Chapter 182: Chapter 81: Top Star of the 1960s Art Troupe (20)

Ruyuan sensed the tense atmosphere and quickly waved his hands, explaining in a small voice, "Grandma, this is my uncle, not my dad. My dad, my mom, and Daddy Tianhao are all heroes. They live in the sky as stars, watching over us."

Huo Tianhao leaned in close to the little one’s ear, his body tense. "Ruyuan, what’s your Daddy Tianhao’s last name?"

"Huo," the little one said with a smile.

No matter how clever children were, they couldn’t truly grasp the meaning of death. Their lives had only just begun, and to them, "stars" and "heroes" were wonderful words.

Now, he and his sister wanted for nothing, cherished by their mother and godmother. They even went to kindergarten like normal kids. Life was so happy it felt like a dream; he wanted to smile every second of every day.

"His name is Huo Tianhao, and he’s a great hero! All the kids at my school know about him too," he said, puffing out his small chest with pride.

Huo Tianhao froze. He couldn’t help but shoot a glance at Xia Zhaoyun before lowering his voice to ask the boy, "Him... Huo Tianhao... how did he become your dad?"

’After all, this was the factory he’d grown up in. He was absolutely certain that the hero from the factory, the one named Huo Tianhao... was him!’

The thought made a wave of uncontrollable hostility wash over him.

Two years ago, Huo Xunchang had faced a difficult problem.

The factory had landed a huge order from a client in the south. Zhaoyang had only secured it after competing against a rival clothing factory of the same scale in Shanghai, so it was incredibly significant. The factory treated this order with the utmost importance.

However, to deliver the finished goods, the trucks had to pass through a stretch of mountainous forest roamed by a band of cunning, ruthless bandits.

These bandits were adept at guerrilla warfare, and using their familiarity with the terrain, they always managed to escape the authorities’ attempts to round them up.

Truck drivers passing through were constantly on edge, but there was no alternative route. Seven out of ten trucks were stopped, and it was impossible to get through without being extorted for everything you had.

Some young drivers, unwilling to back down, even tried to fight back to protect their cargo, only to be killed for their efforts.

Faced with this perilous situation, Huo Xunchang personally assigned his eldest son, a decorated special forces soldier, to lead the delivery convoy. He issued a direct order: the mission had to be completed at all costs. To force his son’s agreement, he even offered to first sign a letter officially disowning him!

Huo Tianhao, as expected, completed the mission successfully. Not only did he ensure the factory’s goods were safe, but he also wiped out the bandits, eliminating the threat for good. However, he fell from a cliff and into a pack of jackals. All that was found were the tattered, blood-stained remnants of his clothes.

And so, Huo Tianhao became a hero. His story dominated the front page of the Zhaoyang Clothing Factory’s weekly newsletter for four consecutive issues. There were no photographs, only page after page of praise.

His glorious deeds inspired the employees to throw themselves into the factory’s growth and development, and they likewise rallied in fervent support of their "selfless" factory director.

In reality, Huo Tianhao hadn’t died. He simply didn’t believe that a flimsy piece of paper from Huo Xunchang disowning him would solve all his problems. So, he faked his death, arranged for a new identity, and openly returned to his maternal grandfather’s side.

As for why he didn’t change his name, he kept it simply to prove that his mother’s marital fidelity had been her own choice, and had nothing to do with the Huo Family.

So, he looked at Xia Zhaoyun. ’What the hell is this "Daddy Tianhao" nonsense?’

The little boy’s thoughts were perfectly clear, and he was more than happy to tell people about his new hero dad. "My mommy and daddy became stars in the sky to watch over us after they saved some other children."

"Then my mommy brought us home. Daddy Tianhao is her boyfriend, so he’s my and my sister’s daddy too!"

Huo Tianhao couldn’t help but press his tongue against the inside of his cheek. He leaned in next to Xia Zhaoyun’s ear, his hot breath curling around its fair, delicate shell. "Comrade Xia Zhaoyun, your man’s a hero? So, that makes you a widow now? And you’re even raising two kids for him?"

"Heh. You wouldn’t go to such lengths if it weren’t for true love, would you?"

’He was constantly amazed by this woman’s schemes.’

’She could spin a lie that deceived the whole world so effortlessly. What kind of environment could forge such a masterful liar?’

Xia Zhaoyun shuddered.

’In her memory, she was an experienced woman, but those memories were loathsome, and to be precise, it felt as if she had merely watched them in a movie.’

’So while she loathed them, the feeling wasn’t entirely concrete. At the very least, her body was now pathetically growing weak and flushed...’

’Still, why did the word "widow" sound so... intoxicating?’

’And besides, even though she was the one who had put on this false identity, why did this man have to be so blunt and hit where it hurt?’

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