Huh? Are villainous bosses this easy to flirt with?

Chapter 194 Yun Ting's Younger Brother

Xie Qing nestled in Huo Yunting's arms the whole time, laughing so hard her shoulders were shaking.

It's truly unexpected that these influential figures in City A's business world are like this in private—

He wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes with his fingertips, and looked up at Huo Yunting, "I received all the gifts, please thank them for me."

But she noticed that the man's thin lips were pressed into a straight line, and he looked unhappy.

Xie Qing scratched his chin in confusion: "What's wrong?"

Huo Yunting suddenly tightened his arms, pulling Xie Qing tightly into his embrace. He buried his head in Xie Qing's shoulder and remained silent for a while before saying in a low voice, "Qingqing...do you think I'm too old?"

"what?"

Xie Qing didn't react for a moment.

When she came to her senses, she burst into laughter, tears welling up in her eyes. "Haha... So, so that's what you were worried about..."

He raised his hand and ruffled Huo Yunting's thick hair. "Are you worried that I'll dislike you?"

Huo Yunting shook his head slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I just feel..."

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back, and in the end he just hugged the person tighter, "Never mind, it's really nothing..."

Xie Qing gradually suppressed her smile, cupped Huo Yunting's face in her hands, and forced him to raise his head.

His fingertips touched the skin, which was slightly warm. He looked into those deep, dark eyes—the unease and anxiety within were clearly visible, like undercurrents surging beneath a calm sea.

"Since you won't tell me, let me guess?"

He leaned closer, their noses almost touching, "Are you thinking... I'm still too young, and haven't seen enough of the world?"

As their breaths mingled, Xie Qing said, word by word, "When I'm older, have met more young and interesting people, and have experienced more things, it might not be so hard for me to be with you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he clearly felt Huo Yunting's body stiffen for a moment, and a trace of embarrassment flashed in his obsidian eyes, as if his most secret fear had been seen through.

Huo Yunting had indeed thought about this more than once, but Xie Qing's repeated expressions of affection always managed to dispel these gloomy thoughts perfectly.

But tonight, I don't know what's wrong—perhaps it's the repeated emphasis from those mischievous friends, or perhaps it's Xie Qing's dazzling profile illuminated by the fireworks.

This unease, like a persistent boil, lingered for a long time, eventually leading him to ask the question as if possessed.

Seeing Huo Yunting's expression, Xie Qing knew that she had guessed correctly.

She let out a long sigh, and then... gave Huo Yunting a resounding flick on the forehead.

"It's no exaggeration to say you're prone to overthinking."

Xie Qing pinched Huo Yunting's face and pulled it to both sides, "What's the point of having a long mouth, huh?"

Huo Yunting didn't resist when his face was being pulled; he just looked at him with his wet, dark eyes, his thick eyelashes trembling slightly, like a large dog being disciplined by its owner for doing something wrong.

Xie Qing's heart softened under that look, and she unconsciously loosened her grip, instead rubbing the spot she had just flicked.

"Does it hurt?"

Huo Yunting immediately seized the opportunity, grabbed Xie Qing's wrist and pulled her into his arms, saying, "It hurts."

Xie Qing pronounced two words clearly and distinctly, "Serves you right."

Seeing Huo Yunting's bewildered expression, as if wondering "why would he react like this?", she chuckled and leaned on his shoulder.

As the laughter subsided, he tapped Huo Yunting's chest with his finger. "Next time you're unhappy, you can tell me directly. Don't keep it inside and make yourself miserable."

"I see."

Huo Yunting nuzzled Xie Qing's neck like a puppy, and a smile returned to his face.

"Of course, you don't need to worry that I'll look down on you because you're too old."

Xie Qing winked mischievously, "Because I'm actually older than you."

Huo Yunting: "?"

Xie Qing smiled slightly and said casually, "I died in a car accident not long after my thirtieth birthday in my previous life."

"So to be precise, this should be my thirty-first birthday—"

Suddenly, she leaned close to Huo Yunting's ear, a mischievous smile on her face, "I'm two years older than you, little brother Yunting~"

When Huo Yunting heard the words "died in a car accident," his arms around Xie Qing's waist tightened, and when he heard "Yunting, little brother," his face turned completely red.

"Don't call me that."

He turned his face away and coughed lightly, his Adam's apple bobbing unnaturally.

Xie Qing took the opportunity to slip out of his embrace, cupped Huo Yunting's burning face in her hands, and forced him to look at her. "Why are you still shy?"

"Hurry up, call me 'brother' so I can hear it!"

Huo Yunting suddenly froze, as if an ancient bronze bell was ringing in his mind, the buzzing sound making him feel dizzy.

In his memory, it seemed that someone had said something similar to him, but the image flashed by too quickly for him to grasp.

Huo Yunting subconsciously pressed his temples, his brows furrowed tightly.

Xie Qing immediately dropped her joking expression and leaned closer to ask, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Did they hit too hard on the head just now?

Huo Yunting closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his mind clear. "I'm fine."

Xie Qing looked left and right and saw that the person did not seem to be in any danger, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

Where were we?

He reverted to his sly look, tilting his head as if deep in thought, then suddenly snapped his fingers: "Oh~"

He leaned forward slightly, placing his hands on the armrests of the sofa chair, and said, "Speaking of someone, they should call me brother now."

After waiting for a while, Huo Yunting's deep voice rang out, "Brother...brother."

He lowered his head, his large hands tightly covering his burning face, but they couldn't hide his flushed ears and neck.

Xie Qing reached out and pinched his burning earlobe, laughing, "Ah, Yun Ting is such a good boy~"

The last syllable was deliberately drawn out softly and long, like a thread dipped in honey.

Seeing that Huo Yunting was really getting worked up, Xie Qing knew when to stop and smiled as she took a half-step back.

He suddenly seemed to remember something and nudged Huo Yunting's arm. "Oh, right, don't forget to thank your friends for me."

Huo Yunting simply sent two words in the group: "Thanks," then turned off his phone, ignoring the barrage of group messages.

Xie Qing picked up the unfinished cake again and nestled in the chair next to Huo Yunting.

While we were eating, I suddenly asked, "By the way, how did they know your plans for today?"

Huo Yunting naturally reached out and used his thumb to wipe the cream off Xie Qing's cheek. "I mentioned it before."

In reality, the matter is far more complex than simply "mentioned briefly".

To be precise, every aspect of this birthday celebration was imbued with the hard work of those three "strategists".

Rewind to half a month ago, Huo Yunting, for the first time ever, invited three of his best friends who had never even been in a serious relationship to a club they frequented, to give him advice.

They made appointments for several days in a row, until a week before Xie Qing's birthday, when Huo Yunting was finally satisfied.

When he and Xu Xingmu, who was in charge of recording, left with a thick stack of proposals, the three "strategists" slumped on the sofa, as if all their brain cells had been emptied.