Chapter 226

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"No way, leaving right now?"

Lin Xiyu was a bit stunned: "At least tell Xiaoyi and Ruirui first—they don't know anything, they'll be worried if they can't find us."

"Call them after getting in the car."

Guben didn't want two little tails following him; not only did he not pause, he walked even faster.

"You......"

Lin Xiyu laughed helplessly.

Giving her no chance to refuse, under the stunned gazes of his subordinates, he dragged her straight downstairs and drove away from the company.

——

"Ah? You went to Hangzhou?!"

Not long after, Chen Xiaoyi's high-pitched voice echoed through the whole company.

"Ruirui, we've been abandoned."

Hanging up the phone, he lowered his head speechlessly, looking at little Ruirui.

"Oh."

Little Ruirui was calmer than expected, with no intention of crying or making a scene.

"Brother-in-law said let us cook for ourselves."

Thinking about having to take care of his little nephew who was only eight years old, Chen Xiaoyi rubbed his brow, feeling very troubled.

"Oh."

Little Ruirui was still very calm, her mindset too good for a child of only eight years old.

"Can you cook?"

Seeing little Ruirui not respond, Chen Xiaoyi asked again, unwilling to give up.

Little Ruirui blinked her innocent big eyes, seriously thought about it, and replied with two words: "No."

"Cough cough."

Chen Xiaoyi almost choked on his own spit: "You can't cook and you're still this calm? You should cry a few times at least? Let my sister and brother-in-law hear, let them feel at least a little guilty......"

"Should I cry?"

Little Ruirui understood, cooperatively squeezed her eyes.

Then, then, he helplessly shrugged his shoulders, and again seriously asked: "What if I can't cry?"

"My god......"

Chen Xiaoyi laughed helplessly: "Ruirui, do you know, you acting like this makes me look stupid?"

"You seem......"

Little Ruirui was pure and innocent, and dealt him another blow: "Indeed not very smart."

Chen Xiaoyi: "......."

Such an unlovable little nephew, can I not want him?!

"You two don't leave tonight, just make do at the company."

Zhang Shan found it funny, giving his apprentice a way out: "I'm on night shift tonight, I'll treat you to dinner."

"Wow, Brother Zhang, you're the best."

Chen Xiaoyi's eyes lit up, he pounced over and gave Zhang Shan a big hug.

"Can I go home?"

Little Ruirui knitted her brows, a bit conflicted.

"You don't want to stay here?"

Chen Xiaoyi's handsome face fell, and he lost his spirit again.

"I want to wait for Dad's phone call."

Little Ruirui didn't hide it, honestly saying what she thought.

"Uh."

Chen Xiaoyi was embarrassed; facing his little nephew's expectant gaze, he couldn't bring himself to refuse no matter what.

"Alright, we'll go home together."

After hesitating for a long time, he still decided to take on the responsibility of an uncle and fulfill his little nephew's wish.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Little Ruirui was happy, her eyes smiling into little crescent moons.

"Thank what."

Chen Xiaoyi had a boyish heart, and showed off rather smugly: "Brother is just this righteous, don't be obsessed with Brother, Brother is just a legend....."

Little Ruirui: "......"

A sentence "Uncle is really good" was swallowed back down with difficulty.

——

"The water sparkles beautifully on sunny days, the mountain hues are hazy and wondrous in the rain."

"To compare West Lake to Xi Shi, whether in light or heavy makeup, she is always beautiful."

Hangzhou's West Lake, with its breathtakingly beautiful scenes that change with the four seasons, attracts tourists from all over the world.

Lin Xiyu was deeply captivated by the beauty of West Lake; seeing someone ride a bicycle around the lake, she was also tempted and eager to try.

Guben doted on his wife and indeed rented two bicycles to accompany her cycling around.

The two seemed to have returned to their late teens, happily chasing and laughing with each other as they rode bicycles.

Lin Xiyu's beautiful face showed a pure smile she had not had for a long time.

Guben let her play as she pleased, accompanied her to enjoy the sunset scenery, and then deliberately drove to a tea garden to visit local tea farmers.

The tea farmers warmly received them and personally demonstrated the exquisite skill of stir-frying tea.

Lin Xiyu had never seen tea stir-frying before and watched with great interest.

Guben, to express his gratitude, bought a considerable amount of local specialties, filling the entire trunk of the car.

——

A pleasant and melodious mobile phone ringtone rang, pulling Lin Xiyu's thoughts back from being immersed in the tea stir-frying skill.

"Principal? Already on holiday, what does he want from me?"

