At dawn, North District One was awakened by sunlight and birdsong, the white buildings bathed in a warm glow.
Most likely, everyone had drunk too much the night before; only Lin Xi got out of bed. She got ready and went downstairs, greeting the butler.
The butler led her to breakfast. After sitting down, Lin Xi asked, "Aren't they all awake yet?"
The butler replied, "Not yet, you're the only one up."
Lin Xi glanced at the lush greenery outside the window and asked the butler, "After breakfast, may I take a stroll around the estate?"
"Of course," the butler smiled.
While Lin Xi was eating, a golf cart pulled up at the side entrance of the restaurant.
Dark green exterior, brown cushions—exquisitely designed and charming, it was a two-seater. Lin Xi loved its rounded front and exclaimed happily, "Can I drive it?"
The butler chuckled at her and gestured for the driver to attend to her properly: "Of course."
The driver respectfully said, "Let me show you how to drive."
Lin Xi quickly agreed, listening intently, unaware of the figure behind her. The butler noticed Duan Yiheng and was about to greet him when he raised his hand to stop her.
Lin Xi had assumed anyone with hands and feet could drive this kind of car, but to her surprise, she couldn't quite control the speed. Duan Yiheng just watched with a smile. Lin Xi looked up and finally spotted Duan Yiheng. She was a little embarrassed but greeted him, "Good morning."
"Good morning," Duan Yiheng said. "Was it easy to drive?"
Lin Xi nodded. "It was very interesting."
Duan Yiheng: "Let him teach you. Drive it after you've gotten the hang of it. I'm going to get some breakfast, and I'll accompany you around later, and I'll also let you experience your driving skills."
Lin Xi raised her hand to stop him; she could shop by herself. However, Duan Yiheng ignored her and turned to go to the restaurant. To avoid leaving her boss behind, Lin Xi practiced her driving skills diligently while Duan Yiheng ate. She easily circled the side door of the restaurant twice.
After Duan Yiheng came out of the restaurant, Lin Xi waved to him: "Get in."
Duan Yiheng walked over: "You've learned it?" Lin Xi nodded confidently. Duan Yiheng climbed into the car and sat down beside her.
Lin Xi started the vehicle, pressed the forward switch, and slowly pressed the accelerator pedal. The cart started moving slowly, at a moderate speed, and after a few minutes, it passed the main building complex.
Duan Yiheng gently reminded him, "Slow down a little when turning and going over slopes; you might tip over if you lose control."
"Okay," Lin Xi replied, straightening his back and looking straight ahead.
As they passed the enormous fountain in the center of the manor, Lin Xi couldn't help but recall her childhood. "I remember on my ninth birthday," she said, "Grandpa was wearing a suit and playing in the fountain with me at the hotel. I dodged, but he got soaked."
Duan Yiheng, of course, knew this. He smiled. "Grandpa likes girls. After you came, he smiled more."
"But I promised to have dinner with you and him last night."
"Don't feel guilty, he's happy," Duan Yiheng said. "I already told him before we came. We left, and he immediately had Meng Huaishan bring Tan Qi over."
"Huh?" Lin Xi glanced at him briefly. "So you didn't know Tan Qi was here? I thought you were on a blind date with her."
Duan Yiheng: "Didn't I tell you I don't plan to get married anytime soon? Why would I be on a blind date with her?" Lin Xi now realized she had misunderstood last night.
The golf cart slowed down and turned a corner. Lin Xi loved the artificial lake in the manor and sped up along its edge.
"Miss Tan is quite pretty. Grandpa even said she works at his family company, so she must be very capable."
Duan Yiheng glanced at her profile out of the corner of his eye and casually made up an excuse: "She's too tall."
Lin Xi was taken aback: "Tall? But you're quite tall yourself."
Duan Yiheng couldn't be as direct with Lin Xi as he was with Meng Huaishan. He said bluntly, "I've met her a few times at business events, and there's no spark."
