Huo Sishen didn’t respond.

  Huo Wencheng did not wait for one. He knew how talkative Huo Sishen was.

  “Big Brother, you know how mom and grandpa feel about this… they’ve locked ChuChu up and the atmosphere is very unpleasant at home right now.

  “Big Brother, you have already managed to stay away all these years. Why would you want to ruin it all now?”


  As he was talking, there was not much emotions in Huo Sishen’s black eyes.

  Siyi, sitting in the passenger seats, pursed his lips.

  If that was his younger brother, Sier, talking to him like that? He would for sure beat him up!

  So what if the brother wanted to meet up with his sister?

  Did she not return in one piece?

  Why did he need to call and say awful things like this early in the morning?

  That he was not welcomed, and that he was a walking curse, and that he needed to stay away from them!

  This young brother would only be happy if his own brother never returned home and never meet up with anyone?

  Siyi took a cautious look at Huo Sishen through the rearview mirror.

  He felt better only after he saw his boss’s look.

  “Big Brother, are you listening to me?” ask Huo Wencheng again.

  He paused for a little bit when he didn’t get a response.

  “I know you are not happy but I need to say this. Saying the right things are always difficult.

  “Mom and grandma have been traumatized and they are getting up there in age. They can’t handle anymore incidents. We should be familial to them to ensure that they have a happy golden age.

  “Chuchu had always listened to you. All these years she had been rebellious and acting wildly for you and mom and grandma only pretended that nothing had happened. They didn’t want to push her any further so they just went along with her.”


  Huo Wencheng’s tone was getting worse.

  “Big Brother, even not for mom, you should at least have Chuchu’s best interest in mind. She’s not getting any younger. She should be dating and getting married. Even for her, it’s about time to settle down and truly live her life.

  “Not only do you not talk some sense into her but you brought her over to your place? What if something had happened? What if her reputation is tainted and she can’t find a husband?

  “Big Brother. You love her the most, right? Do you really want her to waste her youth like this and not be able to get married?”


  Huo ChuChu wasn’t that old but, for a girl, there were just these few years to find a good husband.

  Once she was over 30, things would be more difficult than they were in her 20s.

  And for alliance marriages between prestigious families, most of the time a girl was judged by her reputation and her temperament.

  Huo ChuChu was never a lady-like girl and was never well-liked among grandmothers. If she was to earn the reputation of being a curse or being cursed, she would never be able to find a suitable spouse in this circle!

  And how’d the Huo’s be willing for her to look for a man outside of this circle who didn’t measure up to her?

  Everybody had only heard one too many stories about phoenix men.

  And how many of them ended up with a happy ending?

  With Huo ChuChu’s personality, how would she be able to handle a man with inferiority complex?

  These were all very practical problems.

  Even so, when these words came out of Huo Wencheng, they were mixed with broken glass and knives!

  He had pulled himself and the rest of the Huo’s out of the equation.

  And placed every ounce of blame onto Huo Sishen.

  Any good things that happened to them was due to their hard work and luck.

  Any bad things that happened to them would naturally because they had been too close to Huo Sishen and was affected by his curse.

  What the heck was this?!

  What kind of blood relative was this?!

  Siyi did not look happy at all.

  His finger was already hovering over the “End” button and ready to stop this voice at any given minute.

  Huo Sishen, sitting in the back seat, was already used to this.

  There were no emotional ups or down in his eyes.

  “You done talking?”


  Huo Sishen’s voice was very cold.

  Chapter 257 - “If Gu Wushuang tries anything else again, I won’t promise that no actions will be taken against her.” (1)

  Huo Wencheng was stopped short. “Yes, one more thing, Big Brother. Luo Pingting would like to meet up with you. Do you have time this Saturday afternoon? She wants to take you out to lunch. Said she had something that she wants to talk to you about.”


  Siyi raised his brows.

  That very unfortunately young miss… she had already greatly annoyed the boss in the past.

  And now she wanted to dine with the boss?

  Ho. Exactly how much pull did she think she has?

