Max Level Return—I'll Protect That Fragile One

Huo Wen’an pretended to be calm and said to Xu Xingguang, ”I think Miss Xu should give me an explanation. It can’t be that you’re taking advantage of me for nothing.”

Xu Xingguang smirked, ”I’m taking advantage of you?”

She pointed out, ”You invited me out for a walk, took photos of me, came to my house for meals, and even waited to go home with me. I thought Boss Huo was pursuing me. Was I mistaken?”

Xu Xingguang’s direct words caught Huo Wen’an off guard.

Huo Wen’an suddenly started coughing.

The coughing was severe, shaking his whole upper body. He quickly found a suitable spot to park on the side, soothed his chest, and waited for the coughing to stop before hurriedly unscrewing a bottle of mineral water and taking a sip.

Xu Xingguang leisurely watched him and said, ”You look like a sickly person, somewhat useless.”

What man can accept being called ’useless’?

But Huo Wen’an accepted it.

After all, he truly was sickly.

Huo Wen’an earnestly explained, ”Although I’m sickly, I’ve always been actively receiving treatment. Recently, there emerged an impressive person in the medical world; maybe she can help me regain my health.”

”So?” Xu Xingguang raised an eyebrow.

”So,” Huo Wen’an turned to look at Xu Xingguang, his eyes reddened from the severe coughing, making him even more endearing. ”I want to live a little longer and seriously pursue you.”

These words were equivalent to a confession.

”Boss Huo, you’re really interesting,” Xu Xingguang sneered. ”You know you’re sickly and may not have much time left, yet you still come to stir things up with me. When you catch my attention, you don’t dare to take it further.”

”Do you just want to keep me hanging, flirting without a title? Boss Huo, you truly are a scumbag.”

Thinking about that damned ex-boyfriend, Xu Xingguang wondered, ”What is it? Do I have a knack for attracting scumbags? That damned ex-boyfriend was a scumbag, my biological father was a scumbag, and even after moving, my neighbor turns out to be a scumbag?”

Being labeled a ’scumbag’ hovered over Huo Wen’an’s head, making him both angry and guilty.

He certainly knew he had a short life and shouldn’t stir things up with Xu Xingguang. Perhaps he was a scumbag.

But.

”Just standing there, I can’t help but want to be near you.” Xu Xingguang had a strange attraction to Huo Wen’an. Whenever she appeared, his eyes seemed to have a mind of their own, beyond his control.

Xu Xingguang was too angry to speak.

She suddenly unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned toward Huo Wen’an.

Huo Wen’an became tense in an instant.

Is she going to kiss me?

Click.

Xu Xingguang unlocked the car door and got out.

Huo Wen’an came to his senses and hurriedly abandoned the car to chase after her.

Xu Xingguang walked quickly, and Huo Wen’an hastened to catch up with her, but after only dozens of meters, he couldn’t take it anymore and bent down to cough.

The coughing was so severe, as if he would cough up all his organs.

Sickly people can’t take much exertion.

Xu Xingguang could only turn back; she stood in front of Huo Wen’an and waited for him to finish coughing before asking, ”Why are you running?”

”To chase you.”

Xu Xingguang was both angry and annoyed, ”Do you not understand your health situation? I’m not going to get lost, why are you chasing?”

But Huo Wen’an said, ”15 years ago, my sister argued with me and left home in a fit of anger, and she’s been missing ever since.”

Xu Xingguang was stunned.

So Huo Xin went missing because she quarreled with Huo Wen’an?

Huo Wen’an suddenly said, ”I’m Huo Zui, 28 years old, born in Cangshan Town. My mom stole me from the hospital. I have an older sister, and my mom took drugs when she was pregnant, which led to her intellectual disability.”

”When my mom passed away from illness, she left me with over 300,000 yuan in debts and an intellectually disabled sister.”

”Later, my sister was violated, and only when she became pregnant did I learn what she had gone through at school. I felt sorry for her and angry—angry she didn’t know she had been bullied. I yelled at her, called her stupid, and said she was a burden.”

”Then she left. I thought she was too stupid to understand what I was saying. I thought she was just playing at a friend’s house in town, but she disappeared from my life.”

The story of his sister going missing was the most guilt-ridden event in Huo Wen’an’s life. When talking about it, his eyes were fiery red, but his tears from this adolescent period had long been cried dry.

”After my sister went missing, I turned Cangshan Town upside down, searched through Yujiang City, yet couldn’t find her; but I did find those who harmed her.”

”At that time, I was young, impulsive and reckless. I stormed into my enemy’s home alone for revenge, and although I killed my enemy, I ended up in prison.”

Huo Wen’an continued, ”When I was a teen, my dream was to be a director, but I couldn’t even direct my own life. I admit my past was chaotic, my original family was rotten, and I even have little time left.”

”But Xu Xingguang, my desire to be near you is genuine.”

”I never thought of keeping you hanging. So, could you please not be angry? I chased away my sister, I can’t chase you away too.”

Upon suddenly hearing about Huo Wen’an’s adolescent past, Xu Xingguang felt a mixture of emotions.

She didn’t expect the truth behind the so-called Boss Huo having killed someone and been imprisoned to be like this.

No wonder town residents mentioned Boss Huo with a sense of regret and pity.

Xu Xingguang had heard Aunt Su say that when Boss Huo studied at Cangshan Town, he was always first in his class, and several middle school principals in the city had come personally to Cangshan Town to recruit him.

Following the normal trajectory of life, Huo Wen’an could have been the kind of exuberant protagonist in a novel, holding the worst cards but achieving an extraordinary life.

But those bad cards pushed him into the abyss.

”Alright, I forgive you.” How could Xu Xingguang bear to hold a grudge against Huo Wen’an?

This matter passed, and back in the car, Huo Wen’an didn’t carefully question Xu Xingguang about her calling him ’boyfriend’ at the piano shop earlier—whether it was true or not.

He didn’t dare ask.

Upon reaching Cangshan Town, when Xu Xingguang got out of the car, she suddenly said to Huo Wen’an, ”In a few days, I’m going to West Continent City for a wedding. Are you going?”

Huo Wen’an felt pleased, ready to ask under what title he would accompany her, when he heard Xu Xingguang say, ”I need a driver. I think your driving skills are good.”

The smile in Huo Wen’an’s eyes visibly froze, but he still nodded, ”I’ll go with you.”

”Alright, remember to dress nicely, don’t let me lose face.” With that, Xu Xingguang turned towards the courtyard, a playful smile on her face.

That day, Boss Qin personally called Master Kaley to recount how Xu Xingguang successfully made Jian Jia resonate.

Upon learning Jian Jia had resonated successfully, Master Kaley was silent on the phone for a long time before saying, ”A pianist who can make Jian Jia resonate must love piano like Li Yazi does. Boss Qin, gift the piano to that fortunate young lady. I hope to see Jian Jia accompany her in a performance at an international music hall during my lifetime.”

The international music hall is the world’s most prestigious concert hall, every master musician’s ultimate dream to perform their works there.

It shows Master Kaley has high regard for Xu Xingguang.

The next day, Mr. Qin delivered the piano to the address Xu Xingguang provided.

But the address wasn’t Cangshan Town; it was the apartment where Xu Zeqing and You Jingqiu lived.

Jian Jia is an ancient, historical piano, placed in the middle of the Xu Family living room, looking out of place with their luxurious modern decor.

”Why did Xu Xingguang’s piano get sent here?” You Jingqiu looked at the ancient piano with disdain, muttering, ”Is this a second-hand item? The paint on the piano stand is peeling.”