Chapter 117 I'll go with you
"Sir, Ms. Song Jingrong came by today. She looked very serious, but when she saw us, she said there was nothing wrong. We are not sure what she wants to cause trouble... so we called to confirm with you."
Xie Chen drove, staring straight ahead, his tone indifferent: "It's fine, let her be. Whatever she wants to report, whatever she needs you to investigate, I will cooperate."
The red light ahead turned on, and the traffic seemed to be paused. He frowned, his expression showing some impatience.
He rushed to pick up Mu Yan after class, worried that he would be late, but thankfully he wasn't.
Mu Yan is having some difficulty learning spoken language, and because he studies hard, he comes out quite late every day.
Xie Chen sat on the sofa in the lobby waiting, the phone call still going on. Mu Yan saw him from afar, walked quietly to his side, and remained silent.
Xie Chen noticed his arrival, stood up, and habitually took the bag of books from Mu Yan's hand with his other free hand.
Mu Yan looked at his profile and realized he was still on the phone, so she didn't disturb him.
After hearing what was said on the other end of the phone, Xie Chen said that they should handle it.
He casually put his arm around Mu Yan's shoulder with the hand that was carrying the bag and led him to the car.
Because he was on the phone the whole time while driving over, the car's Bluetooth naturally connected to his phone.
"The old gentleman's condition isn't good," the staff member on the other end of the phone said. "It should be within the next few days... Would you like to go see him one last time?"
Xie Chen chuckled lightly upon hearing these words, his laughter filled with disdain.
Mu Yan had never seen Xie Chen like this before. He raised his head slightly and looked at Xie Chen with some concern.
Xie Chen noticed his gaze and quickly hung up the phone under some pretext, asking Mu Yan if he was tired from class today and what he wanted to eat later.
"Not tired," Mu Yan said, the afternoon sunlight streaming through the car window onto the passenger side, making her smile even brighter. "My oral English teacher said I've made great progress, and I might be able to take the exam next month."
"That's amazing." Xie Chen stopped at the traffic light, bent down and lowered the sunshade on the passenger side, but since the sunlight was coming in through the side window, the effect was minimal.
"It's okay, no need to block it. Didn't you say you wanted me to get more sun?"
Mu Yan took every word he said to heart very seriously. Xie Chen couldn't help but smile. Mu Yan had probably been a very well-behaved and obedient child since he was a child.
"...I kind of want to eat that lemon cake from last time."
"How about I give you some food after we finish eating?" Xie Chen suggested. "You still need to eat something proper..."
Although it was in a consultative tone, Mu Yan was never one to argue with people, and just as he was about to agree, Xie Chen called again.
He glanced at the note on the car's display screen, hesitated for two or three seconds, and then answered the call.
"Xiaoxiao, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"
"Brother," the young girl on the other end of the phone called out, then paused for a moment before continuing, "Is Father about to...?"
"Yes, it should be in the next few days."
"I want to leave the foundation."
"Why?" Xie Chen asked quickly. "Aunt Song must have realized something in the end, and didn't actually go to the family office to cause trouble. As long as she doesn't expose it, it won't affect you. You persuaded her to stay, didn't you?"
"Yes, but my decision to leave the foundation has nothing to do with her; it's my own choice."
"Can you tell me why?" Xie Chen asked.
Mu Yan came out a little late today and happened to run into the traffic of commuters leaving get off work. When they passed a famous dessert shop in N City, Xie Chen pulled over and got out to buy Mu Yan a lemon cake while talking on the phone with Xie Xiao.
There would probably be traffic for a while, and he was worried that Mu Yan would be hungry. The cakes from this bakery were better than those made by the chef at home, but Xie Chen always felt that they contained all sorts of random additives, and he only wanted Mu Yan to eat the ones from his own bakery.
"Actually, there's no reason. If I say that, won't you think I'm not being sincere? I could give you some reasons that sound very honest, but right now... I don't want to lie to you."
“I just want to take a break. Ever since I graduated from university, no,” Xie Xiao smiled, but the smile was a little bitter, “ever since I started middle school, I’ve always had a hard time, I have to do everything perfectly, and I feel very tired.”
"I know you've had a tough time." Xie Chen handed the cake to Mu Yan, who asked quietly if he could eat it now. Xie Chen smiled, put the fork on the cake for him, and returned to the driver's seat to start the car again.
Mu Yan was afraid of getting cream on the car, so she carefully held the cake. The lemon cake was sweet and sour, and the lemon sauce was especially delicious.
Although he didn't know why Xie Chen suddenly agreed to let him eat cake before dinner, Mu Yan disregarded past grievances and wanted Xie Chen to have a bite as well.
But... it seems there isn't a second spoon.
"Big brother, actually I really... don't care that much about money. Of course, it's not that I don't care at all, but to be honest, as long as Xie Chengjun leaves me and my mother tens of millions or a hundred million after he dies, enough to ensure we have enough to eat and wear, I'll be really satisfied."
"...It can't be that little." Xie Chen paused for a moment before answering.
