Thinking of the relationship between the person from the Yan Corporation and Yan Zhen, Pei Mingyuan frowned.
"He's the biological uncle of the Young Master of the Yan family."
Yan Zhen's biological uncle? Xu Zixi frowned and rummaged through the original owner's memories in her mind. Finally, she found a bit of relevant information.
Yan Haikun, the head of the Yan family, had gone through two marriages and had three sons. The eldest and second sons were born to his first wife. One went into politics, and the other joined the army. Yan Zhen was the son of the second son of the Yan family who served in the army. He had only one uncle, the third son of the Yan family born to his father's second wife. Yan Zhen once told the original owner that due to health issues, his uncle had been abroad for treatment all year round and rarely returned to China. Moreover, his uncle had a physical defect and was ineligible to compete for the position of heir to the Yan Corporation. The Yan Corporation would surely fall into Yan Zhen's hands in the future.
Unexpectedly, Yan Zhen's uncle had returned to China? And he had come to Haicheng to take over the Bay Reconstruction Project? Had his illness been cured?
Previously, Xu Zixi might have worried that the Yan Corporation would target her. But after learning the identity of the visitor, she had nothing to worry about.
"Then you don't have to worry, Mr. Pei. I've never met this elder of the Yan family. And before I left Fengcheng, he was always abroad. He probably hasn't even heard of my name, so there's no way he'll make things difficult for me because of Yan Zhen."
Even if he had heard of her, would a middle - aged man in his forties or fifties feel no shame in making things difficult for a young girl in her twenties? Xu Zixi kept this thought to herself.
Pei Mingyuan was taken aback. "Really? Then I can rest easy..."
Pei Mingyuan drove Xu Zixi to a well - known Western restaurant in Haicheng for dinner. They were extremely hungry. As soon as the food was served, they buried their heads and ate until they were full, then stopped.
Pei Mingyuan looked up. Xu Zixi was just wiping her mouth. After a moment of thought, he picked up the lemon water on the table and said, "Let's clink glasses. Consider it as getting to know you all over again today?"
Xu Zixi wasn't a petty person. She readily picked up the cranberry juice in front of her and gently clinked glasses with his.
"You saw the information about the 'Golden Amber' at the site today. Our project has now caught everyone's attention. What do you think about it?" Pei Mingyuan asked.
"Of course, I have some ideas, but it's not convenient to disclose them for now. I'll include them in my proposal. If you're interested, Mr. Pei, I'll surely reveal them to everyone during the finals," Xu Zixi said. "After all, your sister is my competitor. I'm afraid you'll sell me out."
Pei Mingyuan laughed. "Weiwei won't be your competitor. You can rest assured."
Xu Zixi said, "If I were Miss Pei, I'd probably cry when I heard what you said, Young Master Pei."
This was indeed the kind of reaction Pei Weiwei might have. The two looked at each other and then burst out laughing in unison.
Under the dim light of the restaurant, with her head bowed and a gentle smile on her face, she was incredibly charming. Pei Mingyuan stared blankly, feeling as if he was being bewitched again. He inexplicably wanted to talk to her more and make her stay with him a little longer.
Just as he was about to speak, her phone rang. The ringtone was a recording of a tender - voiced child: "Mummy, mummy, baby's calling. Pick up the phone quickly—"
The smile on Xu Zixi's face grew even wider. She answered the call and softly said, "Baby!"
"Mummy, when are you coming back? Xuanxuan misses you," Yuan Xiaoxuan said aggrievedly on the other end of the phone. "Xuanxuan can't sleep without mummy."
"Mu~mmy~ Come back quickly! Xuxu has a present for you!" Unlike her brother, Yuan Xiaoxu was extremely excited. "Xuxu and uncle built a big fish! It's for mummy!"
"Really? A big fish?" Xu Zixi was intrigued by the kids. "Mummy will come back right away. Wait for mummy a little longer, okay?"
The two kids softly agreed. Xu Zixi hung up the phone and said to Pei Mingyuan, "Sorry, Mr. Pei. It's getting late. I have to go home."