Seeing the caller ID was her principal, she muttered somewhat puzzledly and answered the phone: "Ah? Want me to be a translator? So urgent, can I not go? I'm going back to my hometown for the New Year, and my flight tickets are already booked; can't I ask someone else? Surely there's someone more suitable than me..."

"What's wrong?"

Guben sensed something was off and looked over with concern.

"The principal said..."

Lin Xiyu hung up the phone, her eyes showing displeasure: "The company headquarters sent people to Lufthansa German Airlines in Germany for exchange and study, and the itinerary has already been booked. The translator had a car accident. The principal knows my second foreign language at university is German, actively recommended me to the leadership, and asked me to temporarily serve as a translator, accompanying the exchange group to Germany."

Guben frowned: "When?"

"Before the New Year, just these few days, saying the company can step in to expedite the visa."

Lin Xiyu complained helplessly: "The principal really is something; he didn't say a word in advance and just signed me up. The New Year is almost here, and Xiaoyi's matter hasn't been resolved yet. How could I have the mood to go to Germany..."

"How long will you go for?"

Guben patted her shoulder reassuringly, gesturing for her not to rush.

"Twelve days."

Lin Xiyu complained discontentedly: "Even if I leave the day after tomorrow, I'll be back by New Year's Eve."

"Since they let you go, just go."

Guben tried to persuade her: "The principal recommending you is recognition of your ability; for you, it's also an opportunity to advance further in your career."

"Even so..."

Lin Xiyu still couldn't let it go: "Not consulting me at all, making decisions privately, it's too absurd."

"How about..."

Guben frowned: "I'll go with you?"

"How is that possible?"

Lin Xiyu looked surprised: "You're not from our unit; I've never heard of family members being allowed on study exchanges."

"I won't meddle with you all..."

Guben said half-truthfully to soothe her emotions: "Just taking the same flight, and we'll separate once we get to Germany."

"Forget it, don't bother."

Lin Xiyu decisively vetoed: "With you at home, I'll feel a bit more at ease; otherwise, only Xiaoyi and Ruirui would be there, with no one to look after them. Just thinking about it gives me a headache."

"Those two don't need you to worry..."

Guben was confident: "With me here, can't I handle two little monkeys? Let them turn the sky upside down?"

"On this point, I won't doubt..."

Lin Xiyu imagined in her mind the mode of getting along among the three men at home, and silently lit a candle for the two younger ones.

——

Guben originally wanted to stay in Hangzhou for a few more days, but plans couldn't keep up with changes, so he had to give up the itinerary and return to Shanghai the next day.

To save time, before dawn at 6 AM the next morning, he personally drove Lin Xiyu to Lingyin Temple.

A person who never believed in gods or Buddhas, to make his wife happy, also accompanied her to kneel before the Child-giving Guanyin statue and devoutly kowtowed several times.

——

From Hangzhou back to Shanghai, driving takes over two hours.

The relevant department of the company headquarters had already received the notice of the temporary personnel change, and the passport was needed urgently. Helpless, Lin Xiyu could only urge Guben to drive as fast as possible.

Guben drove at 180 on the highway, letting her experience firsthand what "life-and-death speed" meant.

Fortunately, his driving skills were excellent, and the two arrived safely.

Lin Xiyu went home to get her passport, then rushed to the company to handle the visa, busy until the sun set in the west. The couple, exhausted from a day of rushing about, finally returned to their warm home.

——

Linyu Mansion.

"Uncle, Auntie, you're back..."

Seeing Lin Xiyu, Xiao Ruirui's eyes lit up, and she happily ran over.

"Ruirui, have you eaten?"

Lin Xiyu bent down and patted his little head affectionately.

"Uh."

Xiao Ruirui smiled bitterly: "Not yet."

"It's so late and you haven't eaten?"

Lin Xiyu's heart skipped a beat, and she sensitively sensed something was wrong.

"Hehe."

Xiao Ruirui's gaze darted about, and she glanced guiltily toward the kitchen.

"What's that smell?"

Lin Xiyu sniffed, no longer bothering to talk to him, and hurried into the kitchen: "What did you cook? Why does it smell burnt?"

"Egg fried rice."

Xiao Ruirui gave an awkward laugh, thought for a moment, and added: "I guess, probably..."

"What do you mean 'probably'?"

Guben was also curious and followed her into the kitchen.

"Oh my god, what did you two do? You've made such a mess of the kitchen?"

Soon after, Lin Xiyu's incredulous exclamation rang out from the kitchen.

"Where's Xiaoyi?"

Guben looked at the messy kitchen, torn between laughter and tears.

"Uncle went out to buy food."

