After the Secrets of the Passerby Were Leaked, He Was Cherished by the Entire Family of Antagonists

Chapter 84

For the rest of the trip, Huo Yan didn’t speak another word to Ye Leyao. He sat across from him, tapping furiously on his phone.

Ye Leyao didn’t mind; he was busy chatting with Qin Yao the whole time.

Huo Yan knew Ye Leyao was chatting with Qin Yao, but throughout the trip, he didn’t hear any of Ye Leyao’s inner thoughts.

It wasn’t until the plane was about to take off, and Ye Leyao sent his final message to Qin Yao, that he switched his phone to airplane mode. Looking at their chat history, Ye Leyao sighed:

*“Sigh, it hasn’t been that long since I left President Qin, but why do I already miss him?”*

Huo Yan, sitting in the business-class seat next to him: “...”

*I can’t take it!*

*Absolutely can’t!*

*How long have they even been together? Just three days, and he already misses Qin Yao after only being apart for a few hours? Ye Leyao is even more love-obsessed than I am!*

Frustrated, Huo Yan continued to angrily type out messages in the family group chat. But before he could send his long rant, a flight attendant approached to remind him to turn off his phone.

With no other choice, Huo Yan begrudgingly powered down his phone, but he was already planning. *Tonight—no, as soon as we get back—I’m calling a family meeting! I can’t let Ye Leyao and Qin Yao continue like this!*

Meanwhile, Ye Leyao had no idea what was on Huo Yan’s mind. After an entire day of filming, followed by being rushed to the airport, Ye Leyao quickly fell asleep after the plane took off.

During the short two-hour flight, he dreamed again—a memory from long ago... No, perhaps it wasn’t just a dream.

He found himself once again on the familiar balcony. This time, Ye Leyao was excited. He didn’t even glance at the oat milk already prepared for him, heading straight for the bedroom.

The man had just finished showering and was standing in the walk-in closet, completely naked, about to put on his clothes.

Hearing footsteps, the man turned around in shock, locking eyes with Ye Leyao’s curious gaze.

The man’s face flushed red at an alarming speed, and he quickly turned back around, hastily pulling on a robe. His voice trembled slightly: “Why did you come in so suddenly?”

Ye Leyao tilted his head. “Suddenly came in... So you think I shouldn’t have barged in? Should I apologize?”

The man was stunned for a moment. Then a trace of helplessness crossed his face. He covered his blushing cheeks with his hand, taking a few moments to calm himself before saying, “It’s okay. It’s my fault for not telling you earlier. Just remember to knock next time before you come in.”

Ye Leyao nodded. “Alright, I’ll knock next time.”

The man hummed in response and was about to mention the milk waiting for him when Ye Leyao asked another question: “I have a question.”

The man asked, “What is it?”

Ye Leyao’s eyes were clear and his tone was honest and direct: “Can you take off your robe? I noticed you have a nice body. Can I see it again?”

The man: “...”

He froze in place, completely stiff, his face and even his neck flushed with a rosy hue.

Ye Leyao suddenly laughed, and just then, the gentle voice of the flight attendant brought him out of his memory.

Huo Yan, who had already stood up, noticed the smile on Ye Leyao’s face and casually asked, “What’s so funny?”

Ye Leyao stood up and shook his head.

After a few seconds, he smiled and said, “I just thought of something amusing.”

Huo Yan asked, “What is it?”

Ye Leyao didn’t answer.

The dream had been brief, with no clear beginning or end, but Ye Leyao found that he could unexpectedly piece it together with other fragments of memory.

It seemed the man had stood there, silent for a long time—long enough for the blush on his face to gradually fade, long enough for Ye Leyao to grow impatient and wonder if he should leave and drink his milk. Only then did the man softly ask, “Have you seen anyone else’s body like this?”

Without thinking, Ye Leyao answered, “Yeah, I have.”

This time, the man didn’t blush. His deep eyes fixed on Ye Leyao, filled with complex emotions that, at the time, Ye Leyao couldn’t understand.

In the end, the man never agreed to take off his robe for Ye Leyao to see his body again.

But now, Ye Leyao realized that the emotions in the man’s eyes were frustration, jealousy, and a deep sense of helplessness.

...

By the time they got home, it was already half past midnight. The butler opened the door, and Ye Leyao was surprised to see several people sitting in the living room.

*“Is today some special occasion? It’s one thing for Third Brother to be home, but why is Big Brother here too? And why are Dad and Mom still up this late?”*

“Dad, Mom, were you waiting up just for us?” Ye Leyao asked with a smile.

At that, everyone in the room turned to look at Huo Yan, who was standing behind him.

Huo Dad and Huo Mom were indeed waiting for Ye Leyao to return, but Huo Jing and Huo Ze were there specifically for the family meeting that was about to happen.

Huo Mom stood up and said, “They came back for something else. Xiao Yao, are you hungry? I made some soup for you.”

After a full day of filming with barely any rest, followed by Huo Yan dragging him home late at night, Ye Leyao was both hungry and tired. Hearing Huo Mom’s words, he gratefully hugged her. “I’m starving! Mom, you’re the best!”

