GEGBWFS 19

He absentmindedly recalled the look on the educator’s face upon hearing about the new daily routine chart—it was as if the sky had fallen. It was the same expression Huo Yu had worn when Huo Zhehan had told him, “You have a stepmother now.”

Twenty-four years old and he still wore his displeasure in his eyes, just like Huo Yu—emotions always so transparent.

When did that start to change? It seemed to begin the moment he accidentally saw the surveillance footage of Zhong Lu and Huo Yu bickering like cats and dogs. Everything was different from then on.

Psychologically speaking, when someone lives in a stable environment and begins to feel secure, their true personality will slowly emerge.

Zhong Lu’s warm family mode—once you stripped away the housekeeper, chef, and driver, removed the class divide, and blocked any direct contact with the mother-in-law—was it possible that even Huo Zhehan himself had started integrating into this family?

Huo Zhehan found this version of Zhong Lu rather interesting. He wasn’t like a textbook-following educator, nor like the high-paid staff Huo Zhehan hired. He had countless employees like Lu Ziming and He Mian, he didn’t lack capable people. He didn’t need an educator reporting Huo Yu’s every move like some pre-programmed stepmother bot.

So even though he didn’t see Zhong Lu every morning, had to order his own meals and clean his own floors, since Huo Yu’s education was clearly improving, Huo Zhehan tacitly allowed the warm family mode to continue.

His thumb flicked off the hairdryer as the buzzing stopped.

Huo Zhehan looked at himself in the mirror and realized he had been spacing out. Several tufts of his hair were sticking up.

After washing and styling, his hair always got a little messy. Normally he would stand in front of the mirror and blow it smooth, press down the rebellious strands, and keep everything in order.

He reached for the styling gel, but paused when his fingers brushed the bottle, then withdrew his hand.

Once styled, the ends of his hair would harden.

It didn’t feel good to the touch.

Huo Zhehan opened the wardrobe, picked a pair of smoky gray cropped dress pants and a white short-sleeved shirt. The soft color pairing gave off a casual feel—nothing like the sternness of business meetings. His hair was still slightly damp, and a small tuft stuck up, swaying slightly. It gradually tapered down toward the nape of his neck, where only a thin layer of stubble remained, smoothed over by a small swirl at the base, adding a touch of sharpness to the look.

His lower abdomen bore two red scratch marks from Zhong Lu. After the warm shower, the ends of the marks turned a bit red, like they were clawed by a cat.

It was the first time anyone had left a mark there because he tried to wake his wife up and got scratched for it.

At 11:40, the hotel food delivery arrived.

Huo Zhehan personally set the table and waited for Zhong Lu to come downstairs.

From his observation, Zhong Lu was as punctual about meals as Huo Yu.

Huo Zhehan sat at one end of the dining table until noon. No other living soul appeared in the villa.

He went upstairs and knocked on the master bedroom door. No response. He pushed it open and it still looked exactly the same as it had in the morning.

The educator had run away.

The surveillance showed that the moment he went upstairs, Zhong Lu opened the door and rode off on his electric scooter without even looking back.

He left the house in the sweltering heat, not even willing to drive the brand-new electric car Huo Zhehan had just bought.

Huo Zhehan’s knuckles tightened on the doorknob. He closed his eyes and sent a WeChat message to Zhong Lu.

[Huo Zhehan: Come back and eat.]

Where did he run off to without eating? Doesn’t he see how much weight he has lost?

Before his last business trip, the educator’s face was still quite round. Now his jaw was pointed, his whole look turned sharp and cold.

He noticed during his second trip, when Huo Yu joined the youth training camp, that Zhong Lu was gaming at home every day, eating only instant noodles. How could instant noodles be nutritious?

This was also why Huo Zhehan hated him playing games because just like Huo Yu, he would skip meals when gaming.

Huo Zhehan sat stone-faced in the living room until 1 p.m. until the driver came to pick him up for work. Zhong Lu still hadn’t replied to his message.

The driver opened the car door cautiously. Who had pissed the boss off this badly? Judging by the look of him, he probably hadn’t even eaten lunch. He was just fueled by pure rage.

Bang—the car door shut. Cool air slowly filled the cabin.

Huo Zhehan leaned against the headrest. The pressure on the back of his head mirrored the dormant volcano in his chest.

The educator had walked off the job for no reason. How much was the penalty in the contract again?

The driver kept his eyes on the road and tentatively asked, “We’re picking up Young Master Huo tomorrow afternoon. Should I ask Mr. Zhong to come along?”

Huo Yu would be entering ninth grade this fall, and graduating classes started two weeks earlier than others.

Huo Zhehan: “No need.”

He can skip work as long as he wants. Per the agreement, deductions will stack up fast and he’ll burn through all his side hustle money in three days flat.

…

Zhong Lu slurped the last bite of braised pork-flavored instant noodles, set the cup aside, and opened his livestream.

The more he made from his side gigs, the more backbone he had for a divorce.

But even his fans noticed he was in a bad mood. After last night’s interview revealed he had a husband, the chat was filled with messages like, 【Did Lulu fight with his hubby?】

Zhong Lu: So annoying.

A top-ranking fan on the donation leaderboard entered the stream—their ID lit up.

Zhong Lu saw that his number one fan with the gibberish username had just come online.

