"This is what you call a good project?" Song Zhao slapped the suspension notice on the desk. "Who was responsible for the surveying work? There's a massive tomb underground, and they didn't even notice?"
The people in the room didn't dare make a sound. They had invested substantial resources into this project early on, and now a tomb had been discovered. Rumor had it that the burial objects were high in value, and now a group of archaeologists had descended on the site. Who knew how long they would take to finish?
Song Zhao had invested in this project behind his family's back. Since returning to the family business, he was stuck in a middling position. Although he was more capable than his cousins, in his family's eyes, he was merely the son of a woman who had risen to power as the mistress.
His siblings Song Ci and Song Shi could do whatever they pleasedâlavish parties, scandals, they didn't miss a beat. Yet they held higher status simply because their mothers came from noble backgrounds. To the family, pedigree was more important than ability. Despite his academic achievements and awards, he was still labeled "the mistress's son."
He had thought that succeeding in this project would let him prove himself in the family, but now they'd unearthed an ancient noble tomb. For thousands of years, nobody had discovered itâso why now?
At the bidding meeting, Yuan Yi's company Heng Tai had participated but lost to Song Zhao's representatives. At the time, he didn't think much of it. Now, in hindsight, Song Zhao couldn't help but suspect that Yuan Yi may have known something.
But where could Yuan Yi have gotten this information? And why hadn't his own professional survey team found it?
His phone rang. After ordering everyone out, he picked up. His cousin, Song Ci, spoke in a mocking tone.
"Little cousin, I heard your friend's project dug up an ancient noble tomb? Your friend has really contributed to national archaeology. It's lucky tomb raiders didn't find it first, or who knows how much might have been lost. Don't you agree?"
"When did you start caring about national heritage, big brother?" Song Zhao gritted his teeth, but he kept his tone light. "If sacrificing personal interests benefits the country, so be it."
"That's exactly what I think!" Song Ci laughed. "Sometimes you just have to accept your lot. Not everyone has Yuan Er's luck. Even losing his inheritance, he still has both career and romance."
Song Zhao fell silent.
"When I'm happy, I get chatty; I really should work on that," Song Ci laughed. "I'll let you get back to work. Take care."
"No worries. Being happy can make people careless, and I wouldn't expect anything different from you." After hanging up, Song Zhao stared at the call log for a long time before throwing his phone at the wall.
"Mr. Song," his assistant opened the door, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Song Zhao smiled as he adjusted his glasses. "Thank you for your concern."
Blushing, the assistant shook her head. "N-no, not at all."
"Then... could you close the door, please?" He smiled at her.
"Of course." She closed the door, clutching her chest. Mr. Song's smile was really something.
Meanwhile, after Yan Xi joined Shen Xingyan as a co-host of Across the Table, public opinions diverged. Some felt Shen didn't need a co-host, while others thought Yan Xi was competentâthough not as skilled as Shen, at least she could keep up with his jokes and came across as confident on screen.
Still, there was criticism, with some accusing Yan Xi of using connections to force Shen into co-hosting. Shen had many fans, and they felt he was being wronged, flooding Yan Xi's social media with comments urging her to leave Across the Table. To them, Shen was enough.
The station had anticipated backlash, so the negativity didn't affect their plans to train a new generation of hosts.
Colleagues who initially worried Yan Xi wouldn't handle the online hostility were reassured when they saw her buying a new succulent for her desk.
"Ms. Yan, maybe you should try a different plant. These poor succulents never seem to make it with you," a coworker advised. "A cactus would do fine, I think."
How many people had told her to give up on succulents?
Looking at her newly bought plant, Yan Xi sighed. "Can't you at least wish me success this time?"
"I heard The Boy Who Cried Wolf when I was three. It was a great story."
"And?"
"It taught me not to lie."
After being teased by her coworkers, Yan Xi grabbed her bag and announced, "You've hurt my feelings; I need some retail therapy."
"If you're going to flaunt your romance, just do it. We single folks can handle it," Xiao Yang rolled her eyes.
"Is romance all you ever think about?" Yan Xi lightly tapped Xiao Yang's forehead. "I'm just going shopping."
Her father's birthday was in a few days, and he was coming home tomorrow. It was the perfect time to buy a gift.
After waiting for the elevator, Yan Xi was surprised when the doors opened to reveal Zhao Wantong standing inside.
