Gently bite the jasmine

Lin Xi's heart skipped a beat in fright, but gradually calmed down after hearing the familiar voice.

The room was dark, with the lights off.

Lin Xi patted Duan Yiheng on the shoulder, signaling him to let go of her.

"What are you doing?" Lin Xi asked in a low voice.

The sound of Tan Qi and Zhou Zheng talking could be heard from time to time in the corridor.

"Where are they?"

Lin Xi heard Tan Qi ask.

Zhou Zheng said, "Miss Lin went to the restroom, I will wait here."

Tan Qi: "There's nothing fun in the villa. Duan Mingxuan suggested going to the club. Duan Yiheng went back to change his clothes. Why don't we go to the car and wait together?"

Zhou Zheng frowned slightly, seemingly unwilling.

Tan Qi laughed and said, "It's really not good to let a professor as upright and honest as you indulge in a life of debauchery, but you've taken a fancy to someone's precious child, so can't you ask them to make things difficult for you?"

Zhou Zheng suddenly understood: "Thank you for the reminder."

Tan Qi said "Let's go" but in her heart she thought this person had gone crazy from teaching and didn't understand basic social etiquette.

The corridor fell silent. Duan Yiheng chuckled softly, "My precious little darling?"

Lin Xi's ears burned, and she refused, saying, "Aren't you going to change your clothes? Don't keep people waiting."

“Waiting a little longer won’t hurt,” Duan Yiheng said. “If he can’t even do this much, what’s the point of talking about the future?”

Lin Xi knew he was talking about Zhou Zheng, but she was talking about Tan Qi.

"I was talking about Miss Tan. Don't keep her waiting too long."

Duan Yiheng's gaze shifted downwards, landing on her smooth neck.

The dress had a square neckline, revealing a large expanse of fair skin and collarbone, but the marks he left the night before had disappeared.

Duan Yiheng raised his hand, his palm landing on the back of her neck, his thumb wiping away the powder on her neck.

"What are you doing?" Lin Xi angrily raised her hand to cover her neck, which she had managed to do with great difficulty.

"Can you really accept me talking about marriage with another woman?" Duan Yiheng lowered his voice. "That night, was I the only one who was infatuated? The way you looked at me didn't seem as indifferent as you appeared."

"Don't try to figure me out, you're not me." Lin Xi turned her head away. "Let me go, Mr. Zhou is still waiting for me."

"Do you know that I'm waiting for you too?" Duan Yiheng gripped her shoulders, suppressing his heavy emotions, his facial features tense.

"Don't talk nonsense." Lin Xi strongly resisted. "At least think about Grandpa's health."

"Has anyone considered me?" Duan Yiheng said. "I got to where I am today because I want to follow my heart."

“But you can’t do as you please right now.” Lin Xi shattered his expectations. “Although you are the group’s vice president, there are quite a few people who support Uncle Duan. Regardless of their motives, those who support him definitely do not want you to take over Silver Sail.”

"You need marriage, you need a stable relationship, you need to project your responsibilities to the outside world. Are you really going to give up what's right in front of you for a little selfishness?"

Simply put, does he want the empire or the beauty?

Duan Yiheng suddenly chuckled: "So that's where the problem lies."

Lin Xi looked bewildered and frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You're worried about me?" Duan Yiheng asked with a smile. "Are you worried that because of our relationship, I'll be held hostage by Duan Zheng and those shareholders who don't support me?"

Their breaths, so close together, carried an ambiguous atmosphere. Lin Xi turned her head to avoid him, but Duan Yiheng went even further, almost kissing her.

"Don't worry, if I didn't even have this much skill, how could I survive in the company?"

"I'm not worried." Lin Xi suppressed her indescribable emotions, her voice cold. "I just simply... don't want to get involved in any private matters with you."

The air seemed to freeze as Duan Yiheng suppressed his anger, his breathing becoming heavy.

The repeated entanglements were really unsightly, yet he couldn't bear to let go.

This wasn't the first time I'd been rejected so bluntly.

Duan Yiheng also had his pride, and Lin Xi's words left him speechless.

The atmosphere in the room was as cold as snow falling in the dead of winter, chilling to the bone from the inside out.

Duan Yiheng released her, his silhouette disappearing into the darkness.

"Are you in such a hurry to distance yourself from me?" Duan Yiheng's throat bobbed. "Is it because of Zhou Zheng? Or do you dislike me?"

Lin Xiru couldn't bring herself to say she disliked him, so in desperation she told a lie: "Aunt Wei is wary of me. In order to forget Duan Mingxuan, I'm willing to spend some time with Mr. Zhou."

"Duan Mingxuan," Duan Yiheng scoffed, "You haven't forgotten him yet?"

"After all, it's a relationship that's lasted for many years. It's not something you can just forget." Lin Xi clenched her hands tightly, her nails digging into her palms. The pain from the clenching was nothing compared to the wound in her heart.

Duan Yiheng told her not to worry about his situation in the company, but she wasn't a doll, how could she not worry?

Many people have stumbled and fallen into an abyss of no return.

Her identity was a handle for others to criticize in his eyes.

The two are six years apart in age and both are registered in the Meng family. To outsiders, they are like siblings who grew up together.

If we cross the line, there's a lot of room for maneuver if we start with their relationship.

Rumors don't just reside among the wise, but also among those who create them.

Duan Yiheng has only earned a reputation for being cold-hearted in the company so far, but his professionalism and ability are undeniable.

She didn't want to be the source of all the destruction.

"I thought that all you had left of your childhood affection for him," Duan Yiheng said with a self-deprecating smile. "Turns out I was naive."

"I'm leaving now." Lin Xi couldn't stay a second longer, or she would lose her composure. "Excuse me, could you please move aside?"

Duan Yiheng moved aside to make room for her.

After leaving the house, Lin Xi slowly walked back and forth for a long time. When she reached the car, she took the fur coat that Sister Mei had given her, put it on, and then went to Zhou Zheng.

Tan Qi glanced behind her: "Where's your older brother?"

Look, this is how others see their relationship.

Lin Xi smiled and said, "I'm not sure. Let's wait and see."

About ten minutes later, Duan Yiheng came over dressed in casual clothes.

Once everyone had arrived, Duan Mingxuan said, "Xiao Xi, come and ride in my car."

Zhou Zheng made a "please" gesture.

Lin Xi got into Duan Mingxuan's car, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tan Qi get into Duan Yiheng's car.

She turned her gaze away and sat in the passenger seat, not wanting to say a word, but Duan Mingxuan kept nagging on and on.

"Xiao Xi, I don't think Zhou Zheng is good enough for you."

"He's too old, he has nothing to talk about with you."

"I don't know how my mom and grandpa agreed. By the time I found out, it was too late."

"If you—"

"Can you shut up?" Lin Xi frowned, then realized her tone was off. "I'm sorry, I'm not in a good mood."

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Duan Mingxuan thought she was unhappy about the matchmaking. "So what do you think of Zhou Zheng?"

She had no feelings for Zhou Zheng; the person who did have feelings for him was destined not to belong to her.

When the idea came to fruition, Lin Xi was startled.

Has she fallen for Duan Yiheng?