ASPWL Ch84: Meeting the Parents

Throughout the rest of the journey, Huo Yan did not say another word to Ye Leyao. He just held his phone, sitting across from Ye Leyao, typing away furiously.

Ye Leyao didn’t mind because he was chatting with Qin Yao the entire time.

Huo Yan knew that Ye Leyao was chatting with Qin Yao, but during this part of the journey, he could no longer hear Ye Leyao’s thoughts.

It wasn’t until the plane was about to take off, and Ye Leyao sent his final message to Qin Yao, that he switched on airplane mode. Looking at their chat history, Ye Leyao sighed emotionally:

[Sigh, we just parted ways with President Qin not long ago, so why do I suddenly miss him a bit?]

Huo Yan in the other seat of the business class: “…”

Can’t stand it!

Really can’t stand it!

How long have they been together?

Just three days, and he already misses Qin Yao after such a short time apart?

Ye Leyao is even more lovesick than he is!

Huo Yan continued to type furiously in the family group chat, but before he could finish and send the long message, the flight attendant walked over and reminded him to turn off his phone.

Helpless, Huo Yan could only turn off his phone in frustration.

Tomorrow, no—tonight when he gets home, he must hold a family meeting!

He can’t let Ye Leyao and Qin Yao continue to be together.

Sitting in the front row, Ye Leyao had no idea what Huo Yan was thinking. After recording all day and then being dragged by Huo Yan to catch a flight late at night, Ye Leyao fell asleep shortly after the plane took off.

During the brief two hours, he had a dream of something long forgotten… No, perhaps it wasn’t just a dream.

He appeared once again on that familiar balcony. This time, Ye Leyao was extremely excited. After entering, he didn’t even glance at the oatmeal milk that had been set out long ago but rushed straight toward the bedroom.

The man had just finished taking a shower and was standing in the walk-in closet, completely naked, about to get dressed.

Hearing the noise, he turned around in slight shock and met Ye Leyao’s bewildered eyes.

The man’s face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. He quickly turned around, put on his robe, and his voice trembled slightly, “Why did you suddenly come in?”

Ye Leyao tilted his head, “Suddenly barging in… So you think I shouldn’t have come in like this? Should I apologize to you?”

Hearing this, the man paused for a moment, then a hint of helplessness flashed through his eyes. He covered his flushed face with his hand, and after a few seconds of calming himself, he said, “It’s okay; I don’t blame you. I just didn’t tell you before. Next time, remember to knock before coming in.”

Ye Leyao responded with an “Oh,” and added, “Then I’ll remember to knock next time.”

The man hummed in acknowledgment, just about to mention that the milk was ready, when Ye Leyao suddenly asked, “I have a question.”

The man replied, “What is it?”

Ye Leyao’s eyes were clear, his tone earnest and very direct: “Can you take off your robe? I noticed your body looks really nice. Can I take another look?”

The man: “…”

The man stood frozen in his previous position, his entire body stiff. Even his neck turned a delicate shade of red.

Ye Leyao suddenly laughed, and at that moment, the flight attendant’s gentle voice pulled him out of his fragmented memory.

Huo Yan had already stood up, his gaze falling on Ye Leyao’s upturned lips. He casually asked, “What’s so funny?”

Ye Leyao stood up, shook his head, and after a few seconds, smiled and said, “Just thinking of something amusing.”

Huo Yan asked, “What is it?”

Ye Leyao didn’t answer again.

The dream had been short, with no clear cause or effect, but Ye Leyao had unexpectedly linked it with other fragmented memories.

It seemed like the man had stood there in silence for a long time, long enough for Ye Leyao to clearly see the redness on his face gradually fade, long enough for Ye Leyao to grow a bit impatient and start considering whether to go out and drink the milk first. Only then did the man finally speak in a low voice: “Have you looked at other people’s bodies?”

Ye Leyao answered without thinking, “Yes, I have.”

This time, the man didn’t blush again. His eyes were deep as he stared at Ye Leyao without blinking, filled with emotions that Ye Leyao couldn’t understand at the time.

In the end, the man didn’t agree to take off his clothes and let Ye Leyao see his body again.

But now, Ye Leyao understood. Back then, the emotions in the man’s eyes were not just displeasure but jealousy, mixed with a deep sense of helplessness.

…

By the time they returned home, it was already 12:30 a.m. The butler opened the door, and Ye Leyao glanced in surprise at the people in the living room.

