Outside the high walls of Tiandu Imperial Seal, the glass panes had weathered the midday heat; their glare was no longer blindingly intense. Inside, the curtains suddenly slid halfway open, revealing only a small section of the foot of the bed.
There was a sudden stir beneath the covers. Duan Yiheng hooked his leg around Lin Xi's, shifted onto his side to prop himself up, and planted a kiss on her face. Lin Xi, still groggy with sleep, rolled over and burrowed back into Duan Yiheng's embrace. "It's two o'clock."
Duan Yiheng's voice held the low, husky timbre of someone who had just woken up. "In the afternoon." Lin Xi let out a reluctant little moan. Duan Yiheng reached under the light blanket to feel her stomach. "Aren't you hungry?" Lin Xi's calf gave a sudden twitch; since last night, that was the phrase she had heard more than any other. "Not hungry," Lin Xi croaked out.
Duan Yiheng asked, "Shall I bring lunch in here?" Lin Xi rolled over. "I don't want to eat. You go clean up the living room first." Duan Yiheng was just about to suggest calling someone in to handle the cleanup, but then—recalling exactly what the two of them had gotten up to on the sofa last night—he promptly bit his tongue.
Driven to sleeplessness the entire night by her two whispered calls of "Brother," he had merely given them both a hasty wash-down before finally drifting off to sleep just as the sky began to lighten. Duan Yiheng got out of bed to wash up; after changing into a set of loungewear, he went alone to tackle the chaotic mess in the living room.
The items on the coffee table were easy enough to organize, but the sofa and the blanket draped over it would both require a thorough cleaning. He folded the blanket and sent it off to be laundered; as for the sofa, he personally consulted the butler for advice, intending to tackle the cleaning himself. By the time everything was restored to order, an hour had already passed.
Duan Yiheng went to the bedroom to check on Lin Xi; seeing that she was still fast asleep, he steeled his resolve and hauled her out of bed. Lin Xi tumbled into his arms, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Duan Yiheng stroked her head; it wasn't hot. Speaking in a gentle voice, he said, "You can't sleep any longer. Get up and have something to eat." Nestled in his arms, Lin Xi murmured a response: "Is the living room cleaned up yet?" "The rug has already been sent out for cleaning, and I personally wiped down the sofa." Duan Yiheng ran his hand soothingly through her long hair, stroke after stroke. "May I ask if the young mistress has any further commands?" Lin Xi gave a soft laugh:
"I'm craving something spicy." "That's fine," Duan Yiheng said. "But don't overdo it. Would something mildly spicy be okay?" Lin Xi replied, "Okay." Duan Yiheng patted her back. "Get up and go freshen up; I'll go call the restaurant."
Lin Xi climbed out of bed and headed straight for the walk-in closet; she changed out of her pajamas before going to wash up. She gathered her long hair into a bun, revealing her smooth, fair neck. As she lifted her head, she caught sight of the marks on the side of her neck—two or three of them, varying in depth. Lin Xi brushed her teeth with a huff of indignation, gave her face a cursory splash of water, and headed toward the living room:
"Duan Yiheng!" Hearing Lin Xi call out to him from a distance, Duan Yiheng immediately strode over to meet her. "What's the matter?" "You tell me," Lin Xi retorted, placing her hands on her hips and pointing to her neck. "It's scorching hot outside right now—are you expecting me to wear a turtleneck?"
For a brief moment, Duan Yiheng felt a twinge of guilt. He stepped forward to examine the marks and asked, "Can't you cover them up?" Given the heat of the moment back then, who could have possibly held back? Lin Xi's eyes darted to the side as a thought suddenly struck her. "Could I take a couple of days off work?" she asked.
Duan Yiheng narrowed his eyes; he knew Lin Xi wouldn't normally ask for time off over something so trivial. "Well? Can I?" Lin Xi pressed him. "We've already signed the letter of intent with Likang. Their sales team is taking some time off to go traveling abroad now that the follow-up work is done, so I'd just be taking two days off myself." Duan Yiheng readily agreed: "That's fine."
