Chapter 57 Chapter 57
The streets of P City are scorchingly quiet in the afternoon, the only sound being the whirring of air conditioners. Hot winds swirl in from all directions, making one feel sleepy and wanting to escape. All one wants is to quickly retreat into the cool of a room for a nap.
An Jiyue stood beside the car with her collar flying, feeling caught in a dilemma.
In front of the main entrance of Huayi Building, Xie Ying held her hand and chatted with her, the jade bracelet on her wrist shining brightly.
At the mention of the word "marriage," her mind went blank for a moment. An Jiyue couldn't bother responding to the person in front of her. Instead, she instinctively glanced at the man in the car behind her. She didn't even have time to feel guilty, only a sense of inexplicable panic.
She had already explained the joke Liang Sinan made in the basement last time. Fortunately, Lu Ye had always had absolute trust in her and didn't take it to heart at all.
But today, she was attacked unexpectedly, like someone had grabbed her throat with ease and precision. Through the thick car window glass, her eyes suddenly widened as they met Lu Yemo's deep gaze, her heart pounding.
The man just raised his hand and waved at her, curled his lips and smiled at her, gave her a comforting and encouraging look, and drove away.
Perhaps Lu Ye hadn't heard, thinking it was a personnel issue at her job. An Jiyue breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the force of the large hand around her throat suddenly loosen.
Or maybe he heard it, but chose not to interfere out of tolerance, but instead gave her enough trust and space to deal with the current situation.
An Jiyue didn't delve into it any further. She took a deep breath and finally put on the look of a sensible youngster. She chatted and laughed freely with Xie Ying and led her to an elegant teahouse near Huayi Building to sit down.
The room was quiet, the water gurgling among the lush bonsai. The teahouse manager respectfully welcomed the two of them in. Without further ado, he served them top-quality Mingqian Longjing tea and several plates of exquisite tea cakes.
The store manager put down the porcelain plate and felt strange: Why is today's guest a noble lady, and why does she have such a kind look in her eyes?
He looked at An Jiyue who was sitting on the other side and saw that although she was not sitting in the main seat, she looked normal.
The owner of this teahouse is none other than An Jiyue herself. Yuehui chose it near Huayi mainly to make it convenient for An Jiyue to discuss projects and meet with partners and clients.
An Jiyue followed him out of the room calmly. While whispering instructions to the store manager, she quickly contacted Xu Mu and asked him to attend the afternoon discussion in his place. She also sent a message to Liang Sinan to inform him of the situation.
When she turned around, she saw Xie Ying looking at her left and right with joy in her eyes.
An Jiyue knew the etiquette and sat beside her with a smile: "Thank you for coming to see me, Auntie. You are the elder, and it is me who should go to City G to visit you."
Xie Ying looked at her tenderly and lovingly: "It's okay. Yue'er has grown up so much. She was so pretty when she was little, and now she's even more beautiful."
Huayi Interactive Entertainment has an open-minded atmosphere and never restricts employees' attire; most people dress however they please. Although An Jiyue has joined the director team, she wears a bright, sky-blue two-piece blouse and skirt. Her skin is fair and translucent, and at first glance, she still looks like a recent college graduate.
An Jiyue maintained a respectable smile, but Xie Ying paused and said, "It's really a blessing for our Nan Nan to marry you..."
An Jiyue's hand holding the tea trembled, and she immediately interrupted, "No, I think Auntie looks much better, and looks younger and younger."
An Jiyue was flustered and interrupted every conversation. She had almost nothing to talk about with her elders, from studies to work. She couldn't help but think angrily: Why hasn't Liang Sinan arrived yet?
Earlier, Yue Hui had mentioned Xie Ying's phone call to their home, but An Jiyue hadn't taken it seriously. Now it seemed like it wasn't an unprovoked call. What had Liang Sinan said to that family? She felt a little angry, but she didn't want to cause trouble for Liang Sinan, so she just played dumb.
Xie Ying took a sip of tea and slowly asked, "Yue'er, Nan Nan should have mentioned the Liang Group's affairs to you, right?"
An Jiyue's face was as calm as water, and she answered simply, "I haven't mentioned it."
Xie Ying's eyebrows slightly raised, clearly not quite believing it. But seeing An Jiyue's steady hand as she poured her tea, with no sign of guilt or lying, she patiently continued.
"Nannan's father passed away early, and he himself has been working abroad for many years. The business of the Liang Group has always been managed by his uncle Cheng with great care. The market and personnel have changed several times. To be honest, apart from the name "Liang Group", the company is actually completely different from before."
"Hmm." An Jiuyue picked up a piece of lotus cake, took a light bite, and her face showed disinterest.
Xie Ying tactfully advised, "I know Nan Nan has suffered a lot outside these years, but he has also gained a lot. The Liang Group is actually nothing to him. Yue'er, since you and Nan Nan are already family, can you help Auntie persuade him to be more open-minded and stop competing with us for this company?"
An Jiyue was silent for a while.
Reason told her that it was best to continue playing dumb, but her heart was overwhelmed by rising anger.
Be more open-minded? She clenched her fists, and at this moment she felt particularly sympathetic to Liang Sinan's paranoia and suffering during this period. She had also experienced times when she had to protect Anshi at all costs. This was family property, how could Liang Sinan be open-minded?
