Yuan Estate
Yuan Estate
Yuan Shun's mother—Sun Xiaolan—then guided her to the kitchen with Yuan Xinyi, and they sat around the table, indulging themselves with tea and cookies.
Shi Yen then explained to them about what happened with the Chairman's visit and why she felt compelled to come the Yuan Estate.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Yuan Shun's mother consoled. "My father-in-law is not a warm person. You see, my dear, the Chairman is an ambitious man. He wants Shun to hold as much power as he can. He wants to leave behind a legacy he's proud of. And, I'm afraid, he thinks that you would get in the way of that."
Shi Yen considered it. "I wouldn't do anything to harm or betray Shun. But I don't understand why he couldn't tell me about the company, given the fact that I've been working with him."
Sun Xiaolan loosened a breath. She sipped her tea, muttering, "Men are so dumb!" Yuan Xinyi overheard what her mother had said. She widened her eyes and choked a laugh.
Sun Xiaolan glared at her daughter before facing Shi Yen again. "I'm quite disappointed in my son," she mused. "You can stay as long as you want. I won't tell him where you are. He should be the one to find you."
Shi Yen's lips curved into a small, thoughtful smile. "Thank you," she said.
Sun Xiaolan winked, and Shi Yen was starting to feel better. She didn't want to run away from Yuan Shun; she wanted some time to think and to think hard.
Shi Yen kept her phone off, and she spent the next two days with Yuan Xinyi, Sun Xiaolan, and Shizi. She got to learn more about Yuan Shun's mother.
She was a lovely and beautiful woman who radiated all the good examples of a lady with etiquette and class. Sun Xiaolan had red hair, brown eyes, and porcelain skin.
Sun Xiaolan had told her stories about Yuan Shun as a child, showing her photo albums of him. Shi Yen had looked through them, flipping the pages, watching as he had grown from a child to a teenager to an adult. Yuan Shun's mother then left her alone to look at them, and Shi Yen beamed. There were also photos of his mother and father of Yuan Xinyi and of his brother, Yuan Ning.
Shi Yen knew that Yuan Ning would resemble Yuan Shun, given their relation, but it was so uncanny how much they looked alike. Shi Yen then thought about it.
Yuan Shun had said his brother died in an explosion. But Luo Wanting told her that she knew more about what happened to him that night, and yet that information was locked in her repressed memories.
Shi Yen stared at the photo of Yuan Ning, long and hard. Indeed, he looked so familiar, but it could be confusion and resemblance to his brother.
Shi Yen stood up from the couch of the sunroom, thinking about why Yuan Shun had kept the secret about merging the company from her. Was it true? He wanted that power and for her to watch him take it? But it didn't sound like him.
She sighed, pacing back and forth. She thought about how Yuan Shun was everything she had wanted to find in a man. He was sweet and flirty, and they were in sync with their shared humour and banters. He was also so vulnerable, constantly confiding in her during his moments. And he was there for hers, too. It seemed so out of his character for him to do something like this behind her back.
But she believed in him, which is why she chose to stay at the Yuan Estate. She wasn't really hiding from him. She only wanted to make it difficult for him to find her because it was his punishment.
It was true that she was heartbroken at the idea of erasing the Shi name from a company her family had been working hard for. But there was more to what's going on than what the Chairman told her. Shi Yen knew that he was leaving out some important details purposely, and Yuan Shun had much explaining to do. But she wouldn't make it easy. If he wanted her to return to him, then he must tell her the truth.
So Shi Yen had enjoyed her stay at the Yuan Estate, waiting for him.
…
When Fang Qi informed Yuan Shun that his grandfather visited Shi Yen, he knew immediately that she would misunderstand him by the lies his grandfather most likely spewed to scare her away.
He took a flight home immediately. He tried to call Shi Yen before and after the landing, but there was no answer. Each call went straight to voicemail. When he arrived home, his heart dropped by the silence and stillness of the house—of their house.
Still, he searched every room and corner, finding no one and Shizi had gone with her.
It meant she left him.
Yuan Shun frustratingly loosened his tie, running a hand through his dark hair. He had to find her. He couldn't stand around, letting her believe she had tried to take the company from her hands—he refused to let her believe that any longer.
He then took his keys, driving towards the Shi Estate. Shi Ailin was startled when she answered the door, not knowing that Shi Yen had gone missing.
Yuan Shun then assured her that her sister wasn't missing, but that she had been staying away from home, and he needed to find her. He then went to Master Wong's studio, and Master Wong had mirrored the same expression as Shi Ailin, confused and alarmed. Afterward, he went to visit each hotel and available estate that Shi Group owned, wondering if she had chosen to stay there. There was no trace of her.
Yuan Shun stopped at the side of the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel, thinking about where Yen would go the least he expected? His mouth opened at the sudden realization. "Of course," he said. He turned on his car again, speeding off.
It was a long shot, but he wanted to be sure. He headed towards the Yuan Estate.