My Husband is a Younger 'Cool Dog' - Chapter 3

Suddenly, a loud splash echoed through the air as a massive plume of water erupted from the lake. The sudden noise forced the two men, who were still deep in conversation, to quicken their pace.

“What happened?”

“A-Ling!”

Bai Zhao stood frozen on the spot, looking utterly bewildered as he watched the youth sink into the water. He had not expected Jiang Ling to actually fall in. Seeing Jiang Qicheng and Huo Junnian rush over, he said hurriedly, “Do not worry, the water is not deep. He will not drown. I will call someone for help right away.”

“You cannot swim; I will do it,” Huo Junnian said.

“A-Ling is also afraid of water,” Jiang Qicheng noted, looking stunned.

As they spoke, the youth in the lake began to struggle violently. Huo Junnian frowned, immediately stripped off his jacket, removed his watch, and dove straight into the water.

To Jiang Ling, today felt like a dream. The lake water surged over his head, making it difficult to breathe. As he struggled, he saw a hazy, dreamlike silhouette through the surface of the water. In the next second, his wrist was seized by a powerful grip.

In a daze, he felt as if he had been transported back to a summer six years ago, back to the scene where he was being swallowed by a surging river. No matter how much he struggled then, his body had continued to sink. Just as he was about to give up hope, a figure appeared and pulled him from the river.

“Hold on, A-Ling! I am coming to save you!”

“Quickly, grab my hand!”

“Be good, do not be afraid. I am here.”

At twelve years old, he had been held tightly in a man’s arms. A broad palm had stroked his head, gently soothing his panic. That tenderness had made him cling to the man’s chest, gripping him like a final lifeline.

Past and present overlapped in this moment. As he was dragged from the water, he clearly saw that familiar face. After six years, he once again smelled that unique scent belonging only to this man.

The commotion had alerted many people, and staff from the Bai household soon arrived.

“What happened?”

“Call the doctor immediately!”

Even Grandfather Bai, who had been resting, rushed over. Once the others arrived, Huo Junnian finally let go. Jiang Ling was soaked to the bone. In the chaos, he felt the man move away from him. He instinctively tried to find him, but his vision was blocked by the crowd.

Soon, Jiang Ling was taken back to his room. His face remained expressionless, and he looked somewhat dazed. To others, it appeared as though he had been scared out of his wits. After an examination by the family doctor, it was determined he was uninjured; he just needed to stay warm and rest.

After a while, he gradually regained his focus. Everything that had just happened was real. He had truly seen Huo Junnian.

“A-Ling, are you alright?”

“I am fine,” Jiang Ling shook his head. His eyes moved slightly, but he realized the person he wanted to see was not in the room.

Grandfather Bai noticed Jiang Ling seemed to be searching for someone. “A-Ling, what are you looking for?”

“The person who just saved me? I was a bit worried.”

Grandfather Bai realized what he meant. “Oh, you mean Xiao Huo? Do not worry, he is fine. He is in the guest room changing his clothes. His clothes got wet while he was saving you.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ling withdrew his gaze and looked down at the red marks on his wrist, lost in thought.

Grandfather Bai then remembered there was still an unresolved issue. His gaze fell upon Bai Zhao, who was standing by the door, and his expression darkened. “Bai Zhao, come here. Tell me exactly what happened just now.”

“I do not know what happened. He just stood there and did not move.”

Jiang Ling snapped back to reality and noticed Bai Zhao at the door. This was the culprit who had pushed him into the lake. Watching Bai Zhao stammer, Jiang Ling slightly arched an eyebrow.

“I was just enjoying the sun by the lake when my cousin came over. He asked me why I was dragging him into extra tutoring. I explained that Grandfather’s arrangements were for our own good. I do not know why he got so angry.”

Bai Zhao’s eyes widened. “Liar! You were the one who insulted me first!”

Jiang Ling looked at the furious Bai Zhao and asked calmly, “What did I call you? I just felt that reading more books is a good thing. Since you did not hear me clearly, I simply repeated it.”

