Chapter 94

When Xu Qiaosheng went upstairs to call Yuan Yi and Yan Xi, he noticed that Yan Xi's face was slightly red, while his cousin was smiling like a bright sunflower. Unable to resist, he cheekily asked, "What were you two doing in the room?"

"Silence makes a person seem more profound and mysterious." Yuan Yi pushed Xu Qiaosheng aside, looking at him and saying, "You should learn from this, it'll do you good."

Xu Qiaosheng: "..."

Yan Xi touched her slightly heated face, never expecting Yuan Yi's kissing skills to improve so quickly. She almost lost control earlier, but thankfully, they both remembered they were at the Xu family's house, so they restrained themselves. Otherwise, it would have been awkward.

They went downstairs. When Yuan Yi saw Xu Ya sitting on the sofa, he casually took Yan Xi's hand and greeted her. His posture was relaxed, but there wasn't much of the intimacy that should be expected between a mother and son.

What surprised Yan Xi was that Xu Ya's attitude toward her was unexpectedly warm, almost as if she were a different person. She couldn't help but glance at Yuan Yi. He didn't seem to notice any change in Xu Ya, and was picking out big, red strawberries from the fruit plate, offering them to her.

"You can only eat five, and then it's time for lunch." Yuan Yi handed her a napkin. "Go ahead and eat."

"Xiao Yi really knows how to take care of people." The elderly woman who spoke was chubby and very kind. Yan Xi remembered she was probably Yuan Yi's maternal aunt.

"That's right. He never used to do things like this." Another relative glanced at Xu Ya and began complimenting Yan Xi. "Miss Yan, you're both beautiful and talented. I heard from others that Xiao Yi's company is growing bigger and better. Looks like he has a girlfriend now, and is being well-managed by her. He knows how to strive for success."

Other relatives joined in, praising Yan Xi. Several of them even mentioned the content of the show she hosted and asked her about the people involved in it.

"The charity foundation has been established, with supervision from the government, sponsors, and the TV station, so its fairness is beyond question." Yan Xi noticed that the group was most concerned about the orphans and abused children. "I'm just the host, so I can only report on the current situation in society. But the real change in their lives and futures comes from those kind-hearted viewers."

"You can't say that. It's not easy for you to make the show happen," Xu Ya's maternal aunt sighed. "Without your production team, we wouldn't know so much about these issues, right?"

Xu Ya watched her relatives talking with Yan Xi about topics she didn't understand, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions, a feeling she couldn't quite describe. She had never understood why a girl from a good family, who was also pretty, would go through so much trouble and hardship. But seeing the smile on Yan Xi's face, she seemed to understand a little more.

Turning to look at her younger son, she saw him gazing at Yan Xi with a gentle look in his eyes, a look that also carried a hint of pride.

Xu Ya lowered her eyes to her well-maintained hands and suddenly felt a sense of clarity.

Men are different, and women are different too. She shouldn't impose her own preferences or her husband's on her children's choices. This was a truth many mothers understood, but she had failed to realize it.

In this lifetime, she owed these two children too much, and she had no face to ask anything of them anymore.

"Xiao Er..." She couldn't help but call out to her younger son, wanting to know if he resented or hated her.

"Hmm?" Yuan Yi turned his head to look at her, his gaze unusually calm, as if he were looking at an ordinary person. There was neither hatred nor resentment.

In that moment, Xu Ya saw herself in his eyes: fearful, selfish, and filled with irreplaceable regret.

She wanted to cry, but couldn't shed a tear. Her heart ached, but she couldn't express the pain.

"Ah Bo..." Yuan Yasen rushed through the Xu family's front door. Seeing his father-in-law sitting at the head of the sofa, he paused his steps and properly greeted him.

"Looks like today is a good day. The whole family is here." Xu Laoye pointed to where Xu Ya was sitting, and said to Yuan Yasen, "Go ahead, sit with us."

Worried that the coldness from his body might affect Xu Ya, Yuan Yasen took off his coat before sitting down. Then he turned to Yuan Bo and asked, "Ah Bo, what's going on with that project in Taoxiang City?" A friend's company had suddenly encountered major issues, and it turned out that it was related to their company, Changfeng. No wonder his friend called him at the end of the year.

"Taoxiang City?" Yuan Bo thought for a moment, "That company had some minor issues, so I told the branch office to suspend their cooperation with them. Is there a problem?"

"Don't you know who the owner of their company is?" Yuan Yasen rarely dealt with the company's affairs these past few years, so he couldn't tell if what Yuan Bo said was true or not.

