Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Three days later.

Xu Xinghe finally returned to this familiar city.

Before she even entered the hospital, a familiar figure quickly approached her; it was one of Elder Lian's old subordinates.

"Miss Xu, you're finally back." The old subordinate said respectfully, "General Lian was discharged from the hospital early this morning and specifically instructed me to wait for you here and take you back to the Lian family."

Xu Xinghe paused, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. "Grandpa Lian can be discharged from the hospital?"

"Don't worry, all the indicators are stable." The old subordinate explained with a smile, "The hospital has sent a professional caregiver to follow up with you 24 hours a day, so that we can deal with any problems in time."

Relieved, Xu Xinghe, carrying the local specialties she had bought from Su Yang, got into the car with Jiang Linchuan.

The car drove into the familiar military compound.

As soon as Xu Xinghe got out of the car, she heard a sweet, charming woman's voice coming from inside, "Grandpa Lian, why didn't you send someone to let us know that you had such a serious accident? I only found out that you had been hospitalized when I passed by the gatehouse this morning!"

Judging from her tone, she is very familiar with the Lian family.

But Xu Xinghe was completely unfamiliar with the voice; it was as if she had never heard it before.

She walked through the gate and saw Old Man Lian sitting in a rattan chair, covered with a thin blanket, squinting in the sun.

A girl was sitting on a wooden stool next to the rattan chair. She was wearing a crisp white shirt and navy blue trousers, and had her hair neatly combed into short locks. She turned around when she heard the noise.

It was a delicate face with slightly upturned eyes. Only the eyebrows were dark and thick, as if they had been drawn with an ink-dipped brush, which made the originally soft features look more heroic.

"Xinghe is here." Old Master Lian opened his eyes, a smile spreading across his face.

The girl immediately stood up and extended her hand to Xu Xinghe, "So you are Xu Xinghe. My name is Shen Jianqiu, and I grew up in this compound with Lian Xiao."

Her voice sounded more vibrant than it did outside, and her smile was brighter. "Grandpa Lian always talks about you. Seeing you today, I can confirm that you are indeed beautiful."

"Hello, I'm Xu Xinghe." Xu Xinghe quickly shook her hand in return. "This is my fiancé, Jiang Linchuan."

Shen Jianqiu nodded to Jiang Linchuan as a greeting.

Old Master Lian, despite his advanced age, loves the vigor of young people the most. Looking at them, he was very pleased. "Good, they are all good children. Xinghe and Jianqiu, this girl grew up with Lian Xiao. Don't let her being a girl fool you, she used to be more mischievous than any boy. Now she works in the bank department."

"Grandpa Lian, what are you saying? I'm all grown up now. That was when I was a child. I'm very mature now." Shen Jianqiu's cheeks flushed slightly. He stomped his foot lightly, but he wasn't really angry. Instead, he pulled Xu Xinghe aside and started chatting about interesting things at the bank.

Shen Jianqiu has a very cheerful personality, and he is indeed somewhat like a boy.

I say what I mean and never beat around the bush.

After chatting for a while, Old Lian felt a bit tired. "My old bones can't take this long. I'm going to lie down for a bit. You young people are lively. Lian Xiao, take some money and take them out for a stroll."

Lian Xiao, who had been standing silently in the corner, finally moved and beckoned them to go outside.

Seeing his somewhat depressed expression, Xu Xinghe couldn't help but ask softly, "Grandpa Lian is all better now, why are you still so gloomy?"

Ah, his sweetheart met her fiancé's family and came back with a sweet smile on her face. How could he be happy?

But he just couldn't bring himself to say it, so he had to keep it to himself!

So right now, he's the only one suffering!

"Lian Xiao, are you having some trouble?" Shen Jianqiu also noticed something was wrong. He took two quick steps forward and said with concern, "Tell me what's wrong, and I'll help you figure something out."

"You can't help." Lian Xiao didn't even look up, his voice cold and hard.

Can she help me snatch Xu Xinghe back from Jiang Linchuan?

Obviously not.

Shen Jianqiu's smile froze instantly, his fingers clenched tightly, and he bit his lip, saying nothing more.

That Lian Xiao, he's always so annoying!

Why can't we be a little gentler with her?

She clearly felt this way about him...

The streets of Shanghai are bustling with people.

The afternoon sun shone through the sycamore leaves, warming me.

Xu Xinghe was holding a bag of roasted chestnuts she had just bought, chatting animatedly with Shen Jianqiu.

“Hey, there’s a clothing store over there, shall we go in and take a look?” Shen Jianqiu pointed to a shop not far away. “Summer is almost here, and I’m thinking of buying a few clothes. Xinghe, you’re so pretty, you must have great taste.”

"Okay, let's go in."

The four of them entered the shop together.

The boss knew they were important clients as soon as he saw the handsome men and beautiful women, and greeted them with a big smile.

Jiang Linchuan and Lian Xiao sat on chairs outside and waited.

Xu Xinghe and Shen Jianqiu went inside to choose dresses.

After spending a full hour choosing, Shen Jianqiu finally bought two dresses.

The two walked out of the store chatting and laughing when a dark figure suddenly darted out from the alleyway behind them.

Xu Mingyi, clutching a rusty kitchen knife, charged at Xu Xinghe with bloodshot eyes, yelling, "I'm going to kill you!"

He was very fast; he arrived in front of me in the blink of an eye.

Xu Xinghe froze, and the chestnuts in her hand scattered all over the ground.

Jiang Linchuan reacted the fastest, pulling her behind him almost instantly, while simultaneously kicking Xu Mingyi's knee hard.

Lian Xiao also rushed forward and punched Xu Mingyi in the side of the face.

The two of them worked together to throw the man hard to the ground.

The cleaver clattered and flew far away.

"You're asking for it!" Lian Xiao angrily kicked Xu Mingyi.

His heart nearly stopped the moment the knife came flying!

If anything really happens to Xu Xinghe, he will definitely kill that beast!

Seeing that Xu Mingyi was still struggling to get up, Lian Xiao grabbed his collar and rained punches on him.

"You dare touch her again! I'll cripple you!"

Xu Xinghe finally realized what was happening and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, "Stop fighting! If you keep fighting, something bad will happen!"

She had never seen Lian Xiao so crazy before. He used all his strength in his punches, as if he wanted to kill someone!

Who is Xu Mingyi anyway? We can't let him dirty Lian Xiao's hands.

Shen Jianqiu stood there, completely stunned.

Her mouth was agape, the bag she was carrying fell to the ground, and her gaze was fixed on Lian Xiao's back.

They grew up together.

She was used to Lian Xiao's coldness and aloofness, and to his indifference towards everyone.

Even the elders and friends in the compound said that Lian Xiao was clueless and didn't understand what liking someone meant, and that he would probably remain a bachelor in the future.

But in that scene just now, Lian Xiao's eyes were clearly full of unconcealed concern!

How can this be considered not understanding what one likes?

Where is it that you haven't figured it out yet?

This clearly shows that they cherish people dearly and cannot tolerate even the slightest danger!