"Lao Zheng, Yi Zhiye isn't stealing your woman. Shouldn't you reflect on whether Shen Xiaoyan was happy when you brought her in just now? Everything you said was unpleasant to me, let alone to a woman like Shen Xiaoyan. If you truly decided to treat her well, spoil her, do you think anyone could snatch her away? The problem has never been with others, but with yourself. If your wife nagged you like that every day, do you think you could endure it?"
"What's wrong with you? You seem like a different person. If you need anything, you can tell me directly, don't act like this." Shen Xiaoyan pushed Zheng Wei away, her gaze now able to meet her inner self and the world with increasing composure. She was learning to change gradually, to let others know what she was thinking.
"What do you think you have that's worth... no, Shen Xiaoyan, do you think I need to flatter women to get what I want?" Zheng Wei started with his usual demeanor, but halfway through, he stopped himself and spoke calmly.
"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you." It wasn't that Shen Xiaoyan didn't believe him, but the reality made it impossible to believe. Half a month ago, he had despised her. Shen Xiaoyan didn't think her disappearance for half a month would cause the wealthiest and most powerful figure in the capital to regret anything, so she always felt Zheng Wei had some ulterior motive.
"I owe the Zheng family, so if you need anything..."
"Heh, you still have some self-awareness." The words were almost instinctively uttered.
Shen Xiaoyan thought to herself, "Just as I suspected."
Zheng Wei was still Zheng Wei.
However, when she looked up at him, she saw a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. That annoyance made Shen Xiaoyan unable to see clearly.
Between the two of them, she was clearly outmatched by Zheng Wei. If he had any schemes in mind, she wouldn't even have the strength to fight back.
It would be more satisfying to end this by leaving early than to drag it out with them.
"In short, you're leaving with me tomorrow, and you're never coming back to this place!" Zheng Wei sighed almost inaudibly, then placed Shen Xiaoyan on the bed.
"I can't. I told Na Gu that I would stay here for a while, so Na Gu refused other volunteers. If I leave now..."
"I'll handle these issues, okay?" Zheng Wei felt he needed immense patience to calm his volatile emotions. But then he thought, it seemed the person in his dream had pursued Shen Xiaoyan with great patience. He had to calm down and not do worse than that person.
"You're alive today thanks to Yi Er and his companions. If they hadn't gone with you, you'd be a corpse by now! Do you know that?" Zheng Wei said sternly, "I'll handle everything else. You must leave tomorrow."
"But..."
"Shen Xiaoyan, is this what I want you to do? What? For your noble ideal of teaching, are you really going to refuse me? I know Yi Er is your benefactor, but remember, so am I!" Seeing her staring at him blankly, Zheng Wei forcefully pulled her into his arms. Although he wished he could be gentle, that was simply not who Zheng Wei was... The road ahead was long... he could only explore it slowly... Thinking of this, Zheng Wei's brows furrowed again.
...
Zheng Wei didn't sleep all night. Shen Xiaoyan truly couldn't sleep either, so after Zheng Wei fell asleep, she got out of bed and left the courtyard. She had been unconscious for half a day yesterday, and now she still wanted to go out for some air. As soon as she stepped out of the small courtyard, she ran into the Yi brothers. Lin Xin and Yi Zhiye were standing under a tree, with Lin Xin seemingly trying to persuade Yi Zhiye about something.
Yi Zhiye saw Shen Xiaoyan at a glance, his eyes lit up, and he called out, "Shen Xiaoyan!"
As Yi Zhiye called out, Lin Xin kicked him. Shen Xiaoyan knew the brothers had something to discuss, so she didn't go over to interfere. Just as she was thinking of turning to go elsewhere, Lin Xin called out to her.
"Brother, why did you kick me? Don't I have any dignity?" Yi Zhiye couldn't understand his brother's thoughts. "When Big Brother Zheng hit me, why didn't you go kick him?"
"Listen here, kid. From now on, if Old Zheng is present, don't call her Shen Xiaoyan. You have to honestly call her sister-in-law," Lin Xin instructed. Just as he finished speaking, Shen Xiaoyan had already walked past.
