“You’re quite the spendthrift, living in such a large house by yourself. Don’t your family members live with you?” Lu Xiaodie asked, taking the water he offered.
Wan Yunting shook his head and smiled, “My second brother and his wife don’t live here.”
Lu Xiaodie nodded, then turned to Huang Guilan and asked, “Mr. Wan, are you eating at home tonight?”
“No, Aunt Lan.”
Wan Yunting turned back to her with a smile, “I might be eating out tonight.”
“Alright, I’ll cut some fruit for you then.”
Huang Guilan nodded with a smile and turned towards the kitchen. She had been guarding this large villa alone recently, and she was happy to have Wan Yunting back…
“Little brother, how about I don’t stay at a hotel and just stay at your place?”
Lu Xiaodie then winked at Wan Yunting, giggling, “You live alone anyway, and I’ve never stayed in such a luxurious villa. Is it convenient?”
“Sure.”
Wan Yunting agreed immediately, smiling, “If you want to stay, Sister Lu, feel free. There are plenty of guest rooms anyway.”
“Great! Then I won’t be polite.”
Seeing his agreement, Lu Xiaodie was delighted. This way, it would be easier for her to ask him for martial arts advice.
Wan Yunting got up and smiled, “Let me give you a tour. See which room you’d like to sleep in.”
“Okay, let’s go…”
Lu Xiaodie stood up and, on impulse, linked her arm with Wan Yunting’s. She followed him to the second floor to tour the villa. Huang Guilan, who had just finished cutting fruit and brought it out, turned and saw this scene. She immediately wondered if the woman Mr. Wan brought back was another girlfriend of his.
Finally, Lu Xiaodie chose a guest room on the third floor. Seeing that it was about time, Wan Yunting decided to visit his second brother’s house. He instructed Huang Guilan to cook an extra meal for one person tonight and also told Lu Xiaodie, “Sister Lu, if you want to go out, there are cars in the garage. Feel free to drive any of them.”
“Alright, little brother Wan. You go ahead and be busy.”
Lu Xiaodie waved goodbye to him with a smile as she headed upstairs with her suitcase.
Wan Yunting no longer paid attention to her. He went down to the underground garage and drove his silver Toyota sedan slowly out of the villa, leaving the residential area and heading towards his second brother’s house…
At this moment, his second sister-in-law, Wang Chulin, had just returned from outside with her niece Wan’er. They happened to meet Wan Yunting, who had arrived, at the entrance. Upon seeing him, Wan’er happily ran towards him, “Third Uncle, you’re back…”
“Wan’er…”
Wan Yunting crouched down, scooped up the running Wan’er, spun her around twice in the air, and then held her in his arms, smiling gently, “Did you miss your Third Uncle?”
“Hehe, I did.”
Wan’er hooked her little hands around his neck, giggling happily. Wan Yunting smiled, “Third Uncle brought you lots of gifts. I’ll show you later.”
“Wow, yay…”
As soon as she heard about gifts, Wan’er’s beautiful big eyes lit up, and she clapped her little hands joyfully. Wang Chulin walked over and smiled, “Third brother, why did it take you so long to come back? Are things settled?”
“They’re settled, second sister-in-law. There was a minor issue, which delayed me a few days,” Wan Yunting said with a smile to his second sister-in-law.
He put Wan’er down, opened the trunk, and took out a large bag of items. These were gifts he bought for Wan’er in Shaoxing, all things that girls liked. Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao had helped him pick them out. Wan’er was naturally overjoyed to see so many gifts.
Sitting in the villa’s yard, knowing his second brother was at work and not yet home, Wan Yunting asked if anything had happened while he was away. Wang Chulin shook her head, saying that nothing had happened at home.
Since Zhong Hongmei’s bodyguards were present, Wan Yunting was relieved that his second brother and his wife were safe. However, he was still somewhat perplexed.
Could it be that Fang Tai and Chen Guangyang, those two young men from the capital, would just let him off the hook?
Wan Yunting didn’t think so. Perhaps those two were plotting in the shadows on how to deal with him!
