It’s winter vacation, and tomorrow is the New Year’s Eve.
Xia Shao's friends came to congratulate her on her engagement tonight, but they were all preparing to rush home tomorrow. When the banquet dispersed, the group of people walked out and discussed going home.
Liu Cuicui has to return to Hong Kong for training and plans to go home the day before the Chinese New Year. After learning that Liu Cuicui was Xia Shao's child, Zhan Ruonan regarded her as one of her own and said that she would take care of Liu Cuicui in Hong Kong in the future. If there were any difficulties, she would solve them! Liu Cuicui once refused Xia Shao's excessive care for her, but she only accepted Zhan Ruonan's care. This is never pretentious, but everyone has to go through life on their own. When there are noble people to help you in the most difficult times, you just need to be grateful, but it does not mean that you have to reach out to the noble people every time you encounter difficulties in the future. That kind of person didn't deserve help, and she didn't want to be that kind of person. But tonight she only met Zhan Ruonan once, so she offered to protect her. It was easy for Liu Cuicui, who was lively and refreshing, to develop a crush on her. Zhan Ruonan and Qu Ran were both going back to Hong Kong, and the three of them were traveling together, so they simply agreed to go together tomorrow.
Yuan Ze, Liu Xianxian and Hu Jiayi were all going back to Qingshi, so they made an appointment to go with them. Also returning to Qingshi were Xiong Huaixing and Hu Guangjin. As soon as they left the door of the banquet hall, they used the time to walk to the door to chat with the military and political dignitaries present. Both of them are businessmen. The opportunity to play with this big player is very precious and of course they will not miss it.
During the conversation, a senior member of the Jiang family came to shake hands with Hu Guangjin, which made him very flattered. This man is in his forties, well-maintained, and looks very handsome now, let alone when he was young. Hu Guangjin looked familiar to this man, but couldn't remember which official he was. He winked at Xiong Huaixing next to him while shaking hands.
Xiong Huaixing's eyes widened as he reacted, and he quickly smiled warmly and said, "Oh! Minister Shi, nice to meet you!"
Xiong Huaixing's hearty laughter was very loud in the hall. Hu Guangjin next to him was trying hard to think of which minister in the national department was named Shi. Liu Xianxian, who was walking in front and hugging Hu Jiayi, suddenly froze.
She turned her head sharply and saw the person Hu Guangjin was talking to. Her face turned cold and she turned around and strode over.
"Uncle Hu, go back and rest early. You have to go back early tomorrow." Liu Xianxian didn't care whether Hu Guangjin agreed or not, so she picked him up and left.
Hu Guangjin was startled and was pulled out of the banquet hall by her. He saw Xiong Huaixing behind him who was greatly embarrassed. He turned around and apologized quickly: "I'm sorry, Minister Shi. Children are not sensible. Looking at him drunk, he must have drank too much at night. Please bear with me. Haha..."
Xiong Huaixing's face turned red after saying this. Xia Shao's friends were almost the same age as her, and they were already twenty years old. He felt a little embarrassed when he called a twenty-year-old girl a child.
Fortunately, the other party was not angry, he just smiled and waved his hands, looking very kind, but his eyes were looking into the distance for some reason.
In the distance, Hu Guangjin was quickly pulled downstairs by Liu Xianxian, with Hu Jiayi trotting behind. Hu Guangjin didn't even have a chance to speak along the way. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and slapped his forehead: "Ouch! Minister Shi... isn't he Shi Qiusheng?"
If he saw this person on TV, Hu Guangjin would be able to tell who it was, but he couldn't recognize him at first sight when he saw him in person.
Shi Qiusheng was a man of considerable background. He was the minister of the Ministry of Commerce and a member of the Jiang family! Moreover, rather than saying that he is from the Jiang family, it would be more appropriate to say that he is from the Jiang family. He is the youngest son-in-law of the old man of the Jiang family and Jiang Shan’s brother-in-law!
Rumor has it that the old man of the Jiang family had a daughter in old age. He doted on his daughter and promoted his son-in-law many times. Shi Qiusheng's high position today has a lot to do with him being the son-in-law of the Jiang family.