"Those are matters for the branch office; I'm not too clear." Yuan Bo pulled out his phone. "I'll have my secretary look into it right away."

"No need," Yuan Yasen said, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "You've been busy managing the company, so take a proper rest for the New Year."

Yuan Bo nodded readily, not saying anything further.

Perhaps because of the lively and cheerful atmosphere in the Xu family, the mood in the Yuan family lightened as well. At dinner, everyone had smiles on their faces, and even Yuan Yasen, who wasn't too fond of Yan Xi, dared not say anything unpleasant in front of his father-in-law.

After the meal, everyone was in high spirits. Xu Ya took out a big red envelope and handed it to Yan Xi. "Happy New Year."

Yan Xi turned to Yuan Yi, and he took the envelope for her. "Thank you, Mom."

"It's nothing." Xu Ya forced a smile.

"Grandfather, since Xiao Er and Xiao Xi don't need to work today, why don't we let them have some fun?" Yuan Bo said as he unbuttoned his shirt cuffs. "I'll stay and play a few rounds with everyone."

"Big Yuan is right. You young people should go shopping and buy things. Don't stay here with me," Xu Laoye said, understanding. He pulled out two red envelopes from his pocket and gave one to Yuan Yi and one to Yan Xi. "Go ahead, go ahead."

Yuan Yi and Yan Xi, carrying a pile of red envelopes, were ushered out of the door. After they got into the car, Yan Xi opened all the red envelopes and found that some contained bank cards, some contained jewelry, and others had checks.

"I finally understand why so many people want to marry into a wealthy family," Yan Xi said, looking at the items that filled the entire seat. "The total value of these is already over seven figures."

"Don't rush," Yuan Yi said, seeing Yan Xi smiling as she counted the gifts. He tried to brainwash her, "Once we get married, they'll even give us houses and stores. Getting married early is more profitable."

Yan Xi raised an eyebrow and looked at Yuan Yi, "Are you saying I'm a woman who marries for money?"

Yuan Yi immediately shook his head, "No! If you were marrying for money, I wouldn't need to rack my brain to propose to you."

"In the past, every time the New Year was approaching, I would go shopping with my mom to buy clothes," Yan Xi said, recalling the past. "Later, you'll take me to my dad's company. They're having the annual meeting tonight, and my dad wants me to show up and meet with the senior management."

Yuan Yi wanted to go with Yan Xi, but he knew it wasn't quite the right time yet, so he reluctantly agreed.

Passing by a women's clothing store, Yuan Yi took her inside and bought her a whole new outfit from head to toe.

After they left the store, Yuan Yi smiled and said, "Happy New Year."

Yan Xi blinked, looking at the smiling man in front of her, and suddenly threw herself into his arms. "Yuan Xiaoer, how are you so good!"

Although there were people coming and going on the street, with some occasionally glancing at them, Yuan Yi still held Yan Xi in his arms in full view. If his woman wanted to act spoiled, the man should be more tolerant.

As a man, he had to do what was needed and be tolerant where necessary; otherwise, what kind of man would he be?

He dropped Yan Xi off at the bottom of her father's company building and grabbed her before she could get out of the car. "I'll come find you the night after tomorrow."

The night of New Year's Eve?

"What do you want me to do with you the night of New Year's Eve?"

"I want you to spend it with me," Yuan Yi replied, fearing Yan Xi might refuse. "It's settled then."

"Alright." Yan Xi thought about the somewhat distant parent-child relationship in the Yuan family and nodded. "Come over earlier the night after tomorrow, and we'll have the New Year's Eve dinner together."

"Really?" Yuan Yi looked at Yan Xi with shining eyes, his gaze intense.

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Yuan Yi shook his head. "Then I'll come over after lunch the day after tomorrow."

Yan Xi smiled. "Okay."

The two of them continued chatting affectionately for a while longer before Yuan Yi finally allowed Yan Xi to get out of the car. He didn't stop looking until her figure disappeared behind the office building doors. Then, he turned to the driver and said, "Dagang, take me to the bookstore."

"Mr. Yuan, it might be difficult to find parking near the bookstore at this time."

"That's fine, after I get out, you can drive around and pick me up again," Yuan Yi insisted on going to the bookstore. Buying a cookbook was urgent—he could still practice cooking at home for the whole day.

Last time when he visited his father-in-law, he didn't even know how to handle onions and garlic. This time, he was determined to redeem himself.

As soon as Yan Xi entered Yan Hai's company, she drew the curiosity of many employees. She was a legendary figure, after all. Hosting a show with famous presenter Shen Xingyan and managing to make her high-class boyfriend fall head over heels for her made her the perfect example of a "winner in life"—a role model for women.