Lin Xi: "Judging from Miss Tan's behavior last night, she seems to have feelings for you. So, you really used me as a pretext to reject her last night?"
Duan Yiheng hummed in agreement, his tone indifferent, clearly not wanting to discuss this topic.
The trees along the lake were dense, their green hues varying in layers. Lin Xi slowed down, admiring the view as she drove.
"Except for its size, this place is practically perfect," she added. Duan Yiheng nodded in agreement.
The car turned another corner, and Lin Xi suddenly sighed, "Are all the trees lining this road ginkgo?"
"Yes," Duan Yiheng said. "Do you like them?"
Lin Xi happily hummed in agreement. "It's a pity it's not peak viewing season yet."
Duan Yiheng looked at the still-green ginkgo trees and said, "The viewing season changes every year. Last year it was around November 10th. The housekeeper calls me every year."
Lin Xi strolled slowly along the ginkgo avenue, seemingly already imagining the beautiful scene of the ginkgo trees reflected in the lake.
"Do you like ginkgo trees too?" Lin Xi asked Duan Yiheng. "Of all the trees here, the ginkgo trees are the best-growing."
Duan Yiheng's gaze faltered for a moment before he said, "My mother likes them." Lin Xi was speechless, instinctively apologizing, "I'm sorry."
Duan Yiheng gave a self-deprecating smile: "Ginkgo trees are dioecious, requiring two trees to cooperate to reproduce, like a couple's interdependent relationship.
What's even more ironic is that ginkgo trees have an extremely long lifespan. I don't know what she likes about them."
Lin Xi silently pursed her lips, a feeling of pity rising in her heart for this woman she had never met. A troubled marriage, a beautiful woman's life is like frost.
Lin Xi quickened her pace, unable to bear this agonizing silence, reopening old wounds, and comforted him, "At least you remember."
Duan Yiheng turned his head away. "I don't remember at all." Lin Xi smiled, feigning ease.
When she first came to the Duan family, she insisted on having a mother. Chen Baiwei and the maid tried to comfort her for a long time without success, and the maid impatiently said that her mother was dead, not even ashes remained.
She knew this, so she cried even harder. Later, a young maid secretly frightened her, and she never dared to mention her mother again. It wasn't until she had a fever that this was discovered. Her grandfather severely reprimanded the maid, and although he was dissatisfied with Chen Baiwei, he only gave her a few words of advice.
Because she was a girl, she was best suited to be raised by Chen Baiwei. Her grandfather promised Chen Baiwei a large sum of money, which is why she and Duan Mingxuan grew up together.
After falling ill, she knew she no longer had a home; only by pleasing Chen Baiwei could she avoid being abandoned.
She forced herself not to think about her mother, and over time, that gentle face gradually blurred in her mind.
Whenever she thought of this, Lin Xi felt immense heartache and self-reproach. As a child, she couldn't return home to pay respects to her parents for years, and it wasn't until she was fifteen that she returned to her hometown for the first time.
The first time she went back to pay respects to her parents, she was actually reluctant; strictly speaking, she felt a deep sense of guilt. She hid alone in a corner of the villa, where she encountered Duan Yiheng.
Upon hearing why she was hiding, he unusually stayed, unlike his usual behavior of ignoring her. Lin Xi couldn't help but feel tears welling up at the thought of her parents. Without realizing it, the golf cart went up a slope.
She naturally accelerated, unaware that the other side was downhill.
"Be careful!" Duan Yiheng warned sharply, but it was too late. The golf cart accelerated downhill due to gravity.
"Don't panic! Gently apply the brakes to control it." Duan Yiheng placed one hand on the steering wheel.
Lin Xi stepped on the brakes, but still couldn't stop the increasing speed.
"Duan Yiheng!" In a panic, she called his name, "No!"
Duan Yiheng still tried to control it; the wheels jolted violently, and then the cart swayed wildly.
After veering off course, Duan Yiheng decisively abandoned the car, grabbed Lin Xi to protect her, and coldly ordered, "Let go."