Chapter 25 Chapter 25 That’s it?

"What's so great about her? Does she think she's gone from a nobody to a phoenix just because she's hooked up with Mr. Ye? And she's putting on airs with me."

Qiao Yingxue was so angry that she trembled. She grabbed her phone and threw it to the ground. The phone hit the metal foot of the bar stool with a loud thud, then fell onto the carpet with a dull thud.

Luo Minwen chuckled, "Who told you to be the first to call her? It's hilarious. Don't you know her like that? Before she got involved with Mr. Ye, she was completely indifferent to your brother. Now that she's with Mr. Ye, do you think she'll give you a friendly look?"

"Shut up! Why are you talking nonsense here? Why didn't you say it earlier?"

Qiao Yingxue was furious.

The affair between Mr. Ye and Xia Qingwan was the talk of the town in their social circle. A few of her girlfriends were drinking at a bar, and when they got into the mood, they started talking about it. Someone joked that they should invite Xia Qingwan to these kinds of events in the future.

Qiao Yingxue recalled Xia Qingwan's cold and indifferent words to her in the bar's restroom earlier: "Instead of wasting your time here with me, why don't you think about who was the one who steered the conversation towards you just now?"

She later really thought about those words and realized that Xia Qingwan seemed to be a smart person. Thinking about this, she volunteered to be the first to call Xia Qingwan and invite her over.

Who would have thought that this person would be so ungrateful.

At this moment, someone lowered their voice with a grin, implying something, "...Who knows, maybe she had already hooked up with Mr. Ye back then, didn't you guys forget? There were rumors before that Mr. Ye took a female college student out to dinner."

Even Qiao Yingxue felt disgusted after hearing this, and she turned her head to look over.

The speaker is Jiang Mia.

After staring at Jiang Miya's face for a while, Qiao Yingxue suddenly remembered that time in the bar bathroom, it was Jiang Miya who said, "Prettier than Yingxue? I don't believe it." She brought the topic to her, and then everyone started saying that she was far less beautiful than Xia Qingwan.

Jiang Mia was her little follower, always following her around. When she threw a tantrum, Jiang Mia could only coax her, displaying a subservient and humble demeanor.

Now it seems that things are not that simple.

Qiao Yingxue felt a chill.

"And what about your friend Lin Xiangyu?" Luo Minwen asked with a laugh. "She secretly hooked up with Mr. Sheng and then cut off all contact with you, didn't she?"

Lin Xiangyu hasn't appeared for a long time. She can't be invited to the club to play cards or the bar to drink.

"She's busy applying to NYU." Qiao Yingxue was a little annoyed. "Also, stop talking nonsense. Xiang Yu isn't that kind of person. It must be Mr. Sheng who's pursuing her—"

Having said this, Luo Minwen winked at her. Qiao Yingxue looked in the direction of her wink and saw Xia Mingzhou walking in from outside with disheveled hair and his head lowered.

I don’t know if he heard her words, but Xia Mingzhou just stood there motionless.

Qiao Yingxue became even more annoyed.

Why is everything going wrong for her tonight?

-

Just after hanging up the call with Ye Peixiu, Xia Qingwan's phone rang again.

This time it's Xia Mingzhou.

As soon as the call was connected, he asked, "Where does Xiang Yu live?"

His voice was cold and indifferent, and Xia Qingwan felt something was off. "What's wrong?"

"Tell me where she lives!"

Xia Mingzhou roared.

Xia Qingwan frowned and moved her phone further away.

If he goes to see Lin Xiangyu in this state, no one knows what will happen.

She hung up the phone immediately.

Xia Mingzhou didn't call back.

This matter was always on her mind. The next day, when she was about to call Lin Xiangyu, she received a message from Ye Peixiu first.

Mr. Ye: I'm going on a business trip for a week.

She typed a reply:

"OK."

"Mr. Ye: Call me anytime if you need anything."

"good."

Ye Peixiu went south this time to inspect the branch on behalf of the group headquarters.

He was the head of the inspection team. After landing the next day, he went directly to the company and worked all day. In the evening, he was driven back to the hotel by a private car.

Wang Jingzi checked the various facilities in his room and came out of the bathroom, saying, "With the new policy, those old sly guys won't dare to treat us to drinks anymore, which saves us a lot of trouble."

Ye Peixiu took off his suit jacket and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.

He glanced at his phone.

There were many messages, but none of them were what he wanted to see.

The living room balcony opens onto the front yard, directly facing a yard full of plane trees.

Ye Peixiu went to the balcony and lit a cigarette.

This room is on the second floor. The tall sycamore tree canopy blocks the magnificent night view, leaving the entire courtyard dark and quiet.

The air was cool, like a pond in the shade.

