Chapter 84 No Longer Willing to Wait

Xia Xiyue frowned in displeasure. “I won’t take the call!”

“The old lady is waiting!” Aunt Liu coaxed gently.

“Ask her what she wants,” Xia Xiyue replied, his tone thick with irritation.

Aunt Liu hesitated. “The old lady wants to know why Miss Wang Yi came to see you, and you refused to meet her.”

Xia Xiyue stood up and spoke to Shen Qingyi, “Wait here for a moment,” then left for the study.

He picked up the phone. “I don’t know her well. Why should I meet her?”

“You’ll go from strangers to friends. You’re twenty-two now, isn’t it time to find a girl?” The old lady’s voice was kindly.

“Grandma, I’m really busy right now,” Xia Xiyue made an excuse.

“You really did learn your sister’s ways—no one dares marry her, and I don’t force her. But Wang Yi is someone your grandma thinks highly of—don’t let her down. According to her schedule, she’ll arrive tomorrow. If you don’t go see her, and she comes to see you, refusing again would make our Xia family look rude.” Her words were gentle, and the frustration Xia Xiyue had built up over the issue melted away in the face of her attitude.

“Got it! If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up. I really am in the middle of business negotiations.”

“Alright! I’m not saying you must marry right away, just get to know her.” The old lady was reasonable as always.

Xia Xiyue hung up and returned to the living room.

Shen Qingyi watched him approach and smiled, “Finished with your call?”

“Mm,” Xia Xiyue replied, glancing at her serene expression and sounding somewhat sullen.

“Let’s continue our discussion about that partnership. Once we make money, I won’t let you down.” Shen Qingyi said half-jokingly; after all, she was the one asking for help, so her attitude was gentle and sincere.

“How do we cooperate?” Xia Xiyue asked.

“Whenever you travel to Peng City, help me bring back some goods. This time, three hundred or so wallets would be enough. As for the benefit, you can have me design a few more clothing or bag styles for you, or take a cut from this batch.”

She suspected Xia Xiyue wouldn’t care for such small profits.

He paused. “I’ll take you to Yang City to choose in person. Those wallets and purses—I don’t know which styles sell well. If you take unsellable stock, it’d waste your time and money.”

“Just see what’s popular in Yang City and bring those back.”

Xia Xiyue tilted his chin slightly. “I won’t take on that risk.”

Shen Qingyi smiled. “Mr. Xia, three hundred wallets at current department store prices is barely a thousand yuan. Why make it sound like…”

Say Xia Xiyue is generous—sometimes he’s downright stingy, counting every penny. Yet at other times, he brings new gaming consoles, picture books, and candies from Harbor City for An’an. For her, he occasionally gifts jewelry, cosmetics, skincare, bags—sometimes so expensive she’s left speechless, unwilling to accept, and ultimately forced to reciprocate through work.

But Xia Xiyue is always generous to capable employees—he let Zhou Qing live in an apartment worth over fifty thousand, and drives a car costing tens of thousands.

“A thousand is still money! If a risk can be avoided, why take it?” Xia Xiyue lifted the teacup and took a sip.

He didn’t want to wait any longer—he’d waited enough…

If he didn’t try, he couldn’t let it go.

He looked up at Shen Qingyi, saw her deep in thought, and added, “I’ll drive you there. As for news about the Zhao family in Yang City, I’ve already sent people to investigate.”

“Thank you,” she replied.

“No need. But apparently it’s not just my people investigating the Zhao family.”

Shen Qingyi thought of Lu Yan. He’d mentioned it too. “It’s probably Lu Yan who sent someone.”

A faint mocking smile touched Xia Xiyue’s lips. “Is he finally paying attention to you now?”

Shen Qingyi knew Xia Xiyue had always felt indignant for her, and was dissatisfied with Lu Yan. She explained softly, “Actually, he’s always been quite responsible.”

“Mm. Such a clever man, yet for four years he didn’t know he had a son, didn’t realize his wife was suffering outside—how is that responsible?”

Shen Qingyi paused. “I used to think that, but after seeing him at work, I understood. He’s like my father—when he’s working, he sees no one else.”

Xia Xiyue took a deep breath. “So you’re willing to spend your life with someone like that?”

Shen Qingyi seemed accustomed to it. “He’s An’an’s father. What do you think I can do?”

Hearing this, Xia Xiyue nearly blurted out something, but it stuck in his throat. His fingers tapped stiffly on the rosewood armrest, and he forced himself to hold back.

If she refused him, he might not even have a friend left.

After a long moment, he finally spoke. “If you ever have second thoughts, don’t let yourself be too aggrieved.”

“I’m not aggrieved. As long as An’an is fine, that’s enough.”

The room fell silent for a while before Xia Xiyue tentatively said, “He’s not the only one who cares about An’an.”

His words instantly gave Shen Qingyi an illusion.

Because Xia Xiyue was also extremely good to An’an. When Lu Yan was absent and An’an fell ill several times, it was Xia Xiyue who drove him to the doctor, day or night.

Every week without fail, he came to tell stories, teach him English, buy him toys and snacks.

“Xia Xiyue, you…”

Shen Qingyi suddenly felt it impossible. Xia Xiyue was two years younger than her. If he had feelings for her, he would have confessed before she married Lu Yan—they’d known each other longer. Besides, with the Xia family’s status, how could he be interested in a woman who’d married and had a child?

Snapping out of her thoughts, she returned to the earlier topic. “So, what do you think about the goods purchase?”

Her expression, just now, was seen clearly by Xia Xiyue, and the corners of his lips curved slightly.

He didn’t want her to remain oblivious.

“I’ll take you there,” Xia Xiyue said, as if there was no room for negotiation.

Shen Qingyi hesitated. “I’ll talk it over with my sister-in-law. Going for stock takes at least three to five days, and An’an needs someone to look after him.”

“That’s fine.”

“Thank you, then. I’ll head back now.” Shen Qingyi rose politely.

Just before she left, Xia Xiyue called out behind her, “If your sales as a designer are outstanding these two months, how about I give you a house?”

Even Shen Qingyi, slow as she might be, knew she couldn’t accept such a reward. “No need. Even with excellent performance, it won’t reach a value of fifty thousand for now.”

“Then just take it as me being in a good mood and wanting to give you something.” Xia Xiyue stood behind her, watching her back.

Shen Qingyi refused again. “Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Xia.”

Xia Xiyue didn’t push further. “Whenever you change your mind, you can come find me.”

“I’ll earn it myself!” With that, Shen Qingyi left the Xia family’s courtyard.

The words Xia Xiyue had spoken today were more than enough to cause misunderstanding. A boss rewarding an employee with a house was unheard of.

After Shen Qingyi left, Zhou Qing came over. He looked at his young boss, who seemed dejected and aggrieved, unsure how to comfort him—he’d never seen Xia Xiyue like this.

Xia Xiyue shot him a glance. “If you have something to say, say it.”

“When I came in, I saw Miss Shen. Did she fall short on her work tasks again?” Zhou Qing asked, then cautiously glanced at Xia Xiyue.

“No.” Xia Xiyue replied, adjusting his mood. “How is the investigation on Zhao Chu going? Is he still in the capital?”