Hu Guangjin couldn't understand why this minister-level official took the initiative to say hello to him just now, but compared to this, he felt a little regretful now.
"I said Xianxian, why did you drag me out when you have nothing to do? Now, if you offend someone, your Uncle Hu will be in trouble!" Hu Guangjin was so depressed that he stamped his feet, but he smelled the smell of alcohol all over Liu Xianxian's body, as if he had been drinking Too much, and he couldn't educate her, so he had to go back and apologize.
"What bad luck? Uncle Hu, you are Shaozi's friend. If you don't look at the monk's face and the Buddha's face, what can he do to you?" Liu Xianxian looked at him as he drank too much, and what he said made sense.
Hu Guangjin was stunned, this is...
"Alas!" Hu Guangjin sighed, helpless. It's all like this, what can he say
…
Here, Hu Guangjin sighed at the door. Over there, a group of people were walking downstairs, talking and chatting in a lively atmosphere.
Zhou Mingxu walked beside Miao Yan, holding his hair and smiling, "Um... They have all found a companion to go home with. Xiaoshao's family is celebrating the New Year in the capital this year and will not go back. I will go back to Dongshi alone. You We also went back to Nan Province alone, this time we are really brothers and sisters."
Zhou Mingxu smiled stupidly. After laughing, he wanted to punch himself. No matter how he heard it, he felt that the term "brothers in distress" was inappropriate to use here. Miao Yan and he were not brothers, she was a weak girl.
Miao Yan looked at Zhou Mingxu's honest and innocent smile, and also smiled. She has grown up and has few friends, and she has never had any friends of the opposite sex. Zhou Mingxu is the first boy who allows her to communicate without pressure. "It's okay. I go back alone every year. I'm used to it."
Seeing that Miao Yan did not laugh at him, Zhou Mingxu suddenly became energetic and said: "O-or, just like last year, I will take you to the airport tomorrow. Do you have a lot of luggage to go home?"
Ever since she started studying at Beijing University last year, when Miao Yan came home during the winter and summer vacations, Zhou Mingxu would go to the airport to see her off and help her carry her luggage. When she returns to school after school starts, he will pick her up at the airport a day early and act as a labor force. Miao Yan was very grateful for this, and she was even more moved when she heard Zhou Mingxu say this tonight. Tomorrow is the New Year, who doesn’t want to go home early to celebrate the New Year? After sending her to the airport, he would definitely be very late when he returned to his home in Dongshi.
"No, I'll go back with my dad this year." Miao Yan looked up at Zhou Mingxu and smiled movedly.
The light in the corridor was warm and yellow, illuminating people's hearts with warmth. The girl's smile in the light was softer than ever before, with her unique shyness, which made Zhou Mingxu feel a little dazed. But when he came to his senses, he was stunned.
"Uncle is here to pick you up?" He reacted for a while before asking.
Miao Yan smiled, but before she could answer, Miao Chenghong's voice was heard in the distance.
Miao Chenghong was also joking with a political figure from the Qin family. He raised his eyes and waved to his daughter, saying, "Xiaoyan, come here and say hello to your Uncle Gu."
Miao Yan was stunned and quickly walked over, "Uncle Gu, hello."
The official surnamed Gu took a look at Miao Yan and saw that she was a little thin, but her features were pretty. He immediately smiled and said: "So this is my niece, haha, I haven't seen her for many years, and she has become slim. I heard that she was at Capital University. Reading? What a talented woman!"
Miao Yan has had yin and yang eyes since she was a child. Although she has been sealed by Xia Shao using the Three Yuan Feng Shui Bureau for two years and can rarely see things in the underworld, she is still very sensitive to people's eyes, kindness and malice. of. She had no impression of the official named Gu, and the way he looked at her was not malicious, but it just made her a little uncomfortable, as if he was picking goods. But Miao Yan didn't show it on her face. She has grown up in the past two years. Although she is not yet able to take on big responsibilities, she is still learning hard to communicate with others.
"Thank you, Uncle Gu, for the compliment." Miao Yan smiled, a little shy, but she had made great progress compared to before.