So cold and long, just like someone.

That aura always haunts him.

If I didn't know her background, I would never have guessed she was born in such an environment, living under the care of others since childhood, and after returning to Beijing, she had to serve her cold and arrogant grandmother and compete with her malicious uncle and aunt in a battle of wits and courage...

Despite her circumstances, she remained diligent and hardworking, never complaining or blaming others, thus cultivating a cool yet resilient demeanor.

Even though he knew that she could handle her studies and family affairs well and would be away from Beijing for a few days, he was still worried.

This girl is so heartless.

I don't know how to contact him.

Wang Jingzi opened the sliding door to the balcony and came out. He lit a cigarette and quietly smoked with him for a while before saying, "...There's something I don't know if I should tell you."

Ye Peixiu laughed, "When did you become so roundabout?"

"The Xia family."

Wang Jingzi said these two words, took a look at his expression, and continued, "Someone came to inform me that Xia Changping is using your name to attract investment for a new project."

Ye Peixiu's eyelashes twitched slightly, he raised his hand to take a puff of cigarette, and said nothing.

“I guess you probably already know the answer,” Wang Jingzi asked, “...What should we do?”

"Don't worry about him."

Wang Jingzi glanced at him, pondered, and then made his point clear, "...If I don't do anything, Xia Changping might..."

It might be the end of us.

Ye Peixiu then asked, "When will the old lady of the Xia family return to Beijing?"

"It should be in these few days. I'll ask about the specific date tomorrow."

"Find an opportunity to spread the word to the people around the old lady."

Wang Jingzi understood immediately. "I get it."

-

Although he was using Mr. Ye's name, Xia Changping's efforts to attract investment for the new project were not smooth.

Many people don't buy it.

With a little inquiry, you will find out that Mr. Ye got angry in the hutong club because the girl he was protecting went to pick up Xia Mingzhou.

Isn't this obvious, distinguishing the little girl from the rest of the Xia family?

Let’s not talk about how much Mr. Ye loves the girl. Men all love to save face. King You of Zhou played with the princes with beacons, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang rode a horse to the red dust to make his concubines smile. From ancient times to the present, as long as it is harmless, men are willing to play power games in order to show off their inflated egos in front of beautiful women.

To make a big show of a small amount of affection.

I believe Mr. Ye is no exception.

That little girl must have been bullied by Xia Changping a lot on a daily basis. Now that Mr. Ye is here, how can he not help her?

Not dealing with Xia Changping would be the least of our worries.

Therefore, no one dared to take sides when the situation was unclear.

Xia Changping was angry and annoyed. He drank that day and asked the driver to take him back to the Xia family's old house.

Grandma Xi had already gone to bed when she heard the loud banging on the door. She asked her caregiver, Xiaoxuan, to go open the door.

Xia Changping, who was drunk, pushed Aunt Xiaoxuan away, staggered into the main house, sat on the sofa in the living room, and yelled at Grandma Xi to pour tea.

Grandma Xi's leg has basically recovered, and she has discarded her crutches. She can walk normally without much trouble.

She personally made tea and brought it over.

Xia Changping had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Grandma Xi sighed.

"Please sit down and let me massage your legs."

"That's what the caregiver, Auntie Xiaoxuan, said."

What should we do?

Grandma Xi was very worried.

Xia Changping ran into Mr. Ye at home, and she had called Xia Huiqing to tell him a few days ago.

Xia Huiqing remained silent for a long time without saying much. Finally, she simply said, "I will set off and come back as soon as possible."

Grandma Xi thought, what good would it do if Xia Huiqing came back?

Xia Changping is like a damned ghost who can't be persuaded with good advice.

To be honest, Xia Changping had a carefree personality since he was a child. After graduating from university, he relied on his grandfather's early connections and the funds given by Xia Huiqing. He took advantage of the times and stood at the forefront of opportunities. With the support of all three parties, he was able to establish the group company.

After more than twenty years in the business, I've made a name for myself.

He claimed to the outside world that he started from scratch and relied entirely on himself, and never mentioned the old man and the old lady.

Even more so, there is a group of netizens who are unaware of the inside story who admire him: a typical self-made entrepreneur, good-looking and well-built, not yet fifty years old, and in the eyes of some people, a good man in Beijing's social circle.

"The old lady will be back this week, don't worry about it."

Xia Changping opened his eyes at this moment, looked around, and asked, "Where's that little brat?"

"I live in school during the evening and don't come back on weekdays."

Grandma Xi was a little annoyed.

Xia Changping stood up cursing and kicked over the step stool.

