Chapter 118 should have some sincerity.
There seemed to be no real affection between Xie Chen and his father. As Mu Yan hesitated, Xie Chen grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to her room without saying a word.
Xie Chen pressed down on his shoulder and gently pressed it, and Mu Yan obediently sat on the bed.
There was also a plush toy dog on the bed that Mu Yan usually leaned against while playing on his phone. Xie Chen thought he was sleeping with it, so he picked it up and shoved it into Mu Yan's arms. Mu Yan hugged the toy dog without thinking.
"I'll take a taxi to class by myself tomorrow," Mu Yan said after thinking for a moment. "You'll be back late, so don't get up to see me off..."
Mu Yan remained in the same position, holding the puppy, and yawned as he spoke.
Xie Chen nodded, gently closed the bedroom door, and left.
When he arrived at the hospital, Xie Chengjun had already been pronounced dead. If it weren't for the hospital's procedures, Xie Chen wouldn't have even wanted to acknowledge the body.
He signed the form smoothly and casually asked if he could donate his organs. The doctor hesitated and said that the deceased had to sign the form voluntarily beforehand.
Xie Chen didn't think it was too much of a pity. Xie Chengjun was an alcoholic and promiscuous man, so apart from his corneas being somewhat useful, donating his other organs would probably be pointless.
Xie Chengjun had requested a burial before his death, and He Qingyun also felt that since he was already dead, there was no need to give him any reason to speak out.
However, Xie Chen still felt it was a waste of resources. Although the few million saved from the cemetery plot was not much, it could buy several outfits for He Qingyun, He Fan, and Mu Yan each, not to mention that the land where Xie Chengjun was buried could have been used for more meaningful things.
The secretary and the family office staff were all awake. Xie Chen held a remote meeting to discuss when to arrange the farewell ceremony for the media and other parties, and then sent notices to his other younger siblings and aunts as well.
When he got home, it was just dawn. His younger brother and sister each offered him some words of condolence, and except for Xie Xiao and He Fan, they all said they would not attend the farewell ceremony the next day.
In normal circumstances, invitations would be sent out in advance for farewell ceremonies, allowing friends and acquaintances from all walks of life to make time for the event. However, Xie Chen was just going through the motions and wished that no one would come.
Before Xie Chengjun died, his family's infighting was already enough to make them a laughing stock. Now that he's gone, who wants to be treated like a monkey by the media?
Xie Xiao probably didn't want to go either, but she reminded Xie Chen that the reporters might bring up the previous incident of Xie Rong's "suicide" and ask some tricky questions, so Xie Chen should be careful.
He Fan didn't say whether he would go or not, but simply called Xie Chen to ask if there would be a Q&A session with reporters.
"Of course there is. Let's satisfy their curiosity once and for all, otherwise it will never end."
He Fan didn't reply immediately. After a long pause, he said he would go with him. Xie Chen knew that He Fan had an awkward personality and was only saying that he would go with him because he was afraid that he would be annoyed by dealing with the reporters alone.
But if He Fan comes, the reporters will just keep asking him why he grew up alone in Country C and whether he has any grievances against Xie Chengjun.
He Fan's personality is two extremes. When he is willing to deal with them, he can make those reporters very happy, but when he is not willing to deal with them, he will immediately turn cold.
But no matter what, the fact that He Fan was willing to come and accompany him was already quite remarkable for He Fan.
"Thank you for being willing to accompany me. I am very happy that you have this thought. I really feel that Xiao Fan has grown up."
“…Big brother,” He Fan paused, then spoke up, “Is Mu Yan with you? Can I see him again?”
"...I'm not doing anything, I just want to see him. I haven't seen him in a long time..."
Xie Chen remained silent for a long time before speaking again.
"How about waiting a while? If you two meet now, Mu Yan will feel awkward. I won't keep you from seeing each other forever, but you both really need to calm down for a bit."
He Fan seemed to run out of things to say quickly: "Big brother, you've worked hard. Go back and catch up on your sleep. I won't bother you any longer."
Xie Chen hummed in agreement and hung up the phone. It was just before seven in the morning; the sun was rising as usual, and the traffic on the road was picking up.
Xie Chengjun... He had thought about the moment Xie Chengjun died for many years, but when the moment actually arrived, he didn't have any extra thoughts. He just felt that the upcoming farewell ceremony was annoying.
He was supposed to pick Mu Yan up from get out of class and then have dinner with her at home.
Xie Chen set his alarm and got up around 10 a.m. His secretary had already prepared his speech and the questions reporters might ask and sent them to him. He quickly glanced at them and then went to the venue to check them out in advance.
The housekeeper reported to him what dishes she had made for lunch, and that Mr. Mu seemed to have a poor appetite. She planned to make a clay pot porridge for Mu Yan with grouper and geoduck for dinner, and asked if Xie Chen would be coming back.
The aunt doesn't care much about the news and never pries into her employer's privacy; she still thinks Xie Chen is just an ordinary young tycoon.
"He hasn't had a good appetite lately, so let's not make the Chaoshan-style clay pot congee. Let's make something else that's appetizing and goes well with rice."
"Okay, sir, have you eaten yet?"
"...Not yet." Xie Chen hesitated for a moment before answering. It was hard to define the line between concern and deliberately trying to get close to her. His aunt rarely asked these questions on her own initiative.
