CHAPTER 59

After turning twelve, when Xiaoyuan arrived by Xiang Zhi Shi's side, she had never encountered such an insurmountable situation.

These siblings from the Wei family must be her nemeses.

No, it's the Wei family's mother and son...

Xiaoyuan hadn't felt the gap between her and Wei Zhuang before—social status, wealth, even age—but she had never considered that she was a mother.

Listening to Wei Jiabao's one-sided words and judging from her own reaction just now, it seemed she might still be an incompetent mother.

Putting those thoughts aside for now, there was a more serious question she wanted to ask.

However, the room was a mess, and Wei Zhuang stood there, her eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her cold white face. They were not far apart, yet it felt as if they were gazing at each other from a distance.

The thunder kept roaring, and the rain poured down heavily.

Somehow, Xiaoyuan felt a bit sorry for Wei Jiabao's state, especially in such bad weather. Before asking that more important question, she spoke up, "Um... Is it okay for him to just leave like that?"

As soon as she said it, she was a bit surprised herself, while Wei Zhuang's gaze flickered. After a moment of silence, she replied, "I'll make a call."

......

After she left, Xiaoyuan covered her head, letting out a soft mournful cry. It was truly an overwhelming night.

Wei Zhuang brought her an unprecedented feeling and introduced many things she didn't know how to handle. She had previously told Cai Juan that she might try dating a woman because very few men made her feel anything.

But Wei Zhuang was just too complicated, wasn't she?

Every time they got close, it seemed warm, yet there were always unexpected frost and snow.

Should she just change her target?

She let out a deep sigh.

Just then, Wei Zhuang walked back, her gaze landing on Xiaoyuan's face, seemingly waiting for her to speak.

Xiaoyuan gathered her thoughts and decided to address the most important issue. "President Wei, there's something I want to clarify. I have no intention of becoming a third party in any family."

This was a boundary she would absolutely not cross.

So her tone was somewhat firm, it was the first time she spoke to Wei Zhuang like this.

Wei Zhuang glanced at her, her eyes filled with an indescribable meaning. Still in a calm tone, she said, "I'm single."

Xiaoyuan was suddenly at a loss for words, her momentum deflated by half. "..."

She suddenly felt drained, needing to carefully consider her tone, choose her words, and navigate these unpredictable surprises.

Perhaps renewing the contract was really not a good idea.

"It's getting late, President Wei. I want to go home."

Wei Zhuang looked at her, not saying anything to oppose her.

As usual, there should have been a car waiting for her in the garage to take her home. What she needed now was to return to her room and change clothes.

Wei Zhuang didn't stop her either. She turned around, and as her dress swayed, her slender and long ankles were revealed.

Xiaoyuan suddenly froze, about to call out, but the woman had already left.

A moment later, Xiaoyuan was already in the elevator. She stared at the elevator numbers blankly, and when she realized, she found that she had pressed the wrong floor and stopped at the lobby on the first floor, feeling restless.

'Just now, there were several cuts on Wei Zhuang's ankles, likely from the shards of glass. I wonder if it hurts.'

'If she doesn't say anything, how would anyone know?'

Xiaoyuan let out a deep sigh.

The lobby on the first floor was spacious, and the rain poured heavily outside the glass doors.

From what she currently understood about Wei Zhuang, she was someone who didn't like to talk or explain herself. When Wei Jiabao had been criticizing her, she had simply stood there quietly, not defending herself, just stating facts.

Even though her statements must have hurt Wei Jiabao deeply, it made Xiaoyuan feel uncomfortable just listening to it.

Every family has its own difficulties.

Thinking back to her mother, her childhood, and her teenage years, her mother often complained and lamented,

"Life requires money everywhere, it's hard for your mother to raise you. You need to listen to your father, make your mother proud, understand?"

"Mom works so hard. Why do you make it difficult for her? Why isn't he your real dad? If we don't have a dad, we'll be laughed at. Everyone can bully us."

"You may not be his biological child, but he has raised you for so long. He didn't mean to hit you, he's just working too hard and under too much pressure. He's working hard to earn money to support you..."

Gradually, she stopped speaking, letting her mother scold her as she wished.

Eventually, she stopped resisting, just dodging the hits, if she couldn't avoid them, she would endure.

She and Wei Jiabao were both children in this scenario, they were alike, unable to choose their parents.

And Wei Zhuang...

No, she shook her head.

She couldn't be so absolute, she didn't know the real situation of Wei Zhuang.

The rain was illuminated by the lights, and Xiaoyuan unconsciously sighed again, squatting on the ground in a daze.

Suddenly, she remembered that Wei Jiabao was three years younger than her, which meant Wei Zhuang must have been quite young when she...

At such a young age, she actually had the courage to have a child?

Listening to Wei Jiabao, he had always thought Wei Zhuang was his sister from childhood, living happily as the son of the Wei family's patriarch, as the rumors said.

She guessed this might relate to Wei Zhuang's arrangements.

What was she really thinking?

The heavy rain, the deep night, the chill—none of it compared to the unpredictability of Wei Zhuang's thoughts.

She suddenly felt a bit lost.

Before coming here tonight, she had told herself that Wei Zhuang was a bit older than her, which made her feel at ease, so signing the contract again wouldn't hurt.

After all, she didn't mind spending time with her. In fact, she quite enjoyed it.

Now that she had learned more about Wei Zhuang's situation tonight, her other identity—was she still willing to accept that?

"You're here?"

A familiar and cold voice suddenly came from behind.

Xiaoyuan turned in surprise, not knowing when Wei Zhuang had stood behind her, with a smoke-gray thin shirt draped over her shoulders, giving her a sense of noble elegance.

