The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

As soon as get out of class ended at noon, Yao Yingxi rushed out, thinking that Xi Yuanchen had already arrived. However, she stood at the university gate for more than ten minutes without seeing any sign of Xi Yuanchen's car.

In her memory, Xi Yuanchen was not the kind of person who was not punctual.

Yao Yingxi took out her phone and dialed Xi Yuanchen's number. The phone rang for almost two minutes before someone answered just as Yao Yingxi was about to hang up.

"Where are you now? Is there traffic on the road?" Yao Yingxi asked anxiously before Xi Yuanchen could speak.

Perhaps frightened by Liang Pingyin's car accident, Yao Yingxi spoke with great anxiety.

"Where are you going? I'm at the company right now. What's wrong? Did you just finish class?" Xi Yuanchen asked her in confusion.

Yao Yingxi breathed a sigh of relief when she heard what he said at the company, but then she heard Xi Yuanchen ask, "What's wrong?" She couldn't remember saying that yesterday.

Xi Yuanchen asked me to go to school, and I was to have lunch with him and ask him to pick me up.

She felt a sudden sense of loss, as if a stone was blocking her throat.

"Okay then, I'll hang up now."

"Wait a minute," Xi Yuanchen called out from the phone.

Yao Yingxi thought he remembered, and her eyes lit up.

"Have you eaten? Be careful not to eat anything you shouldn't eat, understand?"

Yao Yingxi was instantly plunged into despair again. She nodded, feeling dejected, and said, "Okay, you're busy, but remember to eat. I'll hang up now."

Just moments ago, Yao Yingxi was overjoyed as she left the school; now, she felt just as dejected as she was about to return.

"Yingxi, Yingxi?"

Suddenly a male voice rang out behind her, calling out several times before Yao Yingxi belatedly turned around. She saw Xiu Yan sitting in the car with his head sticking out of the window. She paused for a moment and asked, "What are you doing here?"

When Xiu Yan saw that it was Yao Yingxi and realized he hadn't mistaken her for someone else, he quickly opened the car door and got out: "It really is you, Yingxi. I thought I was seeing things."

Seeing that she was wearing a hat, Xiu Yan bent down slightly, placed his hand gently on Yao Yingxi's hat, and lifted it up slightly: "In that car accident, were you only injured in the head?" he asked with concern.

Yao Yingxi nodded. Because Xi Yuanchen didn't remember what she had said, she was feeling a little disappointed. So, she was also a little absent-minded when answering Xiu Yan. Not to mention that she was wary of Xiu Yan's actions and felt that something was wrong.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Xiu Yan asked with concern when he saw her eyes were dim.

Yao Yingxi shook her head: "No, what are you doing here?" She took a deep breath, a faint smile on her lips, and looked up at Xiu Yan.

Xiu Yan chuckled, raised his hand and patted her head affectionately: "Our company has a project here, and we just happened to be going to inspect it today. We were about to head back to the company when we unexpectedly saw you here. I thought I was seeing things."

Because he knew Yao Yingxi well enough, he could even see her figure clearly.

"I thought you came here on purpose," Yao Yingxi said, half-jokingly and seriously.

Xiu Yan's face stiffened, belatedly realizing that Yao Yingxi had made a joke. He chuckled, "If I had done it on purpose, you would have been avoiding me if you knew."

Yao Yingxi smiled.

Xiu Yan gestured for him to eat: "You haven't eaten yet, have you? When you were kidnapped a while ago, you said you would treat me to a meal. There's no time like the present."

Since he had said that, Yao Yingxi felt embarrassed to refuse, so she nodded and followed Xiu Yan into the car.

When the two arrived at the Western restaurant, Xiu Yan started a conversation with Yao Yingxi: "How are you? Is school alright?"

"It's not bad, university life is still very interesting." Although it's a bit tough, experiencing school again after many years is still as amazing as it was when I was a child.

"That's good. Are you still studying design lately?" Xiu Yan asked again.

Yao Yingxi nodded: "Still learning."

"Xiaoxi, you don't have to work so hard. Why not do whatever you're interested in? Why do you have to study finance?" Xiu Yan was a little displeased, but he hid it well.

In his view, this might be the major that Xi Yuanchen asked Yao Yingxi to study.

"Do you remember what I said when you tried to persuade me before? Besides, finance is also a major I like now."

Xiu Yan sighed and could only nod. Fearing that Yao Yingxi might overthink things, he explained, "Xiao Xi, I'm not saying this to you for any particular reason. I just don't want you to work too hard."

Yao Yingxi smiled and said, "I know, Xiuyan, you don't need to be nervous."

The two chatted and finished their meal.

Xiu Yan dropped Yao Yingxi off at the school gate, hesitated for a moment before getting out of the car: "I'll be going to the construction site to check things out these next few days. How about I come over for lunch?"

Yao Yingxi hesitated.

Xiu Yan quickly spoke up: "If you're with Xi Yuanchen or a friend, then forget it. I'm just letting you know in advance. If you're free, then eat with me. If not, then it's fine."

"Okay, I'll call you when I have time."

Xiu Yan nodded.

……

When get out of class ended in the afternoon, Xi Yuanchen did not come to pick up Yao Yingxi. Yao Yingxi felt as if a huge stone was blocking her heart. She returned home in a sullen mood, only to find the house empty. Her aunt had taken leave a couple of days ago.

Yao Yingxi had no choice but to put down her schoolbag and books and go to her workroom.

She still has some design drafts that she hasn't finished, and she's afraid there won't be enough time for Zhong Enming, since the show is only about ten days away.

As soon as Yao Yingxi opened the door, her phone rang.

As the saying goes, you shouldn't think about people during the day or ghosts at night. Just as she thought of Zhong Enming, his phone rang.

As Yao Yingxi entered the room and closed the door, she answered the phone: "Hello, Tom."

"Yingxi, are you done with get out of class?"

"Yes, I'm at home. What's wrong?" Yao Yingxi asked.

"Oh, it's nothing serious. I just called to remind you that you don't need to rush the design draft. This afternoon, the people from the venue called to say that something came up and they can't rent the venue anymore, so I postponed the show by a month."

"I see." Yao Yingxi said with some regret and helplessness, "Okay, but I still have to draw it. If there are any changes needed, just let me know."

After a pause, she added, "It's good that it's postponed, so we have enough time to prepare."

"Yes, I have something to do, so I'll hang up now."

After hanging up the phone, Yao Yingxi sat in the chair behind her desk. She swayed and spun around, closed her eyes, and carefully thought about what Xi Yuanchen was doing.

Why can he even forget things like eating with me and picking me up from get out of class?

Yao Yingxi jolted awake, opened her eyes, sat up straight, and picked up her phone to call Anan.

She didn't know what Xi Yuanchen was doing at that moment, so she had to ask Anan.

The phone rang once, but no one answered. Yao Yingxi frowned and didn't call back immediately. Instead, she paused for about ten minutes before redialing.

She wasn't sure if Anan was in a meeting, so he didn't answer her call.

This had never happened before. Usually, she couldn't reach Xi Yuanchen, but when she called Anan's cell phone, someone would answer immediately.

For some reason, Yao Yingxi suddenly felt uneasy and hesitated whether to open Xi Yuanchen's app.