He politely said to the director, “I’m sorry, but I have no intention of shooting a movie.”
The director immediately replied, “Even just a cameo appearance would be fine.”
Putting aside everything else, Lin Yi’s face alone was perfect for the big screen and would undoubtedly become a highlight of the entire film.
Lin Yi still refused, “I’m sorry, but I really don’t plan to shoot anything.”
After finishing the current children’s variety show, he would completely withdraw from the entertainment industry and live a free and easy life.
Seeing Lin Yi’s firm resolve, the director didn’t push further.
However, he still handed Lin Yi a business card, emphasizing, “If you change your mind, please contact me.”
Lin Yi knew he wouldn’t change his mind, but he still took the card and smiled, “Sure.”
Soon, the director left.
Leaving the Lin family standing there.
The scene remained quiet for a long time.
Everyone glanced at He Nian, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Today’s incident was too humiliating. He Nian eagerly tried to connect with the director but was ruthlessly rejected. Even worse, the director then approached Lin Yi, who also turned him down.
What did this mean? Wasn’t it clear that what Lin Yi didn’t want, He Nian was desperately seeking?
The scene was very quiet.
He Nian stood there, feeling as if he had been slapped several times, his cheeks burning with pain.
Lin Yi must have done this on purpose, right? To refuse deliberately and make him look bad?
He Nian felt furious.
Second Aunt’s expression wasn’t much better either.
However, Lin Yi couldn’t be bothered with them. After seeing off the old man, he left by himself.
With this time, he might as well go home and play around.
In the evening.
Lin Yi leaned against the villa’s entrance, watching Huo Mianmian playing with a group of pigeons.
At this moment, Huo Shi came beside him and said, “Sister-in-law, we need to go back to the Huo family mansion tonight.”
Lin Yi’s gaze shifted to Huo Shi, raising an eyebrow, “The Huo family mansion?”
Huo Shi nodded, “Yes, it’s a family gathering tonight. My brother just contacted me and said to take you and Mianmian over first. He’ll head straight there from the company after his meeting ends.”
Lin Yi responded casually, “Sure.”
After all, he was now married to Huo Jihan on paper and was officially his partner, so naturally, he had to attend such family gatherings.
Soon, after they packed up, they drove to the Huo family mansion.
Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian sat in the back seat, while Huo Shi drove in front.
After more than an hour, the car arrived at the Huo family mansion.
As they entered the grounds of the Huo family mansion, the scenery changed instantly.
The Huo family mansion covered a vast area, with buildings exuding an ancient and solemn atmosphere, resembling an old and mysterious estate.
Most of the Huo family members lived here.
Soon, the car arrived in front of a towering castle-like building.
Huo Shi parked the car and turned to Lin Yi, saying, “By the way, Sister-in-law, my brother specifically instructed that you don’t have to worry about socializing. Just do whatever you feel like doing.”
When Huo Shi relayed this message, his handsome face showed a slightly awkward expression.
After all, in his eyes, his brother was always cold and indifferent, barely uttering a word, yet this time, he had thoughtfully given such instructions, which felt a bit mushy.
This made Huo Shi, a 24-year-old single boy obsessed only with esports, somewhat uncomfortable.
Lin Yi noticed Huo Shi’s expression and wanted to tease him, so he deliberately asked, “Really? What were his exact words? Can you repeat them verbatim?”
Huo Shi: “…”
The young man, who usually dominated the esports field, froze on the spot, looking rather embarrassed.
Lin Yi continued, “What, this isn’t acceptable? If you don’t explain clearly, it’s hard for me to grasp the extent. How exactly should I not socialize?”
After a while, Huo Shi, gritting his teeth, said, “My brother’s exact words were…”
He struggled for a long time but still couldn’t get out the next word. Finally, he showed Lin Yi the WeChat chat record between him and Huo Jihan, saying stiffly, “Here, read it yourself.”
Lin Yi didn’t expect teasing Huo Shi to be so entertaining and burst into laughter.
This kid is actually so honest?
He really showed the chat records!!
The car was filled with Lin Yi’s loud laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
Huo Shi: “…”
Watching Lin Yi laughing uncontrollably, he finally realized he had been tricked.
Huo Shi ground his teeth.
Is his sister-in-law this kind of person?!
Soon, Lin Yi and the others got out of the car and walked into the building in front of them.
As they entered, the interior decor showcased the wealth of the Huo family, with various expensive and rare items displayed everywhere, each worth at least six figures.
At that moment, the lights in the hall were on.
Countless crystal chandeliers emitted dazzling light, illuminating every corner of the hall.
This time, almost all the Huo family members were present.
Lin Yi glanced around and recognized several familiar faces.
