TRSBPASO 4

Lin Yi drove the Ferrari back to the villa with the wind whipping past him all the way.

And the feeling? Absolutely exhilarating, unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Credit where it was due: Lin Jie had decent taste. This Ferrari model had smooth curves, powerful performance, and best of all, it was a convertible.

Of course, a car this good was for Lin Yi himself. He wasn’t some sucker who would spend a fortune on a leech of a younger brother.

When he arrived at the villa, Lin Yi executed a clean drift into the driveway, parked, stepped out, and strolled inside with his keys twirling in his hand.

The butler came up to greet him right away. “Mr. Lin, you’re back.”

Lin Yi gave a casual nod. “Mm.” Then he headed upstairs

The butler hurried a few steps after him and said, “Mr. Lin, the young master hasn’t gone to sleep yet. Would you like to check on him?”

Lin Yi thought, Why would he need to check on Huo Mianmian?

Then he remembered; the butler had asked him to spend more time with the child. It was for the boy’s own good and to help him open up a little more.

With that in mind, Lin Yi glanced at the butler.

Poor man, almost sixty and still worrying himself sick over their little young master.

So Lin Yi changed direction and headed toward Huo Mianmian’s room. “Alright, I’ll go.”

He had nothing else to do anyway. And hey, spending time with an adorable kid might even put him in a better mood.

The butler watched Lin Yi walk toward the child’s room and let out a deeply relieved smile.

With Mr. Lin’s company, maybe the young master really would start getting better.

Lin Yi entered the room.

He had to admit, kids’ rooms really were kind of great.

Huo Mianmian’s room was warm and cute, decorated with cartoon stickers and plush toys. The moment you stepped in, it felt like entering a dreamland.

One of the maids right now was inside watching over the child.

When she saw Lin Yi come in, she quietly greeted him and left the room.

Lin Yi walked over to the bathroom.

Huo Mianmian was standing on a little step stool, apparently getting ready for bed.

He was squeezing toothpaste onto his tiny toothbrush. Because of his small hands, it took two tries before the paste finally came out. He put the toothpaste down and focused on brushing his teeth.

Lin Yi crossed his arms and leaned against the bathroom doorframe, watching the scene unfold.

He had to admit, aside from being a bit quiet, Huo Mianmian really had no flaws.

His features were delicate and adorable, like a soft little porcelain doll.

He was also unusually well-behaved and independent for a three-year-old. He handled so many things on his own, hardly giving adults any trouble. 

In short, he was the kind of dream child everyone wanted.

Huo Mianmian finished brushing, took a mouthful of water, swished it around, and spat it into the sink.

He repeated the process a second time, then neatly placed his toothbrush and toothpaste back into their cup and set it in place.

Next, he grabbed his small towel to wash his face.

He soaked the towel under the tap, then wrung it out with all his strength. His chubby little hands clenched tightly, his entire expression focused, like even the baby fat on his cheeks was pitching in.

Once the towel was ready, he brought it to his face and began washing up.

The whole routine was so absurdly cute it could melt your heart.

Lin Yi hadn’t expected that even watching a kid wash his face could be this captivating.

Was this the legendary magic of a human child?

Huo Mianmian finally finished up.

He climbed off the step stool and walked toward the door.

After a few steps, he noticed Lin Yi leaning on the doorframe, watching him with a smile.

Blinking in surprise, he tilted his head slightly, as if trying to figure out when Lin Yi had shown up.

Lin Yi was practically bursting with affection. He chuckled, “I came to check whether you’re being good and getting ready for bed.”

As soon as he heard that, Huo Mianmian trotted over to his little bed.

He climbed up using both hands and feet, pushing himself up in small hops.

His soft mattress made it hard to stand, so he wobbled like a tiny penguin as he made his way to his spot.

Then he lay down obediently and even pulled the blanket over himself.

Once he was settled, he stared wide-eyed at Lin Yi.

Though he didn’t speak, his gaze practically shouted: Did you see that? I did great, right?!

Lin Yi couldn’t help thinking the kid had just gotten even cuter.

But he had zero experience with kids. He had been single for 26 years and never put a child to bed.

So he asked, “Do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?”

That was what people usually did for kids, right?

The moment he said it, Huo Mianmian’s eyes lit up.

A bedtime story?

He never had one before.

But he’d seen them on cartoons—kids falling asleep while listening to stories read by their parents.

Could he really have that too?

His eyes filled with hope.

Sure, the butler and staff looked after him meticulously, but that wasn’t the same as having family.

This… this felt different.

Just the thought made Huo Mianmian a little happy. Dimples popped out at the corners of his cheeks.

Lin Yi didn’t know what the kid was thinking. He just saw those soft dimples and figured he couldn’t let the boy down.

So he sat down at the edge of the bed, ready to tell a bedtime story.

Only to embarrassingly realize that… he didn’t know any. 

He was a science-and-engineering guy in his past life, and later worked in finance, numbers and data were his life. Literature? Not so much.

Meanwhile, Huo Mianmian lay there with eyes wide, quietly waiting.

