"the day after tomorrow."
“Okay.” Xin Boliang nodded.
Xin Bolang chatted casually with Xin Ying about various everyday things. After drinking several cups of tea, Xin Bolang finally spoke up, saying, "They contacted me from Australia. Someone will probably be coming tomorrow."
Xin Ying's eyes immediately darkened.
The atmosphere in the private room suddenly froze. Xin Boliang lowered his eyes and looked at the teacup on the table, remaining silent.
Xin Ying pressed her tongue against her palate and gave a cold laugh in anger.
"Who's coming? Didn't we already send our daughter back? Do you want them all back?"
Xin Boliang quickly explained, "Hailan is only coming back for the New Year, and she'll leave after that. As for who will come tomorrow, I don't know. When they contacted me, I told them not to come back, but no one listened to me."
Xin Ying curled her lips and sneered, "When they contacted you, they said they only wanted their daughter to come back for the New Year?"
Xin Bolang looked embarrassed and gave a soft "hmm".
Xin Ying questioned him: "Brother, do you believe this reason? Do you think they've worked so hard all these years to bring their child home just for the New Year?!"
Xin Boliang quickly said, "I'm sorry, little sister. I know I shouldn't have helped, but I didn't do anything. I didn't know when Hailan would be back. They only told me in advance that Hailan would be back, and I didn't know anything else. I only have one daughter, Wenwen. I feel sorry for Hailan, who has been abroad for so many years. I just wanted the child to come back and see her grandparents."
Xin Ying ground her back teeth together and laughed speechlessly.
She said, "I can overlook the fact that he's a kid, but don't let any of those shady characters show up at my brother's grave tomorrow."
Xin Boliang, who enjoyed great prestige and respect outside, looked sorrowful when facing his sister.
After Xin Ying finished speaking, he sighed and said, "Okay, I'll tell them."
Xin Ying's face was cold, and she remained silent without responding.
Xin Boliang couldn't help but speak up: "Xiaoying, I'm already over fifty. If I had had a child a few years earlier, I would be about your age. You're much younger than me, but I treat you like my own daughter. As the eldest brother in the family, I have many things to consider for this family. Sometimes the choices I make are for the benefit of all parties, but I hope you know that I would never do anything to hurt you."
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Author's Note:
Second update~
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 20:40:36 and 23:27:19 on March 22, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 55157345 (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 62
Xin Ying and Xin Boliang spent the entire afternoon at this restaurant.
That afternoon, Xin Boliang talked a lot. It was the first time in more than ten years since the incident that Xin Ying had experienced that he, as the eldest brother of the Xin family, deeply analyzed his own heart and told Xin Ying all his thoughts.
Xin Ying listened in silence the whole time, and only after Xin Boliang had said several sentences would she show any willingness to reply.
Xin Ying's attitude was quite clear during the conversation. Xin Boliang sighed in the end and didn't say anything more.
Xin Boliang is based in Hong Kong and is in charge of all business of Huanning Group in Hong Kong, while Xin Ying is in charge of all matters of the mainland group.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of Xin Ying's fifth brother's death. Xin Boliang has already gone to the cemetery to pay his respects today. He will not go tomorrow, so that the brother and sister can have some time alone together.
We talked a lot about the past tonight, and he recalled many memories, leaving him feeling very heavy-hearted.
Although the harm that his second and third brothers did to Xin Ying and her siblings was unrelated to him, Xin Boliang was, after all, born to the same mother as his two younger brothers.
As the eldest brother in the family, he bore heavy responsibilities, and from childhood he was an excellent student, mature and steady. When the incident happened, he rarely had free time, and he took Wenwen to the amusement park with his wife.
Unexpectedly, upon returning, he discovered that his second, third, and fifth brothers, Xin Ying, were all missing.
At the time, he didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. It wasn't until his fifth brother's body was found at the scene of the car accident that he realized it was all over.
Based on his understanding of his younger brothers, he knew that the mastermind behind this incident must be his second younger brother.
My second brother was born with a particularly bad temper. He was irritable and hot-tempered, and had a crazy streak. When he was drunk and making bets with others, he could be so ruthless that he would stab himself in the chest with a knife.
