A beautiful summer night

Xia Wanzhi's period was particularly difficult this time. After eating a little lunch, she slept like a corpse until nine o'clock in the evening.

After the discomfort had finally subsided a bit, I opened the bedroom door and heard Lao Xia anxiously discussing with Ms. Ross: "How about we reschedule? It's okay to postpone it for another two days. I'm worried about Wanzi like this."

"Don't worry!" Xia Wanzhi appeared in front of Old Xia and Ms. Ross, forcing a determined smile on her pale face. "Mom and Dad, please don't worry. I'm old enough to take care of myself. You can set off tomorrow without worry. Don't let me delay your work!"

Old Xia: "..."

"Aren't you just hoping we'll leave as soon as possible?" Old Xia felt a lump in his throat.

She forgot her father once she had a man.

Now he believes that statement.

I finally understand how Mr. Richard felt back then.

"No way, I'll miss you all so much." Xia Wanzhi sat down next to Ms. Ross and hugged her waist.

With the Xia family's crisis resolved, it was her turn to face her own crisis.

Once the immigration issue is resolved and she is safe, she can fly to the UK to visit her parents and grandfather whenever she wants.

Ross stroked her head and smiled, "Then take good care of yourself. Your father and I will stay on the same schedule and leave tomorrow afternoon. In a few days, your mother will complete the ceremony to take over as heir of the Becker family. At that time, the whole world will know that you are my daughter and that the entire Becker family is behind you. From then on, in North City, even dogs will give you a wide berth."

Her daughter deserves the best of everything in the world.

No one should let her suffer any injustice.

The next day at noon, the family had hot pot at Lanting Villa. As they sat down, Old Xia winked at Xia Wanzhi: "Call your boyfriend over for lunch."

Xia Wanzhi choked, still not quite processing the fact that she had a "boyfriend," and stammered out, "He...he...he might be at the company."

"I called him and told him to go home," Old Xia said casually as he set out the dishes.

Xia Wanzhi's eyes widened: "Where did you get this phone number from..."

Did these two secretly exchange phone numbers behind her back?

Old Xia glanced at her and said, "They live right across the hall. I can just knock on their door and ask."

Xia Wanzhi: "..."

Dangerous!

He knocked weakly on Xie Qiyan's door, as if Xie Qiyan were right there beside him, and opened the door in half a second.

“My dad’s inviting you over for hot pot, um… remember to…” Xia Wanzhi gestured, unsure how to articulate her thoughts.

"I know." Xie Qiyan pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice tender, then turned and went into the house. "I'll change my clothes first."

Xia Wanzhi leaned against the door, muttering softly, "Why bother changing clothes..."

In just two minutes, Xie Qiyan changed out of his well-tailored suit and into a loose white t-shirt and black trousers.

It has a very casual style.

“You…” Xia Wanzhi’s eyes lit up.

"Is there a problem?" Xie Qiyan also came out wearing slippers.

Xia Wanzhi suppressed a laugh: "Are you pretending to be young?"

Xie Qiyan: "..."

Xia Wanzhi pressed her fingerprint to cross to the other side of the door and explained, "Looks like a college student."

Xie Qiyan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Consider it a compliment."

"You're here? Come and sit down, we're about to start eating." Ms. Ross wiped her hands and came over to greet them.

Xia Wanzhi felt inexplicably guilty and nervous.

Old Xia seemed to be deliberately keeping a straight face. In the past, he would always chime in whenever Ms. Ross said something, but today he seemed to be mute.

"Mr. Xie, let's have a toast." Xia Yongqing picked up the wine glass in front of him and clinked glasses with Xie Qiyan with a purpose.

Xie Qiyan lowered his cup slightly below Xia Yongqing's and said calmly, "Uncle, you can call me by my name."

Xia Yongqing turned to Xia Wanzhi: "What do you usually call him?"

Xia Wanzhi choked, "Thank...thank you..."

Xia Yongqing frowned: "What?"

"Say thank you...brother." Xia Wanzhi forced herself to make one up.

Xia Yongqing: "..."

Xie Qiyan was also taken aback, and a smile slowly crept into his deep eyes: "Uncle, you don't need to call me that like her."

"Whoever wants to shout like her." Xia Yongqing glared at her, then silently drank the rest of his wine.

"You're going to be on a plane for several hours, so drink less." Ms. Ross confiscated his glass.

His plan to use drinking as an opportunity to attack Xie Qiyan had failed. Xia Yongqing's face darkened, his sharp eyes narrowed as he carefully observed the young couple's every move.

Xia Wanzhi never stops eating hot pot; her little mouth is bulging as she eats, completely absorbed and never stopping.

Xie Qiyan ate hot pot with the elegance of a Western meal. The two barely interacted, but strangely, it was quite pleasing to the eye.

She's more pleasing to the eye than when she's with Zhou Yu.

When Zhou Yu confessed his love to Xia Wanzhi in public, she hastily agreed. Zhou's parents then casually brought up the matter of engagement. Xia Yongqing thought that Zhou Yu had always been devoted to their daughter, and that the two had grown up together and were in love with each other, so she agreed as well.

Xia Wanzhi did not refuse at the time.

It now seems that it wasn't that Xia Wanzhi didn't refuse, but rather that she was being pushed along.

"You two never talk while eating?" Xia Yongqing asked after staring at them for a while.

Is this how young people date these days?

Xia Wanzhi raised her head, exchanged a glance with Xie Qiyan, and then stretched out her chopsticks to pick up a handful of greens from the pot and put them into his bowl.

"It's not because you guys are leaving that I'm so sad and I've been ignoring him." Xia Wanzhi licked her lips and made up a story.

Xie Qiyan couldn't help but chuckle, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Yes, Wanzi is right."

Xia Yongqing then pressed on: "Then why didn't you give me any meatballs?"

"I was afraid you'd be jealous," Xie Qiyan replied sincerely.

“You…” Xia Yongqing’s eyes widened suddenly.

“Eating won’t shut you up.” Ms. Ross shoved a piece of meat into his mouth, ordering him to shut up.

After the meal, Xia Yongqing was in charge of cleaning up, while Xie Qiyan followed along.

Xia Wanzhi was worried that Xia Yongqing was testing her repeatedly and that Xie Qiyan would give himself away. Just as she was about to follow him, Ms. Ross pulled her back to her room.

"Mom, I..."

"You're not talking to Xie Qiyan anymore, are you?" Ms. Ross asked bluntly.

Xia Wanzhi was stunned. Looking at Ms. Ross's somewhat serious expression, she lowered her eyelashes guiltily: "You could tell?"

“You are my child, how could I not know you?” Ross chuckled helplessly, pulling her hand to sit on the bed. “It’s just that your dad’s idiot brain, so suspicious and jumpy, thinking you and Xie Qiyan are having a secret affair.”

Xia Wanzhi wrinkled her nose and nodded: "Exactly, exactly, he's such a pig-brain. If it weren't for him..."

The conversation abruptly ended, and Xia Wanzhi chuckled as she looked at Ross.

Ross understood without her saying it, sighed, and gently patted her forehead: "But no matter what, you can't lie to your parents."