Grandma Xi couldn't bear it any longer, "Changping, just go to sleep after drinking. Why are you so angry? Mingzhou's drinking habits are so bad, he learned it from you, he throws things around after drinking——"

Before she could finish her words, Xia Changping pointed at her nose and scolded her back, "Who the hell do you think you are? You're lecturing me? You've been a live-in servant for so long, you really think you're the master? The old lady is so confused, it's probably you who instigated it."

As he spoke, he rushed up to Grandma Xi and kicked over the side table next to her sofa.

"The first thing I'll do when I get the house back is send you back to your hometown."

Grandma Xi was so angry that she trembled all over. She stood up, but could not stand steadily. Aunt Xiaoxuan quickly brought her a cane. Grandma Xi leaned on the cane and said through gritted teeth, "If that day really comes, it won't be your turn to drive me away. I will take the old lady back to the South myself."

Aunt Xiaoxuan helped Grandma Xi back to the bedroom.

Outside in the living room, Xia Changping cursed again, smashing the coffee table to pieces. It wasn't until late at night that he was heard leaving.

-

At lunch that day, Xia Qingwan and Lin Xiangyu met at a cafe next to the cafeteria.

The two of them ate some food, one flipped through a book while the other worked on the computer. After half an hour of busy work, they each came to a close.

Lin Xiangyu smiled and said, "I heard from Qiao Yingxue that she asked you out but was turned down."

"...I'm not familiar with her."

“Actually, Qiao Yingxue is alright, it’s okay to get to know her,” Lin Xiangyu raised her hand to smooth her short hair, the bracelets on her wrist jingling. She blinked, and the sequins on her eyelids and nose sparkled under the light. “...Anyway, you’ll inevitably have to interact with them a lot in the future.”

This is hinting at her relationship with Mr. Ye.

Of course she had heard about such a big fuss.

Xia Qingwan paused slightly, then looked up at her.

Lin Xiangyu still smiled, "You are really beautiful when you look at people so coldly." She saw that Xia Qingwan didn't want to talk about this, so she patted her hands, "Okay, okay, I won't ask you, and you won't ask me. We just keep it to ourselves."

Xia Qingwan lowered her head and turned the pages of her book.

After a while, Lin Xiangyu sighed, "When you get along with people like them, you can't help yourself."

The details of getting along, the people you meet, how others perceive you, and the future direction all become unpredictable.

It's like being sucked into a whirlpool and can only float like duckweed.

Just let fate throw you wherever you want.

Xia Qingwan didn't want to think about these things.

She was so focused on studying that she would carry her books back to her dorm at night, wash up, and climb into bed before lights out.

I curled up in bed listening to English listening exercises.

The dorm was noisy; some people were recording vlogs, and others were calling home.

After listening to a set of questions, Xia Qingwan was about to take off her headphones when a phone call came in.

It was Ye Peixiu.

She put the headphones back on, covered herself completely with the blanket, and answered the call.

"Mr. Ye."

"Well," Ye Peixiu said calmly, "How have you been lately?"

"fine."

Ye Peixiu chuckled at the overly simplistic explanation, "That's it?"

"Hmm?" She was a little confused. "What?"

"Can't you tell me more?"

Her voice was low, as if it were filled with endless tenderness.

No one had ever wanted to hear the details of her school life, and she had never had the experience of telling her family about her experiences in such detail. Her heart softened involuntarily, as if someone had opened their arms to welcome and embrace all the details and trivialities of her life.

That warmth and throbbing even made her feel sour in her heart.

She picked out a few things and told them to Ye Peixiu.

She won the first prize in the national award competition she participated in, which laid a foundation for her future admission to graduate school; the field survey project she helped to do during the summer vacation was recently submitted and is awaiting the award; every day is full of classes, and there are countless homework waiting after class, so she is extremely busy. Today she deliberately returned to the dormitory early because she wanted to go to bed early.

"How are you feeling?"

He asked.

"Well enough."

Just then, she heard a slight rustling sound of fabric on the other end of the phone. "...What are you doing?"

"Take off your clothes."

"Want to take a shower?"

"No, just take off the suit jacket."

His voice was very close, penetrating into her heart through the earphones. Xia Qingwan suddenly remembered that in her bedroom, he lowered his head slightly, and their breaths intertwined.

He said then, "Don't you understand?"

The dim light in the bed was almost identical to that in the bedroom back then. She closed her eyes and could almost feel his breath.

My heart melted completely.

She couldn't help but whisper, "...Ye Peixiu."

The voice was low, as if mixed with infinite attachment.

Ye Peixiu felt like his heart was about to stop.

He was silent for several seconds, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and hoarse, "...Did you miss me?"

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Author's Note: I'll try my best to update daily. If I don't update, I'll announce it, but I can't set a time yet. I'll post it as soon as I finish writing, so please read it when you have time. Thank you for your support! [cat paw][cat paw]