Chapter 14: Disliking Chu Yan

Yang Ying looked at Yuan Xi's belly with astonishment: "Pregnant? Why didn't you say so earlier? Please, take a seat quickly."

After Yuan Xi was seated, she said, "I originally didn't want to say anything before the three months were up. I'm five weeks pregnant now."

Chu Lin looked at Yuan Xi and said, "You're usually so busy with work, how did you find time to date, get married, and even have a child?"

Yuan Xi responded simply, "Mhm."

Mrs. Bo interjected, "Congratulations, congratulations. Bo Fan was saying that your place is about to be demolished, right? Now that you're pregnant, you can get extra compensation for the demolition for another household member."

Yuan Xi detected a hint of disdain in Mrs. Bo's words.

Chu Yan actually felt a bit guilty, originally fearing that Yuan Xi would steal Bo Fan away. Now knowing that she would not, but seeing that she had married a man from the countryside and had a child, and that she had to rely on demolition compensation to buy a city apartment, Chu Yan couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for Yuan Xi.

During the meal, Yang Ying took special care of Yuan Xi.

Yuan Xi, looking at the table full of delicious dishes, found she lacked appetite. She missed the food cooked by the chef at the mansion.

After the meal, Yuan Xi stood up: "Dad, Mom, I'm going to head back."

Yang Ying said, "Isn't tomorrow the weekend? I'll talk to Hanchen and ask him to give you a day off. Just stay at home."

Yuan Xi smiled faintly, "Mom, I'd rather go home."

Chu Qing stood up and addressed Yuan Xi, "Xinxin, are you still blaming us? Since you came back, you haven't had a proper conversation with us, nor discussed the years we missed as you grew up."

Yuan Xi said, "I imagine you have already inquired about everything about me. Actually, the first eighteen years living with my adoptive parents were quite good. Although they were not as wealthy as you, they owned a small factory, and as their only child, I grew up with no worries about food or clothes.

They were very kind to me, and had it not been for my adoptive parents' accident, I would never have guessed I wasn't their biological child.

After turning eighteen, life got a bit tougher, but I had some very good friends and classmates who helped me a lot. Then, after graduation, I smoothly entered Mi Chen and have been Gu Hanchen's secretary. The growth of Mi Chen is all over the internet."

Yang Ying, with tears in her eyes, said, "As long as you've been well, that's what matters. All these years, we've thought about you day and night. We adopted Yanyan, hoping that you would meet kind people to amass fortune for you. Now that you say your adoptive parents treated you well, we can rest assured."

Yuan Xi nodded, "Yeah, I need to leave now."

Chu Lin offered, "Shall I drive you?"

Yuan Xi replied, "No need, I'll take a taxi..."

"I'll take you," Chu Lin said confidently.

Yuan Xi did not refuse and got into Chu Lin's car, activating the navigation app on her phone.

Chu Lin glanced at Yuan Xi, "Actually, these past few days, Mom has been drinking and crying every night, feeling guilt-stricken about her actions towards you. Now that you're pregnant too, you should understand Mom's feelings, right?"

Yuan Xi replied, "I know, but I'm not a child anymore. I've been through ups and downs at Mi Chen for five years. Did you expect me to hug Mom and cry? Sorry, but I can't do that."

"Is it because of Yanyan? I can see you don't seem to like Yanyan much," Chu Lin said. "Actually, Yanyan, she..."

Yuan Xi was blunt: "Yanyan isn't money; not everyone has to like her, right? What does it matter if I don't like her?"

She couldn't pretend to have a fake sisterly bond with Chu Yan, especially since Chu Yan had broken her jade bracelet today.

"Actually, Yanyan is a very kind..."

Yuan Xi interrupted, "Stop at the next intersection. I'll get off at the upcoming intersection."

Chu Lin frowned, "I won't mention Yanyan anymore."

"It's not that. My husband's car is up ahead."

Yuan Xi saw her Panamera parked by the roadside.

Chu Lin hit the brakes and stopped the car, then walked with Yuan Xi to the Panamera, where he saw a handsome young man sitting in the backseat.

After Huo Shiyuan got out of the car, he looked at the man beside Yuan Xi, "Yuan Xi, who is this?"

"My brother, Chu Lin."

"Brother," Huo Shiyuan greeted Chu Lin indifferently.

