Do you miss home? If she were Xu Zixi, of course she would miss it. She missed the Xu family's mansion, her open - minded parents, her grandpa who was as cute as a child, her group of friends, the research lab she had painstakingly built, and her unfinished SCI paper.
But she knew that in this world, she could only be Yuan Xi. For her, "home" no longer existed.
"This room is my home," Xu Zixi said with a smile. "Wherever I am with Zai Zai is home."
"However..." She paused and then continued, "Sooner or later, I'm going to leave here with Zai Zai."
She's leaving? Yan Yincheng frowned. "Leave? Where do you plan to go?"
Xu Zixi replied, "Fengcheng."
Yan Yincheng sat up straight quietly, not realizing that he was gripping his blind stick tightly.
"You're going back to Fengcheng? Why?"
Maybe because she recalled the experience of her death while driving today, Xu Zixi was still a bit down. So she didn't notice the word "back" he used. The relationship between the two had taken a new turn today. They had changed from neighbors to friends who could sit down and have a quiet chat. Xu Zixi's urge to pour out her heart resurfaced.
Licking her lips, she asked, "Brother Cheng, can you drink?"
Yan Yincheng actually had a good capacity for alcohol. But after accidentally sleeping with someone years ago, he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol. But since she had proposed it, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
"If you want to drink, I can accompany you."
Xu Zixi's eyes lit up. "Then wait for me. I'll go out to buy some wine and be back soon!"
"It's so late. It's too dangerous for a woman to go out alone. I'll ask Wei Shu to buy it and send it over." Hearing the sound of her pulling out the chair and getting up, Yan Yincheng quickly stopped her.
Xu Zixi thought it made sense and nodded. "Okay. Then I'll go make some snacks to go with the wine."
While Xu Zixi got up and went to the kitchen, Yan Yincheng took out his phone and called Wei Shu, asking him to buy some wine immediately and send it over. Hearing that the delivery address was still Xu Zixi and Zai Zai's home, Wei Shu shouted in surprise on the other end.
"Master Yan, you're so amazing! You're already drinking with Miss Yuan so soon! At this rate, it won't be long before we can get the two young masters back!"
Wei Shu didn't control his volume. Afraid of being heard by Xu Zixi, Yan Yincheng quickly covered the phone and scolded in a low voice, "Why do you talk so much? Do you want to go back to your hometown to farm tomorrow?"
Only then did Wei Shu stop talking and replied, "I'll go buy the wine right away! Hehe, Master Yan, just say the word, and your special assistant will surely accomplish the mission!"
After hanging up the phone, Yan Yincheng found that his heart was pounding and his palms were sweating. He listened carefully. Everything was normal in the kitchen, and no one had noticed his commotion.
Wei Shu was very efficient. He delivered the wine in less than fifteen minutes, and Xu Zixi had also finished preparing the snacks.
Mistaking the two of them for a couple, Xu Zixi felt a bit embarrassed when she saw Wei Shu again. She greeted him, "Mr. Wei, would you like to sit down and have a few drinks with us?"
How dare Wei Shu disturb his master's plan to get the kids back? He quickly waved his hand. "No, no. I still have some work to finish. I won't disturb you. Enjoy your drinks."
Then he rushed away as if being chased by a dog.
Xu Zixi placed the wine and peanuts on the coffee table and sat cross - legged on the soft wool carpet in front of the sofa with Yan Yincheng. Her slender fingers hooked the ring on the beer can and gently pulled it. With a "pop" sound, the aroma of the wine wafted out.
After opening two cans of beer, Xu Zixi put one of them into Yan Yincheng's hand, then picked up her own and clinked it with his.
"For the first sip, I'd like to toast Brother Cheng. Thank you for sending us to the hospital and paying the medical bills when my two kids were sick."
Yan Yincheng took a small sip from the can in his hand. It had been a long time since he last drank. The slightly bitter taste of fermented wheat immediately filled his throat. Before he could react, the can in his hand was clinked again.
"For the second sip, thank you, Brother Cheng, for listening to my complaints and comforting me today. After this sip of wine, all the unpleasantness between us is wiped out."
Yan Yincheng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he took a big gulp.