[Is today a special day? It’s normal for Third Brother to be home, but why is Big Brother here too?]

[And why are Papa and Mama Huo still up this late?]

“Papa and Mama Huo, are you waiting for us to come back on purpose?” Ye Leyao asked with a smile.

Hearing this, everyone’s eyes immediately turned to Huo Yan, who was standing behind Ye Leyao.

Papa Huo and Mama Huo were indeed waiting for Ye Leyao to return, but Huo Jing and Huo Ze were there for another reason—they had rushed back specifically for the family meeting that was about to take place tonight.

Mama Huo got up and said, “They’re back for other reasons. Xiao Yao, are you hungry? I made some soup for you.”

After filming all day, and with little rest in the evening, Ye Leyao was both hungry and tired by the time Huo Yan brought him back. Hearing Mama Huo’s offer, he was so touched that he hugged her, “I’m starving! Mama, you’re the best!”

Mama Huo smiled, “Let’s go, have some soup.”

After eating his fill, Ye Leyao became even sleepier. He said goodnight to everyone and headed upstairs.

Half an hour later, a thought echoed upstairs from Ye Leyao’s mind—

[Agh, it’s so late, so late. I’ll send President Qin a message first, then go to sleep…]

As he was thinking, the voice faded away.

Only at this point did the Huo family’s meeting officially begin.

Huo Yan was the first to speak: “It doesn’t matter if you agree or not. I absolutely don’t agree!”

Huo Ze followed closely, “I don’t agree either. How old is Ye Leyao anyway? He’s even younger than me. How can he talk about love at such a young age? Big Brother, don’t you think so?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Huo Jing. After pondering for a moment, Huo Jing nodded lightly, “Although Qin Yao is excellent and treats Xiao Yao well, the issues in his family are too complicated. Recently, Yu Bai, who was exposed, is also one of Gu Song’s people. I think if Xiao Yao gets involved with Qin Yao now, he’ll inevitably get caught up in their family’s conflicts in the future.”

Huo Jing’s reasoning was sound and immediately gained approval from both Huo Yan and Huo Ze.

“Exactly. Why should someone as simple as Ye Leyao get mixed up in the Qin family’s mess?” Huo Ze snorted.

Papa Huo and Mama Huo exchanged a glance but remained silent throughout.

After expressing his opinion, Huo Jing also fell silent. Instead, Huo Ze and Huo Yan, one after the other, started listing their reasons for disapproval.

The more Papa Huo and Mama Huo listened, the sleepier they became. Just as Huo Yan was about to launch into another argument, Mama Huo couldn’t hold back and interrupted him: “Alright, since you all don’t agree, why don’t you talk to Xiao Yao yourselves?”

Papa Huo added, “Dating is a matter between two people. I think as long as Xiao Yao is happy, it’s fine. But since you all have such strong opinions, go talk to him and see what he thinks.”

Huo Yan and Huo Ze exchanged glances. Huo Ze was the first to say, “Fine!”

After some thought, Huo Yan said, “But every time I talk to Ye Leyao, he always…”

The others instantly raised their heads to look over.

“What?”

Huo Ze suddenly realized, “Are you saying they’ll use Su Rui’s matter to stab at you?”

Huo Yan: “…If you can’t speak, can you just shut up?”

Huo Ze chuckled.

Not to mention that Ye Leyao liked to use this matter to stab at Huo Yan, who in their family didn’t like to use it against him?

Even Huo Yan’s fans liked to bring this up every now and then, repeatedly rubbing salt in the wound.

Papa Huo and Mama Huo couldn’t hold back their laughter, feeling quite amused.

It wasn’t until they received a death glare from Huo Yan that Papa Huo slightly restrained his smile. “Talking about this is something you have to handle yourselves. After all, neither your mom nor I are against it.”

“Exactly,” Mama Huo said, “You’ll have to figure it out yourselves. It’s already late; your dad and I are going to rest.”

With that, Papa Huo and Mama Huo headed upstairs.

Huo Ze was also ready to go rest when Huo Yan suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.

Huo Ze, completely confused, asked, “Huh?”

Huo Yan then called out to Huo Jing, who was about to stand up: “Brother, you need to help with this too, right?”

He couldn’t just let him and Huo Ze be the only ones trying to persuade Ye Leyao, could he?

Huo Jing paused for a moment, standing still and thinking. After a few seconds, he said, “Alright, I’ll talk to Xiao Yao tomorrow morning.”

Huo Yan and Huo Ze immediately lit up with joy.