"Shen Xiaoyan, I have something to say to you. Yi Er, go play somewhere else." Lin Xin dismissed Yi Zhiye as if he were sending a child away. Yi Zhiye saw that Lin Xin's face was not joking and voluntarily moved to the side, leaving the space for Shen Xiaoyan.
"Lawyer Yi, what do you want to talk to me about?" Shen Xiaoyan knew Lin Xin had always disliked her. When Zheng Wei was preparing to divorce, he had been like a madman.
Lin Xin reached for a cigarette but retracted his hand when he remembered Shen Xiaoyan was there. "Yi Zhiye hasn't called home much since he arrived here. Last night, I called him, and after saying just a sentence, I heard him screaming your name. But then the call couldn't go through. Old Zheng was sitting next to me then. After hearing your name, he crushed his wine glass and immediately prepared a private jet and car, arriving here early this morning. I don't know what he's thinking, but he didn't close his eyes even in the car."
Shen Xiaoyan was stunned. This seemed different from her impression of Zheng Wei. "You find it strange too, don't you? It's like he's gone crazy. The night you disappeared, he had a car accident and unconsciously called your name in the ICU. Unable to find any trace of you, he asked Old Lu to look for you. Although I don't know exactly what happened here, it's obvious he cares about you. However, you should know that the Zheng family has an impeccable background, and his parents dote on him. None of us were ever modest growing up, and we don't mince words because we never needed to flatter anyone. So you should understand our previous perception of you. But now Old Zheng has changed his mind, so even if he hasn't expressed it, I hope you can somewhat understand these things. You're the woman he's treated most specially in my experience."
Lin Xin shrugged and said, "I'm telling you all this for no other reason. I have my own agenda too. Your words might change Old Zheng's decision, so I hope, for the sake of Yi Er saving your life, if Old Zheng tries to make things difficult for him again, you'll speak up for him."
After all is said and done, the main reason Lin Xin said so much, besides knowing Old Zheng's nature and fearing Shen Xiaoyan would misunderstand Zheng Wei, was to protect his younger brother. He couldn't gauge Shen Xiaoyan's importance in Old Zheng's heart right now, but Yi Er clearly showed no signs of restraint, which meant Yi Er might very well cross Zheng Wei's bottom line in the future. Therefore... he had to prepare in advance.
"I understand," Shen Xiaoyan nodded at Lin Xin. If Lin Xin hadn't said anything today, Shen Xiaoyan felt Zheng Wei, given his personality, would never have revealed this.
After saying this, Lin Xin waved at Shen Xiaoyan and then walked towards Yi Zhiye. His attitude towards Yi Zhiye wasn't good. Shen Xiaoyan vaguely heard Lin Xin trying to persuade Yi Zhiye to return to the capital.
...
Shen Xiaoyan's mind was in a mess. When Zheng Wei woke up, it was already afternoon. He didn't see anyone in the house, so he came out to look for her, fearing that if he wasn't careful, Shen Xiaoyan would be whisked away by Yi Er. He hadn't brought any spare clothes here, and his clothes were a bit rumpled, but he didn't seem to care anymore. He strode out to find Shen Xiaoyan.
As he was leaving, Shen Xiaoyan was sitting on a stone bench, helping Na Gu pick vegetables. They were fresh vegetables. She lowered her head, her hair gently falling down. Zheng Wei had seen countless beautiful women, but at this moment, he was captivated by this scene.
"You don't need to worry about things here. You'll leave with them tomorrow morning. If you're worried, I can send you videos later." Na Gu was making noodles nearby. Because it was a bit hot, it was stuffy in the house, so they had brought the dough outside and asked Yi Zhiye and Lin Xin to help set up a pot outside.
Shen Xiaoyan thought for a moment and then nodded, "Na Gu, I'm sorry."
"Silly child, what's there to be sorry about? It's Na Gu's fault for not taking good care of you." Just as Na Gu finished speaking, she saw Zheng Wei standing behind them and immediately smiled at Shen Xiaoyan, "Xiaoyan, your boyfriend is here."
