

However, before Director Hu’s high-and-mighty speech had even really begun, Xi Ling interrupted first: “It’s just ten times does my… husband lack this bit of pocket money?!”

Who are you looking down on?

Xi Ling hung up the phone instantly and then gave himself a perfect score for the “bluff” he had just pulled.

However, after calculating, ten times the penalty fee was close to the original amount he was supposed to invest. Xi Ling was used to being poor and still felt sorry for the money.

Even though the money now felt like it had been blown in by a strong wind, donating it was still better than having it swindled away by this unscrupulous producer. And his garbage agent Fu Hao must have embezzled plenty of money before.

The more Xi Ling thought about it, the more speechless he became. He unlocked his phone and started searching for legal advice, trying at least to make them spit out the money they had raked in, just like Nanny Tian.

He had just pressed the search key when his bedroom door was knocked on by the nanny. The middle-aged woman’s vigorous voice came through the door panel: “Madam, the Young Master has suddenly developed a high fever. Can I call Doctor White over?”

As soon as Xi Ling heard it, he recognized the voice as that “Hercules” nanny named Sister Li, who had almost pounded the breath out of him earlier.

He put down his phone and walked quickly to the door: “Invite him immediately.”

Thinking of the original owner’s heartless acts, he added, “In the future, there’s no need to ask when the Young Master is sick. Call the doctor the first moment you notice.”

Sister Li had been rushing about in a panic. Hearing this, her steps faltered. When she looked back, there was visible astonishment on her face: “…Understood, Madam!”

It took about half an hour for the family doctor to arrive. Although he was a blonde, blue-eyed foreigner, his Chinese was very fluent. After the consultation, he quickly determined the cause to be the top-tier meal that Xi Ling and the cub had eaten together.

Xi Ling was puzzled: “Is there a problem with the ingredients? I ate it too, and I ate more than he did.”

Doctor White smiled in a friendly manner: “It’s not a problem with the food, but that the Young Master ate too much at one time.”

“He is still too young, and his diet has always been very light. Being suddenly overstuffed by such a rich meal will cause gastroenteritis.” While the doctor explained to Xi Ling, his female assistant unrolled the inner side of the cub’s wrist and gave him an injection.

Although Doctor White’s service attitude was excellent, having been a family doctor for so long, he was aware of the situation inside the manor. Noticing the change in Xi Ling’s state, he tried to say a little more:

“The Young Master often gets injections. Long-term injections in the same position affect the muscle nerves and blood vessels, so I’ll rotate positions.”

Seeing the unbearable look on Xi Ling’s face, Doctor White pulled up the child’s sleeves, revealing pale yellow bruises on both elbow pits, much like the ones on the back of the child’s hands:

“Actually, many children of the Young Master’s age cannot sit still for injections. To avoid the needle slipping, it’s usually injected into the forehead or a fixation board is used. But the Young Master has been very well-behaved since he was small; no matter where the needle is poked, he will sit perfectly still and wait for the infusion to end.”

Only then did Xi Ling know that these marks were left by long-term injections. Hearing this, his nose felt sore, and he nodded toward the doctor: “Thank you for your hard work.”