At these words, Huo Mingjun was first taken aback, then a faint smile immediately appeared on his face.

Xie Guan didn't ask about the rights or wrongs or the reasons, immediately setting the tone. Regardless of whether Huo Mingjun was right or wrong, in Xie Guan's eyes, he had been "wronged." A single sentence laid bare his fiercely protective nature; it would be no exaggeration to say his bias could reach the Pacific Ocean.

But people have feelings; humility and rationality are for others to see. Who wouldn't want to be unconditionally favored and protected?

Huo Mingjun had too much on his mind to reveal everything to Xie Guan. But with those words, he found some trivial matters to complain about, nothing more than the airs people put on, the numerous rules, and the constant scheming from top to bottom. Even while recuperating here, he couldn't find peace.

“Such a young master's temper,” Xie Guan said with a smile. “You’re sick and uncomfortable, so everything seems annoying. Once you’re better, none of these problems will exist.”

Xie Guan knew nothing of the feuds among wealthy families, but he could see that Huo Mingjun was just using this as a pretext to vent, and that the root of the problem wasn't in these minor matters he mentioned. So, he changed the subject: “You always say this cough is an old problem. Is it a lingering effect from that injury years ago? Can it be cured?”

Huo Mingjun took a sip of water to soothe the itch in his throat. “Back then, there was the gunshot wound and being soaked in the rain. I was rushed to the provincial capital for emergency treatment. The level of surgery back then was just so-so, and it left some damage. It’s not serious, though, just a cough for a few weeks every year when the seasons change in spring and autumn.”

“That’s still too much suffering,” Xie Guan said. “And you can’t have tobacco, alcohol, or spicy, irritating foods. I guess the doctor doesn't let you go out because willow catkins, pollen, and even dust would probably irritate your trachea.”

“You’re basically in a free-range state right now,” he said, hitting the nail on the head. “Usually, no one is watching over you, so it all depends on self-discipline. I’ve never seen you avoid occasions with smoking and drinking, let alone get systematic check-ups and recuperate properly. If this goes on, you’ll make yourself sick sooner or later.”

Huo Mingjun gave a bitter smile. “Aren’t I sick right now?”

It wasn't that he hadn't thought about taking care of his health, but work was unavoidable. As for medication and dietary conditioning, no one at home cared, and since he lived alone, he often forgot about it.

“You can never finish earning money, but your body is your own. You’re still young, so you should pay more attention to it.” Xie Guan didn't press the point, just touching on it lightly. After a pause, he smiled again. “'You can never finish earning money'—only you would listen to such words. For anyone else, it would be, ‘If you run out of money, you can just earn more.’”

Huo Mingjun was already used to his teasing and shot him a faint glance upon hearing this.

Just then, the housekeeper knocked on the door and brought in tea, snacks, and fruit, arranging them neatly on the table. The two stopped talking. Huo Mingjun remembered the thermal container Xie Guan had brought, took it, and opened the lid. A wave of hot, fragrant steam instantly washed over his face.

Xie Guan said, “Solomon’s seal and lily bulb quail soup, stewed all night. I left early today, so I didn't have time to make those other two dishes. I'll make them up to you later.”

Before Huo Mingjun could speak, the housekeeper asked, “Young Master, shall I help you take this to the kitchen?”

Xie Guan was perceptive. He glanced at the two of them and understood that the Huo family held themselves in high regard and didn't want Huo Mingjun to have anything brought in from outside. So, without betraying any emotion, he egged him on, “The soup is still hot. It just came off the stove before I left. If you don't mind, you can have a taste while it's hot.”

Huo Mingjun's gaze met his in mid-air for a moment before they both looked away, a tacit understanding between them. Xie Guan was young, after all. Hearing Huo Mingjun say the Huo family had 'many rules,' and seeing the housekeeper's words and actions, he guessed that Huo Mingjun faced many restrictions while recuperating at home. He decided to use this opportunity to make the housekeeper lose a little face.

Xie Guan always felt Huo Mingjun's temperament was like a child's, and he himself wasn't much better. He couldn't stand seeing people being wronged and would lash out at the slightest disagreement—it was incredibly childish, really. Huo Mingjun laughed inwardly but didn't stop his mischief. Instead, he went with the flow and said, “Thank you for your hard work.” Then he turned to the housekeeper. “Go get me a bowl.”

