Lin Xi knew Duan Yiheng was trying to coax her, but hearing it still gave her a warm, satisfying feeling inside. As the courtyard grew dim, Lin Xi glanced back and said, "Let's go downstairs." "Wait a moment."
Duan Yiheng's gaze drifted past the greenery below; turning Lin Xi's face toward him, he said, "Give me a kiss." "What for?" Lin Xi smiled bashfully. Duan Yiheng grasped her waist, feigning a look of intimidation: "Hurry up."
With her back pressed against the railing and nowhere left to retreat, Lin Xi could only cling to his shoulders and lightly brush her lips against his. "Is that good enough?" "Not quite." Duan Yiheng kissed her back, effectively silencing any further protests she might have had.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Xi caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure beneath the trees—rigid and looking utterly mortified. Duan Yiheng's lips curved into a faint smile; after a long, lingering kiss, he wrapped his arm around Lin Xi and led her back inside. Duan Mingxuan stood rooted to the spot, his legs aching from standing so long, yet he hadn't moved an inch. "Mingxuan."
Chen Baiwei called out to him from a distance, "Let's go. I can't stand to be in this place for another second." The house was filled with Duan Zheng's personal belongings, and everywhere Chen Baiwei went, she could sense his presence.
Whether it was merely a psychological effect or not, she felt as though she could even catch the scent of *another* woman clinging to those personal items. She had retreated to her room and thrown out everything of Duan Zheng's, but it was no use. That nauseating scent followed her everywhere, like a shadow she couldn't shake. The irony was stark:
The very pain she had once inflicted upon Duan Yiheng's birth mother was now being ruthlessly inflicted back upon her—by another woman entirely. It seemed fate truly had a twisted sense of humor. Later, at dinner, Sister Mei knocked on the dining room door and announced to Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng, "The people in the east wing didn't take a single thing with them; they've already moved out."
Lin Xi blinked in surprise: "They didn't take *anything*?" Sister Mei replied, "I heard they smashed quite a few things before they left." Lin Xi nodded slowly: "I understand." After Sister Mei had departed, Lin Xi turned to look at Duan Yiheng, noticing a faint furrow in his brow and a distinct slowing in the rhythm of his eating.
Perhaps to keep her company, Duan Yiheng barely touched his food—taking only a few bites with his chopsticks—until the meal was finally over. Lin Xi parted her lips, about to say something, but was cut off by an incoming phone call for Duan Yiheng. It wasn't until just before bed—after she had taken a shower—that she finally knocked on Duan Yiheng's door.
At home, Lin Xi didn't share a room with Duan Yiheng. Even though their relationship was now public knowledge, for some reason, Lin Xi always felt a bit shy around Sister Mei; consequently, they slept in separate rooms at night. Duan Yiheng opened the door, saw it was her, and smiled teasingly. "What's up? Can't get used to sleeping alone?" Lin Xi pressed her fingers against his chest and gently pushed him back. This slightly flirtatious gesture sent a jolt through Duan Yiheng; he reached out to take her hand, but Lin Xi pulled away, maintaining a bit of distance. "I just wanted to talk," Lin Xi said. "I got the feeling you were in a bad mood during dinner." Duan Yiheng paused for a moment, then gave a relieved smile. "Come in." Lin Xi sat down at the foot of his bed and asked, "Did what happened to Chen Baiwei remind you of Miss Meng?"
Duan Yiheng let out a soft breath and murmured, "Yeah. Karma—the cycle of cause and effect. I just find it ironic." Lin Xi had grown up alongside Chen Baiwei; in that household, the subject of Duan Yiheng's mother was strictly taboo.
She hadn't known the anniversary of Miss Meng's death until last year—the night Duan Yiheng got drunk. Only then did Lin Xi realize that beneath Duan Yiheng's cool exterior lay a hidden layer of vulnerability and melancholy. She took Duan Yiheng's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "From now on, I'll always be right here with you."
Duan Yiheng might have appeared aloof on the surface, but in reality, he loathed being alone. He detested living in solitude; the various facets of Lin Xi's life abroad served as a much-needed spice in his otherwise monotonous, day-to-day existence back home.
The photos she sent every week from overseas allowed him to openly—and guiltlessly—peek into Lin Xi's life. Relying solely on those images, he had virtually walked alongside her through all four seasons in Philadelphia.
