Chapter 18

Xie Xunzhi is hosting a banquet tonight, and the kitchen has been bustling since early morning.

Housekeeper Li called the estate manager early in the morning to have them deliver fresh vegetables, fruits, chickens, and ducks from the countryside estate. The fruits and vegetables are all seasonal produce grown on the estate, without any particularly expensive varieties. Currently available are shepherd’s purse, red and white radishes, broccoli, peas, ripe strawberries just picked with a vibrant red and plump appearance, as well as pears and pomegranates.

The estate is one of the properties owned by the Xie family, featuring vegetable gardens, orchards, fish ponds, poultry farming, a restaurant, entertainment room, and several small villas for accommodation. It regularly hosts leaders for leisure activities, as well as groups from government agencies, businesses, and schools who come for rural tourism, contributing enough revenue to sustain the estate’s expenses.

“Go to the freezer and take out the seafood that arrived the day before yesterday. Then, head to the wine cellar and fetch four bottles of red wine. After that, go to the supermarket and buy two crates of cherries, kiwis… Miss cousin  also likes to eat desserts from Yuanyuefang, while Young Master Cousin enjoys pickles from Xuji—get some of those too.” Housekeeper Li meticulously catered to everyone’s tastes, delegating tasks accordingly. With instructions given, several servants went about their tasks.

Xie Xunzhi got off work at exactly five fifty today, a rare punctuality. He worked for half an hour in the car while stuck in traffic for half an hour.

As the Maybach pulled into the alley, the sun had already set in the west.

Xie Xunzhi closed his laptop, glanced out the window, and saw the cerulean sky tinted with a golden hue. The setting sun filtered through dense foliage, casting mottled shadows on the azure brick walls, creating a moment of tranquility. Unbidden, he recalled the day when Yi Siling ostentatiously leaned against that red Ferrari, daydreaming against their own courtyard wall.

She bathed in the brilliant light.

The car turned into the underground garage, and the driver parked in the designated spot. Next to it was a brand-new Ferrari that had arrived without plates the previous week but now proudly displayed its license plates today.

Xie Xunzhi stepped out of the car and walked up to the front of the Ferrari. He glanced at the license plate, the result of some effort to obtain — “Beijing A14001”.

He wondered if it met her expectations.

After a moment’s reflection, realizing he hadn’t messaged Yi Siling today, he took out his phone and opened their conversation: “Your license plate is ready. It has the 1s and 0s you like.”

Xie Xunzhi occupies a vast area, and first-time visitors often get lost. What’s particularly unusual is that the estate is not accessible by regular vehicles; only small sightseeing cars and bicycles are allowed. Fortunately, the underground garage is well-connected, with elevators leading to the East, West, and Central courtyards.

Today, hosting guests for the banquet, there were noticeably more external cars in the garage. The champagne-colored Maybach belonged to Uncle Xie Jinghua, while the white Porsche belonged to his wife, Fan Meilan. Further along, Aunt Xie Yiwan’s black Range Rover was parked.

The entire family was mobilized, all for his wedding.

Uncle Mei was about to press the elevator button when a loud sports car roared into the quiet garage. He glanced back and recognized the owner.

“It’s Madam Yan’s car,” Uncle Mei remarked.

Xie Xunzhi nodded, opting not to take the elevator and courteously waited for the owner of the car. Madam Yan had already spotted Xie Xunzhi and knew he was waiting for her instead of getting on the elevator. As soon as she stepped out of the car, she said, “Sweetie

“Sweet nephew, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. I’ve missed you dearly, Autumn Auntie.”

Yan Wanqiu was a close friend of Yang Shushua’s, linked through ancestral ties and mutual acquaintances, although their families had long since drifted apart. They grew up together in the same compound, their bond stronger than that of real sisters. Yan Wanqiu was the one who introduced Yang Shushua to Liang Yongwen, Yi Siling’s mother, ultimately serving as the matchmaker for Xie Xunzhi.

She practically ran herself ragged over this matter, truly the primary contributor. When the time came for the marriage proposal in Hong Kong Island, naturally she had to accompany them, fulfilling her role as the matchmaker.

Xie Xunzhi smiled warmly, complimenting, “Auntie Autumn, you seem to be getting younger.”

