A beautiful summer night

Before Xia Wanzhi arrived, the old man would call over the fiancées of Xie Lin and Xie Nan to have a chat. But once Xia Wanzhi arrived, the old man only had eyes for Xia Wanzhi and Xie Qiyan.

"Your stepmother and second aunt are talking badly about people again!" Xie Tan suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shouted.

Since Xie Qiyan's protection, she has gained confidence in the Xie family. When she heard them talking about Xia Wanzhi, Xie Tan couldn't stand it.

The restaurant wasn't far from here, and Xie Tan was speaking too loudly. Fearing things would escalate, Xie's third aunt raised her hand to strike her, shouting, "Xie Tan, what nonsense are you spouting!"

"What are you doing, Third Aunt? Be careful not to upset the baby." Xia Wanzhi walked out from around the corner of the corridor, her tone soft but cold.

Xie Tan's third aunt, who was also his stepmother who raised him, had beaten him quite a bit since he was a child.

Xia Wanzhi could be nice to anyone in the Xie family, but not to her.

"Miss Xia, what are you saying?" Aunt Xie raised her chin, having recently acted arrogantly, taking advantage of her pregnancy.

Xie Tan hid behind Xia Wanzhi and whispered, "Sister Wanzi, they..."

"I heard you." Xia Wanzhi held Xie Tan's hand and looked up at the two gossipy aunts of the Xie family. "I hold grudges. You aunts have watched me grow up, so you should know my temper. If I go back tonight and whisper something in my husband Ayan's ear, do you aunts think he'll hold a grudge?"

Aunt Xie's second and third aunts turned pale with fright, seemingly remembering Xie Qiyan's underworld methods. They laughed and said, "Wanzi, I was just joking with your third aunt. Don't take it to heart. Your third aunt is pregnant, don't frighten her..."

Xia Wanzhi's gaze instantly turned cold.

They really are people who treat others differently based on their status.

As an elder, he used to want to hit the child at the drop of a hat, but now he doesn't dare to breathe loudly when Xie Qiyan is mentioned.

Xia Wanzhi dared not imagine how difficult Xie Tan's situation would have been if Xie Qiyan hadn't returned and taken Xie Tan with him.

"Let's go." Although she didn't like him, this was the Xie family, and she didn't have the right to make trouble for them. She had already felt a little satisfied with scaring him like that with just a few words, so Xia Wanzhi knew when to stop and led Xie Tan towards the south courtyard.

Xie Tanle happily shook Xia Wanzhi's hand: "Why don't you go find your brother Ayan and whisper sweet nothings in his ear?"

Xia Wanzhi choked back a sob: "..."

"You can't say things like that to your brother." Xia Wanzhi bent down and covered Xie Tan's mouth.

"That's really unfortunate, I heard it." Xie Qiyan's tender voice came from behind. It was already night, and the streetlights cast shadows. He was still a bit behind them, but his shadow had already fallen at Xia Wanzhi's feet.

Xia Wanzhi gritted her teeth and childishly stomped on the head of the shadow.

"Xie Tan, go back to your room." Xie Qiyan had come to find Xia Wanzhi, but he didn't expect to stumble upon such a good show in the corridor.

Xie Qiyan has now moved to the Lanting Villa, and the South Courtyard is Xie Tan's domain. With Xie Qiyan protecting him and the old man spoiling him, Xie Tan is now well-fed and well-cared for, and has no worries about being bullied anymore.

"Okay, then I... won't keep Sister Wanzi from whispering sweet nothings in my ear." Xie Tan knew they wouldn't be staying overnight at the Xie family's house, so he nodded and ran happily into the south courtyard.

Xia Wanzhi: "..."

Kids these days seem to know everything.

After the third person left, Xia Wanzhi endured the awkwardness of being alone with Xie Qiyan, deeply reflecting on why she had said those words earlier.

"The old man is in the study." Xie Qiyan suppressed the smile in his eyes and brought up the serious matter with Xia Wanzhi.

Xia Wanzhi breathed a sigh of relief and walked briskly: "Then what are we waiting for? We can't keep Grandpa Xie waiting any longer. Let's go over quickly."

