For a moment, Lin Xi panicked, and Duan Yiheng sensed it. He turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin Xi sat up, leaning against the headboard, and showed Duan Yiheng her phone. Her gesture seemed to be asking him if he wanted to answer.
Duan Yiheng said, "Answer it, I won't say anything."
Lin Xi gave him a grateful look, then answered Duan Mingxuan's video call.
"Xiao Xi, I heard there was a heavy rain in H City that affected flights. Where are you now?" Duan Mingxuan's voice was always full of energy, as if it wanted to reach Lin Xi through the screen.
"I'm fine, I'm at a hotel near the airport." The television, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly turned on, the volume deafening. Lin Xi instinctively glanced sideways, the words "Turn the volume down" stuck in her throat.
"What noise? You're not alone?" Duan Mingxuan's thick eyebrows rose arrogantly, but his tone was urgent and irritable.
Lin Xi's heart was pounding, and she said in a trembling voice, "I'm alone, just watching TV for a bit out of boredom."
Duan Mingxuan visibly relaxed. "I'm sorry, Xiao Xi, Momo was a bit agitated, I've been busy until now and only just called you."
Lin Xi: "Is she alright?" Duan Mingxuan frowned again, clearly reluctant to talk about it. He lay back on the sofa and asked, "When can you come back?"
Lin Xi: "Tomorrow should be fine, right?" Duan Mingxuan: "Is it still raining there?"
Lin Xi nodded: "It's been raining all day, and many places are flooded, but it's much less now. We should be able to take off tomorrow; I'm still waiting for the airline's notification."
"Then you must be careful," Duan Mingxuan said. "I'll pick you up at the airport."
"No," Lin Xi quickly stopped him. "I'll go straight to the company tomorrow." She and Duan Yiheng were on the same flight, and they would definitely return together. If Duan Mingxuan saw them, there would inevitably be some entanglement.
Duan Mingxuan cursed, "Is Duan Yiheng alright? Would he die if he missed a day of work? Don't you have any humanity? You didn't do it on purpose, do you have to make such a big deal out of it?" Duan Yiheng glanced at her, and Lin Xi, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, awkwardly raised her hand and scratched her face twice.
"What does it have to do with him? I was supposed to go to work anyway."
Duan Mingxuan: "Can't you take a day off?"
Lin Xi: "I took a week off because of my leg injury right after my training ended, it wouldn't be good to take another."
Duan Mingxuan muttered, "Who told you to be his secretary? If you were in another department, I could get it done in a minute."
Lin Xi didn't want to bring up the past. Under Duan Yiheng's oppressive gaze, she just wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible. "Mingxuan, I'm sleepy, I want to go to sleep."
Duan Mingxuan pursed his lips, reluctant to hang up, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated. Lin Xi noticed and asked, "What's wrong? Is something wrong?"
Duan Mingxuan hummed in agreement. "I heard Duan Yiheng went to H City on a business trip."
Lin Xi rubbed her fingertips against the pillow, trying her best to remain calm as she nodded. "I know."
"Then he didn't come back, did you know?" Duan Mingxuan stared at her. Lin Xi feigned surprise. "Wasn't his trip supposed to end yesterday? Didn't he go back?"
Duan Mingxuan said, "No, but Assistant Qin came back. Isn't that strange?" Lin Xi forced a smile. "It is a bit strange, but he didn't tell me. It must have been a private trip."
Duan Mingxuan: "He has no relatives or friends in H City, so I was just asking you if he contacted you."
Lin Xi shook her head vigorously. "No." She really wanted to cry. Not only did he contact her, but they had also slept in the same bed because of the downpour. But she absolutely couldn't tell Duan Mingxuan about this.
Duan Yiheng's behavior towards Chen Baiwei had just caused the relationship between the two brothers to plummet. Now that the truth was out, they could only wait for their grandfather to return and mend things. She absolutely dared not court death.
Duan Mingxuan smiled: "Then I won't disturb your rest." Lin Xi finally managed to end the video call. She bent her legs, pulled the blanket over herself, and secretly glanced at Duan Yiheng out of the corner of her eye, only to be caught red-handed.
"I swear," Lin Xi raised her hand, "I didn't say anything bad about you to him behind your back." Duan Yiheng scoffed, turned off the TV, and leaned closer.
His gaze traveled from bottom to top, stopping at her eyes: "Then how can you prove it?"
Lin Xi was stunned: "How can I prove it? I definitely didn't say it."
Duan Yiheng sighed, as if deeply hurt: "I believe you didn't say it, but you must have heard quite a bit, right?" Lin Xi opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
She had indeed heard it all before; Chen Baiwei and Duan Mingxuan had both said it, and even Duan Zheng always called him a rebellious son. She was powerless and could only remain silent.
Duan Yiheng was just teasing her, not intending to embarrass her, so he smiled and said, "Go to sleep early." He lay down with his back to her.
Lin Xi sat for a while, then suddenly shifted closer. She poked Duan Yiheng's shoulder: "Are you angry?"
Duan Yiheng wasn't angry, but he didn't say anything either. He suddenly wondered what Lin Xi would do if he were angry? Would she coax him like she coaxed Duan Mingxuan?
"I'm sorry," Duan Yiheng chuckled, not quite what he expected.
"I should have spoken up for you, but I..." Her explanation sounded like a sophistry; she was clearly an accomplice in his silence. Lin Xi started to say something, but couldn't finish.
Hearing something amiss in her tone, Duan Yiheng tried to turn over, but Lin Xi, seeing his silence, abruptly rose from her knees. Her hand had barely reached out when he suddenly turned around.
His palm missed its mark; the mattress, pressed together by their weight, caused Lin Xi to lose her balance and fall onto Duan Yiheng. Duan Yiheng instinctively reached out and caught her waist.
The room was warm, and both were dressed only in thin clothing. Beneath the fabric, their body heat mingled, like intertwined breaths. In fact, they were quite close; Lin Xi's nose almost touched Duan Yiheng's lips.
While Lin Xi was video chatting with Duan Mingxuan, Duan Yiheng turned off the bright bedside lamp. Now, only the faint light from the headboard illuminated their overlapping silhouettes. Thump-thump—face to face, eyes to eyes, they couldn't tell which heart was beating.
The fabric on Duan Yiheng's shoulders was already crumpled from his grip, but Lin Xi was oblivious, lost in his inscrutable eyes. His gaze was darker than the room, more damp than a downpour.
The body beneath her was frighteningly hot. Lin Xi became mute, trembling as she tried to get up. Duan Yiheng clenched his fists, exhaling a breath of stale air.
Lin Xi's eyes trembled with fear. She grabbed his arm and whispered, "Hand..." Duan Yiheng's hand loosened its grip on her waist. Lin Xi tried to sit up, but suddenly her waist tightened.
Duan Yiheng's palm pressed down on her lower back again, pinning her against his chest. Lin Xi stared, bewildered.
"What are you apologizing for?" Duan Yiheng asked in a calm tone.