Yan Wanqiu replied teasingly, “Is it because I found you a beautiful daughter-in-law that you’re trying so hard to flatter me?”

Xie Xunzhi chuckled, “Not entirely.” He gestured politely to stop the elevator, inviting Yan Wanqiu to enter first.

Yan Wanqiu laughed along, not holding back, and stepped into the elevator ahead of him.

Inside the elevator, Yan Wanqiu openly appraised her nephew. “He’s truly handsome, with an air of nobility. Tall, good-looking, from a good family, and with exemplary character. Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare to praise Xie Xunzhi so highly in front of Liang Yongwen.”

Yi Siling, this young girl, made a deep impression on Yan Wanqiu from the first meeting. Her beauty was striking, flawless even to the most critical eye, and her sweet demeanor added to her charm. Despite her delicate nature, she was incredibly endearing. The moment Yan Wanqiu saw Yi Siling, she felt that she and her great nephew were a match made in heaven.

Her great nephew was too conventional. If paired with a proper and conventional lady, their life might turn into a deep freeze. He was more suited to someone like Yi Siling, who didn’t conform to the usual patterns, creating a strong complementary dynamic.

Initially, she had discussed all these insights with Yang Shushua. It was only then that Yang Shushua realized her previous approaches had been wrong, introducing either proper ladies or highly educated ones.

“How’s it going with Siling? You should sweet-talk her a bit more, woo her a bit. She’ll definitely like you,” Yan Wanqiu said earnestly, patting Xie Xunzhi’s shoulder and encouraging him to do his best.

Xie Xunzhi sighed inwardly, replying quietly, “I’ve been trying to charm her.”

And indeed, he had been trying his best to charm her.

Yan Wanqiu understood that a few gentle reminders were sufficient; saying too much would be nagging, which elders avoided as it could come off as lecturing or meddling. She knew better than to overstep and risk being disliked by the younger generation. After briefly offering advice to Xie Xunzhi, she shifted focus, criticizing her own troublesome son instead.

Listening to his childhood friend being scolded, Xie Xunzhi remained silent, not wanting to intervene.

The tea room in the West Courtyard was lively, with families chatting over tea. In the small living room, two card tables were set up, but one was short of a player. Xie Zhiqi had recruited some strong men to fill the gap, but the card game wasn’t just about matchmaking; there was also gambling involved, adding to his frustration.

“My brother’s wedding hasn’t even taken place yet, and they’re already after me. Spare me, aunts and elder sisters,” he lamented.

Upon entering the tea room, Xie Xunzhi heard Xie Zhiqi pleading for mercy. He smiled and greeted the elders one by one, amidst the continuous stream of congratulations.

Lately, he had grown accustomed to hearing congratulations so frequently that it almost wore out his ears.

Maintaining his calm demeanor without showing too much excitement, Xie Xunzhi casually walked up behind Xie Zhiqi and effortlessly played a card, saying, “I’m declaring a win with this.”

Xie Zhiqi calculated twice, then widened his eyes. “Impressive, bro!”

Xie Wenning, who had been counting cards, also widened his eyes in surprise.

Fan Meilan gave Xie Zhiqi a teasing glance. “Both you and Ning Ning are a team now, and you still need help from the sidelines?”

Xie Zhiqi replied, “Second Aunt loves to tease people. I’ve been losing all afternoon.” He pushed a stack of money in front of Fan Meilan, and she pocketed it all.

Everyone at the table laughed. Fan Meilan chuckled while stealing a fleeting glance at Xie Xunzhi, her expression briefly complex and subtle before she quickly concealed it. She picked up a card and called out, “Tongtong, come help me hold the cards. I need to use the restroom.”

Fan Chutong, sitting on the sofa, acknowledged and got up to assist. She walked over, naturally standing side by side with Xie Xunzhi, who was behind Xie Zhiqi, at Fan Meilan’s seat.

She didn’t rush to sit down, instead she raised her eyebrows gently and greeted warmly, “Brother Xunzhi, I haven’t congratulated you yet. I heard Sister Yi is very beautiful.”

In the company, she always addressed Xie as Director Xie along with everyone else, but at home, she could be more intimate.

Xie Xunzhi didn’t mind the change in address. He maintained his gentle smile, thanked her, and then focused back on the cards, directing Xie Zhiqi, “Play the eight of bamboo.”

