Volume 1 Chapter 31: Chasing Huo

Wang Chengzu was somewhat astonished; Tang Zhenguo was actually his mother’s admirer!

Seeing his bewildered expression, Wang Jijong began to explain in detail: "Back then, your mother was the eldest daughter of the Rong family and a world-renowned dancer with a bright future ahead of her. Tang Zhenguo fell in love with her at first sight and pursued her relentlessly."

"But your mother didn't like him at all."

"When his advances were rejected, he not only beat me up but also caused your mother to become disabled, leaving her unable to dance ever again for the rest of her life."

"Seeing that she was disabled, he abandoned her without hesitation. That is how I was able to be with her."

"The thing I regret most in my life is that I didn't protect your mother well enough."

With every word Wang Jijong spoke, Wang Chengzu’s fists tightened further. So, his mother’s disability was caused by Tang Zhenguo!

He remembered his childhood, when his mother would often sit alone by the window, weeping in the moonlight as she pounded her legs with all her might. The sound of those suppressed, sobbing wails still echoed in his ears. All of this was thanks to Tang Zhenguo!

"Dad, I will take revenge for Mom."

Wang Jijong advised him with concern, "Chengzu, don't be impulsive. If your mother were still here, she would surely want you to live a good life."

"Dad, I know what I'm doing," Wang Chengzu said coldly.

If his father hadn't braved immense pressure to marry his mother, he dared not imagine what kind of life a beautiful, disabled orphan like her would have endured. All the resentment he held for the way he was treated as a child suddenly vanished.

"Dad, I don't blame Mom anymore." He no longer blamed her for her constant indifference toward him.

Wang Jijong patted Wang Chengzu on the shoulder, his face full of relief. "My son has grown up."

Wang Chengzu returned to his room and pressed a spot on the wall, causing an invisible door to swing open. The door was so perfectly integrated into the wall that no one would have guessed it existed.

Wang Chengzu stepped inside. The room was dim, and the walls were covered with photographs of men and women. The photos on the left wall were marked with large red crosses, while those on the right wall had a red line drawn across their necks. The central wall remained completely empty.

Wang Chengzu admired his past masterpieces for a moment before taking a photo out of an envelope. It was one he had specifically ordered to be developed—a picture of Lin Jie and Tang Zhenguo. He pinned Lin Jie's photo to the center wall and Tang Zhenguo's to the wall on the right. He picked up a red pen and drew a line across Tang Zhenguo’s throat.

Staring at the photo, his eyes flickered with intense excitement. He hoped to move Tang Zhenguo’s photo from the right wall to the left as soon as possible.

His fists gradually tightened. *Mom, don't worry, I will avenge you.*

***

The Huo Family

A heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over the entire estate. For the past few days, the servants had been on high alert, watching every move and listening to every sound, working hard and speaking little, terrified of displeasing their masters and losing their jobs.

The main gates were locked tight, and only a few members of the Huo family remained in the vast living room.

"Dad, Brother, Sister-in-law, we can't go on like this," Huo Hongjun said, his brows knitted tightly.

They had assumed that once the buzz died down, the incident involving Huo Yanchuan would blow over. After all, topics on the internet turned over quickly. But after several days, not only had the heat not faded, but more scandalous information had been dug up—each piece more damaging to the Huo Corporation than the last.

Last night, someone unearthed a story from when Huo Yanchuan was a minor: he had organized a group of wealthy second-generation heirs from Nancheng to go exploring in an undeveloped mountain range. Before they set off, staff had tried repeatedly to dissuade them, warning that the area was unexplored and potentially dangerous. They ignored the warnings, shoved the staff aside, and headed into the mountains regardless.

They ended up getting lost and were trapped for several days before a search and rescue team found them. By the time they were located, two were in shock, and the rest had frozen to death; their bodies were already stiff. The two in shock were Huo Yanchuan and Qi Shaobai, the eldest grandson of the Qi family. Due to prolonged shock and oxygen deprivation to the brain, both became vegetative. However, Huo Yanchuan was luckier than Qi Shaobai; he woke up shortly after, while Qi Shaobai had shown no signs of recovery to this day.

At the time, this incident had barely surfaced before the Huo and Qi families joined forces to suppress it, and very few people knew about it. But this time, it had been dug up again. With the speed of information spreading online, even if the two families joined forces again, the effect would be minimal. Online, besides the mockery directed at Huo Yanchuan, there was mounting skepticism toward the Huo family.

Huo Hongjun handed his tablet to Elder Huo. "Dad, we’ve really become the center of gossip."

For some, being the center of attention is a good thing, but for the Huo family, it was not. Being in the spotlight meant every move would be magnified infinitely. For the Huo family, the drawbacks far outweighed the benefits.

Elder Huo, wearing his reading glasses, squinted at the content on the tablet.

[The memories of the dead are attacking me! I saw a report about this back then, but when I woke up the next morning, I couldn't find a trace of it. I thought I had dreamt it, but it actually happened. I have to say, the rich are the rich—they have all sorts of methods!]

[+1, I remember this too, but by the next day, I couldn't find any information on it.]

[You never know a man's heart by his face. Young Master Huo usually looks like such an elite, but turns out... heh...]

[Honestly, can someone like Young Master Huo, who has been arrogant and stubborn since childhood, really lead the Huo family to glory?]

[Is my memory failing me? I remember Young Master Huo previously rescued a near-bankrupt subsidiary of the Huo family and turned it into the top-performing subsidiary in the entire group for that year.]

[To the person above, your memory isn't failing; there was indeed such a report, but who knows if that was just a method the Huo family used to build his reputation?]

[How old was Young Master Huo then? 16? Or 17?]

[17, I remember it very clearly.]

...

17-year-old Huo Yanchuan...

Elder Huo fell into a reverie. After a long while, he frowned slightly. "How is he doing now?"

The "he" in his question was subtle. Huo Qingjun and Zhang Shuqin exchanged glances, both seeing a flicker of unease in the other's eyes. It was sudden, and the old man’s questioning made them wonder if he intended to...

Huo Hongjun asked, "Dad, who are you referring to?"

"Country Y."

Huo Hongjun understood instantly and quickly said, "I'll have Li Feng send me his file right away."

Li Feng was the bodyguard sent by the Huo family to Country Y to secretly "protect" that person—though in reality, it was surveillance.

A moment later, the document was sent to Huo Hongjun's phone. He opened it, read for a while, and raised an eyebrow.

"Well? What is it that surprises you so much?" Huo Qingjun asked.

They were brothers, after all; one gesture was enough to reveal what Huo Hongjun was thinking.

Huo Hongjun grinned and chuckled. "Brother, that kid isn't half bad."

"Without any help, he started a company on his own. Although it's not huge, its reputation and prospects are actually quite good."

"Look, this is the company the kid started."

On the phone screen was a company named 'Chase Huo'. From the logo to the main description, everything was very detailed. Elder Huo gazed at the company name and fell silent.

Chase... Huo...

"The name of this company is quite interesting—'Chase Huo,' following after our Huo family."

Elder Huo’s eyelid twitched.

Huo Hongjun didn't notice and laughed, concluding, "The kid is alright. He's worthy of being a descendant of our Huo family."