Master Zhan, your daughter has gone out to catch ghosts again.

Chapter 267 The Shattered Huo Kongye

Zhan Jinxi turned around and looked down at the little boy.

“My name is Huo Yan,” the little boy repeated.

Huo Kong stood there stunned, his eyes filled with shock, but his heart was filled with ecstasy.

After all these years, my younger brother has finally started talking to people other than him.

Zhan Jinxi burst into a big laugh, "Little Huo Yan, which 'yan' is it?"

"The 'yàn' in 'hateful'." Huo Yan didn't know whether it was because he was used to it or because he didn't understand the meaning of the word, but he just blurted it out naturally.

Huo Yan? Yan? Why would parents give their child such a name?

Zhan Jinxi realized she had spoken out of turn and glanced apologetically at Huo Kongye. She really didn't mean to ask.

Zhan Jinxi wanted to say something, but Huo Kong interrupted her, "Xiao Yan, say goodbye to your sister, we're going back."

Huo Yan looked up at Huo Kongye with a puzzled expression, as if asking, "Brother, didn't we just arrive? Why do we have to go back? We haven't had any fun yet."

Huo Kong also gave him a look to indicate that he hadn't misheard.

Huo Yan looked at Zhan Jinxi and said the words "Goodbye, sister" in a childish voice, his pronunciation sounding a bit difficult, unlike the natural fluency of other children his age.

Zhan Jinxi noticed something was wrong; Huo Yan might have autism. As for the severity, further observation and contact were needed to draw a conclusion.

The original reason she chose to study psychology was to better understand YoYo's inner world, to better understand her perspective, and to get along with her.

Unexpectedly, she gradually developed a considerable interest in psychology, wrote many academic papers, and participated in numerous conferences and competitions.

Therefore, she could tell that Huo Yan was abnormal at a glance.

Huo Yan grabbed Huo Kongye's sleeve and turned to leave.

"Wait." Zhan Jinxi chased after them and blocked their way.

Although she didn't know if this was meddling, she understood the significance of her elective psychology course. Before, it was just for YoYo, but now, she wanted to help children with similar symptoms get out of the shadows and enable them to communicate and live normal lives like normal children.

"Is something wrong?"

Huo Kong remained aloof and arrogant, keeping everyone at arm's length, as if he treated everyone the same, including his own younger brother Huo Yan.

"Your brother..."

Huo Kong also saw what Zhan Jinxi was about to say and quickly interrupted, "My brother is fine, there's no need to worry."

The pity in her eyes made Huo Kong feel very uncomfortable. He didn't need anyone's pity! Especially not... her.

Huo Kong also brought Huo Yan home. As soon as they opened the door, they saw a fat, middle-aged man with a cigarette in his hand, sitting on the sofa in an unseemly posture. When he saw Huo Kong return, he threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it to show his dissatisfaction. "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you for an hour."

"On the first day of the new year, I took Xiao Yan to the amusement park," Huo Kongye said coldly.

Mr. Huo scoffed dismissively, "Heh, don't waste your time. Instead of taking him to the amusement park, you might as well give me that money to invest."

Huo Kong remained silent and did not speak.

Before, Mr. Huo was indeed a very capable investor. He entered the top three listed investment companies and his business was outstanding, so he made a lot of money. In the end, for reasons unknown, he was dismissed by the company.

After being dismissed, Mr. Huo's father went for interviews at other companies, but all of them rejected him for various reasons, such as age discrimination, doubts about his abilities, and lack of experience.

After a year of searching for a job, Mr. Huo gradually became numb.

In the end, he simply gave up and stayed at home for more than a year, living off his savings.

Huo's mother couldn't stand Huo's father's indolence and argued with him countless times before finally deciding to leave the family, even though she was pregnant at the time.

Mr. Huo did not try to stop him.

A few months later, Huo's mother gave the newborn Huo Yan to Huo's father to raise and left without looking back.

Huo Kong was only eleven years old at the time. His father was a good-for-nothing, his mother had run away, he was broken, and he had a younger brother who was crying for food.

The arrival of Huo Yan and the departure of Huo's mother caused Huo's father's pent-up resentment to finally erupt.

Huo's father began to change; he became violent, an alcoholic, and a smoker, trying everything to escape reality.

In this environment, Huo Yan naturally and unknowingly developed autism.

At the time, Huo Kong was still young and did not realize the seriousness of the situation. He only thought about doing odd jobs to earn money to support his almost broken family.

Later, Mr. Huo rallied and started investing again.

Huo Kong was also very happy, but who knew that he would ask him for money, and blindly invest in whatever he liked, without considering indicators or analyzing the market.

He said that at this time, you should cast a wide net, and maybe one of them will explode, and the return on investment will increase hundreds of times. Who would care about the money lost then?

Huo Kong was under increasing pressure; he was only thirteen years old, yet he had to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.

However, if he didn't give it to his brother, his father would beat him severely and threaten him to hand over the money. He thought about taking his brother away from home, but his brother's household registration was with his father, and he, a thirteen-year-old, couldn't raise a three-year-old child independently.

Under immense pressure, Huo Kong also chose a path of no return: underground casinos.

Huo Kong also had a talent for gambling, and made a fortune in just a few days, but all of it was invested by Huo's father.

His investments repeatedly failed, resulting in significant losses and substantial debt.

Huo Kong was completely exhausted, but even so, he had no choice but to go all the way.

From then on, the casino became a place Huo Kongye went to every day, just like going to work.

And every time, they only make a profit and never lose money.

Even though Huo Kongye keeps a low profile, many onlookers watch him make money. With so many people, how could one not be envious?

Even if bystanders are not envious, it doesn't mean the casino owner is unhappy with Huo Kong.

In the casino, earning a lot comes at a price. The casino owner approached Huo Kongye, wanting to cooperate with him, offering to split his earnings 50/50 with the casino. Huo Kongye refused, his attitude resolute and arrogant.

The casino owner immediately had Huo Kong thrown out into a deserted alley, intending to kill him quietly.

Huo Kong was also very lucky; it was here that he met Wen Zijing.

Wen Zijin rescued him because she saw that he was skilled in martial arts, so she took him back to the organization.

What Huo Kong didn't know was that while he was being brutally beaten by the casino owner's men, the casino was raided by the police, and everyone present was taken away.

He, however, possessed a certain amount of good fortune.