Chapter 62 The Guest
During the National Day holiday, Grandma Xi received a phone call from Beijing.
After hanging up, she held the microphone and said somewhat blankly, "Huiqing, the higher-ups want you to return to Beijing. They say there's a memorial service, and the old man is the representative. They want you to attend as a bereaved family member."
The news was so sudden that Xia Huiqing was stunned for a long time.
While I was packing my luggage, the representative sent from Beijing had already arrived.
Three cars drove into the villa.
A group of people dressed in suits explained with deep respect, "This matter was decided a long time ago. It was initially said to be a closed-door meeting, but after some discussion recently, it was changed to a large-scale event, inviting the bereaved family. We apologize for the trouble caused by your personal trip in such a rush."
As she spoke, someone reached out to take the luggage, and someone else came up to help her, but Xia Huiqing withdrew her hand and said, "No need to help me."
Xia Qingwan asked, "Grandma, do you really not want me to come back with you?"
"Need not."
Xia Huiqing said, "I don't need anyone to take care of me, so you can rest here."
The man in the lead smiled and explained to Xia Qingwan and Grandma Xi, "All the surviving family members have been arranged to stay at the State Guesthouse for the past two days, with dedicated staff to take care of them around the clock. You two don't need to worry, just rest at home and watch the live broadcast when you have time."
"Okay, thank you for your trouble."
Xia Qingwan said politely.
The man glanced at her a couple more times, then smiled and nodded at her.
She is indeed a rare beauty. Her relaxed, casual attire exudes a cool and graceful aura. The low level of skin exposure only makes her appear even more fair and radiant.
What's even more remarkable are those eyes—classical and serene, seemingly concealing many sorrows, arousing a strong desire to explore them.
"Is this the granddaughter of the two elders? I heard she was recommended for postgraduate studies in the Chinese Department of Peking University. Congratulations! The Xia family is a prestigious family, producing outstanding talents generation after generation."
The Xia family is a prestigious family; it's quite novel to combine the two.
Since the deaths of Xia Xili and Old Master Xia, the Xia family has been forgotten for many years.
Upon hearing this, Xia Huiqing couldn't help but glance at the man who had spoken.
Grandma Xi said from the side, "Huiqing, I've packed all the medicine in a small bag. Remember to take it on time."
Don't worry.
Xia Huiqing got into the car, rolled down the window, and said, "Let's go back, let's go back."
Xia Qingwan and Grandma Xi watched the car drive away along the driveway.
As she walked back towards the main house, Grandma Xi kept saying, "After all these years, why are we suddenly having to hold a memorial service?"
-
Back in the capital, after settling Xia Huiqing in, a few men came down for a smoke.
The words he said when he picked up the person in Shaoping were half true and half false.
It was indeed rushed, but the reason was that Old Master Xia wasn't initially on the list. Xia Huiqing was right; the Xia family had indeed been forgotten for many years.
Someone reminded them, and the participants hurriedly went through the list again and added a few more people.
While smoking, someone sighed and said, "The Xia family's young lady is truly a beauty."
"It's obvious. Xia Xili was so popular in Beijing back then. Whenever he performed, the bars were packed. So many people loved him to death. His wife was a star performer in the cultural troupe, so their daughter was naturally outstanding."
"You know what, that girl has a Xia Xili vibe."
He appears aloof and indifferent, yet his eyes reveal a proud spirit that would rather die than bend.
The leader laughed and said, "Just wait and see, I think things are about to change."
"Is it really worth it? For a little girl?"
"Now that things have come to this, how do you think it will end?" The man flicked his cigarette ash and laughed. "No matter what, there's bound to be some turmoil within the Ye family."
-
Xia Qingwan and Grandma Xi watched the entire live broadcast at Shaoping Villa.
Grandpa's photo was displayed on the screen, and Grandma was speaking on stage.
Grandma Xi kept sighing, "This year has been truly wonderful, one good thing after another. You saw your cousin, the old man was recertified, and our Xia family is slowly getting better."
Grandma Xi was right after all.
After National Day, even Xia Changliu and Xia Mingzhou were summoned to attend several meetings.
Like antique relics buried underground for many years, they are unearthed and brought back to the light of day, placed in the most important display position in the museum, and illuminated by top lighting. As a result, the value of related merchandise has also increased to varying degrees.
-
In order to make time for her internship next semester, Xia Qingwan compressed all of her next semester's courses into the first semester, which resulted in a very full schedule for the first semester.
Among these are elective courses for the philosophy department.
Pei Meizhu also audited a class with her.
After class, the two went to the cafeteria for lunch. Xia Qingwan asked her how she felt and whether she wanted to come to the next class.