Bai Zhao grit his teeth in rage at Jiang Ling’s self-righteous tone. “You!”

Grandfather Bai interrupted sternly, “I am asking you, did you put your hands on him first?”

Bai Zhao fell silent instantly.

“Since you started it, come over and apologize to A-Ling.”

“Grandfather, but he was the one who—”

Grandfather Bai raised his voice. “Enough, Bai Zhao! Do not say another word. Come and apologize to A-Ling. Now!”

Under the pressure of his grandfather, Bai Zhao had no choice. He eventually offered a reluctant apology. “I am sorry.”

Jiang Ling curled the corner of his mouth almost imperceptibly and said with great magnanimity, “It is fine, Cousin. I know you did not do it on purpose this time, but you should be careful in the future. Do not be so reckless.”

The slight upward lilt in his voice was incredibly annoying. Bai Zhao’s face turned pale with frustration.

“See how generous A-Ling is? Bai Zhao, you need to fix that foul temper of yours and learn from him,” Grandfather Bai said. “I am forbidding you from leaving the house for a week. You will stay home and copy books for me.”

Bai Zhao panicked. Being grounded was worse than a physical beating to him. “Grandfather, I do not want to be locked up! I will go crazy! Grandfather!”

“Every word you say adds another day to your sentence.”

Bai Zhao shut his mouth immediately. Seeing his grandfather’s resolve, he stopped arguing, but he shot Jiang Ling a vicious glare as he left. Their grudge was officially cemented today.

Almost as soon as Bai Zhao left the room, Huo Junnian entered, having changed into clean clothes. It was unclear how much of the conversation he had overheard. The moment Jiang Ling saw him, his expression became unnatural. He quickly looked away and lowered his head.

Jiang Qicheng followed Huo Junnian into the room. Seeing Jiang Ling sitting there in a daze, he urged, “A-Ling, greet him. It is thanks to your Uncle Huo that nothing serious happened to you. What is the matter? Have you forgotten people? You used to like your Uncle Huo the most when you were little. You used to cling to him every day.”

Jiang Ling’s body stiffened at those words. Huo Junnian’s smile remained as his gaze fell on Jiang Ling, noting how the boy kept his head down and refused to look at him.

Perhaps the little guy really has forgotten me, Huo Junnian thought.

The boy had indeed changed a lot. He seemed introverted, lacking the liveliness he had as a child. When he had pulled him from the lake, soaked through, he had looked like a pitiful, drenched puppy. Now, in clean clothes but with his hair still damp, he looked fragile and nervous, his eyes slightly red and his pale lips pressed together.

“It is fine. A-Ling just fell into the water and suffered a great shock. Let him rest for a while,” Huo Junnian said. His voice was pleasant, sexy, and magnetic, sounding like an elegant cello to Jiang Ling’s ears.

“How could he forget? A-Ling was just asking where you went,” Grandfather Bai noted. “It has been so long since you last met; he might just be shy.”

Jiang Ling’s breath hitched. He felt the man’s gaze fall back on him. It was incredibly awkward. Under that gaze, the tips of Jiang Ling’s ears, hidden by his hair, began to burn. His fingers clenched at his side, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.

Finally, Jiang Ling pursed his lips. “Hello, Uncle Huo.”

A trace of surprise flashed in Huo Junnian’s eyes. He found the youth’s reaction rather interesting. He smiled and asked, “Really? I did not expect A-Ling to be concerned about me.”

Under the collective gaze of the room, Jiang Ling forced himself to nod. “Yes.”

Huo Junnian’s smile widened. Seeing the boy so obedient and well-behaved, he raised an eyebrow. This was quite different from the rebellious teenager his old friend had described.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qicheng was also surprised by Jiang Ling’s reaction to Huo Junnian. Although their father-son relationship had soured in recent years, Jiang Ling was still his biological son. He knew the extent of the boy’s acting skills. Jiang Ling’s current embarrassment and shyness seemed genuine.