"Haha, my niece is very polite! Brother Miao, since you are not in the capital at ordinary times, please let my niece come to my house to sit down when you have time. Cheng Xi and I are a few years older than her, so we should be able to chat."
"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Cheng Xi for some years. How is he?"
"What else can I do? The incompetent one doesn't want to pursue an official career, so he has to go into business. He opens a trading company and does some import and export business, and he can barely make ends meet."
The two of them were talking to each other, as if they were asking about each other's children, and they were trying to lead the children. In fact, Miao Chenghong did have this intention. He knew his daughter well. She had been weak since she was a child. Even if her Yin and Yang eyes were sealed, she might not be able to afford the huge business he left behind. He doesn't ask her to take on a lot of family business, he just hopes to help her find someone who can truly love her. If he, the father, is gone in the future, there will be another man who can take care of her for the rest of her life.
After much deliberation, Miao Chenghong felt that it would be good to find someone with a government background. He was the largest jade dealer in the country, with a net worth of tens of billions. If his daughter married into a government family, the other party would not treat her badly. Moreover, with a government background, it will be easier to run the family business in the future. After my daughter takes over, no one will dare to bully her even if she does not do well in business.
The Gu family is a good choice. His father was an official and his son was a businessman. If he has the ability to engage in import and export trade, he must be a young man with good abilities. This is just right. He has an official background and business ability. If his daughter cannot take care of his property in the future, it will be the same for his son-in-law. Although he hadn't seen Gu Chengxi for ten years, it would be good for him to have some contact with his daughter after the New Year to see if the two young people could get along.
This Gu official obviously also valued Miao Chenghong's status and assets in the business world. Although Miao Yan was not very beautiful in appearance, external conditions were only incidental to the marriage and he did not attach much importance to them. Miao Yan will graduate from a prestigious school in the future, and her academic qualifications and background will be demonstrated.
The two parents were obviously very satisfied, so they decided to let their children come in contact with each other after the New Year.
Miao Yan listened and slowly lowered her head. She was only twenty years old, had never had a serious relationship, and was about to embark on the road of marriage, which inevitably made her feel a little sad. But she can understand her father and knows that he is doing it for her own good. Xiaoshao once said that being the daughter of the Miao family is her happiness. If it weren't for the huge assets in her family and the connections her father had worked for half his life, she would not be able to seal her Yin and Yang eyes even if she had a way to seal them. Materials required. She could never forget how her father begged for that piece of body salt. At that time, the eminent monks in the temple refused to see him, so he did not even go home during the Chinese New Year. During the coldest period, he insisted on eating fast and worshiping Buddha in the temple, worshiping mountains and lakes, donating money to rebuild the temple, and moved the eminent monks in the temple with his piety...
Her mother died when she was very young, and her father never married because he was afraid that she would be timid and not get along well with her stepmother. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to her, and now she can gradually live a normal life. She can no longer be willful for her own sake.
Miao Yan stood obediently next to Miao Chenghong. It wasn't until the Xinggu official went to talk to others that the father and daughter turned around and prepared to walk towards the door.
Zhou Mingxu stood in the corridor, looking at Miao Yan, but had not yet reacted.
When Miao Yan saw Zhou Mingxu, a smile appeared on her face and she said to her father, "Dad, this is my friend from the History Department of Capital University, Zhou Mingxu."
Miao Chenghong rarely saw his daughter with such a bright smile, and he never expected that she could make friends of the opposite sex. He immediately took a closer look at Zhou Mingxu and saw that he was tall, strong, and a bit silly. He didn't look like he had any bad intentions. The boy then stretched out his hand and said with a smile: "Hello, Xiao Zhou. I am Miao Yan's father. This child is usually shy. When he was in school, he gave you a lot of trouble, right?"
When Zhou Mingxu saw Miao Chenghong's outstretched hand, he realized what he was doing and shook hands with him quickly, but he said stupidly, "Uncle, uncle, no, no..."
Seeing that this young man couldn't even speak well, Miao Chenghong didn't frown, but smiled and felt relieved. Such a child doesn't have any bad intentions at first glance, and he feels more at ease making friends with his daughter. He immediately called Zhou Mingxu out and asked as he walked: "Xiao Zhou is from the History Department? Where is his home?"