  Who knew? After a slight pause from the backseat, Huo Sishen responded.

  “Mmm.”


  Huo Sishen’s long and slender finger pressed onto Gu Shishi’s WeChat profile picture.

  “Send me the time and location.”


  Siyi was genuinely surprised.

  Huo Wencheng seemed to feel the same way. “Oh, okay.”


  Huo Sishen’s distant voice rang again.

  “Huo Wencheng.

  “You know that I am not a patient man. I am only going to say this one.

  “If Gu Wushuang tries anything else again, I won’t promise that no actions will be taken against her.”


  He closed his eyes and lifted his hand.

  Siyi immediately hung up the phone.

  Huo Wencheng, hearing that the call had been disconnected, did not look too good.

  “Brother Cheng, what did Big Brother Huo say? Did he agree to meet up with Pingting?”


  Sitting next to him was the delicate Gu Wushuang.

  She had on a white dress today. Her hair was tied back behind her back and there was even a pink little flower on her hair. Her entire person exuded the tenderness of a girl next door.

  Gu Wushuang clutched her hands over her chest and there was a shred of anxiousness on her pretty face that would make others want to cherish her.

  “What is it, Brother Cheng? Was it a problem relaying the message for Pingting? It’s alright if Big Brother Huo didn’t agree to it. I didn’t know how Pingting feel before, but now she is…”


  She lowered her head and looked very pitiful. She even wiped the corner of her eye with her hand.

  “The Luo’s had collapsed and Pingting is very pitiful too. I heard that Big Brother Huo wanted her to go over to his place to play the piano. Whatever did he mean by that? I just worried about Pingting being depressed. I know she had given Gu Shishi some hard times in the past, but still…”


  And in just a few words, she managed to loop it back to Gu Shishi.

  Huo Wencheng wasn’t too happy being lectured at first.

  And wanted to tell Gu Wushuang to stay out of the Luo’s matters. But now that he had heard this, he paused.

  “For real? This was Gu Shishi’s idea?”


  Huo Wencheng has never had a good impression of Gu Shishi.

  The girl was somewhat fond of him in the past but she had no poise. She was too intimidated to let him know about her feelings for him but she’d peek at him day in and day out. It wasn’t until after her engagement with his brother that she finally tried to approach him.

  But once they were engaged, she was his sister-in-law.

  Being her brother-in-law, her approaching him would put him in a difficult position in front of his brother and the others.

  As such, in his eyes, Gu Shishi was one who did not observe what was socially acceptable.

  Huo Wencheng frowned just from thinking about it.

  First, she tried to fool her sister. And now she tried to revenge Young Miss Luo through the hands of his brother?

  This Gu Shishi was really something!

  “It’s not Shishi’s fault, really. It was my fault for not watching over her and Pingting…” said Gu Wushuang again weakly.

  Huo Wencheng cut her off.

  “My brother had agreed to lunch with Luo Pingting on Saturday.

  “But, Wushuang, you stay away from Gu Shishi.”


  Recalling his brother’s words, he couldn’t help but thought about Gu Shishi’s face.

  She seemed like a simple person yet she was spreading rumors and driving wedges behind people’s back? And she made his big brother who didn’t get out of the house thought poorly of Wushuang?

  “You just stay away from the woman as much as you can in the future. And don’t have anything to do with my brother. I don’t want you getting hurt.

  “Don’t invite Gu Shishi to the Li’s banquet next week. I will make sure Chuchu was locked up at home as well.”


  Chapter 258 - “If Gu Wushuang tries anything else again, I won’t promise that no actions will be taken against her.” (2)

  “Ugh, do you really think that will fly?”


  The one who was talking shakily was none other than Chen Kexin.

  And she was, right now, sitting inside the car of the Huo’s.

  She had been intimidated by the rumors that being close to Big Brother Huo would bring back luck.

  But now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

  She was shocked by Gu Shishi’s outfit.

  In order to prevent her grandmother from recognizing her, Gu Shishi came prepared.

  Face mask, hat, and shades.