After sitting for a while, Wan Yunting saw it was almost six o’clock. He politely declined his second sister-in-law’s invitation to stay for dinner, as he had to go to Fang Guowen’s house tonight. “Second sister-in-law, I’ll come home for dinner tomorrow.”
“Alright, you go ahead then.”
Knowing he was going to Fang Yanxi’s house, Wang Chulin naturally smiled and didn’t keep him.
Wan’er was still clinging to him. Wan Yunting finally took the opportunity when she went inside to sneak out, drive away, and head directly to Chaoting Group…
Meanwhile, in the company’s president’s office, Fang Yanxi was wearing a black shirt and a blue knee-length mermaid skirt. The weather in the south was unpredictable and a bit cold, especially at night, so her pair of straight, slender legs were covered in black stockings, making her appear even more alluring and seductive…
As Fang Yanxi was diligently reviewing documents, there was a knock on the office door. Secretary Xiao Qi’s voice came through, “President Fang, Mr. Wan is here.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Wan Yunting had already pushed open the office door and walked in. Fang Yanxi looked up and saw him. Her peerless, beautiful face showed no sign of joy upon seeing the man after such a long absence. She cast a very indifferent glance at him, her gaze returning to the documents in her hand, and said faintly, “Why are you here?”
Seeing her cold demeanor, Wan Yunting felt helpless and could only walk over with a smile, “Of course, I’m here to take you home for dinner.”
“It’s still early,” Fang Yanxi continued without looking at him, speaking blandly.
Wan Yunting’s expression froze. A bitter smile flickered on his lips. He turned and walked to Fang Yanxi’s desk, placing his hand on her shoulder and saying gently, “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been gone for so long. Please don’t be angry, okay?”
Fang Yanxi turned her head and glanced at him slightly, saying, “I’m not angry. It’s not like I don’t know why you were gone for so long. So you really don’t need to apologize to me. Oh, right, congratulations on winning first place in the calligraphy competition. You didn’t let my father down by participating in the competition. I believe he must be very happy.”
Looking at her speak these words with a calm smile, Wan Yunting’s expression froze. He felt no joy whatsoever, and could even clearly sense that Fang Yanxi felt a strange distance towards him!
After a brief pause, Wan Yunting asked, “What time do you get off work?”
“Seven o’clock,” Fang Yanxi replied blandly.
“Okay, then I’ll wait for you to get off work.”
Wan Yunting nodded, turned, and sat on the sofa in the reception area. He then took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and looked down at it…
Fang Yanxi tilted her head slightly and glanced at him with her peripheral vision, then ignored him and continued with her work…
Lin Xiaoqi, who came in with a cup of tea, saw Wan Yunting sitting alone playing with his phone while Fang Yanxi worked silently. She immediately sensed that the atmosphere between them was not right. She gently placed the tea on the table in front of Wan Yunting and then quickly ran out. Seeing Zhong Hongmei approaching, Lin Xiaoqi stopped her and told her not to go in…
Time ticked by second by second. Both of them were patient. For a full hour, not a word was spoken. Finally, Fang Yanxi put down her work, stood up, took her coat and bag from the hanger behind her, and called out expressionlessly to Wan Yunting, who was sitting over there, “Let’s go home.”
“Okay.”
Wan Yunting responded with a smile, then got up and walked over. Fang Yanxi didn’t look at him and walked straight outside. Wan Yunting, feeling bitter and helpless, could only follow her out of the office…
Zhong Hongmei and Shi Qiang, who were waiting outside, stood up immediately when they saw them come out. Wan Yunting smiled and nodded at them, “President Zhong, thank you for your hard work.”
Zhong Hongmei merely nodded at him. Fang Yanxi walked directly towards the elevator, and Wan Yunting could only follow her with a smile. Zhong Hongmei and Shi Qiang naturally followed, and they all entered the elevator, going directly down to the company’s underground parking lot. Shi Qiang was responsible for driving, Zhong Hongmei sat in the passenger seat, and Wan Yunting and Fang Yanxi sat in the back. Neither of them spoke. The car left the company and headed directly to her home…
At Fang Guowen’s home, the elder Mr. Fang Shoushan was drinking tea and chatting with Hu Tianchi and two other middle-aged men in the tea room. Fang Yanxi’s mother, Du Xiumei, was busy preparing dinner with the housemaid in the kitchen…
As the car slowly stopped at the entrance of the courtyard, Fang Yanxi and Wan Yunting got out of the car without a word and entered the courtyard. Zhong Hongmei and Shi Qiang naturally followed, as they were personal bodyguards and usually lived and ate with their employers.
