Jin Kaiyuan felt a bit speechless, as if the logic of the situation wasn't quite right.
Never mind, what's done is done. Dwelling on it so much was pointless. More importantly, he had recognized a fact.
"Son, Mr. Ye is a good person, someone you can cooperate with!" Jin Kaiyuan said with a sigh.
"How many times have I told you this!" Jin Mian said impatiently. "Why don't you just abdicate and hand the company over to me!"
"I think you're asking for a beating!" Jin Kaiyuan roared, truly an unfilial son!
The Jin family began another day of fatherly affection and filial piety.
*
On the weekend, Ye Zhi and Qi Xuan flew to T City.
Ye Zhi had already booked the hotel in advance. When they arrived, Ye Zhi went to check in, while Qi Xuan followed beside her, glancing around.
"Break up! We're breaking up as soon as we get back!"
"Are you serious? I just laughed a few times when you fell. You woman, why are you making such a big deal out of it?"
"Get lost! I've been climbing with you from the foot of the mountain to the summit, and you've been making sarcastic remarks the whole way! All I asked was to take the cable car down, and you're too stingy to even pay for that! Get lost! We're breaking up now! Don't let me see you again!"
...
Watching the couples storming away in anger, Qi Xuan's eyelids twitched slightly.
He remembered the housekeeper telling him that climbing mountains could affect a couple's relationship, but he hadn't expected it to be so severe.
It seemed that when they went hiking, he would have to be more mindful of Ye Zhi's emotions.
"I'm done! Here's the room card." Ye Zhi walked over and handed him the card. "Let's take the two middle rooms. Your bodyguards and my bodyguards can stay in the rooms next to us, so they can get here quickly if anything happens."
"Okay." Qi Xuan took the room card with a worried expression.
"Why don't you look very happy?" Ye Zhi asked, a hint of unease in her voice. "Are you unhappy with the simple conditions here?"
"No," Qi Xuan replied, snapping back to attention. "Let's go, we should put our luggage away first."
Seeing that there didn't seem to be any major issues, Ye Zhi didn't press further. Later, after she had settled her luggage in the hotel room, it suddenly started to rain outside.
She looked at the rain outside, speechless for a moment.
How could this happen?!
She had asked the staff from the game department who had gone for a site visit, and they had all said that Tongshan not only had beautiful sunrises but also magnificent sea of clouds!
The mountain path was also relatively flat and safe. Apart from the tiredness from climbing, there were no other problems.
But Ye Zhi never expected it to start raining as soon as they arrived.
What was the point of looking at anything now? Forget about the sunrise; climbing a mountain in the rain would be too dangerous!
After putting away her luggage, Ye Zhi stepped out of her room and went to the adjacent one, knocking on the door.
With things turning out this way, she had to ask Qi Xuan about his next plan.
The door opened, and a sophisticated and elegant woman appeared.
Ye Zhi's mind went blank for a moment. Had she gone to the wrong room? Was this not Qi Xuan's room?
Why was a beautiful woman opening the door?
"Uh... hello," Ye Zhi asked, confused. "Is Qi Xuan in?"
"What are you looking for him for?" the woman asked, leaning against the door with amusement. "Who are you to him?"
Ye Zhi was even more surprised. The woman hadn't said she was at the wrong door, so she must know Qi Xuan. She calmly replied, "I'm his friend."
The woman opposite her couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It was over!
When Ye Zhi said this, she was so open and honest, without a hint of jealousy in her gaze. It seemed the housekeeper hadn't lied to her; Qi Xuan still had a long way to go.
"Mom, who's at the door? Is it Ye Zhi?" Qi Xuan asked from inside the room.
Ye Zhi looked at the woman before her in shock. This was Qi Xuan's mother?!
No! Why would she meet Qi Xuan's mother in a place like this?
"Yes!" the woman called back, then gracefully extended her hand. "It's you, Mr. Ye. Hello, I'm Qi Xuan's mother. You can call me Aunt Cheng."
"Hello, Aunt Cheng. Do you know me?" Ye Zhi came back to her senses and shook Cheng Yi's hand.
She had heard of Cheng Yi's name before. The housekeeper had once complained to her that Qi Xuan's mother was also a career-driven woman.
When she was young, after giving birth to Qi Xuan, she had traveled all over the world for her career, showing no signs of stopping.
The housekeeper didn't have much of a problem with her focusing on her career. What he disliked was that Cheng Yi couldn't control her husband and couldn't make him stay home to take care of their child. Her husband also traveled with her; wherever she went, Qi Xuan's father followed.
As a result, Qi Xuan spent very little time with his parents when he was young, being almost entirely raised by the housekeeper.
Therefore, although Ye Zhi had never met Cheng Yi, she had a good impression of her.
"Come in," Cheng Yi said with a smile, moving aside. "The renowned Mr. Ye, who wouldn't know you?"
"Aunt Cheng, you flatter me. You don't need to call me Mr. Ye. I'm young, you can just call me by my name." Ye Zhi said a little awkwardly. Being praised so directly made her feel quite embarrassed.
"Alright, Ye Zhi." Cheng Yi smiled and changed her address.
"Aunt Cheng, are you here for a vacation too?" Ye Zhi asked.
"Yes, I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence. Qi Xuan is also here, so I came to see him," Cheng Yi said with a smile.
She wouldn't admit that she had rushed here in advance after hearing from the housekeeper that they were coming to climb the mountain, wanting to meet this legendary "Ye Zhi who has become a wood spirit."
As the two of them entered the living room, Cheng Yi looked at Qi Xuan with a hint of mockery in her eyes.
Qi Xuan looked helpless and could only signal with his eyes, hoping Cheng Yi wouldn't say anything out of line.
"By the way, Ye Zhi, I heard you and Qi Xuan are neighbors?" Cheng Yi asked with a mischievous smile. "Has Qi Xuan bullied you? If he dares, tell me, and I'll beat him up for you!"
"No, no," Ye Zhi said earnestly. "Qi Xuan is a very good person, upright, and has a great personality. He's truly a very comfortable and trustworthy friend to get along with!"
Friend...
Cheng Yi looked at Qi Xuan with sympathy. He really had become a wood spirit!
Qi Xuan, however, remained calm; he was already used to it.
"Qi Xuan," Ye Zhi said to him, a little embarrassed, "I didn't expect it to start raining suddenly. It looks like we won't be able to go hiking."
"There's no need to be so pessimistic," Cheng Yi said with a smile. "You can do something else and wait, perhaps the rain will stop soon?"
"That works too," Ye Zhi nodded and suggested, "Since there are three of us, why don't we play Dou Dizhu!"