The sun was blazing, warming the room comfortably. Chang Xuyu rubbed her eyes, put down her vocabulary book, and stared blankly at a patch of light. It had been a while since she last visited Yuan Zixu. She should go out for a walk. The sun was very strong that day. Walking on the road, she felt a warm, ticklish sensation on her back, and the warmth spread from her spine to her heart. Her arms, slender like lotus roots, carried two bags of food—snacks like nuts and jerky, as well as seafood and steak, which she had bought early in the morning. The meat was very fresh. Yuan Zixu was a good cook. Although steak and seafood weren't hard to handle, Yuan Zixu made them delicious and varied, and Chang Xuyu liked that. Sitting on the bus, she listened to English listening practice through her earphones. After a while, she paused and sent a text message to Yuan Zixu and Xu Jia. The bags were a bit heavy, so she didn't walk fast. After getting off the bus, she was about to cross the street when an arm suddenly blocked her. Startled, she looked up and saw a tall man in a black suit. Chang Xuyu stepped back two steps, gripping her bags tightly. "Miss, our boss would like to invite you for a cup of tea over there." He pointed to a tea house that looked upscale. Chang Xuyu lowered her eyes, feeling nervous. The man in front of her was tall and burly, dressed in a black suit, looking like a movie spy—something she had never seen in real life. "No, I have things to do..." she explained softly and tried to leave, but the man stepped in front of her again without a word. She tried again, but was blocked once more. It seemed this man wasn't easy to deal with. If she didn't have tea with his boss today, he wouldn't let her go. "This is a society governed by law," she said, trying to calm herself. She backed away, her hand instinctively grabbing a railing. No one was waiting for the bus nearby; it was midday, and there were few people. She was very scared. "Just a cup of tea with our boss and a short sit-down. It won't take long," the man said calmly, his hands clasped in front of him. Chang Xuyu bit her lip, her palms sweating. Under the man's guidance, she entered the tea house. The interior was antique and well-lit, but strangely, there was no one in the entire building. Looking around, she suddenly saw a man sitting diagonally across from her. He appeared to be middle-aged, dressed immaculately, idly rubbing a cup in his hand, looking thoughtful. "Please." Chang Xuyu slowly approached the man. Yi Jianye came to his senses, looked up, and frowned when he saw her. "Are you Chang Xuyu?" he asked, feeling that she looked vaguely familiar. She wore a light blue dress and a thin woolen coat, her long hair hanging quietly on her shoulders. Her face was delicate, her chin pointed, her skin fair and supple. Her almond-shaped eyes were lively, as if containing a whole galaxy—charming and sunny, yet gentle and lovely. Her features were so exquisite she seemed to have walked out of a sketch. Yi Jianye was a bit stunned, sighing inwardly. No wonder his son, such a mature and serious man, couldn't forget her—she was so beautiful. If possible, he would have liked a daughter-in-law like her, but it was a pity; they were destined to have no connection in this life. Chang Xuyu nodded and sat down. "You are..." Yi Jianye pondered where he had seen her before but couldn't remember. Well, he had met countless people over the years of traveling; maybe he had run into her by chance, and her striking appearance left an impression. "Oh, I run an art institution. Here's my business card." Yi Jianye handed her a pre-made fake card and smiled. "A few years ago, I saw your graduation work at the Central Academy of Fine Arts exhibition. Some of your paintings were kept by the school, right?" Chang Xuyu nodded again, took the card, and glanced at it. It was indeed a legitimate institution, so she relaxed a bit. It seemed they were in the same circle. Her works had indeed been kept by the school, but that was a long time ago. Besides, CAFA was full of talents, each backed by their own connections; she was just a small figure. Yi Jianye pretended to compliment her. "I wanted to find a proper time to invite Miss Chang for a talk, but I'm about to go south for a seminar, so I thought I'd meet you quickly and get things done. Here's the thing, Miss Chang: I really admire your painting style. I'd like to commission two paintings from you first, and I'll pay the highest price in the circle. I heard you left Shangyi. Why not come to me? You could be the lead instructor straight away. What do you think?" Chang Xuyu was taken aback. "This doesn't seem appropriate. I appreciate your offer, but..." Although the conditions were tempting, she wasn't one to give up halfway. It wasn't easy to plan out life, and having finally made a decision, she didn't want to overturn it easily. After taking the graduate exam and coming back, there would be no shortage of opportunities. Moreover, this was too rushed. She couldn't jump from one plan into another. This man was still of unknown origin, yet he knew so many