Chapter 67

Yuan Yi glanced at Yan Xi, chose not to reply to Zhang Wang's text, and tucked his phone back into his pocket.

Noticing Yuan Yi looking at her, Yan Xi turned and flashed him a big smile.

Seeing her silly grin, Yuan Yi felt a sudden urge, reached out, and pinched her cheeks, stretching them to the sides. "Why are you smiling like a fool?"

"A wise girl like me, and you're calling me a fool?" Yan Xi swatted his hand away, muttering, "Good thing my face is all-natural, or with you pinching like this, I'd be disfigured."

"Who would get plastic surgery to look like you? That's a terrible idea." Yuan Yi saw her cheeks turn a bit red and started to regret being a bit rough, even though he hadn't used much force. How did her cheeks get so red?

He gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb, asking, "Does it hurt?"

"Why don't you try?" Yan Xi reached to tug at Yuan Yi's face but quickly gave up, disappointed. "Your skin is too thick; I can't move it."

"That's because you're pulling in the wrong spot." Yuan Yi leaned closer, pointing to his cheek. "Are you dumb? You're supposed to pull here."

"Who's dumb?" Yan Xi ignored his suggestion and instead grabbed his ear, grinning. "Who are you calling dumb?"

"Let go, let go," Yuan Yi grabbed her hand, embarrassed. "A man's ears are off-limits."

The driver in the front discreetly raised the partition, wisely avoiding the sight of his boss getting his ear pinched by his girlfriend. Mr. Yuan might be strict and serious at work, but in love, he was just like any other young guy.

Men, when their ears are pinched by the woman they love, their hearts turn soft.

After some playful back-and-forth, the exchange ended with Yan Xi accidentally leaving a lipstick mark on Yuan Yi's jacket. She sheepishly tried to wipe it off with a tissue, laughing awkwardly. "Um, you've been so busy with work lately. Didn't I tell you that you didn't need to rush over?"

"No matter how busy I am, I'll make time to see you," Yuan Yi pretended not to notice her guilty expression. "After all, I'm still pursuing you—I've only received the deposit, not the remaining balance."

"The remaining balance..." Yan Xi raised an eyebrow. "Well, that depends on your performance."

Yuan Yi glanced at the raised partition, pulled her into his arms, and gave her a deep kiss. "Yan Xiaoxi, you're lucky you met a man like me."

A less self-controlled man would have long since turned into a beast, with a woman he liked teasing him like this.

"If you weren't you, I wouldn't be interested." Yan Xi straightened up, licking her bright red lips. "Am I right?"

Yuan Yi pulled her back into his arms, hugging her tightly. "I'm completely bewitched by you."

Snuggled against his chest, Yan Xi could hear his strong, rapid heartbeat, and it seemed a bit faster than normal.

"Yuan Xiao'er, I won't press you on certain things if you don't want to talk about them," Yan Xi adjusted to a more comfortable position, leaning against his chest. "I don't completely understand all the company management stuff, but if something's bothering you, feel free to tell me. I can at least give you a loving hug."

"A loving hug?" Yuan Yi chuckled, looking at the woman in his arms and planting a light kiss on the top of her head. "How about a loving kiss instead?"

"Yuan Xiao'er, you've been a bad influence on Zhang Wang," Yan Xi lifted her head from his embrace, wrapped her arms around his neck, and brushed her lips against his. "Alright, now tell me, how far has it gone between you and your family?"

Despite the rumors online being quickly suppressed, there were still people at the station laughing behind her back in the past couple of days. It was clear that the news had gotten out.

"Didn't I tell you last time? It's nothing serious." Yuan Yi lowered his head to meet Yan Xi's gaze. "Don't underestimate your man. If the old man doesn't give me the Yuan family shares, he'll only be able to give them to my brother. Let him make a fuss all he wants."

In other wealthy families, brothers would probably have fought tooth and nail for the family fortune, but the relationship between Yuan Yi and his brother seemed pretty good. From his tone, it seemed like he really wasn't bothered by the Yuan family's assets. Seeing that he truly didn't care, Yan Xi felt all her worries vanish. "It's good that you think that way."

