At nine o’clock, students who had classes were just finishing their first session.
Those without morning classes were getting dressed and leaving their dorms. “Great, today’s weather isn’t as hot as yesterday.”
It seemed like it would be a partly cloudy morning, perfect for eagerly anticipating the legendary scion of a wealthy family who would be speaking today.
For seniors about to graduate but not planning to pursue further studies, the biggest issue recently was employment. They had looked into some of Beijing’s current enterprises, not daring to hope for positions in top-tier companies. However, listening to a speech by the CEO of a top-tier company was an opportunity not to be missed.
An Wuyang walked with his classmates on the crowded edge of the crowd, finding it packed with people and nowhere to step.
As he considered whether to just stand on the sidelines, he unexpectedly saw Old Liu from their class walking towards him, wearing a kindly smile that made him wary.
“An, you’re here?” Old Liu waved, saying, “Quick, come over here. The teacher has arranged a seat for you.”
“Huh?” An Wuyang looked puzzled, hesitated, and pointed at himself. “Teacher, arranged a seat for me?”
He thought to himself, what’s going on here…
“Yes, come quickly.” Old Liu turned and walked away.
Looking around, An Wuyang saw Wen Ling and Xuanyang giving him strange looks, as if they were staring at a devil. He really didn’t know how to explain it, so he simply didn’t: “Well, I’ll go over there and take a look.”
Actually, he was quite nervous because he suddenly remembered that Xuanyang and Wen Ling had both met Huo Yunchuan…
When that guy gets on stage later, there’s no reason they wouldn’t recognize him.
So An Wuyang thought it might be better to keep his distance, to avoid finding himself in an embarrassing situation later.
“An, you can sit here.” Old Liu pointed to a corner seat in the teacher’s area and ushered An Wuyang to sit down.
An Wuyang: “???”
An Wuyang sat there awkwardly, feeling he couldn’t stay there. He blinked, “Teacher… I’d rather stand in the back.”
Old Liu sighed, “This kid…” Couldn’t he just behave a bit? Could he stand in the back?
“There’s no need, plenty of space here. Just sit here,” Old Liu insisted.
An Wuyang shook his head vigorously, “No, no, no.” Sitting in the front row to listen to that big pig’s lecture would be too embarrassing.
“Ah!” Old Liu watched helplessly as the well-behaved An fled into the crowd and soon disappeared from sight.
Although it was scheduled to start at nine o’clock, in reality, after all the students settled in, more than twenty minutes had passed.
The principal looked out the window, confirmed that all the students were in their places, then turned to the young man beside his desk who was sipping tea and reading the newspaper. “Mr. Huo, the students are all ready. Shall we go down?”
The room fell silent.
The sound of a newspaper closing echoed.
“…,” the principal couldn’t help but comment silently to himself, “Indeed, Mr. Huo is quite meticulous. Before leaving, he even neatly folded the newspaper he had just read.”
Of course, he didn’t dare rush him.
Huo Yunchuan set down the newspaper and nodded to the principal, “Please.”
“Mr. Huo, please,” the principal responded, escorting the imposing man out after him.
Today, Huo Yunchuan was as usual, dressed in a crisp and neat shirt and trousers. Despite his handsome and elegant facial features, he carried a habitual air of aloof seriousness that kept him somewhat distant from others.
As he descended from upstairs, casually rolling up his sleeves with a natural gesture, magically dissipating the previous sense of detachment and becoming slightly more approachable.
But not by much.
The moment Huo Yunchuan entered, someone in the audience spontaneously led the entire faculty and students to clap their hands without any pretense.
What does “dragon and phoenix” mean? Students who had studied Chinese for more than ten years finally experienced the profound and elegant beauty of Chinese characters today.
Simply put, a proverb perfectly summarized their impression of Huo Yunchuan.
Because of the applause, Huo Yunchuan casually glanced at the crowd as he walked, causing several breathless girls to forget to breathe.
Among the crowd, An Wuyang hid his face behind a plastic fan that read ‘XX Men’s Health Clinic’, leaving only his bright eyes focused on the man on stage.
It had to be said that at this moment, his heart was pounding just like the girls around him, his face full of infatuation…
The more dramatic young man raised his hand to cover his heart: “Oh no, this is the feeling of falling in love.”
At this moment, he heard a few classmates whispering beside him:
Classmate A: “Damn, I heard last night that he’s the CEO of Huo’s, I thought he’d be some old geezer. Didn’t expect him to be so young!”
Classmate B: “Huo Yunchuan has always been young. He took over the family business in his twenties, just like his childhood friend who’s in the entertainment industry. They’re both winners in life.”
Classmate C: “Don’t you think he’s even more handsome than male stars in the entertainment industry? If you ask me, I’d marry a guy like him even if he didn’t have money.”
Classmate B: “Silly kid, give up on that idea. Huo Yunchuan got married recently and his son has been several months along.”
Classmate C looked impressed, “Wow, you know a lot.”
Classmate B looked smug, “Of course. Unlike those obsessed with internet celebrities, I focus on young and promising heirs of wealthy families. They’re hardworking and positive, much more nutritious than gossip and trashy dramas, don’t you think?”
The student’s refreshing remarks caused An Wuyang next to him to nod repeatedly in agreement.
On the stage, Huo Yunchuan tested the microphone.
A simple, light cough.
The entire audience fell silent.
“Today’s weather is a bit cool, perfect for a lecture,” Huo Yunchuan remarked, glancing at the perpetually overcast Beijing sky. He smiled faintly before officially beginning, “Good morning, students and teachers of Shang University. I am Huo Yunchuan.”
His voice was neither loud nor soft, delivered at a deliberate pace.