Xiao Ruirui loyally explained for Chen Xiaoyi: "The rice on the floor isn't his fault; I knocked over the pot."

"Why were you the one frying rice?"

Guben immediately seized on the key point.

"Uh."

Xiao Ruirui looked embarrassed, hesitating over whether to tell the truth.

"Was he playing games?"

Guben glanced at the living room, his gaze landing on the haphazardly placed game console.

"Actually, at first I was playing the game..."

Xiao Ruirui dared not hide it any longer and said it herself: "I was at a level, Uncle came to help me, forgot there was fried rice in the pot, I smelled something burnt, tried to take the pot off, it was too hot and I couldn't hold it, so I knocked it over."

"Were you burned?"

Lin Xiyu listened in alarm, squatted down, and grabbed his hand.

"No."

Xiao Ruirui's palm had a slight red mark, fortunately nothing serious.

"Don't go near hot pots anymore..."

Lin Xiyu smiled luckily: "This time we were lucky, no burns, but if hot food or rice splashed on you and burned your skin, how would Auntie and Uncle explain it to your father?"

"Mm-hmm."

Xiao Ruirui nodded very obediently.

"I won't go to Germany after all."

Lin Xiyu was uneasy and backed down again.

"You go yours, I'm still here, aren't I?"

Guben smiled and comforted: "Starting tomorrow I'll give them special training so they master independent living skills."

Lin Xiyu: "..."

You say that, and I'm even more uneasy.

—

No matter how uneasy, the already-booked itinerary cannot be changed.

Two days later, she still left home under the urging of a certain principal, going to Germany with the exchange group.

She was a top student from the Foreign Languages Department of Huashi University, and her foreign language ability was beyond doubt.

During her study exchange at Lufthansa German Airlines in Germany, her excellent translation skills earned consistent praise from the company's headquarters leaders.

The principal, as the recommender, also gained much face, and praised her highly after returning to the country.

Lin Xiyu thought this matter was over, a satisfactory conclusion.

Unexpectedly, because the headquarters leaders valued her and promoted her exceptionally, trouble arose again.

—

Chen Xiaoyi had interned at Xingyao Game Company for a while, further firming his resolve to apply to an art school.

Guben, to prevent further conflict between mother and son, personally sent him home during the New Year to discuss the matter with Chen Xiulan.

He rationally analyzed Chen Xiaoyi's current situation: with his current liberal arts comprehensive score of 570, he was neither good enough to surpass others nor bad enough to fall behind; relying solely on cultural courses made it hard to enter a top university, whereas taking the art path might achieve his dream.

Of course, relying only on the painting skills he practiced in his spare time, getting into his ideal school was equally hopeless.

Guben generously offered to fund him, sending him to BJ to hire a famous master for guidance and systematic training before the exam.

Studying art was expensive; Chen Xiulan knew this well, which was also one of the main reasons she opposed her son studying art.

Seeing his willingness to spend money and effort for her son, she was moved again, persuaded by him, and agreed to his request.

Guben kept his word, sending Chen Xiaoyi to BJ and using personal connections to hire a current university teacher to teach him painting skills.

Chen Xiaoyi did not disappoint his expectations; under the teacher's guidance, his professional course grades improved by leaps and bounds, and he finally entered China Communication University with excellent grades, realizing his dream.

—

Compared to her younger brother's luck, Lin Xiyu's work was not so smooth.

Not long after returning from Germany, the company headquarters issued a transfer order, moving her from the school to a frontline unit of the company to work in the Marketing Department, and exceptionally promoting her to Deputy Manager.

Her parachute arrival drew dissatisfaction from other employees in the Marketing Department; rumors flew everywhere, and even teachers at the school, unaware of the inside story, misunderstood her.

Ge Jie, who had pursued her back then, even sarcastically mocked her when they met by chance at the airport: "I didn't expect you to be such a woman, with such great ambition; even after marriage you're not faithful, and still want to climb up by relying on a man. The leaders at headquarters are all old enough to be your father, and you're not ashamed at all. Could it be that young men are inadequate, and only old men can satisfy you..."

"Slap."

Lin Xiyu was furious to the extreme and slapped him hard across the face.

Ge Jie flew into a shameful rage and tried to strike back, but she threw him over her shoulder and sent him flying.

Ge Jie broke an arm in the fall and, in a frantic fury, wanted to sue her.

Guben doted on his wife with all his might and helped her win the lawsuit.

The lawsuit was won and her anger vented, yet her act of hitting someone in public drew even greater criticism among her colleagues.

The reprimand from her superiors and the penalty of a pay cut finally pushed her past her limit, and she slammed the door and walked out.