  She even had on a traditional garb that she had gotten from somewhere. It had a blue top with a cheongsam style short sleeves and buttons and a black dress all the down to her ankles.

  Gu Shishi let her long black hair cascaded down.

  And she resembled a very traditional woman.

  When Chen Kexin saw Gu Shishi today, her first thought was that she had watch too much period drama the night before…


  But…


  “Didn’t you say that your grandmother thinks that I am in my 60s?”


  Gu Shishi thought this was about right.

  Chen Kexin, “…..”


  No, you overdone it.

  Not even my grandmother would dress like that!

  Gu Shishi was pleased with herself though.

  She felt that she had gone back to her roots.

  What could be better than dressing in traditional garb, lighting some incense, and painting a traditional ink painting?

  Even though this garb wasn’t as pretty as a Han outfit, but it’d have to do for now.

  “I was going to go with Han outfit. But then I thought that might be a bit over the top.”


  Having said that, Gu Shishi felt regretful.

  “Plus, I was late ordering on Taobao and wasn’t able to get it in time.”


  Chen Kexin’s eyes beamed. “You like Han outfit?”


  She did as well!

  That would make sense, on second thought. Gu Shishi was an ink painting guru. She must have an even better appreciation for everything traditional.

  Gu Shishi nodded but did not elaborate on that.

  Looking at her cellphone, she couldn’t remember how many days it had been since the boss had send her a red packet.

  The boss had been leaving early and coming late the last few days and she hadn’t even seen him around.

  Would they grow apart if this kept up?

  Even good friends, if they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, it’d still be a little awkward when they suddenly ran into each other.

  What about the boss then?

  Would he have forgotten about her in a few more days’ time?

  Gu Shishi sat properly in the backseat with her cellphone in her hand.

  Feeling a little worried, she sent him a WeChat message.

  [A large sum is better than asking for my well being.jpg. Mr. Huo, have you had breakfast yet? Don’t forget to eat~]

  [Mr. Huo, have you been very busy with work lately? Then I shouldn’t disturb you. Ping me if you need me~]

  Gu Shishi rested her head on her hand!

  After she had sent the messages, she felt that they were sincere enough.

  It didn’t thoroughly express her desire for red packet.

  She thought about it for a little bit and pulled out her mini iPad from her purse (part of her thanksgiving gift). Using her Apple pen, she drew a silly-looking little girl carrying a red packet on her back and her cheeks flushed.

  Her animation-style eyes were filled with blinking stars.

  And she added popular internet emoji-font.

  [Baba, $20 more please!]

  As she was drawing, Gu Shishi’s lips started to curve upward.

  She saved that as an emoji and sent it over to Boss Huo.

  Roar!

  Yup! It was cute and that was her!

  One must act when the situation called for it.

  The system had these unannounced bombs in the past before. Who knew if it’d one day gave her a “Male Lead hasn’t been home for a long time, fondness decreases” notification?

  Gu Shishi had always been cautious and conservative when it came to her health.

  She couldn’t just wait around passively so she must make her move!

  Even if the boss couldn’t grow fond of her, she could at least become his headache!

  And wouldn’t grow apart from her.

  Chapter 259 - “If Gu Wushuang tries anything else again, I won’t promise that no actions will be taken against her.” (3)

  Chen Kexin was stunned as she watched Gu Shishi drew.

  As a wealthy young miss who never needed to worry about her allowances, Apple pencil, iPad Pro, the newest Apple phone were nothing new to her. She had played with all of them in the past.

  The Apple pen allowed one to draw directly on the iPad and was almost as good as a dedicated drawing tablet.

  She, too, had bought and tried them out when it came out.

  That lasted for but a few days before she gave up on it. Her skills remained at the level of drawing stick figures.

  With her awful skills, it didn’t matter what she was drawing with.

  But, looking at Gu Shishi today, she was… masterful!

  Just a few strokes and a cute emoji was born under her pen!

  And it looked cuter than any emoji that she had saved.

  “Boss, do you think you can send me a copy of that too so I can add it to my collection?”