Good! Very good!

With negotiation expert Huo Jing on board, how could they possibly lose?

They wouldn’t lose at all!

The three brothers, for once, reached a rare and unanimous agreement on this matter.

Meanwhile, Ye Leyao, who was sound asleep, had no idea that his three brothers had formed a “break-up squad,” ready at any moment to begin their “persuade to break up” operation.

Ye Leyao slept soundly, and in his dream, he found another small fragment of memory.

But this time, the other people in the dream weren’t Qin Yao, but rather the entire Huo family.

In the memory, Ye Leyao wasn’t tall, but Huo Jing, Huo Yan, and Huo Ze were all about as tall as they are now.

Ye Leyao was hiding alone in the swimming pool courtyard of the Huo family’s villa. It was a safe distance—not too close to the pool he feared, but still close enough to observe the entire Huo family.

It had snowed that night, and a thick layer of white snow covered the ground. On such a snowy day, the family was sitting around having a barbecue.

Papa Huo and Mama Huo sat closely together, eating barbecue while chatting.

Huo Jing sat upright, with a laptop in front of him.

Huo Yan seemed to have gotten tired of eating, as he was now lying on a recliner, covered by a thick blanket.

Huo Ze was sitting at the far end, playing a game while chatting with Huo Yan.

From this distance, Ye Leyao should have been able to hear something, but for some reason, he couldn’t make out a single word they were saying.

The more he listened, the heavier his eyelids became, and just before everything went blurry, he heard Papa Huo’s surprised voice: “Since when did a child come into our garden?”

Mama Huo was startled: “A child? Didn’t it snow all night last night?”

Papa Huo picked up Ye Leyao, brushed off the snow piled on him, touched his forehead, and quickly rushed into the villa: “Quick! Call a doctor! He’s still alive—”

In his half-conscious state, Ye Leyao heard the Huo family in a frenzy, but he couldn’t open his eyes. Held in Papa Huo’s arms, he only felt an unusual warmth—a warmth he had never experienced before.

The morning sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, gradually climbing onto Ye Leyao’s face.

His crow-feather-like eyelashes seemed to be dampened by something, sticking together slightly. It wasn’t until his eyelids twitched and his tear-drenched lashes started to part that Ye Leyao slowly opened his eyes.

He realized that he had been dreaming a lot lately.

But every time he woke up, he would just push those dreams to the back of his mind.

His subconscious seemed to be telling him that these things weren’t important.

But why weren’t they important?

Before Ye Leyao could think further, his subconscious shut down that question before it could even form.

He blinked slowly, then suddenly sat up straight:

“President Qin! Did President Qin message me?!”

At the same time, downstairs in the dining room.

Huo Yan slammed his hand on the table: “See? He just woke up, and he’s already thinking about Qin Yao again! And you still say Ye Leyao isn’t lovestruck?”

Papa Huo sipped his porridge, “It’s not that bad. When your mom and I were dating, I was the same.”

Mama Huo smiled tenderly, “If he woke up and didn’t think about Qin Yao, that would be the real problem.”

Huo Yan snorted and turned to Huo Jing, “Brother, don’t forget later.”

Huo Jing, having just finished a document, nodded.

Mama Huo looked at Huo Yan and suddenly thought of something: “By the way, Lao’er, why are you so against Xiao Yao and Qin Yao being together?”

Huo Yan was startled, “Huh?”

“Why ask that?” Huo Ze was puzzled. “Don’t big brother and I also not want Ye Leyao and Qin Yao to be together?”

“It’s different,” Mama Huo said, “Out of our whole family, the one who most doesn’t want Xiao Yao and Qin Yao together is your second brother.”

Papa Huo nodded in agreement: “Yes.”

Although Huo Jing and Huo Ze were also opposed, their stance wasn’t nearly as strong as Huo Yan’s.

Mama Huo suddenly said, “You’re not really jealous, are you?”

Jealous of your own failure, so you don’t want anyone else to succeed?

Huo Yan’s face turned dark in an instant: “How could that be! I just…”

Huo Yan had actually thought about this question before, but the conclusion he came to left him feeling rather puzzled.

The reason he didn’t want Ye Leyao and Qin Yao to be together was because he felt Ye Leyao would be in danger with Qin Yao.

But what kind of danger could Ye Leyao possibly face?

Getting dragged into the mess of the Qin family?

What could go wrong with the Qin family again?

