TRSBPASO 62

Lin Yi looked at Huo Shi, who had just greeted him, and quickly tried to figure out why he had come over.

After a moment, he concluded that Huo Shi was probably just here to get to know him.

So, when Huo Shi called out, Lin Yi simply responded with a quiet, “Mm.”

Just then, Lin Yi’s coffee arrived.

He picked up the cup and took a slow, unhurried sip.

Across from him, Huo Shi was still staring, his gaze carrying a trace of curiosity. “Have you always been with my brother?”

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

Huo Shi leaned back in his chair, legs casually crossed, and explained, “I’m just curious how you can actually get along with my Ge.”

Lin Yi replied with a faint smile, “What about your Ge? Is he some kind of monster?”

Huo Shi snorted coldly. “My Ge? Cold as ice, completely lacking in human warmth, and a total dictator…”

Lin Yi lazily listened to Huo Shi’s rant. When he finally finished, Lin Yi slowly added, “I recorded that.”

Huo Shi’s expression changed noticeably. “What?”

He was clearly wary of Huo Jihan.

Seeing this, Lin Yi couldn’t help but chuckle.

He had thought Huo Shi was the rebellious type, but it turned out he was still afraid of his Ge?

Lin Yi took out his phone and waved it. “Just kidding. I didn’t record anything.”

Huo Shi: “…”

His expression turned complicated.

By now, he had already formed a basic impression of Lin Yi.

At that moment, Huo Shi’s coffee also arrived.

Freshly ground, black, no sugar.

He picked it up and took a huge gulp, downing more than half the cup in one go. There was a kind of carefree teenage recklessness to it, like he didn’t even notice the bitterness.

Meanwhile, Lin Yi was slowly stirring the sugar cube in his own cup.

There was no way he could drink something that bitter.

After finishing his coffee, Lin Yi stood up to leave, but before walking off, he casually asked Huo Shi, “Wanna head home together?”

He still remembered how Huo Shi had shown up last time, then left just as quickly.

Huo Shi sat in his seat, eyes lowered. “Should I go back?”

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. “There’s no ‘should’ about it. If you want to, then go. Besides, didn’t you see the butler chasing after you for a long time last time?”

He didn’t know why Huo Shi hadn’t been home in over two years, but he did know that there would always be a place for Huo Shi in the Huo family.

Huo Shi kept his eyes down, silent for a long time.

Lin Yi didn’t rush him.

After all, he had just asked offhandedly—whether Huo Shi went back or not wasn’t his call to make.

They weren’t that close, anyway.

After a while, Huo Shi finally seemed to make up his mind and spoke. “I can go back… but before that, can you come with me somewhere?”

Lin Yi asked, “Where to?”

Huo Shi replied, “You’ll see.”

Half an hour later, Lin Yi accompanied Huo Shi to a venue.

There were fans here, reporters, and a few people from the esports circle.

Huo Shi led Lin Yi to a seat in the middle-back section, then said to him, “Wait for me here.”

Lin Yi nodded and sat down.

Then he watched as Huo Shi walked all the way up to the front stage.

The moment Huo Shi appeared, the entire venue erupted, especially the fans—their screams were deafening.

The passion of esports fans was truly something else.

“God Shi!! God Shi!!!”

“Huo Shi, I love you!!!!”

Right now, Huo Shi was a bona fide star in the esports scene, ranked number one in popularity.

He belonged to one of the top clubs in the country and was the captain of their team.

Under his leadership, the team had repeatedly broken records and held onto the world championship title year after year.

The next world esports tournament was about to begin, and all eyes were on Huo Shi, waiting for him to lead his team to another glorious victory.

At that moment, Huo Shi stepped onto the stage and took the microphone someone handed him.

He started with a brief greeting to the audience, then followed with even fewer words to announce his retirement.

Finally, he bowed deeply to the crowd. “Sorry.”

He held the bow for a long time before finally straightening up, wearing the same cold, emotionless expression as always, as if he were ready to lead the team to yet another miracle at any moment.