“Young Master,” the housekeeper said, looking troubled, and earnestly advised, “It's not time for a proper meal yet; eating too much can harm the body. Why don't I take it down to keep it warm, and you can drink it at lunch?”

“A century-old family, truly living with such refinement.” Xie Guan speared a piece of fruit with a toothpick but didn't bring it to his mouth, instead turning it slowly in his hand. “It seems that health preservation in this household relies mainly on starving? Mingjun is much thinner than before. Although one should be careful about their diet while sick, he is ill, and his nutrition needs to keep up. Let alone a bowl of soup, even five meals a day wouldn't be excessive.”

Huo Mingjun silently lifted his teacup, hiding the upward curve of his lips.

The housekeeper's face flushed at his words. Just as he was about to formulate a retort, he heard Xie Guan unhurriedly stick in a sharp knife: “After all, the digestive system can't make decisions for the respiratory system. No matter how you preserve your health, you have to consider the body's condition first. You can't… what was that idiom… confuse black and white?”

Huo Mingjun held back a laugh and asked, “Attend to the trivial and neglect the essential?”

Xie Guan: “Something like that, but there's a more accurate one… something about the host?”

Huo Mingjun: “The guest eclipses the host.”

Xie Guan slapped Huo Mingjun’s thigh. “Right, right, right, the guest eclipses the host.” He gave the housekeeper an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’m not very cultured. Please excuse my ignorance.”

The two of them, one setting up the joke and the other delivering the punchline, made the housekeeper's face turn into a post-rain rainbow of spectacular colors. He quickly made the excuse of “going to get cutlery” and scurried away with his tail between his legs.

Only then did Xie Guan slowly eat the fruit. “Your family’s on-the-job training isn’t very good. He ran off after just a few words. His tolerance needs improvement.”

“He's just used to being presumptuous because of his age. The housekeeper has been with my grandfather for over twenty years and considers himself half a member of the Huo family. Usually, no one dares to talk back to him,” Huo Mingjun said, unable to stifle a laugh. “He ran into someone with a sharp tongue today. He was probably caught off guard.”

Xie Guan shot him a sidelong glance. “Can you put away that look of someone who has benefited but is still acting innocent? You say my tongue is sharp, but I wonder which walking idiom dictionary was just so smoothly feeding me the lines.”

Huo Mingjun's dissatisfaction with the housekeeper was long-standing. His relationship with his family was delicate, and he was at loggerheads with his biological father, Huo Zhongchen. Although he currently held the reins of Hengrui Group, he couldn't avoid being held back by his father's and uncles' generation. And with his grandfather's influence still lingering, the housekeeper, who doted on Huo Zhongchen, always found ways to make things unpleasant for him in this house. Huo Mingjun refrained from causing trouble for him out of respect for his grandfather, but the old fellow repeatedly pushed his luck.

If this had happened a few years ago when Huo Mingjun's resentment was at its peak, he could have had someone drag the housekeeper out onto the street on the spot. In the past two years, his temper had gradually mellowed. He rarely got angry over small matters and had moved out, which was why the old housekeeper had been allowed to stay until now.

But Xie Guan was unexpectedly sharp. Huo Mingjun had only mentioned one or two things, yet he had not only immediately grasped the conflict between them but also seized the opportunity to take a few jabs that hit the housekeeper right where it hurt. If he hadn't found an excuse to slip away early, he probably would have fainted from anger had he stayed any longer.

“By the way,” Huo Mingjun recalled his earlier words and suddenly asked with a slight smile, “what did you call me just now?”

A moment ago, Xie Guan had a slip of the tongue and let the name “Mingjun” slip out. Realizing it now, the smile on his face immediately stiffened. “A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue.”

Huo Mingjun said, “It was nice. Say it again.”

Xie Guan usually alternated between Boss Huo, Mr. Huo, and Huo Mingjun. Now, switching to the normal way of addressing him, he felt awkward. “...Mingjun?”

That single word held a hint of probing and a touch of shyness. Huo Mingjun's heart skipped a beat when he heard it. He quickly averted his gaze, his eyes lowered, and replied softly, “Yes.”

Xie Guan said again, “Mingjun.”

“Yes.”

“Mingjun-ah.”

“What is it.”

“Mingjun.”