He watched her attend the spring seminar for her finance club, watched her shuttle between lecture halls and the library to pore over her coursework... On weekends, while others might have gathered with a few friends, Lin Xi was remarkably well-behaved; aside from attending the occasional lecture, she mostly stayed cooped up in her apartment.
There was just one exception: every winter, she would head to the ski slopes with Duan Mingxuan. For a long time, he had assumed that Lin Xi would be inextricably bound to Duan Mingxuan for the rest of her life. Yet now, she was pledging to stand by him through thick and thin. Duan Yiheng turned his head and replied:
"I saw on your Moments that you have a lot of skiing videos. How about we go together this winter?" Lin Xi hurriedly clapped a hand over his mouth. "What are you thinking?" Duan Yiheng grasped her wrist, his brow furrowing slightly. "Is it a question of whether you *want* to go with me?"
"Is that really the point here—whether I *want* to go with you?" Lin Xi scoffed. "This is your first year taking the helm at Yinfan; surely you know just how hectic things get toward the end of the year?" Duan Yiheng smiled. "I can certainly spare the time to take you abroad for a ski trip."
Lin Xi shook her head. "From financial audits to adjusting the group's strategic planning, not to mention managing shareholders and the board—during those final days of the year, you might not even have time to sit down for a meal at home." Duan Yiheng looked down at her with a smile. "So, did I speak too soon?"
"There's always next time..." Lin Xi slipped off her shoes and naturally lay down across his lap. "May I lie here for a bit?" Duan Yiheng placed a protective hand on her waist and lowered his gaze. "You're asking *after* you've already lain down?" "Shall I get up, then?" She said the words, but Lin Xi didn't make the slightest move to rise.
Duan Yiheng could always be amused by her antics; he leaned down to plant a light kiss on her nose and said, "Go ahead and sleep. Once you're fast asleep, I'll carry you back to your room." Lin Xi wrapped her arms around Duan Yiheng's waist and let out a weary yawn. Duan Yiheng gently stroked her back, and after—though he couldn't say exactly how long—Lin Xi finally drifted off to sleep.
The mobile phone beside the bed began to ring. Duan Yiheng moved with lightning speed to silence it; he cast a downward glance at Lin Xi before answering the call. It was the security office at his family estate; they reported that Chen Baiwei wanted to borrow a few men for a task. The officer on duty had been unsure how to proceed, so Chen Baiwei had instructed him to call Duan Yiheng directly.
After listening to the report, Duan Yiheng gave a light chuckle. "If she wants them, let her have them—and send along two extra men while you're at it." The security captain acknowledged the order. Chen Baiwei knew that Duan Yiheng would undoubtedly lend her the men; nor did she care whether she was merely being used as a pawn in Duan Yiheng's schemes. At this moment, she simply could not bring herself to swallow her pride and let the matter rest.
Having assembled her team, she set out with eight men and two vehicles, heading straight for Lanyue Residence. Naturally, the address for Duan Zheng and Ke Yu's home had also been provided to her by Duan Yiheng. The more miserable Ke Yu and Duan Zheng felt, the more triumphant he felt. As night fell, Duan Yiheng carried Lin Xi back to the bedroom.
The next morning, the two of them rose almost simultaneously. Sister Mei had prepared their outfits well in advance; knowing the day was of great importance, she had selected ensembles that were the epitome of elegance and propriety. Although Lin Xi was petite—smaller in stature than the average Northern woman—she was blessed with excellent proportions.
When they each emerged from their respective rooms, they both paused in surprise. Duan Yiheng cast a glance downstairs at Sister Mei, who was practically beaming with pride: "Nice. It looks very good." Noticing that the color of Duan Yiheng's pocket square matched her own dress perfectly, Lin Xi realized just how much thought Sister Mei had put into their styling.
At 9:20, Lin Xi took her seat in Duan Yiheng's car, following closely behind the Old Master's vehicle as they headed toward the Group headquarters. As fate would have it—or perhaps simply due to a narrow encounter—they ran into Duan Zheng and Ke Yu right at the entrance. However, the ghastly pallor of Duan Zheng and Ke Yu's faces truly took Lin Xi aback.
She leaned closer to Duan Yiheng and whispered, "What's the deal with those two? Why does it look like they're wearing a ton of foundation?" It looked as if they had plastered it on like house paint.