"Good morning, Ning Ning. I'm Huo Yueze."
Huo Ning gazed drowsily at the young man in the living room. He appeared to be about 14 or 15 years old, standing at 5'7", wearing a white hoodie with a Jupiter pattern, paired with a blue down jacket and black jeans.
His short, naturally curly brown hair framed strikingly handsome features. He was the very picture of a lively young master.
"Hello," Huo Ning mumbled, a bit wilted from being dragged out of bed early by Huo Xiaozheng to meet a guest.
She wore a set of pink coral fleece Guilin dog pajamas. Her small, somewhat gaunt face drooped, and her hair, not yet smoothed after crawling out of bed, stood up in all directions. Her almond-shaped eyes seemed covered by a layer of mist, and her words came out slow and sticky.
Huo Xiaozheng came down the stairs from the second floor, carrying a long Hanfu cloak. He walked up to Huo Ning, turned the barely-awake child around, and fastened the cloak for her.
"You should call Huo Yueze 'brother'," Huo Xiaozheng reminded her.
Huo Ning obediently turned and softly called out, "Hello, Brother Yueze."
"Hello, little sister Ning Ning," Huo Yueze responded smoothly.
Huo Ning felt a bit speechless: What kind of Dream of the Red Chamber, Grand View Garden dialogue was this...
"I'm very busy today, so Yueze will keep you company. You..." Huo Xiaozheng was about to tell her not to build such terrifying snowmen, but after a moment's thought, he realized this might be a way for her to release her inner feelings, so instead he said:
"Have fun playing."
If you can't beat them, join them.
Huo Yueze was shocked: Who was this soft-spoken man? Where was his cold, domineering uncle?
"Huo Yueze, take good care of your sister." When addressing Huo Yueze, Huo Xiaozheng reverted to his usual aloof and cold demeanor, his tone carrying the chill of winter snow.
Huo Yueze thought: Ah, there's my real uncle.
"Yes, Uncle," he replied.
Due to yesterday's blizzard warning, schools in South City had been closed for the past few days. When Huo Yueze received Huo Xiaozheng's call, he thought he must have committed some grave error to have disturbed this formidable figure in his family.
But instead...
Huo Yueze looked down at the little bean in front of him.
After breakfast, Aunt Xu had given the little one a wash. Her previously messy hair was now braided into two small pigtails hanging over her shoulders. She wore a pink fluffy hat with rabbit ears, a matching pink cashmere top and skirt, paired with warm snow boots.
Outside, the wind howled, but the little one's outfit ensured not a single breeze would touch her.
Before Huo Ning woke up, the housekeeper had briefly explained her identity to Huo Yueze. As for Huo Ning's mother, the housekeeper didn't say much.
Recently, the affairs between the Huo family and the Jiang family had been the talk of the town, and everyone in the old mansion was curious about this little girl. Even Grandfather had called to ask, but Uncle had consistently refused to explain further, so everyone could only wait for Uncle to bring her over himself.
Unexpectedly, Huo Yueze had become the first person to meet the little girl.
This added a sense of pride to Huo Yueze's heart.
Thinking of this, the slight annoyance he felt at being assigned to babysit vanished into thin air. He took Huo Ning's hand and said, "Let's go! The snow has stopped. Today, I'll build you an Ice Princess that will amaze everyone!"
"Young Master, wait a moment!" Aunt Xu stopped the two enthusiastic children.
Huo Ning turned and tilted her head: "Aunt Xu, do you want to build a snowman with us too?"
Aunt Xu smiled at her childish words: "Aunt Xu is too old for that kind of cold. I'll make you some red bean soup later. It'll be ready when you're done building your snowman!"
Huo Ning beamed: "I love sweet bean soup!"
"Then I'll make extra," Aunt Xu said as she wrapped a pink scarf around Huo Ning's neck. The scarf also had two dangling rabbit ears.
Additionally, Aunt Xu put a pair of leather gloves on her, lined with cashmere, soft and warm.
"Alright, off you go to play!"
Huo Ning, a southerner who had never experienced such things in her previous life, immediately ran wild into the garden.
