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The conversation at the table continued. Wen Di was originally an insignificant character, but because Jiang Chengyu was on her left and Yan Heyu was on her right, she became the moon of the night.
Guan Xiangmu, as the biggest investor in “No Human Match for You,” had the entire night’s conversation revolving around him.
Wen Di ate slowly; even “slow and deliberate” seemed quick when applied to her. She had developed this habit as a child and couldn’t change it as an adult.
Later, Yan Heyu indulged her, patiently accompanying her no matter how slowly she ate, so she saw no need to change.
Guan Xiangmu was thoughtful, always waiting for Wen Di to swallow her food before speaking.
“Is Screenwriter Wen from Jiangcheng?”
Wen Di nodded and asked in the Jiangcheng dialect, “Mr. Guan has been to Jiangcheng?”
The江南 (Jiangnan) dialect was difficult to understand, yet it still sounded pleasant.
Guan Xiangmu smiled, “This sentence is simple, I finally understood it.”
He said, “I went there once during university.”
That was more than twenty years ago, before Wen Di was born.
“Wen Changyun, the richest man in Jiangcheng, is he related to you or...?”
Since he asked that, he must have known a little but wasn’t sure. Wen Di said, “He’s my father.”
Guan Xiangmu picked up his wine glass and toasted Wen Di from a distance, “Feels a bit alike.” After a pause, he added, “Your Wen family members all look a bit alike.”
Wen Di smiled. Actually, she most resembled her second aunt. When her second aunt took her shopping, the sales assistant thought they were mother and daughter.
Several investor representatives at the dinner table hadn’t heard of Wen Changyun, and some even took out their phones to search for information.
They wondered how Guan Xiangmu knew about the richest man in Jiangcheng.
Regarding Jiangcheng and its richest man, others clearly couldn’t interject because they didn’t know anything and couldn’t just talk nonsense.
The only one who could speak was Yan Heyu.
But throughout, he remained silent.
Guan Xiangmu livened up the atmosphere, telling his other friends, “You might be a bit unfamiliar with Yunhui Group in Jiangcheng, but Yunhui also has a holding company that you should have heard of, which is one of the new energy vehicle battery manufacturers.”
The conversation finally connected.
The others chimed in, talking about new energy batteries and expressing their hopes for breakthroughs in charging and range issues.
Then they toasted Wen Di.
The reason for the toast was a bit comical.
Wen Di calmly toasted back. She knew they didn’t really understand Yunhui Group and might have heard her father’s name for the first time.
In Jiangcheng, her family’s company was well-known and a star enterprise, but in Beijing, in the eyes of people like Guan Xiangmu, it wasn’t impressive enough.
Guan Xiangmu was wealthy, his company was very strong, and he had some background, but it was incomparable to the prominent family backgrounds of Yan Heyu and Jiang Chengyu.
So tonight, she basked in the reflected glory of the two men beside her, becoming the focus, the protagonist being flattered.
She even suspected that Guan Xiangmu’s knowledge of her family’s company might have come from a Baidu search, just to make conversation.
At this point, someone finally remembered, “The person in charge of R&D at that new energy vehicle battery company, isn’t it Wen Qizhen?” As he spoke, he glanced at Guan Xiangmu.
Guan Xiangmu, meanwhile, had a cigarette in his mouth and didn’t respond.
Wen Di said, “Wen Qizhen is my second aunt.”
That person nodded slowly, “No wonder. They do look alike. They say nieces resemble their aunts, and it’s true.” He toasted Wen Di again, “I met your second aunt once when I was young.”
Wen Di said, “You’re not old now either.”
That person drank his glass dry, “Almost the age of your fathers, and not old. Mr. Xiang and I, we’re both forty-four or five, almost fifty.”
“Can’t tell.”
It was true, their actual age wasn’t apparent, especially Guan Xiangmu. Men of their age, as long as they didn’t have beer bellies and maintained good figures, with the added aura, didn’t look old at all.
Guan Xiangmu took only one puff, extinguished the cigarette, and looked at his friend: “Alright, you’re just finding ways to make young people praise you for not being old.”
The others at the table laughed.
