Ch 19: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Huo Siming’s cheerful personality quickly made him popular among his peers, as if he had known them for years. Naturally, he drank quite a bit. Before the banquet ended, he was so drunk he couldn’t recognize anyone. A servant helped him sober up with some hangover soup and escorted him to his room to sleep.

With the main guest incapacitated, the other attendees wisely began to leave. The servants swiftly tidied up while Mrs. Huo called the kitchen to bring hangover soup for Shen Yunxuan and Huo Siheng, muttering, “Why does everyone drink so much? Hurry up and drink the soup before you wake up with a headache tomorrow.”

Both obeyed and drank. Shen Yunxuan, pressing her temples, leaned back on the sofa, looking utterly exhausted. Huo Siheng massaged his brow and asked with concern, “You’ve been busy all day. You must be worn out. Go upstairs and rest. Let the butler handle the rest.”

Mrs. Huo chimed in, urging them, “You’re both tired. Go on, head upstairs. There’s no need to worry about things here. Get some rest and sleep early.”

Shen Yunxuan nodded and, seeing Huo Siheng extend his hand, placed hers in his, letting him lead her upstairs.

Once they returned to their room, however, Shen Yunxuan seemed re-energized. Her weariness vanished as she locked the door, pulled down all the blackout curtains, and urged Huo Siheng to freshen up quickly.

Watching her swift actions, Huo Siheng appeared thoughtful but refrained from asking any questions. He knew she would explain in due time.

After they both finished freshening up and sat on the bed, Huo Siheng noticed Shen Yunxuan’s entirely different demeanor. She showed no signs of exhaustion or inebriation, a stark contrast to her earlier demeanor in the hall. To his surprise, she pulled out a laptop, opened a screen displaying multiple surveillance feeds, and he asked, puzzled, “What is this?”

Shen Yunxuan had no intention of secretly handling the matter, especially since it involved resolving a potential crisis for the Huo family. Without clear evidence, explaining the situation would be unnecessarily complicated and prone to misunderstanding. So, she had prepared in advance, installing a comprehensive surveillance system with Mrs. Huo’s knowledge and approval.

Pointing to the multiple screens on the laptop, Shen Yunxuan explained, “Except for the bedrooms, I’ve installed surveillance in all areas of the house. When I chatted with Mom earlier, she mentioned some unpleasant reasons behind why your second uncle’s family left the country. It seemed like a touchy subject. Now, with your cousin suddenly returning home and appearing so harmless, I thought it would be wise to take precautions.”

Huo Siheng chuckled, barely holding back a laugh. “Have you been watching too many dramas?”

Unfazed, Shen Yunxuan played footage of Huo Siming and Shen Yunrui’s conversation in the garden. That area had no surveillance initially, so they spoke freely. While much of their conversation was harmless, such as sharing updates about themselves and their families, it stood out to Shen Yunxuan. Given that Shen Yunrui had deliberately caused trouble for her earlier, if Huo Siming were truly loyal to the Huo family, he should have sided with Shen Yunxuan and been wary of Shen Yunrui. Yet, he seemed to enjoy the conversation and even inquired extensively about the Shen family and the sisters.

After explaining the situation, she turned to Huo Siheng. “See? Doesn’t this behavior seem suspicious?”

Now aware, Huo Siheng began to think deeply. Huo Siming’s behavior didn’t align with his outwardly friendly demeanor. What was his goal? Or, more concerningly, what might his second uncle be planning?

Connecting the dots, Huo Siheng realized Shen Yunxuan’s earlier actions were deliberate. “You made everyone believe you were utterly exhausted and slightly drunk. With me preoccupied entertaining guests, the servants tired from the long day, tonight would indeed be the perfect time to act if Huo Siming intended to do something. Is that what you’re betting on?”

Shen Yunxuan gave him an approving look. Talking to someone sharp was always easier. “Exactly. We don’t know his intentions, so I installed the most comprehensive surveillance system to monitor for any unusual activity and prepare accordingly.”

Huo Siheng frowned. Though he’d heard of such scenarios, he had never personally encountered them. From what he knew, his family had no bad blood with his second uncle’s family. On the contrary, their relationship seemed cordial, with greetings exchanged during holidays.

“If he does have ill intentions,” Huo Siheng speculated, “he won’t directly harm us. Tonight, he might go to the study to steal documents or plant something incriminating to frame me.”

He then offered, “I’ll stay and monitor the cameras. You should rest.”

Shen Yunxuan shook her head and picked up a project proposal. “I’m not tired. Let’s monitor together.”

Curious about her proposal, Huo Siheng asked a few questions. Prepared for this moment, Shen Yunxuan smiled and handed him another copy. “I’m planning to register a new company, and this will be its first project. Take a look, Mr. Huo. If you think it’s viable, we could collaborate.”

Amused, he replied, “If it’s suitable, Huo Corp will gladly be your company’s first partner.”

The two quietly reviewed their documents while occasionally glancing at the surveillance screens. Initially, the cameras only showed the servants cleaning. Once the house was tidied, everyone retired to their rooms, and the villa fell silent. For a long time, there was no activity.

