DLRC – Chapter 49 You’re Blocking Me

“Mm.” This time he finally responded to Yu Wei, but didn’t say anything more than that.

Yu Wei felt the atmosphere was just a tiny bit awkward. Thinking back, she realized she had wanted to ask a lot of questions in the heat of the moment yesterday. But now that a night had passed, she suddenly didn’t know how to start. She cursed herself inwardly—useless!

After a brief pause, Yu Wei sat down across from him and finally opened her mouth: “I heard from Uncle Niu that you’re my new landlord now. I just wanted to ask, why did you buy this place? And I heard the shop was included too, so are you planning to…?”

Huo Mingwang blinked lazily, his gaze indifferent. Yu Wei was seated very close to him—so close, in fact, that she could clearly see his long, curling eyelashes. As they fluttered down and then lifted again, he finally spoke in his usual cold tone:

“I just wanted to buy it. No real reason.”

“Mm?” Yu Wei didn’t quite understand what he meant. Did he really mean that he bought it just because he felt like it? With no actual purpose?

Was that it?

“Then…” She was once again left at a loss by his answer. After thinking for a while, she asked,  “Then I can keep running the shop as usual, right? You’re not planning to take it back…?”

He stayed silent for a while. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Yu Hui sitting on the counter behind Yu Wei. The little guy’s head bobbed as he read, completely unaware of what was happening on this side.

“No. I’m not interested in your shop.”

His voice was a bit deep, with a noticeable accent—not a regional dialect, but a blend of northern and southern tones.

Just by listening, Yu Wei could tell this man was definitely from the north. People from the south didn’t have that kind of accent, and she absolutely didn’t believe he picked it up later in life.

Back in university—before she transmigrated—two of her roommates were from the north: one from the capital, the other from the northeast. Though their accents differed slightly, the difference wasn’t huge.

But compared to a born-and-bred southerner like Yu Wei, the contrast was pretty stark. If you weren’t careful, their accent could easily rub off on you, which was why the sound was still deeply etched in her memory. She’d heard it for four straight years!

Pushing those random thoughts aside, Yu Wei finally felt her nerves settle after getting a clear answer. She glanced at the tall man leaning back in his chair, then looked at Chen Liang standing straight behind him. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “Um… do you still need something? If not, why are you still sitting here?”

Honestly, Yu Wei used to have a good impression of him—after all, this man had once helped her recover her stolen bag.

But it was also because of him that her son got so frightened yesterday. The kid had been bottling it all up, and Yu Wei already felt she was being plenty polite by speaking calmly to this man.

Even though their relationship now was technically landlord and tenant, that wasn’t enough of a reason for her to go easy on him.

Sure enough, after she finished speaking, the man finally moved. He uncrossed his long legs and stood up.

Yu Wei subconsciously stood too and tilted her head back slightly, thinking to herself, Damn! He’s gotta be over 180 cm… that’s tall.

She considered herself quite tall for a woman—just under 168 cm—but standing in front of this man, she still had to crane her neck to see his face.

Huo Mingwang lowered his head and glanced at the child’s mother without much interest, then shifted his gaze to Yu Hui, who was still reading. Yet, what he said was addressed to the man behind him.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Huh?” Chen Liang knew his boss was asking him, but… he really didn’t like sweets!

He had just told the boss not long ago that he wasn’t a big fan of desserts. The last time they bought a whole pile of sweets, he ended up giving them all to his girlfriend.

They were good, sure, but it was so much that she nearly got sick from eating them all in a few days!

Don’t tell me we’re doing this again today… If so, he’d just take them back and hand them out at the office!

Under his boss’s cold stare, Chen Liang swallowed hard and turned to the gentle pastry shop owner. “Um… boss lady, do you have… do you have any snacks that aren’t sweet?”

Yu Wei raised her brows in surprise. “Not sweet?”

Well…

“If you don’t want sweet…” Yu Wei led him to the middle display case. Inside was a kind of whole wheat bread with no added sugar. She usually ate it herself when she got hungry—it was low in calories and didn’t put on weight.

“Ah… then I’ll take this one!” Chen Liang laughed awkwardly and picked up the bread. “Thanks, boss lady!”

“No problem.”

Meanwhile, Huo Mingwang hadn’t followed them. Instead, he picked up a tray and tongs from the counter and started browsing the display cases himself.

From the looks of it, he was about to do what he did last time—buy a huge pile of sweets again!

Chen Liang swallowed once more and quietly followed behind, his eyes tracking the tongs as Huo Mingwang plucked a dessert into the tray every few seconds. Chen Liang’s stomach was already starting to feel queasy from just watching.

