A beautiful summer night

What does it mean to say that a dog can't produce ivory?

Xia Wanzhi has learned her lesson today.

"Long time no see." After all, she was eating someone else's dessert, so Xia Wanzhi maintained the most basic politeness.

"Not long ago, we just met last night." Xie Qiyan didn't seem to be leaving. He took his cup and walked to the coffee machine, where he made himself a fresh cup of coffee.

The aroma is strong, but there is no summer gardenia.

Upon hearing this, Xia Wanzhi suddenly looked up, half in disbelief and half sudden realization.

Did he know that the person last night was her?

He actually found out last night that it was her!

Based on so much information, she guessed that the thug in the suit last night was him, and he actually recognized her at a glance in the dim light.

Xia Wanzhi put down her fork, almost unable to control her expression, and said sarcastically, "Really? How come I didn't know? Brother Xie must be sleepwalking."

Xie Qiyan passed by her carrying a steaming cup of hand-drip coffee. He wasn't surprised that she denied it, so he just glanced at her and went straight back to the coffee table.

His relationship with Xia Wanzhi has always been like this.

We disliked each other when we were children, and now that we're adults and meet again, it's still the same.

Xia Wanzhi could roughly guess why he recognized her at a glance last night.

Now that he has returned to Beicheng and taken control of the Xie family, he is an extremely powerful figure who is probably very knowledgeable about everything in this circle.

Moreover, given the magnitude of the Xia family's bankruptcy, he's probably waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

The two people lived under the same roof, yet it was as if they were in a separate world, not interfering with each other and tacitly treating each other as if they were invisible.

The silence that lasted for half an hour was broken when Zhou Yu arrived.

"Zhizhi, what are you doing eating here..." Zhou Yu had just stepped into the restaurant when he saw Xie Qiyan, and his tone changed instantly, his expression becoming humble, "Cousin! You're here too."

Xie Qiyan slightly raised his gaze: "Mm."

The Xie family patriarch had three sons and one daughter. Xie Qiyan was born to the eldest son and was also the eldest grandson in the family.

However, the eldest grandson of the Xie family was an illegitimate child.

Children from aristocratic families usually play together, but Xie Qiyan was ostracized from a young age because of his illegitimate status and had no affection for his brothers and sisters.

"I've come to find Zhizhi." Zhou Yu was clearly flustered.

Xie Qiyan put down his cup: "Then shall I leave?"

Zhou Yu hurriedly waved his hand: "No, no, no, cousin, please sit down. I'll take Zhizhi outside."

Xia Wanzhi: "..."

Xie Qiyan chuckled lightly: "Whatever."

Xia Wanzhi was pulled out by Zhou Yu, her slender white wrists were squeezed painfully. Noticing that Zhou Yu's palms were sweaty, Xia Wanzhi frowned slightly: "Are you afraid of him?"

Zhou Yu was slightly taken aback, then denied it, saying, "What am I afraid of him for? I'm worried he'll make things difficult for you."

"It's not that bad." Xia Wanzhi withdrew her hand, lowered her eyes, and rubbed her wrist.

“Things are different now. Try to stay away from Xie Qiyan in the future.” Zhou Yu understood Xia Wanzhi’s personality. He leaned down slightly and held her shoulders, speaking earnestly, “It’s a done deal that the studio is moving. Going to him won’t do any good. Zhizhi, believe me, I will help you find a better place than Xingyao Building.”

Xia Wanzhi looked into his eyes, trying to read his current emotions.

Sweaty palms, unfocused gaze.

This is clearly him being afraid of Xie Qiyan.

"I understand." Xia Wanzhi sighed softly, raised her hand and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't provoke him."

Rather than saying Zhou Yu was afraid of him, it would be more accurate to say that the Zhou family was afraid that Xie Qiyan would not show any mercy to Zhou's mother when he was dealing with the Xie family.

Business dealings are often a bit shady.

After calming down, Zhou Yu smiled, took Xia Wanzhi's hand, and put it in his arm as they returned to the main hall.

