Chapter 167 - 166: Preparing to Go Abroad

Chapter 167: Chapter 166: Preparing to Go Abroad

As he was leaving, Gu Ziqian warned her, "This is as far as this goes. After all these years, there’s no telling what that Evil Cultivator faction has become. Stay out of it."

Gu Qingyin wasn’t convinced. "But..."

"No buts!" Gu Ziqian’s face was stern. "Even if the Evil Cultivators make a comeback, the Xuan Technique Association and Longhua Temple will be at the forefront. If worst comes to worst, there’s still Wudang Mountain and other Heavenly Master Organizations. We don’t need you trying to be a hero."

Gu Qingyin pouted. ’You’ve got some nerve scolding me,’ she thought. ’Who was it that threw their life away for a case back then? And you went even when you knew it could get you killed!’

Outwardly, however, she didn’t dare argue back, so she just drew out her words, "O—kay, I—ge—t—it!"

In mid-April, Gu Qingyin received a ticket to Huo Xingchen’s competition. It was for the semi-finals, held at a famous arena in Paris.

After staring blankly for two seconds, Gu Qingyin suddenly grew ecstatic. She’d never been out of the country before!

She couldn’t resist calling Huo Xingye. "Do you have time to go see your little brother’s competition?"

Huo Xingye chuckled. "I should. I’ll make time for it."

Gu Qingyin was delighted. "I wonder if Xinghai has time. It would be so nice if the whole family could go together. We’ve never taken a trip together before."

Huo Xingye paused. To his surprise, he felt a flicker of anticipation. "I’ll talk to him."

"Okay." Gu Qingyin beamed, her eyes crinkling. "Mom will be waiting for your good news."

Huo Xingye’s eyebrow twitched. ’So, what Mom’s saying is, I have to go whether I have time or not?’ he thought.

When Huo Xinghai received the call from his eldest brother, he was genuinely blindsided.

"Wait, what? My schedule is booked solid almost until the end of the year. You want me to clear my schedule for next month, just like that? How am I supposed to do that?"

Huo Xingye’s voice was cold. "Mom said it’s a family activity. You’ll make time, whether you have it or not." He paused, then added, "However busy you are, can you possibly be busier than me?"

Huo Xinghai was speechless. "You’re busy by choice. You can stop whenever you want. I have signed contracts. If I cancel unilaterally, I have to pay a penalty for breach of contract."

"As if you can’t afford the cancellation fees," Huo Xingye said, not wanting to waste his breath. "Cancel them early so you don’t leave your partners in the lurch."

"How can you say something so heartless? It’s a whole week! If I cancel everything, I’ll have worked the whole year for nothing!" Huo Xinghai’s eyes narrowed. "Unless... you pay the cancellation fees for me."

Huo Xingye scoffed. Just when Huo Xinghai thought he might be getting somewhere, his brother offered a suggestion: "Go ask our little brother for it."

Then he promptly hung up.

Huo Xinghai fell silent. ’An older brother asking his younger brother for money? That’s way too embarrassing.’

After a moment of thought, he called Jian Xilin.

Jian Xilin had recently taken on a rookie, a very spiritual kid who’d graduated from a professional academy. The only problem was his guileless personality; you couldn’t take your eyes off him for a second without worrying.

As the phone rang, Jian Xilin was busy supervising the kid’s diet meal. When he saw the call was from Huo Xinghai, his right eyelid twitched violently. He hesitated, debating whether to just pretend he hadn’t heard it.

The kid across from him sniffled and whispered a reminder, "Brother Jian, your phone’s kind of loud."

Jian Xilin shot him a glare. "Once you finish that, you’re not allowed to eat anything else today."

The kid’s eyes welled up. He nodded miserably and went back to munching on his "grass."

Jian Xilin took a deep breath and answered the phone. "Xinghai?"

Huo Xinghai got straight to the point. "Brother Jian, am I more popular now than I was last year?"

Jian Xilin was stunned for a second. His mind instantly raced through a dozen disastrous scenarios, any one of which would be enough to completely ruin Huo Xinghai’s career.