Fan Chutong pursed her lips slightly, saying no more, and quietly took her seat, helping her aunt with the cards.

Xie Wenning sensed something and grabbed Xie Xunzhi’s hand. “Brother, come sit with me. I’ll help Mom arrange flowers.”

Her seat was far from Fan Chutong’s, separated by Xie Zhiqi.

Xie Xunzhi replied, “No thanks. You guys play. I’ll go to my room and change clothes.”

Xie Wenning nodded, urging him to go quickly. As Xie Xunzhi left, she noticed Fan Chutong turning her head, gazing somewhat reluctantly at Xie Xunzhi’s departing figure, which made her feel immediately uncomfortable.

She wasn’t aware of why Second Aunt had brought her niece to dinner today. With her eldest brother’s wedding approaching, did she really have to cause trouble?

After finishing the last two rounds of cards, it was time for dinner, and the card players dispersed. Everyone moved to the adjacent dining room.

The dining table was laden with a variety of dishes. In the center, a steaming hotpot held lamb imported by air in the afternoon, Australian beef, palm-sized live abalones, and lively fresh shrimp, all swiftly dipped and cooked, creating a spicy, fresh, and delicious experience.

Adults discussed enthusiastically while dining, finalizing plans to gather at Xie Xunzhi on Sunday afternoon before heading to the airport together. They also went through the wedding proceedings, assigning responsibilities such as welcoming guests, hosting the bride’s family, organizing the car fleet, and so forth, discussing every detail with great emphasis.

Xie Xunzhi sat with his peers, dressed in casual attire that softened his serious demeanor. His gentle khaki cashmere sweater added a touch of relaxed amiability to his appearance.

Fan Chutong, sitting next to him, stole several glances at him discreetly.

Xie Zhiqi leaned close to Xie Xunzhi’s ear and whispered, “Brother, did she break up with Ximen Qing? You’re about to propose; you can’t afford to miss this opportunity.”

He had been concerned about this matter but hesitated to ask friends for information, as family affairs shouldn’t be spread around.

Xie Xunzhi frowned. “Stop talking nonsense.”

“Then did she?” Xie Zhiqi pressed anxiously, noticing more gray hairs appearing on his older brother’s head.

Xie Xunzhi, annoyed by his persistence, glanced at him. “No, she didn’t.”

Xie Zhiqi asked, “They broke up?”

Xie Xunzhi warned him with another glance. “There was never any breakup. It’s all a misunderstanding. I’ve told you not to let your imagination run wild.” He peeled a shrimp in his hand. “Once we’re on Hong Kong Island, if you show any disrespect in front of her, I’ll confiscate your car.”

Xie Zhiqi fell silent.

It had been many years since his older brother had spoken like this.

He swallowed the sour shredded radish and said, “No, bro, I just suddenly realized you’re a bit blinded by beauty…”

Even if that woman had a bad temper, a difficult personality, and a strong attitude, Xie Zhiqi had to admit she was quite attractive.

Xie Xunzhi placed the peeled shrimp meat onto Xie Wenning’s plate. Xie Wenning smiled gratefully and said, “Thanks, bro.” Meanwhile, Fan Chutong looked at the shrimp on the plate, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

Fan Meilan sensed her niece’s disappointment and sighed inwardly, but she smiled and said, “Fan Chutong, didn’t you also want to take a trip to Hong Kong Island? Why not join us this time and liven things up for Xie Xunzhi?”

Fan Chutong hadn’t expected her aunt to bring this up at the dinner table. She felt a bit embarrassed but also genuinely wanted to go. She wanted to see for herself just how beautiful Yi Siling was, enough to make Xie Xunzhi agree to this marriage.

Fan Chutong hesitated, “Auntie, wouldn’t it be troublesome if I tag along? If it’s too much trouble, I’d rather not come and cause any inconvenience.”

Yang Shushua smiled and said, “If Fan Chutong wants to go, she can join Sui Sui, Ning Ning, and the others. The more, the merrier.”

Fan Chutong smiled gently and readily agreed, “Thank you, Auntie.” She then looked at Xie Xunzhi and asked, “Xunzhi, I won’t cause you trouble, will I? I’m just worried Sister Yi might not like having so many people around.”

Xie Xunzhi wiped his hands with a hot towel. “She won’t mind. If you want to come, let’s go together.”

