Harbor

Qiwu Mountain Residence is a compact townhouse community. While not exactly luxurious, it boasts a sophisticated, understated luxury style befitting the upper echelons of the middle class.

The wooden gate was just chest-high. From the moment she stepped out of the foyer, Zhong Yunxi stared intently at her. The light was warm and yellow. She was still wearing a white dress and a pair of linen slippers. She carefully walked down the steps of the foyer and through the small but beautiful front yard.

Bai Yi walked to the door, put her phone in her pocket, raised her hand to gather her hair, and casually tossed it back from her shoulder, showing a relaxed and composed demeanor while also feigning a smile.

Only she knew that the pressure on her heart was sometimes rapid and sometimes slow, with no regularity.

Zhong Yunxi carried a milk tea in one hand and leaned against the wooden gate with the other.

He didn't intend to just walk across the door and hand it to her.

Wait for her to open the door.

Unlike him, Bai Yi was not so openly defiant. In this silent yet tacitly understood standoff, he made the first concession.

She cursed him in her heart, thinking that old men are just shameless and can keep their tempers down.

She lowered her head, pushed open the latch that served more as decoration than practicality, and took two steps outside.

Zhong Yunxi then handed over the milk tea: "50% sugar, is that alright?"

She took it and hummed in response, but never looked up at him.

Zhong Yunxi looked down and could only see the top of her head and her restless toes rubbing against the floor tiles. He smiled and said, "Can the milk tea and the errand fee be exchanged for my forgiveness?"

Bai Yi smiled faintly, her thoughts wandering, but not wanting him to see, she lowered her head even further, "Didn't I add you as a friend again?"

Zhong Yunxi pondered for a moment: "Then can I change to something else?"

Bai Yi shook his head.

Zhong Yunxi sighed, "But I don't want that thirty yuan."

Bai Yi then raised his head and said, word by word, "Forced buying and selling is not allowed."

The lotus lanterns on the doorposts emitted a quiet, warm yellow light, which reflected in her clear, innocent almond-shaped eyes. Surprisingly, she completely hid her pride and aloofness, and instead appeared entirely coquettish.

"How about I leave it with you for now?" Zhong Yunxi said with a smile.

Bai Yi felt that after not seeing him for a few days, Zhong Yunxi might have reflected on how to speak without making her angry.

But she was spoiled since childhood and has always been willful and spoiled, especially arrogant in front of the person she likes.

"No bargaining allowed." She didn't want to owe him anything, and as she spoke, she took out her phone to transfer him a 30 yuan red envelope.

Zhong Yunxi chuckled helplessly, raised his hand and placed it on her phone, pressed the lock screen button, and held her hand and the phone in his palm.

He didn't know what to say, so he simply held her hand. His movements were gentle, like a silent plea.

Bai Yi was stunned. Her fingertips were slightly cool as she pressed them against Zhong Yunxi's dry, warm palm, and trembled slightly.

Having met three times in total, Zhong Yunxi seemed to have completely mastered the "raising guide" for Bai Yi, and would no longer say anything to make her angry, instead gently supporting her pride.

Bai Yi finally understood why some girls would be tricked away by a scumbag with just a cup of milk tea.

Zhong Yunxi is also a high-ranking and powerful scumbag.

She knew perfectly well that he was probably just putting on an act to get her married quickly, and that his true nature was definitely not gentle. Yet, wasn't it precisely because of his status and position that she hadn't completely rejected him?

If she didn't have the confidence to refuse him, she should have been smart enough to complete the transaction before falling in love, instead of testing his half-hearted feelings and ultimately falling into a shallow hormonal trap herself.

She knew that she was no match for someone like Zhong Yunxi.

Moreover, once you're tempted, you can't make a transaction.

She pulled her hand away, putting it behind her back, unwilling to let him hold it. She looked up and suddenly questioned, "Zhong Yunxi, don't you think your previous proposal wasn't sincere?"

Zhong Yunxi had no idea what she was thinking in that instant, but when she asked that question, he didn't have time to analyze what she wanted. He could only answer her based on his common sense about proposing: "I know that you need to choose an auspicious day for a proposal, have a ring, a thoughtfully prepared gift, and a romantic setting."

Bai Yi tilted her head slightly and looked at him silently.

Zhong Yunxi pursed his lips, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, a sudden and unfamiliar tension he had never felt in his thirty-plus years of life. His throat bobbed slightly, he reached out and pulled her closer to his chest, promising in a deep voice, "Then let me prepare myself, and ask again, okay?"

"I like the morpho butterfly, the tulle blue swallow, the Kayla rose, and the blue diamond." She felt uneasy and weak as he gently put his arm around her waist, but she composed herself and made her request in a willful manner.