"Recently, I'm sure there are people gossiping behind your back," Yuan Yi said, aware that not even the most sheltered person would remain unaware of the recent events. If no one was taking advantage of the situation to gossip about Yan Xiaoxi, that would be the real surprise. "Don't listen to their nonsense. I, Yuan Yi, don't lack money, I just lack a woman. If anyone says anything bad, don't put up with it. Deal with them as you see fit, scold them if you need to."

"Lack a woman?" Yan Xi fiddled with the buttons on his shirt. "Is that why you're pursuing me?"

"No, no, no," Yuan Yi quickly corrected himself. "I lack you in my life. With you, I'll be healthy, have good fortune, and everything will go smoothly."

"Good," Yan Xi let go of the buttons and smiled brightly. "I think so too."

Yuan Yi: ...

She's becoming more and more shameless. I wonder who spoiled her.

"By the way, I forgot to tell you, I bumped into your mother at the jewelry store earlier," Yan Xi said. "Since we hadn't formally met, I didn't take the initiative to greet her."

"It's good you didn't," Yuan Yi's expression became complicated. "My mom... although she doesn't have any bad intentions, she's a bit of a princess. Most people can't handle her."

"That's nonsense," Yan Xi laughed. "Don't let anyone hear you say that."

"I didn't tell anyone," Yuan Yi rubbed her head. "You don't need to worry about these things. Handling family matters is the man's responsibility. You're going to be my future wife, so I can't let you suffer."

"Already thinking about making me your wife?" Yan Xi smiled as she poked him in the stomach. "You wish."

"If I didn't want that, there'd be something wrong with me," Yuan Yi tilted his chin. "I'm not the kind of person who jokes with feelings."

"You're better than Zhang Wang in this regard," Yan Xi said. "He's great at everything, but he's too casual when it comes to relationships."

"Yeah, I won't learn from him." Yuan Yi nodded. "I'm not a casual person."

"Being casual is not human?"

"Yan Xiaoxi, can you be serious when you talk about romance?"

"Hehe, no."

Yan Xi spent the night at Yuan Yi's house. The next morning, she opened the wardrobe and found not only her clothes from a couple of days ago but also many other styles of women's clothes. She picked out one she liked and tried it on, and the size was perfect.

"Second young master," Aunt Li, seeing Yan Xi come downstairs, smiled at Yuan Yi, who was sitting on the sofa. "Miss Yan is down."

Yuan Yi shook the newspaper in his hands, which he hadn't even turned the page of, glanced at Yan Xi coming toward him, and calmly said, "You're up? Let's have breakfast."

The clothes fit her perfectly. It seemed the designer wasn't lying.

"Good morning." Yan Xi walked up to Yuan Yi. "The clothes are really beautiful. I love them. Thank you."

"I'm glad you like them." Yuan Yi wanted to say that he hadn't specially prepared them for her, just happened to pick them up, but seeing her smiling face, he couldn't bring himself to say such a pretentious thing. Actually, he had prepared them especially for her.

Aunt Li smiled at the two of them and turned to head to the kitchen.

Having worked in the Yuan family for so many years, Aunt Li had watched the second young master grow up, seen him go astray, argued with his parents, and gradually mature. Yet, in terms of relationships, he hadn't shown any interest until now.

Finally, he had found someone he genuinely liked, and Aunt Li was genuinely happy. She hoped that the second young master and Miss Yan could get married soon and live happily ever after.

After Yuan Yi dropped Yan Xi off at the TV station, as she walked through the door, she ran into a few familiar colleagues. After greeting each other, one of them said, "The person who dropped you off just now, that was the second young master of the Yuan family, right?"

Yan Xi smiled without denying it. When the elevator doors opened, everyone stepped in, and Yan Xi pressed the buttons for a few of the floors.

Seeing that she wasn't showing off about it, the others were both curious and hesitant to ask. Just a few days ago, some people had said that the second young master would definitely dump Yan Xi. Who would have thought that they had a good relationship and that he would personally drop her off at work?

People like him, did they really lack a car? It was clear that their relationship was good, and they couldn't bear to be apart.

