Chapter 6 House-sitter

Li Xiaolin, who was in the middle of drinking, choked suddenly, almost coughing to death. She desperately tried to signal to Ye Xuan with her eyes, but Ye Xuan seemed oblivious.

Li Xiaolin rolled her eyes in frustration. Was Ye Xuan really that naive? A man this wealthy, and she wasn't seizing the opportunity to latch onto him but instead wanted to go back to her cramped little apartment? Was she crazy?

Huo Jianchen's expression softened slightly as he listened to her. Then he raised an eyebrow. "This isn't my house."

"Huh?"

Ye Xuan was bewildered. What did he mean? It wasn't his house. Huo Jianchen pondered for a moment. "This is the Kyoto Huo family's residence. Have you never heard of the CEO of Huo Group?"

Ye Xuan shook her head blankly. Should she have heard of it? It was the first time Huo Jianchen had ever felt defeated. This woman in front of him hadn't even heard of his name. He was somewhat angry. She was so grown-up, and she hadn't even heard of the Huo family. How ignorant.

"Who?"

To Huo Jianchen's irritation, Ye Xuan still asked innocently. His heart choked, and he struggled to keep his composure.

"You don't need to worry about who it is. Anyway, it's not mine. I'm just taking care of the house for someone else."

Ye Xuan breathed a sigh of relief after listening to him, then earnestly straightened her chest.

"That's good, then. I thought so. Huo's grandmother said you were just a company executive, so I thought this couldn't possibly be your house. But anyway, Mr. Huo, I want to thank you for today. Can I go stay at my friend's place?"

After saying this, she took out the delicately carved antique-like key that Huo's grandmother had given her from her bag.

"Here, this is for you."

Huo Jianchen hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it.

"No, no. I have nowhere to stay."

Li Xiaolin immediately put down the food in her hand and ran over, pushing Ye Xuan directly into Huo Jianchen's arms. Huo Jianchen, who had never had such intimate contact with a woman, felt uneasy. Everyone knew Huo Jianchen, the unrivaled boss of Kyoto, wouldn't allow anyone within three meters of him except for family.

Ye Xuan's hand rested on Huo Jianchen's, and the two of them made skin contact. Huo Jianchen felt his ears burning in places unseen.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

Ye Xuan was startled. She couldn't argue with Li Xiaolin in front of a stranger. She really was a terrible teammate, dropping the ball at a critical moment.

"It's okay. If you have nowhere to stay, you can stay in the house I bought."

Huo Jianchen suddenly felt that this woman wasn't as annoying as he thought.

"That won't do."

She didn't want to live with him alone. Huo Jianchen seemed to see through her thoughts, his gaze sweeping from her head to her feet, his face mocking.

"You're too thin. You're not my type. I'm not interested."

Huo Jianchen said so bluntly that Ye Xuan felt embarrassed. Was she really that worthless in his eyes?

"Uncle Lei—"

Huo Jianchen picked up the golden bell from the table and rang it a few times. Steward Lei appeared before them like a ghost.

"Huo Jianchen."

Before, Huo Jianchen had cautioned Steward Lei not to show that he was his subordinate in front of Ye Xuan, so he still stood up straight. However, speaking to Huo Jianchen like this felt a bit strange to him, and his expression seemed a bit stiff.

"Bring me the key to Yangming Villa."

Huo Jianchen ordered, and Steward Lei quickly complied, still maintaining his professional demeanor.

Then he looked at his bodyguards. "Take Miss Ye to Yangming Villa. I'll come later."

The bodyguard replied, "Yes," and made a gesture of "please."

With no other choice, Ye Xuan had to follow along. Steward Lei stepped back, then returned a few minutes later with a bunch of keys in his hand.

"Young Master Huo, which one do you need?"

Huo Jianchen picked one from the bunch. "This one. Remember to send someone to clean it immediately, and then send the room number to Ah Ye. Let him take those two women there."

Steward Lei acknowledged, "Yes," then couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Huo, is Miss Ye the future Mrs.?"

Huo Jianchen looked at him coldly. "No."

Future Mrs.? How could that be possible? His future wife must be the daughter of a prestigious family, and not only must they be compatible in status, but their family assets must also exceed a billion. Women from poor families like her, who thought they could marry into wealth by putting on airs of superiority and without any ambition, would only drag down the next generation's gene pool with their narrow-mindedness.

There was no way he would listen to his grandmother and marry such a woman.

"Yes, Young Master Huo. I understand."

Steward Lei's expression was serious, and Huo Jianchen's gaze turned icy as he looked at him. "What do you understand?"

"..."

The bodyguard drove Ye Xuan to Yangming Villa. Along the way, Li Xiaolin insisted on getting off the car and repeatedly forbade Ye Xuan from following.

"Miss Ye, although your husband isn't a man of enormous wealth, he's still quite wealthy. With a little promotion, his future prospects will be limitless. You must seize the opportunity."