Pei Mingyuan quickly stood up. "I'll take you home."
Xu Zixi said, "No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Pei. I've already called a car."
Pei Mingyuan said, "At least let me see you into the car."
Xu Zixi didn't decline. She picked up her coat and walked out with Pei Mingyuan. As she left, Xu Zixi always felt as if someone was staring at her from behind. She stopped and looked back, but didn't notice anything strange.
While Pei Mingyuan was waiting with Xu Zixi for the car outside, his eyes kept drifting to the diamond ring around her neck. After hesitating for a while, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Yuan Xi, this ring around your neck..."
Xu Zixi was taken aback. Her fingers touched the diamond ring hanging around her neck. Suddenly, she remembered the man who had quietly sat on the bench waiting while she and the two kids were taking photos at the aquarium during the day. She smiled, took off the ring, and slipped it onto her finger perfectly. She held it up to the light and admired it for a while, then asked with a smile,
"Isn't it beautiful? It was a gift from my fiancé."
Pei Mingyuan tried his best to control his facial expression to avoid looking too flustered. But he was extremely disappointed in his heart. She already had a fiancé. Well, it made sense. With her appearance, even if she was no longer a daughter of the Yuan family, she wouldn't lack suitors.
In the night, the black BMW finally arrived. After it stopped steadily, Hu Yuankang rolled down the window and waved to Xu Zixi. Xu Zixi said to Pei Mingyuan, "Mr. Pei, my car is here. I'm going home. See you on Monday."
Pei Mingyuan watched reluctantly as she got into the black BMW and drove away.
What was so great about that man? He didn't have any memorable features, and his fashion sense was terrible. How could he have won her heart before him? Was it just because of the diamond ring and a BMW?
Hu Yuankang, who was driving, sneezed. He wondered who was speaking ill of him.
At this moment, in Fengcheng.
A red luxury car stopped in front of the Yuan family villa. Two figures got out of the car and walked arm in arm towards the villa's gate. When they reached the door, the girl turned around, hugged the man tightly, and raised her head, asking for a kiss.
"Brother Yan Zhen, Ya'er doesn't want you to leave."
The man being hugged was Yan Zhen, the eldest grandson of the Yan family. He gently held Yuan Ya'er's waist and kissed her lips as he wished. Then he smiled and said,
"Alright, it's very late. Go back to sleep quickly."
Yuan Ya'er blinked her eyes and asked, "Can Ya'er see Brother Yan Zhen tomorrow?"
Yan Zhen reached out his hand and tucked the hair behind her ear. "Of course. If Ya'er misses me, just make a phone call. Even if I'm at the ends of the earth, I'll come to Ya'er's side."
After a while of lingering, Yuan Ya'er reluctantly waved goodbye to Yan Zhen and went back into the Yuan family villa.
Yan Zhen turned around and walked towards his car. But he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he leaned against the car and stared at a certain window of the Yuan family villa, waiting. After a while, the light in that window came on. The curtain was pulled open, and a figure appeared behind the window.
His breath caught in his throat. He couldn't help but take two steps forward. The glass window was opened, and Yuan Ya'er leaned out slightly, waving to him. "Brother Yan Zhen, go back quickly! Be careful on the way~"
Yan Zhen suddenly came back to his senses. He showed a gentle smile, nodded to Yuan Ya'er, then got into the car and drove away.
But halfway through, he suddenly changed direction and drove to a park. He parked his car by the sparkling lake. He lit a cigarette, rolled down the window, and stared blankly at the lake.
Every day for the past four years, he would set aside some time to come here and daydream. It was because this place held the most beautiful memories of his life.
Suddenly, his phone kept buzzing with text messages, which seemed to be like a soul - summoning call, attracting his attention. He finally tore his gaze away from the lake, picked up his phone, and opened the messaging app.
A chat group that he hardly remembered and had rarely spoken in suddenly became active.
He frowned and tapped in. Then his phone screen was flooded with messages. He wanted to leave the group chat, but accidentally pressed the button to view the initial messages. Suddenly, several secretly - taken photos jumped into his sight.
Just one glance, and his heart, his hands, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.