“Yes, I know you won’t treat us badly,” Xie Xiao smiled. “That’s enough… They always thought I was very ambitious and good at pleasing Father and you, but I… just want to gain a foothold in the Xie family. If I don’t fight, I’ll be at their mercy and bullied. I can only make myself more outstanding and gain Xie Chengjun’s favor, so that they won’t bully me and my mother like they bullied Xie Ze.”
"I know, I know everything."
Song Jingrong had no background and was not as gentle and flexible as He Qingyun. Xie Xiao had actually suffered no less injustice than He Fan when she was young.
Xie Rong also bullied her. He didn't dare to say it to Song Jingrong's face, but he dared to curse her mother behind her back, saying that she was just a monkey on stage for people to watch.
However, she follows the rules, and most of the conflicts are caused by others, unlike He Fan who can only swallow his anger.
Xie Xiao's escape from the Xie family was harmless but arduous. She relied on her own efforts to get into the best middle school in N City. That school was a boarding school with military-style management. Three years later, she went to a top university in Country A and took Song Jingrong with her to the northeast of Country A under the pretext of accompanying her.
"If you want to take a few years off, then take a few years off. Anyway, with your abilities, you'll be welcomed by other big companies. As for the positions at the foundation and Shun Tak, I'll let Uncle Zhang take them over first. He'll retire in two years. If you change your mind then, you can come back."
"I probably won't change my mind... But thank you anyway, brother. It's not just for that. Thank you for taking care of me all these years. Apart from my mother, I've always considered you my only family member in this household."
"Why are you suddenly bringing this up? That's strange." Xie Chen smiled. "Where are you planning to go on vacation? I just ordered a new helicopter. My old one is still usable, but I can give you the new one first."
Xie Xiao, unusually, didn't stand on ceremony with him and thanked him generously.
Xie Chen hung up the phone and realized that Mu Yan had finished the four-inch lemon cake without him noticing.
Out of the corner of his eye, Xie Chen met Mu Yan's satisfied gaze after eating his fill. He felt like the owner of a vase whose vase had been smashed by a cat, and helplessly looked away.
It was true that he forgot to tell Mu Yan that he could only eat half a cake. If he had known, he would have asked the shop assistant to cut it in half and throw it away. With such a big cake, how could he possibly eat anything else?
"Did the thing you were worried about not happen?" Mu Yan smiled gently when he saw him turn to look at her, without realizing that she had upset him. "That's good."
“Hmm,” Xie Chen looked away. Mu Yan’s tone was too gentle. Although he didn’t really scold Mu Yan, he still felt a little guilty for no reason. “I asked the aunt to cook a tomato and bamboo shoot soup for dinner. It’s sour and refreshing.”
"You went to buy dried bamboo shoots?" Mu Yan was a little surprised. Not many people in Country A eat dried bamboo shoots. They are not sold in supermarkets. Only some Chinese grocery stores sometimes sell them, but they are usually quite old.
“A friend of mine happened to be visiting, so I asked him to bring it from China.”
Mu Yan was actually taken aback. He wanted to tell Xie Chen not to make such a fuss. His desire to eat might just come in waves. He might say he wanted to eat something now, but by the time he bought it, he might not want to eat it anymore. This was too much trouble and complicated.
But he knew Xie Chen's temper; Xie Chen wouldn't want to hear him say these things. He just wanted to see him eat a few more bites.
The auntie's tomato and bamboo shoot soup was tangy and flavorful, and the bamboo shoots weren't tough. Mu Yan drank a small bowl before the meal and another small bowl after finishing. Xie Chen ate quickly and quietly watched him drink the soup, resting his chin on his hand.
Xie Chengjun left that night. Mu Yan knew this because he was not sleeping soundly and heard Xie Chen get up in the middle of the night.
Mu Yan was the kind of person who would cry for a while when the husband of his high school history teacher, who had only taught him for a year, passed away. But when he heard that Xie Chen's father had passed away, he felt no ripples in his heart, and even felt a faint sense of pleasure.
Although Xie Chengjun had no grudge against him.
"I'll go with you."
Xie Chen stood at the top of the stairs and glanced back at Mu Yan, who was still wearing his pajamas. He had just woken up and looked a little dazed, with his collar askew, revealing a clear section of his collarbone.
"It's just a matter of the family claiming the body, signing a consent form for organ donation and cremation. It's not a troublesome matter, I'll handle it quickly, and I'm not in a bad mood," Xie Chen explained to him earnestly.
He casually straightened Mu Yan's collar, although this action seemed meaningless to someone who was about to lie back down.
"I'll tell you when I need you, okay? Now be good and go back to sleep."
[Author's Note]
I swear I'll write an update early today and go to bed early. For me, the closer I get to the end, the harder it is to write. When I get writer's block, I can't help but play on my phone (sorry! [crying emoji]). Thinking back to the satisfying parts of my cremation-themed novels, one particularly important thing is the later part where the seme relentlessly pursues the uke while the uke ignores him, causing the seme to break down completely. So I always think I can't let them catch up so easily. But personally, because it's already been serialized for four months, I really want it to end [crying emoji]. I've already thought of some side stories: one about a sentinel, one about shrinking, and one about the original worldline that can't be published on Jinjiang Literature City.
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