Pei Meizhu held up one finger and said, "I think that Ruan Xu likes you."
"..."
Xia Qingwan said, "I'm not familiar with him."
We only occasionally meet in philosophy classes or during breaks, and we're just acquaintances who like each other's posts on social media.
"I feel like he's crazy about you, but he just doesn't know how to pursue you."
When he looked at her, his eyes were overflowing with affection, but when he spoke to her, he was indifferent, as if he were treating her as an ordinary classmate.
"Don't talk about that."
Xia Qingwan interrupted, asking, "Have you ever been to Nairobi?"
"I've been there! It's fun!"
Pei Meizhu immediately asked, "Are you going?"
"If I pass the interview, I'll be doing an in-person internship next year."
In mid-October, she took the written test for a UN internship. In late October, she received notification that she had passed the test. She just had an interview the day before yesterday and is now waiting for the results.
Generally speaking, we won't receive a notification until December.
Where is Ruan Xu from?
Pei Meizhu suddenly returned and started talking about Ruan Xu again.
Xia Qingwan glanced at her, "...I don't know."
Pei Meizhu ignored him, looked down at her phone screen, and started searching.
You wouldn't know unless you looked it up, but Ruan Xu was the top liberal arts student in his local college entrance exam that year. He was popular because of his good looks and had been interviewed many times, and there is a lot of information about him online.
"He's from Shaoping."
Pei Meizhu looked up in surprise.
Are you very interested in him?
“No,” Pei Meizhu blurted out, “Among all the men pursuing you, he has the best chance of success.”
Xia Qingwan chuckled, "He didn't pursue me."
“It’s only a matter of time,” Pei Meizhu said confidently. “A smart man like him will not rashly step onto the gambling table. He will only make a move when the opportunity is right.”
When Pei Meizhu got home that night, she remembered the incident and called her cousin.
The call was only answered when the connection was about to automatically disconnect.
Pei Meizhu immediately said, "Cousin, I don't know what you're busy with, but if you don't come back soon, Sister Qingwan will be chased away."
"..."
Ye Peixiu paused slightly on the page, his fingertips hovering over it. "Explain clearly."
Pei Meizhu gave a detailed account of Ruan Xu's background.
"...He's very handsome."
"Is there anything else?"
"Oh yes, yes."
Pei Meizhu also told Ye Peixiu about Xia Qingwan meeting her cousin Song Yanzhang.
Just as he finished speaking, he heard someone call out, "President Ye."
"...Wang Jingzi is with you?"
Pei Meizhu gripped her phone tightly. "How did he end up with you?"
"Reporting on my work."
Ye Peixiu said, "Hang up."
-
Ye Peixiu had informed his family in advance that he would not be returning to Beijing for the Chinese New Year this year. Therefore, during the New Year's Day holiday, when he had some free time, Pei Yaxian visited him in Nanhua on behalf of the family.
When Pei Meizhu found out, she insisted on going along with them.
Upon arriving at the old villa on the outskirts of the city, Pei Yaxian directed the servants to bustle about. Ye Peixiu, having attended a meeting, returned home and continued working in his study.
Pei Yaxian brought him a cup of tea, "Take a break."
After working for another half hour, Ye Peixiu finally left his desk, sat down on the sofa by the window, and lit a cigarette.
Pei Yaxian replaced his cold tea with a warm cup and handed it to him, but he didn't take it. "Just leave it there."
Pei Yaxian had no choice but to put it back.
The mother and son sat facing each other in silence.
He was wearing a black shirt, no belt, the sleeves casually rolled up, his hand holding a cigarette resting on the outside of the handrail, his eyes half-closed, seemingly lost in thought.
Quiet, lonely, and far away.
"Are you planning to spend the Lunar New Year here alone?"
Pei Yaxian asked.
"Go to Shaoping."
Pei Yaxian nodded.
She knew that Liang Xinwu was living in retirement in Shaoping. She didn't know if Ye Peixiu's actions were at the behest of the old man, so she didn't ask. She simply said, "When you see your grandmother, please say hello for me. I brought a gift with me, so please take it to her for me."
"become."
Pei Yaxian rarely comes to Nanhua, so her subordinates organized a gathering, inviting several old comrades to have a meal at the old villa, which can also be regarded as a gesture of goodwill from the Ye family.
During the meal, Pei Yaxian, acting as Mrs. Ye, chatted with people in a friendly manner. Ye Peixiu, having changed his clothes to a white shirt and black trousers, stood in the crowd with a wine glass in hand, listening to his seniors speak with his head slightly lowered, and then chatting with people with a smile.
