The Imperious President and His Pampered Young Wife

6. Apples and Oranges

Translator: 灵芝11

The fate of the two girls had become totally different with Huo Lang’s change in attitude.

One was the apple of his eye, while the other was the Cinderella who had been abandoned in a corner.

Huo Lang seemed to feel the public gaze, turning his head to look at Huo Xiu who was full of envy. His face instantly darkened and became extremely cold. “Who allowed you to come up?”

“Uncle, I…I am afraid of being alone!”

Huo Xiu was trembling with fear. Her little face immediately turned pale and her weak body shivered when she thought of that utility room, which was so frightening that even an adult like Mammy Wang was intimidated, let alone a child like her.

That kind of fear was indescribable!

Huo Lang curled up his thin lips with an evil smile on his face. A dangerous and cruel gleam flashed behind his narrow eyes. He stood up and took two steps walking in front of her, looking down at her with a commanding look as if he was looking at a nobody.

Yes, Huo Xiu was nobody that everyone could tread on underfoot!

A cold voice came from above without mercy, “In that case, do you want to go back to the orphanage?”

It sounded like a coaxing tone, but Huo Xiu felt an inexplicable chill and fear at his heartlessness.

She couldn’t go back to the orphanage, which was even more terrible. She didn’t want to go back for she would be mocked and beaten up by other children in the corner and they even would gob at her head.

“No…no…” The frightened look on the little girl’s face made Huo Lang feel inexplicably happy.

Don’t blame him for being cold and heartless. It was her family background that should be to blame.

“Uncle, don’t drive me away. I will be obedient. I can do everything. I will be very diligent!” The little girl begged with sincerity as she couldn’t go back to that orphanage.

She wanted to stay here even though Uncle was cold to her!

Huo Lang bent forward with his long fingers pinching her thin chin, carefully inspecting her tiny features.

Her shining eyes were as bright as stars, in which the light burned his heart.

She had small nose and ruddy mouth even she was undernourished, and she also had glossy black hair though it was dirty. When she grew up, she would definitely become a beauty.

She would so beautiful that any man would fall for her, and even be willing to give up everything for her including their families. As long as they could have her, they would be the happiest person!

“Have you made up your mind?”

She nodded with her thin chin still in his fingers, showing quiet determination.

“Then I will see how obedient you are!”

Huo Lang loosened his pinch and stood up, taking out a white handkerchief from his pocket to carefully wipe his fingers that had pinched her chin again and again. After making sure his fingers were clean, he tossed the handkerchief onto the corridor and it fell to the ground.

It seemed that his hand was stained with the filthiest thing, which was so dirty that even the handkerchief couldn’t be cleaned but should be thrown away.

His condescending attitude carried the ring of charity, “Go back and be good. As long as you can hold out for one night, I’ll let you stay here, okay?”

The Deity-like face wore a smile, in which there was imperceptible heartlessness.

Only Huo Lang himself knew that he would not let her go so easily as he wanted to take full control of her life.

However, little Huo Xiu didn’t understand the meaning behind the smile. She was even obsessed with him momentarily.

Uncle was smiling at her?

Sure enough as long as she was obedient, Uncle would smile at her and like her!

She had a big smile on her delicate little face, nodding heavily, “Hmm, I will definitely hold out for one night. I will be obedient!”

When she was back to the utility room, Wang scolded her, rudely gave her a set of bedding and then took flight.

Her body was almost hit to the ground. Holding that pile of bedding, she couldn’t even see her way.

Huo Xiu went in and put it on the bed instinctively.

Looking at this sepulchral room, Huo Xiu got out of here several times, but she still plucked up her courage to go back again and again.

When she was scared, she would think about Uncle’s smile and what he had said. Finally she overcame the fear in her heart and carefully laid the bedding, only then could she look up and down the whole utility room.

It was unknown how long it had been since someone had come in last time. Thick cobwebs hung in the dusty corners. And there was even something rubbing against those broken wood and making a sound of scampering away. So much clutter was thrown everywhere that was all covered with thick dust.

At midnight, something whistled past her ears. She had drifted into a light sleep. A little thing with a long tail ran over and turned into a beautiful princess who she had only met at night, playing with her.

Those broken tables and chairs turned into a beautiful castle in her dream. She ran in and out happily, laughing like a drain.

The next day, when the servant who had been absent last night found out that the utility room had been opened again and a little girl had moved in, she was astonished.

What was more astonishing, they heard from the servant on duty that there was no cry of terror, nor did she hear the scream of the little girl and it was as quiet as an ordinary room.

Those servants looked at Huo Xiu in a very strange way, ignoring her, even keeping away from her when she came over.

After learning of her calmness, Huo Lang was stunned for a moment before he could let out a disdainful sneer.

Sure enough she was the daughter of that woman, who was as shameless as her mother and would intend to get her way by hook or by crook.

Huo Xiu finally could stay here and became a part of this family.

Though everyone called her Miss Xiu, she was inferior to a servant, even more humble than a servant.

She had also adapted to that room, which was a little lonely and chilly, but it was still better than dozens of kids were packed into a room.

Huo Xiu was gradually content.

Her bedding was left off by servants with a musty smell. And her clothes were crudely altered from Mammy Wang’s left-off clothes, which were very dark and old-fashioned for her tender age, no brilliant color of children.

She was kind to every person and smiled broadly at them, but they were still unwilling to speak to her and kept pushing her aside.

She got up before dawn every day to learn to do housework from Wang and take care of the plants in the yard. She was so serious and diligent that even the adult servants could not hold a candle.

Compared with her, Huo Xue was the princess of this mansion indeed.

Huo Xue’s hand was taken by Huo Lang every time she went downstairs and upstairs. She wore a white bubble skirt and wore her hair in braids, on which there was a butterfly-like hair ornament put on by Uncle. Her smile was bright and brilliant.