Chapter 228 - 227: Anything Further Would Be Impolite

Chapter 228: Chapter 227: Anything Further Would Be Impolite

After dinner, Huo Xingchen finally got a chance to be alone with Gu Qingyin and started to probe.

"Mom, I really miss Dad and my brothers. Do you?"

Gu Qingyin sighed. "I miss them a lot too. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely be able to go back soon. If things go smoothly, we might be able to go home before your dad has to come over."

Huo Xingchen quickly seized on the key point. ’Why shouldn’t his dad come over?!’

"If Dad comes over, we’ll have a much better chance of getting back."

Gu Qingyin didn’t quite understand. "Since he can come over, why can’t we all go back together?"

Huo Xingchen shook his head. "I don’t know either."

Gu Qingyin tutted, hating for the first time that she had always found Arrays so troublesome and had never perfected her skills in them.

The rest of the day passed without incident. They spent most of it in the Book Collection Pavilion.

As evening approached, Huo Yunjing, who had been missing all day, appeared with some news. "Tomorrow night is the eightieth birthday of the Array master Dongfang Lingjun. You two will come with me. If we’re lucky, we might be able to convince him to help us."

Gu Qingyin racked her brain, but she had no memory of that name.

"Could you tell me more about this Dongfang Lingjun? His personality, his character, his preferences, things like that."

Huo Yunjing thought for a moment. "I only know the rumors from his youth. He despised evil and was rigorously just. He’s been less active in his old age, and there’s been no news of him in recent years. As for his preferences... he likes Ancient Inkstones, high-quality vermillion, and talisman paper."

Gu Qingyin understood. "Please arrange for a car to take us down the mountain. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the Antique Street to try my luck, see if I can’t score a find."

Huo Yunjing wanted to say that the Huo Family had all these things, so she didn’t need to go to the trouble of looking. But on second thought, he figured Gu Qingyin probably didn’t want to owe him another favor, so he kept quiet and agreed to her request.

"Going down the mountain tomorrow morning is fine, it won’t cause any delays. Get a good rest tonight."

Gu Qingyin thanked him again.

Huo Xingchen tilted his head back, his gaze shifting between them. He confirmed that his mom was still very polite to Uncle Huo, and Uncle Huo wasn’t acting in any special way. ’Hmm... I guess I was overthinking things before.’

The next morning, as soon as it was light out, Gu Qingyin took Huo Xingchen down the mountain in a car.

Huo Yunjing didn’t go with them. He had only arranged to pick them up in the evening for Dongfang Lingjun’s birthday banquet. After all, you definitely couldn’t get into the birthday banquet of such a big shot without an invitation.

Gu Qingyin first took Huo Xingchen back to her current home. On the way, she quietly explained her current identity and everything that had happened before she reconnected with him, sparing no detail.

As he listened, Huo Xingchen joined his mom in complaining about it all, finally sighing in exasperation. ’It really does take all sorts.’ At the same time, he felt sorry for this world’s Gu Qingyin.

’If Zhou Jingchuan had just been a little nicer to Gu Qingyin, would she have committed suicide? If she hadn’t, would Mom have even come here? We’d still be in our own world, a happy family.’

The more Huo Xingchen thought about it, the angrier he got. ’It was all that bastard Zhou Jingchuan’s fault!’

The Huo Family’s car took the mother and son all the way to the elevator entrance in the underground garage. Gu Qingyin thanked the driver, got out, and took Huo Xingchen’s small suitcase from the trunk.

The mother and son chatted as they went upstairs, talking about all the big and small things that had happened at home after Gu Qingyin’s disappearance.

Gugu had come over a few times, crying her heart out each time. Her eyes were swollen beyond recognition. Later, Huo Xinghai stopped her from coming, but since he was still worried about her, he temporarily moved to Gugu’s place to live.

As for Mao Mao, he returned to Gu Qingyin’s side, lying by the Ice Coffin every day, refusing to leave no matter what, watching over her without eating or drinking.

