I looked at him in startled confusion, gazing at the face that was more than familiar to me. Could Huo Jingchuan have been reborn as well?
At this point in time, Huo Jingchuan was rumored to be indifferent to women, with a cold face and a colder heart. Even Old Master Huo could not order him around.
How could he have agreed to me so easily?
Huo Jingchuan took out his phone and placed it in front of me: "Add me on WeChat, send me your test papers for all subjects, and I'll make a study plan for you."
I was not someone who would argue with my own good fortune!
No matter what reason made Huo Jingchuan treat me so uniquely, I had to seize this opportunity. Once I added him on WeChat, I would be one step closer to him.
The back of Huo Jingchuan as he walked away looked somewhat flustered.
The banquet began. A servant found me, and amidst her disdainful gaze, I walked into the front hall.
The bustling hall was filled with the rustle of silks and the fragrance of perfume.
"Nan Xing! Over here!" Huo Ning waved at me.
I pretended not to see him and walked toward a corner nearby.
"Second Miss, sir would like to see you." My father's secretary walked over.
I nodded and followed him to see my father.
"Nan Xing, come quickly, come over here." My father waved at me with a beaming smile.
Standing beside my father was Old Master Huo—Huo Jingchuan's father and Huo Ning's grandfather, Huo Sheng.
Standing with his hands behind his back and a look of impatience on the side of Old Master Huo was Huo Jingchuan.
A smile involuntarily rose in my heart.
"Nan Xing, Grandpa Huo was just talking about you. Where did you run off to again?" My father's smile was utterly fawning, though he was completely oblivious to it.
I bowed to Old Master Huo: "Good health to you, Old Master!"
From now on, I would no longer call him Grandpa Huo, because I was going to be his daughter-in-law!
Old Master Huo did not find this form of address strange at all, because countless people called him that.
I felt a gaze land on me. Without even raising my eyes, I knew it was Huo Jingchuan.
"Haha, Nan Xing, this is Seventh Master Huo Jingchuan. You should just call him 'Little Uncle'. Do you still remember him?" My father's voice was full of cheer, though it was unclear why he was so overjoyed in front of the Huo family father and son.
His whole body screamed "sycophancy".
Remember him?
I looked at my father in confusion, then at Huo Qi, but did not call him Little Uncle—I didn't much care for that title.
"Don't you remember? Our Nan Xing has the memory of a goldfish! Her memory only lasts for seven seconds! Haha, Young Master Huo, please don't take offense!" It felt as though my father had mobilized every single cell in his body.
Huo Jingchuan was completely unperturbed by my father's strenuous performance; his gaze was fixed on me with profound depth.
Instead, Old Master Huo laughed: "Nan Xing is a grown young woman now, growing prettier by the day. Nan Xing, do you still remember when you all went on an outing to the suburbs and were taken hostage? If not for you back then, Huo Jingchuan might not have lived to see the rescue arrive! You don't remember any of it?"
I looked at Huo Jingchuan, then at the earnest faces of the Old Master and my father, and slowly shook my head.
I had no impression whatsoever of the event they were talking about.
The smile on Old Master Huo's face faded slightly, and he sighed: "Not remembering is also a good thing. You won't have any burden in your heart."
My father chimed in: "Indeed, it's all in the past. To survive a major disaster is to be blessed with good fortune hereafter. Look at how successful Young Master Huo has become these past few years—you now have wings added to a tiger!"
Old Master Huo grew happy again, turned to look at his son, and beamed with pride.
Huo Jingchuan spoke: "Nan Xing is in her third year of high school now, right?"
My father was momentarily stunned, then nodded: "Yes, her third year. She'll be taking the college entrance exams next year."
"How are her grades?" Huo Jingchuan asked.
In a flash of insight, a thought popped into my mind, and I looked at Huo Jingchuan with pleasant surprise.
He did not look at me; his gaze was fixed entirely on my father.
My father looked somewhat awkward. My academic performance must have been too embarrassing for him to speak of.
"Not very good," I said softly.
My father's face lost quite a bit of its composure.
"I'll tutor you. Next semester, I'm taking up a visiting teaching assistant position at M University, and I need to find a student to practice on first. How about it? Are you willing to follow my lead? It's free, but you must be obedient!" Huo Jingchuan's voice completely lacked the gentleness he had shown in the glass greenhouse; instead, it possessed a domineering quality that brooked no question from anyone.
We were all stunned.
I was filled with joy—a joy so vast that no amount of words could express it.
Old Master Huo was curious. After all, his son usually radiated a "strangers keep away, stay far from me" aura all over, yet he was making an exception to become my tutor?