Yi Siling would only enjoy having more people around; the more, the merrier. Fan Chutong nodded happily, “Then I’ll come early on Sunday and join Sui Sui and Ning Ning.”

Xie Wen Ning said, “You contact the second sister, I will go there tomorrow with my eldest brother.” Xie

    Zhiqi responded, “And I will go tomorrow too

    .” Yang Shushua, “Isn’t tomorrow just Friday?”

    Xie Xunzhi explained, “I will pay a visit to the Yi family first.”

    Yang Shushua mentioned this to Xie Xunzhi a few days ago. At that time, he did not express his opinion. She thought he was unwilling to cooperate, so she let it go. She didn’t want to nag too much. Now that Xie Xunzhi took the initiative to bring it up, she felt it was unprecedented.

    Xie Qiaoan looked at his wife with relief, “It is most thoughtful for you to go there early. Bring more gifts, so that the in-laws don’t think we are perfunctory.”

    Xie Xunzhi agreed.

    As the matchmaker, Yan Wanqiu was the happiest. She was a great success in her first matchmaking job and felt that she had excellent vision. But thinking of her poor son, she couldn’t help complaining, “I really want that bad boy to learn from Xunzhi. He stays in the United States all year round and refuses to come back. I don’t know what evil has possessed him.”

    Yang Shushua smiled, “Yan Xuting is doing a serious job in the United States. When he comes back, he will be Dr. Yan. How awesome.”

    “I get annoyed when I see him. It’s better if he doesn’t come back.” Yan Wanqiu said that she was annoyed, but in fact she wanted Yan Xuting to come back more than anyone else.

Yang Shushua: “Then he will come back to be the best man for Xunzhi’s wedding this time, and he will live in our house, so you don’t get annoyed when you see him.”

    Xie Mingsui paused while eating, raised her head to look at Xie Xunzhi, and whispered to Xie Zhiqi through him, “Brother, who else will be your best man besides Yan Xuting?”

    Xie Xunzhi “Only him and Aunt Li have been confirmed. It depends on how many bridesmaids Yi Siling has. Why…”

    Xie Mingsui’s face froze, and she shook her head. She said she would just ask, and absent-mindedly picked up a dish that was passed to her and ate it.

    Xie Zhiqi happened to see Xie Mingsui eating a mouthful of cold-mixed coriander roots raw, retching and widening his eyes.

    It’s okay for the eldest brother to be crazy, but how can the second sister be crazy too?

    After the meal, the adults played a few rounds of mahjong and didn’t leave until ten o’clock in the evening. Fan Meilan drank, so she gave the car keys to Fan Chutong and asked her to drive home, while she took her husband’s car with a driver.

    In the car, Xie Jinghua thought about what happened at the dinner table and couldn’t help scolding his wife, “You are so nosy. I told you not to bring Tongtong, but you insisted on bringing her. Do you think others can’t hear what you mean and that your sister-in-law won’t bother with you?”

    Fan Meilan complained for herself, “You know Tongtong likes Xunzhi. She asked me to bring her here. How could I refuse?”

    She felt furious when she talked about this, “No matter how I look at it, I feel that my nephew is interested in our Tongtong. If my sister-in-law hadn’t been playing Tai Chi everytime she mentioned this, they would have become a close relative of our Fan family and your Xie family. How beautiful it would be.”

    Xie Jinghua was dizzy after drinking, and he got even angrier when he heard these nonsense. Close relatives, what a sweet dream.

    The Fan family has a place in the capital, but the Xie and Fan families have long been in-laws. Anyone who is slightly smart would not waste resources to strengthen the relationship, not to mention that Xie Xunzhi is the third-generation heir of the Xie family appointed by the old man, and he is different from the idle son he was in the past.

    The Fan family wants to marry their daughter to be the mistress of the Xie family. He knows it is impossible even if he thinks about it with his ass. Even without the Yi family, there can be no Fan family. When his wife had this idea, he advised her to be quiet, but she didn’t expect that she would not be quiet. She secretly matched them and made a series of things full of loopholes.

    “Wow, you are the only one who can see the fun, and you are beautiful. Others are stupid and can’t see it.” Xie Jinghua confronted her. Fan Meilan

    laughed angrily, “Okay, let me ask you, when Tongtong fell into the water, why did your nephew jump in to save her?”

