Amidst the surging flow of traffic, Lin Xi's car wove its way through the streets.
The drive from the villa to Tiandu Yuxi took about half an hour at a leisurely pace; since Lin Xi wasn't driving particularly fast, Duan Yiheng stayed right on her tail the entire time. As they reached Tianyuan Road, traffic began to jam up. An SUV attempted to cut in front of them, but Lin Xi—glancing in her rearview mirror—saw that Duan Yiheng refused to yield an inch.
Lin Xi suddenly let out a soft chuckle; her anger had dissipated by more than half. Upon arriving at Tiandu Yuxi, Lin Xi turned off the engine and stepped out of her car, with Duan Yiheng following her silently. Catching a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, Lin Xi swiped her access card and entered the elevator. Duan Yiheng remained standing outside, motionless, and asked Lin Xi, "May I come in?" Lin Xi gave a noncommittal hum:
"If you're not coming up, then just stand there." Quick on his feet and savvy enough to read the room, Duan Yiheng promptly stepped into the elevator. He stole a glance at Lin Xi; since she had allowed him to come up, surely she must have cooled down by now? Duan Yiheng cleared his throat:
"My attitude earlier was poor. I was simply worried about you; I had no intention of lecturing you." Lin Xi glanced at the display screen inside the elevator car; they were just about to reach the 23rd floor. She pursed her lips and was just about to speak when—*CLANG*—the elevator car suddenly gave a violent jolt.
Lin Xi let out a sharp cry of alarm, and the very next second, she was swept into a safe, steady embrace. With one arm holding Lin Xi close, Duan Yiheng used his other hand to press the emergency button, then picked up the intercom handset inside the car to place a call.
At that exact moment, the security monitoring system flagged an anomaly, and the security team was already rushing toward their location. Lin Xi clung tightly to Duan Yiheng's waist, her breathing coming in short, rapid gasps. Sensing her fear, Duan Yiheng held her shoulders and offered reassurance:
"For a residential complex of this caliber, the security systems are incredibly robust. Don't worry—I'm right here with you." No sooner had the words left his lips than the elevator arrived at Lin Xi's apartment floor. It wasn't until she had confirmed that the elevator doors had indeed opened that Lin Xi finally let out a sigh of relief. Still clutching Duan Yiheng's hand tightly, she stepped out into the entryway.
Having never encountered a situation like this before—and having once watched disaster movies featuring terrifying elevator malfunctions—Lin Xi felt her legs go weak beneath her in a moment of utterly unheroic frailty. Duan Yiheng gently rubbed the back of her head and said softly, "What are you afraid of? Aren't I right here?" Lin Xi's gaze froze for a moment:
"So it's true—when a person is terrified, their legs really do freeze up." She recalled how she used to mock those idol drama heroines who would stand right in the middle of the road, waiting to get hit by a truck. Duan Yiheng led her into the living room, helped her sit down, and said:
"The property management staff will be up here any moment; I'm going to go handle things. Would you like something to eat to settle your nerves?" Lin Xi was feeling quite emotionally stirred up tonight—especially regarding her relationship with Duan Yiheng, which had effectively been made public in front of her grandfather. She looked up at Duan Yiheng:
"We haven't had dinner yet. I want fried chicken and fries." Duan Yiheng raised an eyebrow: "...Do you *have* to eat that right now?" Eating something like that right before bed was terribly unhealthy. Lin Xi nodded firmly: "To settle my nerves." What excuse did Duan Yiheng have left to deny her? He replied: "Alright, just give me a moment."
The property management staff arrived at their door, looking pale and shaken, to offer their apologies; throughout the exchange, Duan Yiheng maintained a stone-cold expression. However, the incident had already occurred, and their response had been reasonably prompt. After delivering a stern warning—"Let this be a one-time occurrence"—Duan Yiheng instructed the butler to prepare the food Lin Xi had requested.
Barely fifteen minutes later, the butler delivered their dinner. Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng sat cross-legged by the coffee table in the living room; as she settled in, Lin Xi turned on the TV to provide some background noise. She picked up a fry, dipped it in ketchup, and held it up to Duan Yiheng's lips:
"What did you and Grandpa talk about upstairs?" Duan Yiheng opened his mouth to take the fry, and only spoke after he had finished chewing: "We discussed the transfer of equity." "Grandpa actually agreed?" Lin Xi asked, sounding somewhat incredulous. "He didn't say anything else? He didn't call you a bastard?"
