Chapter 19

The next morning, as usual, Xie Xunzhi woke up at five-thirty, jogged around the alley at the back of the lake, and returned home, bringing breakfast treats for his siblings.

Xie Xunzhi kitchen prepared breakfast every day, but catering to everyone’s tastes was difficult, as there were always those who wanted something from outside.

However, Xie Xunzhi wasn’t one to accommodate every request. If it weren’t for Xie Zhiqi mourning cries in the group chat last night, he wouldn’t bother getting soy milk early in the morning. He couldn’t stand the taste, and neither could anyone else in the family.

In the morning, Xie Xunzhi signed several important documents at the company and held two short meetings. With time pressing, the remaining files would have to wait until his return from Hong Kong Island.

Secretary Lin was shocked to learn that the boss was going to Hong Kong Island for a week due to personal matters. The boss worked tirelessly all year round, even on New Year’s Eve, staying late to reply to emails from the European division. Diligent and dedicated, he was a model of hard work.

Going to Hong Kong Island for personal matters…

Secretary Lin pondered for a few moments, thinking about the mysterious woman who called the boss to deliver food.

Secretary Lin selected a packet of lightly roasted beans and put them into the coffee machine, overhearing gossip from a nearby junior secretary. “Shh! I know why. Director Xie went to Hong Kong Island to discuss marriage!”

Secretary Lin paused for a moment.

“Is that true?”

“Are you sure?!”

“Really? My uncle told me,” the junior secretary said with a hint of pride.

This junior secretary’s uncle was a relative of a shareholder in the group, and she had some connections to get into the company. Fortunately, she had good abilities and held a degree from a prestigious Chinese university plus a master’s from a UK institution, which secured her a place in the board office. Xie Xunzhi turned a blind eye to her because of this.

Everyone always believed what she said.

“The boss’s fiancée is from Hong Kong Island? How magical! Wasn’t it said before that she was from the He family?”

“I heard it’s with Fan from Department Six?”

“Fan Chutong! I’ve seen them together! She looks so gentle; she and the boss, this restrained rich young man, match well!”

“I don’t know about matching, but I heard Fan is quite capable and knows how to use gender advantage.”

“Hey, can we stay on topic? We’re talking about the one from Hong Kong Island!”

The junior secretary noticed everyone discussing their own ideas and not listening to her follow-up, which made her a little unhappy.

Everyone immediately turned to look at her, silence falling over the group.

The junior secretary cleared her throat. “Top secret, absolutely authentic. The boss’s fiancée is Yi Siling, daughter of the Yi family on Hong Kong Island!”

A collective gasp filled the room.

Several well-known tycoons in Hong Kong had been featured extensively in the media; it was impossible for anyone not to have heard of Yi Kunshan. He was a prominent figure on the island, a real estate tycoon known for his flamboyant lifestyle in his youth, linked with several actresses. After marriage, he had settled down, earning a reputation for his transformation from playboy to devoted family man.

Someone remarked with awe, “Of course, for someone like the young master, his fiancée would definitely be a proper match, a wealthy heiress.”

“The Xie family is really impressive.”

The junior secretary interjected, “Can we stop comparing Fan Chutong and Director Xie? They’re in completely different leagues. And Yi Siling is way more beautiful than Fan Chutong. I mean, Yi Siling’s striking looks are just breathtaking, like a goddess descended!”

“But Yi Siling…”

The speaker swallowed and his expression turned odd. “She really doesn’t match our boss at all…”

Secretary Lin finished brewing her coffee and quietly left, no longer interested in the gossip among the junior secretaries.

She now feels fortunate for not having a big mouth; she didn’t reveal a single word about the gossip between the boss and that mysterious woman who delivers food. She has already imagined a big drama — the young master secretly loves the gentle and delicate girl next door, but is reluctantly marrying the wealthy heiress due to familial obligations. Feeling guilty inside, that’s why he even manages meals!

Now she prays that the heiress from Hong Kong Island remains unaware, or else it will be chaotic and she’ll also suffer consequences.

Thinking it was spring, but it turned out to be a troublesome autumn. In the afternoon, around two o’clock, Xie Xunzhi was still busy in his office.

Uncle Mei called, saying the flight clearance had been approved. The Third Miss and the Young Master were ready and on their way to the airport, asking him when he would depart.

They were scheduled to take off at three-thirty.

“Coming,” Xie Xunzhi glanced at his watch. “Is everything ready?”

“You can trust me with the arrangements. The luggage was prepared early, and all those gifts Madam asked for are packed too! Took up two cars!” Uncle Mei couldn’t hide his excitement in his voice.