Yet instead, he said he was retiring.

The whole venue fell silent.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden news, their faces blank with shock.

For esports fans everywhere, this was nothing short of a thunderbolt from a clear Sky.

No one knew how long the silence lasted before people’s minds started catching up.

Why?

Why was Huo Shi suddenly retiring?

What had happened? He had just led the team to a championship abroad at the beginning of the year. Everyone had been waiting for his next miracle.

And now, out of nowhere, he was retiring?!

No one could accept it—someone in the crowd even burst into tears.

Then someone cried out, asking if Huo Shi could keep playing.

Huo Shi clearly had no intention of explaining further. He handed the mic to his manager and stepped off the stage in a few quick strides.

Surrounded by staff, he left the venue.

Lin Yi quietly watched the whole thing unfold.

Then he got up, checked his face mask, and silently exited the venue.

Ten minutes later, Lin Yi and Huo Shi were sitting in a black sedan.

It was the club’s car, assigned to take them home.

Thinking about what had just happened, Lin Yi asked curiously, “Why did you suddenly decide to retire?”

He was sure there were countless people asking the same question right now.

Huo Shi was still so young, clearly capable of continuing his career so why quit all of a sudden?

There was no doubt that Huo Shi’s retirement had already blown up on countless trending searches.

Huo Shi didn’t seem to be in a great mood himself. His expression was dull, even a little listless, but he didn’t explain much. He simply said, “I’m tired. I don’t want to compete anymore.”

Lin Yi doubted the truth of that answer.

But he never pressed people about their private matters.

If someone didn’t want to talk, then it meant they didn’t want to—so why bother digging into it?

Before long, the car dropped them off at the villa.

Lin Yi and Huo Shi walked into the house together.

Huo Shi was clearly a bit hesitant about returning here.

Just before stepping into the villa, his steps faltered for a moment.

Lin Yi turned his head to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

Huo Shi paused for a while before replying, “Nothing.”

With that, he finally stepped inside.

The butler was stunned to see the two of them walk in together, then immediately broke into an excited grin as he rushed over. “S-Second Young Master!! You’re finally home!!”

Huo Shi gave a small nod and greeted, “Uncle Wu.”

The butler was so emotional he could barely contain himself. “This is wonderful, just wonderful! Now that you’re back, I’ll make sure the kitchen prepares a feast tonight—we’ve got to celebrate properly!!!”

Huo Mianmian tilted his head curiously, sizing up Huo Shi.

He only had faint memories of Huo Shi, vaguely aware that this person might be his second uncle. When he was even younger, he must have met him a few times, but the memories were too distant to be clear.

The household staff also came forward one by one to greet Huo Shi.

It was clear that as the second young master, Huo Shi was still quite well-liked in this house.

Huo Shi didn’t say much, nor was he particularly warm—he simply responded to everyone calmly.

Soon, evening arrived.

It was time for dinner.

True to his word, the butler had the kitchen prepare a table full of dishes, all of them rich and luxurious.

Lin Yi sat down on one side of the long dining table with Huo Mianmian.

Huo Shi sat across from them.

As for the main seat—it was, of course, reserved for Huo Jihan.

A few minutes later, with the housekeepers calling out greetings, Huo Jihan returned home.

Moments later, he appeared in the dining room.

He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, walking in with a steady, composed stride, exuding a natural aura of authority.

Huo Shi had been sitting just fine, but the instant he saw his brother, he instinctively stood up from his chair and respectfully called out, “Ge.”

Huo Jihan paused in his tracks, his cold black eyes locking onto Huo Shi.

Huo Shi immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet his brother’s gaze.

The atmosphere in the dining room instantly turned tense.

Lin Yi sat quietly to the side, eyes on his fruit, pretending not to notice anything, calmly observing the scene.

He finally understood why Huo Shi always seemed to speak about his brother with a mix of respect and fear. It turned out that Huo Jihan really did hold a powerful grip over him.