“Are you done yet?”

Xie Guan put on an innocent expression. “I don't know what it is, but whenever I say ‘Mingjun,’ I feel like adding, ‘You should really be more careful.’ Why do you think I get that feeling?”

Huo Mingjun: “...”

He must have quail soup in his brain to have thought this scoundrel knew the meaning of “shy.”

Xie Guan sat with him for a while before getting up to leave as noon approached. Huo Mingjun said, “I won't ask you to stay for lunch, lest it just makes me more annoyed. I'll have the driver take you in a bit. I wish you a successful press conference. We'll get together again when you're back from the film set.”

“I haven't thanked you for the clothes yet,” Xie Guan said. “You helped me out in a pinch. I have no way to repay you, so next time I’ll upgrade you to four dishes and a soup.”

Huo Mingjun said, “It's your first press conference as a lead actor, so consider it my congratulatory gift. The media only looks at the brand when it comes to clothes; being a little high-profile won't hurt your career.”

“Mhm, I know,” Xie Guan nodded. “But that watch…”

Huo Mingjun knew what he wanted to say. “It's fine, it was a gift from someone else. I can't usually wear it, as it makes me seem not mature enough. You’re still young; the style suits you perfectly.”

Xie Guan couldn't win against him and said helplessly, “You just casually give away millions. You can't just squander money like that even if you’re rich.”

“It's not squandering if it’s spent on you,” Huo Mingjun smiled. “Xuandu Pictures has already thrown in tens of millions in investment; this little bit is nothing. Besides, I’m one of the investors too. I’ll be counting on you to carry the box office in the future. I’m packaging you up nicely now so you can sell your body to repay me later.”

Xie Guan laughed too. “You can't possibly not know about the famous news about me in the entertainment circle, that I specialize in beating up investors, right?”

Huo Mingjun: “...”

He casually pulled the door shut in front of Xie Guan. “If that’s the case, then it’s better to just silence you on the spot. No point in waiting until the New Year.”

On April 5th, the press conference was held successfully. At the end of the month, the film version of The Rising Tides of the Azure Sea officially began shooting at the Z Province film base.

The Rising Tides of the Azure Sea, as a period wuxia film, placed great importance on location scouting and set design. Director Bai Luzhou's demands on the actors were also notoriously strict. Before Xie Guan joined the cast, Director Bai had already given him a heads-up. He had prepared himself for hardship, but it wasn't until he experienced it firsthand that he realized his mental preparation was completely insufficient.

The hot weather and mediocre food and lodging were minor issues. The deadliest parts were the long night shoots and constantly moving between sets, leading to a lack of sleep and immense pressure. Every day was spent memorizing lines and being suspended by wires, with so many NG takes that he was on the verge of collapse. The lead actress had been scolded to tears by Director Bai several times, only to wipe her tears and start over again.

Xie Guan and Ji Feng, the two male actors, didn't cry, but Director Bai showed them no mercy either. Aside from extremely difficult stunts, they performed all their martial arts scenes themselves. To make matters worse, their characters were mortal enemies, so they fought every time they met. Aside from not hitting each other's faces, their bodies were covered in bruises.

Huang Cheng had the foresight to prepare plenty of sprays and ointments for bruises and sprains before coming. Xie Guan, grimacing in pain, had him help apply medicine to his back, all the while instructing Huang Cheng, “Don't you dare tattle to Huo Mingjun.”

Seeing him so thin that his ribs were nearly protruding, Huang Cheng thought to himself, 'If the boss finds out later and holds me responsible, he'll be the one feeling heartache for you, but I'll be the one in trouble. I still have to report this.'

On the surface, however, he agreed readily, “Okay, I won't tell.”

However, before he could submit his report, some earth-shattering news broke on Huo Mingjun's side.

On June 20th, in Pingcheng City, G Province, the ‘Yihe Yipin’ shopping center, built with investment from Hengrui Group, suffered a sudden large-scale power outage. As mall customers were being evacuated on the ground level, a skywalk suspended in mid-air inside the mall suddenly collapsed, triggering a stampede in the ensuing panic. The incident resulted in two deaths, five serious injuries, and many others with varying degrees of injury.

Once the news broke, it caused a national uproar.

Hengrui Group and Huo Mingjun were thrown into the eye of the storm.