A beautiful summer night

The next day, before the sky had cleared, Xia Wanzhi opened the window to breathe in some fresh air and sneezed several times.

She was born prematurely and was weak from a young age with poor immunity, so she was prone to all sorts of illnesses.

In the past, when she caught a cold or got sick, Mr. Xia and Ms. Ross would stay by her side.

And now, she is alone.

A month ago, her maternal grandfather, who lived in England, sent someone to pick up her family and fly them to England, but Xia Wanzhi insisted on not going.

If she goes, she will have to break off her engagement with Zhou Yu.

At the same time, we have to give up the studio here.

She and Zhou Yu had just gotten engaged, and her studio was just getting on track; she couldn't bear to give it all up.

Because she refused to go, her grandfather was furious. He not only suspended her credit card but also refused to help Xia pay off her debts.

As a result, Lao Xia and Ms. Ross were unable to return to China, and she also faced numerous difficulties.

Her grandfather was pressuring her.

Not only that, Lao Xia and Ms. Ross were also turned to his side, and he hasn't contacted her for so long.

So much so that everyone in the entire northern city was saying that they had abandoned their daughter and fled abroad for refuge.

"Zhizhi, it's time to go out." Zhou Yu knocked lightly on the door, and when he saw Xia Wanzhi dressed elegantly and appropriately, his eyes lit up with a smile. "You look beautiful."

Mr. and Mrs. Zhou were already waiting downstairs. Xia Wan greeted them with a smile, "Good morning, Uncle and Aunt."

Zhou's mother glanced at her, snorted, and gave her a heads-up: "When you get to the Xie family, stay by Zhou Yu's side, talk less, and be quick-witted."

"Mom!" Zhou Yu pulled Xia Wanzhi behind him, his face full of displeasure.

Xia Wanzhi didn't mind and nodded in response, "Okay."

After getting in the car, they closed their eyes for a short rest and talked very little until they arrived at the Xie family's house. When they entered, Zhou Yu put his elbow on her arm, indicating that she should take his.

She was slightly taken aback, and hesitated for a moment before taking his arm.

They grew up together, holding hands and hugging. Back then, their relationship was purely platonic.

But not long ago, Zhou Yu proposed to her.

She has known Zhou Yu for twenty-five years.

The person beside her has been with her since birth.

Xia Wanzhi couldn't tell whether she liked him or was just used to him, but she knew that Zhou Yu liked her.

A person must marry someone who loves them.

So when Zhou Yu proposed, she accepted.

But no one expected that the Xia family would go bankrupt shortly after their engagement.

Banishing the random thoughts in her mind, Xia Wanzhi smiled slightly and followed them into the main hall of the Xie family.

Among the prominent families, the Xie family is one of the four great families of Beicheng, with power and status roughly equal to the others, especially now that the position of head of the Xie family is in the hands of Xie Qiyan.

Xie Qiyan is a formidable figure.

After he took over the Xie family business, he acquired several trading companies within a month, not only securing several major deals but also pulling back the Xie family's declining stock price, exceeding all performance targets for the year.

What caught Xia Wanzhi's attention even more was that he had acquired Xingyao Building.

Her studio is located inside that building.

Many people were gathered in the main hall of the Xie family. Xia Wanzhi sat down and looked around, only to find that Xie Qiyan was not there.

Xia Wanzhi was actually a little unclear about Xie Qiyan's appearance after he grew up. It was raining heavily that night, and she could only vaguely make out a silhouette.

But if you asked her to recognize it now, she might recognize it at a glance.

After all, this person was born with good looks, so he won't grow up to be ugly.

Of course, it would be best if they grew up to be ugly.

"Zhizhi." Zhou Yu pulled her back to reality, maintaining his smile, "Grandpa is asking you a question."

When Xia Wanzhi looked up, she realized that the entire family's eyes were on her.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa Xie, I didn't hear you clearly." Xia Wanzhi looked at Grandpa Xie apologetically.

There are many connections between prominent families. This is not the first time she has met the Xie family patriarch, nor is it the first time she has visited the Xie family.

However, this was her first time coming as Zhou Yu's fiancée.

The old man shook his head, his kind eyes revealing concern: "You don't look well, are you feeling unwell?"

"Are you feeling unwell? Are you sick?" Before she could answer, Zhou Yu asked first, raising his hand to touch her forehead.

Xia Wanzhi leaned back slightly: "I have a bit of a cold, it's nothing serious."

