Sister Mei went to the North Courtyard, where Uncle Deng greeted her downstairs. The two had a good relationship, and Sister Mei tentatively asked, "Is something the old gentleman has to discuss?"
Uncle Deng's expression was serious. He said, "You'll find out when you go upstairs. It concerns the eldest young master." Sister Mei didn't press the matter and went upstairs on her own. The old man was in the small living room on the second floor. As soon as Sister Mei entered, she sensed something was amiss. Her gaze fell, and she gasped.
On the rosewood coffee table lay an unreleased entertainment news article, along with various intimate photos of the news's subjects.
"This...this..." Sister Mei swallowed nervously. She had raised Duan Yiheng since he was a child, and still favored him. "Could it be a composite?" The old man snorted coldly, "Do you know anything about this?" Sister Mei's heart skipped a beat, but she forced a smile and shook her head.
"I've never seen them overstep any boundaries. This could be a misunderstanding." "Don't take his side," the old man said gruffly. "I thought that at thirty, he would be more mature and capable of taking over the group, yet he's done something so absurd."
Sister Mei carefully collected the photos, turning them over and placing them on the coffee table to divert the old man's attention. She asked, "Who did this? It's obvious they don't want the young master to be happy." The old man replied, "You don't need to worry about this." His implication was clear: he had already ordered someone to cover their mouths. Mei sighed and tentatively asked, "If it's true, what do you plan to do?" The old man knew Mei felt sorry for Duan Yiheng, and he glared at her: "You still want to grant him his wish?" Mei subtly reminded him:
"The eldest young master is stubborn in some ways, just like Miss Meng." Mentioning Duan Yiheng's mother, the old man felt a pang of guilt, but it was only a fleeting feeling. The old man said firmly:
"If she were alive, she would hope that Yiheng could smoothly take over Yinfan, instead of letting him recklessly ruin his future." "But—" "Mei," the old man glanced at her, "Don't you consider his future and the company?"
Mei didn't understand company matters and was speechless for a moment. "Go back and confirm the truth of this matter for me. Don't tell Yiheng and Xiaoxi for now; I will talk to them myself." Actually, even now, the old man still couldn't believe what he had seen.
Mei Jie was truly in a dilemma: "I..." The old man waved his hand: "You can go out now." Uncle Deng gave her a "I'll explain when you get out" look, and Mei Jie could only turn around and go downstairs.
An hour later, when she returned to the front yard, she unfortunately ran into Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng, who were returning together. Duan Yiheng tossed the car keys to the driver who jogged over and asked Mei Jie, "What are you doing standing outside?" Mei Jie said:
"Just came back from the north courtyard. Why did you come back in Miss's car?" "I went to Grandma's today," Duan Yiheng said, "I told the driver to go back first." Mei Jie was taken aback: "You went with Miss?" Duan Yiheng nodded.
Lin Xi didn't think anything of their conversation. She said goodnight to Duan Yiheng and went back to her room. Mei Jie was still shocked that Duan Yiheng had taken Lin Xi to meet the old lady.
After Miss Meng passed away, the two families had stopped contacting each other, and only Duan Yiheng maintained contact as her nephew. Mei returned to the servants' quarters and sat blankly on the edge of the bed.
The old man didn't explain much, but Uncle Deng said everything he needed to—"Mei, from a personal perspective, the old man considers the eldest young master and young lady as siblings."
"The second young master is acceptable, but the eldest young master isn't, mainly because of who will be the next heir to the group."
"Yinfan isn't a small company. Its growth and its owners are under public scrutiny. Even without blood ties, their identities are enough to invite criticism."
"A brother fighting over an adopted daughter is a topic that can be easily misunderstood and distorted, bringing negative public opinion to the heir and the company, damaging the company's image and reputation in the public eye."
"Finally, the proportion of the inheritance allocated to the eldest young lady is not low; this was the old man's..." "It was decided long ago, and it won't change because of anyone or anything." "But if she marries the eldest son, Mr. Duan will have objections."
"Then father and son will fight; no one wants to see that."
"The old gentleman only has Mr. Duan as his son. No matter what, he will do everything in his power to ensure his son's well-being for the rest of his life."
"Amei, the old gentleman's arrangement won't be wrong. I know you feel sorry for the eldest son. Do you really want him to lose everything he has now and spend the rest of his life with the young lady on a whim?"
"And when that time comes, will the young lady be willing?"
"And can you guarantee they can stay together forever?" Sister Mei didn't know if Lin Xi was willing; she only knew that Duan Yiheng was born into wealth. —The next day, Lin Xi went downstairs to eat and found Duan Yiheng sitting calmly in the dining room, dressed in a suit and tie. She was taken aback:
"There are no meetings this morning. Are you going out for business so early?" Duan Yiheng frowned as he drank a cup of bitter coffee. Perhaps he was lost in thought, because he didn't answer Lin Xi's question. Lin Xi had no choice but to sit down beside him and ask again.
Duan Yiheng let the bitterness fill his mouth; he didn't want Lin Xi to worry, so he said, "It's nothing." "Don't hide it from me." Lin Xi had spent some time with him, and she could immediately read his subtle expressions. Duan Yiheng said, "It's just a small problem, don't worry."
Lin Xi pointed vaguely at his coffee cup in mid-air: "You only do this when you're extremely troubled. What? Does bitterness make you think more?"
Duan Yiheng pulled himself out of his heavy thoughts. He turned around, placed his hands on the back of Lin Xi's chair, his gaze deep and gentle: "Sweetness can also make me think. Will you give me some?" Lin Xi didn't understand his meaning and asked, "Should I add sugar for you?"
Duan Yiheng's gaze moved down to her lips: "Are you playing dumb?" Lin Xi understood, subconsciously glancing back at the door, and said, "Aren't you afraid someone will come in?" "No one comes in when I'm eating."
Duan Yiheng said, "They all know I don't like having people standing next to me while I'm eating." Lin Xi's eyes flickered: "Then tell me what happened first?" Duan Yiheng "..." Lin Xi tugged at his tie, her tone slightly coquettish, "Tell me."
"Qin Yang called early this morning, saying that all of Zheng Jizhong's subordinates have turned against him." Duan Yiheng sighed. "We haven't received a single report. I guessed that some people would turn against him after Zheng Jizhong's counterattack, but a collective turnout is unusual." Lin Xi frowned:
"Could it be Uncle Duan?" Duan Yiheng shook his head: "Unlikely. Although he supports Zheng Jizhong, he can't really control him. Zheng Jizhong works at Yinfan Technology, not in the group. He doesn't know Zheng Jizhong as well as you think." "Then who else could it be?"
Lin Xi asked, "Which shareholders support him?" "Don't bother with that." Duan Yiheng's hand went to the back of her neck. "Give me something sweet." Lin Xi quickly placed a kiss on his lips, but before she could escape, he pressed her back down.