Chapter 43

Chapter 43

“What’s your name?” Xie Qiyan didn’t let the atmosphere go cold, but he ignored the others, turning instead to the woman sitting next to Zhou Yu.

Sun Lingzhi trembled, keeping her head low, not daring to look at him. “Sun… Sun Lingzhi.”

Xie Qiyan’s expression remained unchanged as he pondered for a moment, radiating an overbearing pressure. “Which ‘Zhi’?”

Sun Lingzhi’s voice immediately took on a tearful tone as she shot a shaky glance at Zhou Yu.

No one was going to help her.

“The ‘Zhi’… as in gardenia,” Sun Lingzhi said, closing her eyes in despair.

Most of the people present couldn’t be bothered to know the name of a hostess, but upon hearing this, many instinctively cast their gazes toward Zhou Yu.

After a long silence, Xie Qiyan let out a light sneer. “So it’s the same ‘Zhi’ as in Xia Wanzhi.”

Those words were like a bolt from the blue. Zhou Yu finally lifted his eyes to look at Xie Qiyan.

Jiang Baichuan furrowed his brows and hummed. “Interesting.”

The eldest son of the Zhou Family, rumored to be indifferent to women, actually had a woman by his side whose name shared the same final character as his former fiancée.

Whether she was a substitute or something else, it all depended on how people chose to gossip behind their backs.

“Your Little Sister Xia wants to break off the engagement with the Zhou Family. Could it be because she found out this cousin of yours has a woman on the side?” Jiang Baichuan swirled the ice cubes in his Long Island Iced Tea, speaking leisurely. “I recall that although this sister of yours has a good personality, I’ve heard she won’t tolerate a single grain of sand in her eye.”

Xie Qiyan glanced at him, offering a rare bit of cooperation. “Indeed.”

No one else present dared to make a sound.

Where there are people, there is gossip.

They wouldn’t say it to his face, but wagging their tongues behind people’s backs was a daily staple for these socialites.

With tonight’s performance, tomorrow morning was bound to be even more interesting.

Jiang Baichuan finished his part of the play and stood to leave. Before departing, he set down the Long Island Iced Tea he hadn’t touched. “Thanks for the hospitality.”

After leaving the club, Xie Qiyan wore a dark expression, looking as if someone owed him a hundred million.

Jiang Baichuan was driving, and looking back, he couldn’t help but tease, “Rare. It’s the first time I’ve seen you stand up for someone.”

Xie Qiyan replied nonchalantly, “It’s normal. I just entered a strategic partnership with her. Protecting her is protecting myself.”

Jiang Baichuan scoffed. “The partnership you’re talking about could also be a marital one. Only between husband and wife is there no ‘yours’ or ‘mine,’ and only then does your so-called ‘protecting her is protecting yourself’ actually exist.”

It was logical.

It was sound.

It was practically impossible to refute.

Xie Qiyan’s grim face sank to a new low.

“Where to?” Seeing that he was being ignored, Jiang Baichuan dropped the subject.

Xie Qiyan turned his head. “What do you think?”

“How should I know? Maybe you want to go back to Lanting Bieyuan to be neighbors with her.” Jiang Baichuan was doing it on purpose.

If he got Xie Qiyan to interact more with Xia Wanzhi, he could follow Xie Qiyan to see Xia Wanzhi.

And by seeing Xia Wanzhi, he could see Yun Li.

It was killing two birds with one stone.

“I don’t remember you being this talkative,” Xie Qiyan said, clearly displeased.

Jiang Baichuan turned the steering wheel with one hand, resting the other coolly on the window ledge. He merely chuckled at the remark. “Try being an uncle at twenty-one and being forced to take on the heavy responsibility of babysitting at home. Then you’ll know why I talk so much.”

Xie Qiyan: “…”

After the Jiang family and the Lu Family intermarried, their relationship became so close they were practically one. Both families lived in the same compound, and their lineages were flourishing with many descendants.

Among the Four Great Families of Beicheng, only the Xie Family had gradually declined.

Everyone said that Xie Qiyan was the victor because he had returned out of the blue to take over the Xie Corporation.

But in reality, Xie Qiyan was taking over a mess.

He had cleaned up that mess bit by bit, steering the Xie Corporation back onto the right track.

The reason Old Master Xie had handed over the actual power to him, and the reason the rest of the Xie Family didn’t dare to object, was because they knew this fact-not simply because they succumbed to his ruthlessness.

“Your place,” Xie Qiyan finally answered the question Jiang Baichuan had asked at the start.

“That’s not appropriate. It’ll ruin my reputation,” Jiang Baichuan refused.

Xie Qiyan: “…”

After a while, Jiang Baichuan sighed, finding his own jokes dull. “I can have a few drinks with you, but tomorrow you’re treating Xia Wanzhi to dinner, and tell her to bring Yun Li along.”

Xie Qiyan let out a dry laugh. “And then?”

“And then you bring me,” Jiang Baichuan arranged everything perfectly.

Xie Qiyan: “In your dreams.”

The dinner the next day proceeded as scheduled.