Duan Yiheng smiled and gave her a brief summary of his conversation with the old man. Lin Xi licked a trace of ketchup from the corner of her mouth and said:
"Actually, Grandpa knows full well that if any issue detrimental to *Yinfan* were to be exposed—whether or not it proved fatal to the group—it would still deal a massive blow." Regarding the matter of Duan Zheng, Duan Yiheng's decision to exercise restraint and keep the truth under wraps—all for the sake of securing the equity—was, without a doubt, the most correct decision he could have made.
Otherwise, had the scandal broken, she feared that Duan Yiheng would have ended up inheriting nothing but a complete mess of a company. Duan Yiheng replied, "If I'm not mistaken, the moment we left, the Old Master surely summoned his lawyer." "Surely not that quickly?" Lin Xi looked at Duan Yiheng.
Duan Yiheng narrowed his eyes. "You can give Sister Mei a call right now." "Me?" Lin Xi pointed at herself. "Why don't *you* call?" Duan Yiheng said, "I can't be bothered to move. You make the call—and while you're at it, ask her about this; she's bound to tell you everything she knows." Lin Xi was speechless.
"...So Sister Mei is your spy inside the house." Duan Yiheng chuckled. "You're only just finding that out today?" Lin Xi rummaged through her bag for her phone, and right there in front of Duan Yiheng, she dialed Sister Mei's number, switching on the speakerphone as she did so. Sister Mei picked up almost immediately. "Miss?"
Lin Xi hummed in acknowledgment. "It's me. I'm calling to ask you something: after we left, did anyone else come to the villa?" Sister Mei replied:
"Dr. Jin took the opportunity to give the Old Master a check-up; finding nothing amiss, he left. Less than an hour after he departed, Lawyer Qian arrived." Lin Xi asked, "Are you sure?" Sister Mei confirmed, "I'm certain." Lin Xi acknowledged this and hung up the phone. She turned to Duan Yiheng and said:
"You were right after all. I just wonder what method Grandpa will use to transfer the shares." Duan Yiheng fell silent for a moment, then said, "The most secure method for a transition of power—one that aligns with the needs of both the family and the corporation—is a phased transfer of equity."
Lin Xi, too, fell silent. Given the Old Master's illness, there simply wasn't enough time to execute a phased transfer of equity. The most likely scenarios were either a direct transfer or inheritance via a will. Duan Yiheng gave her a moment to process her thoughts, then spoke again:
"If I were to have children in the future—whether a son or a daughter—I would look solely at their aptitude and ability. To the very best of my power, I would clear every obstacle from their path." Lin Xi averted her gaze. "You're thinking a bit too far ahead, aren't you?" "Not angry anymore?" Duan Yiheng chuckled, then abruptly shifted the subject. Lin Xi rolled her eyes. "And if I'm *still* angry... what are you going to do about it?" Duan Yiheng replied with absolute conviction: "Then I simply won't leave tonight." Lin Xi was just about to retort when Duan Yiheng let out a soft chuckle. "I'll stay behind... to coax you."
The lingering resonance of those final words seemed to cling to his lips, exuding an air of pure seduction—yet in the depths of his eyes, there burned a raw, undeniable desire. "I'm not angry anymore," Lin Xi declared, instantly straightening her posture. "Hurry up and eat." Duan Yiheng was so amused by her reaction that he couldn't help but laugh.
That night, he did not leave Tiandu Yuxi.
Meanwhile, Duan Zheng entered Lanyue Mansion. To his surprise, Lin Xiaoying was there as well. Upon seeing Duan Zheng, she rose and greeted him, "Brother-in-law." Ke Yu's phoenix-like eyes shifted slightly. "Xiaoying, it's getting late. You should head home now."
Lin Xiaoying stood up to bid them farewell; once she had departed, Duan Zheng took a seat beside Ke Yu. "What brings her here? And to a place like Lanyue Mansion, no less? You seem to place quite a bit of trust in her." Ke Yu smiled faintly.
"Even *you*—I cannot place my complete trust in you. Do you really think I would trust *her*? It is simply because everything she possesses today—everything she is—was given to her by me." Duan Zheng then asked her, "Why did you summon me here so late at night?"