  Chen Kexin couldn’t help but rubbed her hands together.

  Who didn’t use emoji when chatting with their girlfriends?

  And she could also use some when flirting with boys too.

  Not to mention her grandma was a fiend for emojis as well and would ask her for new ones from time to time so she could show them off in her old ladies groups.

  “Eh? You like this one?”


  Gu Shishi was a little surprised.

  Then she shook her head.

  “Not this one.”


  Chen Kexin wanted to cry. She had said in the past that there was only business transactions between Gu Shishi and herself.

  In critical moments like this, their friendship was just not quite there yet!

  “I can draw you a different one if you want,” said Gu Shishi immediately after that.

  “This one is for my own use only.”


  This one is dedicated to appeasing the man at home.

  Chen Kexin’s eyes lit up. “You will draw me new ones? Will that be too much trouble? I can pay you.”


  She wanted to smack herself right after she had said that.

  How did she bring up money again? What she needed to do was to work on their friendship.

  Gu Shishi, on the other hand, didn’t really care about 1 yuan or 2.

  Drawing little emojis were like taking a break and entertainment to her.

  “What kind would you like?”


  Chen Kexin’s eyes lit up. “How about cute dragons? That’s my [Chinese] zodiac and my grandma one is rabbit.”


  Gu Shishi raised her brows.

  With her speed, Gu Shishi had already drawn a bunch before she arrived at the Chen’s.

  Rabbit drinking milk tea. Rabbit eating noodles. Rabbit lazing around. Rabbit scribbling in a notebook. Rabbit wearing bifocal lens. Rabbit with baby rabbits…


  Those based what Old Mrs. Chen’s preference on her alias of “Happy Chubster”.

  As for Chen Kexin, Gu Shishi glanced over at her a couple of times.

  And drew a bunch of commonly used emojis.

  All sorts of chubby dragon babies, making cute, whining, rolling on the floor, etc.

  There were 12 in each set.

  “Okay. This should do for now.”


  Gu Shishi flung her wrists a few times.

  The Apple pen was still a little heavy and her wrist got sore after a little while.

  Chen Kexin was already happy beyond words.

  [Beed! Chen Kexin fondness had increased!]

  When they arrived at the Chen’s, she had already showed them off in her friend’s circle and various chat groups.

  [MeowMeow: My very own emojis. No stealing. I am just showing them to you.]

  She received a lot of comments quickly.

  “Cute. Please share.”


  “Already downloaded.”


  “Borrowing.”


  There were all sorts of comments.

  As they have already arrived at the Chen’s front door, Chen Kexin didn’t have time to chat with her friends.

  Tidying her bangs, she brought Gu Shishi with her respectfully.

  During the car ride of less than one hour, Gu Shishi’s status had gone up even more in her eyes.

  Her skills were masterful, she had a good aesthetic sense, and she was down to the earth!

  Who’d have thought that these emojis were drawn by an ink painting guru?

  Chen Kexin showed her into the house happily. “Don’t you worry. Even if my grandma finds out that you are the Ink Painting Guru, she will for sure keep your secret for you.”


  Chapter 260 - “If Gu Wushuang tries anything else again, I won’t promise that no actions will be taken against her.” (4)

  Gu Shishi chuckled.

  She didn’t care too much whether her identity was kept a secret.

  Except that whose painting would worth more money? That of a 60-year-old painter or that of a 20-something little girl?

  That question was a no-brainer.

  This trip that she was making wasn’t so much about revealing her identity, but losing a lot of earning potential.

  But, thinking about it, it didn’t seem that she was in dire need of money. She seemed to be able to get whatever she wanted as long as she let Aunty Zheng know.

  Even without saying a word, everything that she used or ate were of premium quality.

  The only place she’d spend money was to buy herself new painting tools or to buy gifts for the boss.

  Alright!

  No worries!

  Gu Shishi swaggered in behind Chen Kexin.

  The car was parked immediately in front of the mansion and Old Mrs. Chen was waiting in the living room.

