"Brother?" Yu Lang called out to Duan Mingxuan, forcing a smile. "Are you alright?"
Duan Mingxuan snapped out of his daze, wondering if he'd misheard. He suddenly stood up, startling Yu Lang, who asked, "Where are you going?"
Where? Naturally, to find Lin Xi. He wanted to ask her if she had any heart at all. Duan Mingxuan kicked away his gaming chair. Yu Lang's scalp tightened, and he hurriedly tried to grab him, but couldn't.
He probably knew Duan Mingxuan's temper.
Lin Xi and Liang Yutong were chatting and laughing as they went upstairs. Just as they reached the corner, a dark figure stormed towards them angrily.
Lin Xi's heart tightened. Meeting Duan Mingxuan's accusing gaze, she instinctively knew it was related to her.
Yu Lang stepped forward and pressed down on Duan Mingxuan's shoulder, trying to persuade him, "Mingxuan, calm down."
Duan Mingxuan shook him off, his tone mocking, "What? Do you think I'd fight her?"
Liang Yutong looked at Yu Lang questioningly, "What's wrong?" Yu Lang ran a hand through his hair, gesturing for her to ask Lin Xi. Duan Mingxuan appeared unlearned and incompetent, but was actually quite clever.
However, his cleverness paled in comparison to Duan Yiheng's. His gaze fell on the shopping bag on Lin Xi's arm, and he suppressed his anger, asking, "What did you buy?" Lin Xi pursed her lips and finally told the truth: "An ornament."
Duan Mingxuan: "Where to put it?" Lin Xi fell silent.
"I asked you a question, where to put it?" Duan Mingxuan persisted. Lin Xi held her breath, letting it escape slightly, and looked up, asking, "What are you trying to say?"
"East or west?" Duan Mingxuan took a step forward, forcing Lin Xi to retreat.
Liang Yutong blocked Lin Xi's path, scolding Duan Mingxuan: "What are you doing?" Yu Lang felt Liang Yutong was causing trouble, but fearing she would be implicated, he pulled her aside. Liang Yutong resisted, but was no match for Yu Lang's strength.
"What the hell are you doing? Let me go!"
"Mingxuan won't do anything to Lin Xi," Yu Bo said in a low voice. "You just stay put."
Liang Yutong was indignant: "What's with that look on his face, like he caught his wife cheating?" Yu Bo thought to himself: This is no different from his wife cheating.
Duan Mingxuan's questioning caused Lin Xi's expression to change drastically; Duan Mingxuan knew.
With her friends still there, Lin Xi didn't want to make things ugly, so she said, "Let's go upstairs first, and I'll explain to you then."
"Explain why you became Duan Yiheng's secretary?" Duan Mingxuan's temples throbbed with anger as he cornered her against the wall. Lin Xi raised her hand to push against his chest, shoving him away: "Are you sure you want to say this standing here?"
"Why can't we say it here?" Duan Mingxuan couldn't wait a second longer. "Is a simple explanation really that hard?"
Lin Xi looked up, her face deathly pale: "What do you want me to explain?" Duan Mingxuan grabbed her shoulders, asking hopefully, "Did my mom send you to the company?
She wants you to be my dad's informant?"
Lin Xi was shocked for a moment, not understanding how Duan Mingxuan could say such a thing.
"Duan Mingxuan, he's your older brother. How could you possibly suspect that I'm working as his secretary to spy for Uncle Duan? I'm just going to work, that's all."
Duan Mingxuan's voice rose again: "You can work at Yinfan, you can go to any department, why did you have to go to the president's office?"
Lin Xi felt a pain from his grip and struggled, shrinking her shoulders: "Enough, Duan Mingxuan, I'm not your property. Where I work, who I'm your secretary for, is none of your business."
"None of my business?" Duan Mingxuan's handsome face twisted. "Why the hell didn't you tell me not to interfere when we were kids? Huh?"
Lin Xi closed her eyes, startled by his roar so close to her ear.
"Duan Mingxuan!" Liang Yutong tried to break free from Yu Lang's control. "Don't go too far! What are you yelling about?" Duan Mingxuan gritted his teeth and turned his head. "When did it become your business to talk about what's between me and Xiao Xi?"
"You…uh…uh…Yu Lang, you fucking cover my mouth…uh…go to hell…" Yu Lang, covered in sweat, "kidnapped" Liang Yutong and dragged her downstairs.
Lin Xi instinctively tried to comfort Liang Yutong, but Duan Mingxuan roughly grabbed her arm. "What exactly do you want?" Lin Xi couldn't help but yell at him. "It's one thing to yell at me, but why are you so rude to Yutong?"
"She handed you over to Duan Yiheng last time, and I haven't settled the score with her yet." Duan Mingxuan's eyes were dark, like heavy, oppressive clouds in July or August.
The commotion attracted the servants, but before they even got close, Duan Mingxuan's fierce expression was revealed. He frowned and told them all to get out.
The servants dared not approach and could only inform Butler Mei. Seeing the innocent maid suffer, Lin Xi felt a pang of sadness. She regulated her breathing to calm herself.
"Mingxuan, it was wrong of me to keep this from you. You can ask, but don't drag innocent people into it."
"Fine." Duan Mingxuan released her. "I'm asking you, if I hadn't had someone investigate, how long were you going to keep this from me?" Lin Xi suddenly looked at him, asking incredulously, "You investigated me?"
Duan Mingxuan had initially felt a little guilty, but ever since he learned that Lin Xi had secretly become Duan Yiheng's secretary, that guilt had long since transformed into righteous indignation.
"I just wanted to know what you've been doing all this time, and sure enough, you've been led astray by someone."
"Duan Mingxuan, can't you be a little more mature? Nobody's corrupted me. I'm just doing my normal job at Yin Fan."
Duan Mingxuan laughed angrily: "Normal job? I've cherished you since you were little, and now you turn around and serve Duan Yiheng tea and water, entertaining him. Have you even considered my feelings?"
Lin Xi's eyes reddened: "So I have to stay at home, wearing expensive, exquisite dresses, being the little sister in your palm? You want to..." "I can go east, but I can't go west? Duan Mingxuan, are you sick?"
"It's not like I can't afford to support you." Duan Mingxuan slammed his palm on the railing, turning it red. "I already told Yin Fan you can go if you want, but you have to stay away from Duan Yiheng. Why can't you do that?"
Lin Xi scoffed lightly, stubbornly raising her head, and said, word by word, "Then I'll tell you today, I'm not willing, and I can't do it. I'm not willing for you to support me, and I can't stay away from Duan Yiheng."
"You—" The air froze. Duan Mingxuan hadn't expected Lin Xi's rebellious phase to come so late.
He gripped the stair railing tightly, unsure what to do with Lin Xi. Liang Yutong stared up at the two upstairs. She could clearly see that Duan Mingxuan had always had a strong possessive desire for Lin Xi. Could this feeling be love?
But Duan Mingxuan was an adult, he even had a girlfriend. Could he not see his own feelings? Perhaps his feelings for Lin Xi were just a little boy's possessiveness towards a playmate.
Duan Mingxuan felt like he was about to explode if he didn't do something. He grabbed Lin Xi's shopping bag.
"What are you doing?" Lin Xi reached for it, but couldn't reach it. Duan Mingxuan flicked his wrist, and the sailboat figurine, as if hit by a sea hurricane, tumbled down the stairs in pieces.
The hull disintegrated, the base cracked, and the silk canvas tangled in the mast—there was no longer any possibility of smooth sailing. When Duan Yiheng arrived after receiving the news, the sailboat figurine had already rolled down the stairs, landing at his feet, and also striking his heart.