The display case was designed for people around 160 cm tall, so with Huo Mingwang’s height, he had to slightly bend forward to grab things.

His fingers were long, joints defined, his palms wide. When he held the tongs, veins popped subtly on the back of his hand. Watching from behind, Yu Wei actually found herself a little mesmerized by how he picked up the cakes.

Come to think of it, his hands really did look like those manga male leads’—elegantly jointed and sculpted. A real treat for hand fetishists.

Too bad I’m not one, she thought.

His leather shoes made crisp sounds on the wooden floor, echoing slightly. She had mopped it that morning, and since there hadn’t been many customers and no rain outside, everything inside was still spotless.

Warm yellow light bulbs flickered gently, casting a golden glow on the desserts, making them look even more appetizing.

But desserts are the type of thing that get cloying fast. When she saw Huo Mingwang fill one tray and then grab a second one, Yu Wei started silently judging again: Can he really eat all that? Is he giving it away again?

Then what’s the point of buying it?

Weird. Do all rich people think like this?

When it came time to pay, the three of them walked over to the register. The little guy knowingly picked up his new book and stepped aside. Whatever story he’d found must’ve been really engaging—he was still standing while reading with the book fully open.

His big eyes were laser-focused on the page—looked just like a studious little angel.

Chen Liang looked at Yu Hui and asked, “This kid’s your son, right? He’s so handsome!”

Yu Wei glanced at her obedient son while packing the sweets, her smile growing ever gentler.  “Yep, he’s my son.”

Her voice was full of unconcealed pride.

Huo Mingwang looked down at her face. The lighting in the shop was bright, but from his angle, he could see the gentle glow outlining the bridge of her nose. The delicate arch made her small nose look even more refined.

Her lips were a deep red—not quite scarlet, but in the middle of winter, that color made her look warm and inviting.

“Mr. Huo, your total comes to 33.68,” Yu Wei said, handing over several bags with a faint smile.

The man paused slightly, his gaze lingering on her slender fingers—white and smooth like fine mutton-fat jade.

He suddenly remembered the last time he bought sweets, when the egg cake nearly fell. Their hands had touched for a moment—hers had been cold as ice, while his was always burning hot, year-round.

After a long silence, he finally opened his mouth and called for his assistant.

“Chen Liang.”

“Boss?”

“Take it. Pay.”

“Oh…” Chen Liang was already used to his boss’s aloofness. After paying, he cheerfully took the big paper bags from Yu Wei, but there was still a 10-inch cake box left that he couldn’t carry. And clearly, his boss wasn’t going to help.

With keen awareness, Yu Wei cradled the cake box in her hands and followed them out.

A gray car was parked outside the bakery. This time, the mother-daughter pair from last time wasn’t there—only Chen Liang and his boss had come.

Yu Wei thought the sweets would be stored in the trunk like before, but when they opened it, it was already full.

Two bags of rice, a few jugs of cooking oil, and boxes of miscellaneous stuff—no room left.

“Boss Yu, just put the cake here.” Chen Liang opened the back door and motioned for her to place it inside.

Yu Wei bent down to set the cake on the back seat. As she stood back up and turned around—

She came face-to-face with the man standing behind her.

Huo Mingwang’s gaze was dark as ink. Standing tall, he looked down at her from above, his features sharp and cold, the way he stared at her made Yu Wei’s skin crawl.

What’s with this boss? Does he always have to look at people like that? It’s a little scary.

Could it be… he’s interested in her? Yu Wei thought narcissistically.

But she wasn’t entirely making it up—after all, she was stunning, a real head-turner…

Mmm, sure, she already had Yu Hui, but that didn’t stop her from naturally exuding charm without even trying.

Still full of herself, Yu Wei subconsciously took half a step back, only to bump into his car behind her—there was nowhere else to retreat.

Half of her petite frame leaned against the car door. Because the two of them were standing so close, her heart began to race.

Oh my god, such a handsome man staring at her like that—no matter how thick-skinned she was, she was starting to feel shy. Just as she was spiraling into her own thoughts, Huo Mingwang suddenly—

He slowly leaned down toward her, the distance between them closing inch by inch. The worst part was—Yu Wei was backed against the open car door on the passenger side, and he was standing on the left, blocking her completely. There was no way out!

Just as Yu Wei was about to explode internally and push him away to flee, Huo Mingwang’s deep voice brushed past her ear.

“You’re in my way.”

Yu Wei: “……”

She practically bolted, pushing against Huo Mingwang’s chest and taking two big steps forward.