Huo Mom laughed. “Come on, let’s get you some soup.”

After eating his fill, Ye Leyao felt even sleepier. He said goodnight to everyone and went upstairs to his room.

Half an hour later, a soft voice echoed from upstairs—

*“Ah, it’s so late... I need to send a message to President Qin, and then I’ll sleep...”*

The voice trailed off as sleep overtook him.

Only then did the Huo family’s meeting officially begin.

Huo Yan was the first to speak: “I don’t care if you agree or not. I’m absolutely against this relationship!”

Huo Ze immediately chimed in, “I’m against it too. How old is Ye Leyao, anyway? He’s even younger than me! What does he know about relationships? Right, Big Brother?”

All eyes turned to Huo Jing, who thought for a moment before nodding slightly. “While Qin Yao is indeed excellent and treats Xiao Yao well, their family’s situation is too complicated. Just recently, there were rumors linking Yu Bai to Gu Song. If Xiao Yao gets involved with Qin Yao now, he could easily be dragged into their family’s mess.”

Huo Jing’s well-reasoned argument instantly earned him the approval of both Huo Yan and Huo Ze.

*Exactly! Ye Leyao is so pure and innocent. Why should he get involved in the Qin family’s troubles?*

Huo Dad and Huo Mom exchanged a glance but said nothing.

After sharing his opinion, Huo Jing fell silent. Meanwhile, Huo Yan and Huo Ze took turns listing all the reasons they were against the relationship.

The more Huo Mom listened, the more tired she became. When Huo Yan started to gear up for another round of arguments, she finally couldn’t take it anymore and cut him off: “Alright, if you’re so against it, why don’t you just go talk to Xiao Yao yourselves?”

Huo Dad added, “Love is a matter between two people. As long as Xiao Yao is happy, that’s all that matters to me. But since you all have such strong opinions, why don’t you go and have a proper conversation with him? See what he thinks.”

Huo Yan and Huo Ze exchanged glances, and Huo Ze was the first to respond. “Fine!”

Huo Yan thought about it for a moment before saying, “But every time I try to talk to Ye Leyao, he always...”

Everyone immediately looked at him.

Always what?

Suddenly, Huo Ze had an epiphany: “He always brings up Su Rui to poke at you, doesn’t he?”

Huo Yan: “... If you don’t know how to speak properly, can you just shut up?!”

Huo Ze chuckled.

It wasn’t just Ye Leyao who liked to poke fun at Huo Yan with that story—everyone in the family did. Even Huo Yan’s fans enjoyed bringing it up from time to time, making jokes at his expense.

Huo Dad and Huo Mom couldn’t help but smile, clearly amused.

Seeing Huo Yan’s death glare, Huo Dad quickly suppressed his smile and said, “If you want to talk to Xiao Yao, you’ll have to handle it yourselves. Your mother and I don’t have a problem with this relationship.”

“That’s right,” Huo Mom added. “You’ll have to figure this out yourselves. It’s late. We’re going to bed now.”

With that, Huo Dad and Huo Mom went upstairs.

Huo Ze also started heading to bed, but Huo Yan grabbed his arm.

Huo Ze blinked in confusion. “What?”

Huo Yan called out to Huo Jing, who was getting up to leave. “Big Brother, aren’t you going to help us with this?”

They couldn’t just leave it to Huo Yan and Huo Ze to talk to Ye Leyao, right?

Huo Jing paused, thought for a moment, and said, “Alright, I’ll talk to Xiao Yao tomorrow morning.”

Huo Yan and Huo Ze’s faces lit up with joy.

The phone rang for a few more seconds before Huo Jing said, “I’ll take this call first.”

It was an important one.

Huo Yan clenched his fists under the table.

*What’s going on? We’re just trying to talk to him! Why does everything

keep interrupting?*

Frustrated, Huo Yan downed the rest of his porridge in one gulp.

Huo Jing had already started his phone conversation.

His voice was low and pleasant to listen to, but Ye Leyao wasn’t paying attention to a word. After listening for a while, he started to feel sleepy again.

*Big Brother is pretty impressive, though,* Ye Leyao thought to himself.

Huo Ze exchanged glances with Huo Yan, then quickly looked at Huo Jing.

Huo Jing hadn’t expected the compliment, and a brief flash of embarrassment crossed his face.

On the other end of the line, Huo Jing’s assistant presented two possible flight paths for analysis. After a moment of consideration, Huo Jing responded, “Let’s go with the first one. The route is more familiar, and it’ll be safer.”

Ye Leyao had been feeling groggy, but when he heard Huo Jing mention the flight route, his eyes shot open.

*“Flight route? Hmm—”* he dragged out his thoughts, and suddenly the whole family’s attention turned to him.

With furrowed brows, Ye Leyao thought for a moment before muttering to himself:

*“Why do I feel like this part of the story seems pretty important?”*

Huo Jing paused mid-conversation.