"Dongdongshi."
"Dongshi? Oh, you are from the same hometown as Director Xia."
"Yes." Zhou Mingxu only nodded, staring straight at Miao Yan.
Miao Yan added from the side, "Xiao Shao and he grew up playing together in the same village. Have you ever heard of Professor Zhou Bingyan? That's Mingxu's second grandfather."
"Hey! Mr. Zhou's junior?" Miao Chenghong was a little surprised. He then heard that Zhou Mingxu and Xia Shao had grown up together, and he felt more at ease.
Xia Shao's friends are naturally of good character.
Miao Chenghong had a good impression of Zhou Mingxu. When he walked to the door, he offered to let him take his car back. Zhou Mingxu didn't know why, but he refused by accident, saying that he was going back with Yuanze and the others.
When Miao Chenghong's car drove away, Zhou Mingxu stood in the cold night, looking at the car far away, his mind going blank.
At this time, Yuanze came over, patted him, and asked him to ride back to school in Xiong Huaixing's car. Zhou Mingxu nodded and walked into the car silently.
In the car in front, Hu Guangjin was sitting in the driver's seat, and Liu Xianxian and Hu Jiayi were sitting in the back. Liu Xianxian turned to look at the night scene outside, her face was sunk in the dim car, and her expression could not be seen clearly.
This night, everyone had their own thoughts.
The same goes for Xia Shao.
Xu Kangguo was escorted back to the Red Wall Courtyard by a special car. The Xu family members also went home and made an appointment to celebrate the New Year together tomorrow.
Xu Tianyin drove the car, followed the Huaxia Group's car, and sent the Xia family back to the hotel first. At this time, Xia Zhiyuan and Li Juan did not know that Xu Tianyin and Xia Shao usually lived in Xu Tianyin's villa, and thought that Xia Shao lived in the Huayuan private club. When they arrived at the hotel, seeing that it was getting late, Xia Zhiyuan said to his daughter: "Let's get another room. It's so late, so don't let Xiao Xu take you back again. You drank some wine at night, and it's not safe to drive on the road."
When the Xia family heard this, they all thought it made sense. Xia Zhitao hurried to the service desk and planned to get a room.
"No need." Xia Shao walked over and said to the staff at the service desk, "Sorry, we haven't discussed it yet."
Xia Zhitao was stunned, and Li Juan came over and asked, "You kid, why do you have to go back to the club so late?"
"The employees are on holiday tomorrow. I'll make some arrangements when I go back. If my family can't get used to staying in a hotel during the Chinese New Year, they can go to the club to stay for a few days." This was what Xia Shao had originally planned. She wasn't lying. She just smiled and looked at Xu Tianyin. , "Besides, we still have something to talk about on the way."
"Hey, we just got engaged, and we're already like glue?" Jiang Qiulin said with a smile.
Li Juan pulled Xia Shao aside and told her, "Mom, I'm telling you, don't mess around even if you're engaged!" At this time, she had forgotten how happy she was when she saw the pair of little clothes at night.
Xia Shao smiled and nodded in assurance before returning to the car with Xu Tianyin.
After the car door closed, the man still leaned over to fasten her seat belt, but this time he seemed to be more serious than usual. After fastening it, he silently tidied it up several times. But he just didn't look at her, either because he didn't dare or because there was something on his mind.
Xia Shao looked at it without asking. She didn't plan to distract him while driving on the road, and she would wait until she got back.
Naturally, the two of them returned to Xu Tianyin's villa. Xia Shao could arrange matters in the club with just one phone call, so there was no need to go back.
After returning to the villa, Xia Shao originally planned to take Xu Tianyin to sit on the sofa and ask him what happened tonight, but Xu Tianyin hugged her as soon as he entered the door.
Xia Shao was stunned. There was no light in the room, and the atmosphere was so quiet that she could hear the man's deep breathing, like a low roar of a suppressed beast. Xia Shao's original questions were all stuffed in her chest. She sighed and didn't ask anything. She just raised her hand and gently stroked his back. Her comfort made the man's hug tighten and his breathing become heavier.