"I thought it was someone else; turns out it's the second young mistress of the Yuan family," Zhao Wantong folded her arms and lifted her eyes in disdain. "Why, haven't you gone to be the glamorous wife of a rich man yet? With all those negative comments about you online, why not let your wealthy boyfriend delete them for you?"
Yan Xi stepped into the elevator and closed the door. "Miss Zhao, what era do you think we're living in? Why do you still see women as mere accessories to men? There's a saying: criticism makes people grow. If I can handle praise, I can handle criticism too."
"If you don't want to be someone's accessory, then don't use a man to climb up the ladder," Zhao Wantong said, barely containing her disgust at Yan Xi's feigned innocence. "You talk like you have the moral high ground, but when it comes to shamelessness, no one can beat you."
"I've never hired an army of fake accounts to slander anyone, nor do I badmouth my competitors behind their backs," Yan Xi replied with a faint smile. "In that regard, I can't compare to you, Miss Zhao."
Zhao Wantong's face changed slightly. Did Yan Xi know that she'd hired trolls to smear her online? Well, as long as there was no evidence, she could just deny it.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"It doesn't matter if you do," Yan Xi's lips curled slightly. "If I really wanted to use my boyfriend's influence to bully people, Miss Zhao would be the first one in trouble."
"Are you threatening me?" Zhao Wantong raised her voice.
Yan Xi smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Miss Zhao, you're overthinking."
"You... don't think I don't know that your boyfriend has already lost his inheritance rights because of you," Zhao Wantong continued, trying to hold her ground. "Do you really think a rich guy like him would give up his family's fortune for you? Stop dreaming!"
"Thank you for your concern, Miss Zhao," Yan Xi responded with a bright smile. "Dreaming is everyone's right. When I wake up from my dream, I'll be sure to let you know."
As the elevator door opened, Yan Xi stepped out first and waved back at Zhao Wantong. "Bye-bye, Sister Zhao. You're such a kind person, always looking out for me."
Zhao Wantong: Keep your "kindness" to yourself!
Staring at Yan Xi's back, Zhao Wantong felt even more furious than if she had just been scolded.
After browsing a few stores, Yan Xi picked up the men's watch she had ordered two weeks ago, and then headed to a jewelry store to choose a men's tie clip.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, the tie clip you've selected is currently out of stock. If you need it, we'll get it to you as quickly as possible," the salesperson apologized with a smile. "Perhaps you'd like to see if there's another style you like?"
Yan Xi flipped through the catalog. Her father liked flashy things with lots of diamondsâcertainly not her style, but as long as it made her dad happy, that was all that mattered.
"How about this one?" Yan Xi pointed to a tie clip. Its design was nothing special, but it had a big, shiny diamond.
"We have this in stock. Just a moment, I'll bring it over for you to view."
Yan Xi was about to thank the salesperson when she looked up and saw a woman exiting the VIP area of the store. Their eyes met.
Xu Ya hadn't expected that a casual outing with her sister to browse jewelry would lead her to meet her son's girlfriend, whom he refused to give up even at the cost of his inheritance. She paused her steps, then nodded with reserved politeness to Yan Xi to avoid any public awkwardness.
Yan Xi straightened in her seat and returned the gesture with a slight nod, but remained seated.
"Here is the tie clip you selected, ma'am. Please take a look," the salesperson placed a velvet box in front of Yan Xi, wearing white gloves to display the item.
If nothing else, it certainly was as sparkly as advertised.
Xu Ya frowned slightly. Such a gaudy choice...
"Sister," Xu Xiang acted as if she hadn't seen Yan Xi at all, "Let's go home. We wouldn't want to be late; otherwise, Brother-in-law will start calling again."
"Oh, you make fun of me just because I'm in my fifties." Xu Ya smiled and left the store with Xu Xiang. Once they were in the car, she finally said, "My son is becoming more and more stubborn. Whenever I try to talk to him, he won't listen. That girl, Yan Xi, seems nice enough, but..." Not one to say harsh things, Xu Ya simply closed her mouth.
Xu Xiang glanced out the car window and noticed Yuan Yi getting out of a car. She shifted her position to block Xu Ya's view, "Sister, as the saying goes, children have their own fate. When they grow up, they have their own opinions. As parents, we must learn to respect their choices. I'll be blunt, but you may not like what I have to say."
"We're sisters. What's there that we can't discuss?" Xu Ya replied with a smile.