He gave them mod privileges, so they could help delete inappropriate comments and also feel the power of spending money.

【No denial? Must’ve really fought.】

【Was it because of the interview where you said he sells health supplements?】

【What a petty man. Dump him and be with me.】

【I’ve brought the Civil Affairs Bureau. Lulu, get divorced right here and now.】

…

A minute later, the mood shifted.

【Impulsiveness is the devil. Think carefully before divorcing.】

【Marriage isn’t easy. Treasure what you have.】

【From experience: don’t leave!】

【Bro, can you stop muting people? Fine, I won’t say divorce again, okay?】

【Are you from the Qing Dynasty? Why can’t we even mention divorce these days?】

【@Yong Bu Fang Qi, if you’re not the one selling health supplements, this doesn’t add up.】

【LMAO. Mute reason: “stirring trouble.”】

【There’s no way he’s Lulu’s husband. Who gives their hubby mod rights while mad at them?】

【Exactly. Lulu’s man is so stingy. I’ve seen him eat instant noodles multiple times.】

Zhong Lu didn’t look at the comments. He exited after one round of gameplay. WN invited him to join a four-player squad.

The four of them slowly regained the rhythm they had in their previous lives. A few times, Xiao Xi even slipped and called him Captain, only to fall silent after realizing it.

At 6 p.m., Ye Xianyun came home from work just as Zhong Lu finished training.

Ye Xianyun liked to cook himself—simple stir-fry dishes full of color, aroma, and flavor. Paired with the pickled radish he made, it was especially satisfying.

Zhong Lu helped wash vegetables and said, “I’ve decided to divorce Huo Zhehan.”

Ye Xianyun didn’t ask why. He just said, “Then do it. You can stay at my place for now.”

“Once I get my streaming payout next month, I’ll rent a two-bedroom and you can move in too.”

“Okay.”

Zhong Lu muttered, “Divorce shouldn’t be that complicated, right?”

Ye Xianyun paused as he stirred the diced chicken. So even someone as carefree as Zhong Lu could feel down about divorce. Maybe this was the time to go somewhere and unwind?

“I need to head back to my hometown tomorrow. Want to come? It’s cooler there and it’s good for a summer escape.”

“Your parents asked you to go back?”

“Yeah, my dad’s back is acting up. I’m taking him to the hospital.”

Zhong Lu knew he shouldn’t doubt Ye Xianyun’s family, but he still felt uneasy. He agreed. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

With him around, there’s no way he would get taken advantage of.

That younger brother Ye Leyun who tried to scam him? He could beat ten of those.

By the third day of Zhong Lu’s disappearance, Huo Zhehan finally realized what had happened. He now reclassified the educator’s behavior as: running away from home.

Unbelievable. Same goal of quitting internet addiction—Huo Yu never ran away, but the stepmother did.

Who’s more addicted? Pretty obvious now.

So this is what they mean by the doctor can’t cure himself?

That day, after a meeting, Huo Zhehan kept Vice President Lu behind. Once everyone else left, he asked, “Zhong Lu’s crashing at Ye Xianyun’s place. You don’t have a problem with that?”

“Would I dare have an opinion?”

Huo Zhehan tossed down his pen, laced his fingers on the desk, eyes dark. “You can have a problem with it.”

Lu Ziming deflected. “A-Yun went home to see family. No comment.”

What, the CEO won’t go pick up his own wife but expects him to play the villain? No way. He had to maintain a gentle and supportive image in front of A-Yun, and win over the family. He more or less understood Ye Xianyun’s complicated home situation, but he didn’t mind. Since his family didn’t cherish Ye Xianyun, he would.

With Zhong Lu staying at Ye Xianyun’s rental, Lu Ziming didn’t think it was appropriate to go over. Since Ye Xianyun loved cooking and insisted on using his own stir-fry pan every day, eating with the CEO’s wife seemed wrong—especially since rumor had it that even Huo Zhehan had to order takeout at home, missing out on his wife’s cooking ×3.

“He went too?” No wonder there haven’t been any streams lately.

Lu Ziming nodded and said everything he knew, “Yeah. 8 p.m. at North Station, S City.”

They’re coming back today. You’d better go pick him up.

Huo Zhehan thought for a moment and said, “Are you passing by?”

Lu Ziming heard the unspoken meaning—if he picked up Ye Xianyun, then Huo Zhehan would conveniently pick up Zhong Lu.

“Of course.”

Huo Zhehan glanced at the time and instructed his secretary, “Move the call with President Yang to tomorrow.”

Lu Ziming heard that just before walking out and felt a twinge of doubt.

Very few people knew the details of the agreement between Huo Zhehan and Zhong Lu—at most, it’s just a handful. Huo Zhehan, Zhong Lu himself, Lu Ziming, the butler He Mian, and the tight-lipped secretary.

They had to keep it from the occasionally sharp-eyed Huo Yu, not to mention Grandmother Huo.

Lu Ziming’s first thought upon hearing Huo Zhehan was going to find Zhong Lu was—

Wasn’t your wife a hired employee?

You have to coax him too?

Who’s ever seen Huo Zhehan lower himself to appease a business partner?

If even money couldn’t fix it, how bad could it be?

Or maybe Huo Zhehan wasn’t just acting—maybe he’s actually starting to care?

It kind of seems like it… but not sure yet. Let’s wait and see.