Her joyful silhouette looked just like a little pink rabbit.
Huo Yueze seized the opportunity to take out his phone,
"Click, click!"
Ahead, Huo Ning ran too fast and, not paying attention, tumbled headfirst into a flower bed.
She was wearing so many layers that she struggled to get up, huffing and puffing. Her vision was obstructed, and from a distance, she looked like a turtle flailing about.
Huo Yueze broke out in a cold sweat. He ran over in big strides and pulled her out of the flower bed.
Huo Ning was covered in snow from head to toe, even with some in her mouth. Her little face was tense, looking utterly stunned.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" Huo Yueze asked anxiously as he brushed the snow off her.
Having fallen for the second time, Huo Ning shook her head weakly without speaking.
Seeing this, Huo Yueze became even more worried: "I'll ask Uncle to send someone to take us to the hospital for a check-up..."
As he spoke, he started to walk towards the house.
Huo Ning immediately grabbed him: "I'm not hurt... it's just... embarrassing..."
Her voice was so small that Huo Yueze couldn't quite hear: "What?"
Huo Ning closed her eyes and shouted as if she had nothing left to lose: "I said it's too embarrassing!"
Huo Yueze struggled to hold back his laughter.
"It's not embarrassing, I think it's cute," Huo Yueze consoled her. "How about we build a rabbit snowman first?"
Seeing how tactfully he changed the subject, Huo Ning stopped being coy and immediately agreed.
This time, she didn't charge ahead recklessly. Instead, she held onto the hem of Huo Yueze's clothes, taking one careful step at a time towards the garden.
Strength really is an advantage.
Huo Ning watched in awe as Huo Yueze effortlessly rolled up a snowball as big as a car wheel.
"Wow, Brother Yueze, you're amazing!" she exclaimed.
When she praised him, her expression was particularly sincere and full of admiration.
This inflated Huo Yueze's ego several times over: "This is nothing. Watch me make an even bigger one!"
"Wow~ Even bigger than the last one!"
"I want to build a little car too!"
"No problem! What else do you want? Ask for anything!"
"Brother Yueze, you're too awesome!"
Huo Ning's joyful shouts echoed through the garden. Hearing the commotion, Huo Xiaozheng got up and walked to the balcony. Seeing genuine happiness on Huo Ning's young face, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Huo Yueze was now having a snowball fight with Huo Ning.
To ensure Huo Ning was having fun, Huo Yueze intentionally went easy on her. However, even with Huo Yueze holding back as much as the Yellow River in flood, Huo Ning still struggled to hit him.
Meanwhile, every snowball he casually tossed seemed to hit Huo Ning without fail.
Before long, Huo Ning was once again covered in snow from head to toe. Yet she maintained a happy demeanor, showing no signs of frustration. Her little face, red from the cold, looked up at him softly and said, "Snowball fights are so much fun."
Huo Yueze's expression was complex, feeling quite guilty inside. But adhering to the spirit of respecting the game, he formed a tiny snowball to tease Huo Ning.
"I'm throwing it... Ah!"
A sudden snowball hit Huo Yueze, causing him to stumble and fall to his knees in the snow. The icy snow slid down his neck and into his back, making him shiver!
"Who was that??" Huo Yueze asked angrily.
Huo Ning looked at Huo Xiaozheng approaching from not far away: "Daddy?"
Huo Xiaozheng brushed the snow off his hands with an expressionless face: "I've avenged you."
Huo Yueze dared not voice his anger. Such a large snowball was indeed revenge.
Huo Ning, on the other hand, was delighted. She immediately clapped her little hands: "Wow! Daddy, you're so good at rolling snowballs too!"
Her expression was just as sincere as before, with an added touch of admiration.
Huo Yueze thought: I've been betrayed after all.
Ignoring his nephew's plight, Huo Xiaozheng reached out to brush the snow off Huo Ning: "I need to go out for a while. Do you want to stay at home or come with me?"
If Huo Yueze had any doubts about Huo Ning's identity before, they were now completely dispelled.
This rare display of favoritism was irrefutable proof.
