Chapter 25: Life is Like a Flower 7

  When Xia Zhi arrived home, he saw the wet and black broken bricks and tiles, and the gray smoke rising slowly. He listened to Liu Guanjia's explanation of what had just happened, and Liu Guanjia's sighs made his heart ache.

  "Sir! Look, I've brought the young lady back now."

  "Go home first. You haven't had a good rest in so many years, just take it as a long vacation and have a good rest. I'm tired too."

  "So what about you tonight..."

  I live in a hotel.

  "Otherwise, I'll first find someone to clean up the villa in Chengxi. You and your wife can stay there for now."

  "Never mind. I think we'd better stay in a hotel first."

  Standing beside him, Pei Yiyun heard Xia Zhibei insist on staying at the hotel and her heart began to chill. She had heard Liu Guanjia say that the villa in the west of the city was a birthday gift from Xia Zhibei to Guan Xue, and such gifts were not only found in Shuicheng, but also in America and France. However, he had never let her see them before, nor had he ever given her such a gift.

  "See what others have lost and report it. Compensation will be doubled. And how are Lin Mama and Ali?"

  "Mr.! I'm fine. Ali is boarding at school and only comes back on weekends. I'll rent a place outside first, and then make arrangements after settling down here."

  "Alright, let's do it this way for now. You're all tired too, take a rest." Xia Zhi Bei's voice suddenly aged a lot in an instant.

  The sky is gloomy and dark, with deep grey clouds entering the northern view of Xia: Xiao Xue, I forgot, I forgot everything.

  Back at the hotel, Xia Zhi Bei sank into the chair, the old house was gone, it was no longer in his hands. The hundred-year-old mansion, where his mother had lived for forty-four years, as she left, she placed his hand on Guan Xue's hand and gave him a deep, last look.

  He knew what his mother's gesture meant - holding hands with her son and growing old together.

  That is the oldest interpretation of love by Chinese people.

  He regretted it. He shouldn't have acted on impulse and listened to Pei Yiyun's suggestion. Indeed, what Pei Yiyun said was right, they had been married for three years. But their marriage had always been overshadowed by the death of Guan Xue, he hadn't truly faced their marriage, it seemed like they were still lovers, not husband and wife. His daughter had just begun to accept herself, began to get close to him, he should have endured for another two years, waited until his daughter was more mature, her emotions more stable, before bringing up these formalities with Pei Yiyun again.

  If he hadn't been with Pei Yiyun from the start, he wouldn't have divorced Guan Xue either. His daughter wouldn't have gotten into that damned car accident and lost her memory, nor would she be as out of control as she is now, unable to manage her emotions.

  Others can have seven or eight mistresses and live in peace, but he just wants to spend the rest of his life with one person, yet it's so difficult. Hua Xiong is already restless in the company. He has felt the threat from Hua Xiong, and his family? Has been burned down by his daughter. As he reaches middle age, everything starts to slip through his fingers.

  How did he end up like this? How could Xia Zhi's North end up like this?

  Is there any use thinking about these things now? He opened his eyes and the room had already darkened, with the streetlights outside just turning on: "Yun! Turn on the lights."

  The room was very quiet, and Xia Zhi Bei shouted again. Still, no one responded. He got up and turned on the light, and in the vast room, he was alone.

  ——————&&&——————&&&——————

  It's not just Xia Zhibei who regrets it.

  Pei Yiyun wandered aimlessly on the streets, she wanted to think carefully about whether she was walking the right path. First, she deliberately got close to Xia Xianying, then approached him, pretending to be innocent, and waited for his divorce.

  When all of this was going according to her pre-designed plan, everything started to get chaotic...

  His younger brother's deepest love was Xia Qian Ning. Xia Zhi Bei couldn't forget Guan Xue, the two most beloved people in her life, both loved other women.

  When she tried her best to hold onto Xia Zhi Bei's heart, Xia Qian Jing lost her memory again.

  Everything seems to be destined, everything seems to be taken care of by God but also closely watched by Satan.

  She couldn't get all of Xia Zhi's heart, people who wanted him.

  God gave her hope at the same time, and Satan did not forget her either.

  Other people's weddings are romantic and joyful, filled with flowers, blessings, and laughter.

  At her wedding, apart from the astonished gaze and pale sky, it was that bright red blood-soaked pure white wedding dress.

  Her child - the only bargaining chip that could bring her to Xia Zhi's side - had vanished. At that moment, she no longer knew what pain was, her heart had long since been numbed by it.

  Even so, she comforted herself that no matter what, Guan Xue was gone and from now on, Xia Zhi Bei's heart could only belong to her. But did he? What she had tried so hard to get in the end turned out to be a futile effort.

  It can't be said like this, at least she got what she wanted materially, and she no longer rushes around for a living like before.

  But for these, her heart lost kindness, lost moral integrity and affection, filled with lies and unease. For that golden illusion, all the good things in her life disappeared. Was it worth it?

  It's all worth it! All these years of hard work weren't for nothing, were they?

  Can't deny myself, can't deny the hard work of all these years! Pei Yiyun kept telling herself this, non-stop, for fear of 'forgetting'...

  ——————&&&——————&&&——————

  Xia Beining arrived at the company with renewed energy and had just sat down at his desk when Secretary Liu followed closely behind.

  "Chairman! Outside, there are rumors that Mr. Qi has sold all the stocks in his hands to Huaxiong. It will be made public at next week's shareholders' meeting." Secretary Liu looked very nervous.

  "Is there such a thing?" Secretary Liu said that others might believe it, but when it came to Qi Zhenhui, he didn't believe it.

  "It's better to believe it exists than not, Chairman! You should make arrangements early!"

  "I understand."

  "Chairman! General Manager Li just called and said he will be arriving at your office in ten minutes with an urgent matter."

  "Uh-huh. Just let him in when the time comes."

  Gu Secretary left, Xia Zhi North opened the shareholder materials, he wanted to confirm again the major shareholders of Huaxia Company and which people he usually didn't pay attention to.

  Ten minutes later, Li Pingan stood punctually in front of Xia Zhibei.

  Seeing Li Ping'an's forehead sweating finely, Xia ZhiBei asked: "Is anything wrong?"

  "Chairman! Vichyria... This is the company's second quarter account details."

  "What's going on? How did it decline so much?" Vichy was a 20th wedding anniversary gift from Xia Bei to Guan Xue, but Guan Xue only managed it for half a year before leaving.

  She walked with great pride. The Vicilia was a gift from Xia Zhi North, and she returned it in its original form.

  After Guan Xue left, Xia Zhi Bei was taken over by Deputy Manager Lou Qiang. Lou Qiang had good interpersonal relationships, but his ability was too poor, and the performance got worse day by day.

  Xia Zhi Bei had no choice, Hua Xia still had a lot of things waiting for him, he had no time to take care of Weiqiliya, in the end he chose Li Ping An at the company.

  Li Pingan is talented and meticulous in his work. Rather than finding a new person to lead the company, it would be better to find someone familiar with the company to lead Victoria.

  "I'm sorry! Chairman. I just took over and let the company's performance drop by 50%, I...I really have no face to see you."

  "Don't be in a hurry. Have you analyzed the reason?"

  "This is my analysis report." Li Ping'an handed over the analysis report.

  "What? The design department has only three people?"

  "Only three people are left from last month. Probably because of me, maybe in their eyes I'm not capable. I'm just a designer, how can I possibly manage the company well?"

  "Aren't you recruiting people anymore?"

  "It's been a month since we posted the recruitment ad, and there are few applicants. Those who have ability... I want to hire those with potential, I don't want to hire people without strength."

  "I appreciate your attitude towards doing things. It's okay, just one quarter. I believe in you, it won't take a year for you to make Vichy into a clothing company with annual profits of over 10 million."

  "Chairman, aren't you going to punish me?"

  "I'm very clear about the state of the company when it was handed over to you. You've just taken over, and it's only been a quarter. Do a good job. I believe in your abilities. If by this time next year, Vichy's annual profit exceeds 10 million, you'll get 5% of Vichy's shares."

  "Thank you for the chairman's trust, I will definitely live up to your expectations." Li Ping was very excited. This time he finally found the right person.

  Xia Zhi Bei rubbed his temples tightly: Bad things always like to travel together.

  Daughter lost her memory, Xiaoxue died, and the old mansion was burned down by his daughter. Immediately after that, the company... He had a premonition that Huaxiong would definitely make a big move this time, but he still couldn't find his own weakness.

  Even if Old Li sells the 7% stake in his hands to Hua Xiong, Hua Xiong will not be able to shake his position in the company. After all, he holds 35% of the company's shares, unless Wang Fuwu transfers his 17% stake to Hua Xiong. But who would give up their good stocks for no reason? Does Hua Xiong have that much capital even if he wants to buy it?

  Xia Zhi Bei thought and thought, but couldn't think of a way for Hua Xiong to squeeze him out. However, he felt uneasy, very uneasy. Relying on his many years of experience in the business world, he had already smelled the strong smell of gunpowder.

  After signing all the documents, Xia Zhi Bei got up and left, no matter what happened to the company, he had to go see Xian'er first and see if she had calmed down. What's the situation now?

  Physical injuries will only hurt for a while, but spiritual wounds can make people collapse.

  His daughter lost her memory during puberty, and Guan Xue was gone. He must take extra care of her during this period.

  ——————&&&——————&&&——————

  Xia Zhi Bei pushed open the door and stood there, frozen in place.

  Sunlight passes through the glass from the floor-to-ceiling window, and in the gorgeous beam of light, dust particles float around, Mu Si Xue is among those dust particles, like an angel and also like a fairy, pure yet charming.

  It's hard to imagine how elegance and charm can coexist in one person, but Muxi Xue is just that kind of person. Those enchanting eyes clearly shine with a charming and sensual light, while her flower-like face flashes with unparalleled elegance.

  At this moment, she was almost completely lying in the arms of a naked blond boy, with his hands on her snow-white chest. What's even more infuriating was that Muxi Xue had her arms wrapped around the blond boy's neck, tilting her head back and constantly kissing his lips.

  Another naked, exposed brown-haired boy was holding Mu Si Xue's foot and taking off her stockings. No, it should be said that Mu Si Xue's foot was rubbing against the brown-haired boy's thigh.

  Behind the sofa, a blonde girl with disheveled hair was gently teasing another boy's hair with her slender fingers, her full breasts lightly brushing against the boy's shoulder; while the boy was stroking the snowy white shoulders and jade-like arms of the girl.

  No one noticed the arrival of Xia Zhi Bei, he was as transparent and colorless as air, outside people's line of sight.

  "Get out of my house! This is my home!" Xia Zhi Bei suddenly became furious, his voice cracking and hoarse, roaring in despair like a lion.

  Pei Yiyun was startled by Xia Zhibei's sudden roar, almost falling to the ground. When had she ever seen Xia Zhibei so angry? It was as if a lion king had reappeared!