TFRLTOP Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Overbearing CEO’s Little Side Dish 

◎ Fighting for the Illegal Rights of the Working Class! ◎

When Fifth Master Huo got out of the car and saw her like this, his brows were already furrowed.

That centuries-old tree was thick and tall—the branch Ming Ming was sitting on was nearly two stories high. There wasn’t a ladder in sight. How she’d even gotten up there was anyone’s guess.

Chen Si sized up the situation. Seeing Butler Wu looking like he was about to tattle, he thought, Old Wu, this time you’ve lost your touch.

Fifth Master hadn’t flown back overnight for the sake of an old codger like you, and the way his brows were creased right now… that might not even mean he was mad at Miss Chu.

Still, with the mess this had turned into, no one was looking good.

And right now? Reporting her to him was not the smartest move.

Keeping his face cold, Chen Si barked at the household staff gathered around watching, “What are you all staring at? No one thought to grab a ladder or a cushion? If Miss Chu falls, who here can afford to take responsibility?”

He pitched his voice just right so everyone could hear—mainly to jab at Butler Wu.

Sure enough, Butler Wu froze for a moment, looking faintly awkward, and didn’t seem to know whether he should speak or stay quiet.

“Pfft!” Ming Ming wasn’t having it. “Don’t jinx me!”

Fifth Master Huo’s face barely changed. Ming Ming met his gaze, then looked away, hugging the tree branch and ignoring him.

Only when a ladder and a cushion had been brought over did Fifth Master speak, his voice full of pressure—

“Come down.”

“Know when to quit,” the system reminded her.

“I’m thinking of a strategy. Do you think I should act cute or play stubborn once I’m down there?”

“You didn’t think of a strategy before climbing up?”

“I was planning to climb over the wall! Who knew he’d come back halfway through?”

“Don’t bother struggling. No matter what you do when you get down, he’s going to make you look like the guilty one. Think about everything you’ve done these past few days…”

In just a few days, Butler Wu—barely in his forties—looked like he’d aged into his fifties.

Ming Ming argued stubbornly, “I’m heroically fighting for the legal rights of the working class!”

“Are you even legal?” the system asked flatly.

“…”

╭(╯^╰)╮

Pressing her lips together, Ming Ming looked down. She’d been shamelessly running wild in this house for days, but Huo Xiao’s sudden return had her at a bit of a loss—unsure how to wrap this up.

Still, with the ladder in place, it felt like she had an out.

Just as she was hesitating, Huo Xiao walked right up to the base of the ladder. The moment her foot moved down, she instantly pulled it back, watching him warily.

Then he held out both arms to her.

Ming Ming’s eyes widened.

The onlookers were even more shocked than she was.

Butler Wu had seen all sorts of situations before—but this, he had never seen.

Cautiously, Ming Ming started down the ladder. Huo Xiao kept his eyes locked on her every move, his brows still tense. When she was about two meters off the ground, he simply reached up and lifted her down.

Ming Ming gasped, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck.

Chen Si waved a hand, sending the rest of the staff away.

Huo Xiao looked at her with mild reproach. “You’ve got some nerve.”

She was about to argue, but he was already carrying her toward the house, his tone still cold. “Next time I should just let you fall. Maybe then you’d learn some respect.”

“I just wanted to get out. The front door was blocked—so what’s wrong with climbing over the wall?”

That ancient tree stood right next to a low wall. Ming Ming had scoped it out for days before deciding to climb today.

Huo Xiao glanced at her. “Who told you that getting over that wall would get you outside?”

“What?”

“The other side of that wall is just a garden,” Chen Si explained. “It’s another two kilometers to the real outer wall.”

“…”

Two kilometers.

So she hadn’t even made it halfway out.

Ming Ming buried her face in Huo Xiao’s neck, refusing to say another word.

Chen Si subtly slowed his steps, pulling Butler Wu aside and lowering his voice. “So—do you think Fifth Master’s mad because she caused a scene, or because she risked her neck climbing that high?”

Butler Wu’s face was drawn. He understood what Chen Si was getting at, but…

“A woman like her—”

“Old Wu,” Chen Si cut him off, “you still don’t get it.”

“The point isn’t what kind of woman she is. The point is, when Fifth Master values someone, we don’t slack off. She might never be mistress of the Huo family, and there could be other women later—but whoever she is, whatever her status, she’s Fifth Master’s business.” He emphasized the last two words. “You want to overstep?”

The realization hit Butler Wu. In the past, Fifth Master had never had a woman around, so his matters were essentially no different from business. But this time, Fifth Master hadn’t told them how to deal with her—only ordered them to take care of her debt collectors.

If Fifth Master wanted her to be part of his private life, then they had no business making their calls.

“…I understand.”

Chen Si patted his shoulder and followed along.

Huo Xiao carried Ming Ming all the way upstairs while Chen Si and the others tidied up downstairs.

“The He family’s invitation is for these next two days, right? Didn’t Fifth Master agree before?” Chen Jing jerked his chin toward the upstairs. “Think he’s still going?”

“That cruise party?” Chen Si thought for a moment. “Most likely. Might even bring her along…” He smiled, leaving the rest unsaid. “Let’s get ready.”

Up in the master bedroom on the second floor, Ming Ming already had a bad feeling.

The system was quietly packing its mental bags, ready to mute itself.

As soon as she hit the bed, Ming Ming kicked off her shoes and scrambled to the middle, putting as much distance between herself and Huo Xiao as possible.

The next second, he grabbed her ankle and dragged her back.

“Ah!”

She tried to kick him, but he caught both feet, leaving her no way to fight back.

Panicking, she blurted, “You haven’t changed clothes—you’re not allowed on the bed!”

That stopped him cold.

She seized the moment to yank her feet free and retreat, keeping a wary eye on him.

“You’re in my bed, lecturing me about bed rules?” he asked, straightening up.

Ming Ming blinked. Well…

“Alright then.” Fifth Master Huo crooked a finger at her. “Come here and help me change.”

Her eyes practically screamed, Do I look stupid to you?

His brows lowered, voice deep and commanding. “Come here.”

Ming Ming’s bravado instantly deflated. Recognizing the wisdom in knowing when to surrender, she shuffled over.

She fetched fresh clothes from the wardrobe, helped him out of his expensive dress shirt—her gaze skittering over the taut, solid muscles beneath—and then unbuckled his belt. Just as she slid the tailored trousers down, she noticed his breathing grow heavier.

Suddenly, she was shoved back onto the bed. Huo Xiao hooked a hand under her leg and yanked off the pants she’d worn for tree-climbing.

“You—ugh!”

Pinning her beneath him, his eyes bore into hers with an oppressive weight. “With your clothes already off, do you think there’s a point in putting them back on?” His mouth found her neck, hot breath spilling over her pale skin—scorching, ticklish, with just a sting of pain.

Knew it…

Gritting her teeth, Ming Ming realized this was going to spiral into the same loop as last week. Mustering all her strength, she shoved him away and declared, each word loud and clear—

“Fifth Master Huo! Please stop freeloading off me!”