"When your son was little, you and Brother-in-law didn't pay him enough attention. Now that he's nearly twenty-seven, you suddenly want to control his love life? Isn't that a bit unreasonable?" Xu Xiang sighed, seeing Xu Ya's face darken. "You may not know this, but Father's favorite show is the one she hosts, The Stories Around Us. A few months ago, he even wrote her a fan letter. When he received her reply, he was delighted for days. If he found out that his grandson's girlfriend was the host he admired, but then got driven away by you and Brother-in-law, well, you can imagine..."
Xu Ya couldn't believe it. "Father actually wrote a letter to a TV host himself? He's already ninety years old. Why didn't anyone try to stop him?"
"He's like a child nowâwho could stop him?" Xu Xiang patted Xu Ya's hand. "The old man said that any host who takes the time to thoughtfully reply to an elderly person's letter must have a kind heart."
Xu Ya opened her mouth, wanting to say that it wasn't that she thought Yan Xi was a bad person, but...
But she felt that Yan Xi just didn't seem like a good match for her son.
"Yan Xiaoxi, are you picking out a tie clip or a diamond?" Yuan Yi walked into the store and saw the tie clip Yan Xi had just paid for. "I wouldn't dare wear something like that."
"It's not for you. Why should you be embarrassed?" Yan Xi put the receipt in her bag and prepared to leave.
Yuan Yi's expression immediately changed, and he chased after Yan Xi. "You're giving such an expensive gift to another man?"
"Weren't you the one who told me money was just a number, and that a few thousand yuan doesn't even count as money?" Yan Xi raised an eyebrow. "Why does it feel so valuable now?"
Oops.
In that split second, Yuan Yi came up with the perfect response: "Money I earn for you, I'll happily spend, no matter how much. But when I think of the money you worked so hard to earn, even spending a single yuan feels precious to me."
"Who taught you to sweet-talk like this?" Yan Xi reached out and tugged at Yuan Yi's face. "Your skin's getting thicker, too."
Love improves one's emotional intelligence, and sweet talk makes one's skin thickerâit's all destiny.
Yuan Yi held onto Yan Xi's hand, glancing around and noticing the sales assistant stifling a laugh. His face flushed. "Could you, um, be a bit more reserved? We're in public."
"Oh? Then let go of my hand."
"Why would I do that?"
"You said we should be reserved."
Yuan Yi held her hand firmly. "Who cares about being reserved? What's the point in dating, then?!"
Yan Xi: ...
"Now tell me, who's this tie clip for?" Yuan Yi held Yan Xi's hand as they left the store. He glanced around quickly and, thinking he had a moment, leaned in to kiss her foreheadâonly to see a small child staring at him. Awkwardly, he straightened up, giving the kid a second glance.
The child burst into tears, leaving his bewildered parents trying to comfort him, unable to understand why he'd suddenly started crying.
Yuan Yi: ...
Unaware of Yuan Yi's intimidation of the child, Yan Xi assumed he was just unhappy and said, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. It's my dad's birthday in a few days. This is his gift."
"Your father's birthday is coming up?" Yuan Yi immediately turned around, pulling Yan Xi back into the jewelry store.
"Yes, but why are we going back in?"
"Obviously, to buy him a gift and make a good impression."
Yan Xi stood back, watching as Yuan Yi told the sales assistant he wanted a large, flashy diamond watch. She couldn't help but laugh. This usually elegantly-dressed man was now requesting something that looked downright gaudyâa surprisingly endearing sight.
After purchasing a seven-figure watch, Yuan Yi turned to criticize Yan Xi, "Your father's birthday is coming up, and you didn't tell me sooner so I could be better prepared."
"That's because you hadn't pursued me back then. Why would I tell you?" Yan Xi raised an eyebrow. "To hint for a gift?"
"How could you think that of me? Hinting for gifts is so petty," Yuan Yi cleared his throat, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible. "My aunt made you a special beauty-enhancing soup. If you don't come over, she'll be disappointed."
"So, only Auntie wants me over?" Yan Xi looked at him, smiling.
"Alright, fineâI want you to come over too! Happy now?" Yuan Yi said, his face reddening. "Don't you know not to point out the obvious?"
"I don't know," Yan Xi continued, smiling.
"Get in the car," Yuan Yi pulled Yan Xi in, fastened her seatbelt, and told the driver, "Take us home."
His phone chimed with a message notification, which Yuan Yi checked.
[Zhang Wang: Xiao Er, what's the plan for your birthday the day after tomorrow? Any surprises from Dahe?]