The annual party of the Fu Group was just a few days away.
In previous years, Fu Yan Ting had always attended alone, and he hadn't felt lonely.
But this year was different. This year, Yan Xi was by his side, and he wished he could let the whole world know that Yan Xi was his woman.
So, he looked at Yan Xi and said with a wronged expression, "Xi Xi, even if you don't remarry me, and you don't accept my proposal, you must at least be my date to the company's annual party, right?"
Yan Xi refused Fu Yan Ting without even thinking.
It was the annual party of the Fu Group. Her current relationship with Fu Yan Ting was not official, and she wasn't even an employee of the Fu Group, so attending would be rather awkward.
Moreover, Yan Xi was not someone who was good at social events.
Yan Xi didn't want to attend such a banquet, dressed like a gaudy butterfly, and be gawked at.
Fu Yan Ting seemed to have anticipated Yan Xi's refusal.
In the past, Fu Yan Ting always went along with Yan Xi's wishes, but this time, after what had happened, Fu Yan Ting realized that even if he didn't make their relationship public, everyone already knew Yan Xi was his woman.
It was just that since it wasn't officially announced, and the veil hadn't been lifted, people had no qualms about hurting Yan Xi.
But if he officially announced his relationship with Yan Xi, those people would have to be more wary of him if they wanted to harm Yan Xi.
This was precisely why Fu Yan Ting wanted Yan Xi to attend the Fu Group's annual party.
Fu Yan Ting took Yan Xi home and said softly, "You should get some good rest. The annual party is still a few days away, so you can take these days to think it over."
Yan Xi nodded gently.
Lately, Yan Xi had been plagued by that scandal and hadn't rested well. Now that she was back here and it was all over, Yan Xi suddenly felt that she had been truly exhausted these past few days.
It wasn't physical exhaustion, but mental fatigue.
Yan Xi still didn't know who the man who had confined her was. Yan Xi had inadvertently overheard a conversation between him and his subordinate, and the reason he had confined her was to implicate Fu Yan Ting.
Yan Xi didn't know what he planned to do to Fu Yan Ting.
But during the time she was confined, he hadn't actually let Fu Yan Ting rescue her.
This sequence of events was quite baffling to Yan Xi.
To avoid worrying Fu Yan Ting, Yan Xi hadn't told him everything. When Fu Yan Ting asked why she had appeared at his club, Yan Xi gave him a general account of what happened, but mostly omitted the crucial details.
Hearing Yan Xi's account, Fu Yan Ting didn't ask further. He just told Yan Xi to rest well and not overthink things.
The next day!
Yan Xi was still asleep when she received a call from He Yun.
He Yun knew that Yan Xi was out of danger and that she had won the lawsuit yesterday.
However, He Yun had been too busy with other matters yesterday, and given that Yan Xi had been troubled by these issues lately and hadn't rested well, he had wanted her to get some good rest, which was why he called her today.
Yan Xi, who was still in a daze from sleep, felt a bit more awake after receiving He Yun's call.
Yesterday, Fu Yan Ting had told Yan Xi that He Yun had also been looking for her these past few days and hadn't been idle.
Fu Yan Ting had also told Yan Xi about the matters concerning Xia Shi Xue and He Rou.
Yan Xi didn't have much of a reaction after hearing about it.
In the He family, the only one who had truly been good to her was He Yun.
If it weren't for the need to investigate her mother's affairs, Yan Xi would never have returned to the He family and acknowledged her lineage.
He Rou and Xia Shi Xue had been two-faced with Yan Xi, and Yan Xi didn't have much affection for them.
Therefore, she didn't feel much when they got into trouble.
At this moment, hearing He Yun's voice, Yan Xi suddenly became clear-headed. She sat up and, through the phone, said, "He Yun, I need to thank you for this matter. Also, I don't deserve to be your sister."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
He Yun was completely bewildered by Yan Xi's words, not understanding what she meant.
Since Yan Xi had already started to say it, she might as well clarify things.
After all, it was over the phone, not face-to-face, so she didn't have to feel embarrassed or awkward facing He Yun.
Yan Xi took a deep breath. Might as well go all the way.
She directly said, "Actually, I didn't really want to return to the He family and acknowledge my lineage, nor did I want to acknowledge you as my brother. Because before I met you, you were Fu Yan Ting's friend, and I was always wary of you. Remember the first time I asked for your help? I was truly out of options back then. Only you could help me right under Fu Yan Ting's nose. I wasn't sure if you would help me at the time, I just took a gamble."
Later, He Yun helped Yan Xi. Although Yan Xi was grateful, Yan Xi knew very well that given He Yun's close friendship with Fu Yan Ting, if he could betray Fu Yan Ting to help Yan Xi, then such a person was definitely unreliable.
If it weren't for her mother's affairs and her desire to find out who her biological father was, Yan Xi truly wouldn't have returned to the He family.
Although the He family was wealthy, they were still a notch below the Fu family.
Yan Xi could even give up Fu Yan Ting's fortune, so why would she care about the He family's wealth?
In fact, these things had always bothered Yan Xi. Originally, Yan Xi had very little contact with the He family. Even after acknowledging her lineage, Yan Xi rarely returned to the He family. Even though He Yun regularly transferred the dividend money to Yan Xi's account each year, Yan Xi had never spent it.
Yan Xi didn't lack that kind of money.
The annual dividends from YC Group were more than that amount.
He Yun thought Yan Xi was going to tell him about something else. Hearing this, He Yun suddenly smiled. In fact, he had seen it coming long ago, but since Yan Xi hadn't said anything, he hadn't pointed it out.
Now that Yan Xi had brought it up, He Yun suddenly felt a little nervous. He asked, "Xi Xi, are you saying you don't want to acknowledge the He family anymore?"
"No, that's not what I mean, He Yun... brother, actually, I grew up in the Yan family, and they didn't treat me and Yi Yi well. I don't have many feelings for family relationships, so I've always been distant from you all. But after this incident, I know you're doing this for my own good, that you genuinely care about me. So, I want to tell you the truth and not lie to you."
Hearing Yan Xi say this, He Yun's worried heart finally settled.
He thought Yan Xi was going to reject family ties altogether.
If that were the case, then he would have no reason or excuse to protect her in the future.
"Xi Xi, you don't need to apologize to me. What Auntie and Shi Xue did to plot against you and Fu Yan Ting before, let's consider it even. From now on, let's not mention it again."
He Yun only mentioned Xia Shi Xue and He Rou, not himself.
He was afraid that if he said it, it would frighten Yan Xi.