After spending the afternoon enjoying the scenery at Yi Garden, Sister-in-law Su Manzhu suggested returning to Purple Bamboo Garden for a family dinner.
Old Master Xie rarely returned to the capital, so they also invited Old Master Wen and Old Master Tan to join the gathering.
The three old gentlemen had once fought side by side in their youth and later each governed their own domains, sharing a bond of life-and-death camaraderie.
Xie Tingnan agreed and headed straight for the second floor: “I’ll go upstairs to change.”
Jiang Xin looked at his T-shirt and shorts and smiled: “You should change. Tonight, it’s not just the elders at home—An’an and Tan Xiaosong will also be coming.”
Xie Tingnan didn’t hear a word Jiang Xin said, only quickening his pace toward the second floor.
When the master bedroom door was pushed open, Aunt An bowed slightly: “Second Young Master is here.”
The man glanced at the bed and lowered his voice: “Has she been sleeping the whole time?”
“Yes. Miss Yu knew you were busy. After bathing, she took her medicine and lay down. She’s been asleep ever since.”
“You may leave for now.” Xie Tingnan lowered his gaze, his voice deep as the ocean.
He strode to the bedside, leaned over, and placed his large hand on the jade-like forehead of the small face.
As if to double-check, he used the method his family had employed when he was a child—pressing his cheek against Yu Wanwan’s forehead.
Only after confirming that her temperature had dropped did he straighten up and head directly to the wardrobe. As he walked, he stripped off his T-shirt and shorts.
Yu Wanwan silently observed the man’s impressive physique.
Broad shoulders, a lean and taut back with well-defined muscles, and a smooth, deep indentation running down the center of his spine, all the way down.
The inverted triangle golden ratio was particularly pronounced at his waist, where the contrast between width and narrowness was strikingly evident.
With his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs, his cool-toned skin radiated a mature and sensual glow.
The man selected a silver-gray short-sleeved shirt from the neatly hung garments, paired it with tailored black trousers, and retrieved a watch from the side to put on.
Noble and aloof, mature and steady, or perhaps, breathtakingly handsome…
When Xie Tingnan carried himself with poise, he exuded the aura of a proud and confident scion of a prestigious family—graceful yet with a hint of roguish charm, unmatched by anyone.
The moment he turned around, Yu Wanwan quickly closed her eyes.
The faint scent of Southern Fragrance drifted closer and closer.
It was his thin, soft lips, pressing against her forehead, the tip of her nose, and then her rosy lips.
Yu Wanwan’s heart fluttered.
The small hands hidden beneath the sheets tightly gripped the bedsheet, crumpling it into folds.
Xie Tingnan didn’t linger for long. After kissing Yu Wanwan, he quickly stood up and, at the doorway, gave a few instructions:
“Take good care of her. I won’t be back for dinner. Keep an eye on her at all times. If she develops a fever again, call Yin Ren.”
The sound of leather shoes tapping against the wooden floor echoed as he walked downstairs, growing fainter and fainter.
That night, Purple Bamboo Garden was bustling with people, a scene of extraordinary liveliness.
That night, in the vast expanse of Yi Garden, Yu Wanwan dismissed Aunt An and sat alone by the lotus pond in the pavilion, lost in self-pity.
He had said: “Silly girl, I won’t abandon you.”
She understood all his actions, yet she couldn’t help but feel lonely.
In truth, she was afraid of being abandoned.
She had been abandoned from the moment she was born.
Sometimes, in moments of deep pessimism, Yu Wanwan would think that she should have left this world back then.
She took out her phone, found her adoptive father Yu Guanzhong’s number, and dialed.
“Isn’t this my little sister Wanwan? Still remember your brother?” A frivolous voice sounded on the other end of the line.
“Give the phone to Dad.” Yu Wanwan’s voice was icy.
“What’s this? Baby, so unwelcoming to your brother? Did Xie Tingnan fuck you and make you feel good? Tell me, how many times a day does he fuck you?
