Surprise! The Fake Heiress is Actually an Ancient Master of Metaphysics! - Chapter 20

Though Li Heng was older, his demeanor was far from that of a destitute young man. Even his appearance was refined and delicate.

Tan Yayue was seething with jealousy!

Tan Lingyin absolutely could not have a better life than her!

“I’m… I’m her subordinate!” Li Heng straightened his back, his face filled with pride.

If he could help resolve President Huo’s life-threatening calamity, then running errands for Miss Tan was the least he could do!

“Subordinate? Since when did she have such influence?” Liu Yun sneered, supporting Tan Hongzheng with a mocking tone. “Or is the one keeping her some old man?”

At that moment, the car window slowly rolled down.

Huo Jingyan’s noble and strikingly handsome face came into view.

His voice was calm as he said, “Miss Tan is now like a half-sister to me. From now on, I will be her guardian.”

“The Tan family found their real heiress and promptly kicked out their adopted daughter—I imagine quite a few people in Nancheng already know about this.”

“To the three of you, I suggest you stop making a scene. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to teach you a lesson you won’t forget.”

His voice was like the crisp sound of jade striking gold, so mesmerizing that everything around them seemed to freeze.

Tan Yayue’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushing red as infatuation clouded her vision.

She wanted him—

She wanted this man so badly!

Tan Hongzheng, however, sensed Huo Jingyan’s extraordinary aura and asked sternly, “Who are you?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Huo Jingyan cast a faint glance at Tan Lingyin, his deep voice tinged with exasperation. “You’ve already been kicked out of the house, yet you still waste time arguing with them? Did you really think they’d keep treating you as their daughter?”

Tan Lingyin curved her lips, her fox-like eyes twinkling mischievously. “Of course not. I’m not that naive!”

“Are you getting in the car or not?” Huo Jingyan commanded coolly before the window rolled back up.

Tan Yayue stood on tiptoe, desperately trying to catch another glimpse of Huo Jingyan through the closing gap, itching to climb inside.

Li Heng quickly opened the car door. “Miss Tan, please get in first. We’ll handle things here.”

Tan Lingyin obediently slipped into the car, but Tan Yayue’s voice rang out from outside.

“Hey, handsome! Can we be friends?” She shoved her way next to Li Heng, peering into the car.

Li Heng pushed her aside and slammed the door shut. “Move.”

Liu Yun pulled Tan Yayue back, whispering sharply, “Yayue, what are you doing?”

“I—” Tan Yayue froze, bewildered by her own impulsive behavior.

Li Heng took the passenger seat and said to Zheng Han, “Ignore them. Let’s go.”

Zheng Han shot the Tan family a dark look before climbing into the driver’s seat.

Tan Hongzheng had no idea who they were dealing with, and with so many onlookers around, he didn’t dare stop the car again.

“Letting them leave like this is so frustrating,” Liu Yun muttered under her breath. “I’ll send someone to find out where that wretched girl is staying now.”

Tan Hongzheng warned, “Until we know more, it’s best not to act. That young man in the back seat didn’t seem like someone to trifle with.”

Liu Yun nodded. “I know. Don’t worry.”

The car had driven far before Tan Lingyin finally asked, “Where’s Master Xuanqing?”

Li Heng turned around. “He left early this morning. Said he wanted to explore Nancheng for some rare delicacies.”

“It was just this evening that we found a nice seafood restaurant, so we thought we’d all go and try it out.”

Tan Lingyin nodded. “Sounds good. I could use a nice meal too.”

Growing up, aside from the occasional meat at school, she hadn’t really eaten anything particularly delicious.

Huo Jingyan suddenly asked, “Having grown up in Nancheng, haven’t you been there to eat before?”

Tan Lingyin shook her head. “No. I only got to eat lunch at school. At home, it was always leftovers…”

“…mostly things like porridge and vegetables.”

When she got a bit older, it improved slightly—she learned to secretly stash away some food. But as a child, she couldn’t even reach the fridge in the kitchen, so she truly had no choice but to eat day-old meals.

Liu Yun kept the household staff under strict control, and no one dared to share food with her.

The Tan family really did want her dead sooner rather than later.

Li Heng said indignantly, “Even if you were just an adopted child, they shouldn’t have treated you like that! What did they even adopt you for? Just for fun?”

“Maybe they wanted my life,” Tan Lingyin chuckled, brushing it off with a half-joke.

Huo Jingyan suddenly asked, “Did the Tan family treat you that badly?”

“Yeah. Look at my frail little body and anemic appearance—do I look like a pampered young lady?” Tan Lingyin leaned back in her chair, looking completely at ease, with no trace of sorrow or sadness.

Li Heng suddenly covered his mouth, as if he’d figured something out. “I know why they did it!”

Tan Lingyin glanced at him. “You do?”

“They must have had some kind of child abuse tendencies! They adopted kids just to satisfy their sick urges!”

Tan Lingyin:

Well, Li Heng didn’t understand the intricacies of mystical arts. It was impressive he’d even thought this far.

……

After dinner, everyone returned to the villa.

Tan Lingyin locked herself in her room and didn’t emerge until nearly midnight.

She was dressed in a black tracksuit, one of the many outfits Li Heng had bought for her.

After straightening her collar, she knocked on Huo Jingyan’s door.

Thinking it was Li Heng, Huo Jingyan simply said, “Come in.”

Tan Lingyin pushed the door open and saw Huo Jingyan lounging against the headboard, his shirt wide open as he scrolled through his phone.

The dim bedside lamp cast a warm, golden glow over him, his firm chest and abs faintly illuminated by the soft light.

The glow from his phone screen mingled with the warm lamplight, falling across his sharply defined features, making him look devilishly handsome.

In that moment, even Tan Lingyin felt a slight flutter in her chest.

No wonder Tan Yayue had been so obsessed. With looks like Huo Jingyan’s, any woman would be smitten.

She cleared her throat. “Ahem, Mr. Huo.”

Huo Jingyan swiftly pulled his shirt closed and frowned. “Why are you here?”

Hadn’t she gone to bed ages ago?

Tan Lingyin grinned. “I need to go out for a bit.”

“Ask Li Heng if you want to go out,” Huo Jingyan said bluntly, shooing her away.

Being alone with a woman in his room made him uncomfortable.

Tan Lingyin obediently turned around and closed the door behind her.

She walked out to the living room and headed to the small adjacent building, knocking on a door. “Assistant Li.”

Li Heng opened the door quickly. “Miss Tan, what brings you here so late?”

“I need to go out for a bit. Could you lend me a car? I’ll be back soon,” Tan Lingyin said with an earnest smile.

Li Heng didn’t hesitate to go back and fetch a car key. As he handed it to her, he asked, “Have you driven before?”

“Wait, you probably don’t have a license, right?”

Tan Lingyin cleared her throat lightly. “It shouldn’t be that hard, should it?”