A whirlwind marriage based on mutual benefit, without any emotional foundation. Bai Yi knew she had no leverage and that no matter how much she asked for, the other party had the right to withdraw at any time. But she still brought it up.

Zhong Yunxi was preparing for a marriage proposal, which would take several days. She still had some time to act out, wanting to know what Zhong Yunxi would reject her on, and whether she could bear the bottom line of this marriage.

She didn't know whether she was competing with herself or with Zhong Yunxi.

Zhong Yunxi replied earnestly, "Okay. Is there anything else?"

Bai Yi took a step back, about to turn around and say, "I'll decide whether to agree to your request after you're ready and I'll see if you like it."

As if dodging, she slipped into the room after speaking. In the instant she turned around, Zhong Yunxi reached out and brushed her fingertips, hurriedly saying, "Goodnight."

Bai Yi didn't turn back. Zhong Yunxi stood outside the door watching her lower her head, lift her skirt, and run into the hall.

After she left, Bai Yeliang went to the second-floor balcony and looked out at the expensive car and the distinguished man. He then went downstairs and waited in the living room for a while, watching her return with milk tea in her arms.

The father was always hesitant to ask his daughter about her love life. Li Wan, being the stepmother, was also afraid of upsetting Bai Yi by asking. Wang Ma, being even more perceptive, would speak carelessly without knowing whether Bai Yi was in a good or bad mood.

So when Bai Yi returned, she curled up in the single sofa and stared blankly. No one in the room asked her anything or advised her to go upstairs to rest.

After a silence of more than ten minutes, Bai Yeliang finally spoke, pointing to the milk tea she had brought back and asking, "Is it cold? Should I ask Aunt Wang to heat it up?"

Bai Yi seemed annoyed. After taking a deep breath, she hugged her knees and buried her head in her arms.

A notification sounded, and she glanced at her phone on the sofa armrest. A message from Zhong Yunxi popped up on the screen: I'm going back. Goodnight.

Did he linger at the door for another ten minutes or so?

Bai Yi picked up her phone and replied with a single word, "Oh."

Then he answered his father's question, "Yes."

Upon hearing her statement, Wang Ma hurried over and took the milk tea to the kitchen to heat it up.

Bai Yeliang sat with her in the living room, drinking milk tea. He watched her absentmindedly sip a few spoonfuls before spacing out. Remembering the man at the door, he tentatively asked, "Xiaoyi, the person who brought you milk tea tonight..."

Bai Yi herself was conflicted about her whirlwind marriage with Zhong Yunxi and didn't know how to tell her father, so she blurted out, "Dad, you'll be fine at Tiansheng. There are people who are even more useful than Vice Chairman Zhou."

Bai Yeliang: ...

She put down her unfinished milk tea, went upstairs to her bedroom, and said to Li Wan, "Aunt Li, I'll be living here from now on."

Li Wan hurriedly said, "Okay, if there's anything you want to use or eat, just tell me and Aunt Wang anytime."

She didn't know if Chen Zhaoyang and Zhou Qi would contact her later. She was afraid that being in the family compound of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital would disturb Li Jing. Li Jing was always afraid of Chen Zhaoyang, and she didn't want anything to go wrong for Li Jing before she went to England.

Bai Yeliang wasn't stupid. From his daughter's words, he knew the man at the door wasn't some nobody. Besides, his daughter was always stubborn; she wouldn't compromise herself too much. That man must hold a much higher place in her heart than Zhou Qi.

He couldn't get an answer from her, and it was hard to guess. His daughter had always been like this since she was little, and all his efforts were in vain. Li Wan advised him to go to bed early, so he got up and went back to his bedroom.

The next morning, Zhong Yunxi first ordered a bouquet of Kayla roses to be delivered to Qiwu Mountain Residence. He then asked Xue Meng to contact several wedding planning studios and several jewelry customization studios. During lunch, he listed the requirements one by one in the conference room and asked them to provide solutions that evening.

When Bai Yi came downstairs the next day, it was almost nine o'clock. Li Wan saw her and hurriedly got up, "Xiao Yi is downstairs. What would you like to eat? We have both Western and Chinese breakfasts."

She asked, "Did Dad go to work?"

Li Wan told her about Bai Yeliang's daily routine: "Well, he usually gets up at six o'clock, goes out for a half-hour walk, eats breakfast at seven, and leaves at eight. He arrives at the company at eight-thirty. Oh, by the way, Xiaoyi, someone delivers flowers to our house in the morning."

She then noticed a large bouquet of Kayla roses on the island counter by the wall, with an envelope underneath. She went over and opened it; it contained handwritten words in dark blue ink: "If I could hold your gaze for a moment, it would be my honor." —Zhong Yunxi

The character of a person is reflected in their handwriting. Bai Yi felt that Zhong Yunxi's handwriting was like a roc spreading its wings, majestic and imposing, yet also steady and unmoved by any wind.

