Harbor

Men's rings aren't actually that hard to choose; the hard part is negotiating the price. You spend ten minutes choosing a product, but two hours negotiating.

A simple platinum ring with a single diamond and a clean, flowing geometric design, costing less than 1,500, but she insisted on making it 1,314 and even wanted an invoice.

The saleswoman stared at the six-figure diamond ring and seven-figure bracelet on the girl's hand, unable to understand why this girl was so stingy with her boyfriend. She had seen many wealthy young women who were very generous when buying gifts for their boyfriends.

"Actually, 1314 is a bit expensive. I wanted to pay 520, but the ones at this price point are really not good-looking." She sat in the chair waiting for the saleswoman to issue the invoice.

"A men's ring can't be too cheap, otherwise it won't match the diamond ring on your hand," the saleswoman said with a smile.

Bai Yi put the men's ring on his own hand and compared it, then casually said, "The sentiment behind this price is priceless."

That's amazing! She maximized the emotional value while saving money. The saleswoman is impressed.

The next morning, Zhong Yunxi came to have breakfast with her as usual, and Wang Ma took the roses to trim and arrange them in a vase.

On the way to her company, Zhong Yunxi, as was his habit, told her about his schedule: "I have to go on a business trip today and won't be back until Friday, the day after tomorrow. The driver will pick you up and drop you off at the usual time these two days. Have a good lunch."

Bai Yi nodded and said "Mm".

As she got out of the car, she pulled a blue velvet box from her bag and handed it to Zhong Yunxi, smiling at him with her usual mischievous grin: "When you're on your business trip, put it on your desk and look at it. Don't open it, or it won't work."

Zhong Yunxi held the box in one hand and her hand in the other, smiling helplessly: "When can we open it?"

"Saturday."

He chose the day to get their marriage certificate.

Zhong Yunxi could never keep up with her routines.

Xue Meng watched as his boss kept staring at the box in his hand, and he felt conflicted for his boss.

When Zhong Yunxi arrived at the company, he asked Xue Meng, "How's the cleanup going at Boyuntan?"

Xue Meng reported to him: "After doing some decorative soft furnishings today, we can finish up."

He nodded.

Throughout the day, Xue Meng went in and out of his office many times. The little blue box remained quietly lying next to his computer. Xue Meng was even more curious than he was, but he didn't dare to ask.

Instead of going to have lunch with Bai Yi, Zhong Yunxi called her right when she was about to get off work.

"Are you off work yet?"

Bai Yi: "Okay, let's wait a few minutes before going downstairs. The elevator is crowded right now."

Eat well, I'll buy you milk tea this afternoon.

Bai Yi asked him, "Have you left Yuegang?"

Zhong Yunxi parted the window a crack and looked out at the bright, blinding sunlight that was not filtered by any clouds: "Hmm, we'll land in the capital in half an hour."

"Can I make phone calls on a plane?"

"Private jets are fine."

Bai Yi: ...

"Don't always tell me you're rich."

Zhong Yunxi chuckled: "You asked first."

"I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to eat." She hung up the phone, but quickly called back.

Zhong Yunxi answered the phone and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

"Did you open the box?"

Zhong Yunxi looked at the small blue box on the table: "No."

Bai Yi smiled and said, "Aren't you curious?"

Zhong Yunxi placed a few fingertips on it, pondered for a moment, and said, "I have enough patience. Waiting until Saturday shouldn't be too difficult."

Bai Yi snorted and hung up.

Older men are so hard to seduce.

Eating alone at lunchtime was a bit boring, but she didn't plan to chat with Zhong Yunxi anyway. Wasn't he very patient? If he didn't send more than ten WeChat messages today, she would ignore him for two days.

As the afternoon was drawing to a close, the company's "slacking off" group became active again.

Today's discussion is about Baiyi's bags; someone posted a screenshot of the official website in the group chat.

—They're both from the L family's Gate series, but mine is so common, while hers is so ethereal.

—Me too. My L brand bag is also a basic style. Her embroidered leather one, my mom said it looks like my grandma would like, so she immediately told me to give it up.

—Anyway, I never touch any forest-themed elements. Trying to look ethereal can easily result in a fashion disaster.

—If you're already saving up to buy luxury brands, it's safer to stick to a versatile style; after all, you're not rolling in money.

—It's all because of poverty.

—A fairy works three days a week, and her clothes, shoes, and bags are worth a year's salary in one day, and she never wears the same thing twice.

