Assistant Chen was slightly taken aback.
His boss had been acting strange ever since he heard Madam Du's voice.
Yet, they had clearly never had any interaction before. One must know, even towards his own fiancée, Miss Tang, he hadn't paid this much attention.
"Are you sure you're referring to that Madam Du—Xia Liuyue?" Assistant Chen repeated.
Yan Hechuan's grip on his white cane paused, his entire body feeling as if it had plunged into an icy abyss.
It was as if he had suddenly stumbled upon some incredible truth.
"Wait, you're saying Du Jiashu's wife's full name is Xia Liuyue."
Assistant Chen nodded. "Yes, the 'Liu' from 'liuli' (colored glaze), the 'Yue' from 'yueliang' (moon)."
After saying this, even he froze for a moment, because he remembered that not long ago, his boss had asked him to investigate a little nurse named 'Liu Yue'.
So... it wasn't Liu Yue, but Liuyue.
Yan Hechuan's body remained rigid for a long time before he seemed to find his voice again.
With difficulty and heaviness, he said, "...Do you know why Yin Yao didn't attend the banquet tonight? I recall Elder Zhao's invitation was for two."
Assistant Chen wore an expression of disbelief.
Without thinking, he replied directly, "Miss Tang is still abroad for an academic program. How could she possibly make it back in time?"
Yan Hechuan's body swayed violently.
Assistant Chen, quick-eyed and deft-handed, hurried forward to support him, vaguely sensing something was off. With concern in his voice, he asked,
"Mr. Yan, are you alright? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"
Yan Hechuan took a deep breath.
After a moment of silence, he said, "Yes, I do. Go to the hospital now. To check the surveillance footage."
Assistant Chen was confused. "Huh?"
Why go to the hospital not for treatment, but to check surveillance?
He timidly voiced a soul-questioning doubt, "Boss, you're blind now. You can't watch the surveillance footage either."
Yan Hechuan said coldly,
"You can watch it. Take me there quickly. I need to confirm something."
He paused, then added,
"Something very important."
...
In the black Lincoln limousine.
Meng Xiang, or rather, Zhao Yunzhou, tugged at his suit tie and undid a few buttons.
His handsome eyes revealed a hint of unruly arrogance.
This was the real him.
He stretched out his long legs, leaning against the car door, staring intently at Xia Liuyue sitting diagonally across from him.
"What? Annoyed and embarrassed, so you're kidnapping me now?" Xia Liuyue curved her lips into a smile.
Zhao Yunzhou also chuckled lightly. "No, I just want to take you to watch a good show."
Xia Liuyue wasn't flustered in the slightest. "Where are we going?"
Zhao Yunzhou: "The hospital."
Just then, the phone in her coat pocket rang again. As she was about to pick it up, a long arm snatched the phone away before she could.
Zhao Yunzhou glanced at the caller ID.
Du Jiashu.
Tsk!
That scumbag husband of sister's.
Really annoying.
The corners of his lips pulled into a malicious smile. Holding the phone high, he tilted his head and said with a light laugh,
"Sister, remember this scene?"
Xia Liuyue just watched quietly, not stopping him.
"I remember."
"From that moment on, I felt sister was different." Zhao Yunzhou's peach-blossom eyes sparkled with mischievous amusement as the phone fell from his hand.
However, the car floor was covered with a soft mat.
Unlike Yan Hechuan's phone that day which shattered to pieces, this one only cracked the screen.
The ringing of the incoming call continued.
When it fell, it accidentally got answered. The screen showed the call was connected.
Du Jiashu's anxious voice came through: "Xia Liuyue! Where have you run off to? I've been looking for you for a full half hour. Why aren't you answering your phone?"
Xia Liuyue was about to speak.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Yunzhou picked up the phone first, casually tossing it onto the car mat, and said in an affected, coquettish tone,
"Sister, ...is this your husband?"
"He sounds so rude, no wonder sister doesn't like him."
Du Jiashu on the other end of the line was silent for a long time, then couldn't take it anymore and exploded.
"Xia Liuyue! I'm worried sick looking for you? And you have the leisure to go find some pretty boy?!"
Zhao Yunzhou raised his slender, shapely eyebrows and said in a very 'green tea' manner,
"How can you yell at sister? No wonder sister wants to date me, because I'm good and obedient."
"Brother, stop calling."
"Sister is a bit unhappy right now."
Du Jiashu was furious: "Shut up! You gigolo, what right does a pretty boy have to speak? Give the phone to Xia Liuyue, let her talk to me."
Xia Liuyue was curious what he wanted to say.
She reached out her hand.
Zhao Yunzhou, extremely reluctant, picked up the phone from the mat and handed it to her, immediately following up by taking hold of her hand.
He had secretly imagined this action countless times.
It was just like in his imagination.
Sister's hand was soft and smooth to hold.
Very warm.
He really wanted to lock sister away, make her belong only to him.
"Hello?" Xia Liuyue's voice was clear.
"Xia Liuyue, you've gone too far! I just have a crush on Yao Yao, but we haven't crossed that line, we've always maintained a purely platonic friendship between a man and a woman."
"And you! You actually went behind my back and got yourself a gigolo? Are you trying to disgust me?"
"Even if you found someone from our circle, why do you have to compare me to those low-class gigolos and male models?"
Zhao Yunzhou moved his head closer and retorted in a low voice, "You're the gigolo, your whole family are gigolos."
Pfft.
Xia Liuyue couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to ruffle Zhao Yunzhou's hair.
The previously unruly young man revealed a hint of secret pleasure on his face, lowering his head and staying perfectly still, letting her touch him.
"Xia Liuyue?! You're still laughing! Do you have any idea how our Du family will face people if this gets out? How will you explain this to your Xia family relatives?"
Xia Liuyue's tone was calm, unhurried and steady:
"Don't panic, I'm just keeping a younger brother."
"It's not like I slept with Tang Yin Yao's fiancé, why are you so worked up?"
On the phone, Du Jiashu thought of his wife's somewhat unusual look when she saw Yan Hechuan tonight. Could it be she wasn't just saying it, but actually had that idea?
He hurriedly said,
"If you want to court death, do it yourself! Don't drag our Du family down. Do you know what status the Yan family holds in Haishi?"
"After Elder Zhao passes, the Yan family will have the biggest say in Haishi."
"If you dare provoke Yan Hechuan, you won't know how you died."
Such a hypocritical man.
Xia Liuyue pointed it out sharply:
"So you also know the Yan family can't be provoked. Then how do you have the guts to provoke Yan Hechuan's fiancée?"
"If he finds out you've always liked Tang Yin Yao, guess what Yan Hechuan will do to the Du family?"
Du Jiashu was both panicked and flustered.
His tone became somewhat pleading, as he quickly said:
"Liuyue, don't be impulsive. Besides, you still hold five percent of Du Corp's shares."
"If something happens to Du Corp, those shares in your hand will become worthless paper."
Xia Liuyue, leisurely and unhurried, said with a teasing smile:
"I know."
"Just teasing you. Look how scared you are."