She even felt distressed. She no longer expected Liang Sinan to appear - if Xie Ying came for this matter or this sentence.
An Jiyue straightened her back, and her gentle voice turned cold and hard:
"Auntie, if you want me to persuade him to let go, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. I only respect Brother Nan's opinion on this matter."
Xie Ying's face suddenly fell. The smile lines at the corners of her eyes vanished, and a complex, resentful light flashed in her eyes. The corners of her lips pursed into a drooping line. She slammed the purple clay tea bowl onto the coffee table, and her tone lost its friendliness.
Her face was pale as she questioned, "Was it his opinion, or yours? Your parents' past deeds are known to everyone, and you almost became a notorious illegitimate daughter. If it weren't for Nan Nan's wholehearted help, how could you have successfully inherited An Shi, and how could you have helped An Shi to be reborn from the brink of death?"
Xie Ying's words became increasingly outspoken, even the most remote and soundproofed private room overflowing with noise. "Seeing Anshi's smooth sailing in recent years, your appetite has grown, right? You're even trying to persuade Nannan to swallow up the Liang Group?"
The young girl was first surprised by her sudden change of expression, and then she actually became quiet.
She waited patiently for the woman to finish venting her anger before slowly putting down her tea bowl, raising her right hand, and slapping the lady in the face.
"You—you—" Xie Ying covered her face in shock. The bright red slap mark quickly swelled up, and the slender outline seemed to outline a peach blossom on her face.
An Jiyue remained as serene as a lake, her face untouched. Her brown pupils no longer radiated a harmless, pleasing soft glow, but were now shrouded in a thick mist that kept people at a distance. Now, through this mist, she was looking down at Xie Ying.
Perhaps Xie Ying really took An Jiuyue's initial well-behaved and humble appearance seriously, thinking that she was a little girl who was easy to manipulate and bully, and was so thin-skinned that she would burst into tears at the mere sound of a few harsh words.
She had never expected that she would deliberately use the incident of the An family to provoke An Jiyue, but only received a sharp slap. An Jiyue's anger seemed to be concentrated in this slap, but her eyebrows and eyes remained soft, without any residual emotion.
An Jiyue sleekly flipped her wrist and poured herself some tea. Mingqian Longjing was truly a heavenly product. She sipped the tea silently, a smile of admiration playing at the corner of her mouth.
The door of the compartment was opened, and a tall and brisk figure flashed outside the screen. Liang Sinan appeared at the door, with a tolerant and calm disappointment on his clear-cut face.
Without saying a word, he helped Xie Ying, who was barely standing, up from the chair, picked up her handbag for her, and was about to take her out.
"Wait a moment." An Jiyue's clear voice sounded behind him. Liang Sinan turned around and saw her white fingertips pointing at the small silk bag on the table.
The pile of glittering jewels was what Xie Ying had taken out early in the morning, claiming that it was a family heirloom to be given to Liang's daughter-in-law.
Liang Sinan's eyes dimmed, and he picked it up and threw it into Xie Ying's handbag. He sent his mother out of the room and let go of her hand, breaking free from Xie Ying.
"I've called a car for you and it's waiting downstairs." Liang Sinan's voice was hollow and heartless.
Xie Ying stepped forward, grasped his wrist, and tearfully pleaded, "Come home with me. Why do you have to live with strangers all the time?"
Liang Sinan leaned over and glanced at Xie Ying's half-swollen cheek, then looked away and pulled his arm away.
Outsiders? He couldn't help but snort. Aren't there a whole room full of outsiders in the Liang Mansion? Aren't you here for them today too?
"The car will take you directly back to City G." He said this and ignored Xie Ying, turning back to the compartment.
An Jiuyue looked up and saw him walking in with heavy steps. She took the initiative to get a new tea bowl and warm it for him.
Liang Sinan was silent for a long time and apologized to her: “I’m sorry.”
An Jiyue shook her head: "It's not your fault."
Liang Sinan wanted to say that it was his fault. Under Xie Ying's repeated questioning, he used An Jiyue's name and said that she was his fiancée. Now that his mother was rude and offensive, as a son, of course he should apologize on her behalf.
But then he thought again, does his mother still regard him as her own son?
He choked and was speechless. His usually cheerful features were clouded with worry, and he was troubled. But An Jiyue suddenly said to him without thinking:
"Brother Nan, you must take back the Liang Group no matter what."
Liang Sinan looked at her in surprise.
An Jiuyue took a long breath, and the white mist in her eyes was dissipating layer by layer, leaving only the most real and fragile light, shining with firm hope.
He had seen this look in her eyes before, when she decided to restart Anshi's business overseas at all costs.
Liang Sinan squeezed out a faint bitter smile: "But..."
However, An Jiyue's previous rejection had basically cut off the simplest and most direct way.
"I will definitely help you find a solution." An Jiyue interrupted his hesitation without question. Xie Ying was right. Without Liang Sinan's support, she and An Shi would have collapsed five years ago.
"Since she said it was my opinion, then as she wishes, this is my opinion."
An Jiyue finished her tea and stood up to leave. Liang Sinan, who had just sat down, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Go back to the meeting." She glanced at him as if he were a psychopath and hurriedly opened the door. "Please, I still have to go to work."
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