Her heart was pounding wildly. She instinctively turned to glance back at him, only to see the man bend his tall frame into the car to retrieve a jacket. Once he had it, he slammed the door shut and walked over to the passenger seat.

Just before he closed the door again, he turned to glance at her.

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, Yu Wei saw him haloed in sunlight—the golden rays wrapping around his handsome face like a divine glow. But inexplicably, despite that light, all she felt from him was darkness.

He drove off on his motorbike, leaving Yu Wei at the roadside, coughing on a mouthful of exhaust fumes.

Meanwhile, in the car, Chen Liang smoothly steered while asking, “Boss, you sure you’ll finish all those pastries you bought?”

Huo Mingwang didn’t answer right away. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, “If I can’t finish them, give them away.”

Chen Liang knew exactly what that meant—he was to distribute them among the staff. These past few days, everyone had been receiving little gifts from the boss, and they were all simultaneously flattered and shocked.

“You got it!”

Some time later, as they turned onto a wider avenue, Huo Mingwang suddenly said to Chen Liang, “Look into it. Why would someone suddenly forget about you, just like that?”

“Huh?” Chen Liang’s hands froze on the wheel as he looked over, confused. “What do you mean, just forget? Are you saying they lost their memory?”

“Lost their memory?” That was the first time Huo Mingwang had heard it described that way.

“Yeah. I was chatting with a doctor last time I took my wife to the hospital. He mentioned a patient who was just like what you said—hit their head or something, woke up and didn’t remember a thing. The doctor said it was some kind of amnesia.”

Hearing this, Huo Mingwang’s brows furrowed even deeper. He turned his head to stare at the scenery flashing past the window. The wind howled outside as he lowered his eyes, suppressing the growing fury inside him.

Amnesia? She forgot about him?

Heh. Ridiculous.

Huo Mingwang’s arrival didn’t cause much of a stir. Business was slow at Yu Ji Desserts that day. Aside from the big order from him, total profits only came to 5.87 yuan.

It sounded small, but compared to what most people were earning in a day now, it was still relatively decent.

Since business was slow, Yu Wei closed shop early. It was still bright out—winter afternoons didn’t start getting dark until around five.

It was four o’clock now, so she decided to take her son to the department store for a stroll. They hadn’t been out shopping since the dessert shop opened.

Yu Hui was bursting with excitement, his little legs bouncing ahead of her. Then, realizing he wasn’t holding her hand, he giggled and ran back.

“Mama! Why did you let go of Hui Hui?”

“Silly boy, you let go of me,” Yu Wei laughed and shook her head at her cheeky son trying to frame her.

“Mama, are we going to that really tall building to buy stuff today?” the little guy asked, gripping her hand tightly—he wasn’t letting go this time.

“Mhm. We’re going to the department store. Is there anything you want to buy?”

Yu Hui thought seriously, eyes lighting up. “Mama! Last night you said you’d buy me fluffy bear shoes!”

“Sure. Anything else you want?”

Yu Wei was feeling quite generous. The dessert shop hadn’t brought in much, but she had plenty saved up on her phone—it’d be enough for them to splurge for quite a while.

“Then… something for Mama to wipe her mouth!”

“Something to wipe my mouth?”

“The red kind! Pretty!” Yu Hui said, waving his little arms in excitement.

Yu Wei instantly got it—he meant lipstick. This kid…

“You little rascal. I’m asking what you want. No need to worry about Mama’s stuff.”

“Oh, okay… but I don’t know what I want.”

“That’s fine.” Yu Wei didn’t press him. He might spot something while browsing that caught his eye.

Over at the department store, Huo Mingwang happened to be walking through the same building after work—not alone, though. He was accompanied by a woman and a little girl. If Yu Wei saw them, she’d immediately recognize them.

That woman and child were the same ones who’d been in Huo Mingwang’s car the first time he came to the dessert shop.

“Hey, Old Huo, this coat should be good for our Ying Ying, right?” Liu Xuehua held up a pink padded jacket to her daughter and turned to ask the man beside her with a smile.

Huo Mingwang glanced briefly at the child and replied indifferently, “Yeah, it’s fine.”

Liu Xuehua was considering whether to buy the coat—she had something similar at home. She turned to ask for his opinion again, but saw him staring off in a daze at something across the store.

Curious, she followed his gaze, but couldn’t figure out what he was looking at. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.” Huo Mingwang quickly looked away. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he took the little girl’s hand and said, “Let’s go over there.”

“Oh, okay.” Liu Xuehua hurried to keep up.

The little girl bounced along as she was led by Huo Mingwang. Only four or five years old, she was fascinated by everything in the store.