The girls in the audience, just like An Wuyang had experienced before, found their ears tingling.
After a brief moment of surprise, they erupted into enthusiastic applause once more.
The applause lasted for quite some time before subsiding.
“This is my first time giving a lecture on campus, and I honestly didn’t intend to come,” Huo Yunchuan continued, always unapologetic about how he presented himself. “I’m sure some of you already know why I’m here.”
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the entire audience.
There’s a saying about hitting the nail on the head. Those fans who were besieging the sweet schoolboy yesterday inevitably felt their cheeks burn, as if they had done something shameful.
“…,” the boy standing in the crowd with his face covered watched the man on stage in a daze.
So this was what he meant by “I will handle it,” straightforward and not caring about anyone’s feelings…
“I want to give him an undisturbed environment. Those of you who like him, please treat him like an ordinary classmate when you see him in the future, okay?” Huo Yunchuan said. “If you like him, please join me in caring for him.”
The audience fell silent as chickens, not a sound to be heard.
What was he saying?
99% of the students were puzzled.
However, if you looked closely, you would notice that some students were covering their mouths with their hands to suppress their emotions.
But not because Mr. Huo was picking on them!
It was because today, their ship had sailed right in front of them.
“That’s all I’ll say about him. Next up is the formal lecture,” concluded CEO Huo after his heartfelt words, effortlessly transitioning into the role of a domineering CEO, his expression turning ice-cold as he addressed these young students, discussing the pivotal transition from campus to society.
As everyone applauded, An Wuyang quietly wiped his eyes under the fan, “…”
Nineteen years old this year, it wasn’t until meeting Dun Dun’s Daddy that he realized there are truly kind people in this world who are so good to strangers.
Huo Yunchuan’s lecture had all the students of Shang University listening as attentively as elementary school children listening to their teacher’s lecture. After all, his stern style and every unfriendly word he uttered straightforwardly shattered young people’s illusions, teaching them to face a society that wasn’t as bad as they imagined but certainly not as good either.
If many successful people’s speeches are primarily about encouragement and guidance, then Mr. Huo’s speech was pure devilry, piercing right where it hurts.
Moreover, his speech didn’t leave room for others to interject; from beginning to end, it was a solo performance without giving the students any chance to ask questions.
The wilful and sharp-tongued scion of a wealthy family silently earned a new label from the students of Shang University.
At the conclusion of his speech, Huo Yunchuan said, “If in the future, you can find an object as outstanding as my partner, then you can ignore the nonsense I said today.”
The students below couldn’t help but laugh, and after laughing, they felt a deep pang of sadness.
Marrying into a wealthy family was impossible, absolutely impossible in this lifetime.
But, while others might find such a statement shameless, when Huo Yunchuan said it, they thought this unexpectedly dark humor came from someone usually so serious.
In summary, two words describe it perfectly: devilish.
An Wuyang, who thought he might be called out today, stood motionless in the crowd.
He simply focused his gaze, capturing all of that person’s demeanor, including the unapologetically harsh words.
“Mr. Huo…” After the dispersal, the principal, looking nervous, caught up with the man walking towards the parking lot and cautiously asked, “Are you leaving the school now? Aren’t you going to see An Wuyang?”
Huo Yunchuan, still heated from the speech, with a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, glanced sideways at the not-so-old principal and replied, “I can see him any day, no need to rush.”
The principal was taken aback for a moment, but by the time he processed it, he only saw Huo Yunchuan’s retreating figure.
“Truly someone who has weathered storms…” Considering this aura, it was understandable to be more emotionally restrained.
Five minutes later, Mr. Huo, who was emotionally more composed, returned to his car, turned on the air conditioning, and immediately sent a message to An Wuyang’s phone without hesitation.
—”Yangyang, I’m at the parking lot. Come see me.”
Seeing the message, An Wuyang replied:
—”Why should I come see you when it’s so hot? Give me a reason.”
Mr. Huo glanced at the message and replied patiently:
—”There’s air conditioning in the car.”
The young man waiting for messages almost dropped his phone.
Damn, what a lame reason.
But as An Wuyang thought about it, that statement didn’t seem flawed either.
— “Then wait for me, I’ll be right over.”
Huo Yunchuan expressed concern:
—”Walk under the eaves, don’t stay in the sun too long.”
As An Wuyang walked, he replied:
—”Your sun at home?”
“It’s cloudy today, isn’t it?”
Huo Yunchuan quickly replied:
—”Isn’t my sun you?”
Seeing the cheesy love talk that made the young boy shy, he gave a faint wave goodbye.
When he reached the car, he knocked on the tightly closed window.
“Why come over here?” Huo Yunchuan immediately rolled down the window, frowning at the lazily heated figure outside.
“Open the door.” An Wuyang didn’t say much, raising his foot to lightly kick the other’s beloved car.
The older man, understanding somewhat, immediately had a charming smile in his eyes, quickly opening the car door. “Come on in.” He moved the backseat, leaving space for the little angel.
An Wuyang, slender, slowly sat on Huo Yunchuan’s thigh, fanning himself with a plastic fan saying ‘XX Men’s Health awaits you’, under the cool air conditioning. “It’s so hot today, feels like it’s going to rain, right?”
Huo Yunchuan whispered, “I don’t know, but I think you… have the vibe of skipping class.”
The young man, feeling something poking his butt, hesitated, blushed, and decisively opened the door and got out of the car.
“Don’t—” Huo Yunchuan was quick to lock the door, asserting dominantly, “Today, neither of us are getting out of this car.”
Author’s note:
Wuyang: You’re pushing so hard, you’ll end up needing to see a men’s health specialist sooner or later!
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading ❤️”