Chu Lin, looking at Huo Shiyuan's features, thought that Huo Shiyuan's appearance was more than a match for Yuan Xi.

Chu Lin glanced at Huo Shiyuan's attire and the cheap Apple watch he was wearing and felt somewhat uncomfortable. "Is this car yours?"

"It's not, it's Yuan Xi's," Huo Shiyuan said. "My car was crashed."

"Are you okay?" Yuan Xi asked.

"I'm fine; I wasn't driving at the time."

Yuan Xi breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. Anyway, I'm free this weekend. I'll just go buy another car. To be honest, this one isn't really suitable for me during pregnancy anyway."

"What do you think about a Continental?" Huo Shiyuan asked.

Yuan Xi pondered for a moment. "Isn't a Continental a bit pricey? I'm about to be out of a job."

Huo Shiyuan chuckled lightly. "Once Mi Chen's IPO is done, you'll still have shares. Based on the money you can get from your shares, buying a Continental is no big deal."

Listening to the man in front of him, Chu Lin furrowed his brows, inwardly labeling him as a gold-digger phoenix man.

Yuan Xi had been at Gu Hanchen's side for five years. She had seen all kinds of talented young men. How could she have been so easily deceived by a pretty boy?

"Brother, we're going to head off now."

Yuan Xi got into the passenger seat and waved goodbye to Chu Lin.

Chu Lin watched the departing Panamera, his brow tightly furrowed.

In the car.

Yuan Xi asked, "I heard from Bo Fan that Shiyi Group is planning to develop Ruohu?"

Shiyi Group was the Huo family's enterprise. It had started since Huo Shiyuan's great-grandfather's generation and had grown to become the largest five-star hotel group in the country, with hotel projects also in various locations abroad. Shiyi Group also included high-end resort businesses.

Huo Shiyuan nodded. "He's well-informed. Indeed, it won't be long after the assessment is done before we start negotiations for demolition. The large villages around Ruohu will basically all be demolished. The project reconstruction and construction time should be about five years. By then, our children will have grown up, and we can bring them here to play."

"What about Huxi Village?" Yuan Xi looked at Huo Shiyuan. "Will that be demolished too? And the public cemetery there?"

"All will be demolished," Huo Shiyuan said. "If the process goes quickly, they'll start the demolition next year. Why do you ask?"

"I've lived in Huxi Village for eighteen years. If it really gets demolished, it will be hard to let go."

"We're now living in Ruohu Mansion, which won't be demolished. There will be plenty of chances to come back in the future," Huo Shiyuan assured her.

Yuan Xi nodded. "Mhm."

Yuan Xi sent a message in her close friends group chat from the car, wanting to hang out tomorrow.

But she finally had some free time, and Liang Suisui and Chen Yuan both happened to be busy on Saturday. So any plans to meet up had to be shelved.

...

Chu Lin returned to the Chu family's home, and Yang Ying immediately asked, "Did you get your sister home? How come you're back so soon?"

"I ran into her husband halfway."

Chu Yan eagerly asked, "Brother, what's her husband like?"

"He's disastrously handsome," Chu Lin said.

Bo Fan, listening on the side, chuckled at Chu Lin's description. "What kind of description is that?"

Chu Lin said, "He's handsome enough that Fan Yan could sign him without needing any packaging, and he could rise to the top among male celebrities."

"Is my brother-in-law that handsome?" Chu Yan curiously asked. "Do you have a photo?"

Bo Fan said, "Speaking of which, when I ran into Yuan Xi at the shopping mall the other day, I saw a man who looked just like what you described. Could it be him? The one wearing an Apple watch?"

"That's him," Chu Lin confirmed. "His looks are hard to come by even in the entertainment industry. No wonder Yuan Xi was blinded and married off to someone in the village."

"He may look good, but he's just a pretty boy with no real ability who relies on others. And to think he's banking on Yuan Xi's pre-IPO shares in Mi Chen to buy a Continental, not even considering buying an apartment in the city. He's only thinking about luxury cars."

Chu Yan said, "My sister is really unfortunate, to marry such short-sighted man."

Yang Ying frowned, feeling upset, but she didn't dare go and say anything to Yuan Xi now. She could sense that there was still a barrier between Yuan Xi and them.

Yuan Xi's interactions with the Chu family remained solely in the capacity of the proper Secretary Yuan.