—How come someone gets lucky twice in their second reincarnation? It's infuriating.

—Has anyone dug into her awful boyfriend?

...

...

Bai Yi's usual spending is already considered moderately luxurious. She has never had much of a concept of money since she was a child. It is common for her clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry to cost four or five figures. The money Zhong Yunxi gives her is even more extravagant.

Since Bai Yi joined Runhe Pharmaceuticals, the company's "slacking off" group has become more active than ever. These working-class people, who had long since devoured all the gossip about their own colleagues, are now eager to find something new to talk about with Bai Yi.

Zhong Yunxi only discovered it in the evening; he had sent a message to Bai Yi, but she hadn't replied.

Upon arriving in Beijing, Zhong Yunxi was invited to a small gathering by several friends. They talked about Dongchen Fund and why they went to such great lengths to bring capital from Guangdong and Hong Kong to Beijing.

Tonight is the Dongchen Fund's cocktail party.

He didn't want to go, since he had to go to Dongchen headquarters to see their CEO Chen the next day anyway, but his mother knew he was in Beijing and immediately wanted to bring people to have dinner with him.

If he didn't go to the party, he would have to go on a blind date. He didn't mention Bai Yi to his mother. It was hard to explain in a few words. Besides, once his mother found out about Bai Yi, she might go to Yuegang immediately. He was afraid that his mother's visit would scare Bai Yi.

Although the whirlwind marriage helped her avoid Zhou Qi, he could still sense that beneath Bai Yi's seemingly willful facade, she was actually quite uneasy, even somewhat afraid. Bai Yi didn't fully understand him yet. He wanted to inform his mother only after everything was settled.

At the party, Zhong Yunxi met his aunt's cousins, Shi Yan and Shi Qi. The two children were twins, took their mother's surname, were the same age as Bai Yi, and seven years younger than him, but were very close to him. Whenever he returned to Beijing and didn't have any social engagements, the two of them would drag him to his aunt's house for dinner almost every night.

When he arrived at the venue, Shi Yan was looking towards the entrance. Upon seeing him, she ran up to him and called out "Brother" in a cheerful tone.

Zhong Yunxi nodded: "Who did you and Qiqi come with?"

"It's just the two of us. My second aunt said you were coming, and we came because we wanted to see you. Otherwise, what's the point of this party? My uncle didn't come either."

Zhong Yunxi's mother had two siblings. His uncle was the eldest brother, and he and his aunt lived in Beijing. His mother was the second oldest. She married into Yuegang and after divorcing his father, she also lived in Beijing.

It was an invitation-only party, so the people who came were all important figures. I guess the two of them had begged their aunt to get the invitations.

He couldn't help but say a few words to Shi Yan as an older brother: "Since you're already here, why not take this opportunity to see what projects Dongchen is planning to do tonight, and broaden your horizons."

Shi Yan leaned closer and said to him, "Brother, I saw Wen Ying is here too. Do you still keep in touch with her? When did she return to China?"

Zhong Yunxi's phone vibrated. He took it out and looked at it. He had sent several messages to Bai Yi while chatting with his friends over tea that afternoon, but hadn't received a reply. He was getting restless waiting for a message.

"Huh? What?" It wasn't a message from Bai Yi. He put away his phone, having not heard what Shi Yan was saying earlier, and asked in return.

Shi Yan: "Wen Ying, you've returned to China. Haven't you been in touch?"

"without."

We haven't been in contact or met.

He returned to China five years ago and almost lost contact with Wen Ying.

Mr. Chen, the general manager of Dongchen Fund, saw him from afar and came over for a chat: "I thought you had an appointment for tomorrow and weren't coming tonight."

The two clinked glasses, and Zhong Yunxi glanced around the room: "Tomorrow we'll mainly be discussing Sijian Pharmaceuticals with you, but today I'm here to see what other industries you're investing in."

Dongchen Fund is a large fund that closely follows Beijing's policy directives, backed by funds beyond the four major banks. With resources and capital backing it up, local state-owned enterprises are scrambling to get involved, and local governments are eager to attract their investment in local industries.

Mr. Chen laughed and said, "You may not be interested in the traditional Chinese medicine industry in South China and Southwest China. In the pharmaceutical field now, biopharmaceuticals are a hot topic, and capital likes to invest in innovative biological drugs. However, the traditional Chinese medicine industry chain is long enough to penetrate into the planting industry and be integrated into rural revitalization, which is especially valued by the government."

