Huo Yueze looked somewhat fatigued after hanging up the phone.
Huo Guining asked with concern, "Brother, did you... not do well on the exam?"
Hearing this, Huo Yueze felt even more exhausted.
He lowered his head, looking at the bouquet in his arms, and finally felt a glimmer of comfort in his weary heart.
He pulled himself together and said, "Brother did very well on the exam, don't worry."
Huo Guining didn't quite believe him but nodded anyway.
Chen Zheng laughed, "Yueze, did your uncle criticize you again?"
Huo Yueze shot him a sharp glance, "Are you itching for trouble?"
Chen Zheng waved his hand, "Cheer up, you'll have something to be happy about tonight!"
Huo Guining's eyes lit up!
In her previous life, she hadn't been able to attend the graduation gathering due to poor health, which had always been a regret for her.
Hearing Chen Zheng say this, she was sure the graduation party would be a lot of fun.
Huo Yueze waved his hand dismissively and turned to ask Huo Guining if she was hungry or thirsty.
Huo Guining shook her head excitedly.
Huo Yueze: ?
The party venue was at a five-star hotel, with a private room already booked.
On the way, worried that Huo Guining might not make it until the food was served, Huo Yueze insisted on stopping to buy her a beef burger.
Huo Guining accepted it graciously.
Chen Zheng wasn't so lucky. With his stomach growling from hunger, he not only had to buy a burger for Guining but also had to usher the two into the private room.
Even someone as insensitive as Huo Yueze sensed something was off.
"Chen Zheng, have you done something to wrong me?" Huo Yueze asked directly, "Why are you acting like such a bootlicker?"
Chen Zheng grinned foolishly, "Well, we're about to graduate, right? I was thinking, what if we're not in the same class in high school, so I should cherish the present moment, you know?"
Huo Yueze got goosebumps from his words and quickly led Guining into the private room.
As they walked, he cursed, "Chen Zheng, you're so damn disgusting!"
Huo Guining had a vague premonition of what might happen.
Seeing Huo Yueze's innocent face, she felt quite excited.
When the three entered the private room, it was packed with people, the noise almost lifting the roof.
"Yueze, you're here!"
People kept greeting Huo Yueze.
He waved in response.
He sat down with Huo Guining on the sofa on the right side of the room, habitually taking out vitamins from her small bag and feeding them to her.
Some girls, seeing how cute Huo Guining was, immediately came over.
"Huo Yueze, you brought your sister again. She's so cute, I want to pat her."
Huo Yueze stretched out his hand to block them, "Don't pat my sister. Have you sanitized your hands? My sister is prone to allergies."
Huo Guining: ...
Some who were seeing Huo Guining for the first time asked curiously, "Huo Yueze, has your sister been on a variety show before?"
Huo Yueze nodded, "Yes, she has."
He wouldn't let people get close to Huo Guining, yet he couldn't help but boast, "Isn't my sister even cuter in person than on TV?"
"Indeed! Your sister looks a lot like your father. She's incredibly pretty."
This comment clearly pleased Huo Guining, and she smiled sweetly, "Thank you for the compliment, big sister!"
Soon after, Huo Yueze's homeroom teacher arrived, and the gathering officially began.
The teacher first gave a graduation speech, expressing his fondness and attachment to this class.
After a round of well-wishes, Huo Yueze was worried that Huo Guining might feel tired from boredom.
To his surprise, Guining was listening intently to every word with her big eyes wide open.
At emotional moments, she even had tears in her eyes.
Huo Yueze: Doesn't quite understand, but knows how to comfort.
"Little sister, don't believe Old Liu's words. I heard from senior students he's taught before that these are all rehearsed speeches. Even the blessings are pre-written," Huo Yueze whispered in Huo Guining's ear, "He memorized and recited them before coming here."
Old Liu was Huo Yueze's homeroom teacher.
Huo Guining looked at Old Liu in disbelief, then leaned towards Huo Yueze's ear, showing disgust, "Really? That's so fake!"
The siblings' whispering was caught red-handed by Old Liu.
"Huo Yueze, are you badmouthing me to your sister?" Old Liu was almost bald, with only a few strands of hair stubbornly holding on around the edges.
Huo Yueze said flatteringly, "How could I? I was praising you to my sister!"
Old Liu clearly didn't believe him and turned to Huo Guining, "Little Guining, my daughter is a big fan of yours. Could you take a picture with me later and give me an autograph?"
Huo Guining didn't expect him to say this and nodded blankly, "Sure..."
Satisfied, Old Liu moved on to the next person.
Huo Guining turned back to Huo Yueze and whispered, "Brother, I feel like Old Liu... I mean, your homeroom teacher doesn't seem to be such a fake person."
Huo Yueze didn't want to see Guining with red eyes, so he decided to stick to his story, "Guining, you can never truly know what's in someone's heart. You'll understand when you're older."
Huo Guining nodded, seeming to understand but not quite.
After Old Liu finished his routine, he had a few drinks with the students, talked about the future, and then left.
As soon as Old Liu left, the curtain for the real party was raised.
The group moved to the KTV upstairs to continue the fun.
Huo Guining was excited, and seeing that it was still early, Huo Yueze decided to go along.
Not long after they sat down, a pretty girl came over, saying she had something to discuss with Huo Yueze.
Chen Zheng gave the girl a meaningful look, then assured Huo Yueze that he would take good care of Huo Guining.
Only then did Huo Yueze reluctantly leave the room, looking back several times.
Seeing his task completed, Chen Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.
When he turned back to check on his buddy's sister, he met Huo Guining's sparkling eyes.
"Can you take me to see what my brother is doing?"
She clearly had a look of wanting to watch the show.
Chen Zheng was stunned, "This... they have something to discuss..."
"Is that girl going to confess her feelings?" Huo Guining's gossip fire was burning strong.
"How did you know?!" Chen Zheng looked shocked.
Huo Guining smiled mysteriously, "Take me there and I'll tell you."
Moments later, two heads, one big and one small, were peeking out from behind a stone pillar at the bottom of the hotel, craning their necks to look.
Not far away, under a French plane tree, Huo Yueze was leaning against the trunk with his right leg propped up, looking somewhat impatient.
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
The girl's face was flushed red. She clasped her hands tightly, "I have something to tell you... Actually..."
She was so nervous that her words came out in fragments.
Huo Yueze frowned, "What exactly do you want to say?"
Guining was alone with so many strangers, who knows if she might be scared.
Seeing him urging her on, the girl didn't dare to delay any longer. She closed her eyes and said with resignation, "I like you!"
Huo Guining's pupils dilated.
Suddenly, her body was lifted into the air, picked up by someone.
"Dad?"
Huo Xiaozheng's face was as dark as thunder.