The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the window, and Xiao Zhang got up early. He quickly washed up and then sat down at the dining table to enjoy a simple but delicious breakfast.
After finishing his meal, he packed his things and couldn't wait to head out to the Huo family's house.
Zhang was extremely excited as he walked. He kept thinking about his upcoming meeting with Huo Chengyu.
He was full of anticipation for the meeting and hoped to achieve his goals smoothly.
Finally, Xiao Zhang arrived at the Huo family's door. He took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and then gently knocked on the doorbell.
A moment later, the door opened, and a servant appeared in the doorway. Xiao Zhang bowed to the servant, explained his purpose, and was then invited into the house.
"Oh dear! Yesterday really confused me. I could have just sent them to your email. They're all digital, so there's no need to print them out like photos," Huo Chengyu said, patting his forehead as if to make a face.
"Haha, you're finally back! No matter what, I had to see it with my own eyes. So, of course I came over in person," Xiao Zhang replied with a smile.
“Yes, it’s true, we haven’t seen each other for a long time. I really miss you. How have you been lately?” Huo Chengyu asked with a smile as he walked side by side with Xiao Zhang toward his study.
After hearing this, Xiao Zhang let out a light laugh: "Haha, that's great! You know me well. I live a carefree life on my own. As long as I can fill my stomach, I'm fine. I don't have any worries."
Then, Huo Chengyu changed the subject and mentioned Sun Kai: "By the way, I wonder what kind of photos Sun Kai is planning to submit to the competition? The competition has been going on for quite some time now, so he should have submitted his work by now, right?"
Faced with this question, Xiao Zhang suddenly became a little stammering: "Uh... well, not yet..."
His gaze was somewhat evasive, as if he dared not look Huo Chengyu in the eye.
Huo Chengyu feigned surprise and said, "This is completely unlike Sun Kai's usual style of doing things."
“In the past, whenever we participated in a competition, Sun Kai would always be eager to submit his work as soon as possible, hoping to be the first to have his piece showcased. But this time, he submitted it even later than me, which is really puzzling. Don't you think so, Brother Zhang?”
"Yeah, I heard the photos weren't chosen well, so I asked around." Xiao Zhang felt incredibly guilty and didn't dare to look up at Huo Chengyu.
"Come on, Brother Zhang, please have a seat. Have some tea and fruit first," Huo Chengyu warmly invited.
"Okay, thank you." Xiao Zhang sat down, looking a little awkward.
"Brother Zhang, do you think Sun Kai might try to steal other people's photos again, like he did a few years ago?" Huo Chengyu asked thoughtfully, frowning.
"Well...well...nobody can say for sure," Xiao Zhang said.
“I remember one year one of his students sued him, saying that Sun Kai stole the student’s work.”
"That incident even trended on social media back then, but unfortunately the student couldn't produce enough evidence and lost the case in the end," Huo Chengyu said with some regret.
He continued, "However, everyone in the industry knows perfectly well that Sun Kai stole their things. Since then, no one has wanted to associate with him anymore."
"..." Xiao Zhang was so nervous that his palms were sweating, his throat was dry, and his lips were trembling. For a moment, he was speechless and didn't know what to say.
Originally, Huo Chengyu still had a sliver of trust in Xiao Zhang, but seeing his panicked state, he understood everything.
"Brother Zhang, what's your opinion on this?" Huo Chengyu stared sharply at Xiao Zhang and asked slowly.
"Hmm... he does have some character issues," Xiao Zhang swallowed hard and agreed with difficulty.
"You must be very careful. Send those photos out as soon as you get home. While there's no need to worry too much, you should still take precautions."
"After all, I have the negatives. And don't forget, I'm no longer that penniless student, and the Huo family is not a pushover. If anyone dares to try to deceive me, they'll have to wait and see..." Huo Chengyu's tone was indifferent, as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary.
"Brother Zhang, don't you think that makes sense?" The reason Huo Chengyu said all this was actually to give Xiao Zhang a chance to reform.
"Yes, that's right. Chengyu, you are the third young master of the prestigious Huo family, with a noble status. Naturally, no one dares to provoke you easily."
However, this time, Huo Chengyu did not overlook the hatred and jealousy in Xiao Zhang's eyes.
Jealousy blinded Xiao Zhang, and he completely failed to grasp the implication in Huo Chengyu's words.
Only then did Huo Chengyu realize that he had been blind in the past and had mistakenly trusted such a person.
"Chengyu, it's the same as before. Leave the negatives to me for safekeeping. Don't worry, I'll keep them safe for you." Xiao Zhang's face once again showed that confident and calm expression.
"Okay, then I'll leave it to you." Huo Chengyu replied calmly.
Suddenly, as if remembering something important, Xiao Zhang added, "Oh, right, Chengyu, give me those ruined negatives too. I'll keep them safe so that if similar photos leak out in the future, we won't have to go through all the trouble of explaining and clarifying."
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