Xia Wanzhi didn't say a word the whole way, she was really in a hurry to get there, Xie Qiyan followed behind her, looking like he was in a good mood.

Upon entering the study, Xia Wanzhi was immediately pulled to sit down by the old man, as if she hadn't seen Xie Qiyan standing next to her. The old man didn't greet her or care whether she was standing or sitting.

"Wanzi, Grandpa has something for you." The old man couldn't contain his excitement and pushed a handmade wooden box toward Xia Wanzhi. "Open it and take a look."

The box was large and looked quite heavy.

Xia Wanzhi glanced at Xie Qiyan subconsciously.

"This is your Grandma Xie's dowry from back then..."

Before the old man could finish speaking, Xia Wanzhi quickly stood up and said, "No, no, this gift is too precious, Grandpa, I can't accept it..."

What a joke! They weren't even a real couple to begin with. If they accepted this gift, it would be a disaster.

"They're all just cheap stuff." The old man opened the box, revealing several smaller boxes on the top shelf.

Taking out the box from the first layer, the gleaming gold bars underneath were presented brightly and sparkly to Xia Wanzhi.

Xia Wanzhi: "..."

Half a chest of gold.

"This little box contains a jade bracelet and a gold ring. You young people probably don't like this style," the old man said to himself. "It's okay if you don't like it. Let this young man buy you more. You can keep these as antiques. They're all yours anyway, so you can do whatever you want with them."

Xia Wanzhi moved her lips, looking troubled.

"This isn't a family heirloom; it's a keepsake left to me by my grandmother." The old man explained, fearing she wouldn't accept it. "I don't have many years left, and I was thinking of finding someone to entrust my grandmother's dowry to. But when it comes to money, who is truly sincere?"

Xia Wanzhi raised her eyelashes upon hearing this.

"Keep it. You can pass it on to Xie Tan as a family heirloom when she gets married in the future," the old man sighed.

If she hadn't said that, Xia Wanzhi would never have accepted it.

Xia Wanzhi immediately agreed: "Okay, okay, Grandpa Xie, don't worry, Wanzi will definitely live up to your expectations."

The old man laughed heartily: "I should just call you Grandpa now."

Xia Wanzhi coughed lightly: "Yes, Grandpa."

The old man's call of "Grandpa" made everyone laugh. Before leaving, he earnestly told them, "If you're together now, then be good to each other. Grandpa is looking forward to your wedding."

"Not so fast..." Xia Wanzhi was a little flustered.

Don't actually lose yourself in the process.

"Grandpa knows, Grandpa was just saying." The old man looked at Xia Wanzhi kindly. "Xie Qiyan said he doesn't want to get engaged, he wants to date first. I won't interfere with you, but don't keep Grandpa waiting too long."

Xia Wanzhi had no choice but to agree.

On the way back, Xia Wanzhi felt guilty and ashamed.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Knowing that she liked the breeze, Xie Qiyan opened the window halfway even though the air conditioning was on.

"Grandpa wants us to get engaged?" Xia Wanzhi had no idea how many other things were going on that she didn't know.

"Or rather, they want us to get married." Xie Qiyan glanced sideways.

Xia Wanzhi choked for a moment, then gave a dry laugh: "I feel so guilty."

The old man was indifferent to everyone else, but he was extremely kind to Xia Wanzhi and Xie Tan.

Xia Wanzhi was a little worried.

Xia Wanzhi was worried all the way home. As she was about to close the door, Xie Qiyan blocked her way with one of his legs as he stepped in.

Xia Wanzhi asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"Aren't you going to whisper sweet nothings in my ear?" Xie Qiyan leaned forward slightly.

Xia Wanzhi was so frightened that she pressed down hard on the door: "You actually took my joke seriously!"

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore." Xie Qiyan tapped her forehead. "Let's go inside and change the showerhead for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, while Xia Wanzhi was still in a daze, he went inside to change his shoes and headed to the bathroom.

Xia Wanzhi was a little stunned.

How did he know the showerhead was broken?