After Yan Xi stepped out of the elevator, once the doors closed, one of her colleagues spoke up, "Actually, I think Miss Yan is really great. It makes sense that the second young master likes her."

"Who knows what those rich family heads think," another colleague remarked nonchalantly. "Maybe they think Miss Yan's job isn't good enough, or that she's too much in the public eye, or maybe they don't like that she's not from a prominent family. Whether they have a happy ending or not depends on how the second young master feels, not his parents' attitudes."

"How do you explain that?" the first colleague asked, intrigued. "The second young master is willing to give up the family wealth for Miss Yan. Isn't that real love?"

"A momentary sacrifice doesn't mean much. What we should worry about is whether he'll regret it later. At that point, Miss Yan might become a thorn in his side," the second colleague said with some sympathy. "Reality is far crueler than love stories. I just hope Miss Yan doesn't encounter that."

The first colleague fell silent.

After the noon news broadcast, as Yan Xi stepped out of the studio, she noticed a few colleagues smiling at her from around the room.

"What kind of expressions are you all making?" Yan Xi was already starving, so she took out her phone to order food.

"Why order food? The love lunch has already arrived," Chen Pei pointed to the person standing at the door.

Yan Xi looked up and saw one of Yuan Yi's drivers holding a lunchbox and flowers. She recognized him.

Upon seeing Yan Xi, the driver smiled, "Miss Yan, this is the lunch Mr. Yuan asked me to bring you."

"Thank you." Yan Xi took the flowers and lunchbox.

"Mr. Yuan had lunch with a client and found the food really good, so he packed one to send over for you." The driver spoke a few complimentary words about his boss. "Enjoy your meal, I'll head back to the hotel to pick up Mr. Yuan."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

Yan Xi turned around and noticed several pairs of eyes staring at her.

"I remember someone once said they didn't like others sending flowers?"

"A love lunch, huh?"

"Going to eat somewhere else and then bringing a portion back? My teeth are sweet enough to get cavities."

"Dog abuse, dog abuse, single dogs have no rights."

Yan Xi pushed through a crowd of curious colleagues, placed the flowers on her desk, and turned around to see two colleagues still standing at the office door. She couldn't help but laugh, "You guys are really bored."

"Watching a public display of affection is not boring at all," Xiao Yang leaned against the doorframe, grinning, "How much food did Mr. Yuan pack for you in such a big thermos?"

It was a six-layer thermos. Yan Xi opened the lid, and the top layer was filled with soft white rice. Below it were various stir-fried and steamed dishes, and the bottom layer contained soup. After removing the top layer, a rich fragrance wafted out.

"Smelling this, I feel like the food in our TV station's canteen is just pig food." Xiao Yang and a few colleagues didn't want to torture themselves, so they closed the door for Yan Xi.

"When a man can think of his girlfriend while enjoying delicious food, that must be true love," Xiao Yang thought about her ex-boyfriend, who always ate everything on the table when they went out. Whenever they went on a date, he would just bury his head in the food. It wasn't that she lacked food, but sometimes it was that very food that made her realize how much she meant to him.

"Some people outside are saying that Yan Lao Shi will definitely be dumped." The makeup artist sneered, "Pure nonsense."

"That's right," Zhao Peng crossed his legs, "I've been through it. I can tell if a man really likes a woman. The Mr. Yuan you all talk about definitely has deep feelings for Xiao Yan."

He had suspected for a while that the man might have feelings for Yan Xi, but since Yan Xi kept saying they were just friends, he hadn't interfered.

"I said it before, when a man treats a woman like that and still calls her a friend, who are you kidding? We're all men, we know what's what."

"Zhao, since you're an expert, when will they get married?" Xiao Yang filled a cup with water and handed it to Zhao Peng, "Here, drink some water and give us a little hint."

"Well..." Zhao Peng took a sip of water, "I don't know that."

"Ha!" The others scattered, no longer paying attention to Zhao Peng.

Zhao Peng smiled and didn't mind his colleagues' attitude. He glanced at the office door. If they had any questions about this, they should ask Yan Xi. In their relationship, even though Yuan Yi was more powerful and had a better family background than Yan Xi, the one who actually dominated the relationship might be Yan Xi.

