Chapter 896: Chapter 876: The Orphanage’s Little Doubao
He picked up the bowl and twirled a chopstick full of noodles, his expression laced with seriousness as though feeding a baby. "Open your mouth."
She understood immediately and reached out to grab the chopsticks. "I’m not disabled, I can do it myself."
"Either I feed you, or you don’t eat." His tone was firm and unwavering.
She could only sit down properly and let him feed her bite by bite.
Outside the kitchen, Auntie Li had just returned from grocery shopping. Hearing from the servants that the two were back, she put down her basket and headed toward the kitchen.
Upon reaching the door, her steps halted suddenly, and she involuntarily inhaled sharply.
The two of them were seated at the kitchen’s dining counter. The young master was feeding Miss Jiayi noodles, one bite at a time.
This scene—was the young master treating Miss Jiayi like she was his own daughter?
"Li..." A servant happened to pass by, but Auntie Li quickly shushed them and quietly closed the kitchen door.
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Huo Tianpei’s health wasn’t good, so the responsibility for handling Huo Zhenxuan’s funeral was entirely entrusted to Huo Zhenyang and Su Yan.
Huo Zhenxuan had been arrested for drug trafficking and later died while in custody, a disgraceful matter. The funeral arrangements were swift and kept low-key.
Huo Zhenyang understood Huo Tianpei’s wishes and had already spoken with the police and media, ensuring that the bombing incident would not be made public.
If the world learned that the Huo brothers had turned on each other, it would only further tarnish the Huo Family’s reputation, and the old master would surely take another blow.
The Huo Family’s ancestral home in China was located in G City, where their family cemetery was also situated.
On the day Huo Zhenxuan’s ashes were sent back to the family cemetery in G City, Huo Tianpei insisted on going to the airport to see them off.
As the plane carrying his second son’s ashes took off, Huo Tianpei let out a sigh.
Over the past few days, he had barely come to terms with the bitter reality of a parent burying their child. This second son had brought his misfortune upon himself, yet the sorrow on Tianpei’s face lingered. He had grown far more silent than usual.
Standing behind him, Su Yan watched as the plane ascended into the clouds. Only then did she finally feel a sense of relief—the ordeal was over at last.
"Old Master, shall we head back to the hotel?"
Su Yan noticed that the sun had grown intense, and concerned for Huo Tianpei’s health, she spoke softly to persuade him.
"These past few days, I’ve given it some thought." After a long silence, Huo Tianpei suddenly spoke. "I’m getting on in years. I don’t want to bother with these things anymore. I plan to move back to the ancestral home in G City. After I transfer all the company’s management rights to Zhenyang, I want you to come with me."
The loss of his son late in life had given him a clearer sense of life’s brevity, a reason to set everything aside.
After toiling for most of his life, his body was now in this condition. It would be better to completely hand over the company to Huo Zhenyang and retreat to the ancestral home to spend his twilight years in peace.
Su Yan’s heart trembled. The old master... wanted to retire?
Though he was already in a semi-retired state, at least he still held the title of chairman, and Huo Zhenyang somewhat had to tread carefully around him.
But if Huo Tianpei were to officially retire, would Huo Zhenyang even deem her worthy of consideration as Mrs. Huo anymore?
More importantly, was she supposed to just abandon her position in the company and move back to G City to live a dull and lifeless retirement alongside an aging man?
"Tianpei, who says you’re old? Many tycoons at your age are just beginning to make their mark. Why are you thinking of retiring so early..."
Before she could finish, Huo Tianpei frowned. "Are you unwilling to return to G City with me? Or are you reluctant to leave the company?"
Su Yan quickly forced a smile. "Of course not. You’re my husband. No matter where you go, I’ll naturally go with you... I just... well, I just think it feels a bit sudden."
"Then it’s settled. I’ll instruct the lawyers to begin transferring the company’s management gradually, then convene a meeting to inform the shareholders." Huo Tianpei sounded tired. "I’m exhausted. Let’s go back to the hotel."
Su Yan’s expression shifted subtly. So the entire Huo Group would really soon become something solely within Huo Zhenyang’s grasp? But she didn’t dare say more and could only push Huo Tianpei’s wheelchair away from the airport.
——————
Back at the hotel, Su Yan wheeled Huo Tianpei upstairs and into their suite.
Having seen off his second son’s ashes to G City that day, Huo Tianpei was mentally and physically drained. As soon as he lay in bed and took his medication, he fell asleep.
Su Yan, realizing she couldn’t change Huo Tianpei’s mind, closed the door quietly and walked into the living room, her thoughts heavy.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, a glint of intrigue flashing in her eyes. She pulled out her phone, dialing a number as she stepped out onto the balcony.
"Is this Warm Sunshine Orphanage?" Su Yan’s voice was calm. "Yes, it’s me. I contacted you previously to inquire about an orphan at your facility... Hmm, I’d like to visit in person to see the child. ... Alright, I’ll come tomorrow."
Placing down the phone, she took a deep breath, gripping the balcony’s railing with both hands as she looked out at the city skyline in the distance.
If she wanted to stay in the group and prevent Huo Zhenyang from seizing absolute control...
This might be her only option.
——————
By noon the next day, Su Yan exited G City’s airport and hailed a cab.
Soon, the car sped through the outskirts and stopped in front of a small orphanage.
It was an unremarkable privately-run orphanage, far from the city center, with a quiet environment.
The sign above the orphanage’s entrance bore the words "Warm Sunshine."
Standing by the entrance was a slightly chubby middle-aged woman wearing glasses, seemingly the manager of Warm Sunshine Orphanage, waiting for her guest.
Su Yan paid the driver, adjusted her sunglasses onto the bridge of her nose, picked up her expensive handbag, and stepped out of the car.
"You must be Miss Su." The middle-aged woman inspected the extravagantly dressed young woman before her and stepped forward politely.
"That’s right. You must be Director Sheng of Warm Sunshine Orphanage." Previously, in her inquiries about the child over the phone, Su Yan had been communicating with Director Sheng.
"Yes, the child Miss Su wanted to see is inside. Please, follow me."
Under Director Sheng’s guidance, Su Yan entered the orphanage and walked down a corridor until they reached a room.
Director Sheng opened a small window on the door and introduced gently, "Miss Su, this is Little Doubao."
Su Yan narrowed her eyes and looked inside.
A frail, pale, yet delicate-featured boy sat alone, completely focused on drawing on a sheet of paper.
Judging by his age, the boy should already be six this year, but he looked so thin and small that he could easily pass for a four- or five-year-old.
"Why isn’t he playing with the other children in the orphanage? Staying cooped up, drawing alone in a room in broad daylight—does he have health issues?" Su Yan frowned and asked casually.
The boy’s health was a particular concern to her.
After all, she intended to rely on this child to solidify her position and had no interest in dealing with a sickly or mentally challenged child.
Director Sheng explained, "Little Doubao has always been like this. Ever since his adoptive parents had their own biological child and sent him to the orphanage, he’s rarely left this room for over a year. It’s said that even when he was with his adoptive parents, he behaved the same way—rarely spoke and stayed in his room all day. We’ve had him examined, and he has mild autism, which he was born with. However, he’s physically healthy otherwise. His intelligence is normal, even above average compared to most children."