“Mr. Jiang, have you ever been to Jiangcheng?” Guan Xiangmu changed the subject, tossing the question to Jiang Chengyu.
Jiang Chengyu said, “I should have a chance to go in the future.”
Guan Xiangmu understood; “a chance” meant pursuing Shen Tang and accompanying Shen Tang to Wen Di’s home as a guest.
Jiang Chengyu then mentioned Yan Heyu: “He’s been there, he has investments in Jiangcheng. He’s building a factory in cooperation with Fan Zhisen.”
They were unfamiliar with Fan Zhisen and hadn’t heard of him, but they knew about Yan Heyu’s large-scale factory construction and all said, “It seems Jiangcheng’s investment environment is good, we’ll go check it out then.”
Yan Heyu, who had been sparing with his words tonight, finally deigned to say two words, “Welcome.”
Welcome them to invest in Jiangcheng.
Someone joked, “Mr. Yan has become half a Jiangcheng native.”
Yan Heyu said meaningfully, “I’m working on it.”
“Then I wish you great success.”
They toasted him with wine, but Yan Heyu drank water instead, quickly finishing a glass of warm water.
There was another glass of water beside him, Wen Di’s.
Yan Heyu took it, poured half into his own glass, then returned it to its original place.
Someone saw him pour the water Wen Di had drunk, but pretended not to see anything. This water, who knew if it could cure his stomach ache.
In the past, when Yan Heyu and Wen Di had conflicts, he would drink the water from Wen Di’s cup, a sign of affection, or even compromise and concession between lovers.
Wen Di didn’t touch the water that Yan Heyu had poured half of.
Tonight’s dinner conversation, from “No Human Match for You” to “Awakening from a Great Dream,” and then to the range issues of new energy vehicle batteries, all revolved around Wen Di.
Now they were talking about Jiangcheng’s investment environment.
Jiang Chengyu noticed something: Wen Di really ate very slowly, to a degree that he found a bit unbelievable. Shen Tang had enough minor habits, but it turned out Wen Di was not much better than her.
She still hadn’t finished the small amount of food on her plate. Her eating speed was still at the level of a three-year-old child.
“Mr. Guan.”
Guan Xiangmu’s phone received a message. He had just opened it but hadn’t had time to read it when Yan Heyu called him.
He looked up, “Mr. Yan, any instructions?”
Yan Heyu asked, “Is there any soup in tonight’s dishes?”
“I’m not sure about that, the hotel manager arranged the menu.”
The waiter immediately replied, “There’s one dish, it hasn’t been served yet.”
Yan Heyu nodded and said, “Please hurry.”
They thought he had a stomach ache and needed some liquid food to soothe his stomach.
Guan Xiangmu continued looking at his phone. The message was very brief: [Wen and Yan dated for three years, Yan and Tian got engaged, Wen broke up after knowing, Yan regretted, broke off the engagement and is now pursuing Wen.]
After reading it, he deleted the message.
Just after deleting it, another one came in.
[After Yan and Tian got engaged, he added Wen’s name to the villa. I don’t know if he couldn’t let go at that time, and after weighing it, decided to be with Wen, but was discovered before he could properly deal with the engagement. The above is just personal speculation.]
Guan Xiangmu deleted it again.
He put down his phone and subtly glanced at Yan Heyu.
Yan Heyu was pouring water. He poured the half-glass of water that Wen Di didn’t drink into his own cup.
This meal lasted until half past ten and still hadn’t ended.
Wen Di’s phone rang. Qi Mingche was worried about her and asked where she was now.
She whispered, “It’s not over yet, it’s fine, I only drank a small half glass of red wine.”
Yan Heyu heard her words clearly.
After hanging up, Yan Heyu looked at Guan Xiangmu, “Mr. Guan, how about we end it here tonight?”
Guan Xiangmu pretended to look at his watch, “Oh, it’s so late. We had such a good chat, I didn’t notice the time. Alright, let’s gather again when we’re free.”
Actually, the people at the table were accommodating Yan Heyu, giving him more time to spend with Wen Di.
It was already half past ten, how long could they stay?
At most, until midnight, she would still have to go home.
The group stood up, chatted idly, and walked out of the private room.