I wonder if he has ever written love letters to anyone before.

Bai Yi put the envelope into the bedroom drawer before going downstairs for dinner.

In the afternoon, Zhong Yunxi called. She had just woken up from her nap and was still grumpy from waking up, so she was a little drowsy.

Zhong Yunxi asked with a smile, "How long did you sleep this afternoon?"

She didn't want to talk for three hours, as it would seem like she was being lazy. She still cared about maintaining her career-oriented image, so she changed the subject: "Are you off work yet?"

Zhong Yunxi glanced at the time: "Not yet, but things are almost finished. Shall I pick you up and take you to the East Tower on Hong Kong Island for dinner?"

She ate breakfast late, so she wasn't hungry at lunchtime and ate very little. Now, even though it wasn't dinner time yet, she was already a little hungry. "Then you need to hurry, I'm hungry and can't wait until dinner time."

Zhong Yunxi closed the document and capped the pen: "Half an hour."

After hanging up the phone, he gathered the documents he hadn't finished reading, took them to his car, and after a twenty-minute drive, he finished just as he stopped at the door. He handed the documents to Xue Meng and placed them on the passenger seat.

When Zhong Yunxi called, Bai Yi was looking for a suitable lipstick, so she hung up.

There weren't many of her things at home, and she couldn't find a shade similar to her usual light orange-pink, so she used a dusty rose for a light application. When she put it on her lips, she felt that it was still much heavier and more ostentatious than her usual makeup, and she frowned.

As soon as she got in the car, Zhong Yunxi seemed to sense that she was in a bad mood and casually asked, "What's wrong?"

"I came back in a hurry yesterday and didn't bring much with me. My lipstick doesn't look good."

When Zhong Yunxi heard her say that, almost unconsciously, he glanced at her lips. He didn't see anything different and thought they were very beautiful.

Most men can't even tell if someone is wearing makeup or not, let alone different lipstick shades.

Zhong Yunxi's gaze deliberately lingered on her lips. Bai Yi belatedly realized that what he said seemed a bit inappropriate, but she hadn't done it on purpose.

She awkwardly turned her face towards the car window, and Zhong Yunxi chuckled beside her, "How about we go buy some lipstick first and then go eat?"

"No, I'm hungry."

Even during the meal, she felt, perhaps it was just her imagination, that Zhong Yunxi kept glancing at her lips.

It was both awkward and ambiguous.

It's just like the two of them. They're not familiar enough to hold hands casually like a couple, but they're likely to get married within a few days, and might even do things more intimate than holding hands.

Her mindset was extremely conflicted.

After dinner, Zhong Yunxi mentioned again, "There's a beauty section downstairs, why don't you go check it out?"

Bai Yi didn't want to mention lipstick at all, and said stubbornly, "I said I didn't want it."

Zhong Yunxi stopped laughing, but she understood that she was embarrassed by what she had accidentally said and was even angry. How could she be so sensitive?

He changed the subject: "Tomorrow, do you still want Keira Rose? Or Little Swallow?"

For the sake of her favorite flowers, Zhong Yunxi did some research. His brain cells, which were only sensitive to projects and funds, managed to memorize some rose varieties, origins, and even their meanings.

She didn't know if there were any more vases at home to hold roses, but she still wanted some. She lowered her head, biting the straw as she drank her grapefruit tea, then looked up at Zhong Yunxi and mumbled, "Um... roses."

“Okay.” Zhong Yunxi never imagined that one day he would want to send flowers to someone every day, without getting tired of it.

Bai Yi thought of the accompanying flower card and asked curiously, "Do you also write a card when you send flowers to others?"

But then, realizing it might be inappropriate to ask, she quickly added, "Oh, you don't need to answer me. I'm not trying to pry into your exes or your private life. However, it would be best if you had a medical report when you proposed."

Zhong Yunxi: ...

Why do they act like they think he has a messy private life?

"I've never sent flowers or written cards to anyone," he replied anyway.

Bai Yi gave a soft "oh," but in her heart she thought to herself, "The love words on the card were so charming, it doesn't seem like the first time I've written one."

Thinking about the medical report she had just mentioned, Zhong Yunxi couldn't help but smile. Strange thoughts that seemed to come out of nowhere in her mind were always popping up suddenly.

But these days, Zhong Yunxi has almost figured out the basic principles of getting along with her: flatter her, coax her, act nonchalant when things get awkward, don't expose her, and definitely don't ask questions.

It really tests your patience. Zhong Yunxi could hardly remember the last time he had been this patient.