details. The conditions he offered were almost tailored to her current predicament. If he hadn't thoroughly investigated her, he couldn't have known so precisely. She smiled politely and declined calmly. "Why isn't it appropriate?" Yi Jianye hadn't expected that even with such tempting offers, a young girl like her wouldn't bite. He was a bit anxious. "Think about it—if we cooperate, we'll be on the same boat. Who would dare say anything? Hmm?" Chang Xuyu was about to leave when he stopped her. She frowned. She had already wasted a lot of time here. Yuan Zixu was waiting. "Sir, I mean, I have no such plans for now. I'm sorry, but I appreciate your admiration..." She finished speaking lightly and turned around. Her figure was slender and elegant, not as sharp as Jian Shufan's, but still refined. Yi Jianye narrowed his eyes as he watched her go. Another stubborn one. She and Yi Zhuo were somewhat alike in some ways. No wonder they had married. Yi Zhuo was clearer-headed in marriage than him—he chose who he liked, and even after divorce, he couldn't forget her. He didn't waste his limited emotions. "Ah, what a pity." As he sighed, the two men in suits who had been hiding by the door stepped out and blocked the exit. Chang Xuyu tensed up. "If you do this, I'll call the police." "One thing at a time. Whether you call the police or not, I'm just talking business." The man said coldly, without any fear. Chang Xuyu backed away, panicked, her heart in her throat. She had known from the start that these people weren't good, but she was unarmed and couldn't do anything. She really didn't know why she had provoked such people. She always tried to be careful and avoid trouble. Suddenly— "Hey, you two can't go in..." "Doing business in broad daylight?" Song Shuheng pushed aside one man's arm, briefly opening a path for himself and Yi Zhuo. Yi Zhuo rushed in, pulled Chang Xuyu behind him, and shielded her. Her wrist was suddenly gripped by a strong, powerful hand. Startled, she looked up and saw a familiar figure. His back was broad, and his clothes had a faint scent of disinfectant, but it wasn't unpleasant. When Yi Zhuo received Yuan Zixu's call, she had said anxiously that Chang Xuyu was supposed to visit her but was late, her phone was unanswered, and then it was turned off. Worried something had happened, she had called Yi Zhuo to help search. Song Shuheng followed to help. Yi Zhuo knew this tea house well—it was Yi Jianye's property. With a bad feeling, he rushed in without a second thought. Sure enough, he saw Chang Xuyu as soon as he entered. Startled by his appearance, the tears that had been welling up in her eyes finally fell, tracing down her cheeks to her delicate chin and dropping to the floor. Then the tears came like broken pearls, unstoppable. She had never experienced anything like this. Yi Zhuo felt the girl behind him sobbing quietly, and his heart tightened. He stared at Yi Jianye, who was over fifty, gritting his molars. The veins on the back of his hand and forearm bulged, as if he might throw a punch at any moment. His face was calm but gloomy as a thunderstorm, all the fury waiting to erupt after the thunder. "What are you doing?" Yi Jianye was startled by his son's sudden arrival. He felt a bit guilty, swallowed, avoided eye contact, then cleared his throat and coughed. "This doesn't concern you. Don't interfere." Yi Zhuo narrowed his eyes. He had been too busy lately, submerged in the studio or factory from morning till night, mentally and physically exhausted. He had no time for anything else. In fact, he had deliberately kept himself immersed in work, exhausting himself to the point of falling asleep as soon as he sat down, numbing himself so he wouldn't think about Chang Xuyu, about their past, the beautiful and painful memories. Maybe, as she said, he would gradually forget. But he also knew this was temporary. Once anything concerning her came up, he still couldn't help caring, worrying. Song Shuheng would regularly go for her treatment, but he would always follow, afraid of any mishap. Some consequences he couldn't bear. If anything happened to her again, he would be finished. Yi Zhuo forced down the anger inside him, lowered his eyes, and held her warm, soft hand in his. Chang Xuyu looked up, stunned. Still shaken, she only now came to her senses. Seeing the hidden anger in his eyes and feeling the strength transmitted from his hand to her, her heart trembled. Yi Zhuo tightly protected her back and walked toward the door without looking back. The men blocking the door hesitated, looking at Yi Jianye for instructions. Yi Jianye's face was ashen. Staring at their seemingly inseparable backs, he gnashed his teeth in anger. Was he this lovesick? Even though the girl gave him no warmth, he still threw himself at her, even sabotaging his own father's plan. It seemed that coming after Chang Xuyu was the right move. Yi Zhuo was indeed tense about her, protecting her like that. The way he had looked just now, he might have started a fight. This girl was Yi Zhuo's only weak spot.
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