    “Not saving her, watching her drown.” Xie Jinghua was simply convinced.

    “

    Then I asked my nephew to arrange a position for Tongtong in the group headquarters. He agreed without hesitation and promoted Tongtong to the second in command of the business unit.”

    “If you don’t agree, you will be slapped in the face of your second aunt. What’s more, the internal personnel changes of the group are the result of discussions between the human resources department and the board of directors. Tongtongs promotion is the result of her hard work. What does it have to do with my nephew?”

    Fan Meilan was speechless and turned her head away angrily, not wanting to look at him.

    After a while, a man’s snoring sounded in the car, like a pig.

    Fan Meilan became even more angry and glared at her husband. “If you hadn’t been so unpromising in the group, I wouldn’t have had to work so hard. Don’t you see that I look a few years older than my sister-in-law? You can’t even compare to my elder brother, and even your third brother. The group didn’t have a say in the first place, and now it’s even worse. Then my sister-in-law will know that it’s better to choose Tongtong, who is at least obedient, sensible, gentle and has a good temper, than to choose Yi Siling, the spoiled daughter of a rich family.”

    Besides, Hong Kong Island and Beijing are so far apart, and the environment, circles and living habits are different, and we don’t know them well.

    Moreover, I heard that Yi Siling can’t even speak Mandarin well, has a bad temper, is extravagant, extravagant, and lawless, which is completely inconsistent with the low-key style of the Xie family.

    If you are not of the same kind, then there will be trouble.

    Let’s make a fuss, and when it gets out of hand, my sister-in-law will know that she will regret it.

    After a busy day, the lights in the main courtyards of Xie Garden were turned off one after another, and the lights in Yi Mansion were still brightly lit. Yi Siling soaked in the bathtub as soon as she came back, too tired to talk.

    She was busy all day today and didn’t even have time to check her phone.

    The wedding dress that was ordered half a year ago was just finished in the past few days. Baoshan Pavilion has always been slow to work, and the details need to be adjusted after the first try-on. After trying on the wedding dress, the makeup artist was already waiting at Yi Mansion to try out her makeup for the day of the big gift.

    The big gift is also called the betrothal, which is an especially important part of the wedding. Hong Kong Island attaches great importance to ceremony. If the man does not betroth, there will be no wedding banquet. Even if the marriage certificate is obtained, it is not called a marriage. It is embarrassing to tell others about it.

    In their circle, these rules are even more valued. If a family marries a daughter in a shabby way, or the man does not give a betrothal gift in a grand manner, they will be ridiculed by the media. From the wedding dress to the diamond ring to the bouquet to the jewelry worn on the day to the specifications of the banquet, everything will be infinitely magnified, and nothing will be left.

    If you want to get married in a low-key manner, the mean paparazzi will only laugh at your shabbyness.

    Chen Weiqi married into the Zhuang family with a dowry of 880 million yuan. The betrothal gifts brought by the man filled the Chen family’s back garden. On the wedding day, 100,000 custom-colored roses imported from Ecuador were spread all over the hotel. She bought out the color of the roses and named them Weiqi.

    The media called it an “unparalleled rose wedding.”

    Chen Weiqi’s marriage was a big hit among the sisters.

    She said to Yi Siling, “I know you like Freud, and I like it too. I hesitated for a long time, but I still thought that I couldn’t take away what you like. The florist advised me not to order it. Customized colors are more expensive than Freud, not to mention that it’s troublesome. I have to wait for three months. My husband said he was not afraid of trouble. It’s just a flower. I can’t make you and I unhappy. Don’t you think so?”

    Yi Siling smiled perfunctorily, scolding her in her heart as a little bitch who was showing off.

    It was really hard for her to take so much effort to even a flower at the wedding.

    Yi Siling had forgotten about this matter a long time ago. It was not until this afternoon when Chen Weiqi asked her cheerfully what kind of arrangement Arty liked and whether to continue using Freud flowers or change them to something else that she remembered. It was ok if she didn’t think about it, but she got angry when she thought about it.

    “Flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, who can’t afford one hundred thousand roses?” Yi Siling hit the water with her hand, splashing water.

    Chen Weiqi wasn’t showing off flowers at all. She was showing off that her husband treated her well and even a flower had to be unique.