"Xie Tan is over at the restaurant. I'll have someone take you there to find her and get something to eat." After saying that, the old man had someone lead Xia Wanzhi away. Seeing that Zhou Yu wanted to follow, he stopped him, saying, "She knows this place well, so you don't need to worry about her."

Zhou Yu's face stiffened, and after nodding in agreement, he sat back down.

He seemed to have forgotten that the Xia family used to be close to the Xie family.

-

The restaurant was located behind the main hall, just a long corridor away. As Xia Wanzhi entered, she immediately spotted a little girl happily eating dessert at a table, swinging her legs. As she quickened her pace and walked over, she subconsciously teased, "Whose little foodie is this?"

"Take another bite, and all your teeth will rot." Xia Wanzhi's words were echoed by a man sitting at the coffee table near the dining table, drinking coffee.

His tone was cold and his attitude was indifferent.

Xia Wanzhi stopped in her tracks, and the smile on her face quickly vanished.

As their eyes met, Xia Wanzhi became even more certain that this person was the suit-wearing thug she had seen deep in the old alley last night.

She wasn't mistaken; the thug in the suit was Xie Qiyan.

The two stared at each other for two seconds; the man's gaze, seen through his glasses, appeared even colder and more piercing.

Xia Wanzhi felt contempt in her heart.

It's a pity he didn't grow up to be ugly.

"Sister Wanzi!" Xie Tan jumped off the chair, still holding a knife and fork, and rushed excitedly towards Xia Wanzhi, completely ignoring Xie Qiyan's words. "They all said something happened to the Xia family, and my stepmother won't let me go to see you. I thought I would never see you again."

Xie Tan is ten years old this year. She is the daughter of Xie's third uncle and the youngest and only girl in this generation.

Xia Wanzhi withdrew her gaze from Xie Qiyan, bent down slightly and ruffled Xie Tan's hair: "It's nothing serious. I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

"Yes, yes, yes, chocolate ice cream cake!" Xie Tan pulled her to a seat.

"I don't eat chocolate." Xia Wanzhi was familiar with Xie Tan, so she wrinkled her nose and refused.

"Blueberry cake!" Xie Tan pushed the small cake over.

Xia Wanzhi glanced at it and said, "The blueberry jam looks sour."

Xie Tan was stumped and turned to Xie Qiyan: "Brother Qiyan."

"Eat it or don't, it's up to you." Xie Qiyan didn't even look up at them.

Xia Wanzhi's smile froze as she suppressed the urge to retort, inwardly cursing.

A person's nature is hard to change, and he remains as annoying as ever.

After being exiled to Britain for so many years, not only has his face become darker, but his mouth has also become more venomous.

His methods, in particular, are so terrifying that people in the industry both fear and hate him now.

Xie Tan pouted: "Little Maruko, don't be angry. He was possessed by a ghost today and has been cursing all day."

"Xie Tan." Xie Qiyan's voice turned colder as he stood up and looked down at the two people sitting at the table. "After you finish eating, go back to your room and do your summer homework."

Xia Wanzhi glanced at Xie Tan, too lazy to look at Xie Qiyan. The dizziness from low blood sugar hit her, and she awkwardly picked up a fork and took a bite of the blueberry cake in front of her.

Given Xie Qiyan's current attitude, he'll probably clean up all the desserts on the table in the next second.

"Sister Wanzi, I'm going back now." Xie Tan took a few steps, then remembered something and suddenly turned back, picked up her phone watch, and swiped the small interface. "Big brother bought me a watch. Let's add each other on WeChat. I can video call you whenever I miss you."

Xia Wanzhi licked the cream off her lips, then looked down and typed her WeChat ID into her watch to send a friend request.

"Brother, do you want to join?" Xie Tan looked up and saw that Xie Qiyan hadn't left, so he quickly introduced the two of them, "Sister Xiaowanzi is single, you can flirt with her."

Xia Wanzhi: "..."

Children speak without thinking, but Xia Wanzhi couldn't help but sneer.

Add him?

Not only does it take up space on her contact list, but having this black demon in her address book could bring her bad luck one day.

Xie Qiyan stood there, his expression unchanged.

Xia Wanzhi poked the cake, pretending not to hear.

Just when everyone thought Xie Qiyan would remain silent, he let out a cold laugh, his deep voice full of sarcasm: "Single?"

"Zhou Yu is dead?"

"Or did you get dumped?"