Yang Shushua is very thoughtful and meticulous, preparing gifts for every member of the Yi family.

Xie Xunzhi: “That’s not what I asked you.”

Uncle Mei finally realized and hurriedly said, “The flowers for Madam? I ordered them early this morning, the Freud you requested. They’ll be delivered to the Yi Mansion at ten thirty! The flower shop even sent me a photo, would you like to see it?”

Xie Xunzhi was about to say something but changed his mind, “Okay. Send it to me.”

After the call ended, he received a photo on WeChat shortly after.

Xie Xunzhi looked at the enormous bouquet, taller than a person and requiring two grown men to hug it together, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Indeed, it was something Uncle Mei could accomplish.

Over the years, he rarely sent flowers to anyone. In his memory, he only remembered sending his mother and grandmother a bouquet of perfume lilies on Mother’s Day and their birthdays. This was the first time in his life he had sent roses to someone.

So today, he also learned what a Freud looked like and understood why Yi Siling would like such flowers—because she and these flowers were alike.

The display was so splendid and grand that any wrapping seemed redundant; plain black wrapping paper was just right. In the center of the bouquet was also a greeting card.

He had only instructed the delivery of the flowers, not the card, so Mei must have taken it upon himself to have the store clerk write it.

His brow slightly furrowed, Xie Xunzhi swiped open the photo and examined the message on the card. His expression suddenly turned slightly unnatural, his throat moved involuntarily, and his jaw tensed sharply.

He took a deep breath, then abruptly flipped his phone face down on the desk.

After morning tea, the Yi Mansion was quiet. Several of the household’s members had gone out for their respective activities, leaving the spacious villa bathed in clean sunlight.

The Chairman and the Second Miss had gone to work. Madam had a flower arrangement class in the morning, and the Fourth Miss was at school. The Third Miss was away studying in another city, while the Young Miss was still fast asleep, not yet awake.

The servants had plenty of leisure time to shuttle around this magnificent house, handling tasks such as cleaning, changing linens, doing laundry, and tidying rooms. These chores were divided among fifteen servants.

The Yi family was a rare find in their generosity towards their servants; while each master had their demands, they were not eccentric and were easy to get along with. Even if mistakes were made, they were not overly harsh.

I’ve heard that the neighbors at the Zheng Mansion have a very bad time with their servants; their rules are many and unusual. They can’t use towels to wipe the floor, and they can’t use mops, only disposable wet wipes sprayed with perfume, requiring several dozen wet wipes for each floor cleaning. Servants can only walk inside the house wearing socks, not shoes or barefoot. These kinds of rules have even made it into the gossip magazines.

Some paparazzi specifically target servants working in affluent households to gather gossip about the elite.

At eleven o’clock, Yi Siling woke up naturally, and the first thing she did was look for her cat.

She searched around on the bed first, but the cat wasn’t there. Then she got down and looked under the bed, but still couldn’t find the cat.

This wasn’t right.

She knew her cat well; it always slept in with her, accustomed to her routine. If she didn’t get up, neither did the cat.

Yi Siling quickly got out of bed to search for her cat. “Hua Hua, Hua Hua.”

Her bedroom was a spacious suite of 200 square meters, complete with a bathroom, terrace, tea area, and study. Including the adjacent dressing room, it totaled over a thousand square meters. If a cat wanted to hide, it could easily be impossible to find.

“Hua Hua,” Yi Siling called as she walked around, “Hua—OMG!”

Her voice suddenly raised, and she stopped in her tracks.

Both Hua and Hua Hua were there.

The term “Hua” wasn’t quite accurate; what Yi Siling saw before her was a massive bouquet. It was as tall as a person, too large for a coffee table, and placed on her priceless Persian carpet under the clean sunlight. The Freud roses were splendid, dazzling, and grand, their sheer number making a striking impact.

The mischievous Hua Hua circled around the large bouquet, sometimes sniffing at it and other times stretching to scratch at it.

“Where did these flowers come from? They’re so big and beautiful!” Yi Siling exclaimed in delighted, her eyes wide open.

Seeing her awake, Hua Hua quickly ran over and jumped into her arms, where she hugged him tightly.

“Who sent this to me? Are you a little troublemaker?” Yi Siling laughed as she lifted the cat high and carried it over.

A rich floral fragrance instantly enveloped her as she walked closer. From top to bottom, it covered her entire being. Faced with such a colossal gift, she was momentarily speechless, unsure how to handle it.

Sent by Xie Xunzhi? She blinked.