I’ve held back for over twenty years, never laid a finger on you. If he doesn’t fuck you a few more times a day, it’d be a waste of all these years I’ve endured…”
A crisp slap rang out.
Yu Guanzhong’s furious roar came through the phone: “Get out! Useless piece of trash.”
Originally, Yu Wanwan thought that if she didn’t see Yu Huai, she could let go of all the fears that had haunted her.
That person had bullied and terrorized her since childhood.
She clearly remembered opening her schoolbag and a live mouse jumping out.
Little Yu Wanwan screamed in terror while Yu Huai laughed until he was breathless.
After Yu Huai became aware of male-female relationships, despite being strictly guarded by Yu Guanzhong and his wife, he still couldn’t resist verbally harassing her.
Now, hearing his filthy words over the phone, Yu Wanwan still trembled with anger, her fingers gripping the phone turning white at the knuckles.
In the entire Yu family, the patriarch Yu Guanzhong still held some genuine affection for his adopted daughter Wanwan.
After all, hearts are made of flesh and blood. He had raised her like a young lady for fifteen years.
“Wanwan, are you settling in well in the capital?” Yu Guanzhong’s tone was gentle.
“Dad, I’m fine, don’t worry.” The girl’s voice was faint.
“Mr. Xie, is he treating you well?”
The light in Yu Wanwan’s eyes grew dimmer. In a cold, detached tone, she quietly asked:
“I never saw that contract back then. Dad, I just want to know, how long do I need to stay with Xie Tingnan?”
How long? Yu Guanzhong’s lips twitched.
He couldn’t answer, because once he had handed her over to Xie Tingnan, there was no logic in asking for her back.
So, there was no set duration.
Nevertheless, Yu Guanzhong spoke:
“Wanwan, don’t worry. Since you’re there, live as happily as you did at home and serve Mr. Xie well. After two years, Dad will come to Nancheng to bring you back.”
Two years—that was just a number he guessed.
A man’s novelty lasts two years at most.
So Yu Guanzhong thought perhaps Xie Tingnan would grow tired of her in less than two years.
In the limited time, he still needed to quickly develop the prime land in Nancheng’s core area that Xie Tingnan had given him, to prevent him from changing his mind.
“Understood, Dad. Take care, goodbye.”
Yu Wanwan hung up the phone at the right moment.
Two years wasn’t too long.
Because of the answer Yu Guanzhong gave, her suppressed mood suddenly lifted.
That night, Xie Tingnan didn’t return to Yi Garden.
Yu Wanwan had no news of him at all.
As long as he didn’t come back, she never knew what he was doing.
That night, Yi Garden was bustling with people, a gathering of prominent families.
The three elders rarely gathered to reminisce and drink tea, and all the grandchildren were present.
The vast Purple Bamboo Garden had clearly become a major gathering of the power elite.
The kitchen at Purple Bamboo Garden was overwhelmed with work, including descendants of imperial chefs.
Plates of authentic official cuisine were served at the table, and classic dishes from both Shandong and Cantonese cuisines were prepared.
Among them, Elder Wen’s ancestral home was in Guangdong, Elder Tan’s in Shandong, while the Xie family hailed from the Old Imperial City Roots.
As for the younger generation, they were all born and raised in the capital, returning to their ancestral homes only during holidays.
After Xie Tingnan, Tan Dingsong, Feng Jinyao, Xing Rufei, and the other young men had each toasted the old master, they went to the pavilion in the courtyard to play cards.
The womenfolk were in the garden, listening to opera, sipping tea, and chatting.
A woman with wavy hair, both charming and capable, wore a Chanel-style professional suit, exuding an elegant and refined air.
She was Tan Dingsong’s younger sister, Tan Xiaosong, an internationally renowned jewelry designer.
With multiple brand jewelry stores overseas, she was hailed as the top socialite of Beijing and Shanghai.
The woman held a wine glass in her delicate hand, lightly savoring a Romanée-Conti.
Her seductive eyes swept, seemingly casually, over a man in the pavilion…