As for my father, he was overcome with wild elation. He rubbed his hands together, stumbling over his words: "Well, how can that be—ah, this is wonderful! Nan Xing, hey, do you know? This is simply fantastic! Huo Jingchuan was the top scorer in the entire city during his college entrance exam back then—the provincial top scholar! Nan Xing, hurry up and agree, say yes right now!"
I looked at Huo Jingchuan and bowed to him: "Master!"
This display of etiquette from me left both Old Master Huo and my father momentarily stunned.
Old Master Huo burst into loud laughter and nudged his son: "Huo Jingchuan! You actually dare to accept this bow? Let me tell you, the responsibility is heavy. If you don't teach Nan Xing well, you'll have to make amends to Big Brother Nan!"
My father was clearly extremely satisfied with my performance and repeatedly said: "How could that be? How could that be? The master leads you through the door, but cultivation is up to the individual! It's rare that Young Master Huo is willing to teach, though Nan Xing is a bit dull-witted. Young Master Huo, please bear with her!"
Huo Jingchuan said calmly: "You are too polite, President Nan. Just call me Huo Jingchuan."
My father's face was covered in smiles, as if simply being allowed to say Huo Jingchuan's name was an immense honor for him.
In my past life, I only knew that the Huo family was wealthier than the Nan family. Marrying into the Huo family meant moving from one nest of good fortune into another. Just as people said, though I lacked brains, I was blessed.
Looking at it now, things were probably not that simple.
Judging by my father's attitude toward Old Master Huo and Huo Jingchuan, leave aside the fact that I had once willingly married Huo Ning—even if I had been unwilling, my father would still have shoved me into the Huo family.
Therefore, when Huo Ning cheated back then, my family of origin did not stand up for me. When I was divorced and driven out of the house, the Nan family did not take me in either, because I no longer had any utility value.
I took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in my heart. This time, the Nan family would not get another such opportunity.
Huo Jingchuan looked at me: "Bring me your old test papers so I can assess your level first. Let me state this in advance: my requirements are very strict. If you take lessons with me, you must follow my rules."
I lowered my head: "Yes."
"Nan Xing, where are you going?" Huo Ning's voice came from downstairs.
I walked straight toward the stairs.
Huo Jingchuan glanced sideways at me.
"Master, this way please." I was single-minded and undisturbed.
As I raised my head, Nan Yang and her close friends were walking toward us.
"Nan Xing? What are you up to?" Nan Yang's tone was unkind.
I kept my head bowed: "Sister, Dad found me a tutor. The teacher wants to see my test papers."
Nan Yang and her group of friends looked at Huo Jingchuan and froze in surprise.
"Huo—Young Master Huo!" Someone gasped in a low voice.
"Little Uncle? Are you going to tutor my sister?" Nan Yang's face had already assumed the most standard, demure smile.
Huo Jingchuan gave a faint "Mn".
"What? Little Uncle, you're going to tutor Nan Xing?" This remark was overheard just as Huo Ning hurried up.
"Hahahahaha—" Huo Ning let out a loud laugh, as if he had heard a tremendous joke.
"Little Uncle, you're really using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. With Nan Xing's grades, where would she ever need you to tutor her? Anyone at all would do," Huo Ning laughed uncontrollably.
He draped his arm over my shoulder: "Nan Xing, you certainly have a lot of pull, actually managing to get my little uncle to tutor you. None of us cousins in our own family could ever get him to do it."
I calmly sidestepped to evade Huo Ning's hand and secretly cast a glance at Huo Jingchuan.
Huo Jingchuan remained expressionless, like an iceberg.
On the contrary, the expressions on the faces of Nan Yang and her circle of friends were quite colorful.
Nan Yang stepped forward and gently tugged at Huo Ning's sleeve, saying with a somewhat embarrassed air: "Brother Huo Ning, don't talk about Nan Xing like that. She actually knows how to try hard, it's just that sometimes she can't control herself. Last night she was up all night playing video games again. Tutoring is secondary; being able to keep her in line is the main thing."
Huo Ning draped his arm back over me: "Little Uncle, you heard that? Nan Xing is used to being lazy, and she's not very smart either. Nobody really expects her to score all that well. Little Uncle, don't be too harsh on her, just good enough will do. My mom said that as long as Nan Xing manages to get into an undergraduate program, she won't give her a hard time."
I dodged Huo Ning's hand once more, which brought me a little closer to Huo Jingchuan, but I offered no defense against Huo Ning's words.
Seeing this, Nan Yang's cousin Li Tian could not help but chime in: "Since that's the case, why don't we all join Little Uncle for tutoring too? It'll keep Nan Xing company, and studying will have more momentum. Cousin, don't you think that's a good idea?"
With that, she cast a coy, shy glance at Huo Ning and lowered her head.