CH 324

Adopting and Raising the Male Lead and the Villain 324

“I’ll ask you now, just what thoughts do you two hold towards Huanhuan?” Grandpa Ding used the cane in his hand to knock on the table leg.

“To marry her!” Huo Chengming burst out.

Li Jinyuan paused and followed in a low voice, “I love her. I love her intelligence, love it when she happily laughs, love it when she coquettishly shows her love… Grandpa, I feel happy whenever I think of Huanhuan. Even if I only sit opposite her and just have a meal with her, I’d feel my body full of energy, making me especially excited for the future.”

Huo Chengming: “…”

Fuck.

He’s so much better at speaking than me!

Zhong Yuhuan blushed while listening to Li Jinyuan’s words, wanting to drill into the sofa out of embarrassment.

Listening to confessions was a type of enjoyment, so was public confessions. But when someone close to you confessed to you in front of your other close ones, it became an indescribable embarrassment.

It was the first time that Zhong Yuhuan had felt her heart beat so strongly, as if it was about to jump out from her throat.

She even felt a bit dizzy.

“Then have you asked her? Does she like you back?” Grandpa Ding calmly asked.

“She does,” Huo Chengming replied without thinking.

Li Jinyuan was a bit hesitant. He had never confessed to Zhong Yuhuan directly when they were alone, so he didn’t know her thoughts. Sometimes, he was also afraid of knowing her thoughts, afraid that she didn’t want him.

Li Jinyuan’s expression gradually became dim.

Grandpa Ding looked at Li Jinyuan. “So Huanhuan doesn’t like you?”

Zhong Yuhuan leaned against the sofa, taking in a deep breath.

Li Jinyuan’s expression became even gloomier. He smiled self-deprecatingly. “Grandpa, even though it’s like this, I won’t give up.”

“Then what if she was about to be married? Would you still not give up?”

Li Jinyuan restrained his expression, but his eyebrows still seemed a bit harsh at first glance. “No, of course not.”

Not stopping until he achieves his goal.

That’s what had been carved in his bones from a young age.

Huo Chengming lightly voiced his agreement, “What a coincidence, I’m the same.”

Grandpa Ding’s gaze wandered between them, finally letting out a cold snort. “Keep kneeling. Huanhuan, follow me up.”

Zhong Yuhuan got up from the sofa and followed Grandpa Ding upstairs. Though walking only a short distance, Zhong Yuhuan felt like she was stepping on cotton, her feet floating.

Even after entering the room, her heart was still pounding.

Grandpa Ding frowned. “If I knew what was going to happen, I would’ve told your cousin to stop you when you went to the orphanage back then.”

“To stop me from adopting them in the name of Mother?” Zhong Yuhuan asked.

A gust of cool wind blew in from the window, clearing up Zhong Yuhuan’s dizziness.

“No, to only let you adopt one.” Grandpa Ding shook his head, then sighed. “Who would have thought that these two kids are actually like dragons and phoenixes, one prospering after starting from scratch and the other being famous, now becoming the heir to the Jinghua Group. They are too similar in certain aspects of their personality, both stubborn and domineering. If neither is willing to give up, what should I do? What should you do?”

Zhong Yuhuan’s eyes seemed a bit dazed.

The three of them had been together for too long.

Making her unable to think about the moment they would separate.

The breakfast table missing a person… would be like her missing something vital in her life.

“Grandpa can’t choose for you, but I can help you judge if they are sincere towards you.”

Zhong Yuhuan’s heartbeat sped up again and asked in a quiet and hesitant voice, “… Then, what has Grandpa judged?”

“If they weren’t sincere, I wouldn’t ask you to choose one from them.”

Zhong Yuhuan couldn’t help but smile. It seemed like Grandpa Ding was not just praising Li Jinyuan and Huo Chengming but also praising her.

“When your mother married Zhong Chi back then, I saw that he was handsome, spoke and acted appropriately, and his eyes showed love for your mother, so I didn’t investigate him. Who knew that I would regret my decision for a lifetime. Now that you’re grown up, I can’t let you marry the wrong person. Hitting them was to let them know that you’re my treasure, not some girl who can be easily gotten.”

Grandpa Ding stood up, ruffling Zhong Yuhuan’s hair. “No matter who you choose, you can’t tell them too soon. Being too forward will only lead them to hurt you more. The world is always harsh to women and lenient to men. You have to protect yourself properly. If Grandpa isn’t here anymore someday… your cousin will still be here to protect you.”

Zhong Yuhuan’s tears immediately started falling.

She opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything. She could only nod her head.

After all, it has been many years. Grandpa Ding’s age only went up.

“Go.” Grandpa Ding showed a kind smile on his rigid face, saying, “I’m actually happy. You brought back two son-in-laws when they were children. Someone who grew up under one’s watch is always better than someone with an unknown background. But you can’t tell this to them… you have to keep them nervous, afraid, knowing that there’s always someone behind Huanhuan observing them. That they can’t bully you just because they want to.”

Zhong Yuhuan finally squeezed out a word, “… Okay.”

She walked out, her eyes red, clearly having just cried.

She rarely cried.

So the tears at the moment were particularly touching.

Huo Chengming and Li Jinyuan were still kneeling, but when they saw her, they immediately got up and went to her side.

“Huanhuan.” They used their hands to wipe away her tears.

“Did Grandpa scold you?”

“I’m sorry, Huanhuan.”

“Don’t cry.”

Zhong Yuhuan shook her head, not saying anything.

The tears that went into her mouth seemed to be not just salty but also sweet.

Lang Jinzhi was still calmly sitting on the sofa. He watched this scene expressionlessly as he thought:

Grandpa made his move today.

Tomorrow will be mine.