Almost all the houses in the Huo family compound looked alike.
Even those unoccupied were well cleaned. So there were not only no traces of dust but also no signs of human activities.
Gu Sisi gave a gentle push, and the door slowly creaked open.
Standing at the doorway, she couldn't tell if anyone had been here recently.
She observed for a while before finally stepping inside. This house was quite similar to Huo Cheng's, with a seemingly identical layout. Somehow, this brought Gu Sisi a sense of calm.
She wandered around the first floor but found nothing.
So she glanced at the stairs and started to ascend. The figure she had seen earlier seemed to be on the third floor.
The house wasn't old, but it exuded an inexplicable sense of antiquity. Her "thud-thud-thud" footsteps echoed in the empty room, jarring and nerve - wracking.
Gu Sisi held her breath. Just as she reached the third - floor landing and was about to continue upwards, a knife suddenly pressed against her neck.
There was a window at the landing. The light shining through it glinted on the blade, blinding Gu Sisi.
She squinted and pleaded, "Hero, spare my life. I'm here by accident."
"Who are you?" A cold voice came, like the biting snow in winter, making Gu Sisi shiver involuntarily.
Gu Sisi raised her hands high and quickly explained, "I'm just a passer - by. Really."
The man sized her up from head to toe, as if trying to see through her.
Gu Sisi had a strange feeling that she was being stripped bare in front of this man. After a long while, the man finally averted his gaze.
He said indifferently, "Tell me clearly why you're here."
Because of the backlight, Gu Sisi squinted as she explained everything. She repeatedly emphasized that she had lost her way and accidentally wandered into this building without any intention of disturbing anyone.
"You mean Huo Cheng brought you in?" There was obvious surprise in the man's voice.
Seeing that the man finally put down the knife, Gu Sisi let out a sigh of relief.
She quickly nodded.
But she didn't dare say too much. What if this man went to verify and found that Huo Cheng couldn't be reached at all, and then decided she was lying? What if she ended up dead?
"Heh, are you two married?" the man continued to ask.
To increase her chances of survival, Gu Sisi could only nod.
Suddenly, the man got angry, raising his voice, "Impossible. The rule here is that no one can get married without permission."
"Ah?" This time it was Gu Sisi's turn to be surprised.
It turned out that the Huo family's attitude from the beginning wasn't because they hadn't given permission but because private marriages were strictly forbidden.
No wonder they still didn't recognize her.
Thinking of this, Gu Sisi suddenly understood. But she ignored the fact that someone was suspecting her identity.
The knife pressed against her neck again, even more forcefully. Gu Sisi held her breath and tilted her head back, feeling the coldness on her neck.
She tried to calm the man down, "Please calm down. I can explain it to you slowly."
"Who on earth are you? Who sent you here?" came the accusing voice.
Gu Sisi got goosebumps all over. She never expected things to develop like this.
Was she going to lose her life today?
"I'm alone. Really. I came here by myself," Gu Sisi stammered.
The man behind her exuded even more cold air.
Suddenly, the sunlight faded. Gu Sisi saw the face of the man behind her in the reflection of the window glass.
Behind her struggling face was a face that looked incredibly similar to Huo Cheng's.
All the clues came together.
Gu Sisi stuttered, "Are... are you Young Master the Third?"
But the man didn't answer. His cold eyes met Gu Sisi's through the window.
Her heart skipped a beat. Before she could react,
Suddenly, there was a heavy blow to the back of her neck, and Gu Sisi fell to the ground.
As she was losing consciousness, Gu Sisi heard another male voice shout, "Young Master the Third."
Sure enough, it was Young Master the Third of the Huo family. But was she going to die now?
Then she lost all consciousness.
"Why are you here?" Young Master the Third, who had been on high alert, put away his fruit knife.
Doctor Yang smiled, "I thought if I didn't come, you were going to scare this woman to death."
Young Master the Third looked up and threw the knife. It landed in a fruit - filled basin on the third - floor floor.
"Who knows if she's good or bad?" After saying that, Young Master the Third was about to leave.
But Doctor Yang stood still, looking at the woman lying on the ground. It was he who had struck her, but only to put her into a temporary coma without causing any harm.
"What she said is true," Doctor Yang said calmly.
The figure turned around, full of disbelief, "What did you say?"
Then he hooked his lips in disbelief, "So, he's gone to receive punishment now? For this woman?"
"Yes," Doctor Yang answered firmly.
Young Master the Third returned to his usual poker - faced self and said indifferently, "I didn't expect a man like him to do such a thing for a woman."
Doctor Yang chuckled, "After all, even heroes have a weakness for beautiful women."
"How did she manage to stay in the Huo family?" Young Master the Third frowned again, looking at the woman's face on the ground. Did she have some kind of magic?
"She's pregnant,"
Doctor Yang explained. He was a little surprised in his heart. After all, Young Master the Third had never been interested in the affairs of the Huo family. He didn't even know that a new person had been in the family for several days.
He simply disdained to know. But this time, his curiosity was beyond Doctor Yang's expectations.
He originally just wanted to carry this woman away. After all, if this woman got hurt here, Young Master the Third of the Huo family would surely be held responsible.
"No wonder," Young Master the Third of the Huo family withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and turned to leave.
However, one of his legs was half - amputated. He leaned on a crutch and went upstairs. Then with a "bang", he closed the door, just like his life for all these years.
Doctor Yang saw the untouched food still placed outside the door. He shook his head and decided not to bother about him for the time being.
Doctor Yang opened the door without any obstruction and closed it behind him. Young Master the Third was sitting in the dark room. Only a sliver of light came through the gap where the curtain didn't cover the window.
"I don't want to eat today," Young Master the Third replied without turning his head.
"I'm not here to persuade you to eat," Doctor Yang answered. Seeing Young Master the Third look over, he said, "I'm here to persuade you to go out."
Since Young Master the Third's leg accident, he had been staying in this room. Even the usually domineering Mr. and Mrs. Huo couldn't do anything about it. This had been going on for more than a decade, and this house had inexplicably become a taboo in other people's mouths.
Some of the new servants had never seen him. Even when delivering meals, they just left them at the door. He never opened it. Gradually, the rumors about him became more and more outlandish.
Young Master the Third didn't say a word, as if he didn't hear. He looked back again.
"I'm just giving you a suggestion," Doctor Yang sighed and left the room.
He didn't need to worry about whether Young Master the Third would starve to death. After all, because of his poor appetite, Doctor Yang had long developed some nutritious pills. As long as he took them every day, he could meet his daily nutritional needs.
In the room that returned to silence again, Young Master the Third opened his closed eyes. He gently pulled the curtain, and the sunlight immediately shone in. His skin, which had been out of sunlight for a long time, sparkled in the sun.
He was like a vampire, unaccustomed to sunlight. After waiting for a long time until his eyes got used to it, he looked out of the window again. His dark eyes gradually lit up.