When this happened, my second brother was only sixteen years old. My father was furious at him for his lack of ambition, but the knife wound caused him physical problems. He couldn't be hit or scolded. My mother felt sorry for her son and spoiled him rotten, which made his personality even worse.
As the eldest son, Xin Boliang was busy attending various classes and receiving various educations from a young age, and was not very close to his mother.
His second brother, who was born two years later, was different. He had a lot of time to spend with his mother, so he had a very good relationship with her. His mother loved him the most.
In my father's generation, it was legal to have two wives, and Xin Ying's mother was my father's second wife.
When my father married his second wife, my second brother was only one year old, just beginning to understand things. Perhaps because my mother often spent time with the children and spoke ill of my father's second wife, my second brother harbored deep resentment towards Xin Ying's mother and her younger siblings from a young age.
As time passed, various factors combined and catalyzed the event, ultimately leading to what happened more than a decade ago.
The third brother, Xin Pengchi, was an indecisive person, and many people considered him a kind-hearted old man.
Because he was always very friendly to everyone, he was the only person his second brother was close to in the whole family.
Xin Boliang had always suspected that when his second brother wanted to do this, his third brother probably didn't know. It wasn't until he realized that his second brother wanted to harm his fifth brother and Xin Ying that he realized something was wrong.
This abnormality reached its peak after the fifth brother died. During that time, the second brother fed Xin Ying some medicine every day, which had a serious impact on Xin Ying's health. The third brother was probably afraid that Xin Ying would also die, so he secretly sent Xin Ying to the hospital.
It was she who rushed Xin Ying to the hospital in time, allowing her sister, whose internal organs were already failing, to receive timely treatment. Otherwise, Xin Ying would probably have lost her life.
For many years, Xin Boliang had been reflecting on this. His third brother had been sent abroad by their father and hadn't returned home for so many years. The mastermind behind the incident had passed away from illness, and while his third brother was indeed at fault, being unable to return home for so many years was already a punishment for him.
He never intended for his third brother to return to China. He just felt that while his brother didn't have to come home, his child needed to return for the New Year and see the elders. The elders in the family were getting old, and at least they should be able to meet this child they had never seen before.
The father had seven children. If they had all grown up peacefully and harmoniously, the Xin family would probably be bustling with activity now, unlike the desolate Xin mansion that is now. Xin Boliang felt extremely sad whenever he thought of this.
Now that he's older, he often reminisces about the past. As the eldest son, he's always wanted to make the family relationships more harmonious, but he's not unreasonable. He knows his sister is a complete victim. He thinks she can tolerate Hailan going back to China for a while, but if she pushes her luck, it will be a second trauma for her.
He thought a lot about it, and if anything happened in the end, he would choose to stand on his younger sister's side.
He couldn't protect his sister back then, but if anything happens afterward, he can at least protect her.
The next day, the sky was overcast.
Xin Ying arrived at the cemetery in the morning; her brother was buried there.
The black and white photo on the tombstone is a picture of his older brother when he was eighteen years old.
The boy in the photo has short, shoulder-length hair, wears a white t-shirt, and smiles brightly. He has a dimple on his right cheek; among the three siblings, he is the only one who inherited his mother's dimple. But their mother passed away, and her older brother is gone too. Her sixth brother left the Xin family to pursue a career in government in a small city, leaving her alone at the Xin residence.
A bunch of white chrysanthemums was placed in front of the tombstone, probably given by Xin Bolang when he came yesterday.
The petals, glistening with morning dew, looked exceptionally fresh and invigorating, but the person who possessed them would forever remain buried underground.
Xin Ying didn't say a word, but placed the white magnolia flower in front of the tombstone.
Xin Ying stood in front of the tombstone for a long time when she suddenly heard soft footsteps behind her. Xin Ying moved slightly, and soon a woman wearing a black trench coat and sunglasses came to Xin Ying's side.
Xin Ying remained motionless, quietly gazing at the photo on the tombstone.
The woman beside her remained silent for a long time before speaking up, "Xiaoying, it's been a long time."
Xin Ying shifted slightly, noticed the white magnolia flower in the newcomer's hand, and asked, "What are you doing here?"
A cold wind blew across the overcast sky, whipping the woman's disheveled hair, leaving it quite messy. She reached out and smoothed her hair, smiling slightly. "I came to see him."
Xin Ying coldly replied, "No need."