  As soon as she saw someone getting out of the car with her granddaughter, she quickly walked up with a happy smile.

  She had merely taken two or three steps up before she narrowed her old but very penetrating eyes.

  “This is… the guru’s disciples?”


  She wouldn’t be surprised if the guru had showed up in traditional garb.

  But what was up with the guru’s disciple dressing this way?!

  Chen Kexin almost dropped onto her knees when she heard that.

  “Grandma, this is Ink Painting Guru.”


  Silence.

  The were silence in the air.

  Complete silence.

  Old Mrs. Chen finally recollected herself when Gu Shishi felt awkward and cleared her throat.

  The guru… was this young?

  The old lady’s eyes widened.

  “Oh, look at my manners… c’mon in, c’mon in. Have some tea to moisten your throat. It’s autumn time and the air is dry.”


  Old Mrs. Chen was, after all, someone used to socializing.

  She quickly recollected herself after her initial shock and treated Gu Shishi with courtesy.

  “No need.”


  Gu Shishi waved her hand.

  “I’ll just get started right away. I need to head home soon.”


  As much as Old Mrs. Chen was aware that she was young, she was surprised once again.

  Judging from her body shape, her hand, and her black hair, she figured Gu Shishi was just very well maintained but would at least be in her 30s or 40s.

  But her voice was so young. No way was she over 30 years old. On top of that, her voice was… somewhat familiar?

  But she didn’t give it too much thought now that the guru had spoken.

  “Alright, follow me.”


  This secondary house of the Chen’s was no smaller than Boss Huo’s house in terms of surface area.

  Through the main structure, they got onto a golf cart and finally arrived at their destination after a passed through a few small paths.

  It was a smaller building where they prepared and fired the pottery.

  Old Mrs. Chen showed them the place in person.

  There was no look of contempt after she learned that the guru was very young. Instead, she asked cautiously, “Guru, may we stay and watch you work?”


  Gu Shishi nodded.

  She was quite happy with this location.

  The ink and paint brushes had already been set up on the work bench for her along with the potteries.

  There were a lot for her to do. She saw perhaps five little bowls along with two plates.

  That would not take too much time.

  Gu Shishi suddenly noticed that Old Mrs. Chen knew what she was doing.

  Had she asked for 10 or 20 of them all at once, she would have been tried and upset.

  This was the perfect amount.

  Plus, these were just bowls for a child, she didn’t need much inspirations.

  She turned on her Living the Painting and started right away.

  It hadn’t been long before both Old Mrs. Chen on her left and Chen Kexin on her left looked mesmerized.

  The reason was simple.

  Watching Gu Shishi paint in and of itself was art!

  Her paint brush was very smooth and she didn’t need to draft in advance. Seemingly willful and unrestrained, her strokes were unruffled.

  Just a few strokes and she had already painted a Kung Fu Panda; then a cute ink painting of Pikachu; following that was a healthy and silly looking Nezha; and finally was the Monkey King bouncing out of a rock…


  It took her less time to paint than the time that they have spent on the road.

  But nobody could say that she was being sloppy.

  The outline of the panda was simplistic and with a silly smile.

  Pikachu was indescribably cute. Its soft body was etched out in just two strokes.

  Nezha with his fiery rings under his feet and his fiery-red ribbon around his body, his look was extraordinary but his arms and legs were chubby like lotus roots. One word: Cute!

  The Monkey King, needless to say, its air of dominance and unruliness being born out of the nowhere was fully on display on the bottom of the bowl.

  “Incredible!”


  Chen Kexin felt that she was but an audience in a streaming channel when all she could say was “666”.

  But she looked over at her grandma who knew how to fully appreciate this.

  She waited for classy compliments to come from her grandmother.

  Nevertheless –


  Old Mrs. Chen, “666!”


  Chen Kexin, ”……”


  ___

  Author’s Rambling:

  Boss Huo: I am willing to set her free.

  Siyi: … if that’s the case, you need to give her the opportunity to meet other elite young men…


  Boss Huo: What elite young men? There is no such thing!