Chapter 232 - 231: Site Selection

Chapter 232: Chapter 231: Site Selection

Gu Qingyin thought fast, pulling Sheng Wan aside. In a low voice, she said, "The poor kid lost his mom right after he was born. His dad and I happen to be friends, so I come over to help with the child sometimes. Godmother, please don’t get the wrong idea. There’s really nothing else to it."

Sheng Wan asked, "And so he calls you ’Mom’?"

Gu Qingyin said, "...Yes. Godmother, I’m sure you can understand."

Sheng Wan huffed softly. It was hard to say whether she believed her, but her expression had softened considerably when she turned back. Still, she gave Huo Yunjing a thorough look-over before smiling at Huo Xingchen. "Come visit Grandma’s house when you’re free."

Huo Xingchen nodded obediently. "Goodbye, Grandma." Then, ever so thoughtfully, he also waved to Zhou Lang beside her. "Goodbye, Grandpa."

Zhou Lang offered a gentle smile in return. After saying his goodbyes, he entered the banquet hall.

"Let’s go." Gu Qingyin breathed a sigh of relief and got into the car with Huo Xingchen.

On the way, Huo Xingchen couldn’t resist asking, "Mom, what did you say to Grandma Sheng?"

Gu Qingyin whipped her head around to stare at him, a smile playing on her lips but not reaching her eyes. "You have the nerve to ask."

Huo Xingchen chuckled, offering a playful reason. "I didn’t want to call you ’Auntie,’ Mom."

Gu Qingyin paused, then reached out to ruffle his hair. "Well, you succeeded. From now on, you can call me ’Mom’ loud and proud."

Huo Xingchen’s smile grew even wider.

Huo Yunjing first drove the mother and son home, then headed to his apartment in the city center.

As fate would have it, he ran into Zhou Jingchuan, who was also getting home late.

What can you say? Fate works in mysterious ways.

Huo Yunjing had owned this apartment for six or seven years, but he only stayed over when he was occasionally working on a commission or had to catch a flight.

It was the same for Zhou Jingchuan. He owned many properties, and after his evening social functions, he would simply stay at whichever was nearest.

In all the years prior, the two had never crossed paths. But tonight, the gears of fate finally began to turn.

The two of them stepped into the same elevator. Huo Yunjing stood quietly, his eyes fixed forward.

Zhou Jingchuan, however, froze the instant he saw him. The resemblance to Huo Xingchen was too strong; it was impossible not to connect the dots.

The elevator ride lasted only a dozen seconds, but for Zhou Jingchuan, it was sheer agony.

Finally, the elevator doors opened, and Huo Yunjing started to exit.

Gritting his teeth, Zhou Jingchuan followed him out. "What is your relationship with Gu Qingyin?"

Huo Yunjing stopped and turned to face him, studying his features for a moment before speaking. "Zhou Jingchuan?"

Zhou Jingchuan sneered. "Did Gu Qingyin mention me to you?"

Huo Yunjing shook his head. Out of respect for Zhou Jingchuan’s parents, he offered a piece of advice. "You should learn to control that temper of yours. It’ll cause you trouble." With that, he turned and walked away.

Zhou Jingchuan was utterly baffled. By the time he snapped out of it, the other man had already disappeared into his apartment! Furious, he kicked the wall beside him, only for his face to twist in pain a second later.

Zhou Jingchuan lived upstairs. After returning to his apartment, the more he stewed on it, the more resentful he became. Fueled by liquid courage, he called his mother and told her everything about Gu Qingyin and the father-son pair, coloring the story with his own bitter feelings.

Sheng Wan listened in silence the entire time. Only when he had finished did she scold him, her voice thick with exasperation. "You didn’t treasure her when you had the engagement, so what’s the damn use of regretting it now? Yinyin is beautiful, has a wonderful personality, and lacks for nothing. Why in the world should she just wait around for you?"

