Yan Xiaye nervously swallowed, then cautiously called out to him, “Younger Uncle.”
The man with his back to her stopped in his tracks, his tone as flat as ever, impossible to discern his thoughts, “Hmm?”
“About yesterday…
I’m sorry.”
Determined to seek forgiveness, Yan Xiaye clenched her small fists and took a few quick steps to catch up to Li Yuntang.
She looked earnestly into his deep and abyssal eyes, “I know you did it for my own good…”
“Xiaye, this is your life, you don’t need to apologize for your choices,” Li Yuntang said, his handsome brows lifting slightly as he looked back at her with an inscrutable gaze.
“Or are you saying you regret it and want to seize another opportunity?”
Yan Xiaye felt a bitter taste in her mouth and shook her head slightly, aware that Li Yuntang probably viewed her as a fickle and petty person.
After a moment, she sighed softly, “Younger Uncle, thank you.”
Watching her face fall sadly, Li Yuntang paused briefly before changing the topic, “Do you want to tell me why Beicheng was looking for you?”
Yan Xiaye nodded earnestly, recounting the whole story without any exaggeration before breakfast was over.
“I see…” Li Beicheng put down his knife and fork, smiling lightly as he sipped his black coffee.
“If Beicheng says he never bought that piece of jewelry for you, what would you do?”
Yan Xiaye swallowed a small dumpling in one gulp and answered softly after thinking for a moment, “I wouldn’t do much.”
Seeing Li Yuntang raise an eyebrow at her, she smiled sheepishly, her eyes as bright as stars, “If his denial could lead me to give up on him completely, then it wouldn’t just be worth a gemstone, even millions of gemstones would be a fair trade.”
Her words were a bit convoluted, but it didn’t prevent Li Yuntang from understanding her loud and clear.
As he studied her, he suddenly found her even more enigmatic, but it didn’t affect his appreciation for the sharp edge she was showing for the first time.
In her, kindness and gentleness were real, as were strength and composure.
If she were groomed with some tactics, given time, this girl might prove worthy of capturing his attention.
To commend her for this detachment, he clapped lightly and praised, “Insightful, well said.”
Yan Xiaye was flattered, sipping her milk tea in small gulps, barely able to hide the proud curve on her lips.
From childhood, she lived in the shadow of Yan Shuirou, as per her parents’ arrangements, and receiving praise was rare.
Moreover, this praise coming from Li Yuntang was profound and extraordinary.
Before she could thoroughly relish this honor, the butler came in to announce, “Second Master, the young master and a lady have returned.”
Li Yuntang stood tall and nodded gently at Yan Xiaye, “Let’s go to the study.”
…
Passing through the garden hall with Li Beicheng, Yan Shuirou was wide-eyed in astonishment, hating Yan Xiaye even more.
Even with the help of the Li family, the Yan family’s living conditions had improved dramatically from the past, but at best, that was merely the level of newly rich, far from comparable to the centuries-old grandeur of the Li family.
Whether it was marrying Li Beicheng or living here, these were the lifelong dreams of countless women in Jianghai.
Yet, somehow, Yan Xiaye had caught the favor of the heavens, and by merely being kind-hearted enough to donate bone marrow to Old Master Li for a moment, she easily got all this.
Compared to Yan Shuirou’s beaming smiles, Li Beicheng’s mood was rather uneasy.
Younger Uncle’s character was well known to him; the very fact that he would speak those words in front of the bodyguard was a clear signal he intended to protect Yan Xiaye.
What’s worse, if Grandma were to find out the trickery behind it all, given Yan Shuirou’s current state of health, she might not be able to withstand the wrath of Grandma’s sandalwood walking stick.
Heavy-hearted, Li Beicheng stood at the study door and knocked, “Younger Uncle, I’m back.”
“Come in.”
As the door opened, sunlight slanted in from the Northern European-style floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a fuzzy golden glow over the man and woman standing and sitting before the desk, softening Li Yuntang’s overly stern presence, they looked every part the handsome couple, the envy of others.
Li Beicheng’s steps faltered as he entered the study, his gaze upon this scene suddenly deepened.
He couldn’t help but feel that, perhaps it was an illusion, the scene was damnably harmonious.
“Beicheng, what are you thinking about?
Your Younger Uncle is calling you in,” said Yan Shuirou with a push, her face shy, bringing him back to reality.
At the desk, Li Yuntang leisurely closed the book, “Miss Yan, I have no desire to know what your relationship with Beicheng is, but you certainly don’t have the right to call me ‘Younger Uncle.'”
Yan Shuirou’s face drained of color, her pearly whites tightly clenched, a flash of spite in her eyes quickly vanishing.
“And you, Beicheng.” Li Yuntang turned his gaze, maintaining his seating posture yet exuding an air of superiority, “For an unclear woman, bullying Xiaye, you truly are a good child of the Li Family, such a credit to your family.”
His tone was moderate, yet each word stung like a needle, pinning Li Beicheng down so he couldn’t lift his head.
Staring at the floor and taking a breath, Li Beicheng spoke with less certainty, “Younger Uncle, Shuirou has been frail since birth, having no name or position but following me for so many years, I have to take extra care of her.”
A few meters away, Yan Xiaye’s self-mocking smile tugged at her lips, feeling the scabbed wound on her arm throbbing once again.
Li Beicheng’s defense of Yan Shuirou was, in fact, not unexpected to her.
But witnessing it with her own eyes and ears, she felt a different kind of anger and sorrowful ache.
“Fine, since that’s how it is, I can’t be bothered to waste more words with you two,” Li Yuntang withdrew his gaze and pushed the box to the center of the table, “Xiaye has already told me what happened.
Miss Yan, you believe this box was originally a gift from you to her, and that Xiaye took it out of jealousy, don’t you?”
Yan Shuirou, having just embarrassed herself, nodded quickly, daring not to utter another unnecessary word.
“Beicheng, is that what you think too?”
Yan Xiaye held no hope for Li Beicheng’s response.
She looked out the window with a calm expression.
Her slender profile was poignant, each inch a testament to all the hurt he had inflicted on her.
Li Beicheng’s pupils constricted; he found himself unable to look away as if bewitched.
For the first time in his life, he had a strong premonition that he was going to lose her forever.
In an indescribable panic, he instinctively denied the implication before he even had time to think, not considering how Yan Xiaye could possess such a box, “No…
I bought two of these pieces of jewelry at an auction, the one I gave to Xiaye, Shuirou was unaware.”
He paused briefly, his eyes flickering uncertainly, “Maybe Shuirou accidentally dropped the box somewhere, then saw Yan Xiaye with a similar one, and misunderstood that her belongings had been stolen.”
His decisive words echoed in the empty study.
As Yan Shuirou gasped, Yan Xiaye stiffened, turning her head in disbelief.