Addressing Shen Xiaoyan as his "girlfriend," Zheng Wei strode over. Seeing them picking vegetables and making noodles, he frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Making dumplings," Shen Xiaoyan said expressionlessly, picking up the prepared vegetables and walking towards the faucet.
Zheng Wei naturally followed Shen Xiaoyan. He was like a big tail dogging her steps now.
"You can go rest. We haven't started the filling yet." Shen Xiaoyan felt a bit uncomfortable with Zheng Wei constantly following her, so she pointed to a clean large stone behind them and said to Zheng Wei. Zheng Wei glanced at the stone, then at Shen Xiaoyan. He didn't speak but didn't move. The intention was clear: I don't want to move.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Shen Xiaoyan stopped paying attention and focused on washing the vegetables and then preparing the filling. Her technique was very professional, indicating she had made dumplings many times. Zheng Wei looked at her gentle demeanor as she lowered her head, finding it very unfamiliar. In their home, Shen Xiaoyan often cooked, but he rarely ate at home, let alone dumplings.
"Don't stand here, you're blocking the light." Shen Xiaoyan moved left, and Zheng Wei followed to the left. Shen Xiaoyan moved right, and Zheng Wei also stood to the right. Shen Xiaoyan felt a headache coming on. She couldn't stand it anymore and turned to look at Zheng Wei. Zheng Wei still looked fierce, and perhaps because he hadn't woken up fully, his eyes were a little red, looking somewhat creepy.
"What are you blocking light for in broad daylight? Just do your thing," Zheng Wei hadn't shaken off his morning grumpiness and was now being disliked by Shen Xiaoyan. He was very unhappy. Shen Xiaoyan was speechless about this, but her movements quickened. She quickly finished preparing the filling and carried the small basin towards the dough.
"It looks very fragrant. Na Gu must be a great cook," Lin Xin said with a smile, looking at Na Gu. Na Gu smiled, "Indeed. You're leaving tomorrow, so we're making dumplings tonight. Here, when people go on a long journey, they eat dumplings!"
"If Na Gu needs anything, just call me. I can manage to get some things for the children," Lin Xin said with a particularly cheerful tone, as he had managed to persuade Yi Zhiye to return, but Yi Zhiye's practical report might require Na Gu's help.
"I know," Na Gu nodded with a smile. She knew these people came from extraordinary backgrounds. News had come from the county office at noon saying that the person who had intended to harm Shen Xiaoyan last night had died suddenly from an acute illness. With these people around, Na Gu actually knew it wasn't an acute illness. Evil deeds truly had consequences, so she wouldn't say much.
...
After making the dumplings, Shen Xiaoyan was about to start the fire. She couldn't expect three young gentlemen to do it. But as she sat down in front of the large pot, that big tail followed. Coincidentally, as the big tail followed, Yi Zhiye also came. As soon as Yi Zhiye arrived, Lin Xin's alarm bells went off. He quickly dropped what he was holding and went to pull his younger brother.
Zheng Wei took a step forward with his long legs, looked at Yi Zhiye walking towards him, raised an eyebrow, and said in a muffled voice from not being fully awake, "Yi Er, do you not want your legs anymore?" If you walk any further, I'll break your legs. This was Zheng Wei's implicit threat.
"Yi Er, come help me carry water." Lin Xin was terrified. Old Zheng sometimes really meant what he said!
After personally watching Yi Zhiye leave, Zheng Wei turned his gaze back to Shen Xiaoyan. Seeing Shen Xiaoyan looking at him with concern, he crossed his arms, suddenly bent down, and brought his head close to Shen Xiaoyan's, his voice chilling yet smiling, "If you dare say a word for him, I'll secretly deal with him."
Shen Xiaoyan turned her head back and continued to tend the fire, as if she hadn't seen Zheng Wei just now.
"Shen Xiaoyan, let me build the fire!" Although Yi Zhiye was dragged away by Lin Xin, his voice could still be heard.