Not long after, his assistant told him that a gentleman had come looking for him with a thermos.
Xie Chen stood up from his seat almost immediately and walked down quickly.
Mu Yan stood at the entrance of the conference hall, holding a thermos lunchbox. His assistant should have brought him up immediately, so the wait was not long.
"Why did you come here? Don't you have classes this afternoon?"
"It's Friday today. I had reading class in the afternoon, and I did quite well, so I asked for leave... Did you not eat? Auntie said you left without having breakfast. Were you busy until now?"
The insulated lunchbox was of good quality. Mu Yan smelled the aroma of roasted lamb chops and immediately breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it was still hot.
"I haven't eaten yet," Xie Chen replied. "It smells so good. Thank you for making the trip, Yan Yan."
The lunchbox also contained steamed matsutake mushrooms with egg and stir-fried sweet potato leaves. Xie Chen didn't stand on ceremony, found chopsticks, and immediately started eating.
Mu Yan also brought some white loquats from home, peeling and eating them as he went. He would eat one himself, then peel another and place it on the lid of the lunchbox in front of Xie Chen. His fingers were slender and white, and became a little sticky after being moistened with the loquat juice.
"A few are enough. You can peel them and eat them yourself."
"There weren't many to begin with." Mu Yan smiled and peeled and ate the last two loquats.
Xie Chen wasn't one to spoil the fun. Seeing that Xie Chen had finished the food he brought and then ate all the loquats Xie Chen had peeled, Mu Yan smiled with satisfaction.
Xie Chen probably had a lot of things to do, while Mu Yan quietly watched a movie on a projector in the lounge.
Xie Chen came in twice to check on him, bringing him some snacks and drinks. The first time Xie Chen came in, he was watching an obscure martial arts film, and the second time he came in, he was watching a popcorn romance film starring a handsome Alpha and a beautiful Omega.
Xie Chen glanced at the screen. The alpha and omega were kissing each other in the rain, seemingly lost in their own world. The background music was very touching, and it was probably reaching its climax and about to end.
He told Mu Yan not to look at any more after finishing this one, and that he would bring some food over in a little while, and they would go home together after eating.
The thank-you banquet for reporters was crowded and noisy, and Xie Chen didn't want Mu Yan to be exposed to those people at all.
Mu Yan turned off the TV and asked him if it was almost over and if the reporters had said anything that upset him.
As for the reporters, Xie Chen smiled bitterly to himself. Naturally, they asked all the questions they should and shouldn't have asked. Some asked him if the deaths of Xie Rong and Xie Chengjun within six months were a conspiracy to fight for the inheritance. Others asked him what would happen to Xie Chengjun's mistresses. They even brought up old stories about his deceased mother.
“No,” Xie Chen smiled casually at Mu Yan, “they’re all just normal questions.”
Mu Yan didn't say anything, but stood up and rubbed his temples and brows.
Mu Yan's body temperature was a little low. Pressing his temples with my fingertips felt cool and comfortable.
Xie Chen's body was a little stiff. He was afraid that if he stood like this, Mu Yan's hands would get tired, and he was also afraid that if he sat down now, Mu Yan would massage him for even longer.
He gently grasped Mu Yan's wrist and said, "It's alright, no need anymore, the headache is gone."
Xie Chen walked out of the lounge and ran into his secretary, who seemed to have been waiting outside for a while.
“Sir, Miss Lu and Mr. Lu have also arrived,” he handed over a beautifully packaged tote bag. Xie Chen only glanced at it from the outside. Inside was a gift box containing unknown contents, a document bag, and a red envelope. The red envelope was very thin, so it probably contained a check. “The red envelope should contain money for incense and candles for Mr. Xie. It’s just a small token of our appreciation.”
"What are they here for?" Xie Chen frowned slightly and took the handbag from his secretary.
Because the notice was issued hastily, those who rushed over were all media. Although the Lu family and Xie Chengjun had only met a few times, Xie Chen did not think they would really come to pay their respects for that negligible friendship.
If you can't understand something, it's probably not meant for you. Xie Chen understood this perfectly, so he went back to the lounge to find Mu Yan.
"Lu Chong is here. He's probably here to see you. Do you want to see him? If not, I'll go and deal with him."
........
The family office staff dared not neglect Lu Chong and his group, and arranged a private booth for them. Xie Chen led Mu Yan over to sit down and placed his handbag on the seat next to him.
The siblings, dressed in elegant black dresses and suits, nodded slightly when they saw Xie Chen and Mu Yan approaching.
“Mr. Xie, we are truly saddened to hear of your father’s passing,” Lu Chong said politely, though his tone didn’t actually convey much grief. “Your father was a respectable man, and his departure is a great loss to us all. We hope you can find solace in this difficult time.”
“My brother’s tone wasn’t very nice to you that day,” Lu Zhi said bluntly after Lu Chong finished his polite words. “After I learned the whole story about him and Mu Yan, I know that he really did wrong Mr. Mu. I brought him here specifically to apologize to you and Mr. Mu.”
Xie Chen had a good impression of Lu Zhi and thanked her politely. Lu Zhi, probably out of consideration for Lu Chong, immediately made an excuse to go to the rooftop for some fresh air.
The door to the private booth closed, and Xie Chen silently took the bag to the table and pushed it towards Lu Chong.
"Since you've come to apologize, you should at least show some sincerity."
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