"It's okay." I don't know how long it took, but his voice was heartbreakingly deep in the darkness.
Xia Shao's heart ached and she said, "Senior brother, you said you wouldn't lie to me."
Her voice was as soft as water and contained no accusations. She knew him too well. There was no one in the world who loved her more than the man in front of her. There must be a reason why he chose to say it was okay. And his reasons will never be based on hurting himself.
But she still wanted to know what happened, and she wanted to face it with him, no matter what.
Xu Tianyin's body was stiff, his shoulders seemed to be covered with frost and snow, and he remained motionless for a long time. I don't know how long it took before his deep voice came from the darkness again, "Yeah."
There was only one word, but Xia Shao breathed a sigh of relief.
"Tomorrow," he said suddenly, "rest first."
Xia Shao did not refuse or press. Although she wanted to know immediately, she still gave him time. When he was suffering pain and emotions that she didn't understand, she didn't want to pass on her emotions to him and let him bear them. She chose to accompany him, wait, and give him time.
The two of them took a shower and then went to bed. He was used to hugging her to sleep, but tonight she took the initiative to hug him tightly, just wanting to let him know that she was there no matter what time.
Xu Tianyin obviously stiffened when she touched him, but then he tentatively stretched out his hand, feeling a little cautious, fearing that she would disappear if he touched her. Seeing him like this, how could Xia Shao sleep? Even though she was tired today, her eyes were sore and she couldn't fall asleep.
But not long after, she felt a comfortable vitality coming from behind her. Xia Shao was stunned, raised her eyes, and met Xu Tianyin's deep, dark eyes.
He didn't speak, but gently rubbed his palm on her back, injecting vitality into her body along her back, adjusting the vitality around her that was chaotic due to worry. Xia Shao smiled softly and moved closer to Xu Tianyin's arms, as if she didn't notice his hesitation and stiffness that had never appeared before when she came closer. She rested her head on his heart and listened to his heavy heartbeat.
The temperature in his heart was still so hot, accompanied by the heavy heartbeat, which made her feel at ease even in an atmosphere like tonight.
In order to reassure him, she closed her eyes and adjusted her breathing, but she never really fell asleep. I originally thought I couldn't sleep, but I stayed up until ten o'clock in the morning, and somehow I became confused for a while.
She slept lightly, and beside her, Xu Tianyin got out of bed silently.
With her current level of cultivation, there are very few people in the world who can move around her without being noticed by her. However, his level of cultivation is comparable to hers. He has been wandering in the darkness for many years and has developed the instinct to walk silently. If there was anyone in the world who could move around without being noticed by her, it was probably him.
Xu Tianyin got out of bed and left the room. Seeing that it was almost dawn outside, he took out his mobile phone and dialed a number.
"Hello? Master."
…
When Xia Shao woke up, it was just dawn, and she woke up almost as soon as she opened her eyes.
"Senior brother?"
The coldness beside her made Xia Shao turn over and get up from bed. She went downstairs as quickly as possible and looked around the villa.
The car is there, but the people are not.
Xu Tianyin didn't know where he went.
Xia Shao had never been so anxious before, and she was even more annoyed that she had stayed awake all night last night, so why did she fall asleep in the early morning? But this annoyance only lasted a moment, Xia Shao suppressed her emotions and quickly called Xu Tianyin. The moment she picked up the phone, her hand paused.
There is a note under the mobile phone, which is written by Xu Tianyin.
"Buy breakfast and I'll be back. Don't worry, just wait for me."
Xia Shao felt relieved immediately and stared at the note for a long time. God knows, countless possibilities passed through her mind just now. I also thought that he might just go out to buy breakfast, like usual. But maybe he really didn't know where he went. If he really went out to deal with something, he might shut down his phone, and something might happen that she didn't expect.
Fortunately, he knew she would be nervous and left a note. Otherwise, she would be really scared.
Taking a long breath, Xia Shao put down her phone. But as soon as he put it down, the bell rang.
The call was from Tang Zongbo. The old man's voice was a little deep. In his memory, Xia Shao seemed to have never heard such a majestic voice from his master, as if he was really angry.
"Xiao Shaozi, come here."