Duan Yiheng returned to the manor but didn't follow them inside. The butler, holding an umbrella, came to the courtyard and said to Duan Yiheng, "Sir, the snow is heavy outside, please come inside."
Duan Yiheng looked at the snowmen huddled together and instructed the butler, "Have someone watch over them, don't let them get covered in snow." The butler agreed. "Send the doctor over," Duan Yiheng said, "I have a meeting at Platinum Palace tomorrow afternoon." "Yes."
Duan Yiheng had no appetite for dinner, had the doctor treat his wound, and went straight back to his room. Meanwhile, Lin Xi accompanied Duan Mingxuan to the hospital. His wound looked terrible, but it was just a soft tissue injury. The doctor prescribed anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medication and let them go.
Duan Mingxuan, furious, took Lin Xi home. He was supposed to confess his feelings tomorrow, what was he going to do about this? Chen Baiwei saw Duan Mingxuan's face in the hallway, and her world collapsed. "Mingxuan, what happened to your face? Who hit you?"
She asked, but her eyes were fixed on Lin Xi. Duan Mingxuan frowned. "Mom, why are you staring at Xiaoxi? How could she beat me up like this?" Chen Baiwei remained silent, convinced that Lin Xi was involved. Lin Xi didn't care and said to Duan Mingxuan,
"I'm going back now." Duan Mingxuan turned and chased after her to the door, calling her back. He said, "Tomorrow night, I've booked a suite at Platinum Hotel and invited our friends. I've had the dress delivered to your room." Lin Xi nodded. "I know."
"And—" "I'm tired." Lin Xi interrupted him. "I'm going back to rest." Duan Mingxuan could only let her leave. As soon as Lin Xi entered the living room, Sister Mei greeted her. "You're back? The second young master sent over a dress; I put it in your dressing room."
"I know." Lin Xi's gaze unconsciously glanced upstairs. Sister Mei: "The eldest young master won't be back tonight." Lin Xi hummed in agreement and dragged her heavy steps upstairs. Now that she and Duan Yiheng had this falling out, she couldn't stay here anymore.
But the day after tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, so moving out now isn't realistic; she can only wait until after the New Year. The housing situation needs to be resolved as soon as possible. Living alone, she's best suited to a high-end apartment with 24-hour service and a private butler; she can simply buy one then.
Sister Mei watched her climb the stairs for a long time, her emotions quite complex. Lin Xi wasn't interested in the dress Duan Mingxuan had given her, but she played the music box for a long time. She didn't know when she went to sleep, but she woke up around nine the next morning.
Nothing tasted good, but she couldn't show it, lest she waste someone else's good intentions. At noon, she went to the North Courtyard; the old man invited her to lunch. Lin Xi perked up, trying her best to appear normal and natural.
But after lunch, the old man directly handed her a document, saying, "I bought you an apartment in Tiandu Yuxi; it's a birthday gift for you." Lin Xi was stunned. It was exactly what she wanted; she didn't know this was compensation from the old man.
However, this apartment was far too expensive. Before she could speak, the old man added, "Just take what's yours. It's not convenient for you to stay at Yiheng's place all the time. This apartment isn't far from the company."
Lin Xi understood the old man's meaning, nodded, accepted the documents, and feigned a happy expression: "Thank you, Grandpa. I was just thinking about where to buy a house last night. I had no choice but to go to my elder brother's place and bother him for so long; I really shouldn't have done that."
The old man smiled and chatted with her for a long time. Only after Lin Xi left did he sigh. Uncle Deng said from the side, "Miss is very sensible." The old man smiled bitterly: "I forced her to be sensible." Uncle Deng:
"Things have come to this point, so don't blame yourself. You can make it up to Miss." The old man had a deep affection for his wife, and he knew the pain of losing someone.
No amount of compensation would be of any use, but as the owner of Silver Sail, he couldn't disregard Duan Yiheng's reputation and allow it to be criticized. The following afternoon at three o'clock, Duan Yiheng went to the executive suite on the top floor of Platinum Elegance.
When he arrived, Qin Yang, the technical department, the legal department, the finance department, and Jiang Hulin were already there. They all breathed a sigh of relief to see Duan Yiheng was unharmed. However, their gazes kept drifting back to the injuries on his face.
Duan Yiheng ignored their stares and said coldly, "Let's start the meeting." Qin Yang handed Duan Yiheng a document, saying, "Zheng Jizhong is cunning and shrewd. If you hadn't prioritized him with project resources beforehand, we wouldn't have discovered his tricks in project operations.
"I thoroughly investigated the fund flows and cooperation details of all the major projects the company participated in over the past three years and discovered that he manipulated project budgets." "He used shell companies to falsely report expenses under various pretexts, collecting kickbacks of up to five million."
"To cover his tracks, these funds flowed through multiple overseas accounts. Every transaction was supported by seemingly legitimate contracts and invoices, but there's evidence to verify them." Duan Yiheng tapped the table, signaling for the legal department to speak.
"The evidence is solid, and the chain of evidence is well-organized. The probability of winning the case is very high." Duan Yiheng nodded, knowing he still had a way out; he hadn't touched Zheng Jianian's company. If Zheng Jianian hadn't cheated, he really wouldn't have had a chance.
The meeting lasted until 6 PM. Everyone left, and Qin Yang asked Duan Yiheng with concern, "What happened to the injury on your face?" Duan Yiheng shook his head, wearily pressing his temples. "Let's go."
As the two left the room, a group of people suddenly emerged from the elevator. From a distance, Duan Yiheng heard Duan Mingxuan's voice: "Xiao Xi, hurry up." Duan Yiheng immediately stopped Qin Yang, took a step back, and closed the door. "Where's Liang Yutong?" Duan Mingxuan asked Lin Xi. "Why hasn't she arrived yet?" Lin Xi replied, "She's on her way. Let's wait a little longer." Duan Mingxuan said, "Then go to your room first. I need to talk to the manager about something." "Okay." The noise in the corridor subsided. Duan Yiheng heard Duan Mingxuan say, "Have you prepared everything I asked you to?" The manager replied, "Your friend confirmed it this afternoon. Your girlfriend will definitely be very touched." Duan Mingxuan chuckled, "She's not my girlfriend yet." The manager said, "Then I wish you success in your confession." Qin Yang's mouth dropped open in surprise. He had been forced to witness his boss's gossip again. "Secretary Lin, she..." The corridor fell silent. Duan Yiheng opened the door. "Go out." Duan Yiheng closed the door again and went to the French windows, lighting a cigarette for himself.
So, Lin Xi rejected him because she knew Duan Mingxuan was going to confess to her? Duan Yiheng didn't want to believe his own guess. But his unrequited first love was like a legendary white moonlight, and now that he had suffered a breakup, he couldn't help but think the worst. Duan Yiheng stood there for a long time, his mind filled with thoughts of whether Lin Xi would accept Duan Mingxuan's confession.