The leopard that usually bared its claws at him had turned into a domestic cat in front of Huo Junnian. It was three parts acting and seven parts genuine emotion. He actually listens to Huo Junnian? Jiang Qicheng realized. It turned out Jiang Ling could be obedient; he just refused to obey his father.

This confirmed that his next plan was the right one. Jiang Qicheng decided to strike while the iron was hot.

“By the way, A-Ling, there is something I forgot to tell you. I am not comfortable with you transferring here to study alone. Your grandfather is old and does not have the energy to supervise you, so…”

So what? Jiang Ling was stunned. He looked at Jiang Qicheng, hoping his father had changed his mind about the transfer. However, he was disappointed.

“So, I have entrusted your Uncle Huo to look after you,” Jiang Qicheng said with a smile. “Junnian, I am counting on you to handle A-Ling.”

Huo Junnian played along. “Of course, no problem. You can rest easy leaving A-Ling to me.”

Jiang Ling was flabbergasted. He doubted his own ears. What? Jiang Qicheng was handing him over to Huo Junnian? He turned to his father in disbelief and panic. “Dad…” You cannot do this.

But before he could finish, Grandfather Bai interrupted. “Qicheng, you have thought of everything. But we will be troubling Xiao Huo.”

“Since A-Ling is transferring, he can stay here from Monday to Friday since it is close to school. On the weekends, he can spend a couple of days at Xiao Huo’s place.”

In just a few sentences, Jiang Ling’s future was decided.

“It is no trouble at all. A-Ling is very well-behaved,” Huo Junnian said with a smile. He looked at the stunned youth, the mirth in his eyes deepening. “A-Ling, do you still have my contact information?”

This question made Jiang Ling freeze. Seeing his reaction, Huo Junnian guessed the answer. He did not say anything to make the situation harder; instead, he said thoughtfully, “It is normal to lose it after so long. No matter, we can add each other again later.”

Jiang Ling felt guilty and dared not look up. The contact information was not lost; he had deleted it himself. Fortunately, the awkward moment did not last long.

“If there is nothing else, let us leave and let A-Ling get some rest,” Grandfather Bai suggested.

Huo Junnian did not stay much longer either, as he had other business to attend to. He had already lost a lot of time because of the lake incident. After leaving the Bai residence, he went straight to his company. By the time he finished his work, it was already dark.

Huo Junnian stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window of his office, looking out at the illuminated city. His deep eyes were no longer as warm as they had been at the Bai house; now, they appeared sharp and indifferent. He had been surprised by his old friend’s request, but he had agreed to it to return a favor. Looking after a high school student for a year was not a difficult task for him.

Thinking back to the events of the day, the coldness in his eyes softened. The grown-up Jiang Ling was more interesting than he had imagined. He had expected Jiang Ling to hate him because of what happened back then and to resist the arrangement. Instead, the boy’s reaction today was unexpectedly docile.

A faint smile appeared on Huo Junnian’s face. Since Jiang Ling was no longer resisting him, he, as the elder, should take the initiative to smooth over their past unpleasantness. With that thought, he called his secretary.

“My schedule for tomorrow.”

“President Huo, you have a meeting tomorrow regarding new project development.”

“And the day after?”

“The schedule for the day after is full. You have an international business negotiation in the afternoon.”

“Postpone tomorrow’s meeting. Clear a day for me.”

“Understood, President Huo. I will arrange it immediately.”

Jiang Ling lay in bed, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. He had forgotten what he had said earlier, but by the time he had come to his senses, Huo Junnian’s contact information was already in his phone.

It was already night, but the thought of staying here with Huo Junnian as his temporary guardian kept him awake. Today had been far too intense. Jiang Ling sighed in frustration and buried his head under his pillow like an ostrich. But as soon as he closed his eyes, the day’s events flooded his mind. Although everything happened in an instant, the warmth of the man’s fingertips and his breath against his ear were seared into his memory.

After a while, to avoid suffocating, he pulled his head out from under the pillow. Had it been anyone else, he would not have lost his composure like this. But Huo Junnian was different. Furthermore, things had ended quite badly when they last parted.

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