He would laugh heartily at jokes, but Pei Yaxian, watching from the sidelines, always felt that he was actually very distant.
That's normal.
After all, it's lonely at the top.
His father, Ye Tingwen, was the same in his early years. Later, after lying alone on the high platform for a long time, that loneliness and alienation were sealed inside by layers of solemn dignity, forming a thick shell.
Pei Yaxian and Ye Tingwen, as husband and wife, did try to be confidants, but later, due to various matters, the relationship fizzled out. Gradually, their relationship became more like that of a superior and subordinate.
She was a "hostage" placed by the Pei family in the Ye family, and an "eyes and ears" placed by the Ye family in the Pei family. She enjoyed the respect and honor outside, but inside, she was exhausted.
The room was filled with distinguished guests, and then the party ended and everyone left.
Ye Peixiu had drunk quite a bit of wine and was sitting lazily in a round chair under the eaves outside, smoking.
Pei Yaxian came out wearing a shawl, smiled and said, "Your father told me the other day that he wants to find you a good girl in the future." She paused for a few seconds, looked at his face, and continued, "...I think you really need to find someone you can confide in, someone who can help you relax after work."
Ye Peixiu didn't respond.
Pei Yaxian laughed self-deprecatingly, "Don't be like your father, who keeps everything to himself. I can't help him at all."
Ye Peixiu glanced at her and said, "You're not living for him."
Hearing this, Pei Yaxian was stunned for a long time.
Her daily actions were always for the benefit of either the Ye or Pei families. She couldn't afford to offend the old man, and she dared not offend Ye Tingwen and his son Ye Peixiu either. Occasionally, she even had to give the Pei family some benefits. She exhausted all her efforts and used every means to navigate this complex and vast network of relationships.
“…You’re being too naive,” Pei Yaxian said. “In this life, we’re bound by so many identities, and we’re often forced into situations we can’t help.”
Ye Peixiu smiled faintly and didn't reply.
"...You should get some rest."
"Okay, you should go to bed early too, and remember to drink some hangover soup."
Pulling her shawl around her shoulders as she walked back indoors, Pei Yaxian suddenly realized that Ye Peixiu's words earlier were just to comfort her.
Ye Peixiu understood all those grand principles, which is why he had been self-disciplined, pragmatic, and steadily progressing to where he was today over the years. She had always felt that this son was distant and cold, just like his father.
Upon reflection, it seems that he only started to show some humanity after he got together with that girl from the Xia family.
Perhaps, after spending more time with that little girl, he gradually came to understand his mother's situation?
Pei Yaxian couldn't help but think so.
That night, in the old Western-style house in Nanhua, Pei Yaxian tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
-
During the winter vacation that year, Xia Qingwan packed her bags early and arrived in Shaoping.
Thanks to the National Day holiday, Xia Mingzhou's business dealings and project negotiations have gone much more smoothly in the past few months, and he has some free time, so he decided to come to Shaoping with Xia Qingwan to visit his grandmother.
He stayed in Shaoping for a week.
Before returning to Beijing, Grandma Xi packed him with many local specialties in large and small bags.
After seeing him off, Grandma Xi busied herself packing. This year, Liang Xinwu wouldn't be returning to Beijing, so she invited the three of them to her villa for the New Year.
"This year is going to be very lively."
Grandma Xi said, "With your Grandma Liang around, your grandma is more cheerful."
Xia Qingwan was naturally delighted; it's always better to have more people during the New Year.
With a trunk full of luggage and gifts, Xia Qingwan drove the three of them to Liang Xinwu's villa on the other side of the city.
It was already dark when we arrived.
Liang Xinwu was all smiles. He arranged rooms for the three of them, and then the three elderly people sat around the fireplace in the living room, exchanging and unwrapping gifts.
He's just like a little kid.
Xia Qingwan curled up in the single sofa, a book spread out on her lap, and looked at them with a smile.
At that moment, she vaguely heard the sound of a car door opening and closing outside.
She asked, "Grandma Liang, are any more guests coming today?"
Liang Xinwu thought for a moment, "I don't know."
"I'll go take a look."
"Alright, if you're a guest, please come in."
Xia Qingwan jumped off the sofa, slipped on her fluffy slippers, and went to greet them from the entrance.
She was in a relaxed and cheerful mood, and her steps and posture were lighter than usual. As she walked, she called out to the butler, "Grandpa, who's here?"
As I walked past the corner of the corridor, before I could finish speaking, I was suddenly caught off guard and bumped into a tall man's embrace.
Familiar yet unfamiliar.
Ye Peixiu held her elbow, "Be careful."
He was wearing a black overcoat, which still carried the chill of a winter night.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The next update will be on Sunday night!
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