    Yi Siling thought of Xie Xunzhi, the antique plastic fiancé who lost contact for 23 hours a day.

    She stood up from the water with a splash, her white and tender body seemed to be wrapped in a layer of light pink gauze. She grabbed the phone and clicked on WeChat.

    She wanted to see if this old-fashioned man had sent her a message.

    Sure enough, the message from a few hours ago was on the license plate. There are 1s and 0s that you like.

    Yi Siling’s hands were wet and he couldn’t type well. He pressed the voice button “Oh, I don’t like the license plate. I don’t want the license plate. Oh, I like it. I like it. I like it.”

    Wrapped in the night, in the quiet study, Xie Xunzhi was practicing calligraphy. He had written too many characters recently, and he was a little dazed for a while. The more he wrote a character, the less it looked like the longer he looked at it. So, he took out the half-painted Danba stele. On such a night of self-cultivation, the loudspeaker released a woman’s delicate and resentful roar, sweeping away the atmosphere.

    Xie Xunzhi stopped writing and was silent for a moment.

    What did you say?

    He didn’t know why she suddenly lost her temper again, and he couldn’t understand what she said. Cantonese was not within his knowledge.

    He simply called her.

    In less than a minute, Yi Siling received a call from him. After the call was connected, the man’s warm voice came from the loudspeaker, as calm and steady as ever, like the ocean, enough to contain all her bad temper.

    “What do you mean by “send it?” Sorry, I don’t understand Cantonese very well.”

    He only understood the word “zhongyi”, which means “like”.

    Yi Siling actually regretted sending that voice message, and was a little nervous to answer the call, but she didn’t expect him to say “fa” with a clumsy “fa” as soon as he opened his mouth.

    She was so amused that she cursed him for being so stupid, “I was talking about flowers.”

    Fa means flowers.

    So that’s it.

    Xie Xunzhi remembered that day when he went to the hotel, the manager said that Miss Yi asked for fresh Freud roses to be sent every day.

    “You like Freud?” he asked.

    Yi Siling was surprised “You know I like this

    ” He explained “The hotel you are staying in is under the Blue Star, and the manager said you asked for flowers to be sent every day.”

    “Oh. So that hotel is yours.” Yi Siling wiped her hair very slowly.

    He knew what flowers she liked, but he never gave her any. It was impossible for her to be emotionless. It was not that she felt it was meaningless because he had to give her flowers.

    When Zheng Qijun was pursuing her, the amount of Freuds he gave her could fill up the entire Yi Mansion. He was her fiancé now.

    In name and in reality, he was already her fiancé, so he should do something that should be done in this position.

    In this marriage, he didn’t take the initiative first, so it was impossible for her to take the initiative.

    She didn’t say anything else, and the other person didn’t know what to say. The two unfamiliar people began to feel awkward again.

    She simply turned on the hair dryer to blow her hair. As the wind blew, the other person said, “I’ll come to your place tomorrow. Are you free tomorrow night?”

    The hair dryer was loud, and Yi Siling only heard the second half of the sentence. She turned off the hair dryer and said, “Tomorrow night.”

    “I don’t know tomorrow night.”

    Chen Weiqi said that she would ask her out for dinner tomorrow night to discuss Arty’s matter, but this woman’s words were unreliable.

    Xie Xunzhi nodded, “Then we’ll talk about it then.”

    Yi Siling didn’t know what he would say then, so she simply said “Oh.”

    There was really nothing to say.

    He was boring, more boring than she had imagined.

    Not only could he not say sweet words, he also couldn’t play romance, let alone pamper her. She even had to teach him how to pamper her, and she instantly became exhausted.

    “I’m going to sleep. I’m hanging up.” Yi Siling gave up, not wanting to continue the stalemate with him on the phone.

    “Then you should get some rest early. Good night.”

    His magnetic voice was so charming on the phone.

    Yi Siling was even more unhappy, and was about to hang up, but he said, “There will be flowers.”

    She paused, “What do you mean?”

    There was silence on the other end for a second, and then soon, “There will be flowers you like, there will be a lot of them. Yi Siling, everything you like will be there.”

    “But the premise is that you have to tell me.”

    He was not very good at guessing her thoughts, but as long as she asked, he would do it.