These words seemed to take her back to a long time ago when they met in the courtyard, and Wei Zhuang had said the same words.

"The driver has been waiting for you." She said.

Xiaoyuan couldn't help but look at her ankles and calves. It was hard to see clearly, so she stood up and looked at her in silence.

Her feelings were a bit complicated.

She had actually come out to find her? And had managed to found her so quickly...

All she heard was Wei Jiabao's side of the story. She hadn't heard Wei Zhuang's. She couldn't draw conclusions about her without hearing her side.

Even if she were an incompetent mother, that identity had nothing to do with Xiaoyuan.

That was her past, her choice.

Besides, Xiaoyuan couldn't think of any reason why she would be qualified to judge others' past and choices at this moment.

Since signing the contract, Wei Zhuang had been very respectful and gentlemanly towards her, keeping her promises, and she had even helped her out.

"Oh..." After some hesitation, Xiaoyuan finally made a decision.

"It's raining too heavily. Can I go back tomorrow instead?" she asked.

Wei Zhuang's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, her expression unchanged and devoid of obvious emotion. She nodded slightly, "That's fine."

Wei Zhuang turned first, and Xiaoyuan followed her, staring at her ankles, unsure of what else to say. The silence between them felt as deep as an abyss as they entered the elevator, watching the numbers rise.

With a crystal-clear sound, they arrived at the 34th floor.

Xiaoyuan was taken aback, hearing Wei Zhuang explain in a calm voice, "The 33rd floor is too messy."

The mess in that room and the previous arguments had indeed affected the mood.

The 34th floor was probably similar in area to the 33rd, but the layout was completely different, offering a much broader perspective. At first glance, it didn't have a large reception area or side rooms, just two bedrooms.

"Rest up." the woman said, before entering one of the rooms.

Xiaoyuan stood in place for a moment before entering the other room. She didn't pay attention to anything else, except one thing—the bed was against the wall, with very comfortable and nice-looking pillows.

She sat on the bed, checked the time, a little past 2 o'clock.

As usual, she would have already taken a rest.

If Wei Jiabao didn't show up, then...

Xiaoyuan sighed deeply, stood up immediately, and walked to Wei Zhuang's door.

Although Wei Zhuang seemed fine, although perhaps bothering her now might be annoying, she had to give it a try, right?

She knocked on the door gently, but there was no response. Surely, she wouldn't have fallen asleep so quickly? Gritting her teeth, she continued to knock.

After a while, the door opened.

When Wei Zhuang's face appeared before her, Xiaoyuan blinked, realizing she hadn't thought about what to say at all, without any plan in mind.

Wei Zhuang looked at her.

Xiaoyuan looked back at Wei Zhuang.

"...I'm hungry." she said awkwardly, adding, "There was an event tonight, and I haven't eaten much since last night."

This was true.

And her stomach was indeed cooperating, just as she finished speaking, it let out a loud growl.

Feeling embarrassed, she realized she really was hungry.

Wei Zhuang replied, "There's a phone in the living room. Just dial 1 and tell them what you want to eat."

Xiaoyuan, bewildered, "Anything?"

Wei Zhuang gave her a glance, "Go make the call."

Xiaoyuan acknowledged and turned around, but then looked back at Wei Zhuang's figure.

Wei Zhuang hadn't slept yet, she was still wearing the same outfit. Her turned back shoulders looked a bit lonely. Her mood must still be affected, right?

Xiaoyuan made the call. It rang twice, then a gentle male voice answered, "President Wei."

Xiaoyuan scratched her face. "Um... can I order something to eat?"

There was silence for a good half minute on the other end, as if he had swallowed and then asked, "Of course, what would you like?"

"Um...Spicy mixed noodles, seaweed, lotus root slices, shrimp, mini ham... um, tomato, bacon... uh, forget the bacon." Xiaoyuan was drooling as she listed the items. It had been almost a year since she had spicy food, but she had to restrain herself for her figure. "I'll have half a bowl of rice and a bottle of yogurt."

"..." After she finished, there was a long pause on the other end of the phone.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, oh, nothing, cough," the man still hadn't recovered from his shock, "I've never taken an order like this before... cough cough, is that all?"

"Oh, and also..." Xiaoyuan glanced towards Wei Zhuang's room, "A bowl of fish maw and yellow fish soup." She paused, "This is a dish that President Wei usually orders, right?"

"President Wei has always preferred light flavors," the male voice said, regaining his composure, "It will be delivered to you shortly."

"Thank you," Xiaoyuan politely replied, "I appreciate your help."

"You're welcome. The restaurant is open 24 hours."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyuan felt a bit more at ease. What she didn't know was that although the restaurant was open 24 hours, Wei Zhuang had never ordered a meal after 7 p.m., and her place rarely had visitors.

Normally, he was quite leisurely, but tonight was the first time it was so busy.

Before long, the food was delivered. Instead of disposable utensils, it came on pristine white porcelain, carried by a middle-aged man with a gentle and kind demeanor.

Xiaoyuan took the tray and thanked him once again.

The man kept his eyes half-lowered, not raising his head to look at her, and soon he withdrew.

Xiaoyuan carried the tray to the dining area, laid out the food, and then ran back to Wei Zhuang's door. This time, the door was only slightly ajar, so she carefully pushed it open.

Wei Zhuang was leaning back in a chair, her eyes downcast as she looked at her phone. The light in the room was dim, and on this gloomy, rainy night, even the shadows appeared faint.

Xiaoyuan felt a strange heaviness in her heart, so she knocked on the door. "President Wei, would you like to come out and eat?"

Unconsciously, she adopted the tone her brother used to coax her when she was throwing a tantrum.

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