"For the third sip, I wish Brother Cheng a prosperous business, a steady stream of wealth, and great success in his career!"
Hearing this, Yan Yincheng couldn't help but say, "Where did you learn these toasts?" These were the words that only people who had been in the business world and often toasted could say. Where did this young miss learn them?
Xu Zixi blinked. "Don't they sound nice?"
Yan Yincheng snorted. "Vulgar."
"Money is indeed vulgar. But who doesn't like shiny gold? Who doesn't want to have a fortune? Who doesn't want to hold great power and rule the world? Brother Cheng, don't you want that either?"
Of course, Yan Yincheng wanted it. Only by holding power in his hands could he avoid being controlled and manipulated. However, he didn't forget his original question.
"Why do you want to go back to Fengcheng?"
Xu Zixi drank the beer one sip after another and said lightly, "Of course, I'm going to take back what belongs to me."
Take back what belongs to her? What did she mean? The title of the Yuan family's young miss? The property that should have been in her name? Or... Yan Zhen?
Thinking of this possibility, Master Yan couldn't help but feel angry. Even now, she still had thoughts about Yan Zhen?
"Brother Cheng, can I ask what kind of business you do?" Xu Zixi suddenly leaned towards him, blinking her eyes curiously. Yan Yincheng smelled the fragrance from her body, a combination of the scent of the shower gel and her natural body fragrance. Master Yan felt a bit dizzy again, but he still managed to stay a bit sober.
"I... I'm in real - estate development." The Yan family was currently developing a bay in the west of the city together with the Pei family. That area would be developed into a tourism project integrating business, housing, and entertainment in the future. So, it wasn't really a lie.
"The real - estate industry is really profitable. No wonder you can afford such a car."
Yan Yincheng said sourly, "It's a bit better than a BMW."
"Do you stay in Haicheng all year round?" Xu Zixi asked again.
Yan Yincheng secretly clenched his fist and said, "I'll only stay in Haicheng temporarily. I'll leave after the project is completed."
"Can I ask what the specific project is?" Xu Zixi smiled. "If the location and layout are suitable, I might consider supporting Brother Cheng's business. Remember to give me an insider price then!"
Yan Yincheng said, "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. The project is still in the planning stage and hasn't started construction yet."
He was from Jincheng, came to Haicheng for a real - estate project, his surname was Yan, and he was the third son in the family. Xu Zixi had gathered enough information about his background and had no more concerns. Only then did she really get to the point.
Sighing softly, she said, "Brother Cheng, let me tell you a story."
Under the influence of alcohol, Xu Zixi told Yan Yincheng about Yuan Xi's experiences. However, she omitted the part where Yuan Xi was inexplicably defiled in the hotel. She only emphasized Yuan Xi's tragic life and the betrayal of her scumbag ex - boyfriend.
"Although she was naive, blind, and couldn't tell good from bad, and was even forced to the brink of despair, but ultimately, was it her fault? What did she do wrong?"
Xu Zixi drank the beer one sip after another as if she was addicted. The more she talked, the brighter her eyes became, but her cheeks had turned pink, obviously showing the effects of the alcohol. Yan Yincheng counted the sounds of the cans being opened and silently thought in his heart:
This was the sixth can.
"I don't understand why those people were so malicious towards her. What did it matter to them whether she was really the Yuan family's daughter or not? So, I'm going back, and I'm going back in style. I'll trample all those who once bullied her under my feet!"
Getting excited, Xu Zixi clenched her fist and stood up, pointing in the direction of Fengcheng.
"You small fry in Fengcheng! Are you ready to bear the wrath of this young lady! In the future, this young lady will surely raze Fengcheng to the ground and make you all kneel in submission! Shout long live the queen!"
Noticing that she was clearly drunk and worried that she would wake up the two kids and the neighbors nearby, Yan Yincheng quickly groped for her and tried to hold her back.
"Yuan Xi? Yuan Xi? You've had too much to drink!"
He accurately grabbed her wrist. He only pulled gently, but she seemed to suddenly lose all her bones and slumped softly into his arms. Master Yan only felt his embrace being filled, and the body snuggled up to him was as fragrant and soft as her hands.
"Yuan Xi? Who's Yuan Xi? Call me... call me Zixi!"