Chapter 97. "Miss Wen, hello..."

It was the height of summer and very hot.

The kitchen range hood was making a loud noise. Wen Xue kept an eye on the pot, holding a small fan and blowing it on herself. She was sweating from the heat.

She got off work early today, just after 5 p.m. when she clocked out.

The sunlight outside was still glaring. She was discussing what to eat for dinner with Yang Siyi, who had come to Xicheng for an internship last week. When Siyi replied with a look of utter despair, "I want to eat arsenic," she was amused, but after laughing, she felt a pang of sympathy.

The internship that Siyi found has good pay, but it's very busy, extremely busy.

Wen Xue thought for a moment, then changed her plans and went to a nearby supermarket. While pushing the shopping cart, she texted Si Yi: "What do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it according to the recipe, and we can eat it right away when we get home [kiss]"

Taking a break from her busy schedule, Siyi sent a screen full of kisses: 【Anything with meat is fine with me!】

Wen Xue smiled when she saw the message.

She put away her phone and focused on buying groceries, leaving the supermarket with a full shopping bag.

I spent an hour in the kitchen, strictly following the steps in the recipe, and made three dishes: braised pork with potatoes, which Siyi loves; cold spinach salad, which she also loves; and shredded beef with green peppers, which He Yan likes.

From the rooftop public drying area of ​​the apartment building, you can see the office building where his company is located.

Looking up, you see fiery clouds; the pinkish sky at dusk is so beautiful it takes your breath away.

Wen Xue gazed into the distance for a moment, then gathered up the sheets and blankets and went downstairs, where she ran into Si Yi, who was coming home from get off work on time that day.

Yang Siyi, covered in dust and grime, hugged her and whimpered, "I'm so tired!"

Wen Xue chuckled: "Hurry up and wash your hands and eat."

You're the best!

Yang Siyi instantly perked up, excitedly went to the restroom to wash off the smell of work, sat down at the table, and glanced at the lunchbox next to him, which contained food. He immediately understood: "There's some for him too?"

"It was made especially for you," Wen Xue emphasized softly. "He did it incidentally, okay?"

Yang Siyi nodded with a satisfied smile: "That's more like it."

"So, are you going to his company later, or should he come?" she asked again.

"Let me ask."

Wen Xue was also undecided.

Before Si Yi moved in, He Yan would only stop at the door, except in very special circumstances, let alone now.

The dinner ended with Siyi ranting about her company leaders and colleagues.

After the meal, Siyi cleared away the dishes and went into the kitchen to wash and rinse them.

Worried that He Yan was busy, Wen Xue sent him a message: "Have you eaten?"

A few minutes later, the phone vibrated.

He Yan: [Not yet, how about you?]

She smiled and said, "I ate it."

Changya Trading is on track, which means that as the boss, he will be busier. The time they spend going out to eat and watch movies is all squeezed out by him.

Even so, as long as he was in the West City, they would see each other every day.

Sometimes she would get up early, drive to his place, and then they would walk the dog together.

Sometimes he would be busy until very late, and he would go back and bring Stone to find her.

He Yan: [What did we eat?]

She took a picture of the lunchbox and sent it to them: 【Want some?】

This time, He Yan lost patience with typing and dialed the number directly, asking, "Did you do this?"

Wen Xue peeked into the kitchen to listen to the sounds, then lowered her voice to tease him, "It was stolen."

He Yan chuckled: "Why do you want to cook today?"

At this moment, he temporarily put down his work, leaned back comfortably in his office chair, looked out the floor-to-ceiling window, and thought happily that she must be looking at his early morning flight to another city for a business trip.

“Siyi isn’t very happy at work,” she said.

"..."

He Yan paused for two seconds, then said, "Mm."

"Aren't you done yet?"

“Not yet,” he paused, “I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

Wen Xue hesitated, "How about—"

He guessed what she was going to say, and before she could finish, he immediately agreed: "Okay."

She chuckled.

He chuckled to himself on the other end.

"But are there other people in your company?" she asked, unsure again. She felt that a company is a company, and even though they were together now, it wouldn't be appropriate to "disturb" others while they were working.

"It doesn't matter if there are other people around."

He Yan said this, but obediently got up and walked out.

"It's related," she insisted.

哢哒.

Wen Xue listened to the sound of the door opening on her phone, pursed her lips and smiled secretly, knowing that he had come out of the office to check if anyone was still outside.

