Falling into the Capital's Radiance - Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Xie Hengzhou had grown up in London and received a Western gentleman’s education. He was gentle and knew how to maintain proper boundaries.

Moreover, he was a witty and humorous conversationalist.

Shen Jingni stood with him at the entrance in the wind and snow, chatting for a few moments.

But to Zhao Zonglan, it didn’t look like mere small talk.

Sitting in his car, he watched them through the window from a distance. He saw her smiling as she looked up to talk to the man beside her. The man was considerately holding an umbrella for her, their posture appearing far too intimate.

A long stretch of ash had burned on the cigarette between his fingers, hanging precariously as if about to fall, but he didn’t care to notice.

Zhao Zonglan’s expression was grim. “Who is that man next to her?” he asked Chang An coldly.

Chang An replied, “That is the eldest son of the Xie family’s first branch, Xie Hengzhou. He’s twenty-four this year. By seniority, he should call you ‘First Cousin Uncle.’ He’s the heir the Xie family is grooming, and he only returned from the UK two months ago.”

“You probably saw him at the Xie residence when he was a child.” It was just that they were both quite young back then.

Zhao Zonglan rarely paid attention to the affairs of the younger generation, so it was normal for him not to know.

Furthermore, this carefully groomed heir of the Xie family had been abroad all along. He was low-key in his conduct, so very few people had met him.

In a family full of intrigue and deception, being low-key was a form of self-protection.

Zhao Zonglan flicked the ash away and let out a cold sneer, as if he had heard a joke. “Is Xie Chengsui some kind of short-lived ghost? He’s only thirty, and the Xie family has already picked out an heir.”

Chang An broke into a cold sweat.

How could he curse his own cousin like that?

“As you know, Third Master Xie’s heart isn’t in the family business. He didn’t want to take up that burden from the start.”

Xie Chengsui had always followed his whims. What he wanted to play with weren’t traditional enterprises; they carried a certain level of risk. Under the constraints of being the family head, he wouldn’t be able to let go and do what he loved.

Therefore, after some discussion, the Xie family elders decided to throw the burden onto Xie Hengzhou.

Zhao Zonglan lowered his eyes and smoked.

He was feeling extremely frustrated, his tone irritable and sharp. “Tell Xie Chengsui to send a car to take her home. Immediately.”

“And that kid named Xie-tell him to get as far away as possible.”

Chang An replied, “Yes, sir.”

He immediately took out his phone to call Guanglin, but then he heard Zhao Zonglan’s cold command-

“Investigate who forced her to drink tonight.”

Chang An wiped away a cold sweat.

His master was in a terrible mood today.

Some unlucky bastards were truly walking into the line of fire.

***

After such a scene, Xie Chengsui guessed that Fifth Brother and his little sister-in-law were having a spat.

And Fifth Brother was very angry.

However, his heir couldn’t just “get lost.”

So, on the day before New Year’s Day, he organized a gathering to apologize on Xie Hengzhou’s behalf.

Rong Heng and the others had also heard about the situation and came along to keep them company.

Zhao Zonglan arrived late. He wasn’t in the mood for anything, sitting on the sofa smoking and drinking tea while looking down at his phone.

As he scrolled to Zhao Yueling’s social media feed, he saw that a certain someone had liked a post.

Song Yanting rarely saw him like this. He pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose and asked, “Did you really have a fight?”

Zhao Zonglan didn’t say a word, not even lifting his eyelids.

Song Yanting stopped asking.

On the other hand, the tactless Rong Heng asked about everyone’s New Year’s plans.

Tang Shu said, “What plans could there be? Go back to the old residence for a meal, then sleep. That’s how it always is for single dogs.”

Rong Heng echoed, “Me too.”

Xie Chengsui was actually about the same, the only difference being that he would be sleeping with a beauty in his arms.

“What about you, Brother Yanting?”

Song Yanting gave a gentle smile, answering naturally yet with a hint of intentional boasting, “Shuyi wants me to go home with her to meet the other relatives and elders. I’ll probably be busy all day.”

“I really envy you guys being able to rest and catch up on sleep.”

