TFRLTOP Chapter 26 Part 1

Chapter 26 – The CEO’s Little Side Dish

◎ Beat him up! ◎

Q: How do you make a sugar daddy get tired of his mistress faster?

A1: Stir up drama. Sugar daddies like a little playful trouble, but too much nagging just gets annoying.

Ming Ming: Doesn’t work. I already tried that. Instead of dumping me, he raised my allowance…

A2: Introduce him to other girls. Men are all the same—always chasing the new and tossing the old aside.

Ming Ming fully agreed. Lately, she had been buzzing around Huo Xiao’s ear like a mosquito, nonstop praising Ye Weiran—beautiful, talented, graceful…

“Look, this picture of Ye Weiran is gorgeous!”

Master Huo glanced up briefly and muttered, “The step behind you two is crooked in the photo.”

Ming Ming: “…”

Unwilling to give up, she pressed, “Don’t you feel… what’s that word—oh yeah, a spark? Nothing?”

“She’s got family, looks, brains—an all-around outstanding woman. What kind of man could be worthy of her? Obviously—” Ming Ming gestured wildly, trying to hint that he and Ye Weiran were a perfect match.

Huo Xiao even pretended to think seriously for a moment, then nodded. “True. When you put it that way, her dumb boyfriend actually suits her pretty well. They balance each other out.”

“…”

Ha. Typical man. Too stubborn to admit it.

He set down his work and pulled Ming Ming into his arms. She struggled a little, but couldn’t get free.

“Did you hear some kind of rumor?”

“Rumor? What rumor?”

Huo Xiao sighed. “I used Ye Weiran’s name as leverage to really stick it to her family. It’s complicated—you don’t need to know the details.”

He paused. “Didn’t expect you to start hanging out with her, though.” He ran his hand through Ming Ming’s hair, patting her gently. “You two can play however you want. I’ll handle things.”

Ming Ming’s eyes narrowed. “Handle things how?”

“When the Ye family weakens, the Huo family can lend Miss Ye some support in her inheritance fight.”

“And squeeze them for another payoff while you’re at it?”

“Smart girl.” Huo Xiao kissed her approvingly, then went back to his work with her still in his arms.

Ming Ming: …Weiran, I feel kinda bad for you. On every level.

Another plan failed.

But she still had one last trump card—

A3 (short and sharp): Cheat!

Yes, no sugar daddy could tolerate a mistress spending his money while fooling around with other men.

Sure, it was risky, but Ming Ming was out of options. She kept looking for the right chance, but despite widening her social circle, no suitable target ever appeared.

She was getting frustrated.

At first, she was just coasting, but now she genuinely wanted to shove the plot back on track.

Especially with how Huo Xiao treated her lately—it was making her feel… guilty.

After that big brawl between the girls, Huo Xiao quickly noticed that Chu Yun’s heart still wasn’t with him.

She still didn’t take his feelings seriously.

As soon as her foot healed, she was back to running around all day—classes, hanging out with Ye Weiran and He Lu, prepping her thesis and internship… anything but staying home.

On May 5th, it was Ye Weiran’s birthday. She didn’t want a big deal, just a small gathering with Jiang Ming and a few close friends at a hotel Jiang arranged.

But that day also happened to be Ming Ming’s birthday. (Chu Yun’s birthday was June 25th.)

Ming Ming was secretly excited, hoping she could celebrate herself a little under the guise of Ye Weiran’s party.

She was an orphan, abandoned as a baby with only a scrap of paper listing her birth date. She didn’t even have a name—“Ming” was the orphanage director’s surname.

There were too many kids at the orphanage, many unhealthy, and most of the volunteers and teachers had to focus on caring for the ones who couldn’t fend for themselves. Nobody had the energy to throw birthdays for every child.

It was a poor, remote place. Nobody came to adopt, and the kids grew up on the bare minimum of government subsidies.

Gray skies, crumbling walls, peeling cartoon murals, the nonstop crying of babies—that was her childhood.

And always, in the back of her memory, a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.

Before heading out, Ming Ming bounced up to Huo Xiao like a little bunny, holding out her hand with sparkling eyes.

He thought for a moment, then slipped his thumb ring off and went to put it on her finger.

!!!

Ming Ming shrieked, bolting three steps back. “Don’t come closer—cash only!”

Huo Xiao: “Come here, I’ll give it to you.”

Ming Ming: “Take that ring away first.”

Huo Xiao: “Come here and I’ll take it off.”

Ming Ming: “…Take it off and then I’ll come.”

In the end, Huo Xiao lost the standoff. He tossed the ring to the far side of the sofa and pulled two very familiar bank cards from his pocket, baiting her.

Ming Ming fumed: So that’s why I couldn’t find them—you actually hid my cards on you to stop me?!

Little Bunny Ming was instantly lured by the two carrots, hopping right into Big Bad Wolf Huo’s trap.

It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed her throwing herself at him. Huo Xiao caught her and kissed her hard, not letting go.

Ming Ming gasped, “You’re wrinkling my clothes!”

At that, Huo Xiao immediately started tugging them off. His voice was low and rough: