Gently bite the jasmine

Duan Mingxuan naturally saw Duan Yiheng as well. He put Lin Xi down and patted her head.

Lin Xi didn't dodge, but slightly increased the distance between them.

The phone rang, and Duan Mingxuan hesitated for a moment before answering.

It was Yu Lang who called him out; the two of them were out having a good time almost every night, so Lin Xi naturally knew that.

Seeing that he seemed hesitant to speak, Lin Xi just wanted to get rid of him quickly, so she said, "Go play, I'm going back to sleep, I have to go to work tomorrow."

Duan Mingxuan: "Then I'll take you back."

Lin Xi: "...This is at home. If I need you to deliver something, go upstairs and tell Grandpa before you leave."

Duan Mingxuan glanced at Duan Yiheng and said to Lin Xi, "Come upstairs with me."

Lin Xi knew she should tell the old man before leaving, so she turned and left with Duan Mingxuan.

As we entered the old man's bedroom, Duan Zheng and Chen Baiwei came out, clearly having just finished chatting.

Duan Mingxuan didn't waste any words, said he had made an appointment with a friend, and left.

The old man gestured for Lin Xi to stand closer and asked, "How's your older brother's relationship with the Tan family girl going lately?"

Lin Xi dared not meet the old man's gaze and said with her head down, "I've met him once."

"Meeting him once isn't enough," the old man said impatiently. "Show me his schedule."

“Grandpa, I can’t show it to you,” Lin Xi said. “Miss Tan and my older brother are probably both very busy.”

The old man frowned. Yes, it seems we should find an opportunity to invite the Tan family over so we can get to know each other better.

"Now that we've talked about your older brother, let's talk about you. When are you planning to bring a boyfriend home?"

Lin Xi sat by his bedside and coaxed, "Grandpa, I'm only 23, there's no rush."

“You’re not in a hurry, but Grandpa is. I just want to see what kind of person your future partner will be.”

Lin Xi smiled and said, "I can't just find someone else to appease you, can I?"

The old man smiled, but with a touch of sadness: "To be honest, of the three of you, I worry about you the most. I always want to make sure you're taken care of properly while I still have the ability, so as not to betray your father's trust."

Lin Xi leaned on the old man's shoulder and stayed quietly for a few minutes.

"Alright, alright, stop being so cute. It's getting late, go back and get some rest."

Lin Xi got up and went downstairs. The only way to get back to the front yard was the koi pond.

She stopped at the edge of the pool and quietly looked at the bottom of the water.

When Grandpa was about to make a will, Chen Baiwei had ulterior motives; she prepared a table full of delicious dishes.

She said she could accept Zhang Mo for Duan Mingxuan's sake.

She was indeed in pain at the time, and even now, thinking about it makes her feel a bit down, but the sharp, needle-like pain is gone.

That night, she met Duan Yiheng here.

He asked himself, who bullied her and then stood up for her?

Later, her conflict with Chen Baiwei escalated, and she was slapped. He then found her in the garden.

When Duan Mingxuan left her alone in Rong County, he appeared the very next second.

Every time, it felt like he was right beside me.

Lin Xi chuckled softly. Recalling the past few months, she realized that her interactions with Duan Yiheng had exceeded the total of the previous seventeen years.

But without warning, he kissed himself in the bar.

Did everything go off track from that one night?

"What are you doing standing here?"

"Ah—" Lin Xi was startled, turned around and saw Duan Yiheng, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "Why haven't you left yet?"

Duan Yiheng said, "I left my phone in the chess room."

Lin Xi patted her chest and said "Oh".

"Your childhood sweetheart is gone, why are you still standing here all alone? Aren't you cold?"

Lin Xi: "...He's gone. My heart is cold. Who cares about my health now?"

Who doesn't say sarcastic or sarcastic things? Does he have a mouth?

Duan Yiheng took off his suit jacket, faced her, and then spread his arms to drape it over her shoulders.

"What are you doing? I don't want to." Lin Xi tried to avoid his intimate gesture, but Duan Yiheng tightened his suit jacket around her neck.

She stumbled forward and pressed her chest against Duan Yiheng's.

"Is this the only way you'll talk to me?" Duan Yiheng gripped his suit jacket tightly with one hand and held the back of her neck with the other, forcing her to raise her head. "Do you even know what this behavior is called?"

Lin Xi struggled, but couldn't break free; he was completely controlled by both of his hands.

"I do not want to know."

She's trying to avoid him now.

“You’re arrogant because you’re spoiled.” Duan Yiheng told her, word by word, “You’re just taking advantage of the fact that I won’t do anything to you, and you’re deliberately trying to provoke me.”

"I--"

Duan Yiheng, fearing she might say something heartless, interrupted her:

"You were bullied by Chen Baiwei, bullied by Duan Zheng, bullied by Duan Mingxuan. Where did your sharp tongue go? Hmm?"

"Just consider me a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong," Lin Xi said, resigned to her fate.

Duan Yiheng laughed in exasperation, grabbed the hand holding his suit jacket and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her up to his chest, and whispered, "I'm not soft."

His tone was ambiguous, and his eyes were teasing. Lin Xi blushed and then turned purple, and she cursed him: "Are you sick? I don't care if you're soft or not, let me go."

Duan Yiheng chuckled softly: "Don't move, and I'll let you go."

Lin Xi's body twitched under his suit jacket, then he fell silent, as if deflated.

Duan Yiheng loosened his grip on her slightly and asked, "Are you still talking in that sarcastic tone?"

Lin Xi bit her lip and whispered, tilting her head, "You started it first."

Duan Yiheng raised an eyebrow and admitted, "It's just a little revenge for how cold you've been to me lately. You're a secretary, and you're always giving your boss the cold shoulder. Do you think that's appropriate?"

"You, a superior, got drunk and kissed—" Lin Xi immediately retorted, but then stopped herself from speaking.

"Why did you stop talking?" Duan Yiheng asked.

Lin Xi stomped on his foot hard, and turned to leave as he staggered back in pain.

Duan Yiheng followed with a smile.

Lin Xi stormed into the room in the south courtyard, strode past Sister Mei, and headed upstairs.

Duan Yiheng came in shortly after, a smile on his face.

Mei Jie was completely bewildered. She looked at one person and then at the other, asking Duan Yiheng, "What's wrong with you two? Miss seems angry."

Duan Yiheng: "It's nothing, I caused it."

Sister Mei chuckled: "You're such a grown man, why don't you go and coax her?"

Duan Yiheng stood for a moment, cleared his throat, and asked Sister Mei, "How do we coax her?"

"First, you need to be thick-skinned, and second, you need patience," Sister Mei said with a smile. "Miss usually has a very good temper, so it must be your fault that you're angry this time."

"It's my fault," Duan Yiheng admitted. "Could you prepare some easily digestible late-night snacks for me? She didn't eat much in the North Courtyard just now. Take them to her room after you've made them."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Sister Mei quickly grabbed him: "Is that all? If you don't appease him, what if he doesn't eat?"

Duan Yiheng: "I'll go and coax her right now, okay?"

Sister Mei: That's more like it. I've prepared a late-night snack. You only had a little soup, so I've prepared some for you too. You two can have some together.

Duan Yiheng hummed in agreement, then went upstairs, intending to coax the person.