Tang Shu: “…”

Rong Heng: “…”

Xie Chengsui: “…”

Zhao Zonglan flicked his eyelids open, his tone indifferent. “What’s the use of being busy meeting elders every day? It’s not like you can marry her into your family yet.”
Song Yanting was silenced by his retort.

He felt that Zhao Zonglan was particularly resentful today.

As expected, was he in a bad mood because they had a fight?

Rong Heng had brought two bottles of fine wine today and had someone open them to breathe.

Xie Chengsui personally came over to pour wine for Zhao Zonglan, but he was rejected.

He felt a bit aggrieved. “Come on, Fifth Brother, why are you punishing me by association?”

Zhao Zonglan wasn’t that petty.

“I don’t want to drink today.”

He had drunk quite a bit over the past two days, far exceeding his usual limit.

Xie Chengsui stopped pushing and apologized in a humble tone: “My eldest nephew just returned to the country and didn’t know about your relationship with Sister-in-law, so… Fifth Brother, be the bigger man and don’t hold it against him.”

Zhao Zonglan took a shallow sip of tea, his eyes calm and rippleless. “Why would I hold anything against him?”

As long as the boy didn’t get in his way, he wouldn’t go out of his way to make things difficult for a junior.

Xie Chengsui had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his fox-like eyes narrowing into a smile. “Then… there’s no need to send him away?”

Zhao Zonglan didn’t answer, only giving him a cold-faced warning: “Keep your people in line.”

Xie Chengsui understood.

But that kid Xie Hengzhou was a stubborn one; he didn’t know if the boy would listen to him.

–

Shen Jingni ate dinner at home.

There was going to be a fireworks show in this area tonight.

Xu Ningwan had heard about it from a friend.

She had the servants bring out a heater and lounge chairs. After dinner, the family of three gathered on the terrace to brew tea over a stove and snack on melon seeds.

Tomorrow was New Year’s Day, and a new year was about to begin.

However, Shen Jingni didn’t have much energy. She leaned back in her lounge chair, covered with a blanket, and let out a lazy yawn.

After waiting for a long time without seeing any fireworks, Shen Zhuoyuan was just about to question the reliability of Madam Xu’s information when a booming sound echoed from the distance.

Clusters of fireworks bloomed in the night sky.

The fireworks came in various colors and shapes-some like layered peonies with petals brilliantly unfolding, others like dancing butterflies or soaring dragons… They illuminated the night sky, turning it as bright as day in an instant.

Finally, they all transformed into a rain of stars across the sky, scattering down to the mortal world, magnificent and grand.

Shen Zhuoyuan took out his phone to take pictures and said in surprise, “There really are fireworks. A display of this scale should be visible across the whole city. How come there wasn’t any news released beforehand?”

Xu Ningwan scolded him for being thick-headed. “It’s a major holiday. If they released the news early, wouldn’t it cause crowds and stampedes?”

Jingshi was already crowded, and the traffic was congested.

But that was just her guess.

Shen Zhuoyuan didn’t dare talk back. “Right, right, right. Our Old Xu is still the smart one.”

Being able to watch such beautiful fireworks finally gave Shen Jingni some energy.

She also opened her phone to take a few photos, but then she saw several golden words emerging amidst the clusters of fireworks in the sky.

They were brief, fleeting.

“Eat well, be free and happy.”

Reading the words aloud, Xu Ningwan said with a smile, “Could this be a display put on by some wealthy family specifically for the children at home?”

Shen Zhuoyuan offered a different guess. “I think it looks like a trick a young man would use to coax his girlfriend. How romantic.”

Xu Ningwan scolded him: “You’re such a romantic.”

Then the two of them started acting lovey-dovey again.

Shen Jingni ignored them. She remained lying in her chair, holding up her phone and looking up at the shimmering fireworks, a bright smile blooming on her face.

Anything beautiful could make her temporarily forget her troubles.

Free and happy?

Follow one’s heart, unrestrained.

Shen Jingni liked that phrase very much.

The person setting off the fireworks tonight was truly a good person.

Only, she didn’t see that Zhao Zonglan’s car was parked not far from the Shen Family home.

Hidden in the thick darkness of the night.

He sat in the car and finished the remaining half-pack of cigarettes.

He didn’t drive away until the fireworks had completely dissipated and silence returned to the night sky.