After listening, Gu Qingyin sighed, feeling both touched and heartbroken.

Coming out of the elevator, Huo Xingchen held her hand, wanting to comfort her. "Mom, don’t..."

"Who are you calling Mom?"

Huo Xingchen turned to look. He saw a man in a sharp suit, radiating an air of smug arrogance. He almost instantly put a name to the face: Zhou Jingchuan.

Gu Qingyin had already noticed Zhou Jingchuan but couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. She pulled Huo Xingchen behind her and frowned at Zhou Jingchuan. "Do you need something?"

Zhou Jingchuan had long since forgotten the reason he’d come. He pointed at Huo Xingchen and demanded, "Who is he? Why did he call you Mom?"

Huo Xingchen blinked, asking with a look of pure innocence, "Who are you, mister? Why are you at our front door? Is it for something very important?"

"Your home?" Zhou Jingchuan said condescendingly. "You weren’t here the last time I visited."

Huo Xingchen tilted his head. "Then you must not have visited in a very long time, mister."

’Zhou Jingchuan was speechless. It was true he hadn’t been here in a long time, ever since he’d decided to distance himself from Gu Qingyin. But... they had still met frequently during that period! How could he possibly not have known she was pregnant and had given birth?!’

"Is this your adopted child?" It was the only conclusion Zhou Jingchuan could bring himself to accept.

Gu Qingyin’s brow furrowed. "Do you actually need something, or not?"

Zhou Jingchuan pursed his lips, looking at her with a complicated expression. "Lin Xiao and I broke up."

"Huh?" Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but shake her head. "I did say you two wouldn’t last, but I didn’t think it would be this fast."

"Qing Yin, after I went back that day, I thought for a long time. I realized that I love you. What I felt for Lin Xiao was just a temporary thrill, I..."

Gu Qingyin looked horrified. "Stop right there! It would be inappropriate for you to continue!"

Zhou Jingchuan paused for a moment then said firmly, "Let’s get back together."

"No way!" Huo Xingchen interjected, his expression serious. "Mister, I suggest you watch your words. If you keep spouting nonsense, my dad will beat you to death."

His voice was still soft and childlike, yet it held a hint of authority. The threat was surprisingly convincing, yet so adorable that one couldn’t help but want to smile.

Gu Qingyin’s heart, which had just been startled, was soothed quite a bit. She rubbed Huo Xingchen’s head. "Let’s go home, son."

The mother and son treated Zhou Jingchuan like he was thin air, walking right past him, opening the door, and going inside.

Huo Xingchen glanced at the closed door. "What about the person outside?"

Gu Qingyin was unconcerned. "Don’t worry about him. He’s not a very patient person." She beckoned. "Come and see your room."

Huo Xingchen stopped worrying about Zhou Jingchuan and went happily to see his new room.

They unpacked the suitcase, then Gu Qingyin made a simple breakfast. After they ate, cleaned up, and changed clothes, the mother-son duo prepared to head out to the Antique Street.

As expected, there was no one in the elevator lobby.

Without a driver’s license, Gu Qingyin still had to take a taxi to get around. Fortunately, she lived in the city center, so the trip to the Antique Street wasn’t far, taking no more than twenty minutes in total.

After getting out of the car, Gu Qingyin held Huo Xingchen’s hand and stood at the entrance of the Antique Street. She asked with a serious expression, "Son, can you still use your Yin Yang Eye?"

Huo Xingchen nodded. "It’s working fine."

Gu Qingyin breathed a sigh of relief. She patted his small, tender shoulder as if giving him a great mission. "The task of picking out an inkstone is all yours."

Huo Xingchen puffed out his small chest. "No problem!"

Without her own Yin Yang Eye, Gu Qingyin could only rely on her spiritual senses to identify ancient artifacts. But the sheer volume of miscellaneous items on the Antique Street made her spiritual readings unreliable. She had to rely on Huo Xingchen to do the first pass.

The treasure hunt went smoothly. A little over two hours later, the mother and son left the Antique Street, satisfied smiles on their faces.