Chapter 68
After walking for a while, Li Ye finally saw the vegetables he wanted to buy. He then let go of Xu Wanyi's hand, took out a paper bag from the side, and picked out some things that looked like ginger but weren't quite like ginger, and weren't quite like potatoes either. These were called yam, a common vegetable in Australia. They are occasionally available in Japan, but they are very expensive.
After buying yam, she grabbed some tomatoes, kale, and other items, almost filling the entire shopping cart. Xu Wanyi remained silent, listening to Li Ye ramble on and on for a long time.
"How do you know so many vegetables? It looks like you've actually cooked with these vegetables before?"
“I… um,” a strand of hair fell down, obscuring Li Ye’s eyes, her gaze flickering.
"I have only ever loved one person in my life. This person loves to eat vegetables and likes to try different kinds of vegetables. Unfortunately, I didn't cherish those days and didn't cook for her back then. When I realized that I had missed my chance, I worked hard to improve my cooking skills, thinking that if I ever met her again, I would definitely cook for her."
Upon hearing this, Xu Wanyi's eyes quietly reddened. She lowered her head, said nothing, and silently took Li Ye's hand.
The two looked at each other in silence, neither speaking. After a while, Xu Wanyi finally said, "Let's go back and cook." Her voice was a little hoarse.
"Okay." The two quickly went down to the garage and drove back to Liye Community before the traffic jam.
Their area is right next to the financial district, which is considered the city center. Although the distance between the residential area and the supermarket is short, the roads are intricate and complex, like the Loess Plateau. Once there is a traffic jam, it is normal to travel only one kilometer in an hour.
Both of them were experts; after driving this far, they had already composed themselves and their expressions were straight, looking as if nothing had happened.
"Go watch TV, the remote is over there, I'll cook." Li Ye quickly shooed Xu Wanyi out of the kitchen.
"Just browse around if you don't want to watch it. Uh, it's a little messy."
Li Ye felt a little guilty. Actually, because Zhuang Ke had been here a few days ago, her house was already in a state of order.
Xu Wanyi didn't insist. Although she now had to do some housework, she was still aware of her own cooking skills. For her own and Li Ye's safety, it was better to stay away from the kitchen.
Although he had come out, after listening to what Li Ye had said at the supermarket, a sliver of delusion was planted in his mind, and he felt that he would have to cook a meal sooner or later.
Not in a hurry, Miss Xu began to wander around Li Ye's house.
For some reason, Xu Wanyi felt very comfortable and at ease in Liye's place. She had a feeling that she had lived there for a long time. Although there weren't many things in the house, there were bits and pieces here and there. The same went for the books. She read a little bit of each one.
Li Ye's casual style has remained consistent throughout, unchanged for a century. Xu Wanyi thought of this and didn't even notice the smile on her face.
As she walked, she arrived at Li Ye's study, where two walls were lined with solid wood bookshelves from floor to ceiling, filled with all kinds of books, and a small ladder was placed next to them.
Xu Wanyi first admired Li Ye's collection of books, but her attention was quickly drawn to the desk, which was scattered with many things: books, documents, contracts, and pens, piled up one on top of the other.
Xu Wanyi picked up a book at random, Naipaul's "A Bend in the River." She was surprised that this person was still reading this book. She remembered that Li Ye never read any books other than his professional books. Then she noticed a heavy black-covered binder at the bottom of the book. She picked it up and opened it.
Every page is a portrait of her.
Xu Wanyi flipped through the pages one by one. These drawings were obviously made in different periods. The first half depicted her in her earlier appearance, flamboyant and passionate, with long curly hair and jeans. Although they were just pen and ink drawings, one could still feel the youth and vitality they exuded.
The small part at the back is clearly her current self, with long, flowing hair, wearing different styles of suits, skirts, and high heels, and her expression is so calm and focused, similar to the pen drawing she kept.
It turns out this person is a repeat offender!
A warm feeling and a shiver rose from the soles of her feet. Xu Wanyi was both happy and angry, overwhelmed with mixed emotions. She was happy that Li Ye's feelings had never changed, but angry that if that was the case, why hadn't she contacted her at all in the past ten years?
Did she originally intend to keep these feelings hidden in her heart and quietly take them to her grave?