“Yanxi is back, and Mr. Wan is here too…”
The housemaid saw them return and immediately called out to the inside. Du Xiumei then came out. As the saying goes, a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law with increasing favor. She immediately went up and grabbed Wan Yunting’s arm, laughing enthusiastically, “Xiao Wan, you’re finally back! Come in quickly. Your grandfather and the others are talking about you in the tea room.”
“Auntie, sorry to trouble you again.” Wan Yunting glanced at Fang Yanxi, who had already gone upstairs, and said to Du Xiumei with a smile.
“Hehe, what trouble? I’m happy whenever you come home,” Du Xiumei said, completely ignoring her daughter and looking at her future son-in-law with full attention. “Then you go sit in the tea room for a bit and have some tea. Auntie still has to cook. Dinner will be ready soon.”
“Okay, Auntie. Let me know if you need any help.”
“Okay, okay, okay, go ahead…” Du Xiumei said happily, smiling, and turned back into the kitchen to continue preparing tonight’s dinner…
Wan Yunting turned and walked into the tea room. Hu Tianchi and the other two middle-aged men immediately stood up. Seeing him, they clasped their hands and smiled, “Here comes Wan Shuxian…”
“Uncle Hu, you’re teasing me again.”
Looking at Hu Tianchi and the two unfamiliar middle-aged men, Wan Yunting guessed they might be friends of Fang Guowen. He politely smiled and nodded at them, then smiled at the seated Fang Shoushan and asked, “Grandpa, how have you been lately?”
“Haha, I’m in great health. Come and sit quickly…”
Fang Shoushan said with a happy smile, beckoning Wan Yunting to sit beside him. He chuckled, “I saw the news too. Congratulations on winning first place in the calligraphy competition.”
Wan Yunting waved his hand humbly, saying, “It’s just an undeserved reputation.”
“Doctor Wan is indeed as low-key and humble as the rumors say,” said a middle-aged man dressed in casual gray, wearing sunglasses, exuding a scholarly aura, with a smile at Wan Yunting.
“Xiao Wan is here.”
At this moment, Fang Guowen came out of his study, bringing another middle-aged man with him. He introduced them to Wan Yunting with a smile, “Xiao Wan, let me introduce you. These three gentlemen are all from the Hua City Calligraphy and Painting Association: Lü Zhiqing, Chen Wenbin, and our calligraphy master, Meng Xuehai!”
The man in the black Tang suit, who was about fifty years old and stood beside Fang Guowen, waved his hand with a smile and said to Wan Yunting, “What calligraphy master? In front of Wan Shuxian, my calligraphy is not presentable…”
“That’s right.”
Lü Zhiqing, dressed in casual gray and wearing glasses, also turned to Wan Yunting and smiled, “We just admired your brushwork. Your slender gold script is truly excellent. And your cursive script submitted to this year’s Lanting Award calligraphy competition was simply eye-opening.”
“Exactly…”
Chen Wenbin, sitting to Fang Shoushan’s left, also nodded in agreement with a smile. They had heard that Wan Yunting was coming to Fang Guowen’s place tonight, so they had pestered him to come and catch a glimpse of the talented Wan. Hence, this scene unfolded.
After all, the art world titan Fan Liren had praised Wan Yunting’s calligraphy so highly in front of the media reporters. Now that he had also won first place in the Lanting Award calligraphy competition, becoming famous overnight, many scholars and calligraphers in Hua City wanted to come and witness the rise of Wan Yunting, this young calligraphy prodigy, Wan Shuxian.
However, Fang Guowen had refused them all!
Fan Liren had said not to overexpose Wan Yunting, so Fang Guowen had rejected others from coming.
He had only allowed his three friends, Lü Zhiqing, Chen Wenbin, and Meng Xuehai, to come…