The waiter pressed the buttons for two elevators. Wen Di and Jiang Chengyu were talking, and they entered the left one.
Yan Heyu hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the other elevator.
Guan Xiangmu said, “Not taking Mr. Jiang’s?”
Yan Heyu: “It’s all the same.”
Guan Xiangmu smiled and said nothing more.
Downstairs, after a few parting words, cars began to arrive.
“Looking forward to your new work.”
Guan Xiangmu opened the car door for Wen Di.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Xiang.”
“You’re welcome, it’s our honor.”
Wen Di waved and got into the car.
The car drove past Yan Heyu and sped away.
“Mr. Yan,” Guan Xiangmu walked over, “can I have a word with you?”
The other cars left one after another, leaving just the two of them.
Guan Xiangmu offered Yan Heyu a cigarette, “I don’t usually see you smoke.”
“No addiction.” Yan Heyu, however, took Guan Xiangmu’s cigarette.
“What is it?” he asked.
Guan Xiangmu lit his cigarette for him, then lit his own, and said, “You and Wen Di are walking my old path.”
Yan Heyu took a puff and slowly exhaled smoke, “You investigated me?”
“I’m concerned about you.”
“Is that so? When did Mr. Guan become so compassionate?”
Guan Xiangmu laughed, then said, “Wen Qizhen’s niece, I naturally care a bit more, it’s not to harm you anyway.”
Silence fell between them, smoke swirling.
Yan Heyu flicked the ash, “Wen Di had a smooth ride in the entertainment industry a few years ago, was that your doing?”
Guan Xiangmu shook his head, “Not really. It should be a combination of talent and luck. I spend more than half of the year abroad, I don’t have time to pay attention to a screenwriter.”
Wen Di had been very popular recently. He inadvertently saw her entertainment gossip and thought she resembled someone.
That’s why there was tonight’s dinner.
“You and Wen Di’s second aunt?”
“Lovers. Later, it was just like you and Wen Di. Do you know my outcome?”
The word “outcome” was not a good one.
Guan Xiangmu said, “Qizhen married twice, had children with others, and has never forgiven me. Both times she married into powerful families in Jiangcheng.”
No affection, just for a transactional exchange of interests.
She wasn’t like that before; before breaking up with him, she was all about love.
Later, she only considered interests, only marrying powerful people, and her family couldn’t control her either.
“The girls of the Wen family are beautiful, but also ruthless.”
He glanced at Yan Heyu: “If I had known earlier that Wen Di was Qizhen’s niece and that you were also in love with her, I would have warned you in advance, so you wouldn’t have reached this point.”
Yan Heyu stubbed out his cigarette and said, “I won’t be as miserable as you.”
“That’s not exactly what I was hoping for,” Guan Xiangmu extinguished his cigarette and threw it in the trash can. “If you want to win Wen Di back, it won’t be easy to get past Qizhen.”
Yan Heyu said, “Then you should win back your second aunt.”
“If I could win her back, would I have waited until she had children?” Guan Xiangmu self-mocked, “Even if I were to put myself in her bed now, she might not sleep with me.”
Their respective cars arrived, and they each got in.
________________________________________
At 11:10 PM, Wen Di’s car stopped downstairs at her apartment building.
Qi Mingche was standing on the steps downstairs looking at his phone. Hearing the noise, he looked up.
Recognizing the license plate, he walked over.
Wen Di got out of the car, “Why aren’t you waiting upstairs?”
Qi Mingche said, “To ride the elevator with you.”
“There are mosquitoes downstairs.”
“It’s alright, I took your mosquito repellent patch.”
Wen Di hugged him, “Don’t wait for me downstairs anymore.”
Qi Mingche put his arm around her waist, drawing her into his embrace, ignoring her words. He leaned down to smell the faint scent of alcohol on her, then kissed her on the corner of her lips, “Let’s go upstairs, it’s hot downstairs.”
He released her.
“How was the meeting?”
Wen Di nodded, “Good. One of the investors is Guan Xiangmu.”
Qi Mingche knew of him, a well-known, always low-key figure in the industry’s capital circles.
Wen Di said, “Jiang Chengyu was also there tonight, sitting next to me.” She didn’t mention Yan Heyu, as it would upset Qi Mingche.