He shook his head, his voice turning grave. "What’s wrong?"

Huo Xinghai said, "Brother Jian, isn’t it about time I raised my rates?"

Jian Xilin was ecstatic. "You’re finally willing to do a reality show?"

This time, it was Huo Xinghai’s turn to be silent.

Jian Xilin seized the opening and launched into an enthusiastic pitch. "Several shows want you! There are the music shows, of course, but also slice-of-life reality shows, live-streamed travel shows, puzzle-solving shows..."

"How much do they pay?" Huo Xinghai cut through his rambling.

Jian Xilin finally sensed that something was off. Since when did Second Young Master Huo care about money?

He asked cautiously, "Is the Huo Family going bankrupt?"

Huo Xinghai raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"

Jian Xilin breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, as long as that’s not it. But why the sudden interest in money? Didn’t you used to do whatever you wanted and buy whatever you felt like?"

The salary he earned in a year wasn’t even enough to build one music studio, because the young master insisted on top-of-the-line everything.

"You don’t need to know the details." Huo Xinghai’s voice grew distant. "Just give me the numbers."

Jian Xilin knew the young master was getting impatient and didn’t dare tease him further. He started quoting the offers from memory.

"If you’re interested, we can probably negotiate for a bit more."

Huo Xinghai considered this. "When does the slice-of-life reality show start taping?"

"Early July, during summer break. It’s live-streamed the whole time."

"Can my schedule be cleared for that?"

"We can adjust it, push a couple of other gigs back." Jian Xilin couldn’t be happier that Huo Xinghai had suddenly seen the light and decided to do a reality show. "Some jobs are more important than others, you know. It’s perfectly normal to make adjustments."

"Good." Huo Xinghai said. "Then cancel all my gigs from the seventh to the fourteenth of next month. Text me the total for the cancellation fees. Thanks for your trouble, Brother Jian. Goodbye."

He said it all in one breath, hung up, and then promptly blocked Jian Xilin’s number.

Jian Xilin stared dumbly at his phone for several seconds. Then, his pale face flushed crimson, and he roared, "HUO XINGHAI!"

Not far away, the kid, who had been about to sneak a snack, jumped in fright. The chocolate bar in his hand fell to the floor with a PLOP.

Jian Xilin whipped his head around at the sound, his eyes practically shooting fire as he glared at the boy.

The kid’s eyes instantly reddened. "It started it!"

Jian Xilin: "..."

’What sins did I commit in a past life to deserve this? Not a single one of the artists I manage is obedient! ARGH! How long is it until I can retire?!’

While cursing up a storm in his head, Jian Xilin efficiently pulled up Huo Xinghai’s schedule and started calling the clients to negotiate the cancellations.

The instant the call connected, Jian Xilin’s expression changed in a flash. A smile appeared on his face, and his voice became as pleasant as a spring breeze. "Manager Liu? About Xinghai next month..."

The kid stared, dumbfounded. He’d completely forgotten to be afraid. He could only marvel internally. ’So this is the world of adults... Wow, it’s so surreal.’

For the next few days, Gu Qingyin was a whirlwind of activity, busy researching travel guides and preparing what to pack for her trip abroad.

She’d heard that food abroad was terrible, so pickled mustard greens, chili sauce, hot pot soup base, and barbecue dipping sauce were absolute necessities.

Gu Qingyin propped her chin on her hand, pondering. ’Four people for seven days... four packs of each should be enough, right? Hmm, what else should I bring...’

When Huo Xingye came home that evening, he stopped in his tracks at the sight of an open suitcase filled entirely with food. "Are you planning to open a snack shop in Paris?"

Gu Qingyin glared at him. "You have no idea how terrible food is overseas! You won’t be able to buy any of this stuff there, even if you wanted to!"

Huo Xingye didn’t deny it. He wearily pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don’t you want to try the local cuisine? We’re only there for seven days. We’ll probably be back before you have a chance to get tired of it."

Gu Qingyin froze. She slowly turned her head to look at the suitcase. ’Then what in the world have I been busy preparing all this time?’