Huo Yao lowered her head to look at the ground every now and then with her hands in her pockets. She seemed as though she was strolling leisurely.
The tail behind her seemed to disappear after she slowed down.
This felt odd.
A solemn look emerged in Huo Yao’s eyes.
Her phone rang in her pocket. Huo Jinyan was calling to ask why she was not back yet.
Huo Yao replied softly. “I’ll be home soon.” Then she hung up the phone.
She strolled around the villa a few times before she slowly headed home when she did not detect anyone’s presence.
After entering the door, Huo Yao briefly chatted with her father, sitting on the couch watching the television. She recalled what happened in the estate, so she added. “Dad, have you encountered any strange people lately?”
Huo Jinyan looked at his daughter. He frowned as he handed her some peeled orange and asked her. “Strange people? Nope. Why did you suddenly ask?
Did his daughter detect the men that Huo Changfeng sent to protect her again?
Huo Yao took the orange and placed a slice into her mouth unhurriedly. She spoke vaguely, “I heard that some people in the estate got followed by some thugs, so you and Mom have to be careful.”
Huo Jinyan was stunned. “Really?”
“Uh huh. I heard about it when I went to the print shop,” said Huo Yao without batting an eye.
“Okay. Got it.” Huo Jinyan did not look cautious or worried at all. Instead, he looked relieved since his daughter did not discover the people sent to protect her.
Huo Yao glanced at him quizzically. Something seemed wrong with her father’s reaction.
Huo Yao finished the last slice of orange before she said, “Dad, my classmate invited me over for dinner tomorrow night, so you don’t have to pick me up after school.”
Huo Jinyan instinctively asked her. “Was it the classmate who gave you the painting?”
“Uh huh,” replied Huo Yao gently with her eyes slightly narrowed.
“Okay. Don’t come back late,” said Huo Jinyan before he stood up. “Hang on. I have something for you. You can’t go over empty-handed…”
Huo Yao remembered the antique inkstone that her father wanted to give Meng Ying previously, so she stood up and said, “It’s fine. It’s just dinner. Since we are classmates, it will just seem old-fashioned to bring a gift along.”
Huo Jinyan halted in his steps and turned to look at her. He felt that she made sense and said, “Okay. Then invite her over for dinner next time.”
“Uh huh.” Huo Yao nodded. “I’m going to my room to revise.”
“Okay. Don’t stay up late. Rest early,” reminded Huo Jinyan with concern.
Huo Yao acknowledged him obediently and went upstairs.
After Huo Yao went up the second floor, Huo Jinyan sat down on the couch and thought about what his daughter said about getting followed by hooligans.
A while later, he pulled out his phone to send Huo Changfeng a text message.
[Changfeng, send two more people to protect her. Do your best to stay out of her sight. I don’t want to scare her.]
*
After Huo Yao went back to her room, she retrieved the material that she had printed from her pocket. She laid the paper on her desk and smoothened them out.
She flipped through a few pages before she took out her notebook from her school bag and sat down at her desk.
