Gently bite the jasmine

Chapter 121 Sweetness can also make me think, will you give it to me or not?

Sister Mei went to the North Courtyard, and Uncle Deng greeted her downstairs.

The two had a good relationship, and Sister Mei tentatively asked, "Is there something you need, sir?"

Uncle Deng said with a serious expression, "You'll find out when you go up; it concerns the young master."

Sister Mei didn't make things difficult for her and went upstairs on her own.

The old man was in the small living room on the second floor. As soon as Sister Mei entered, she sensed that something was off.

He lowered his gaze and gasped.

On the rosewood coffee table lay an unreleased entertainment news article, along with various intimate photos of the news's protagonist.

"This...this..." Sister Mei swallowed nervously. She had raised Duan Yiheng since he was a child, and she still favored him. "Could it be a composite?"

The old man snorted coldly: "Do you know?"

Mei Jie's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to shake her head: "I have never seen them overstep any boundaries. This could be a misunderstanding."

"Don't speak up for him." The old man said in a deep breath, "I thought that at thirty years old, he would be more mature and capable of taking over the group, but he actually did something so absurd."

Mei-jie carefully collected the photos, turned them over, and placed them on the coffee table to divert the old man's attention. She asked, "Who did this? It's obvious they don't want the young master to be happy."

The old man said, "You don't need to worry about this."

The implication was that someone had already covered their mouth.

Sister Mei sighed and tentatively asked, "If it's true, what do you plan to do?"

The old man knew that Sister Mei felt sorry for Duan Yiheng, so he glared at her and said, "You still want to give him his blessing?"

Sister Mei subtly reminded him: "In some ways, the eldest young master is stubborn, just like Miss Meng."

When Duan Yiheng's mother was mentioned, the old man felt guilty, but it was only a fleeting feeling.

The old man said firmly, "If she has a spirit in heaven, she hopes that Yi Heng can take over Yin Fan smoothly, instead of letting him ruin his future recklessly."

"But--"

"Amei," the old man glanced at her, "aren't you thinking about his future and the company?"

Sister Mei, unfamiliar with company affairs, remained silent for a moment.

"Go back and confirm the truth of this matter for me. Don't tell Yi Heng and Xiao Xi for now. I will talk to them myself."

Even now, the old man still can't believe what he's seeing.

Sister Mei was really in a dilemma: "I..."

The old man waved his hand: "You can go out now."

Uncle Deng gave her a look that said, "Go outside and I'll explain," so Sister Mei could only turn around and go downstairs.

An hour later, when she returned to the front yard, she unfortunately ran into Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng, who were also returning together.

Duan Yiheng tossed the car keys to the driver who jogged over and asked Sister Mei, "What are you doing standing outside?"

Sister Mei said, "I just came back from the North Courtyard. Why did you come back in Miss's car?"

"I went to my maternal grandmother's today," Duan Yiheng said. "I sent the driver home first."

Mei was taken aback: "You went with the young lady?"

Duan Yiheng nodded.

Lin Xi didn't think anything of their conversation. She said goodnight to Duan Yiheng and went back to her room.

Mei Jie was also shocked that Duan Yiheng had brought Lin Xi to meet the old lady.

After Miss Meng passed away, the two families stopped communicating, with only Duan Yiheng maintaining contact as her nephew.

Sister Mei returned to the workers' quarters and sat blankly on the edge of the bed.

The old man didn't explain much, but Uncle Deng said everything he needed to say.

“Amei, from a personal perspective, the old man considers the eldest young master and the eldest young lady to be like his own brother and sister.”

"The fundamental reason why the second young master can succeed the eldest young master is who will be the next successor of the group."

“Silver Sail is not a small company. Its growth and its owners have attracted public attention. Even if they are not related by blood, their identities are enough to be criticized by outsiders.”

"The brothers' dispute over the adoption of their daughter is a topic that can be easily misunderstood and distorted by the outside world, thus bringing negative public opinion to the heirs and the company, and damaging the company's image and reputation in the public eye."

"Finally, the proportion of the inheritance allocated to the eldest daughter will not be low. This was decided by the old gentleman a long time ago and will not be changed by anyone or anything."

“But if she marries the eldest young master, Mr. Duan will have objections.”

"No one wants to see father and son fighting each other."

"The old gentleman only has Mr. Duan as his son. No matter what, he will do his best to ensure the rest of his life before he dies."

“Amei, the old man’s arrangement is correct. I know you feel sorry for the young master. Do you really want him to lose everything he has now and spend the rest of his life with the young lady on a whim?”

"Will the young lady be willing then?"

"And can you guarantee they'll stay together for life?"

Sister Mei didn't know if Lin Xi was willing; she only knew that Duan Yiheng was born with a life of wealth and privilege.

—

The next day, Lin Xi went downstairs to have dinner and found Duan Yiheng sitting calmly in the restaurant, dressed in a suit and tie.

She was taken aback: "There are no meetings this morning, are you going out for business so early?"

Duan Yiheng frowned as he drank a cup of bitter coffee. Perhaps he was lost in thought for too long, because he didn't answer Lin Xi's question.

Lin Xi had no choice but to sit down next to him and ask again.

Duan Yiheng let the bitterness fill his mouth. Not wanting Lin Xi to worry, he said, "It's nothing."

"Don't hide it from me." Lin Xi had spent some time with him, so she could see through his subtle expressions immediately.

Duan Yiheng said, "It's just a small problem, don't worry."

Lin Xi pointed vaguely at his coffee cup in mid-air: "You only add a single sugar syrup when you're extremely troubled. What? Does bitterness make you think more?"

Duan Yiheng pulled his thoughts away from his heaviness, turned around, placed his hands on the back of Lin Xi's chair, and looked at her with deep affection and tenderness: "Sweetness can also make me think. Will you give it to me or not?"

Lin Xi didn't understand what he meant and asked in return, "Should I add sugar for you?"

Duan Yiheng's gaze shifted downwards, landing on her lips: "Are you pretending to be stupid?"

Lin Xi understood, and subconsciously looked back at the door, saying, "Aren't you afraid someone will come in?"

“No one comes in when I eat,” Duan Yiheng said. “They all know I don’t like having people standing next to me while I eat.”

Lin Xi's eyes flickered: "Then tell me what happened first?"

Duan Yiheng: "..."

Lin Xi tugged at his tie, her tone slightly coquettish: "Tell me."

"Qin Yang called early this morning, saying that all of Zheng Jizhong's subordinates have turned against him." Duan Yiheng sighed. "We haven't received any reports. I guessed that some people would turn against him after Zheng Jizhong's counterattack, but a collective turn against him is unusual."

Lin Xi frowned: "Could it be Uncle Duan?"

Duan Yiheng shook his head: "It's unlikely. Although he supports Zheng Jizhong, he can't actually control him. Zheng Jizhong works at Yinfan Technology, not in the group. He doesn't know Zheng Jizhong as well as you think."

"Then who else could it be?" Lin Xi asked. "Who are the shareholders backing him?"

"Don't bother with that." Duan Yiheng placed his hand on the back of her neck. "Give me something sweet instead."

Lin Xi quickly placed a kiss on his lips, but before she could escape, he pressed her back down.