Upon entering the lobby, several gazes, some overt and some covert, focused on Lin Xi. Lin Xi instinctively tightened her grip on Duan Yiheng's hand; Duan Yiheng smiled broadly, radiating affability.
Perhaps sensing his unusual demeanor, some employees boldly greeted him. Duan Yiheng nodded slightly and replied in kind, displaying remarkable approachability. As soon as they stepped out of the lobby, the receptionists exchanged glances. "Did you see them? They came out holding hands."
"Yeah, we saw them. Putting everything else aside, President Duan and Miss Lin are quite a good match." "Miss Lin? Didn't you read the PR department's statement? It's a relationship with marriage in mind."
"I always thought Miss Lin and the second young master..." "Who knows the ins and outs, but Vice President Duan is never one to act recklessly. His first publicly acknowledged relationship was with Miss Lin, so this is pretty much it." "Stop with Vice President Duan, come over here."
"What?" "Internal group announcement, he's already the general manager." "That was expected." "..." The subordinates were unaware of Duan Zheng and Ke Yu's situation. Everyone just assumed Duan Zheng had lost in the power struggle.
Meanwhile, Ke Yu and Duan Zheng had just arrived at the Tianhong Pavilion when they saw An Qi looking guilty. Ke Yu immediately burst into tears, demanding to know where she had been all night. She had originally planned to call the police last night, but Chen Baiwei came to her door and beat her up. Everything was a mess, and by the time she came to her senses, it was already dawn.
Duan Zheng discussed the situation with her. Anqi was definitely still safe in their hands, because Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng hadn't achieved their goal yet. So she calmed down and went to the company. Anqi timidly said,
"I went to a classmate's house. Her parents aren't home." Ke Yu was secretly furious, knowing she had fallen for Lin Xi's trick. Lin Xi hadn't done anything herself, arranging everything perfectly. "Why didn't you tell me?" Anqi: "They were asleep."
Ke Yu knew it was useless to say anything, so she turned to the nanny who was taking care of her and said, "Pack Anqi's things." Duan Zheng grabbed her: "What are you going to do?" Ke Yu said, "Anqi is a Canadian citizen. I'm taking her out now; someone there will take care of her."
Duan Zheng frowned: "What about you?" Ke Yu sneered: "I haven't given up this battle yet." She had never lost so badly. "What are you going to do?" Duan Zheng had lost everything, but he still had feelings for Ke Yu. "Why don't we go abroad as a family?"
Ke Yu had the nanny take An Qi away, saying, "I need to go back to the Zheng family." Duan Zheng: "You're going back?" Ke Yu: "I know I can't stay in the Zheng family anymore, but even if I'm leaving, I have to say goodbye." Duan Zheng: "I'll go with you."
Ke Yu's heart softened for a moment. Duan Zheng did like her, but he didn't have the power to give her what she wanted. "I have nothing to do with you anymore. You're just An Qi's biological father. I won't stop you from seeing her, but that's all." Duan Zheng was stunned:
"What do you mean?" Ke Yu: "Let's break up." Duan Zheng's jaw tightened: "I've done so much for you, and you want to leave me with nothing?" "You're not the only one who'll lose everything."
Ke Yu glanced at him coldly, "What I do afterward has nothing to do with you." She wouldn't be satisfied until she had Duan Yiheng completely ruined. Duan Zheng's heart tightened: "What are you planning now?" Ke Yu's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he said,
"An Qi needs you. Send her abroad first, and I'll tell you when I get back. My current status is still that of a member of the Zheng family. Before I leave, I must settle this matter." Duan Zheng had no reason to refuse to let An Qi leave the center of trouble.
—Duan Yiheng and Lin Xi returned to the old house. On the way, Duan Yiheng received a call from Zheng Jiayi. The Zheng family's power and resources were divided among three groups, and Old Master Zheng could no longer cause any trouble in the group. Besides, he was getting old and probably wouldn't live for many more years.
Back home, the two went to the North Courtyard for dinner, only to be told that the old man was not feeling well and had already gone to sleep. Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng had no choice but to return to the South Courtyard. After a quick meal, Duan Yiheng rested for a bit and said to Lin Xi,
"I'm going to work now. Go see Grandpa at the North Campus this afternoon; he doesn't seem to be doing well." Lin Xi had originally planned to visit Yinfan Technology, but seeing Duan Yiheng's words, she could only nod.
The two shared a brief, passionate kiss. Lin Xi saw him to the door and watched Duan Yiheng's car drive away. She opened her phone and went online, searching for Yinfan Technology's statement.
Online opinions about her relationship with Duan Yiheng were mixed, with most people taking a detached, gossipy approach. As one netizen put it: "After gossiping about celebrities, now gossiping about luxury homes; different kinds of gossip, different experiences." Lin Xi found this description amusing.
Scrolling further down, she discovered that Qin Yang had done much more, such as Chen Jingyi deliberately spreading rumors about her competitors during university to obtain various scholarships, having strained relationships with her roommates, and engaging in defamation and isolation, among other things.
Chen Jingyi's former university classmates came forward to testify, exposing her egregious behavior during her university years. One incident led to another; even if Chen Jingyi were an ordinary person, with someone digging into her past, there would be plenty of evidence to uncover. As a result, her family was also exposed to the public.
Chen Jingyi's experiences are actually quite pitiful, but her actions don't elicit sympathy. Lin Xi watched the entire thing, her heart filled with mixed emotions. No one can remain innocent in the darkest of times, but flowers blooming from the mud are often the most beautiful.
Having ambition and cunning isn't necessarily a bad thing, but resorting to unscrupulous means to achieve it harms others and will ultimately lead to one's own ambition backfiring. Lin Xi turned off her phone and sat alone in the living room for a long time. That afternoon, she went to the North Courtyard and waited for the old man to wake up.
The old man was surprised for a moment when he saw her: "You've been waiting?" Lin Xi felt a little guilty and asked the old man, "Grandpa, are you angry with me?" The old man sighed: "Why would I be angry with you?" Lin Xi leaned against his bedside and whispered:
"I know you're upset, I'm sorry." The old man patted her head: "It's really hard for me to see the family like this.
But Xiao Xi, from this incident, I also saw your feelings for Yi Heng. You always put him first. I'm at ease leaving the company to you." Lin Xi's eyes welled up with tears: "Thank you, Grandpa." "Alright, stop being so sweet."
The old man smiled, "Come have something to eat with me." Lin Xi stayed until eight o'clock in the evening before returning to the South Courtyard. Duan Yi Heng wasn't home, and she was almost dying of boredom. She fiddled with her phone, but didn't send a single message.
She knew Duan Yi Heng was busy and didn't dare to bother him. It wasn't until eleven o'clock that Sister Mei came over and gently reminded her, "Go upstairs to sleep." She'd come to the living room to watch TV after her shower, still half asleep.
If the young master—no, the master—sees this when he gets back, he'll definitely scold her. "I'm on vacation these few days," Lin Xi pleaded. "I'll wait another hour, Sister Mei, you go to sleep first. I promise, I'll go to sleep right after midnight."
Sister Mei couldn't do anything with her, shook her head, and went back to her room. An hour later, Duan Yiheng still hadn't returned. Lin Xi slowly got up from the sofa. Just as she reached the stairwell, she heard a noise from the entryway. She took two steps back, saw a familiar figure, wrapped herself tightly in a thin blanket, and ran over.
"You're back." A beautiful butterfly flew towards her. Duan Yiheng instinctively opened his arms, bent down, and lifted her up, suspending her in mid-air.