Fortunately, after a moment, Huo Jihan finally withdrew his gaze from Huo Shi and walked straight to the table, taking his seat at the head.

Huo Shi remained standing, not daring to move.

Huo Jihan picked up his chopsticks and said, “Sit down. Eat.”

Huo Shi visibly let out a breath of relief and then sat back down.

The meal began.

Compared to usual, the atmosphere was far more solemn.

Once the meal was over, Huo Jihan said coldly to Huo Shi, “Come with me to the study.”

Huo Shi didn’t dare disobey and quickly followed Huo Jihan upstairs.

Downstairs.

Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian, by contrast, were perfectly at ease.

Father and son lounged comfortably on the sofa, snacking on fruit and watching TV.

No one knew how much time had passed when Huo Shi finally came back downstairs.

Hearing the movement, Lin Yi looked up—and immediately noticed the bruise on Huo Shi’s temple.

Because Huo Shi had such pale skin, even the slightest mark stood out clearly.

Lin Yi straightened up a bit, surprised. “What happened to you…”

Huo Shi replied nonchalantly, “Got hit by some files. I couldn’t dodge in time.”

Lin Yi didn’t know what to say.

After all, he didn’t know a thing about what went on behind the scenes here, so he wasn’t in any position to judge.

He simply asked, “Want some ointment? There’s a first aid kit over there.”

Huo Shi remained calm. “It just looks bad. My brother didn’t actually use much force.”

“…Uh, alright then.”

He figured Huo Jihan probably did know his limits.

While they were talking, Huo Mianmian had been quietly sitting to the side the entire time, not making a sound. He simply blinked his big black eyes, staring at Huo Shi.

At that moment, Huo Shi walked over to Huo Mianmian, reached out both hands, and grabbed his cheeks. “Mianmian, why aren’t you saying anything? Forgot I’m your second uncle?”

Huo Mianmian’s cheeks were soft and squishy, very satisfying to pinch.

But if someone grabbed and shook them like Huo Shi just did, that was a whole different story.

Huo Mianmian’s eyes instantly widened.

Ow?

Ow ow ow!!! QAQ!!!

Seeing this, Lin Yi immediately smacked away Huo Shi’s mischievous claws and rescued Mianmian’s little face. Then he turned to complain, “Can’t you be more gentle? You don’t know your own strength!”

Huo Shi didn’t think it was a big deal. “He’s not that fragile, is he? I got tossed around all the time when I was little.”

Lin Yi said speechlessly, “You think everyone’s got thick skin like you? Our Mianmian has soft, delicate skin—he needs to be handled with care.”

As he said that, something occurred to him, and he looked at Huo Shi with some confusion. “Who exactly tossed you around when you were a kid?”

I mean, Huo Shi’s the second young master of the Huo family—who would dare treat him like that?

Huo Shi replied, “My Ge.”

Lin Yi: “…”

That explained it.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

Lin Yi sighed quietly. “Must’ve been rough.”

Huo Shi added, “It wasn’t that bad. I got used to getting beaten up by my Ge growing up…”

Lin Yi cut in, “I meant your Ge must’ve had it rough.”

A guy like Huo Shi—he was clearly the mischievous troublemaker type as a kid.

Huo Jihan must’ve spent a lot of effort keeping this younger brother in line.

Huo Shi: “…”

Lin Yi didn’t care how Huo Shi reacted. He turned and began gently rubbing Mianmian’s cheeks to soothe him. “Baby, you okay? It doesn’t hurt, right?”

Huo Mianmian obediently shook his head. “Nope, it doesn’t hurt.”

Lin Yi continued, “Next time your second uncle pulls your cheeks that hard again, you bite him, okay?”

Huo Mianmian blinked in confusion.

Huo Shi: “??”

Then Huo Shi just stood there, quietly watching Lin Yi talk to Huo Mianmian.

He didn’t know why, but even though it was such an ordinary scene, something about it felt incredibly warm and relaxing.

Like he had truly come home.