Chapter 53: Old Master Huo’s Desire for Control

Huo Beihan watched the mother and daughter step out of the police station and called his driver to pick them up.

Lin Xiu beamed with a full face of smiles. "Beihan, you're here too. I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting outside for so long."

Su Mian shot her a warning look, signaling her not to stir up trouble.

Otherwise, the Huo family would certainly not let her off lightly, and there was a chance even Huo Beihan might be implicated by her actions.

He turned to Su Mian and asked, "Would you like to go to work, or go back to rest?"

The more Lin Xiu looked at the two of them, the more she felt their relationship was extraordinary. She quickly chimed in that she wanted to leave with them.

Su Mian did not want her to be alone with Huo Beihan, fearing that she might harbor other intentions and bring harm to others as well as herself.

Half an hour later, the driver drove up and said, "Madam, young master, young miss, please get in the car."

Su Mian discovered that this person was none other than the man who had a close relationship with Lin Xiu.

Since he had suddenly called this person over, could it be that he had already discovered something?

Upon seeing the driver, Lin Xiu was momentarily stunned, though she did not show it outwardly.

"Eldest nephew, you don't look too good. Your eyes are bloodshot. I think you shouldn't drive either. Why don't we just let the driver take you all back, how about that?"

The person she had been yearning for finally knew how to care for her, and how could he possibly refuse that?

Huo Beihan nodded in agreement, sitting in the backseat with Su Mian, while Lin Xiu somewhat awkwardly took the front passenger seat.

When the three of them arrived at the Huo family residence, Lin Xiu was just pondering how to cozy up to Huo Beihan when, upon entering the door, she saw Elder Huo sitting on the living room sofa, looking as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Looking somewhat awkward, Lin Xiu stepped forward and greeted, "Dad."

The old man let out a cold snort. "I warned you long ago not to go looking for trouble. Does the Huo family lack food and clothing for you, or have we cut off your means of survival, that you need to go out and make a public spectacle of yourself..."

Lin Xiu was lectured until her face turned completely red, not daring to utter a single word in rebuttal.

Huo Beihan reached out to soothe the old man's back. "Grandfather, please calm your anger."

With that, he cast a glance at Su Mian, signaling her to quickly take Lin Xiu back to rest.

Knowing Huo Beihan's intentions and choosing not to expose him, the old man directly led the men away to his study.

On the other side, Su Mian had already brought Lin Xiu back to her room. In her heart, she was somewhat astonished that the old man was so well-informed about Lin Xiu's affairs. What about the matter between Lin Xiu and the driver? Did he know about that too?

At this thought, a chill crept down her spine.

Lin Xiu shook off Su Mian's hand and eagerly demanded, "Where are your dad's shares?"

As expected, this greedy woman still had her eyes set on the shares. She was no longer a member of the Su family, and the shares had even less to do with her.

"Mom, give up on that idea. I've already used all my dad's shares for investments."

Lin Xiu dropped heavily onto the sofa and complained with utter displeasure, "You ungrateful girl, you've really grown up and your wings have gotten stiff. You actually didn't even consult me on something as big as an investment!"

This ungrateful girl simply wanted to watch her die without offering a helping hand and wait to make a fool of her.

Glancing at the luxury jewelry on her vanity and the long-accumulated handbags in her cabinet, Su Mian suggested, "If you want to resolve your difficulties, it's not a difficult task. Selling those bags for cash could fetch quite a bit of money."

Lin Xiu had originally thought Su Mian could help her brainstorm solutions, but she never expected the suggestion would be to sell her bags.

To her, those bags were quite literally more important than her life.

"No way! Selling my bags is no different than asking me to die!"

Su Mian could not understand Lin Xiu's mindset, but at that moment, she had no desire to continue wasting time with her.

Seeing that Su Mian was about to leave, Lin Xiu hurriedly stepped forward to block her path. "Where are you going? Aren't you going to help me find a way out?"

She sighed. "I've already told you the solution. As for whether you do it or not, that's entirely up to you."

Su Mian pushed Lin Xiu aside and walked out of the room.

Originally, she had intended to leave directly, but remembering how Huo Beihan had stood up for her yesterday and guarded her all night, it seemed somewhat inappropriate to just walk away like this.

She planned to say goodbye to Huo Beihan before leaving, but as she passed the study, she overheard the conversation between Elder Huo and Huo Beihan.

"Beihan, you're no longer a young man. It's time to start considering marriage. By the time your father was your age, he had already changed several girlfriends. You ought to put some effort into this."

Though aged, the old man's tone was sharp and allowed no room for refusal. Just standing outside the door listening, Su Mian could feel his overwhelming majesty.

Huo Beihan was somewhat speechless. Right now, he felt a certain dread toward seeing these elders, as almost every time they met, the topic of conversation inevitably turned to pressuring him into marriage.

Seeing him feign ignorance, the old man continued, "I've scouted out a few decent young ladies for you. When you have time, arrange to meet them properly and have a chat."

He was clearly planning to forcefully cram people into his life. This old man was becoming more and more unreasonable.

Listening intently from outside the door, Su Mian broke out in a cold sweat for Huo Beihan.

Huo Beihan looked at the old man with a resolute gaze. "Grandfather, didn't my mother tell you that I already have a girlfriend?"

Hearing this, the old man's expression instantly darkened. "What girlfriend? Your grandfather may be old, but my ears are not deaf and my eyes are not blind. Don't think I don't know that you're just using that girl as a shield."

Su Mian choked back a breath. This old man truly had eyes and ears everywhere.

However, his desire for control was simply too overpowering. Weren't these descendants afraid of rebelling against him one day?

With a hint of dissatisfaction, Huo Beihan spoke up, "Grandfather, what do you mean by that? Has my not wanting to find a girlfriend suddenly become some heinous, unforgivable crime?"

He simply could not comprehend why the old man had to be so overbearing and insisted on controlling everyone's life in the palm of his hand.

The old man snapped angrily, "What? Are you trying to rebel against me now?"

"Don't forget your family name. Since you care so much about that girl, you should think more about her! If you refuse to listen to me, I might not do anything to you—but as for her and that mother of hers, that's hardly guaranteed!"

A jolt ran through Su Mian's heart. She truly had not expected this old monster to be so utterly unreasonable.

His own grandson was being disobedient, yet what did that have to do with their mother and daughter? Why take out his anger on them?

A shock went through Huo Beihan's heart. This old man certainly knew what it meant to cut someone to the quick.

In his heart, Su Mian was the ultimate bottom line that no one was allowed to touch.

"Well? Have you thought it through?"

Huo Beihan nodded helplessly. "I understand. I'll free up a few days next month."

The old man pressed further, "When next month? What exact time? Don't try to play Tai Chi with me."

"How would I know that? Plans change faster than you can keep up. I certainly can't let matchmaking interfere with my work."

Though thwarted, the old man agreed with Huo Beihan's logic. Unwilling as he was, he could not push him too hard, lest the boy truly grow a rebellious spine sooner or later.

Listening clearly from outside the door, Su Mian felt that Huo Beihan bore far too much and far too heavy a burden.