Mid-August brought the hottest days of the year. Even in the morning, stepping outside, Wen Ying felt sticky.
Yet the boy under the banyan tree seemed unaffected by the heat, still looking fresh.
Of course, Xie Qian sweated too.
Perhaps it was Wen Ying’s rose-tinted view, but unlike the boys on the sports field, drenched in smelly sweat, Xie Qian didn’t smell at all.
Well, those boys probably didn’t shower promptly or change clothes daily.
Xie Qian was different. He changed clothes every day, even in winter.
While others had one school uniform in winter, Xie Qian had five, one clean set for each day.
Xie Qian’s sudden return to Chengdu, appearing downstairs at her place, sparked both surprise and joy in Wen Ying. Her first thought was, “Good thing I washed my hair this morning.” With her hair non-greasy, Wen Ying strode confidently across the street.
Perhaps she moved too quickly, her heart pounding like a fawn as she reached Xie Qian. The morning breeze tousled her fringe, revealing her smooth forehead. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling, her face glowing.
“When did you get back?”
Xie Qian looked down at her.
He’d planned to confront her about slacking on practice tests, but seeing her now, he hesitated.
Today was the trial, so it wasn’t the right time.
Besides, this wasn’t just anyone. This was the hamster who wished him a long life, who’d lend him all her savings. What could he do? Only keep a close eye on her to prevent her from getting too lax.
“I got back last night. Things in Shanghai are sorted. Your case is in court today, right? My mum and Xiao Ni went straight to the courthouse. I’ll go with you.”
When Xie Qian said Shanghai was sorted, Wen Ying didn’t doubt him.
With his brain, nothing could stump him. She had full confidence in him.
But something about Xie Qian seemed different.
Wen Ying tilted her head, studying him, unable to pinpoint what.
Oh, why overthink it? The person standing before her was Xie Qian, unmistakable.
Wen Ying adjusted her backpack straps and asked about his logistics company in Shanghai. Xie Qian meant to brush it off but then remembered Dai Chenglan.
“I ran into my dad in Shanghai, and that Ms. Dai we saw in Macau. Jinhu Group invested in her family’s factory.”
Xie Jinghu investing in Dai Chenglan?
Wen Ying was thrown off.
In Macau, she’d seen Dai Chenglan with Xie Jinghu’s mistress, which had struck her as odd.
In her past life, Dai Chenglan didn’t like her, so Wen Ying knew little about Dai’s social circle or whether she had ties with Xie Jinghu’s mistress.
Back then, her knowledge of Xie Qian was far less than now, and she was clueless about his family affairs.
But if Xie Jinghu had invested in He’s factory, Jinhu Group and the He family were closely linked. Yet, until her rebirth, He Zhen, who had mostly taken over the He family business, never mentioned Jinhu Group.
The He family’s main business was medical equipment, earning them a fortune. After He Zhen returned from studying abroad, he gradually expanded into other investments.
Had she not cared enough about He Zhen?
How could she not know about such a connection?
Xie Qian didn’t miss the shift in Wen Ying’s expression.
Looking down at her, he took in every detail. He lowered his eyes.
He always felt Wen Ying knew Dai Chenglan.
Like now, when he mentioned Xie Jinghu investing in Dai’s factory, Wen Ying didn’t ask what Dai’s family did. That wasn’t like her.
Xie Qian buried his doubts.
Wen Ying snapped back to reality on the bus, asking if Xie Jinghu had given Xie Qian trouble.
“He won’t mess with your logistics company there, will he?”
“No, he cares about his reputation in public.”
A father sabotaging his son’s startup would signal infighting in the Xie family. With Xie Yuping and Old Madam Xie around, Xie Jinghu wouldn’t act so recklessly.
Of course, while he wouldn’t act openly, tripping Xie Qian up behind the scenes was possible.
But that wasn’t a big issue. Xie Jinghu’s main goal was to pressure him to study abroad, waiting to catch him if his startup failed.
Xie Qian shared Xie Jinghu’s intentions, and Wen Ying’s heart tightened: “Don’t fall for his trap. Are you going abroad?”
In her past life, Xie Qian went abroad to study and vanished from her life. The next time she heard his name, it came with tragic news.
Perhaps when Xie Qian went abroad, his father’s mistress and illegitimate children seized power.
Xie Qian glanced at her, finding her words a bit naive.
Why would he go abroad?
Hadn’t they decided he’d study in Shanghai?
If he went abroad, who’d run the logistics company?
Wen Ying caught the disdain in Xie Qian’s look.
Why was he looking down on her? It was maddening.
Wen Ying circled him, agitated.
She’d first approached Xie Qian to be friends, then close friends, hoping to influence his major life decisions. With his intelligence, studying abroad would benefit him. How could she stop him from pursuing a brighter future? But if that future led to tragedy, she wanted to try changing it.
So far, Xie Qian had shown no interest in academia, instead buying land in Shanghai and starting a logistics company.
If he wasn’t pursuing research, skipping study abroad wouldn’t matter, right?
Wen Ying subtly suggested Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management, where Qin Jiao studied, or Tsinghua if he didn’t like Peking. Both were top domestic schools, hardly a compromise for Xie Qian.
If he disliked both and insisted on studying abroad, just not Yale.
In her past life, Xie Qian went to Yale. This time, he had to take a different path.
Wen Ying chattered on, but Xie Qian ignored her.
No wonder they said hamsters had small brains.
Not only did he ignore her, but he felt an inexplicable irritation.
The schools she recommended, Peking and Tsinghua, were in Beijing.
Hadn’t she considered he might want to study in Shanghai too?
Poor Lawyer Wen could connect with a powerhouse like Yuan Fenghui but couldn’t read Xie Qian’s young heart. She was doomed to hit a wall today.
At the courthouse, Zheng Zhihe, Zou Weijun, and Xiao Ni were already there.
Not only them, but Wen Ying also spotted Han Qin.
Accompanied by a lawyer, Han Qin had come to Chengdu again.
Her first trip to sign Wen Ying had failed.
This second trip was as a defendant.
Han Qin’s expression was far from pleasant. Her gaze swept over Zou Weijun, Xiao Ni, and Wen Ying, and she snorted coldly.
Zheng Zhihe reassured Wen Ying: “Don’t let her provoke you. She’s arrogant now, but she won’t be in court. We’re fighting for justice, not shouting for blood. Peace is the goal.”
Wen Ying’s eyelids twitched.
Hearing Senior Brother Zheng say “peace is the goal” made her shoulders shake instinctively, a reflex from her past life.