His assistant, still on the other end of the line, waited for a response but eventually couldn’t hold back and asked, “President Huo?”

Huo Jing excused himself, getting up to step into the backyard. “Hold on for a moment,” he said quietly.

Meanwhile, at the table, Ye Leyao pulled out his phone and swiftly opened his notes.

*“Got it!”*

*“Oh no, Big Brother’s choice of flight route really is a problem!”*

*“But the description isn’t very detailed here. It just mentions that in a few days, a sudden typhoon will cross paths with that route. Not only will the cargo be lost, but several crew members will go missing too...”*

The entire family’s hearts sank.

Huo Dad immediately stood up and walked toward Huo Jing. “Is this about the shipment we ordered recently?”

Huo Jing nodded as he hung up the phone. “Yes.”

Originally, they had planned to receive the shipment two weeks ago, but due to some issues at the factory, the delivery had been delayed. That’s why they were rushing to get the cargo back now.

But after hearing what Ye Leyao said, Huo Jing hesitated.

Losing the cargo would be covered by insurance, and they could reorder the materials.

But if crew members went missing, that would mean lives were at risk.

Although Huo Jing wasn’t entirely sure whether Ye Leyao’s warning would come true, he couldn’t take any chances.

“I’ll tell them to hold off for now,” Huo Jing said.

Huo Dad nodded in agreement. “That’s the safest course of action. Delaying by a week or so is a minor loss that we can afford.”

Huo Jing nodded in return.

The father and son quickly made their decision.

Meanwhile, Ye Leyao was still fretting:

*“But how do I gently warn Big Brother? If they really take that route...”*

Just then, Huo Mom’s voice broke the tension. “Are you done with your call?”

Ye Leyao looked up to see Huo Dad and Huo Jing returning to the table together.

Huo Jing explained, “I was discussing a shipment issue. Initially, we planned to transport the goods tomorrow, but I realized that another batch of materials will be due for delivery soon as well, so I decided we might as well wait and bring everything back together.”

Ye Leyao exhaled a long sigh of relief.

*“Phew, that was close! I’m so glad Big Brother changed his mind. Now I don’t have to worry anymore. That’s a relief!”*

Hearing this, everyone at the table couldn’t help but glance at Ye Leyao.

He had finished his breakfast and was now pouring himself another glass of milk, smiling brightly as he drank.

Huo Jing stared at Ye Leyao for a few seconds, feeling a sudden warmth in his heart.

Though Ye Leyao had only recently turned eighteen, he was now an adult.

He was growing up, and eventually, he would fall in love.

Even if it weren’t Qin Yao, one day, Ye Leyao would bring someone else home and introduce them as his partner.

Rather than gamble on the character of some unknown future person, it might be better to let him be with Qin Yao, someone they already knew well. If Qin Yao ever wronged Ye Leyao, the whole family could step in to demand justice.

With that thought, Huo Jing withdrew his gaze.

*Let it be.*

The moment Huo Jing decided to stay quiet, Huo Yan started panicking.

*What? That’s it?*

*Big Brother!*

*How can you just let this go?*

Huo Yan shot Huo Jing several pointed looks, but Huo Jing ignored him. Even after Ye Leyao went upstairs to change, Huo Jing still hadn’t said a word.

The moment Ye Leyao was out of sight, Huo Yan couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Big Brother! Why didn’t you say anything?”

Huo Jing cleared his throat. “Say what?”

Huo Yan: “...”

*Okay, fine. Big Brother’s clearly playing dumb!*

Huo Yan turned to Huo Ze for help.

Huo Ze coughed awkwardly. “Second Brother, you know that if it weren’t for Ye Leyao, my esports team would be in shambles...”

He had thought it over carefully. Sure, Qin Yao was a little older than Ye Leyao, but he seemed like the kind of guy who knew how to take care of people.

Besides, when Huo Ze had started his esports team, Ye Leyao had been the first to support him.

Now that it was Ye Leyao’s turn to be in a relationship, how could he be the one to oppose it?

If Ye Leyao found out Huo Ze didn’t support him, he’d be heartbroken!

Huo Yan: “...”

“You’re both useless!” Huo Yan fumed.

Huo Mom, seeing how frustrated Huo Yan was, asked with a headache, “Why are you so against this relationship?”

By now, the entire family, except for Huo Yan, had given their approval.

Of course, Huo Yan couldn’t reveal his true concerns. But suddenly, a bold and absurd thought crossed his mind.

He looked at Huo Mom, lips pressed tightly together. “During the filming of this season, I realized something.”

The whole family turned to him.

Huo Dad asked, “What did you realize?”

After thinking for a couple of seconds, Huo Yan decided to voice his suspicion. “I suspect that Qin Yao can hear Ye Leyao’s inner thoughts, too.”

Just then, Ye Leyao’s excited voice floated down from upstairs:

*“Huh? He’s inviting me to his mother’s birthday party? Does that mean I’m meeting his parents this soon?!”*

Huo Yan gritted his teeth. “You see! This is absurd!”