She kept looking around excitedly. Just when she wanted to ask Huo Mingwang to stop—she’d seen a really pretty dress—the man was walking too fast. She didn’t even get a chance to speak before the dress was out of sight.

Elsewhere, Yu Wei was walking hand-in-hand with her well-behaved son through the department store’s clothing section. Maybe it was because she used to buy a lot of Hong Kong imports, but the clothes here didn’t appeal to her now. She quickly lost interest.

“Let’s go, baby. Mama will take you to the import section.”

The imported clothing area was less crowded, but the trendier styles drew Yu Wei in immediately—her eyes sparkled.

She came to buy shoes and warm clothes for her son, but somehow ended up browsing for herself instead.

“How do I look? Does Mama look pretty in this?”

With help from the store clerk, she tried on a black wool coat. It was thick and tailored, padded on the inside—perfect for winter. The outside felt soft and smooth, comfortable to the touch.

She spun in front of her son with a grin. “Say something, sweetie. Does Mama look good or not?”

“So pretty!” Yu Hui was stunned. He’d never seen his mother wear something like that.

It wasn’t even a matter of looking good—it was stunning. In that moment, his mother looked like a fairy from the stories she told him, flying through the heavens, graceful and beautiful.

Yu Wei rarely wore black. Since coming here, she hadn’t bought anything in that color. But this coat, with its elegant cut and soft material, really made an impression—no wonder Yu Hui was so dazzled.

In short: Mama looked amazing!

“Alright.” Yu Wei made a quick decision. If her son said she looked good, then it was worth it!

She also picked up a practical cotton jacket and a pair of fleece-lined black ankle boots. Only after that did she head to the children’s section.

Unlike his mom, Yu Hui wasn’t a shopaholic. Shopping for his clothes was easy—if it had a bear on it, he loved it. If it didn’t, he’d pause and consider, then maybe agree if he thought it looked okay.

Before leaving, they stopped by the hat section. Yu Wei put a beige knit cap on her son’s head.

But maybe because of the shape of the hat, once it was on his round little head, the sweet little boy suddenly looked like… a tiny bald monk!

“Hahaha—!”

The more Yu Wei looked, the harder she laughed. Tears came to her eyes, and she couldn’t even straighten up from laughing so hard.

“Mama, why are you laughing?” Yu Hui didn’t understand. He even adjusted the hat she’d tilted, patting the top of his head and staring at his mother in confusion.

“Hahaha— Oh sweetie, you look so silly!” Yu Wei clutched her stomach. “No wait, I mean—Mama just thinks you look so cute with that hat, haha—”

Yu Hui: I feel like Mama’s lying. If I looked cute, why is she laughing so hard?

Still, the innocent little guy wasn’t suspicious. He asked in his soft baby voice, “Mama, does this hat really look good on Hui Hui?”

“Of course! Mama’s not lying. It looks really good!” And also totally dopey, haha—

“Then Mama, why don’t you get one too? Look! They have them for adults!”

Excited, he tiptoed up and handed her an adult-sized beige knit hat. The one on his own head had a round yarn pom-pom that bobbed around every time he moved. It was ridiculously cute.

The hat was obviously a matching parent-child set. Even though it was a boy’s style, after seeing how it looked on her son, Yu Wei had zero desire to try it on herself.

If she ended up looking just as silly… hahaha—!

So Yu Wei crouched down and patted her son’s little shoulder with a solemn tone: “Sweetie, Mama won’t wear one. Mama’s hair is long—it keeps her warm. I’ll just get one for you.”

She was still trying not to laugh, tears welling in her eyes again.

“…Okay.”

Yu Hui, too pure to realize he’d just been tricked, looked at his mom’s twitching lips and started giggling with her.

The two of them walked hand-in-hand through the store, their bright laughter ringing like bells, drawing curious glances from passersby.

Not far away, Huo Mingwang approached quietly. After the mother and son walked off, he stepped up to the hat counter and picked up the exact same hat that had turned Yu Hui into a “little monk.”

“Old Huo, why are you looking at boys’ hats?” Liu Xuehua asked, puzzled.

The little girl looked up at him, equally confused. “Uncle Huo, I’m a girl—I can’t wear that hat!”

Huo Mingwang stared at the hat for a long moment before snapping out of it and placing it on Liu Aiying’s head.

“Mm, it’s a… good hat.”

But as he said that, an image popped into his mind: Yu Hui in that same hat, looking like a tiny monk, the pom-pom bouncing as he stared up at his mom and asked—

Mama, do I really look good in this?