Last night, she had impulsively asked him for flowers, only to realize afterward how shameless she had been, falling right into Chen Weiqi’s trap. She had actually asked Xie Xunzhi for flowers, embarrassing her father in the process!

Whether there were flowers or not didn’t matter; she just harbored resentment towards Xie Xunzhi.

Zheng Qijun might be scummy, but to be fair, he treats her really well and knows how to provide emotional value. Sending flowers is just routine for him; he sends them every day, and the Yi Mansion is overflowing with them. She doesn’t even need to asked, he just creates all sorts of surprises. Even at two in the morning, if she calls, he’ll come to pick her up.

In this relationship, apart from the undignified ending, she hasn’t been wronged.

Now, with Xie Xunzhi, all the romance is gone. It’s all strict and serious, with each word carefully weighed. In these past few days, their total conversation hasn’t exceeded ten sentences.

One sentence. And with Chen Weiqi intentionally or unintentionally showing off their love, causing her to be very upset last night, she felt she wasn’t being valued, felt he didn’t regard her highly, and felt like she could see the end of their future marriage life in just one glance.

But this bouquet of flowers, made her anger dissipate slightly.

No girl could not like flowers, especially such a large bouquet.

Yi Siling’s lips curled upwards, her eyes revealing her unmistakable delight. She played with the petals for a while and keenly noticed a greeting card hidden among them.

She pulled it out.

Thinking it would be some cliché wish for peace and happiness, she didn’t expect much until she opened it—

“My darling, I miss you every second you’re not here. — From your forever loving husband.”

Yi Siling’s hand trembled as she held the greeting card, her face quickly flushing red. She hastily stuffed the card under the coffee table without even glancing at the flowers, and then dashed away.

What was that old fogey trying to pull for no reason! So tacky!

—

On the plane, Xie Xunzhi had a grim expression towards Uncle Mei, maintaining a cold demeanor the whole way. Uncle Mei subtly probed to ask what was wrong, but Xie Xunzhi only replied with, “You’ve done a good job.”

Uncle Mei had no idea what good deed he had done; everything he did was good. Ordering flowers, arranging luggage, coming to Hong Kong—nothing was amiss.

After pondering for a while, Uncle Mei couldn’t figure it out: “What on earth is going on?”

“…”

Xie Xunzhi put down the book he was holding, crossed his legs, and looked at Uncle Mei. “I asked you to order flowers, not to say random things.”

“What did he say?” Uncle Mei thought carefully and remembered. Early in the morning, when he ordered flowers for Madam, the florist asked if he wanted to include a greeting card. He must have said yes—otherwise, Madam wouldn’t know they were from Young Master. The florist also asked what to write and offered to handwrite it.

Unable to come up with anything clever, Uncle Mei simply said, “These flowers are from my boss and his wife. He’s not on the island, he’s away, and they haven’t seen each other for several days. Write something sweet, something girls like. I’ll pay extra for that.”

The flower shop said they didn’t need money, and with such a large order, it was hard to come by. However, Uncle Mei still gave ten yuan.

When you take money, you’ll be especially diligent. Everyone understands this principle.

Uncle Mei didn’t know what the girl wrote. He asked nervously, “Was it the greeting card?”

Xie Xunzhi responded indifferently with a soft “mm,” seeming reluctant to bring up the matter.

Uncle Mei said, “I gave ten yuan for her to write it. Hold on, let me see what she wrote.”

Xie Xunzhi kept reading his book. A minute later, Uncle Mei burst into loud laughter, which echoed all the way to the neighboring audio room where Xie Zhiqi was.

“What’s going on? Why are you laughing so hard, Uncle Mei?” Xie Zhiqi poked his head out.

“It’s none of your business,” Xie Xunzhi said, motioning for him to come in.

Xie Zhiqi nodded and went back inside to watch a movie with Ningning.

Uncle Mei couldn’t stop laughing, tears streaming down his face, lines deepening with mirth. “I… I’m sorry, I really didn’t know about this. Hahaha!”

Ten dollars well spent! Xie Shuzhi completely ignored Uncle Mei’s gloating. His gaze remained fixed on the book, but after a long while, he couldn’t focus on a single word.

Finally giving up, he closed the book and looked out of the porthole. The sky above was a clear, boundless blue, stretching endlessly into the horizon.

They would soon arrive at Hong Kong Island, but he found himself reluctant to see her now, fearing that because of the card, he would appear awkward everywhere.

He was afraid that this imp would make fun of him for being old-fashioned.

The kind of person who is a drifter.