“Mr. Jiang still hasn’t given up on pursuing Shen Tang?”
“No. Because of him, I was the center of attention tonight.”
“No wonder no one pressured you to drink.” He had even prepared two kinds of hangover remedies for her.
Wen Di didn’t waste his thoughtfulness. When she got home, she drank a little of both hangover remedies, saying she hadn’t eaten enough during the dinner.
Because she ate slowly, she rarely felt full at dinner parties.
“I’m moving at the end of the month.” She told him her moving date.
On her way back from the dinner, she had received a call from the renovation company manager, saying that the work was completely finished and they had worked overtime to clean up that night.
Qi Mingche drank the remaining hangover remedy himself, “Moving so soon? Let the smell air out a bit more.”
“A month until the end of the month is enough. The furniture is all old stuff, and not many new things were changed, just the layout.”
Qi Mingche asked her, “How about you move in with me first? Air it out for two months before moving over.”
Wen Di leaned closer to his bowl and sipped some soup, “You know I like living in my own place.”
Qi Mingche nodded, letting her decide.
She had lived in this apartment for three years with Yan Heyu, so perhaps living in her own place gave her a sense of security.
He didn’t force her.
He planned to sell this apartment after she moved out.
Before they started dating, he could still live there, but now, he definitely couldn’t.
“I’ll help you move then.”
“Okay, come if you’re not busy.”
After a few seconds of silence, he told her, “For the next few months, I might not have as much time to spend with you. The family company is having some issues, and I’m helping my mom out.”
It might involve commercial secrets, so Wen Di didn’t ask much, “It’s fine, I’ll come find you when I’m not busy.”
________________________________________
At the end of August, Wen Di chose a weekend to move into her new home.
On the day of the move, Qi Mingche had work that he couldn’t push off. He had already moved all her belongings to the new place beforehand and personally organized them for her.
Today was just a ceremonial occasion; he would come celebrate with her in the evening.
Zhao Yueling and Wen Qizhen were in Beijing and had lunch with Wen Di to celebrate.
Wen Qizhen learned that Qi Mingche wasn’t free for lunch and regretfully said, “I thought I could meet him. Your mother said he’s even more handsome in person than on TV.”
Wen Di told her second aunt, “He’s coming for dinner tonight. Why don’t you and my mom stay here tonight?”
Wen Qizhen shook her head, “Forget it, it’s not polite to disturb a young couple’s date.”
Wen Di had just received a bouquet of pink roses that Shen Tang had sent from a flower shop. She held the flowers up to Wen Qizhen, “Auntie, smell them.”
“Fragrant.” Wen Qizhen looked back at Zhao Yueling, who was washing fruit in the kitchen. She turned back and whispered to her niece, “I had a dinner with Director Zhao yesterday.”
Wen Di looked at her second aunt, motioning for her to speak.
Wen Qizhen said, “So, what’s going on with you and Yan Heyu?”
It seemed she couldn’t hide it from her second aunt, so Wen Di had no choice but to tell the truth: “The boyfriend I dated for three years before was him.”
“He’s getting engaged to the Tian family, so he gave you up?”
“Mm.”
“Your parents still don’t know it’s him?”
Wen Di shook her head.
“Alright, I understand.”
Wen Qizhen ruffled her niece’s long hair, “It’s nothing big. Look at me, aren’t I doing well too?”
Wen Di smiled, “I’m doing well with Qi Mingche too.”
Wen Qizhen got straight to the point: “You two aren’t really living a life together yet, far from it.”
Wen Di placed the flowers on the console table, “Auntie.”
“Hm?”
“That time I took a midnight flight to eat hotpot, what did you mean by ‘pretty good’ in your last message? What was ‘pretty good’?”
Wen Qizhen still remembered that incident, “‘Pretty good’ meant that our precious girl knew how to change her way of life and didn’t fall into despair. She was willing to try a new relationship.”
“What are you two talking about?” Zhao Yueling came over with a plate.
Wen Qizhen said, “We’re talking about Xiao Qi. I said it’s a shame there’s no chance to see him today.”