It wasn't until lunchtime that Xie Qiyan, the newly appointed head of the family, appeared before everyone. The previously joyful atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point, and everyone in the Xie family wore an extremely unpleasant expression.

When Xie Qiyan came in, everyone except Old Master Xie was standing. Xia Wanzhi was warmly arranged by the old master to sit next to him. From this angle, Xie Qiyan's expression was even more gloomy than before.

"Don't stand, sit down," the old man said, taking the initiative since Xie Qiyan remained silent.

Xia Wanzhi didn't like standing, so upon hearing this, she habitually sat down. Only after sitting down did she realize that many people were looking at her, as if they were gasping in surprise.

Xie Qiyan had a cool and aloof expression. He raised his hand and rolled up a section of his shirt sleeve, revealing a small section of his pale wrist bone. When he sat down, his tone was slightly deep: "Sit down."

As everyone took their seats, Xia Wanzhi pursed her lips, thinking to herself that since Xie Qiyan seized power, the atmosphere in the Xie family had become even more lifeless.

Although it was a family dinner, no one dared to chat casually at the table.

Only Xia Wanzhi and Xie Tan were whispering and discussing which dish tasted better.

At another table, Zhou Yu stared intently at Xia Wanzhi, who was all smiles, with an indescribable sense of resentment and defeat.

At the main table, the old man sat in the head seat, with Xia Wanzhi and Xie Qiyan on his left and right respectively.

If you didn't know better, you'd think Xia Wanzhi was Xie's granddaughter-in-law.

“You want Xia Wanzhi to be obedient, but she has never been an obedient girl. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so disrespectful as to sit next to your grandfather.” Zhou’s mother looked away and secretly patted Zhou Yu’s hand under the table.

Zhou Yu took a deep breath and forced a smile: "The Xia family went bankrupt. Grandpa was only so enthusiastic towards Zhizhi because he felt sorry for her. Don't overthink it, Mom. Let's eat."

He appeared composed, but the veins on his hands, which were resting on his lap, were bulging.

Xia Wanzhi and Xie Tan were having a great time until the luncheon ended, and they didn't notice anything unusual about Zhou Yu.

On the contrary, Xie Qiyan, who had a comprehensive view of the situation, had a cold smile that was hard to decipher.

After the luncheon ended, the old man went back to his room, and Xie Qiyan was not present. Several elders discussed matters in the main hall, while a group of younger people gathered in the side hall to drink and have fun.

Xia Wanzhi was familiar with the Xie family and took a shortcut to the side hall. At the door, she saw the two Xie brothers with their arms around Zhou Yu's shoulders, offering him advice.

"Hey cousin, the Xia family is already ruined, and you still haven't won over that young lady?" The second brother, Xie Lin, sneered, as if deliberately trying to change the subject.

The third brother, Xie Nan, lit a cigarette and offered one to Zhou Yu as well, echoing, "Yeah, cousin, listen to your brother's advice. If all else fails, find someone else. That bastard Xie Qiyan is purging the Xie family, and he's definitely going to kick your mother out. If your Zhou family wants to secure its position, you'll need to marry a useful wife to help you out."

"We should at least taste it before changing it, otherwise how can we do justice to Brother Zhou Yu's companionship of more than twenty years?" Xie Lin's smile widened.

As Zhou Yu listened, his expression darkened, as if he were wavering and hesitant. He leaned over and borrowed a light from Xie Nan.

You can smell the pungent smoke even at the door.

Xia Wanzhi disliked the smell of smoke, so Zhou Yu rarely smoked before.

But that was before.

"But given Xia Wanzhi's constitution, I wonder if she can handle it—"

"Damn it—Zhou Yu, what are you doing!" Xie Nan exclaimed and stood up in a disheveled state, the cigarette in her mouth being extinguished by a glass of red wine that Zhou Yu had splashed on her.

Zhou Yu clenched his fists, unable to bear the profanity: "Xie Nan, watch your words and actions."

Xie Nan couldn't take it anymore and punched him in the face: "Damn it, Zhou Yu, what are you pretending for!"