"Uh, Wanyi, that..." Li Ye took a spatula, put on an apron, and stood tall and elegant at the door of the study. She was cooking when she remembered that her precious sketchbook was still lying on the desk. When she rushed to the door of the study, she suddenly found that Miss Xu had already noticed it and was staring at her picture without moving!
Upon hearing this, Xu Wanyi raised her head, tears streaming down her face.
"So you want to use this to replace myself?" Xu Wanyi's words were not very clear, mixed with a sob she was trying to hold back.
When Li Ye saw this, he felt extremely distressed and quickly rushed to her side.
"No, no, I didn't, Wanyi." She hugged Xu Wanyi, listening to her silent sobs in her arms.
"Then why did you leave? Why didn't you look for me for ten years!"
"I……"
Before Li Ye could say anything, the phone on Xu Wanyi's desk rang. Li Ye glanced at the screen and saw "Mother." Xu Wanyi quieted down and answered the phone.
"Hello, Mom." Then she stood up and walked out.
Li Ye watched Xu Wanyi's retreating figure, his hand that wasn't holding the spatula hanging limply at his side, his gaze dimming.
Xu Wanyi stood on the balcony, her eyes fixed on the shimmering Wu Su River not far below, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
"Mom, how did you know she was my lawyer?"
"Don't worry about how I know, I just know. I won't go into the past, even though you didn't tell Mom, I understand. Now you're all grown up and managing such a big company, you know what's important, so I won't remind you anymore."
Xu Wanyi felt even more uneasy. Her whole family had met Li Ye, but Li Ye had always appeared as her classmate.
Seeing that she hadn't spoken for a while, Xu's mother on the other end of the phone said again, "Wanyi, you'll get married sooner or later. Don't get involved with her anymore. It's not good for either of you. I heard that Li Ye is a big lawyer now. If people find out that she's been involved in all this, it will definitely affect her reputation."
"Moreover, you need to know that once the passion fades, all that's left is daily life. In the mundane days, no matter how close the people are, there will be many conflicts and arguments. At that time, think about it, you'll have nothing, no children, no legal protection. What if it ends up like what happened between me and your father? What do you think you'll do then?"
"Besides, the Xu family has such a large business, with so many people behind them. They wouldn't agree to their chairman doing such a thing. You need to think these things through carefully."
Hearing this, Xu Wanyi's heart skipped a beat. Her mother meant that she would never allow a same-sex person to run the family business; this was a warning to her.
"Okay, Mom, I understand. I know what I'm doing, so don't worry. Li Ye and I are just client and lawyer; we don't see each other very often."
"In this way, if things are almost settled, pay her the full amount of the lawyer's fees and find another lawyer to finish the job."
"Yes, Mom, I hired her as my lawyer because she's really useful, and I think you probably already know that. Now is a critical moment, and I think it's better not to change lawyers for the time being."
She thought and thought, and concluded that it must have been Xu Xuanming who told her mother. This man always resorts to underhanded tactics when open methods fail. But no matter what happens in the future, she doesn't want to replace Li Ye right now. She doesn't want to lose him again.
"Okay, as long as you understand. Call your mom more often and chat. By the way, I'm going back to Beijing for Chinese New Year this year, so we'll celebrate together. Let me tell you in advance, don't even think about going on another trip."
"Okay, then please be careful on your way."
"Okay, it's late here, I'm hanging up."
Xu Wanyi hung up the phone and listened to the dial tone, remaining motionless for a long time. Her good mood from the entire day had been completely ruined by her mother's call; her mother was determined to do everything in her power to prevent her from having any further contact with Li Ye!
"Wanyi, are you done with your call? Come and eat." At this moment, Li Ye stood by the dining table, smiling as he called Xu Wanyi to have dinner.
Xu Wanyi put away her phone, took two deep breaths, calmed her turbulent emotions, hid these dark clouds in her heart, and then walked out with a smile.
Once seated, she saw that the table was laden with an excessive six dishes and a soup. The meat dishes were stewed beef ribs and shrimp, and the rest were all vegetables. But every single one of them was something Xu Wanyi liked to eat, which was rare; it was astonishing that she remembered it so clearly.
Xu Wanyi held a bowl of white rice, her eyes blurring again. What was wrong with her today? Had God, seeing that she hadn't shed a tear for so many years, concentrated it all into this one day?