Seeing Ye Xuan still unwilling, Li Xiaolin hit her with some harsh truths. "Are you thinking of going back to your pitiful past life? Even if you think this man is unreliable, at least give it a try for three months. Plus, men like him might have broad horizons and not be interested in you now, but that could change."

Li Xiaolin's provocation left Ye Xuan feeling furious.

"What do you mean he might not be interested in me? I'm not interested in him either."

What's the big deal? He's just a company executive who always wears a cold expression. This kind of man probably wouldn't even be wanted if he pursued women.

Li Xiaolin waved her hand dismissively. "Goodbye, take care of yourself."

With that, she jumped out of the car and ran off, leaving Ye Xuan sitting dumbfounded in the car, letting the bodyguard take her to Yangming Villa.

From the name, Ye Xuan knew it wasn't some low-grade place. Later, she found out it was in the newly developed area of Kyoto, and it was a row of villas. However, these were what she recognized as villas, small two-and-a-half-story Western-style houses with yards.

It looked quite unique, and there was the Bentley that Huo Jianchen had driven earlier parked in the yard. So, he had come back earlier?

Ye Xuan cautiously pushed open the door and indeed saw Huo Jianchen sitting meticulously on the sofa in the living room.

"Huo, Mr. Huo?"

He was indeed quite fast.

"Yeah."

Huo Jianchen nodded politely, with a touch of formality in his response.

"I don't often stay here. I've been staying with the CEO of Huo Group in the villa you just went to. But it's small but fully equipped. If you need anything, just make a list, and I'll have someone purchase it for you."

Ye Xuan was initially worried that Huo Jianchen would be concerned about living expenses, but now that he said he would have someone purchase whatever she needed, she began to feel embarrassed.

"No need, Mr. Huo. I have at least two thousand yuan in salary every month. You let me stay here for free, so I should cover the cost of daily necessities myself. If you prefer splitting expenses, that's fine too. It's just that my salary isn't high, and I also promised to give my parents a thousand yuan each month, so I may not be able to afford particularly expensive expenses."

Huo Jianchen looked at her with a slightly complex expression, then calmly said, "Living expenses are on me. You've married into me now, so nominally we are husband and wife. There's no reason for you to pay. Supporting a woman is something I can do. It's also necessary."

Ye Xuan's face flushed. "Mr. Huo, you don't need to look down on me. Although I don't have much money, I won't take advantage of you for nothing. As long as it's not an excessively expensive expense, let's split it."

She was afraid that if she ended up spending too much of his money and couldn't repay it, she might end up having to repay him with her body. Huo Jianchen stared at her for a full half minute, and Ye Xuan gathered her courage to say, "I won't sell myself."

Originally, she was worried about this, but Huo Jianchen's lips curved into a faint smile, tinged with sarcasm. "You're too naive. We each have our own room, and without my permission, you can only stand at the door if you want to find me, absolutely not allowed to enter my room."

Ye Xuan felt something was off about his words. He was a grown man, but he seemed to act as if she would force herself on him, setting so many rules. He was the one who was too naive. She was in her twenties and still a virgin.

Unsophisticated man.

Ye Xuan looked around their new home with Huo Jianchen. It was a bit empty, decorated in cool tones, and lacked warmth. It was probably because no one had lived here before. Once she moved in, it would be different.

"Mr. Huo, is your surname the same as the CEO of Huo Group?"

Her casual question made Huo Jianchen wary, and his lips pressed into a line.

"We are of the same clan."

"Oh, what's your name then?"

Huo Jianchen's deep eyes became dark and melancholic, but he still answered.

"Huo Jianchen."

Ye Xuan repeated his name, raised her phone, and quickly typed a number, and indeed found his WeChat.

"I've added you on WeChat. Can I put your full name as Huo Jianchen?"

It turned out she only wanted his name for the sake of noting it. Huo Jianchen's originally heavy shoulders suddenly relaxed a lot.

"As you wish."

He turned and went into his room, closing the door with a bang. Ye Xuan had just finished typing his name and found herself alone. She shrugged her nose. "This person's personality is really strange. Indeed, he can't find a girlfriend."

Ye Xuan didn't care much about Huo Jianchen's behavior. Anyway, she would only stay here for three months. After finding a house in three months, she would move out and never see him again.

She returned to her own room because it was her first time sleeping in a strange place, and there was also a man in the house. She was always worried that Huo Jianchen might drop his daytime facade and come in to harm her in the middle of the night.

So she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. However, there was no movement in the house until the latter half of the night. She cautiously went to take a shower, but when she came out, the clock on the wall indicated that it was already three in the morning.

Feeling a bit thirsty, Ye Xuan wore her pajamas and went to the kitchen to get some water. However, she could see a faint light outside, and the kitchen light was on. Curious, she walked over and saw a half-naked man standing in the kitchen, holding a cup and drinking water.

"Ah—-"