"Once, one of the boys came to his senses and wanted to pursue another girl in our year. But then she messaged him again and said some ambiguous things, stringing him along again."
"Honestly, I have to admire her," she said. Men were just tools she used to climb the social ladder.
Shock was no longer enough to describe how Bai Le felt. He had known that the female lead in this world differed from the one he remembered, but he had never expected the difference to be so drastic.
"But she doesn't seem like that... and she works to pay for school." She didn't seem like the sort of person who coveted wealth.
"Think about the places where she works. They're great places to meet rich people."
Bai Le was speechless, but he calmed down and recalled that the male lead's characterization was also somewhat different. In the original, the male lead was paranoid and vicious, but he hadn't been this mercurial. A lot of events didn't match up either, such as the male lead pretending to be disabled.
A possibility occurred to him: he might have transmigrated into a parallel world.
While Bai Le was reeling from the blow, Xi Yan was preparing to return after turning down a dinner invitation from the school administration.
He sat in the back seat of the car, apparently resting with his eyes closed.
Secretary Xing, seated in front, glanced at his expression in the rearview mirror. "The media outlets I arranged for got it all on camera. They'll release it the day after tomorrow at the latest."
Xi Yan frowned slightly and opened his eyes. "Not the day after tomorrow. The timing would be wrong and make it look too deliberate. Push it back a little further, and arrange for something else to trend over the next few days."
"Yes."
He had taken these actions entirely because of Xi Defeng.
A few days earlier, public opinion online had suddenly turned against the quality of the latest product developed by his company. Consumer rights had received increasing attention in recent years, and if the matter blew up, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Fortunately, they had caught it early and suppressed it in time, nipping the crisis in the bud. Even so, they still needed positive news coverage to make up for it.
"He knows how to use public opinion. I really can't underestimate my second uncle."
Secretary Xing hesitated, as if he wanted to say something.
"Speak your mind."
"Has Fourth Master considered why Xi Defeng would suddenly do something like this?"
After all, Xi Defeng had always believed that Xi Yan was disabled and that the position of heir would never fall to him. Apart from single-handedly orchestrating the car accident to deal with him shortly after he arrived at the Xi Family at nineteen, he had done nothing more than create minor obstacles for him over the years. He had never gone to such lengths against him.
Xi Yan frowned slightly and raised his eyes to look at him.
Secretary Xing chose his words carefully. "Fourth Master, does anyone else know about your legs...?"
Xi Yan understood what he meant. There was not a glimmer of light in his dark eyes, only a bone-chilling coldness.
Seeing his expression, Secretary Xing knew better than to press further.
"I'll handle this matter myself."
Xi Yan lowered his eyelids slightly. The image of that person lying without the slightest change in expression surfaced in his mind, followed by the image of him standing beside Xi Defeng. His frown deepened.
Xi Yan opened his eyes slowly only when the car stopped at the Xi Family residence.
The exterior of the residence was in a retro palace style, with rows of floor-to-ceiling windows as far as the eye could see.
He crossed the courtyard and entered the foyer, only to be told by a servant that Old Master Xi was in the greenhouse at the back.
By the time he found him, before he had even entered the glass greenhouse, Xi Sheng seemed to know he had arrived. Trimming the flowers without turning around, he said, "You're here."
"Grandfather." Xi Yan lowered his lashes halfway, his fringe concealing the emotions in his eyes.
Xi Sheng turned around and took off his gloves. He was dressed plainly, but gave off an air of competence and vigor. The imposing look in his sharp, hawk-like eyes had not diminished with age.
"If you can't call me that sincerely, then don't. It'll save you the discomfort of saying it and this old man the discomfort of hearing it."
Xi Yan said nothing. He raised his eyes and looked straight at him.
Xi Sheng gave a cold snort as he looked at him. "Compared to your father, you're more like me when I was young. You've learned to be every bit as ruthless. No matter what your father did wrong, he was still my son and your father. Yet you were truly heartless enough to stand by and let him die."
Xi Yan's expression flickered, but he remained otherwise composed. "I don't understand what you mean."
"You know perfectly well whether you understand. If you still don't, then just take it as an old man talking to himself."
"And you needn't wonder whether Second tipped me off. He is investigating the matter, but he hasn't made any progress so far."
"You're ruthless and clever enough. It's a pity your legs are disabled. Second has the ruthlessness, but he's too narrow-minded and can't see clearly when it comes to important matters."
"I'm holding a grand birthday celebration the week after next. Pick a suitable match from the children of the prominent families who attend. If you won't, I'll choose one for you. In any case, I already have a few candidates in mind."
Having said this much, his intention was already plain.
"Even if one of them married me, she wouldn't be able to have children," Xi Yan said calmly.
Xi Sheng, however, paid him no mind and continued, "At the banquet, pay attention to the Xie Family and the Bai family. Although the Xie Family's background doesn't match ours, they're still among the best. Their only daughter has liked you for a long time. If it works out, it would be a rare match. As for the Bai family, their background is somewhat inferior to the Xie Family's, but they're easy to control. The Bai family has a son and a daughter. The son is useless, so there's no need to mention him. I hear the daughter is still in college, and she attends the same university as you."
Xi Yan rested his hands together on his lap, his fingers unconsciously tapping the back of his hand. His expression was somber, but when he heard the Bai family mentioned, his brow twitched slightly.
Xi Sheng wasn't annoyed by his noncommittal attitude. He merely told him to think it over, then put his gloves back on and resumed pruning the branches, clearly signaling that the conversation was over.
After they left the residence, Secretary Xing looked grave. "Fourth Master, what else do you think the old master knows?"
"He knows plenty."
Secretary Xing immediately understood. "You mean... he knows Xi Defeng was behind your car accident." As soon as he said it, he drew a sharp breath.