Duan Yiheng never answered overly presumptuous questions, instead asking Duan Mingxuan,
"Do you have a cigarette?" Duan Mingxuan was taken aback, then pulled a cigarette case from his pocket and handed it to him. Duan Yiheng took one: "A lighter." Duan Mingxuan was annoyed: "Am I your servant?" Duan Yiheng raised his chin: "If you want to talk, go to the balcony, don't stand at their door."
Duan Mingxuan tossed him the flashy lighter. Duan Yiheng didn't seem to mind, lighting a cigarette and tossing it to him. Duan Mingxuan frequented nightclubs, dabbling in both smoking and drinking, and he expertly lit one for himself as well.
Sitting down on a lounge chair on the balcony, Duan Mingxuan glanced at Duan Yiheng and asked, "You and Xiaoxi were in the room for a long time just now. What did you talk about?" Duan Yiheng smiled, "You're bothered by my scent, aren't you?" Duan Mingxuan frowned:
"What did you do to Xiaoxi?" A wisp of smoke blurred Duan Yiheng's upright face for a moment. He scoffed and asked Duan Mingxuan, "What gives you the right to ask me that? Whatever I said or did to her, I have no right to tell you."
He was sitting here calmly only because he was in a good mood. Lin Xi had asked him to deal with Duan Mingxuan, so he would go all out and get to the bottom of things. Duan Yiheng continued,
"You specifically came to tell Lin Xi that you kicked Zhang Mo out of B City. What response did you expect?" Duan Mingxuan was speechless: "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have pushed her so far." "So Lin Xi's safety isn't important to you," Duan Yiheng said.
"She's quite important to me." Duan Mingxuan didn't fall for the trap in his words. "Whether I'm good to Xiaoxi or not, she naturally knows. What are you judging here, brother?" Duan Yiheng only felt it was sarcastic. "She's quite important to you? You must be imagining things." Duan Mingxuan frowned. "What do you mean?" "From childhood, you've always been extremely self-centered. Whatever Lin Xi wants, if you like it, you give it to her; if you don't, you obstruct her under the guise of doing what's best for her."
"Day after day, year after year, she lives under Chen Baiwei's rules, everything revolves around you." "You were incredibly mischievous as a child, causing her to be scolded by Chen Baiwei many times. Don't you realize that?" Duan Mingxuan couldn't help but retort:
"I can't change my mother's personality, but I've always stood by Xiao Xi." Duan Yiheng said mercilessly, "Yes, you're only standing there. If you really had the guts, your mother wouldn't have bullied Lin Xi a second time. From the time she went abroad to study, it was only Lin Xi who suffered." The truth about studying abroad was indeed a blow to Duan Mingxuan, but he felt that his relationship with Lin Xi wasn't the kind Duan Yiheng described.
He and Lin Xi were close and innocent, trusting and understanding. Why was she considered utterly worthless by Duan Yiheng? The balconies on the third floor were interconnected. Lin Xi, still feeling hot after changing her clothes, decided to open the door and go out for some fresh air.
She had barely sat down when she overheard the conversation from the other side of the wall. She listened silently, feeling a long-buried grievance finally see the light of day. Duan Yiheng's words were always as incisive as a meeting.
Duan Mingxuan was immature, and Chen Baiwei was his mother, so naturally he couldn't see Lin Xi's hidden grievances. He always thought that a few words of comfort would suffice, but he didn't realize that this was a consequence of her being dependent on others, having no one to confide in, and having no choice in the matter.
Now that Duan Yiheng had seen through her, how could she not feel a ripple in her heart? Lin Xi smiled and gently stroked the phone Duan Yiheng had given her. Duan Mingxuan didn't know how to answer, so he immediately retorted:
"How things are between Xiaoxi and me in the future is none of your concern. But you, trying to take advantage of your proximity, Xiaoxi won't even acknowledge you, will she?" Duan Yiheng raised an eyebrow, finding him both laughable and pathetic.
Duan Mingxuan himself had handed him the opportunity, yet he was still completely oblivious. Lin Xi was also taken aback; Duan Mingxuan's words seemed to have a hidden meaning. She composed herself and turned away. "Regardless of what happens between us, she has no chance with you."
Duan Yiheng said. Duan Mingxuan: "You think you have a chance? You've been spying on her since she was 20, and now she's 23. Do you dare tell her your filthy thoughts?" "Why wouldn't I dare?" Duan Yiheng bluntly stated, "You can have her, but I can't?"
"You can't." Duan Mingxuan's tone was sharp. "Because you're greedy. You want both the world and the beauty. Does such a thing exist?" Duan Yiheng sneered: "Three years ago, you overheard my conversation with Mu Zhao and rushed to Philadelphia. Were you afraid of me?
Or were you afraid you couldn't protect her?" Lin Xi was stunned. She had always thought Duan Yiheng's feelings for her stemmed from their three months together, but she hadn't expected it to go back three years. Three years ago?
Lin Xi's memory flashed back. She remembered Duan Mingxuan asking her in the apartment if she had contacted Duan Yiheng. She denied it to avoid arguing with him.
But Duan Mingxuan snatched her phone and discovered the "Happy Birthday" message she had sent to Duan Yiheng. The two had a huge fight in the apartment. It ended with her apologizing. "Xiao Xi is naive; I was just afraid she'd be deceived by you," Duan Mingxuan said matter-of-factly.
"So, sitting here now, you still think she'll be deceived by me?" Duan Yiheng asked. "Or, after learning the truth about her going to America, did a sudden surge of guilt and useless love well up inside you?" "My love is guilt and useless? And what is your spying?"
Duan Mingxuan was instantly enraged, as if he'd been hit where it hurt. Lin Xi suddenly chuckled. Guilt and uselessness—Duan Yiheng's words, though harsh, were quite accurate. "What it is doesn't matter," Duan Yiheng said. "Only Lin Xi's thoughts matter."
"Of course I know. I'll prove it to her." Duan Mingxuan stubbed out his cigarette and stormed out of the west building. Duan Yiheng slowly finished his cigarette when Sister Mei came upstairs to call him for dinner. He turned and knocked on Lin Xi's door.
Lin Xi opened the door and went downstairs with him. Once in the restaurant, she suddenly asked Duan Yiheng, "What are the company's plans for New Year's Day this year?" Duan Yiheng replied,
"A holiday is the best arrangement. We usually have a New Year's Eve party, but this year, through an employee vote, all activities are canceled. The focus is on the annual meeting in about two weeks. Didn't you know?"
"I'm just confirming again. So, you…" Lin Xi glanced at him, "What are your plans?" Duan Yiheng looked back at her with a smile in his eyes, "What are your thoughts?" Lin Xi wanted to confirm something with Mu Zhao and said,
"How about we invite friends from both sides and go out for some fun?" Duan Yiheng: "Sure, where do you want to go?" Lin Xi shook her head: "I don't know how to make these arrangements. Should we ask Brother Mu Zhao and the others?" "Then let him make the arrangements."
Duan Yiheng said, "I'll call him after we eat. I heard Liang Yutong is back; you should invite her too." Lin Xi immediately agreed, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Mu Zhao has been Duan Yiheng's good friend for over ten years, so he must know a lot about him.