Moreover, with their family all present, who could possibly lay a hand on Ye Leyao?

Huo Yan couldn’t figure it out, so he didn’t voice his concerns, only saying, “Anyway, I just don’t want them to be together.”

“Then aren’t you being unreasonable?” Huo Ma glared at Huo Yan.

Ye Leyao happened to hear: “Who’s being unreasonable?”

Huo Ma turned around, her face lighting up with a smile: “Xiao Yao’s awake? Come and have breakfast!”

Ye Leyao smiled and walked over:

[I’m so happy today!]

Huo Yan’s eyelids twitched.

Huo Jing glanced at Huo Ze.

Huo Ze cleared his throat, just about to ask Ye Leyao if he was happy because he was in love, when Ye Leyao said:

[It feels like it’s been forever since our whole family had breakfast together!]

[So happy!]

Huo Ze: “…”

Huo Ze covered his face with his hand.

Recently, Huo Jing and Huo Yan had been coming home for meals every few days, so the only one missing had been him, right?

And yet, he had just been about to tease Ye Leyao about being happy because of love…

How could he think that way about Ye Leyao?!

Huo Ze felt incredibly guilty and couldn’t say the words he had prepared, so he could only shoot a supportive glance at Huo Jing and Huo Yan.

Huo Yan: “…”

Ye Leyao hadn’t even started speaking, and Huo Ze was already backing down?!

Looking at Huo Jing again, Huo Jing had originally been handling company matters on his tablet, but after hearing what Ye Leyao said, he hesitated, then set the tablet down and said to Ye Leyao, “Come sit, let’s eat together.”

Huo Yan: “…”

Seriously? Big brother’s backing down too?

Ye Leyao responded and sat down next to Huo Ze.

The Huo family’s breakfast catered to everyone’s tastes. Ye Leyao liked to drink milk in the morning, so Huo Ma had specially made him a cup of oat milk that he had mentioned before.

Each person’s oat milk tasted different; Huo Ma’s wasn’t as sweet as Qin Yao’s, but it was still very good.

After drinking a cup of milk, Ye Leyao leisurely picked up a bun to eat.

Huo Yan drank some porridge and signaled to Huo Jing with his eyes.

Can we start now?

If we don’t, what if he finishes breakfast and says he’s going to see Qin Yao?

Huo Jing was more patient than Huo Yan. He quietly waited for Ye Leyao to finish a bun, then two dumplings, before clearing his throat and saying, “Xiao Yao…”

At that moment, Huo Jing’s phone, lying beside him, rang.

Huo Yan immediately tensed up.

Ye Leyao looked up at just the right time: “Hmm?”

[What’s big brother calling me for?]

The phone rang for three seconds before Huo Jing said, “Let me take this call first.”

It was an important call.

Huo Yan clenched his fist secretly.

Wasn’t it just a chat with Ye Leyao?

Why were there so many interruptions?

Annoyed, Huo Yan quickly downed the remaining porridge in his bowl.

Huo Jing had already started talking with the person on the other end.

His voice was low but pleasant, though Ye Leyao didn’t listen to any of the content. After a while, his brain began to feel foggy.

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but think: [I must say, big brother is pretty impressive.]

Huo Ze glanced at Huo Yan, then quickly at Huo Jing.

Huo Jing clearly hadn’t expected the compliment from Ye Leyao, and a trace of awkwardness flashed across his face.

The assistant on the other end of the line proposed two shipping routes. After thinking for a moment, Huo Jing said, “Go with the first route. We’re more familiar with it, and it’ll be safer.”

Ye Leyao, whose mind had been foggy, suddenly opened his eyes wide when he heard this.

[Shipping route? Hmm—]

Ye Leyao dragged out his tone, and the entire family’s eyes turned to him in an instant.

They saw Ye Leyao frown, deep in thought for a moment, then mutter inwardly:

[Why do I feel like this part of the plot seems pretty important?]

Huo Jing paused mid-sentence.

The assistant on the other end was still talking, but not hearing Huo Jing’s response for a while, couldn’t help asking, “President Huo?”

Huo Jing stood up with his phone, walking to the backyard as he said softly, “Hold on a moment.”

At that moment, at the dining table, Ye Leyao had already pulled out his phone, skillfully opening his notes app.

[Found it!]

[Ah, big brother’s chosen route really does have a problem!]

[But the description here isn’t very detailed. It just says that in a few days, a typhoon will make a turn and pass through this route, causing not only issues with the cargo but also the disappearance of several crew members…]

Upon hearing this, everyone in the family was on edge.