He had seen these people in various reports.
The Huo family was full of talented individuals, occupying prominent positions in different fields.
It was precisely because of this that the Huo family became a top-tier wealthy clan.
As Lin Yi and the others walked in, many people looked their way.
First, they saw Huo Shi and showed surprise.
Clearly, they hadn’t expected the second young master to return home again.
Then, they turned their attention to Lin Yi.
They didn’t recognize Lin Yi, but seeing him enter with Huo Shi and accompanied by Huo Mianmian, they naturally understood Lin Yi’s identity.
At this moment, Huo Shi asked Lin Yi, “Sister-in-law, do you want to walk around or find a place to sit?”
Lin Yi casually replied, “Let’s find a place to sit.”
They didn’t know these people and had no common topics, so it was best to find a quiet spot.
So, Huo Shi quickly led Lin Yi and the others to a sofa in the corner of the hall.
Meanwhile, many people’s gazes followed them to the sofa.
The reason was simple.
The entire Huo family was vast, with numerous members in both the main and branch families, naturally forming several factions.
Even within the same family, there were hierarchies.
Clearly, the one at the highest position now was Huo Jihan.
Huo Jihan controlled the entire Huo Group and the Huo family.
One word from him could decide many people’s fates.
Most of the Huo family members feared Huo Jihan and had to curry favor with him, as he was the center of power in the family.
At the same time, some tried to challenge Huo Jihan’s authority, such as some uncles and aunts who would use their seniority to comment on certain matters.
A few years ago, when Huo Jihan was about to take over the Huo Group, many uncles and aunts opposed him.
Their stance was clear: how could a junior like Huo Jihan directly control the Huo Group without going through them?
However, Huo Jihan then launched a fierce purge, intimidating those uncles and aunts into silence. Some even fled abroad due to fear.
Recently, everyone had enjoyed peaceful lives.
They relied on Huo Jihan and received many benefits.
But some, seeing the calm situation, started to stir up trouble again.
For example, a third uncle from the Huo family.
He considered himself old and respected but was overshadowed by the junior Huo Jihan, which he found unacceptable.
He dared not confront Huo Jihan directly but, seeing Huo Shi, thought of starting from there.
Over here.
Lin Yi and Huo Shi were talking.
Huo Mianmian was lying on the sofa, playing with a small stuffed toy.
At this moment, an elderly man in his seventies, leaning on a cane, walked over to them.
Seeing the elder, Huo Shi called out, “Third Uncle.”
Third Uncle sat down on the sofa next to them, resting his hands on the cane as he looked at Huo Shi and asked, “When did Huo Er come back home?”
Huo Shi replied honestly, “It’s been a while.”
Third Uncle frowned, his tone stern and condescending, “You young punk, you insisted on chasing after some dream and went off to play esports. What do you think of the outcome now?”
Huo Shi lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Seeing this, Third Uncle continued, “You went off to compete and disappeared for more than two years. Even when your parents passed away one after another, you didn’t come back. You didn’t even see them for the last time. Is that how you treat your parents?”
Huo Shi’s head hung lower, his breathing became heavier, and veins began to protrude on his forehead.
It was clear that his emotions were surging, and his eyes had turned red.
The matter with his parents was a wound he could not bear.
Lin Yi had been sitting aside, listening to their conversation with a casual attitude.
But upon hearing this, he was slightly surprised and widened his eyes.
Huo Shi missed seeing his parents for the last time because he went to compete?
If that was the case, it would explain Huo Shi’s unusual behavior recently.
Lin Yi now had a general understanding of what had happened.
It all started when Huo Shi decided to drop out of school to play esports. Naturally, Huo Shi’s parents tried to stop him, leading to a family conflict. Later, Huo Shi stubbornly left home to compete, disappearing for more than two years without any contact. During this period, both his parents passed away…
Thinking about this, Lin Yi slightly furrowed his brow.
So, Huo Shi must be feeling incredibly guilty, believing he was unfilial for not seeing his parents before they died.
That was also why he had asked Lin Yi what to do if he regretted something but couldn’t make amends.
However, Lin Yi didn’t feel comfortable making too many judgments about these matters.
Life is full of regrets, and even if one regrets something deeply, there is no way to make up for it.
After successfully lecturing Huo Shi, Third Uncle saw Huo Shi with his head bowed, looking pained, and felt satisfied.
He couldn’t lecture Huo Jihan, but he could lecture Huo Jihan’s younger brother and Huo Jihan’s… other half.
Lin Yi was lost in thought when he noticed someone staring at him.
He looked up and found Third Uncle staring at him.
The next second, Third Uncle asked, “Are you Lin Yi?”
