Lin Xi met his eyes, which shimmered with a gentle light, like the rippling water of a lake under the moonlight.
If no one cared, she would have cried and moved on. But since someone cared, her tears seemed worthless. Chen Baiwei and Duan Mingxuan both thought she could swallow all her grievances, but it was merely the helplessness of being dependent on others.
"If you raise a puppy for many years, you'll have a lot of feelings for it, right?" Lin Xi asked Duan Yiheng, her voice trembling slightly as she looked up at him.
Duan Yiheng felt a pang of heartache at her sorrowful expression. He wiped away her tears and said, "If you don't expect anything, you won't be sad. You've been by Chen Baiwei's side for so many years, haven't you learned that yet?"
"I thought growing up with her would be different. When I was little, she protected me too," Lin Xi said, her voice growing softer.
"What did she say to you? What made you so sad?" She felt like she would suffocate if she didn't tell someone.
Lin Xi sniffed and said, "She said she wanted to let Zhang Mo and Duan Mingxuan be together."
Duan Yiheng sighed, "You still can't let him go?"
"It's not that I can't let him go," Lin Xi said, tears streaming down her face. "I just don't understand why she can accept Zhang Mo but not me. I've lived in this family for at least seventeen years, and in the end, I'm nothing."
"I can accept Duan Mingxuan getting married and having children, I can forgo any of Grandpa's inheritance, even so, she's always wary of me."
Duan Yiheng's brow furrowed. Inheritance? "Did she tell you not to fight for the inheritance?"
Lin Xi, afraid of being misunderstood, hurriedly explained, "I never wanted it in the first place." Duan Yiheng sneered inwardly, understanding Chen Baiwei's plan. Only Lin Xi was a fool, manipulated time and again. Did she really think the Duan family was her private domain for playing tricks?
"Don't cry," Duan Yiheng said. "If you cry again, will you be able to go to work tomorrow?"
Lin Xi quickly wiped away her tears and looked up at him, saying, "I can."
Duan Yiheng was utterly exasperated. He ruffled her hair. "I told you last time, and you forgot right away. I'll say it again: you don't owe anyone in your family anything."
Lin Xi nodded. Easier said than done.
"I said I'd stand up for you, do you believe me?" Lin Xi stared at him blankly. "Why? You seem to have suddenly become very nice to me, ever since I came back."
Duan Yiheng's gaze was deep and unwavering. "You'll understand later."
"..." Lin Xi didn't understand.
"Alright, I have things to do. Go back to sleep. Don't overthink it. Call me if anything happens."
After some comforting words, Lin Xi put the matter behind her and said goodbye to Duan Yiheng.
Only after her figure disappeared behind the artificial hill by the pond did Duan Yiheng avert his gaze and dial the driver's number: "Drive the car to the North Gate."
The driver responded and sped off as fast as he could. Duan Yiheng stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette and said, "Go find Chen Baiwei's driver and ask about her recent activities."
"Yes."
"Find out the answer before I get to Jinglin, and call me back." The driver was taken aback. Hadn't she just come back from there? Why was she going again? But he didn't dare ask and went to do it.
When they arrived at Jinglin, the old man was still awake. Upon seeing Duan Yiheng, the old man was momentarily surprised: "Why are you here?" Duan Yiheng had just answered a call from his driver, gestured for the caregiver to leave, and after a moment of silence, said, "Chen Baiwei plans to have Duan Mingxuan have a child to fight for the inheritance."
The old man was taken aback, then became serious: "Where did you get this information?"
"Don't be agitated, I'll tell you slowly." Duan Yiheng helped the old man sit up against the headboard and recounted everything the driver had said, word for word.
"I only guessed from Lin Xi's fragmented words, and had the driver check it out; she even did a background check."
The old man sneered, "She's always been restless, coming up with such a dirty trick. She even has the nerve to tell Xiao Xi not to fight for the inheritance? No wonder she changed the subject when I mentioned Xiao Xi and Mingxuan's marriage." Duan Yiheng was silent for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Grandpa, looking back now, was it the right or wrong to put Lin Xi with Chen Baiwei back then?"
The old man sighed, "Whether it was right or wrong, Xiao Xi has grown up.
Your father and I were busy with company matters back then. Mingxuan is about her age, and she's a girl, so we could only leave her with Chen Baiwei."
Duan Yiheng naturally understood this. "It's getting late, you should go home."
Duan Yiheng got up and left. At the same time, Duan Zheng received a call from the old man. Seeing him hang up the phone in a daze, Chen Baiwei asked suspiciously, "Who called?" Duan Zheng replied, "It was Dad. He wants us to go to the hospital tomorrow to discuss the will."
Chen Baiwei was taken aback. "Just the two of us?" Duan Zheng nodded.
Chen Baiwei, her mind racing, nudged Duan Zheng. "What do you think Grandpa means by calling us?"
Duan Zheng: "How should I know? We'll find out tomorrow." Chen Baiwei snorted and tossed and turned all night. Early the next morning, she pushed Duan Zheng out the door.
When they arrived at Jinglin, Grandpa had just finished eating. Seeing the two of them, he said coldly, "Duan Zheng, come here."
Duan Zheng went over. "Dad, how have you been feeling these days?"
"Thanks to you, I won't die for now." Grandpa gestured for him to sit. Duan Zheng sat down on the sofa opposite Grandpa, exchanging a puzzled glance with Chen Baiwei.
"I'm not dead yet. You'd better keep your wife in check. My inheritance is none of her business. Don't forget, when she married into the family, she signed a series of agreements that meant she wouldn't get a single penny."
Duan Zheng didn't understand why the fire had spread to him and hurriedly asked the old man what had happened. The old man didn't mince words with Chen Baiwei, saying everything he needed to say.
"If it weren't for the fact that you were pregnant with Mingxuan, I would never have let you into the family."
The old man looked at Chen Baiwei, "Now you're resorting to such despicable means to seize my inheritance. Do you really think that with Duan Zheng protecting you, I can't touch you? Be careful, or I'll kick your whole family out."
Chen Baiwei was completely terrified. The old man was ruthless and meant what he said.
She quickly knelt down, repenting for her momentary lapse in judgment. Duan Zheng wasn't a good husband or father, but he was a dutiful son.
The old man lost his temper and slapped Chen Baiwei across the face: "If you try anything funny again, I'll kill you."
This was the first time Duan Zheng had ever hit her, and Chen Baiwei was terrified. The old man kicked Duan Zheng: "Don't embarrass me by hitting a woman, get out!"
Chen Baiwei lowered her head, tears streaming down her face, hating Lin Xi to death. Lin Xi sneezed.
Duan Yiheng turned his head from a pile of documents: "Got a cold?"
"No, I don't think so." Lin Xi took the documents he had signed.
Duan Yiheng: "It was cold last night, and you sat by the pool crying for ages. It's not surprising you caught a cold."
Lin Xi: "Maybe, it's alright. Could you ask Sister Mei to make me a cup of ginger tea when I get back?"
Duan Yiheng capped his pen and said, "After you distribute these documents, you can go home."
"Okay, Mr. Duan." Lin Xi realized she might really be getting a cold; her throat was also a little sore.
After get off work, she climbed into her car, slumped in the back seat, and called Sister Mei.
When she arrived home, expecting to smell the aroma of ginger tea, she was suddenly stopped by a vibrant floral scent.
"Aunt Wei?" Lin Xi looked at Chen Baiwei, who was blocking the doorway, in surprise. "How come you—"
"Slap—" Lin Xi didn't know what had happened; she only felt a ringing in her ears and a burning pain in her cheek.