Papa Huo immediately stood up and walked toward Huo Jing: “Is it the batch we ordered recently?”

Huo Jing hung up the phone and nodded, “Yes.”

Originally, their factory had agreed to deliver half a month ago, but due to some unexpected issues on the factory’s end, the delivery had been delayed, which is why they were now in such a rush to bring the goods back.

But after hearing what Ye Leyao said, Huo Jing began to hesitate.

There was insurance to cover any cargo problems, and they could reorder if necessary.

But missing crew members meant lives were at risk.

Even though Huo Jing wasn’t sure if what Ye Leyao mentioned would actually happen, just to be safe—

Huo Jing said, “I’ll tell them to hold off for now.”

Papa Huo nodded: “That’s the safest approach. Delaying by just a week is a loss we can afford.”

Huo Jing nodded.

The father and son quickly came to an agreement.

Meanwhile, Ye Leyao was still troubled:

[So how should I tactfully remind big brother? If they really take this route…]

“Finished with the call?” At that moment, Huo Ma’s voice sounded.

Ye Leyao looked up and saw Papa Huo and Huo Jing walking back together.

Huo Jing said, “Yes, I discussed the cargo shipment issue.” As he spoke, he glanced at Ye Leyao and continued, “Originally, we planned to ship the goods back tomorrow, but then I remembered that another batch of materials we ordered is also nearing its delivery date. So, I figured we might as well wait and ship everything back together.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Leyao let out a huge sigh of relief.

[That gave me a scare! Luckily, big brother changed his mind, now I don’t have to worry anymore. That’s great!]

Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but glance at Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao had already finished breakfast and poured himself another glass of milk. He took a big sip, his eyes curving with happiness.

Huo Jing stared at Ye Leyao for a few seconds, and suddenly felt a soft spot in his heart.

Although Ye Leyao had just recently turned eighteen, he was an adult now.

Little brother would grow up and eventually fall in love.

Even if it wasn’t Qin Yao, one day Ye Leyao would bring home someone unfamiliar and introduce them as his partner.

Rather than gamble on the character of some unknown guy, it might be better to just agree to let Ye Leyao be with Qin Yao.

At least they knew Qin Yao well enough, and if he ever mistreated Ye Leyao, the whole family could confront him!

Thinking this, Huo Jing averted his gaze.

Let it be, then.

As soon as Huo Jing looked away, Huo Yan grew anxious.

Wait, just like that?

Big brother!

How can you just let it go like that?

Huo Yan kept sending glances at Huo Jing, but Huo Jing completely ignored him.

Even after Ye Leyao finished eating and went upstairs to change clothes, Huo Jing didn’t say another word.

The moment Ye Leyao left, Huo Yan couldn’t hold back any longer: “Big brother! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

Huo Jing cleared his throat, “Say what?”

Huo Yan: “…”

Alright, he could tell—Huo Jing was planning to play dumb!

Huo Yan turned to look at Huo Ze.

Huo Ze coughed twice, “Second brother, you know that without Ye Leyao, my esports team would be a mess…”

He had just thought it through seriously—although Qin Yao was indeed a bit older than Ye Leyao, men do tend to be more considerate!

Besides, when Huo Ze first wanted to start his esports team, the first person in the family to support him was Ye Leyao.

So, why should he oppose Ye Leyao’s relationship?

If Ye Leyao found out, he’d surely be heartbroken!

Huo Yan: “…”

“You all are so unreliable!” Huo Yan fumed angrily.

Huo Ma, seeing this, rubbed her temples in frustration: “So why are you so persistent about this?”

Now the entire family, except for Huo Yan, approved of this relationship!

Of course, Huo Yan couldn’t possibly reveal his true thoughts. Suddenly, a wild and bold suspicion flashed through his mind.

Huo Yan looked at Huo Ma, his lips tightly pressed together: “I… During the filming of this season’s variety show, I discovered something.”

The whole family’s attention turned to him simultaneously.

Papa Huo asked, “What did you discover?”

Huo Yan thought for two seconds, then decided to voice his suspicion: “I suspect that Qin Yao can hear Ye Leyao’s thoughts too.”

At that moment, they heard Ye Leyao’s excited voice from upstairs:

[Huh? Inviting me to his mom’s birthday party? Does that mean I’m meeting the parents so soon?!]

Huo Yan gritted his teeth: “See?! What kind of behavior is this?!”