Shen Yunxuan yawned, glancing at the clock—it was already past two in the morning. She stared at the laptop screen, her instincts telling her that Huo Siming was about to make his move.

Huo Siming’s rise in the family coincided with Huo Siheng’s tragic accident, which left him in a vegetative state. For Huo Siming to strike so effectively, he must have reliable and covert accomplices already positioned in the country. Shen Yunxuan immediately thought of the old servants at the Huo family estate. The estate, inherited by Huo Siheng from his grandfather and father, had also been home to Huo Siming’s father. It wouldn’t be surprising if a few loyal retainers remained behind.

This was an ideal opportunity for Huo Siming to act. Missing it would make further secretive meetings difficult under the watchful eyes of the family. In the surveillance blind spots of the estate, face-to-face discussions could occur without leaving a trace of evidence.

Though determined to monitor the situation, Shen Yunxuan was genuinely exhausted after a full day of work and reviewing documents past 2 a.m. She leaned back, waiting for something to happen, and eventually dozed off, her head tilting to rest on Huo Siheng’s shoulder.

Startled by the unexpected weight, Huo Siheng turned his head and saw her peacefully asleep. His heart softened, a wave of warmth surging through him.

There was no obligation for Shen Yunxuan to handle this matter, yet she had quietly done so much, pushing herself to exhaustion. Afraid of waking her, he let her lean against his shoulder, adjusted her blanket, and placed headphones on to continue watching the surveillance feed.

Around 3 a.m., movement caught his eye on one of the screens. He enlarged the feed and saw Huo Siming emerging from his room, appearing groggy as he stumbled downstairs, seemingly in search of water. However, his disoriented behavior abruptly shifted to sharp clarity once he reached a certain point.

Intrigued, Huo Siheng pulled up the estate’s previous surveillance logs and found no record of Huo Siming’s presence in those areas. He was shocked. Huo Siming had never lived at the estate yet seemed to know its blind spots perfectly.

Unaware of the newly installed surveillance system, Huo Siming stopped acting and entered one of these blind spots, waiting in a secluded corner for someone.

Huo Siheng’s expression darkened. Without Shen Yunxuan’s foresight to install the new system, he would have remained oblivious to these actions. And without her suspicions, he wouldn’t have thought to doubt his seemingly harmless, cheerful cousin who had supposedly returned for a casual visit.

Not long after, two figures joined Huo Siming. Recognizing them, Huo Siheng’s face grew even grimmer. It was Uncle Fang, the family’s longtime chauffeur, and Aunt Lan, who had cared for Mrs. Huo’s daily needs. Both were longstanding members of the Huo household, trusted for over 30 years.

If Huo Siming desired, he could easily exploit their positions to harm the family. Whether through sabotage or other means, the risks were immense. These two couldn’t have been bribed after Huo Siming’s recent return. They had to be operatives placed long ago by his second uncle.

Two years earlier, after his father’s passing, Huo Siheng had been too overwhelmed managing the transition at Huo Corp to consider whether his second uncle might attempt to seize power. Back then, the second uncle had expressed sorrow over the loss, citing illness as the reason he couldn’t attend the funeral. Now, however, it seemed clear that his uncle had been biding his time, waiting for the right moment.

“Is the driver’s role a cover for orchestrating an accident?” Huo Siheng’s fury simmered as he processed the implications. His tense posture woke Shen Yunxuan, who adjusted her position, rubbing her eyes. Upon noticing the screen, she immediately perked up and patted his shoulder, saying excitedly, “We’ve got him! Now that he’s exposed, we can take action!”

Her enthusiasm made Huo Siheng chuckle. “This is all thanks to you.”

“What’s your plan?” she asked, her tone eager.

With irrefutable evidence before them, there was no denying that Huo Siming was their enemy. This matter, known only to the two of them, needed a calculated response.

The situation felt novel to Huo Siheng. Since taking over Huo Corp, he had always been the sole decision-maker. Having someone to share the burden and strategize with was a refreshing change, and surprisingly, he didn’t mind it.

“I suggest we turn the tables,” he said thoughtfully. “Let’s see how many pawns my uncle’s family has placed and uproot them all at once. It’s better to eliminate any hidden threats now than to leave risks for the future. Besides, I’m curious how many of the people around Huo Corp are loyal and how many are not.”

Shen Yunxuan nodded, quickly grasping his point. “Although this will cause some losses for Huo Corp, the situation is like a cancer—it needs to be excised for the family to thrive. But you’d better prepare yourself for Mom’s reaction. She’s going to be furious.”

The tension lightened. Huo Siheng even managed a rare joke. “Aren’t you my partner through thick and thin? When Mom gets angry, you’ll help me calm her down, right?”

Shen Yunxuan rolled her eyes. “In your dreams.”

Her response made him laugh, dissolving his earlier heaviness into determination and optimism. For the first time, he felt the strength of a united front. The feeling was intoxicating.

But the immediate priority was clear—neutralizing the threat before them.

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