"Has the food arrived yet?" Lin Xi asked, smiling with satisfaction. "Let's go eat in the dining room. I'll head back to the bedroom to grab my phone first." She didn't even have the courage to face the living room right now. Lin Xi turned and retreated to the bedroom, where she scrolled through her contacts, found Meng Huaishan's number, and placed a call. The other party picked up almost immediately, sounding surprised: "Why are you calling me?" Lin Xi smiled: "Brother Meng, I wanted to ask you something—it's about Anqi." Having recently helped Duan Yiheng verify Anqi's identity, Meng Huaishan was naturally privy to the details.
He thought for a moment, then asked Lin Xi: "What is it you want to know?" Lin Xi replied: "I just wanted to ask about her schedule—does she have any specific places she visits regularly?" Meng Huaishan asked: "What are you planning? Does Yiheng know about this?" Lin Xi said:
"I mentioned it to him earlier. With the transfer of equity fast approaching, I want to secure a little leverage for myself." Meng Huaishan understood almost instantly. He told Lin Xi:
"Every Thursday afternoon, from three to five o'clock, she goes to the Dingfan Children's Art Gallery for an art appreciation class. She's accompanied by one nanny and two bodyguards." Lin Xi thanked him and immediately hung up. A children's art gallery?
Lin Xi rested her phone against her chin. If she were to "bump into" Anqi time and again—even if it wasn't intentional—the nanny and driver would surely grow suspicious and wary of her. This was a matter she couldn't handle personally. Lin Xi unlocked her phone and sent a text message to Liang Yutong.
The other party replied quickly; Lin Xi had asked if she was free the next day. Liang Yutong happened to have plenty of free time, so she readily agreed. Just then, Duan Yiheng knocked on the door: "Come eat." Lin Xi turned off her phone, turned around, and asked: "What did you order?" Duan Yiheng replied:
"Come see for yourself." Lin Xi followed him into the dining room, and the moment she spotted that small portion of Sichuan-style "Mouth-watering Chicken," her mouth began to water for real. "Have a bite of something else first to tide you over." Duan Yiheng handed her a pair of chopsticks. "Let me ladle you a bowl of soup." Lin Xi nodded slightly.
"I've arranged to meet with Yu-tong tomorrow." Duan Yiheng didn't interfere; he simply nodded. "Come back early in the evening; I'll be waiting for you at home." Lin Xi gave a soft laugh. "You've really started treating this place like home." "Wrong."
Duan Yiheng cupped her chin and leaned in to kiss her. "If you aren't here, it's not a home either. This place is still a bit too small; once we get married later on, we'll buy a new place. What kind of neighborhood would you like to live in?" Lin Xi replied, "It is a little small, but it's close to work—very convenient."
Duan Yiheng said, "In the future, just let the driver take you; no need to make things so hard on yourself." Lin Xi said, "We'll talk about that later." Duan Yiheng was about to say something else when his phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Meng Huaishan. He patted Lin Xi on the head, signaling for her to go ahead and eat.
Lin Xi saw the caller ID on his screen; she hadn't intended to hide anything from Duan Yiheng anyway, so she simply lowered her head and continued eating. Duan Yiheng took the call in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, standing half-turned away while occasionally glancing over at Lin Xi as she ate. "I've found the guy you wanted. When do you want to get it done?"
Meng Huaishan asked over the phone. Duan Yiheng narrowed his gaze slightly. "Tomorrow night." Meng Huaishan replied, "Alright. I'll bring him over tomorrow night to get it installed for you." It was a day off, and Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng spent the entire day holed up inside their home.
The following morning, after Duan Yiheng had left for work, Lin Xi headed out to meet Liang Yu-tong. Liang Yu-tong readily agreed. "Isn't that simple enough? I'll look into that children's art exhibition. I'll also ask my cousin—her child is about the same age as that Anqi you mentioned." Lin Xi said:
"Having a child with us would naturally make it easier to get the other party to lower their guard." Liang Yu-tong replied, "Leave it to me." Lin Xi and Liang Yu-tong had dinner out before heading back. Upon returning to Tiandu Yuxi—and just as she stepped inside—Lin Xi paused; there was a very unfamiliar scent hanging in the air.
Had Duan Yiheng already gotten off work? Lin Xi walked further inside and saw Meng Huaishan sitting on the living room sofa alongside a stranger—a man who was currently holding one of her shoes. Duan Yiheng was seated directly across from the two of them. Lin Xi walked over: "What's going on?"