The afternoon sun was warm.
Tang Yuyan arrived at the Thunder Horse Military Factory by car. At the parking lot, she saw a very ordinary Hongqi car. In it, was a solitary female driver. Her brows furrowed immediately. Although she couldn’t confirm who it belonged to, she had her guesses. A woman’s intuition was rarely wrong.
“Is it her? That shameless…” Tang Yuyan cursed privately. She hesitated but still entered the office tower in the end towards Xia Lei’s office.
In the hallways, Tang Yuyan met Qing Caiyue bringing some documents to the garage. Qing Caiyue greeted her. “Hey, aren’t you Miss Tang? Are you here to meet our director? I’ll let him know you are coming.”
Tang Yuyan replied, “There is no need. Continue with your work, I’ll look for him myself.”
“Alright, I’ll get going then.” Qing Caiyue walked past.
“Wait.” Tang Yuyan stopped Qing Caiyue. “Is there a guest in Director Xia’s office now?”
“Yes, Miss Fan is here.”
“What’s she here for?”
“Miss Fan made Director Xia some chicken soup. She personally came to deliver it.” Qing Caiyue smiled. “Sigh, she’s so nice. She came all the way here just to bring him soup, Director Xia is a lucky man.”
These words were like a knife to her heart but Tang Yuyan pretended not to care. She smiled. “Alright, thank you. I’ll go see him now.”
Qing Caiyue walked towards the staircase then turned to take a look at Tang Yuyan walking away. She quickly fished out her phone to type a message. “Urgent. Ex-fiancee is here.”
One second later, Xia Lei put down his phone with a smile.
Tang Yuyan came to Xia Lei’s office but did not enter. She stood quietly by the walls, listening for any sounds.
“Lei, I helped you get a zero-interest loan and devised a plan to recruit more talent.” It was Fan Fan’s voice.
Xia Lei’s voice followed. “Thank you so much. The Thunder Horse Organization has reached a critical period in its development. The things you helped with are very important.”
“You don’t have to thank me, we’re going to be family soon. Of course, I’ll help my own family!”
“Hehe…” Xia Lei laughed in response.
By the walls, Tang Yuyan’s heart clenched. “Such an idiot, are you going to give away a lifetime of happiness for that?”
“I know we don’t really have feelings right now but it’ll come gradually. I am the type to love slowly. I believe you’ll slowly feel it too…” Fan Fan said. “Many leaders have high hopes for our relationship and they care about us. I am hopeful for our future, Lei, what about you?”
“I…” Xia Lei said. “I thank the leaders for caring so much about me. I… I do not have an opinion on this.”
“That’s great. Open wide. Drink some soup while it’s still warm,” came Fan Fan’s voice.
Tang Yuyan bit her lip. “This is ridiculous! I can’t believe you were defeated just like that! No way, I object!”
She reached to grab the door handle.
However, she heard Xia Lei say, “Fan Fan, I have a request. Yuyan has been harmed and I feel bad for her and her family. Yuyan will be taking over Shi’s position soon. I don’t want her to be affected because of this matter. Do you understand what I mean?”
Fan Fan replied, “I understand. But this also depends on her capabilities. Our matter was arranged by the organisation. If she forces herself in here as a third party, she definitely won’t be able to take over Shi Boren’s position.”
Outside, Tang Yuyan retracted her hand.
Fan Fan continued, “If she’s smart, the Tang family will benefit. If she isn’t, they will suffer. I don’t mind her competing against me but you know, sometimes three’s a crowd.”
Xia Lei sighed. “Yuyan said she’ll come by today. I’ll discuss with her. I really don’t want her and her family to suffer again.”
“She’s coming?” asked Fan Fan. “I don’t want to meet her.”
“Why not?”
“It’s awkward....” Fan Fan said demurely. “Come, open up, drink some chicken soup. Aiya, it spilt on your pants! Don’t move, I’ll wipe it off for you.”
“No, no, I’ll do it myself.”
“Hehe, what are you thinking? You’re so bad…”
Tang Yuyan couldn’t help but imagine the scenario of Fan Fan wiping his pants with a piece of tissue. Tang Yuyan could not bear to stay any longer so she dabbed her eyes and turned to leave.
If she wasn’t a girl from the Tang family, she would have entered Xia Lei’s office at that moment. However, the Tang family’s blood was flowing in her veins. She could not harm her family for her own happiness. She had to make a sacrifice, even if she was unwilling.
