She had seen the sunrise she had been longing for. Although she had only slept for a short while, Xu Zixi had shaken off the weariness from her body and mind. She was full of energy again. At this moment, she noticed that their hands were tightly clasped together, just like that day at the aquarium. However, the temperature of his palm felt rather cold. Maybe it was because they had been sitting outdoors for too long.
Xu Zixi blushed slightly and withdrew her hand. She stood up, stretched, and said to Yan Yincheng,
"Brother Cheng, thank you for watching the sunrise with me. As promised, after watching the sunrise, I'll treat you to scallion oil noodles for breakfast. Let's go inside."
He sat there in a daze for a moment before propping himself up with his blind cane and standing up. He followed her into the house. Xu Zixi didn't notice his unusual silence, for he was never a talkative person.
Back inside the house, she first went into the room to wake up the two sleeping kids. After leading them through some exercises in the morning light, she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the three of them.
She heated up the pan, poured in some oil, and fried the scallions until they gave off a delicious aroma. Then she poured the scallion oil over the noodles and mixed them evenly with the sauce. A simple yet extremely delicious dish of scallion oil noodles was ready. Yuan Xiaoxu finally got to eat the scallion oil noodles he had been craving. He slurped the noodles noisily, his little face almost buried in the bowl.
However, Yan Yincheng, sitting across from him, didn't have his usual good appetite. Facing the bowl of scallion oil noodles he had been longing for, he only took two bites before stopping.
Xu Zixi finally sensed something was amiss. She asked, "What's wrong, Brother Cheng? Is the scallion oil noodles not to your taste today?"
Yuan Xiaoxu said, "Delicious! Delicious! Mommy! The noodles are so yummy!"
Yuan Xiaoxuan also chimed in, "Mommy's noodles are the most delicious!"
Yan Yincheng turned his face in her direction, hesitating to speak. She didn't know that at this moment, her voice and the voices of the two kids were a kind of torture to him.
He still couldn't get over the dream he had just had. The cold ridicule and venomous words in the dream still echoed in his ears. The sobs she let out when she learned she was going to marry a scumbag, when she fled Fengcheng in a hurry, when she was abandoned by her biological parents, and when she discovered she was pregnant made his heart ache as if stabbed by a needle.
He couldn't help it. He couldn't help but want to confirm with her.
Was all this real?
"What's wrong, Brother Cheng?" Xu Zixi asked. "Are you not feeling well? Did you catch a cold while watching the sunrise last night?"
In the end, he said nothing but, "I'm a bit under the weather."
Xu Zixi let out a sigh of relief. She looked at her watch and said,
"I have to go to work now, or I'll be late. Xuanxuan, Xuxu, be good at home and listen to Teacher Chen. Study hard. Call Mommy if you miss me!"
The two kids nodded vigorously. "Yes, we know!"
Then she looked at Yan Yincheng. "Brother Cheng, if you're not feeling well, go upstairs and take some medicine. Have a good sleep. I'll be very busy today and may get off work very late. You... take good care of yourself."
Yan Yincheng paused for a moment and replied with a "Okay."
Xu Zixi went back to her room to freshen up and change her clothes. With full vigor, she was about to go to work and face the upcoming final.
Just as she was about to leave, Yan Yincheng called out to her.
"Zixi!"
Xu Zixi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him.
The pure white gauze curtain fluttered slightly in the sea breeze. The man in a dark sweater and tweed coat stood there. The bright sunlight gilded their figures, making them look like a beautiful painting.
Who didn't like beautiful things? Xu Zixi was delighted by this scene. She said with a smile,
"What's up, Brother Cheng?"
Yan Yincheng said something very strange. "If you're bullied outside, you must tell me."
Xu Zixi laughed. "Don't worry, Brother Cheng. No one can bully me. Besides, I think it's you who can't see anything who's more likely to be bullied."
Yan Yincheng wasn't amused by her words. Instead, he asked seriously, "Zixi, can I... give you a hug?"
Xu Zixi was taken aback. A rush of heat instantly rose to her cheeks, staining them red. She cleared her throat and pretended to be fierce.
"Brother Cheng, remember the second rule of our agreement! Okay, I'm going to work!"
With that, she turned around and rushed out of the door in a hurry, looking rather like a person fleeing in embarrassment. Sitting in the car, she still couldn't stop thinking about his expression when he stood in the morning light and asked, "Can I give you a hug?"
After thinking for a while, she took off the ring from her neck and put it on the index finger of her right hand. The ring fit perfectly. The glittering diamond made her fair skin and slender fingers look even more beautiful.
Since he was so clingy, she might as well wear the ring on her hand.
The diamond ring from D brand was said to be a ring that a man could only buy once in his life. He was so generous for the engagement. What kind of surprise would he prepare for her on their wedding day?
The corners of her mouth curled up. In the sunlight, her amber pupils were filled with hidden joy.
In Fengcheng, at the headquarters of the Yan Group, in the chairman's office, Yan Zhen sat in front of Yan Haikun, the person in power of the Yan family. He said,
"Grandpa, I've successfully completed the task you assigned me. Here are the financial report and the project summary report. Please take a look!"
Yan Haikun picked up the documents on the table and began to read them carefully.
The electronic clock on the table ticked away. Yan Zhen clenched his fists, waiting nervously and anxiously for Yan Haikun's reply.
It took him half an hour to finish reading. He finally looked up from the documents and looked at Yan Zhen. Then he opened his mouth and said,
"You've done a pretty good job. You've made progress compared to the previous project."
Yan Zhen's face lit up with ecstasy. "Really? Thank you for your praise, Grandpa! Can I go to Haicheng now?"
Yan Haikun said, "You said you just wanted to go to Haicheng to see the 'Golden Amber'. I'll give you three days off. Have a good time and don't cause any trouble for your uncle."
Yan Zhen clenched his fists even tighter. He promised, "Don't worry, Grandpa. I won't bother Uncle!"
After leaving the chairman's office, Yan Zhen's steps were initially a bit hasty. Finally, he couldn't help but run. He took out his phone and called his assistant. He said, "Book me a flight to Haicheng right away! The earlier the better!"
The assistant asked, "Are you going to Haicheng with Miss Ya'er?"
"No! I'm going alone." Yan Zhen said. "You have to keep this from Ya'er. She can't know that I'm going to Haicheng. I'll only be gone for three days. I'll be back in three days."
Although the assistant was a bit surprised, he still agreed. "Okay, Young Master Yan."
Two hours later, a plane took off smoothly from Fengcheng to Haicheng.
In Haicheng, at the headquarters of the Pei Group.
After learning from Xu Zixi that Cui Jiandong had been injured while protecting Huang Zhenzhen last night, Pei Mingyuan was extremely shocked.
"How could this happen? Is Cui Jiandong okay?"
Xu Zixi said, "He had a minor operation. He's out of danger for now, but he needs to rest. However, this means he'll miss tonight's final."
"Let him rest well first. He was trying to protect his colleague. The Pei Group won't treat him badly." Pei Mingyuan said. But deep down, he felt a bit uneasy.
There had been quite a few accidents at the Pei Group recently. If it hadn't been for Xu Zixi last night, there might have been a fatal accident outside the Pei Group's headquarters. Even if there hadn't been Xu Zixi and Cui Jiandong, Huang Zhenzhen being attacked outside the company would have had a negative impact on the Pei Group.
The Pei Group's reputation had soared because of the "Golden Amber". Everyone was watching. Any negative news would be magnified. Especially on the eve of the final of the design competition, this couldn't help but make him think more.