Some brave employees approached her for a chat and even asked for a photo together, to which Yan Xi readily agreed.

Seeing how approachable Yan Xi was, more employees crowded around to take photos with her. Whether or not they watched the shows she hosted didn't matter—they could always show off the photo with the famous presenter to their friends on social media.

When Song Hai stepped out of his office, he heard a commotion outside. He assumed it was because of the approaching holidays and that everyone was distracted from work, so he didn't pay it much attention. He turned to a department manager and said, "Although they're still here, their minds are already elsewhere. I should've let them have the holiday a day earlier."

The department manager, thinking Song Hai would be unhappy, was relieved to hear this. After they walked out, they saw a group of employees gathered, chattering, though they couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

"Boss, it looks like the little boss is here," the assistant said, standing on tiptoe to get a better view. "The employees are all taking photos with the little boss."

"Young people like the excitement; let them have their fun," Song Hai thought for a moment and then told the assistant, "See what Yan Yan's holding. Help her bring it to my office."

The assistant squeezed through the crowd and realized that Song Hai's guess was accurate—Yan Xi was indeed holding quite a few things.

"Little boss," the assistant said, squeezing next to Yan Xi. Before he could speak, a female employee grabbed him and pulled him aside. "You big guy, don't cut in line! Go to the back!"

The assistant: "..."

The women in the company were ruthless. He... couldn't afford to mess with them.

Standing on the side, he waited for nearly half an hour until the women, satisfied with their photos, dispersed. Only then did the assistant squeeze back over. "Little boss, the boss asked me to help take your things to the office. There's still some time before the annual meeting, and I'll arrange for a few people to show you around the company."

"These things are a bit heavy; I'll just carry them myself," Yan Xi said, bidding farewell to the enthusiastic employees before heading toward Song Hai's office.

The things are heavy, so you'll carry them yourself?

Isn't that logic a bit off? Shouldn't it be that the things aren't heavy, so you don't need anyone's help?

The young and strong assistant thought there might be something wrong with his ears.

The company's annual meeting was much more down-to-earth than those at the TV station. Song Hai directly booked an entire hotel floor. They had a wide array of food and drinks laid out on the tables, and during the breaks while people were eating and drinking, he went on stage to say a few words, award outstanding employees, hand out red envelopes, and let people sing, dance, or do whatever they liked. Even though the singing was off-key and the dancing was just some arm and leg stretches, the atmosphere was lively and energetic.

Even Yan Xi, encouraged by everyone's cheers, went on stage to tell a couple of jokes, making the audience laugh nonstop.

"I always thought I should be a humorous host, but unfortunately, the director said that when the audience sees your face, they won't be able to stop laughing, so you'd better not ruin everyone's job," Yan Xi said with a "desperate" expression, which triggered another round of laughter.

Yan Xi's face didn't exactly fit the "humorous" image, but being able to make fun of her own appearance was a great way to gain affection. By the time dinner ended, employees of all ranks were calling her "Little Boss" nonstop.

The company's higher-ups joked with Song Hai: "Boss, fortunately, you're not an emperor, or with Little Boss's status in everyone's eyes, tomorrow your empire would be passed on to the princess."

"I'd love to be the emperor, but unfortunately, the princess has other ambitions," Song Hai said, his face flushed after a few drinks. "But as a parent, isn't the goal to see your child happy? Let her do whatever she wants."

The executives knew that Song Hai was most proud of his daughter, so they happily flattered him. After dinner, Song Hai's smile was so wide it almost looked like a hippopotamus's. Fortunately, he still remembered Yan Xi's advice and didn't drink too much that evening.

After the annual meeting, father and daughter got into the car, and Yan Xi told Song Hai about her plan to invite Yuan Yi to join them for the New Year's Eve dinner.

"This matter..." Song Hai frowned. "Have you considered the opinion of Yuan Yi's parents?"

Yan Xi hesitated for a moment and then told Song Hai everything about the Yuan family.

"How could parents be like that?" Song Hai, still a little tipsy, slapped the armrest of his seat heavily. "When you told me about a few things before, I thought they were just neglectful of their child, but it's not neglect; they simply don't care at all!"

Song Hai was clearly angry, his voice rising as he spoke. "To have parents like that is bad luck for the child. Call Yuan Yi right now, immediately! If his family doesn't care for him, then I'll step in and care for him!"

Even though Yuan Yi, in Song Hai's eyes, was like a pig wanting to marry a precious jade, he was still a good pig. What family would be willing to treat such a good child poorly?