binnovel Chapter 259 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return—Huo Xingzhou 2
Chapter 259 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return—Huo Xingzhou 2
After their initial surprise, Shen Xiangyi and Shen Lezi put on appropriate and thoughtful smiles and went to greet them.
“Mr. Huo!” Shen Xiangyi extended his hand first. “I didn’t know you were here. I’m so sorry for not welcoming you properly.”
Huo Xingzhou quickly stepped forward, extended his hand to shake hands, and said humbly, "Mr. Shen, you are too kind. It was I who was presumptuous. I just heard that you were hosting a banquet at your residence, so I came to celebrate Miss Shen's birthday. I hope you will forgive my abruptness."
"Mr. Huo, you are too kind. My daughter was very fortunate to have your help back then."
"It is because of Miss Shen Er's life-saving grace that Xingzhou has prepared a small gift today to express his gratitude. Please do not refuse."
While people were exchanging messages back and forth here, other guests were also whispering and exchanging information elsewhere.
"Who is this person? I don't think I've ever seen him at a banquet before?" A young woman whispered to her female companion, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.
The man beside her, who was clearly more knowledgeable, also lowered his voice and said, "It's normal that you don't know him; he's from the Huo family in Hong Kong."
"Is he the Huo family patriarch who, after the passing of the Huo family patriarch, took over the family business in just seven or eight years and multiplied it several times over? He's so young?" another person chimed in.
"It's him. Don't let his youth fool you, he's got quite the drive, and in the last two years he's been making moves to expand northward."
The man continued, "What docks and railways? These aren't small-scale businesses; they're large-scale operations."
"I never expected that the Shen family could actually get him to come."
……
At a long table not far away, Shen Shuwan listened to the snippets of conversation drifting into her ears, and somewhat restlessly poked at the lemon tart on her plate with her silver fork. The tart had already melted a little.
The sweet tart filling clung to the silver fork, yet she felt inexplicably irritated.
Finding a quiet moment when no one was watching, he left the brightly lit banquet hall and walked alone into the garden shrouded in night.
The evening breeze was cool, blowing away a few stray hairs at my temples and slightly soothing the unease in my heart.
She sat on the slightly swaying swing, her toes unconsciously tapping the ground.
The moonlight, like water, spilled into the tranquil garden.
Leaning against the swing, my thoughts inevitably drifted.
"Today is Miss Shen's birthday banquet, why are you lounging around here all by yourself?"
Huo Xingzhou's voice suddenly rang out from his side, not loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet garden.
Shen Shuwan was so startled that her fingertips tightened and she gripped the swing ropes.
She looked up and saw that Huo Xingzhou was already standing a few steps away.
The moonlight elongated his tall figure, casting it onto the vine-covered stone slabs.
"Mr. Huo? You... what brings you out here too?"
"Sorry, I startled you." Huo Xingzhou stepped forward and stopped a short distance away from her, maintaining a polite distance.
"The banquet was a bit stuffy, so I came out for some fresh air. I happened to run into Miss Shen, so I came up to say hello." His tone was calm, and his reason was quite ordinary.
Shen Shuwan steadied herself, and the swing gently swayed.
For some reason, perhaps it was because the moonlight was too quiet tonight, or perhaps it was because his appearance here was too unexpected.
The words that were on his mind blurted out: "I thought someone like Mr. Huo would be used to banquets by now."
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt something was amiss; his tone seemed too casual for someone he hadn't seen in three years.
She pursed her lips slightly and looked away.
Huo Xingzhou didn't seem to mind; instead, he chuckled softly.
The laughter was soft and quickly dissipated in the wind.
"Habit is one thing, dislike is another."
He paused, his gaze falling on her slightly turned face, and his voice softened, "However, coming out for some fresh air is indeed an excuse."
Shen Shuwan's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at him again.
Under the moonlight, his expression appeared exceptionally sincere, and his eyes reflected a faint glimmer.
"I came to this banquet for only one person."
He looked at her without looking away, "I was unwilling to give up since I couldn't find anyone, so I came out to look for them."
This statement is almost blunt.
“Mr. Huo…” She didn’t know how to respond, her eyes burning as if she had been burned, unsure of where to look.
Huo Xingzhou did not continue the topic, as if his slightly inappropriate remark was just an illusion under the moonlight.
He took out a long, narrow brocade box from his bosom, which was smaller than the sandalwood box that he had presented to Shen's father in public before. The satin surface shimmered with a faint luster under the moonlight.
He handed over the box with perfect ease: "Birthday gift."
Shen Shuwan paused slightly, but did not immediately reach out: "Didn't you already deliver it in the front hall just now?"
"Oh?" Huo Xingzhou's lips seemed to twitch slightly upwards, and the moonlight made his eyes seem to gleam.
"Miss Shen is quite observant. She even remembers what I did when I was exchanging pleasantries with your father."
Shen Shuwan's ears burned with embarrassment, realizing she had spoken out of turn. She hurriedly tried to explain, but he had already calmly taken over the conversation.
“That gift just now,” his voice was deep and soothing, exceptionally clear in the silence, “was a gift from the Huo family to the second young lady of the Shen family.”
He paused, then moved the brocade box forward slightly, gazing at her calmly.
"And this one was given to Shen Gui by Huo."
Shen Shuwan felt as if something had gently bumped into her heart.
She looked up and stared straight into his eyes, her gaze devoid of any jest, revealing a frank and almost stubborn seriousness.
She hesitated for a moment, then finally reached out and took the box that still held his warmth.
The brocade was smooth and slightly warm.
She gently lifted the lid of the box, revealing a jade pendant on a dark green velvet background.
The finest mutton fat jade is skillfully carved into a curled-up rabbit, its posture relaxed yet alert, with smooth and rounded lines.
The jade shimmered with a warm, understated luster under the moonlight, and felt warm to the touch.
"I met you by chance," Huo Xingzhou's voice sounded particularly gentle in the night, "and I felt that you looked somewhat similar to me."
"...Like?" Shen Shuwan's fingertips traced the slightly curled back of the jade rabbit. "I was indeed born in the Year of the Rabbit."
"Yes, but not just because of that."
He took half a step forward, a distance that wasn't impolite, but rather allowed his presence and words to linger closer. "Actually, the day you saved me was the second time I saw you."
"The second time?" Shen Shuwan looked up blankly.
Huo Xingzhou's gaze seemed to pass through her at this moment and look towards a much more distant time.
"The first time was at the dock in Haishi. At that time, you... seemed to be hiding from someone, and in your haste, you managed to sneak onto my ship that was returning to port."
He slowly explained: "You run fast, but your eyes are so bright they're almost blinding—like a rabbit trying to escape from a tiger's jaws, clearly afraid but unwilling to back down."
Shen Shuwan was stunned.
The memory of that frantic escape is long blurred; all I remember is the chaotic dock, the vicious pursuit by human traffickers, and how I desperately fled onto a ship about to set sail…
She never imagined that in that shadow, there was another pair of eyes watching her.
"What...what a coincidence?" she murmured, her heart filled with turmoil.
“Later, when I occasionally thought about it,” Huo Xingzhou continued, a hint of melancholy in his voice, “if I had known who you were back then, you probably wouldn’t have had to go through so many twists and turns.”
"How could that be? We were complete strangers back then," she whispered.
"Yes." He paused, his gaze refocusing on her face, where a complex and unreadable emotion churned.
"However, allow me to harbor a selfish thought—if I had sent you home back then, I probably would have been dead when we were attacked later, and I wouldn't have had the chance to meet you in Hong Kong, much less..."
His words came to an abrupt end there.