Seeing this, Li Ye didn't say anything, but pulled out a chair and sat down next to Xu Wanyi. He took a napkin and silently wiped away the tears on her face.
"Eat quickly, it'll get cold soon." After saying that, he picked up a shrimp, started peeling it, and put it into Xu Wanyi's bowl.
Seeing the shrimp, Xu Wanyi suddenly laughed, "At least you still have some conscience, you actually know how to peel shrimp for others."
"It's not anyone else, it's you. There are plenty of people who want me to peel shrimp, but I only peel shrimp for you." Li Ye's sweet words came so easily that Xu Wanyi blushed from her neck to the back of her ears.
After the two enjoyed their meal together for a while, Xu Wanyi finally spoke up: "Li Ye, regarding the future, I have some issues on my end. Right now... it's very difficult... sigh, I don't know how to put it?"
"Yes, I understand. Let's talk about the future later. Let's think about the present first." Li Ye knew that the phone call was from her mother, and it wasn't hard to guess what she would say. She didn't want to put any more pressure on Xu Wanyi at this moment.
"Hmm." After stopping that topic, Li Ye asked again, "Last time you said you wanted to control Le Guang, what's the current situation with your family?"
“My parents got divorced, as I told you last time, but it dragged on for several years, until the fifth year after you left. In the end, it was a complete mess. Most of the company's shares ended up in my brother's hands, and some were in my name. My parents didn't have much, but it was all very important.”
“My brother was doing a good job managing things a few years ago, but then he started helping his friends learn to smoke marijuana, and things got increasingly out of control. In recent years, he simply moved to Yunzhou. So, you know, that’s why I have this opportunity, so I absolutely cannot give up such an opportunity.” Xu Wanyi turned her head and looked straight at Li Ye.
"Was that your mother just now?" Li Ye asked bluntly.
“Yes.” Xu Wanyi’s eyes dimmed, and Li Ye keenly sensed it.
The restaurant was brightly lit. Li Ye lowered his head slightly, looking at the marble edge of the island counter next to him. His long eyelashes cast heavy shadows under his eyes.
"What did she say?"
“Uh,” Xu Wanyi paused, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn’t, “She didn’t say anything, just that she was going back to Beijing for the Chinese New Year this year and wanted me to go with her.”
Li Ye smiled, knowing that Xu Jing wouldn't let them off so easily. Xu Wanyi's mother was named Xu Jing, that's right, her mother's surname was also Xu.
"Sigh, I was hoping you could stay in Haixi for the New Year, but it looks like that's not going to happen again."
As Li Ye spoke, he cleared away the dishes. Seeing this, Xu Wanyi also began to help. The two worked together to put the dishes that needed to be put in the sink into the sink and the dishes that needed to be thrown into the trash can.
When Li Ye finished wiping the table and returned to the kitchen, Xu Wanyi was washing cups. Looking at her slender and upright back, her long hair loosely tied on her head, she had an elegant and serene beauty. Li Ye quietly walked over, gently hugged her from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder.
Xu Wanyi trembled, stiffened for a moment, and then slowly relaxed.
She neither chased Li Ye away nor spoke, letting her act recklessly. Although the two had been intimate, it was mostly due to courage and impulse after drinking. This tenderness in their sober moments was all the more precious.
Not even knowing if there would be another time like this, Xu Wanyi simply closed her eyes and wholeheartedly felt Li Ye's gentleness and the tranquility of this moment.
"Please don't leave tonight, okay?"
"I……"
“I promise I won’t do anything, I just want you to keep me company. If you’re going back to Beijing for the New Year… well, it might be a long time before we can see each other again, and in the future…” Li Ye didn’t finish her sentence, but buried her head deeply in Xu Wanyi’s neck. She knew that anything could happen after Xu Jing came back.
But at least at this moment, their bodies and hearts are together.
Xu Wanyi seemed to sense Li Ye's thoughts. With Li Ye's hot breath on her neck, a surge of emotion welled up in her chest, so she silently nodded.
How can we not do it?
The next day, before dawn, Li Ye woke up. Just like last time, the bed next to her was empty, and the blankets were cold. But this time, she didn't panic or look around.
This time, Li Ye knew she would leave.
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