Judging a relationship by status to decide who is stronger or weaker doesn't make sense.

After Yuan Yi finished lunch with his business partners, he didn't like going to other entertainment places, and his familiar business partners knew his habits. So, after the lunch, they all said their goodbyes and left.

Assistant Meng looked at the cars leaving and said to Yuan Yi, "There's an old fox inside, talks a lot but doesn't get to the point."

Some people's attitudes had become somewhat awkward after they learned that the boss had been removed from his position at Changfeng. Fortunately, the boss had already established a solid team in recent years, otherwise, with all these disruptions, who knows how much they would lose.

But even though there was no significant loss in assets, some people's attitudes were enough to make one sick. Those people should be nominated for the Oscar for best performance, if only they were good-looking enough for the camera.

"Tch," Yuan Yi stuffed his hands in his pockets, his elite demeanor quickly shifting into a more casual, refined vibe, "Instead of getting angry at these people, I should focus on next Tuesday's mobile game press conference."

"Boss, the online buzz is really heating up, and many netizens are curious when this mobile game will be officially launched," Assistant Meng said, feeling a bit anxious. The boss had invested a lot of money into this game, and if the response was poor, all the time and money spent over the past year would have been wasted.

"Mm." Yuan Yi had a seasoned planning team, so he never worried about the promotional side of things.

What he was worried about now... was how to win his girlfriend's father's favor.

At nearly 27 years old, he had never felt so nervous.

Just as he was thinking, his phone rang. The caller ID showed "Yan Xiaoxi."

After answering the call, Yuan Yi stood frozen in place.

Assistant Meng noticed the boss's pale face and stiff body, and cautiously asked, "Boss, what's wrong?"

Was it a failed investment?

Did the stock market crash?

Was he getting fired?

"It's nothing," Yuan Yi turned to him and said, "You go back to the office, I have something urgent to take care of."

Seeing the boss so panicked, Assistant Meng became even more worried. "Boss, whatever it is, don't rush. When you rush, things tend to go wrong. Stay calm and take your time."

"My girlfriend asked me to go to the airport to pick up her father. Do you think I'm not in a rush?" Yuan Yi walked a few steps in place. "Wait, don't go back to the office just yet. You drive to buy a suitable gift for elders, and I'll go to the TV station to pick up someone."

"Wait!" Yuan Yi stopped Assistant Meng, who was about to leave. "You drive to the TV station to pick someone up. I'll go buy the gift myself; it will show more sincerity."

Assistant Meng couldn't help but ask, seeing the boss pacing nervously: "Boss, did Miss Yan tell you what time Mr. Song's flight arrives?"

"Around five in the afternoon."

Assistant Meng glanced at his watch—it was only 2 p.m. now.

"Then it's perfect for you to buy the gift now and then pick up Miss Yan, right?"

"No, what if I'm late?" Yuan Yi immediately rejected the idea. "It's the first time I'm meeting my future father-in-law, I can't be late."

Assistant Meng thought to himself: The girlfriend was just won over, and he's already calling her father the future father-in-law. In a few days, will the boss be calling him "dad"?

"Boss, you make a very valid point."

Yan Xi got off work early. When she arrived downstairs, she found that the person picking her up wasn't Yuan Yi or his driver, but Assistant Meng. She was a bit confused, "Assistant Meng, where's the boss?"

"Miss Yan, the boss went to buy a gift for Mr. Song. He asked me to pick you up."

Yan Xi smiled but didn't say anything in front of Assistant Meng.

When the two of them met up with Yuan Yi, Yan Xi noticed that he was wearing different clothes than when he left in the morning.

"You changed your clothes?" Yan Xi got out of the car and walked over to Yuan Yi. "You look handsome!"

"My image consultant said that when I wear this outfit, it makes me look more reliable and steady, which is perfect for meeting elders," Yuan Yi tugged at his somewhat tight tie and then pulled Yan Xi into another car.

As their hands clasped together, Yan Xi realized that his palm was as cold as ice.

Seeing how tense he was, sitting upright and stiff, Yan Xi's heart softened like cotton candy.

He was nervous.