He seemed to feel his phone vibrate, but then thought it was just his imagination. Not wanting to be impolite in front of Mr. Chen, he looked at his phone and simply said, "I'm a little interested."

Mr. Chen was somewhat surprised. "If you're interested, that would be great. It's much more convenient for you to be in Vietnam and Hong Kong."

As soon as Mr. Chen left, Shi Yan saw his cousin take out his phone again, glance at it, and asked directly, "You have a girlfriend?"

Zhong Yunxi: ...

She glanced at him but didn't refute him.

Shi Yan: "Don't try to deny it. That's how I was when I was pursuing my girlfriend. I was always on my phone, and I would get scolded if I was slow to reply to messages."

Zhong Yunxi tapped his shoulder with his phone, "Go to the venue and talk to people. Think carefully about what President Chen just said. Stop wasting your days and do something productive."

Shi Yan: ...

He never returns to the capital all year round, and when he does, he scolds him.

Zhong Yunxi turned and went out to the lobby outside the venue. He made a call request to Bai Yi, but the system tone ended and no one answered.

He looked down at his phone, speechless, and sent a few more messages.

Zhong Yunxi felt that Bai Yi had some bad habits, and he would have to set some rules for her when they got back to help her change them, such as not answering the phone or replying to messages when they were in different places.

As soon as Zhong Yunxi entered the venue, Wen Ying saw him. Wen Ying had imagined what it would be like to see Zhong Yunxi again. She hoped that she could greet him generously. The second time she couldn't help but look over, she saw him hurriedly leaving with his phone in hand.

People who can be forgotten with time cannot withstand being seen again.

She calmed herself down for a moment, put down her wine glass, and went outside. The hall was spacious, and the real sea of ​​city lights outside and the illusory shadows of the lights inside overlapped and intertwined under the effect of the entire glass curtain wall. It also vaguely reflected human figures.

He stood next to a cluster of bird-of-paradise flowers that were two meters tall, half of his figure hidden by the large leaves, but Wen Ying could still recognize him by feeling.

Wen Ying walked over step by step, and Zhong Yunxi, having roughly heard the footsteps, turned around.

Dressed in a white suit, Zhong Yunxi was stunned. He was so frustrated by the person on his phone who wouldn't respond that the sudden appearance of white made him almost hallucinate.

Bai Yi's favorite color is a white dress.

Wen Ying saw him standing there dumbfounded, and she forgot all the bright and polite opening remarks she had practiced so many times. She had never seen him look like that before; she was startled, then calmed down, and then disappointed.

"Long time no see." Wen Ying smiled and extended her hand in a polite greeting.

Zhong Yunxi nodded. Just as they shook hands, a voice call came in. Zhong Yunxi raised his hand and said to Wen Ying, "Excuse me, I need to take this call."

With a smile in his eyes, he pressed the call button, turned around and headed towards the stairwell. Wen Ying heard him chuckle softly as he asked the person on the other end of the line, "Did I make you angry again?"

Bai Yi hummed in agreement.

Zhong Yunxi knew she was angry for no reason, just wanted to throw a tantrum and argue with him. He thought she might even make up a bunch of twisted arguments to ridicule him, so he changed the subject: "Do you want roses tomorrow?"

Bai Yi sat in the living room watching a geography documentary, and even when she called him, she spoke in a dismissive tone: "Little Swallow."

She wanted to bring a few to decorate her desk; roses were too flashy.

"Okay. How about I make you a black tea latte tomorrow morning?"

Bai Yi thought for a moment, then hummed in agreement, and then said, "I'm hanging up now, I'm going to sleep."

Zhong Yunxi laughed and said, "Are you still angry?"

"A little." She wasn't angry; she was just in a so-so mood.

Zhong Yunxi apologized immediately, "I'm sorry, don't be angry, or I won't be able to sleep."

While scrolling through Weibo, she replied dismissively, "Okay, that's fine. I'm not talking to you anymore."

She hung up so quickly that Zhong Yunxi hadn't even finished speaking, and he suspected that she had only called to ask for Xiao Feiyan.

Zhong Yunxi had just put away his phone and turned around when he saw Wen Ying sitting on the sofa.

Before he could even sit down, Shi Qi came out of the venue, saw him, and jogged over to sit next to him.