Zhao Yueling: “Next time he comes over, let’s arrange a meal together. Mrs. Ming was telling me a few days ago that she’d like to get together sometime.”
Wen Qizhen put a few cherries into her niece’s mouth and looked at Zhao Yueling, “Is this planning to meet the parents? Isn’t it too early?”
“Not really,” Zhao Yueling said. “The two families already know each other, just a casual meal. They’ve only been dating for a short while, so whether it works out or not is hard to say.”
She never forced her daughter’s relationship with Qi Mingche, preferring to let things happen naturally.
That evening, Qi Mingche finished his work and celebrated the housewarming with her.
He rushed, arriving right on time for their scheduled meeting.
He brought a large bouquet of roses, then noticed another bouquet on the console table.
Wen Di said, “Shen Tang sent them.”
Qi Mingche placed the two bouquets side by side. They were different colors, and his red roses were more eye-catching.
Wen Di looked at him, “You’ve lost weight?”
Qi Mingche smiled, “Looks good on camera.” Perhaps he’s been busy and overwhelmed recently.
He had half a glass of red wine with Wen Di. He wanted another glass, but Wen Di said, “Drink less.”
Qi Mingche relented, “Okay, whatever you say.”
After accompanying Wen Di until eleven o’clock, Qi Mingche left and went directly to a bar.
He didn’t call his close friends over; he sat alone at the bar and ordered four drinks.
The bartender recognized him and said, “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
Qi Mingche smiled and raised his glass in response.
Yes, ever since he started dating Wen Di, he hadn’t been here.
Not only had he not been to bars, but his outings with friends were also pitifully few. They called him a womanizer who neglected his friends, but he didn’t care what they said.
Now, he no longer played with sports cars, and various parties were basically out of his life. He focused on accompanying Wen Di, wanting to see her whenever he had a little free time.
Recently, one annoying family matter after another had cropped up.
Sometimes he was tired and wanted to tell her, but each time the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back, afraid that hearing them would upset her.
He tried every means to make her happy, but every surprise he gave her, she tried her best to appear very happy.
He knew she wasn’t perfunctory with him; it was just that she had experienced too many such surprises and truly couldn’t be surprised anymore.
He had originally planned to give her a set of jewelry when she moved.
When he arrived at the store, the person in charge recommended a set, saying that Mr. Yan of Jingyue had customized a similar set last year.
No need to guess, Yan Heyu’s set must have been given to Wen Di.
That set of jewelry was more expensive than his apartment.
All his life, girlfriends had always tried to please him, but only with Wen Di did he carefully try to please her. The first thing he thought of every day after waking up was how to make her happy today.
Undeniably, the sense of frustration over the past few months sometimes had nowhere to be released.
The only thing she was interested in, and what was scarce, was a sense of excitement.
But he, unfortunately, couldn’t give it to her.
Qi Mingche picked up a glass of wine and downed it in one gulp.
The bar was clearly very noisy, but it felt incredibly desolate where he was.
________________________________________
The first night in her new home, Wen Di suffered from insomnia.
She thought that after half a glass of red wine in the evening, she would fall asleep quickly.
Perhaps it was the new bed or the new place, but she tossed and turned, completely unable to sleep.
She turned on the light, found a sleeping pill from a drawer, put it in her mouth, and swallowed it with warm water.
Wen Di checked the time; it was almost one o’clock.
She turned off the light and closed her eyes.
She didn’t know when she finally fell asleep, maybe two o’clock, or even later.
In a hazy state, she felt like she was dreaming, but it also felt real.
Everything around her was clear and real. She was walking out of a hotel. Yan Heyu said he was waiting in the basement to pick her up, but when she got to the basement, she couldn’t find his car anywhere.
She clearly remembered it being there.
So she called him: “Husband, where are you? I can’t find you.”
There was no response from the other end of the phone.
She tried to call again, but couldn’t get through. Suddenly, she fell into a familiar and warm embrace, and he said: “I’m not here. I watched three episodes of TV, and my phone ran out of battery.”
She wanted to turn around and hug him, but she couldn’t move, nor could she see him behind her.
In a sudden rush, Wen Di woke up.
She reached for her phone: 5:32 AM.
