Chapter 43

old justice and slay demons!" Instead of admitting her mistake, Shao Meizhu was even more defiant. With a face that resembled a Peking opera mask, she raged at Li An in front of everyone, wishing she...Chapter 43

Ni Xuanyi’s mind flashed with Li Yi's face, and she helplessly curled the corners of her lips as that familiar sense of powerlessness slowly surfaced in her heart again.

"Sparrow, I want to try once more. After all, I'm still young; I've worked hard for so many years already. Now that I’m getting close to him, I don’t want to give up like this." Ni Xuanyi took a couple of deep breaths; it seemed as if she were speaking these words to herself.

"Xuanyuan, Li Yi is such an attractive man. I fear the closer you get to him, the more infatuated with him you'll become, and the harder it will be for you to extricate yourself. A woman's prime only lasts for a couple of years; I’m afraid you’ll waste your youth on him." Ji Yan looked at Ni Xuanyi’s expression with compassion.

Ni Xuanyi consoled Ji Yan with a smile, "Sparrow, I know what to do."

In fact, she hadn't told Ji Yan that after starting work in this company, while it seemed on the surface that she was getting closer to Li Yi, in reality, she was drifting further away from him. Because of her busy work schedule, she had not visited the Lis’ residence for a long time. Perhaps because he wanted to avoid suspicion, Li Yi also called her significantly less often. Even when they occasionally met at the company, they acted as if they were complete strangers.

She spent every day living in the fantasies she created, sometimes feeling so depressed that she really wanted to go upstairs and confess her feelings; however, Ni Xuanyi knew she did not deserve Li Yi now, maybe never. He was so noble and outstanding, yet so detached, while she was insignificant. She could only continue to silently like him under rational restraint without ever expressing her feelings.

Ni Xuanyi feared telling Li Yi about her inner emotions; she was afraid of being rejected by him, or having her whole existence shattered with a definitive refusal. She preferred living in this state of anxiety and happiness, sometimes melancholic and sorrowful, and other times lost in her own reverie.

This weekend, Ni Xuanyi rarely had to work overtime; she constantly played with her phone, hoping that Li Yi would call her.

She knew that Li Yi did not have any business trips this week, and it had been a whole month since she had seen him alone. She really missed him.

Ni Xuanyi waited all morning but her phone didn’t ring once, causing her to lose interest in everything. She lay on the sofa with her phone in hand, staring blankly at the ceiling when suddenly it rang. Excited, she grabbed it and saw that Li Yi was calling.

"Xuanxuan, come down now. I’m waiting for you under your apartment building," Li Yi's voice sounded steady and calm, as if he knew Ni Xuanyi would wait for him in her dormitory.

Ni Xuanyi had already changed into her clothes; upon hearing Li Yi’s call, she happily ran downstairs without hesitation.

Sitting at the driver's seat was Li Yi. He wore a T-shirt and beige casual pants. As soon as he saw Ni Xuanyi get in the car, he smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling gently at the corners, making him look much younger than his actual age—very charming to behold.

Ni Xuanyi looked over at Li Yi with a playful smile and said, "Mr. Li, good afternoon!"

Li Yi smiled amiably and explained, "I made some preparations this morning; I know you’ve been working hard recently, so I thought we could take advantage of the fact that both of us are free these days to go play at my family’s villa in the countryside."

"That sounds great!" Ni Xuanyi had already heard from Li An that his family owned a large villa outside the city where they had everything. She just hadn’t had the chance to visit it yet.

Li Yi personally drove them out of the city, and as soon as their car left the urban area, the air became refreshing and cool. The trees on the mountains varied in color from top to bottom, still vibrant green since it wasn't autumn yet; the leaves danced in the mountain breeze.

"Xuanxuan, do you find working at the Dynasty Empire tough" Li Yi glanced sideways and looked at Ni Xuanyi.

"It's really hard, so General Manager Li, you have to reward me!" Ni Xuanyi pouted with a slightly playful tone, taking advantage of her younger status.

"Alright, what do you want as a reward I can give it to you." Li Yi smiled amiably and looked at her adoringly.

"I need to think about this carefully. This is the first gift you've given me since I started working here, so I have to choose something good." Ni Xuanyi knew that showing a bit of girlishness in front of Li Yi was something he allowed and even liked on occasion; she had some understanding of his temperament.

"Oh my, is Xuanxuan blaming me for being neglectful!" Li Yi smiled brightly, but his eyes were deep and solemn, like looking into a bottomless pit. "It seems I haven't given Xuanxuan anything in a long time. This time, I must definitely give her something very special."

"Thank you, Brother Li Yi, you've already given me so many things. Now that I'm earning money from my work, I don’t need your gifts anymore. How about one day I give you a gift instead" Ni Xuanyi spoke sincerely.

"Alright then, I'll look forward to Xuanxuan's gift." Li Yi didn't hold back and said this casually as well.

They drove for more than an hour before arriving at the Li family villa complex. The car wound through several twists in the mountain road and they could see a few small, elegant villas not far away, along with a lake that sparkled blue under the sun's rays. Close to the estate was a vast vineyard with lush grapevines.

Liyi explained that his mother liked to stand under the mature grape vines in the autumn mornings, picking her favorite grapes at close range with her eyes and eating them right there after washing. She enjoyed the natural coolness and sweetness of the fresh grapes. Thus, Liyi's father specially planted a large area of grapes for this.

Ni Xuanyi had long known about Liyi’s father's affection towards his mother, so she wasn't surprised by such things anymore.

The farm was quite spacious and featured three small villas, surrounded by countless fruit trees, pear trees, and wild cherries. The workers were very responsible and took meticulous care of each tree, ensuring that they flourished.

Liyi lived in the middle villa, while Ni Xuanyi stayed in the one to its right. These villas were charmingly petite without ostentatious decorations but featured cascading spider plants, wooden flooring with natural variegations, and a lingering scent of wood in the air.

The ground floor of the villa consisted of a living room, kitchen, and dining area, while the second floor had bedrooms, bathrooms, and guest rooms.

Knowing that Liyi and Ni Xuanyi were coming, the workers had prepared by replacing all bedding with fresh sets and preparing an abundant lunch for them.

After lunch in the afternoon, Liyi urged Ni Xuanyi to take a nap back at their room. In the afternoon, he invited her to go fishing by the lake.

This was the best season for fishing; it wasn't too hot near the lakeside in the afternoon. The workers set up shade shelters for Liyi and Ni Xuanyi. Liyi held a professional fishing rod with a white bobber gently floating on the calm surface of the lake.

Ni Xuanyi also had a fishing rod and sat beside Liyi, though she seldom looked at her own bobber, often turning to look at him instead. The side profile of Liyi’s face was so exquisite and handsome that he seemed like an ancient Greek statue sitting quietly there. harmed!" With that, he picked up Yan Luoxi and rushed into the house.Standing not far away, Yu Hong was stunned by what she saw and thought for a moment before following in.Yan Luoxi was laid down by...