When the doorbell rang, Xia Wanzhi stared blankly for a good ten seconds as she saw Xie Qiyan pop up behind Xie Tan, followed immediately by Jiang Baichuan.
The dinner was Xie Tan’s idea, supposedly to celebrate the fact that Xia Wanzhi’s Studio didn’t have to move.

Initially, they talked about going out for hotpot, but after hearing the plan, Yun Li suggested eating at Xia Wanzhi’s place instead, with her and Zhuzi taking charge of the cooking.

And so, the matter was happily settled.

“Xie Tan, this neighborhood is quite safe. You don’t need to bring two bodyguards with you in the future.” Xia Wanzhi took a deep breath and forced a dry smile, looking down at Xie Tan, who stood in front of the two bodyguards.

Xie Tan braced herself and laughed it off. “The ancients emphasized the harmony of Yin and Yang. I brought some Yang energy to liven up the place for you, just for good luck…”

Xie Qiyan: “…”

He hadn’t taught Xie Tan that.

It must have been from the comic books she’d been reading lately.

The excuse was far-fetched, and Xia Wanzhi’s brow twitched slightly.

Yun Li called out from the kitchen, “Who else is here?”

As if finding a savior, Xie Tan immediately changed her shoes and dashed over. “Sister Yun Li, my Big Brother is here too!”

“Then what are you waiting for? Invite them in!” Yun Li wiped her hands clean and walked over to welcome them.

She had never thought highly of Zhou Yu, and now that Xia Wanzhi had finally broken off the engagement-coupled with the fact that a top-tier handsome guy like Xie Qiyan had been appearing so frequently lately-Yun Li felt there was a spark between him and Xia Wanzhi. She was more than happy to see some progress.

However, when she reached the door with a beaming smile and saw the tall figure standing next to Xie Qiyan, her enthusiastic expression instantly collapsed.

“Long time no see, Boss’s Wife,” Jiang Baichuan said politely.

Yun Li’s lips moved as she squeezed out a single word: “Heh.”

Tugging at the strings of her apron, Yun Li retreated awkwardly back to the kitchen.

Xia Wanzhi said dryly, “You guys are…”

Jiang Baichuan finished the sentence: “Here to grab a bite.”

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

Meanwhile, Xie Tan, who couldn’t wait to get to the table, shouted, “Brothers, come in quickly!”

Xia Wanzhi sighed helplessly. After all, they were guests brought by her Little Landlord, and since she would likely be seeing Xie Qiyan more often in the future, she decided to keep the peace. She pulled two pairs of men’s slippers out of the shoe cabinet.

“Please, come in,” Xia Wanzhi said with a faint smile.

With President Xie on the left and President Jiang on the right, there probably weren’t many people in all of Beicheng who could invite these two into their homes.

But today, these two CEOs had personally come to her door just to grab a meal.

It truly was a case of the humble abode being graced by illustrious guests.

After changing his shoes, Xie Qiyan walked in side-by-side with Xia Wanzhi.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t have any men’s slippers?”

The last time he came, Xia Wanzhi hadn’t even let him change his shoes.

Xia Wanzhi blinked. “I’m a person who draws clear lines. I have one attitude for enemies and another for business partners.”

Hearing the words ‘business partners’ again, Jiang Baichuan’s interpretation from the previous night flashed through his mind. He paused for a moment, falling a step behind Xia Wanzhi.

It was a bit hot.

He was familiar with this house, so he turned around and lowered the air conditioning by a few degrees.

In the kitchen, Zhuzi and Yun Li were on edge as they prepared the hotpot ingredients. When they saw Xia Wanzhi enter, they immediately huddled together, exchanging frantic looks.

“Why is Jiang Baichuan here too?” Yun Li asked, her face contorted.

“Sister, I want to leave.” Zhuzi looked like she was about to cry. As she spoke, she actually untied her apron and made a run for it, slipping away as fast as she could.

Xia Wanzhi felt a headache coming on. “…”

“What is the Little Girl up to?” Yun Li wasn’t stupid; she could tell at a glance that this was a setup.

Xia Wanzhi took a deep breath. “Her school hasn’t started yet. She’ll settle down once it does.”

Yun Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “It’s normal for Xie Qiyan to come over; he’s the Little Girl’s cousin and your business partner. But that tall guy…”

With her hands on her hips, Yun Li paused for a moment and said crossly, “What is Jiang Baichuan doing here joining the fun?”

Xia Wanzhi glanced at her while breaking apart some napa cabbage. “You don’t know?”

Yun Li was so angry she laughed. “Know what?”

“The overbearing CEO has fallen for you,” Xia Wanzhi lamented quietly. “He pursues, she flees; she cannot escape even if she had wings.”

“That’s a bit chilling,” Yun Li said with a forced smile.

Xia Wanzhi was quiet for a moment, then suddenly looked up and nudged Yun Li’s hip with hers. “Why not consider it?”

Yun Li’s mouth twitched. “I’m not single.”

“But you don’t love him,” Xia Wanzhi said seriously. “Just dump him. The overbearing CEO has money and looks.”

Yun Li: “…”

What a great best friend.”
“footnotes