"If it weren’t for the fact that you’re my own flesh and blood, I’d have thrown you out of the house ages ago!" Sheng Wan took a sharp breath, her tone ferocious. "I’m warning you! Don’t you dare go bothering Yinyin again, or I’ll have your father break your damn legs!"

The call ended, and Zhou Jingchuan completely deflated, losing all traces of his formerly arrogant, CEO-like swagger.

Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouths, getting everything they desire without ever suffering a single setback or hardship. They come to believe the world revolves around them. It’s only when life gives them their first rude awakening that they belatedly realize just how much everything aches.

But by then, it’s too late. For the rest of their lives, the memory will surface from time to time, a secret, throbbing ache.

While waiting for a reply from Dongfang Lingjun, Gu Qingyin kept busy. She continued to cram on the subject of the Space-Time Array while also taking Huo Xingchen to eat, drink, and play all around the city.

During this period, Huo Yunjing also found the time to take the mother and son to the Heavenly Master Association to look through its collection of books on the Space-Time Array. The collection wasn’t much more extensive than what the Huo Family had, but it was better than nothing.

On the fifth day, Dongfang Lingjun finally sent word. He had discussed the matter with his daughter, and they would take it on as a normal commission. The price, however, was rather steep, and Gu Qingyin’s party would also have to cover all expenses required to set up the Array.

Gu Qingyin naturally agreed to all the terms; the finer details would be discussed when they met in person.

The next day, Huo Yunjing once again brought Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen to Dongfang Lingjun’s private villa.

When they met this time, Gu Qingyin sensed that Dongfang Lingjun was far more relaxed. He seemed relieved from the inside out, as if he had finally let go of a long-held obsession and was starting to truly enjoy his life.

Gu Qingyin smiled and said, "Congratulations."

Dongfang Lingjun gave a broad smile. "I should be thanking you. Yaoyao and I had been avoiding this issue, but we finally managed to talk it all out. Sometimes, you have to be backed into a corner to make a choice. And once you do, well, it’s done. It wasn’t as difficult as I’d imagined."

"Sit." Dongfang Lingjun gestured to the sofa and walked over to the coffee maker. He began grinding beans as he spoke, "Let me have you try some coffee beans I just got yesterday. I hear the yield is very low; you can’t buy them even if you have the money."

Huo Xingchen couldn’t sit still and ran over to look at the coffee beans.

’This stuff...’ Coffee had been a necessity for him during his years as a professional esports player. After all that time, he had become a bit of a connoisseur, though he’d rarely drunk it since retiring.

Seeing his interest, Dongfang Lingjun simply gave him a couple of the beans. "This variety is quite bitter. Don’t eat them."

Huo Xingchen sniffed them. They had a charcoal-roasted aroma and were dark in color, a black with hints of tea-brown. He popped one in his mouth and tasted it. It had the flavor of toasted chocolate and was quite good.

Dongfang Lingjun made three glasses of iced coffee.

"Grandpa, let me help you carry those," Huo Xingchen offered sensibly. ℴ

"Alright!" Dongfang Lingjun quickly prepared a glass of milk, added just a splash of coffee to make a latte for Huo Xingchen, and handed it to him. "This one’s yours. You can take it with you."

Gu Qingyin and Huo Yunjing hadn’t gone over to join in. They simply stood up and accepted the coffees with both hands when Dongfang Lingjun brought them over.

Gu Qingyin wasn’t a coffee expert, but she knew how to offer the right compliments, like "This smells amazing," "It’s delicious," and "You’re a true master at brewing coffee."

After some small talk revolving around the coffee, they finally got down to business.

"I’ve done some research over the past few days," Dongfang Lingjun said, his tone serious. "The Space-Time Array isn’t like other Arrays. The choice of location is even more critical than its construction. When the Array is activated, it will affect the surrounding magnetic field, so it’s best to find a remote location, far from any city, where people rarely go."

Gu Qingyin turned to Huo Xingchen. "Where did you build the Array the first time?"

Huo Xingchen replied, "Ai Lao Mountain."