Chapter 26: The Mom Is Younger Than Her Son

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Mom Is Younger Than Her Son

The villa’s main gate slowly opened, and Hua Xin, dressed in a Tang suit, appeared on the livestream.

The livestream chat instantly exploded.

[What an elegant beauty! I’d love to have her as my mother-in-law!]

[His mom is gorgeous! No wonder she has a son as handsome as Haibao’er!]

[Forget being a ’mom fan,’ I’m a ’girlfriend fan’ now!]

...

"Hello, are you Huo Xinghai’s mother?" Da Hai asked politely.

Hua Xin shook her head with a smile. "The madam and the Second Young Master are still asleep. Would you please wait in the front hall for a little while?"

Realizing his mistake, Da Hai gave an apologetic smile. "My apologies. It’s just that you have such an elegant air about you."

Hua Xin maintained her composed smile, turning to the side and gesturing for the production crew to enter.

There were four of them in total: one host, two camera operators, and one field director.

The star of the show hadn’t arrived, but the camera operators weren’t idle, dutifully filming the villa’s understated yet luxurious decor.

The livestream audience wasn’t bored in the slightest. They watched and chatted away, joking that this was the closest they’d ever get to a wealthy family.

After filming the front hall and kitchen, then touring the garden and swimming pool, the cameras finally returned to the front hall just as a sound came from upstairs.

The camera operator perked up, quickly pointing the camera toward the staircase.

A few seconds later, Huo Xinghai came downstairs, bleary-eyed, wearing SpongeBob pajamas and sporting a bedhead that looked like a bird’s nest.

The livestream chat went silent for two seconds before exploding.

[AHHHH!!!! A freshly woken-up Haibao’er is just too cute!]

[He looks so soft, I wanna squish him!]

[Haibao’er! You’re live! Your image!!!]

Huo Xinghai had been back for a few days, and he’d been playing online games with Gu Qingyin every day. They were both terrible, but last night, they must have gotten lucky because they kept winning.

Neither mother nor son could resist the temptation and played until past three in the morning, at which point Hua Xin confiscated their phones...

Huo Xinghai wasn’t really awake yet. He had only come downstairs for a glass of water, planning to go right back to bed afterward.

But even that simple dream was now impossible.

Huo Xinghai looked up and his eyes met the camera lens. His powerful professionalism kicked in like an instinct. In a split second, his eyes widened, he broke into a professional smile, and he said with just the right amount of surprise, "You’re here so early?"

Da Hai was thrilled. The celebrities on the other streams had been up for ages, while his crew had been stuck filming the scenery. And while a luxury villa had plenty to see, they couldn’t film it forever!

"Mr. Huo, you truly are a top-tier celebrity. You look amazing even without any makeup," Da Hai said. It sounded like a compliment, but it was also a reminder, giving him a convenient way out.

Huo Xinghai got the hint. He touched his face and gave a wry smile. "I went to bed a little late last night and forgot about the livestream today. My apologies, I’ll go up and get ready." He turned, took a couple of steps, then paused. "Aunt Hua, my mom needs you for something."

A glint appeared in Hua Xin’s eyes. She replied with a smile and also headed upstairs.

It wasn’t that Gu Qingyin had something for her to do—it was a signal for her to go wake Gu Qingyin up.

Hua Xin pushed open the bedroom door. The curtains were drawn tight, leaving the room in darkness. She stood at the entrance for a few seconds, letting her eyes adjust, before she could make out a lump under the covers on the bed.

Gu Qingyin had a habit of burrowing completely under the covers, and she slept in so many different positions that she never woke up in the same one twice.

So, when Hua Xin walked to the head of the bed and gently reached out to pat what she thought was Gu Qingyin’s arm, she ended up patting her calf instead.

Something about the feel was off. Before Hua Xin could say anything, the person under the covers wriggled, poked her head out from the foot of the bed, and stretched lazily. Then, two snow-white feet shot out from right under Hua Xin’s nose and came to rest on the pillow.

Hua Xin was speechless.

’I’ll have to remind the maids later,’ she thought. ’The madam’s bedding must be changed daily.’

Gu Qingyin’s eyes were bleary with sleep, and her voice was raspy. "Need something?"

Hua Xin struggled to maintain her smile. "Madam, the production crew has arrived. It’s time for you to get up."

Gu Qingyin was silent for two seconds before asking with a groan, "Is it too late to back out of the contract?"

"Of course it’s not too late."

Before Gu Qingyin could get excited, Hua Xin’s tone shifted. "You’ll just have to pay the five million yuan cancellation fee. After that, the Second Young Master will not only be ridiculed by his rivals, but he’ll also be flamed by netizens for being unprofessional and arrogant. His career could plummet. And most importantly, the Second Young Master might think you don’t love him."

Gu Qingyin took a deep breath and sat bolt upright. "I’ll be right down."

She couldn’t afford to face a single one of those consequences.

Gu Qingyin got ready quickly, leaving her room in under ten minutes and running right into Huo Xinghai.

For the sake of being on camera, Gu Qingyin wore a dress, which was a rare sight.

It was a modified ink-wash qipao dress. The hem didn’t have a high slit, but it retained the garment’s classic form-fitting style. She had also pinned her hair up with a black jade hairpin. The look was simple and elegant, highlighting her graceful air.

Huo Xinghai beamed. "Mom, you look absolutely beautiful today! Did you dress up specially? Is it for me?"

Gu Qingyin had felt a little awkward being dressed up so suddenly, but his words made her lift her chin proudly. "Of course. I’m only on this show with you to make you look good."

Huo Xinghai stared at her for a moment, then suddenly broke into a smile. He walked to her side and offered her his arm. "It’s time for our entrance, my queen."

Gu Qingyin swatted his arm away and warned him with a stern expression, "Don’t be so cheesy."

Huo Xinghai was taken aback for a second, then burst out laughing.

He was discovering that his birth mother was really something else.

At first, Huo Xinghai had just wanted to experience what proper motherly love felt like. After all, everyone else had a mother, so why should he be the one to go without?

That’s why he had accepted Gu Qingyin so quickly. But now, he was starting to genuinely like this mother who had been absent from his life for twenty years.

The mother and son came downstairs, one after the other.

Huo Xinghai, worried she might not be comfortable in front of the camera, walked ahead to let her ease into it.

But he was worrying for nothing. Gu Qingyin had seen it all. A mere livestream wasn’t enough to make her even the slightest bit nervous.

Huo Xinghai walked up to the camera and said with a bright smile, "Let me introduce my mother, Gu Qingyin."

Gu Qingyin smiled and waved. "Good morning."

The livestream audience was dumbfounded.

[If Haibao’er hadn’t said it himself, I would’ve thought that was his younger sister!]

[The mom looks younger than the son! Do rich socialites have some kind of special anti-aging secret?!]

[I know this is messed up, but I’m applying to be Haibao’er’s new dad!]

[Hey, shameless commenter above! She’s my wife!!]

[You people are unbelievable!]

Of course, there were some negative comments in the chat as well.

[She’s that young? Are we sure that’s his biological mother?]

[They must have the beauty filter cranked to the max. Talk about insecure!]

[Compared to her, the moms on the other livestreams look much more normal.]

It wasn’t just the netizens; the four members of the production crew on-site were the most shocked of all.

Up close, they could see that Gu Qingyin’s skin was smooth and flawless. She was clearly wearing no makeup, and she looked even younger in person than she did on camera.

’Is this really Huo Xinghai’s mother? No way!’