Shi Qi saw Wen Ying sitting opposite her and whispering to Zhong Yunxi, "Brother, Shi Yan said you have a girlfriend? Show me a picture. Or do a video call to introduce her."

Zhong Yunxi: ...

"Don't listen to his nonsense."

Shi Qi smiled and said, "Don't worry, we won't tell Auntie without your permission."

She exchanged a few words with Zhong Yunxi before greeting Wen Ying: "Sister Wen Ying, you're back in China. Long time no see!"

Wen Ying smiled and said, "Long time no see."

Zhong Yunxi then started talking to Wen Ying, "When did you get back?"

Wen Ying looked at him, her expression seemingly colder and more indifferent than it had been five years ago. "Last month."

Zhong Yunxi nodded and said "Mm".

"I resigned from my job in New York and plan to develop my career in the country from now on."

Zhong Yunxi simply nodded again.

He didn't ask anything, and Wen Ying lost the opportunity to speak about her situation.

Shi Qi felt awkward and kept glancing at her brother, Zhong Yunxi, who looked like he was saying, "I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed." He sat casually, looking at his phone.

Shi Qi tugged at his arm: "Brother, I'm hungry. Come with me to the venue to get something to eat."

Zhong Yunxi stood up, and Shi Qi took his arm. As he lifted his foot, he said to Wen Ying, "Let's go inside first."

Wen Ying smiled and said, "Mm."

As Zhong Yunxi's figure was concealed by the newly carved golden doors of the venue, Wen Ying finally could not hide her emotions. A layer of cold mist filled her eyes, and her fingers gripping her phone became faint.

If he thought she was too willful five years ago, now that she is not clingy and is poised and generous, isn't she worthy of his attention?

Her cousin, Shang Xinlan, called to ask if she knew Zhong Yunxi had a girlfriend. She only said she had just returned to China and didn't know yet. Her cousin was even more anxious than she was, saying that since she was back in China, she should hurry up and try to win him back, and that she felt sorry for them.

She had no answer and could only say, "Let it be."

No one in her family knew about the huge fight they had five years ago in New York; they all assumed it was because of the long-distance relationship after Zhong Yunxi returned to China that they broke up. But only she knew the truth: she had never truly won over that man.

His only act of kindness towards her was when, amidst the overwhelming rumors of their romance abroad circulating among friends and family, he didn't publicly and righteously clarify the situation, thus embarrassing her. Because she was the one who pursued him abroad.

Shi Qi hugged his arm: "Brother, can I see my sister-in-law? I must see her before Shi Yan does."

Zhong Yunxi pushed her hand away and stretched out his sleeves: "Don't cling to me like a sloth."

Shi Qi threatened, "If you don't show it to me, I'll introduce my nemesis from work to my second aunt and have her arrange a blind date for you."

Zhong Yunxi: ...

No photos.

He really didn't.

Shi Qi insisted, "Then you video chat with her. I won't be on camera, I'll just take a look."

She didn't answer.

Shi Qi scanned his face for a few seconds: "You probably didn't catch up, did you?"

Zhong Yunxi reached for a glass of champagne and took a few sips, remaining silent as the siblings took turns gossiping.

Shi Qi gloated, "You've finally met your match. I'm going to tell Shi Yan."

Zhong Yunxi: ...

Shi Qi was about the same age as Bai Yi. Zhong Yunxi pondered for a moment and asked her, "What do you usually like to do? What cosmetics do you use?"

Shi Qi: ?

Are you going to give me a gift?

Zhong Yunxi didn't speak, only glanced at her. Shi Qi asked again, "Giving it to your girlfriend? I'll give you some ideas, aren't you going to do something for her?"

“Buy two, keep one for yourself. I’ll reimburse you. I’m going back to Vietnam on Friday afternoon.”

Shi Qi grinned from ear to ear, "Brother, you have to give me some hints about her preferences, otherwise I'll be clueless and if I give her something that turns out badly, you'll be the one to take the blame."

Zhong Yunxi simply said, "Something simple, a basic style."

Shi Qi looked enlightened: "Got it, brother. I'll cover all the gifts you give me from now on."

Zhong Yunxi sneered: "You want me to wrap your gift."

Shi Qi tugged at his arm like a sloth: "Brother, you're the best. My parents complain that I spend money recklessly, and they started limiting my bank account a few months ago."

"I'll have Xue Meng send you a card tomorrow."

Shi Qi was so excited that she jumped up and down, almost wanting to kowtow to this sister-in-law she had never met.