Although he had never met Lin Yi in person, he had heard about the kind of partner Huo Jihan had chosen.
In response to Third Uncle’s question, Lin Yi replied indifferently, “I am Lin Yi. So what?”
Third Uncle continued, “I heard you’ve been in the entertainment industry but haven’t made a name for yourself?”
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow, “So what?”
Third Uncle huffed, “I never thought that someone as capable as Huo Jihan would have such poor taste in choosing a partner.”
There was a reason for Third Uncle’s indignation.
He had once personally visited Huo Jihan to introduce a marriage proposal, which Huo Jihan rejected without hesitation, completely disregarding his efforts.
This had been weighing heavily on his mind, almost becoming a source of distress.
Before Lin Yi could respond, Huo Shi, who had been bowing his head, suddenly looked up at Third Uncle and warned coldly, “Stop talking.”
His eyes were still red, but his tone had regained its composure.
While he remained silent when Third Uncle criticized him, he wouldn’t tolerate criticism of Lin Yi.
Third Uncle was taken aback by Huo Shi’s direct defiance and struck the floor with his cane, “Huo Er, what tone is that? Have you forgotten respect for your elders?”
The sound of the cane hitting the floor was loud, drawing the attention of many people.
Third Uncle could not allow himself to lose face in public and raised his voice, “As an elder, what’s wrong with me saying a few words about Lin Yi? He comes from a lowly background and doesn’t match our Huo family. Am I wrong? Besides…”
Huo Shi interrupted him again, “I said, stop talking.”
When Huo Shi stared at someone like this, he looked like a wild wolf ready to pounce, making others fear he might explode at any moment.
Third Uncle was momentarily frightened.
But he quickly continued, “What, are you going to turn against me for an outsider? What’s so special about this outsider that…”
“Bang!”
A sharp sound interrupted Third Uncle’s words.
Huo Shi had somehow picked up a fruit knife and slammed it into the coffee table, warning Third Uncle word by word, “Say one more word and see what happens.”
The sight of the shiny fruit knife startled everyone around.
Third Uncle was so frightened that his heartbeat became uneven, pointing at Huo Shi: “Y-you, you’ve gone too far…”
At this moment, someone else noticed the tension and came over to mediate.
“Alright, what’s going on here? We finally got together, and now you’re arguing?”
“Huo Shi, quickly apologize to Third Uncle; he is your elder after all.”
Someone else chimed in directly: “Huo Shi, Third Uncle has heart problems. If you scare him into something serious, who will take responsibility for that?”
“I will.”
Suddenly, a cold and oppressive voice echoed through the room.
Everyone turned their heads, and in the next second, the entire hall fell silent.
Huo Jihan, dressed in black, walked steadily into the hall.
His eyes were as dark as night, covered with a layer of ice, coldly scanning everyone present.
For a moment, there was not a sound in the hall.
If anyone had dared to try bullying Lin Yi and Huo Shi before, no one would dare to provoke Huo Jihan now.
Because the consequences would be unbearable.
Everyone held their breath, some even trembling uncontrollably.
Third Uncle, upon seeing Huo Jihan, lost his earlier bravado, and his heart seemed to ache more from nervousness.
But he felt compelled to say something, so he forced out a shaky voice: “Y-you came just in time. Take care of your brother.”
Huo Jihan’s dark eyes turned to Huo Shi.
Huo Shi trembled slightly, an instinctive reaction when facing his brother, as he always seemed to make mistakes in front of him.
He was used to being criticized by his brother.
But this time, Huo Jihan slowly said: “You did well.”
Just five simple words.
But they carried great weight.
Huo Shi looked up at Huo Jihan, disbelief in his eyes.
For a moment, his eyes were subtly moistened.
He wasn’t sure if it was because he rarely heard praise from Huo Jihan or because seeing Huo Jihan arrive made him feel like a bullied child seeing a parent, assuring him that everything was alright.
Either way, his tense emotions relaxed, and more feelings welled up, making his eyes moisten involuntarily.
At this moment, Huo Jihan turned to Lin Yi: “Are you okay?”
Lin Yi nodded: “Yes, I’m fine.”
Huo Jihan said, word by word: “That’s good.”
That’s good.
Three simple words, but they clearly conveyed Huo Jihan’s attitude-since Lin Yi was unharmed, he wouldn’t pursue the matter further.
Everyone couldn’t help but speculate.
What if Lin Yi had given a different answer? What would Huo Jihan have done then?
Regardless, everyone present understood one thing.
This Lin Yi was absolutely someone they couldn’t afford to offend, as Huo Jihan had made it clear he would stand up for Lin Yi.
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