Duan Yiheng hissed expressionlessly, "My leg hit the table."
Qin Yang: "..." He didn't understand how Duan Yiheng had bumped his leg, unless he'd done a split.
"What are you standing there for? Get out." Qin Yang, still confused, put down the documents and left the office.
Lin Xi crawled out from under the table, her knees trembling.
"My clothes got caught on the chain, could I borrow your chain?" Duan Yiheng nodded. Lin Xi covered her face and ran away.
She was too ashamed to face Duan Yiheng again. After get off work, Lin Xi arrived home before Duan Yiheng. Chen Baiwei greeted her warmly when she returned.
"Xiao Xi, you're back! Are you tired from work lately?" Lin Xi smiled and shook her head. "Aunt Wei, I'm not tired."
Chen Baiwei pulled her to sit on the sofa. "I heard about the argument you and Mingxuan had a few days ago over Duan Yiheng's birthday.
Mingxuan has a short temper, don't take it to heart." Lin Xi, seemingly unsure why the topic had come up again, said frankly, "That's all in the past now. Mingxuan and I have talked it out."
"That's good," Chen Baiwei said. "It saves your uncle and me from worrying about you two all the time." Lin Xi smiled.
The maid came to say dinner was ready, and Chen Baiwei pulled her to the dining room.
Lin Xi was taken aback. "Aunt Wei, is it just the two of us today?"
"Yes," Chen Baiwei joked. "What? Don't you want to eat with me?"
"Of course not." Lin Xi pulled out a chair and sat down.
Chen Baiwei served her a bowl of stewed fish maw and pig's trotters, which Lin Xi quickly stood up to take with both hands. A table full of delicious dishes, all her favorites. But Lin Xi felt uneasy.
After taking a couple of sips of soup, she asked, "Aunt Wei, is there something you want to tell me?" Chen Baiwei smiled. "It's nothing major, just that I saved Mingxuan's little girl, and I had someone do a background check."
Lin Xi's hand holding the spoon trembled, and some soup spilled into the soup bowl. A background check? Did Chen Baiwei want Zhang Mo and Duan Mingxuan to marry? No, that was impossible.
Lin Xi instinctively dismissed the idea. Chen Baiwei took Duan Mingxuan's marriage very seriously and would never accept Zhang Mo, with no connections, as her daughter-in-law.
Chen Baiwei had observed Lin Xi's every reaction.
If her parents were still alive, she would definitely agree to Lin Xi becoming her daughter-in-law.
"Actually, I've always known about Mingxuan's relationship," Lin Xi said, staring blankly at her.
"He really likes this girl named Zhang Mo. She risked her life to save Mingxuan this time, which shows how deeply she loves him. So I plan to let them be together, to avoid Mingxuan resentment."
A spoon and a soup bowl clinked together with a dull thud. Lin Xi couldn't believe her ears.
"Are you surprised?" Chen Baiwei asked her with a smile.
Lin Xi couldn't utter a word. "Before, I wouldn't have believed I'd be like this either, but this time, your grandfather wanting to make a will still makes me feel a little uneasy."
Lin Xi lowered her eyes, quietly waiting for her to continue. "When people get old, money is useless. If Mingxuan isn't happy, I won't be happy either."
"Your Uncle Duan and older brother are in the company. Mingxuan isn't very capable; he can only rely on his family."
"Since he likes her, I won't argue with him anymore, to avoid getting angry every time." Lin Xi remembered that Duan Mingxuan had visited his grandfather this afternoon.
Chen Baiwei must have been there too. "Your grandfather mentioned your marriage to Mingxuan this afternoon."
Lin Xi forced a smile at Chen Baiwei: "Why did Grandpa bring it up again? Mingxuan and I... it's impossible."
Chen Baiwei: "That's what I said back then too. The main problem is that Mingxuan only sees you as a younger sister. If things don't go well after marriage, it'll be awkward for both sides."
Lin Xi fell silent. Chen Baiwei wasn't surprised by her reaction, and insisted on stabbing her in the heart: "Xiao Xi, why aren't you saying anything?" Lin Xi shook her head; she had no right to say anything.
Chen Baiwei pushed the truffle omelet in front of Lin Xi and tentatively asked: "I heard that you and your older brother have been visiting your grandfather a lot lately?" Lin Xi was stunned: "No, just once or twice."
"Oh, then... did your grandfather talk to your older brother about making a will beforehand? If you know anything, you can't hide it from your aunt, understand?"
"Don't forget, you grew up by my side, and you're closest to Mingxuan." Lin Xi finally understood Chen Baiwei's purpose tonight.
She had no appetite for the food on the table.
She put down her chopsticks and shook her head. "No, I don't know anything."
Chen Baiwei asked softly, "Really nothing?"
Lin Xi: "...Really nothing."
"Aren't you working as your older brother's secretary? He hasn't said anything either?" Chen Baiwei persisted. "Didn't he recently book a suite in Jinglin? Do you think it's related to the will?"
"..." Lin Xi shook her head. "Nothing like that. He's just taking care of Grandpa."
"There are caregivers and doctors in the hospital. Why would he need to take care of him?" Lin Xi looked up at Chen Baiwei. "Aunt Wei, I really don't know anything."
Chen Baiwei frowned, then thought that Lin Xi had only been at Yin Fan for a short time and might not have gained Duan Yiheng's trust yet.
"Then remember, if anything happens to your older brother, don't forget to tell me."
If this topic couldn't be clarified today, then she would just be Chen Baiwei's pawn in dealing with Duan Yiheng.
"Aunt Wei, I went to Yinfan for work. I won't say a word about anything concerning President Duan to anyone else. You've come to the wrong person."
Chen Baiwei's face turned cold: "Don't forget who gave you a place to live."
"I know. Everything I have now belongs to the Duan family. I won't forget."
Lin Xi stood up. "As long as it's within my power and doesn't violate morality or the law, just give the order. I have other things to do, so I'll go upstairs first."
"Stop." Chen Baiwei also stood up. Lin Xi paused, turned around, and asked, "Is there anything else you need?"
Chen Baiwei sneered: "Since that's the case, I'll get straight to the point. Regarding the will, I hope you explain to your grandfather that you won't take a single penny from the Duan family."
Lin Xi: "Okay, I never intended to take that money anyway." She hoped her grandfather would live to be a hundred.
"Also, regarding your trip to America five years ago, you'd better keep that a secret for the rest of your life."
"I know." Chen Baiwei snorted coldly and walked past her. Lin Xi tilted her head back, her eyes stinging with tears.
She left the living room and wandered aimlessly towards the north courtyard. Reaching the koi pond, she sprinkled some fish food.
She mechanically repeated this, not knowing how much time had passed. "If I feed them any more, the fish will die."
Lin Xi quickly wiped away her tears, forcing an awkward smile at Duan Yiheng, who had appeared out of nowhere: "What are you doing here?" The scene from the office earlier that day flashed through her mind, and Lin Xi subtly looked away.
Duan Yiheng sat down beside her, feigning complaint: "Grandpa kicked me out. He said I was wasting money by booking a suite."
"Pfft—" Lin Xi couldn't hold back, tears streaming down her face. She hastily wiped them away, turning her head away from Duan Yiheng's gaze.
Duan Yiheng grabbed her wrist: "Who bullied you? Tell me, I'll back you up."