The woman's smile remained unchanged, and her voice was gentle and kind: "Xiaoying, you don't call me Sister Lan anymore."
Xin Ying: "By what right do you say that? Are you my fifth brother's ex-girlfriend, or my third brother's current wife?"
Upon hearing this, the smile that had been on the woman's face froze. She said, "Xiaoying, your personality has changed a lot. You never used to speak so sarcastically."
Xin Ying didn't answer the question she asked, but replied directly, "I've already given my brother his favorite magnolia, so you don't need to send this flower."
Meng Lan's expression didn't change because of these words: "Guess, does your brother like magnolias because he likes the flower, or because my name has the character 'Lan' in it?"
Xin Ying clenched her fists tightly, her eyes instantly turning cold.
Meng Lan held the bouquet of white magnolias in her hand without putting it down. She said, "Xiao Ying, I came back for no other reason than to see him. After that, I'll go back to Australia."
Xin Ying: "Do you think he would want to see you like this? He's only been dead for half a month and you've already chosen to be with the person who killed him. How dare you stand in front of him now?"
At this point, Meng Lan's smile finally faded. She remained silent for a long time, and as the dark clouds in the sky grew thicker and the sky grew darker, she finally spoke: "I didn't mean to."
Xin Ying listened expressionlessly, while Meng Lan continued slowly, "Peng Chi has liked me for many years. After Ting An passed away, I was devastated and suddenly fainted at home one day. At that time, Peng Chi went home to apologize but was asked by your father to go abroad and never come back. Before leaving the country, he wanted to see me one last time, but he happened to find me unconscious and took me to the hospital. It was there that we found out I was pregnant. Peng Chi proposed to me on the spot, saying he wanted to give me and the child a complete family."
After listening, Xin Ying stared coldly at her and asked, "Xin Hailan is neither my third brother's child nor my fifth brother's child, is that right?"
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. After a long while, Meng Lan spoke: "Yes. One day I got drunk and woke up to find myself in a hotel. The man next to me was gone. When I found out I was pregnant, my first thought was to abort the child. But the doctor said that my uterine lining was very thin, and that I might not be able to get pregnant again after the abortion. So I kept the child and chose to marry Peng Chi."
After calming down for a long time, Xin Ying's eyes finally flashed with anger. She turned around and looked at Meng Lan, saying incredulously, "Then how dare you let Xin Hailan go back to the Xin residence for the New Year?"
“Pengchi has always treated Hailan as his own child, and he wants the child to go home and see her grandparents.”
Meng Lan spoke with righteous indignation, but Xin Ying snorted coldly and laughed in anger.
“He’s an idiot, but I know you’re not. I hope you keep your word, otherwise if my dad finds out, the consequences won’t be so simple.”
After saying that, Xin Ying turned away, not wanting to talk to this person anymore.
Watching her departing figure, Meng Lan immediately called out, "Don't worry, Hai Lan will leave after the New Year. I won't let her stay!"
Xin Ying didn't respond and walked away without looking back.
Xin Ying kept all these things that happened at the cemetery to herself and didn't tell anyone.
She did not stay in Hong Kong any longer and returned directly to the mainland after leaving the cemetery.
On her way back, Xin Ying received a message from Lin Leyao. Although it was just a simple, casual greeting, Xin Ying's suppressed emotions miraculously began to relax.
In the past, when Xin Ying knew that Lin Leyao was encountering difficulties, she always chose to solve them herself or bear them alone, without letting her know.
She was very upset about this at the time, but she never told Lin Leyao about it.
But this time, when Lin Leyao encountered a problem, she finally took the initiative to talk to her about it.
Xin Ying was not reluctant at all; on the contrary, she was very happy.
She was very happy that Lin Leyao was willing to rely on her, which was a big step forward in their relationship.
Last night, Xin Ying had already begun to have people investigate the behind-the-scenes manipulators of this media storm, and the investigation materials have now been sent to her phone.
According to reports, the owner of the hotel where Lin Leyao stayed that day was Wang Baoliang. However, the person who bullied his wife was not Wang Baoliang, but someone who was very close to Wang Baoliang.
Looking at the name displayed in the information, Xin Ying narrowed her eyes. After thinking for a moment, she made a call to Xin Wenwen and asked for Chen Lu's contact information.