Lin Yi: “…”

He cleared his throat. “Ahem… uh, Mianmian, how about I sing you a nursery rhyme instead?”

Stories weren’t happening. Time to improvise.

Thankfully, Huo Mianmian wasn’t picky. He nodded expectantly.

Lin Yi cleared his throat again and began, “A happy little frog…”

He immediately blanked.

Wait—what came after that?

Huo Mianmian was listening attentively… until the singing stopped. He blinked in confusion.

Lin Yi: “…”

Huo Mianmian: “??”

Lin Yi said, “…Let’s try a different one.”

The little guy nodded again without complaint.

Lin Yi started a new one, “Huluwa, Huluwa, seven flowers on one vine…”

And blanked again.

Huo Mianmian: “???”

Lin Yi: “…”

After a few seconds of awkward silence, he calmly took out his phone and began searching for bedtime stories and songs.

Eventually, he found something decent. He cleared his throat and read from the screen. “Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit who got lost while walking…”

This time, it flowed smoothly.

Huo Mianmian focused again, becoming a perfect little listener.

Lin Yi let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Thank you, technology.

He leaned back comfortably against the headboard, reading the story at a gentle pace.

Huo Mianmian listened with bright eyes, clearly delighted.

Partway through, he fell asleep without realizing it.

Lin Yi stopped reading and looked down.

At some point, Huo Mianmian had snuggled up next to him, nestled into the crook of his arm.

Fast asleep now, he looked even more peaceful.

His pretty eyes were closed with his long lashes fluttering now and then.

His round cheeks rested against the pillow, and one tiny hand had slipped out from under the blanket, curled gently into a fist.

He looked just like a fluffy little kitten.

Lin Yi gently picked up the small hand and tucked it back under the blanket then he stood up.

Before leaving, he couldn’t resist leaning down and squishing that chubby cheek just once.

Soft, exactly as expected.

Lin Yi left the room contented.

Just outside, he received a message from his agent: [You signed up for a parenting reality show. Filming’s about to start. Get ready.]

Right after that, another message arrived, clearly because the agent had started to sense that Lin Yi wasn’t so easy to push around anymore: [If you don’t go, you’ll have to pay the penalty. Your choice.]

Lin Yi narrowed his eyes.

He had to admit, mentioning the breach-of-contract penalties really hit a nerve.

As someone who had once worked in investment banking, nothing irked him more than losing money for no reason.

It felt like an insult to his professional pride.

That kind of thinking was a habit now.

Just hearing “penalty fee” was enough to shut down any plans to refuse.

Fine. It was just a variety show. He’d go.

But… he needed a child for it.

Where was he supposed to find one?

Could he bring Huo Mianmian?

If he was going to do that, he would have to get permission from the child’s biological father—the mysterious Huo family head, Huo Jihan.

Lin Yi didn’t like to drag things out.

He picked up his phone and was ready to contact Huo Jihan, only to realize something awkward: the original host didn’t have his number.

Tch. What a plastic marriage.

They hadn’t even met, and there wasn’t a single point of contact.

He figured only the butler would have it. After all, he had to send updates to the man.

So Lin Yi went to find him.

When the butler heard that Lin Yi wanted Huo Jihan’s contact info, he lit up.

“Now that’s more like it! Couples need to talk often to build feelings.”

Lin Yi: “??”

You’ve definitely misunderstood something.

“I just need to ask him something,” Lin Yi explained but the butler waved it off. “The more you talk, the closer you’ll get!”

“…Sure. Whatever makes you happy.”

Apparently, the butler wasn’t done. “Mr. Lin, you probably don’t know much about our Mr. Huo, do you?”

Lin Yi gave an awkward laugh. “Heh… not really.”

What was there to know? He was here for the five million a month, not for the husband.

The butler was determined to play matchmaker and immediately launched into praise.

“Mr. Huo is incredibly accomplished. He skipped three grades, went to an Ivy League university, earned his PhD by twenty-five, and returned to take over the Huo Group. Under his leadership, the company soared to new heights—now it’s an empire.”

He rattled off facts nonstop, then eagerly asked, “So? What do you think of our Mr. Huo?”

Lin Yi: “…”

What did he think?

He thought the man sounded like a total lunatic!!

Did he not sleep or what?

As the butler went on, Lin Yi recalled some plot points from the book.

Huo Jihan was indeed outstanding, brilliant and ruthlessly efficient.

When he returned to China five years ago to take over the Huo Group, many elders in the family objected, thinking he was too young. Some even tried to sabotage him.

But Huo Jihan was cold and ruthless by nature.

He launched a brutal purge, cutting down half the company and even removing several elders from the Huo family.

The upheaval shook the entire group—some people even fled the country in fear.

After that, the Huo Group transformed completely and eventually became one of the top corporations in the capital, admired by all.

Now thirty years old, Huo Jihan was said to be even colder than before—practically devoid of human emotion.

Even his marriage had been arranged just for convenience. He hadn’t even met his spouse before signing the agreement.

Thinking back, Lin Yi felt more certain than ever:

Yup. This guy’s a total maniac. No normal person lived like that.