After a moment, she tossed her phone aside and got out of bed.
She drew back the curtains; the sky was gradually brightening.
After standing by the French window for a while, she went to the bathroom to wash her face, turning on the faucet and continuously splashing cold water on herself.
This was the first time in six months that she had dreamed of him.
She shouldn’t have dreamed of him, she shouldn’t have.
Wen Di’s forehead hair was wet. She combed her long hair back with her fingers, stood straight, and pulled a clean towel to wipe the water from her face.
She suddenly wanted to call Qi Mingche. She quickly walked to the bed, picked up her phone from the bed, then hesitated. It wasn’t even six o’clock yet; he should still be sleeping.
She put down her phone.
A few seconds later, she picked it up again and listened to an old Cantonese song.
Wen Di’s reliance on sleeping pills had lasted for over a month, only recently showing signs of improvement, perhaps due to adapting to the new bed.
Unbeknownst to her, it was already early autumn.
In mid-October, Yan Heyu went to Shanghai.
Lunch was scheduled at a private clubhouse.
Someone said, “Ming Jianjun’s company seems to have a problem with its cash flow, and it’s quite a big one. Should we sell off and then buy in at the bottom?”
The others looked at Yan Heyu.
Yan Heyu said, “I’m not 5G network, why are you looking at me?”
They laughed, “You’re 6G.” There shouldn’t be anything Yan Heyu didn’t know.
Yan Heyu’s cup was empty, and the waiter refilled it with hot water. At the table, only he didn’t have a decanter in front of him, nor a wine glass.
He said, “Suit yourselves.”
They understood then. Yan Heyu was probably going to take over Ming Jianjun’s mess.
“I also heard that Xiao Ning Group plans to set up in Jiangcheng and wants a piece of the pie.”
“Is Xiao Donghan in charge?”
“Probably, he’s currently in contact with Yunhui Group, but the outcome is still unknown for now.”
“Yunhui?”
“Yes, Yunhui is one of the most powerful local enterprises in Jiangcheng.”
Yan Heyu didn’t participate in this conversation. The private room window was half-open, facing the courtyard behind, and fragrant scents wafted in occasionally.
He asked the waiter, “Are those your courtyard’s osmanthus flowers?”
“Yes, they just bloomed a few days ago.”
“Do you have any smaller potted ones?”
No, they were all mature osmanthus trees.
However, a customer’s request must not be disappointed.
The waiter smiled and said, “Mr. Yan, how many pots do you need?”
Yan Heyu: “One pot. A delicate one.”
“Okay, I’ll prepare it right away.” The waiter immediately went to find the manager, needing to buy a small, exquisite potted osmanthus before the end of the dinner.
At the dinner table, someone asked, “Do you like osmanthus?”
Yan Heyu said, “It’s not for me.”
After the dinner, a potted osmanthus was placed in the trunk of Yan Heyu’s car.
As the car drove away from the private club, Assistant Kang reported that Xin Yuan had called and wanted to arrange a meeting time.
“Xin Yuan?” Yan Heyu had some impression of the name.
“She’s Ming Jianjun’s mistress. Now that Ming Jianjun is in trouble, he definitely won’t have time to care for her. She’s probably being targeted by Mrs. Ming and doesn’t want to give up her current status in the entertainment industry.”
Xin Yuan probably had something the boss cared about in her hands, and she wanted to take a gamble, making a deal with the boss to ensure her resources.
Yan Heyu showed no particular reaction, “She, too, wants to negotiate terms with me?”
Kang Bo speculated, “It should be related to Miss Wen. She thinks you care.” He asked his boss, “Will you see her?”
Yan Heyu considered for almost no time, “The day after tomorrow afternoon.”
He then gave another order: “Deliver that potted osmanthus to Wen Di’s apartment tonight.”
Kang Bo nodded, “Okay.”
He suddenly remembered that Wen Di always celebrated when pagoda trees bloomed and when osmanthus bloomed.
No wonder for the past month, when the hotel delivered meals to Wen Di, his boss had them switch to delivering various potted plants instead of fresh flowers. It turned out he was planning for today.
This way, delivering a potted osmanthus wouldn’t seem abrupt.
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