They Grew Up Together

A group of servants gathered together, chatting excitedly. "Hey, have you heard? Young Master Huo will be back soon!"

"Young Master Huo? You mean the one who was always so considerate toward Miss, the one everyone thought would end up with Boss Su?" another servant, who had been working at Night Garden for a long time, asked in surprise.

"That's right, him!" the servant nodded. "Back then, I also thought Miss would end up with Young Master Huo. After all, he was practically the only man who could get close to her. But who would’ve guessed a certain Young Master Lin would appear out of nowhere?"

When Boss Su first brought Young Master Lin back to Night Garden, they were all stunned.

Was the sky raining blood?

Their Miss, who rarely let any man near her, had actually brought a man home—and she was so gentle with him!

In contrast, she had always been cold and indifferent toward Young Master Huo.

At first, they thought Lin Xuan was just a passing fancy for Miss.

But then, something completely unexpected happened—Young Master Lin had Miss wrapped around his finger.

Their dynamic was basically: Young Master Lin ran, Miss chased, and Young Master Lin had no chance of escape.

Given how resistant Young Master Lin had been to Miss in the past, the fact that they were now so deeply in love was something they never dared to imagine.

Still, it was a good thing Young Master Lin had accepted Miss. Otherwise, their lives would’ve been pure hell by now.

"Hey, do you think Young Master Huo’s return might threaten Young Master Lin’s position?" one servant asked doubtfully.

"There’s no way that’ll happen," a baby-faced maid, who looked very young, said firmly. "Miss and Young Master Lin are so deeply in love—no man could ever come between them."

"I’m not so sure about that," another maid mused, stroking her chin. "It’s hard to say whether Young Master Huo or Young Master Lin will ultimately win Miss’s heart."

Her cheeks flushed slightly.

Young Master Huo was gentle, attentive to Miss, and incredibly handsome. A man like that would surely make Miss fall for him sooner or later.

Maybe Miss had been so fixated on Young Master Lin before simply because she couldn’t have him.

Once Young Master Huo returned and she compared the two, she’d surely realize that Young Master Huo was the one truly suited for her.

But then again… Young Master Lin, now that he’d changed, was also quite dashing and capable…

No, no!

The maid shook her head vigorously.

What was she thinking?!

Young Master Huo was her idol—no matter how outstanding Young Master Lin was, he could never compare!

"Young Master Huo? What Young Master Huo?"

A cold, eerie voice drifted from the staircase.

The servants: "!!!"

Holy—!

Young Master Lin!

What was he doing here?!

They had been discussing another man right in front of him—if Miss found out, they were done for.

The servants stiffly turned around.

"Young… Young Master Lin…" They all kept their heads bowed, not daring to look at Lin Xuan’s expression.

"What Young Master Huo? Speak!" Lin Xuan demanded icily.

"Young Master Lin, we don’t know anything. Please don’t ask us," the oldest maid among them stammered nervously.

"You won’t talk?" Lin Xuan’s lips curled into a chilling smile. "Do you want to experience my methods?"

The maids trembled.

Lately, Young Master Lin had been so gentle that they had almost forgotten what he was really like.

This was the same Young Master Lin who could leisurely carve up Su Hai with a knife, piece by piece.

Not to mention, he was now Boss Su’s most treasured person. A single whisper from him in Miss’s ear, and they’d be in deep trouble.

"Young Master Lin, I’ll talk, I’ll talk!" the oldest maid said fearfully. "It’s like this… Young Master Huo and Miss grew up together."

"Before Miss was kidnapped at the age of three or four, she and Young Master Huo were very close. Their families even considered arranging a marriage between them. But after Miss was taken, the matter was dropped."

"Later, when Miss was found and returned to the Su family, Young Master Huo reconnected with her. He always helped her, never asking for anything in return. Eventually, he even willingly became her subordinate, managing her overseas affairs."

"Oh, and I heard he once saved her life too."

An arranged marriage. Childhood sweethearts. A life-saving favor.

Lin Xuan pressed a hand to his chest.

It ached bitterly.

Before, since Hua had always kept her distance from other men, he had never experienced jealousy.

He never knew it could feel this awful.

No wonder Hua had reacted so intensely when she saw him being close to Qin Ruoyao.

And here he was, unable to stomach the mere thought of Hua having a childhood sweetheart.

Butler Wang stepped out of the villa, intending to check on the garden, when he spotted four servants standing before Lin Xuan with their heads bowed.

The atmosphere between them was unbearably tense.

Especially Young Master Lin—Butler Wang had never seen him look so grim before.

"What’s going on?" Butler Wang quietly pulled one servant aside and asked.

"Butler Wang," the servant whispered, "Young Master Lin is asking about Young Master Huo. He’s found out about the relationship between Young Master Huo and Miss."

Butler Wang frowned. "Why would Young Master Lin bring this up now?"

The servant lowered her head. "We were discussing Young Master Huo, and Young Master Lin overheard us."

Butler Wang glared. "How could you talk about such things in Night Garden?"

What if Young Master Lin misunderstood?

"We’re sorry, Butler Wang. We know we were wrong," the maid said, her voice trembling.

She was shaking all over in fear.

If Young Master Lin mentioned this to Miss, she would definitely investigate—and they’d be the first ones exposed.

At best, they’d lose their jobs. At worst, they’d be severely punished and kicked out of Night Garden.

The pay here was too good—they couldn’t afford to leave!

"Apologizing now is useless," Butler Wang scolded under his breath. "If this causes any misunderstanding between Young Master Lin and Miss, you’ll have to answer to her!"

Young Master Huo was due to return in a few weeks.

He had planned to inform Young Master Lin about Young Master Huo a few days before his arrival.

But now, these servants had gone and spilled everything prematurely.

Sweat beaded on the servants’ palms as they stood there, trembling, awaiting Lin Xuan’s judgment.

The air around him was freezing.

The servants rubbed their arms. Spending so much time with Miss had clearly rubbed off on Young Master Lin—he was just as intimidating now.

After a long silence, Lin Xuan let out a cold laugh. "You’re dismissed."

"Yes."

The servants quickly retreated.