He Yan was strolling around outside when an employee turned off his computer and stretched. When their eyes met, the employee reluctantly lowered his hand and called out, "Brother Yan."

"Still not off work?" he asked.

"It'll be here soon."

He Yan nodded and pondered, "Go home and rest early, you've worked hard."

He was still on the phone with Wen Xue.

Wen Xue listened intently, then suddenly burst out laughing; her gentle laughter seemed to be right next to his ear.

The employee's eyes lit up, "Great!"

He really felt lucky; he rarely worked overtime, and Yan Ge saw it with his own eyes.

He Yan returned to his office and said to Wen Xue on the other end of the phone, "No one's here."

"real?"

"If you don't believe me, come and see for yourself."

"So I'm heading out now? What else would you like to eat?"

"I'll eat what you make."

Wen Xue smiled and hung up the phone. She put the lunchbox into a bag, thought for a few seconds, then took a bottle of yogurt from the refrigerator and said in a light voice, "Siyi, I'm going out."

Yang Siyi: "Hmph."

…

The apartments were very close, and Wenxue hoped he could eat as soon as possible, so she walked faster and more hurriedly than usual, shortening the ten-minute journey to eight minutes. Unexpectedly, he was standing tall downstairs waiting for her.

Her eyes widened.

He had already seen her and opened his arms.

She jogged over to him, looking at him with surprise, "Why did you come down?"

Isn't that a pointless question?

It was getting late, and most of the office workers in the building had already left, so of course he had to pick her up.

He hugged her, took the bag, and led her inside, saying, "Let's go for a walk."

Wen Xue's eyes were filled with a smile.

She has been living a peaceful and happy life lately. She often has a feeling that it's not real, but as long as she is by his side, this feeling will disappear.

The smile in her eyes froze slightly as she stepped out of the elevator and into the company, where she was met with an even more surprised gaze.

Didn't they say the company was short-staffed?

She stared at the man in front of her in astonishment, then turned her head and frowned as she looked at He Yan.

He Yan: "??"

He composed himself and asked naturally, "Weren't you off work?"

The employee was also confused, raising his hand and shaking the keys, "Brother Yan, I, I forgot to take the keys..."

"OK."

"Brother Yan, I'm off work."

Let's go.

Before leaving, the employee glanced at Wen Xue a few times, recognized her as the girl in the photo He Yan had placed on his desk, remained calm on the surface but screamed inside, and ran away in a flash.

Wen Xue glared at He Yan, "It's all your fault."

She left him there, ignoring him, and walked toward his office.

Her steps were unsteady; she was clearly shy.

He Yan felt wronged, so wronged, and followed after them unhurriedly. It was truly an undeserved disaster.

Wen Xue wasn't angry; her unease vanished completely when she thought about how he had to leave for the airport before dawn the next day.

His office was small and simply furnished, with a desk and chair, a filing cabinet, a money tree, and nothing else; everything was laid out clearly at a glance.

He Yan was really hungry.

He put down his lunchbox, went to the tea room to find an apple, washed it, and returned to give it to her before sitting down to eat.

"Your place is so messy."

Wen Xue took a bite of the apple; it was crisp and sweet. She then offered to help him tidy up.

"Is it chaotic?" He didn't care.

Their figures were reflected in the floor-to-ceiling windows. He kept staring at her while he ate, his eyes following her wherever she went.

"What is this?" Wen Xue was also impressed by him. She found a box under a pile of documents. The packaging was very simple, and a character could be vaguely seen. She looked closely and it seemed to be the character "锦" (jin).

He Yan glanced at it: "The tea was a gift from Zhou Zhan. He said the production was very limited. Do you want some?"

"I won't drink it."

She shook her head and put the tea leaves down for him. "The tea is so bitter."

He Yan couldn't help but chuckle, "I know you like sweet drinks."

For example, that hot cocoa that's so cloying it's almost unbearable.

Wen Xue leaned on the desk, "Is it delicious?"

"tasty."

He answered firmly, his resolute expression suggesting that even if she gave him arsenic, he wouldn't hesitate for a second to say, "It's delicious."

Wen Xue curved her lips into a smile.

-

When He Yan went on a business trip, the task of walking the dog was completely handed over to Wen Xue. On the first night after he left, Yang Siyi rode his bike to take her to the faculty and staff residential area of ​​Xida University to let Shitou go out and play.