In the office, Xia Lei sighed. “She’s gone.”
“So what if she’s gone? Isn’t this what you want?” asked Fan Fan.
Xia Lei smiled bitterly. “I’m lying to her. Are we bad people?”
Fan Fan leaned against Xia Lei. “You’re a bad man and I’m a bad woman. We make a good pair. In the future, we can have a naughty little kid. Then we’ll all be bad.”
His mess with the Tang family had reached an end. But was this the final show? He did not know. Looking at her lonely silhouette, he was filled with guilt.
The next evening rolled around.
A Chevrolet Suburban travelled down the street.
Xia Lei opened the door and Zhu Xuanyue sat at the passenger’s seat. She was holding a teddy bear, looking around at the brightly lit streets with awe.
“Don’t play with your toys later,” said Xia Lei. “When we arrive at the restaurant, you have to follow my instructions. Alright?”
“Mmm.” Zhu Xuanyue nodded solemnly. “Uncle Xia, what do you want me to do?”
“Do you like playing games?”
“Yeah, I love playing games!”
He smirked. “Then we shall play a game with two other uncles…”
Half an hour later, a Toyota land cruiser arrived in front of a Western cuisine restaurant.
Ling Han got out of the car and opened the door for Yu Shanhe.
It was an expensive-looking restaurant but empty inside. Just two customers were present. One was Xia Lei and a lady. Ling Han studied her. That lady was sitting at a table in the same row as Xia Lei’s table. She wore a long white dress. She sat quietly at the table, looking at her glass of orange juice. She did not look up to look at him or Yu Shanhe.
Xia Lei got up to welcome them with a smile. “Brother Ling, Officer Yu, I’ve been waiting! If you hadn’t arrived, I would’ve called.”
Yu Shanhe merely nodded slightly.
Ling Han looked at the lady again. “Why is it so quiet here?”
Xia Lei smiled. “I booked the entire restaurant. We’ll be eating and discussing business. I don’t want too many people around us.”
“And the miss over there?”
“She’s been here since I arrived. The boss of this restaurant said he can’t kick her out. She was here first, it doesn’t matter if there’s one more person in the room,” said Xia Lei.
Ling Han did not ask more questions. The three of them sat down and the waiter brought a menu over. Xia Lei ordered and requested for an expensive bottle of French Lafite red wine.
When the waiter left, Yu Shanhe remarked, “You don’t have to waste your money like that. Why must you order such expensive wine? We can just drink our local wine.”
Feigning awkwardness, Xia Lei said, “My apologies. Next time, next time I’ll order Changchen or Changyu wine.”
Ling Han smiled. “Officer Yu, Xia Lei is a billionaire now. We are the ones who got lucky today, would we ever splurge like that on ourselves?”
Yu Shanhe replied mildly, “Stop calling me Officer Yu everywhere we go. This is a restaurant, call me Mr Yu. Or Uncle Yu. I’m twenty or thirty years older than you both, I think Uncle is fitting.”
Xia Lei and Ling Han looked at each other with a grin. The tension in the air dissolved with this statement.
Ling Han looked at the lady once again. This time, he could see her full breasts, buttocks and thighs. He was not a perverted man. However, this lady was so beautiful that he had to take a second glance.
Xia Lei said in a low voice, “She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She’ll be good for your eyes.”
“Mmm.” Ling Han coughed awkwardly and turned around. “Brother, don’t tease me like that! Look at the women around you, they’re all gorgeous, aren't they? Plus, I’m just looking. Everyone can appreciate aesthetic beauty.”
“Right, right. Aesthetic. Let’s talk business now, forget about her.”
The waiter served the dishes and opened a bottle of Lafite red wine.
When the waiter left, Yu Shanhe spoke once again. “Xia Lei, we can get straight to the point.”
“Alright.” Xia Lei grinned. “I am a direct person.”
“Right, then I’ll speak first,” said Yu Shanhe. “We had our disagreements but this is not a personal matter. But there are many people’s livelihoods on the line here, I need to help them too.”
Xia Lei nodded. “I understand. I’d do the same.”
Ling Han picked up the decanter and poured wine. “That’s great, understanding is the bridge between two people, the foundation of friendship. Let’s toast to this unprecedented meeting.”
Ring ring… Ring ring…
Xia Lei’s phone rang.
Yu Shanhe and Ling Han looked at each other as a slight smile on the corners of their lips.