Siyi also likes stones.

However, the apartment they rented was too small, and the landlord explicitly stated that pets were not allowed.

He Yan still has custody of Shi Tou for the time being.

The two returned from walking their dog, chatting and laughing. For Wen Xue, this was the life she had always dreamed of: someone she loved, her best friend, a relatively stable future, and a clingy little dog.

They discussed what to have for breakfast the next day and pushed their cart toward the apartment building. A few steps away, several men in suits stood, one of whom was carrying a small jewelry safe. This sight attracted the attention of the other residents.

Wen Xue and Si Yi looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although they didn't know what these people did, it was best to avoid them. Just as the two were about to make their way around them, a handsome man with a smile walked up to them and said, "Miss Wen, hello, there is a gift here that you need to sign for."

"..."

"..."

Yang Siyi was dumbfounded.

This guy must have mistaken someone for someone else.

Wen Xue was equally surprised. She thought of someone, someone who had made her feel uneasy. She forced herself to calm down and asked uncertainly, "Who sent it?"

“Zhou Xian, Mr. Zhou.”

Yang Siyi asked, "And who is this?"

How come she's never heard of this person?

"Not familiar with them." Wen Xue replied softly, her gaze sweeping over the men one by one. "I don't understand what you're saying, and I won't sign for it. Please leave."

The man paused, realizing it was the first time he'd encountered such a situation. He calmly dialed a number, gesturing with his eyes to the person next to him to open the portable safe. Before the call even connected, a bewildered Yang Siyi gasped.

Inside the safe lay a teardrop-shaped pink diamond.

It was a large one, still dazzling in the night.

Even someone unfamiliar with the market can tell that it is valuable and rare.

Wen Xue glanced at it, then looked away, her tone unchanged but distant: "If we need to go in, please leave as soon as possible."

“Miss Wen, we are also acting on Mr. Zhou’s instructions.” The man smiled wryly. “If you don’t sign for it, we might be in a lot of trouble.”

After he finished speaking, the call connected, and a lazy voice came through his Bluetooth headset: "What?"

Wen Xue couldn't hear it.

She chose her words carefully, “You work for whoever pays you. Your client isn’t me, it’s him, so I don’t think I need to be responsible for your situation.” She paused for a few seconds, “If you get into trouble, it’s not because of me, it’s because of him.”

The man remained silent.

The person on the other end of the phone chuckled, then stopped laughing and said slowly, "Didn't she see what it was?"

"I've seen it," the man reported truthfully. Zhou Xian calmly hummed in agreement.

He was sitting in his car not far away. No woman dislikes jewelry, and he assumed she would happily accept it, then follow him to his car.

Wen Xue knew the man was on the phone with Zhou Xian. She kept her mouth shut and firmly shielded Si Yi behind her. Firstly, she knew how dangerous Zhou Xian was without He Yan's reminder, and secondly, Si Yi was protective of her and had a straightforward personality.

Now that things have come to this, He Yan and she are already caught up in the storm, and there is no way to avoid it.

But she didn't want a third person to get into unnecessary trouble because of her.

Wen Xue turned around and shook her head seriously and cautiously at Si Yi, signaling her not to act impulsively.

"Can we go now?"

Wen Xue was quite polite. After speaking, she took Si Yi's hand and was about to leave.

The men looked at each other, unsure how to handle the situation, when a male voice came from behind them, "Wen Xue."

Wen Xue paused.

She knew who it was.

Zhou Xian walked leisurely out of the dim night, dressed in a clean and simple style, with headphones around his neck, as if he had just finished running. He didn't even glance at the people he was giving orders to, focusing intently on Wen Xue as he walked towards her step by step.

He no longer concealed his identity, and as he drew closer, an overwhelming sense of determination washed over him.

He tilted his head, casually picked up the pink diamond, and played with it. "Why don't you want it? Don't you like it?"

Wen Xue lowered her gaze. "I don't want it."

Zhou Xian clenched it in his hand, puzzled and confused. Was she really not interested, or was she just pretending?

There were many bidders for this pink diamond, and many people wanted it, including women who were not lacking in jewelry.

His gaze shifted downwards, settling on the necklace around her neck.

“What do you want?” he asked.

Wen Xue knew where he was looking, and she subconsciously raised her hand to carefully protect the necklace pendant, and whispered, "I already have one."