Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 15: The Villa in the Sea of Flowers

“I won’t say this twice, so let’s go. You two beautiful ladies—I’m sure you haven’t had a chance to take a good look around ‘Feng Family Estate’ yet, have you? I was originally supposed to take you to the ‘Feng Family Mansion,’ but since they arrived at ‘Feng Family Estate’ yesterday and were delayed by some business and haven’t had time to head back yet, we’ve arranged to meet here instead. Still, with its picturesque mountains and clear waters, it’s like a paradise on earth—I’m sure you’ll love it.” Xiao Tong chattered on, talking to himself. “Hehe! Is that so?” Li Xiaowan said somewhat absentmindedly, though she still managed to lift her head. The two of them hadn’t taken a close look at their surroundings earlier because they’d been feeling a bit dizzy, but now they glanced around one after the other. Xiao Tong was indeed telling the truth—every aspect of nature’s beauty was on full display here. But they only paused briefly before following Xiao Tong forward. At that moment, both felt uneasy—one was plotting how to handle the situation ahead, while the other was worried about the other’s safety and predicament. Qi Xin'er was genuinely afraid that The Feng Family might do something outrageous to Li Xiaowan. “Sister Xiaowan, does that mean I’ll have to call you ‘cousin-in-law’ from now on?” Xiao Tong suddenly asked. “What nonsense are you talking about? That’ll never happen!” Li Xiaowan was truly livid, but then she thought, “He’s just a little brat,” and decided she wasn’t going to bother arguing with him. “Is that so? Well, we’ll see about that! Once you become my cousin-in-law, you’ll have to treat me just as well as my cousin does—no, actually, you’ll have to treat me twice as well!” Xiao Tong said childishly. Enough already. She couldn’t very well lose her temper, so she could only resist in silence. But Qi Xin'er, walking beside her, wasn’t so easy to deal with. “You little brat, keep talking nonsense and I’ll beat you up!” Qi Xin'er had completely forgotten that she wasn’t much older than Xiao Tong herself. “Come on… come on, I’m not afraid of you, Sister Xin'er,” Xiao Tong said as he ran ahead. It seemed the Feng Family had done their homework thoroughly—even this so-called “cousin” knew his best friend’s name. But why didn’t that man in the black suit know it? Li Xiaowan couldn’t help but feel a pang of confusion. In reality, it wasn’t that The Feng Family had done such a thorough job—it was because, as soon as they got into the car, Xiao Tong had scanned Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er using a special device installed next to the driver’s seat. The device was connected to his phone, and he used it to conduct an in-depth analysis and search, confirming their identities in just a moment. Qi Xin'er pretended to run a few steps after Xiao Tong, but then thought better of it—there was really no need to pay attention to such a childish kid—so she stopped to wait for Li Xiaowan. Together, they slowly walked along the path Xiao Tong had taken. The scenery along the way was teeming with life and had a unique charm of its own, featuring everything from an ecological farm and an artificial lake to a horse racing track and a helipad. Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er found themselves dazzled by the sights before they even realized it. Suddenly, an enlarged face bearing a harmless smile appeared before Li Xiaowan and Qi Xin'er. “What do you think, lovely ladies? I didn’t lie to you, did I? Doesn’t it feel like stepping into a utopia?” Xiao Tong’s distinctive, hoarse voice rang out. “I don’t feel that way. All I can smell is the stench of rot,” Li Xiaowan said expressionlessly, though she wasn’t entirely being honest. “Xiaowan, you shouldn’t be so mean. You’re clearly harboring a grudge against the rich!” Xiao Tong immediately picked up on the underlying meaning in Li Xiaowan’s words. “Your name’s Xiao Tong, right? You’re actually right—I do have a grudge against the rich. And you guys still dared to bring me here? Aren’t you afraid I’ll set this place on fire and burn it all down?” Li Xiaowan wanted to tease this cute little brother in front of her; for some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to dislike Xiao Tong at all. “Sister Xiaowan, I’m with you. Why don’t we go find a place to start a fire right now?” Xiao Tong said with a serious expression. “Your Highness Xiao Tong, I’m completely blown away by you,” Li Xiaowan said, surprised by Xiao Tong’s response. Meanwhile, Qi Xin'er, standing nearby, couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the sight of Xiao Tong’s earnest expression. “There’s nothing wrong with what I just said, is there? Look at the expressions on both your faces! Sigh… Kids just don’t understand the adult world,” Xiao Tong said, walking away while bobbing his head from side to side. He... was simply a real character. They walked for another ten or so minutes. “Hey, Xiao Tong, the road here is so wide—why didn’t you drive the car in? My feet are almost raw from walking.” Qi Xin'er had been in a rush when she left and had just slipped on a pair of high heels, which was now causing her heels to ache slightly. “Sister Xin'er, you can’t blame me for this. I was just following the boss’s orders—you know how it is,” Xiao Tong said, feigning helplessness. Before Qi Xin'er could say anything, Li Xiaowan exclaimed indignantly, “It’s that ‘uncivilized’ person again—utterly heartless.” “Xiaowan, stop it. You have to remember: ‘A moment’s patience brings calm.’ Right now, we’re like ants at an elephant’s feet—one wrong move and we’ll be crushed. As the saying goes, you can’t fight City Hall.” ” Afraid that Li Xiaowan might say something else that would rub people the wrong way, Qi Xin'er quickly pulled her over and whispered in her ear. “Hey, you two beautiful sisters, what are you whispering about? Let your little brother in on it too!” Xiao Tong said with a grin as he leaned in. “Get lost… Kids shouldn’t interrupt when adults are talking. Your job right now is to be a good guide.” Qi Xin'er hadn’t forgotten what Xiao Tong had said earlier, so she shot back at him without mercy. “Fine, Sister Xin'er, you’re ruthless. Look, see that? The villa right in the middle up ahead is where you’re headed.” Xiao Tong pointed to a luxurious European-style villa in the distance, nestled deep within a sea of flowers and barely visible, as he spoke. “What on earth is this? Building a villa in the middle of a flower bed—it just goes to show how fickle the owner must be,” Li Xiaowan said again, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Li Xiaowan, have you forgotten what I just told you?” Qi Xin'er immediately covered Li Xiaowan’s mouth. Does this little brat think I haven’t died fast enough yet?! “Mmmph, mmmph...” Li Xiaowan was unable to speak with Qi Xin'er’s hand over her mouth. Seeing this, Qi Xin'er quickly removed her hand from Li Xiaowan’s mouth. “Xin'er, you’re going to smother me to death at this rate!” Li Xiaowan said, pretending to be very angry. “Come on, come on, it’s my fault. How could I possibly do that to you?” Qi Xin'er said, raising her hands in a surrender gesture. “Hey! You two really are close, aren’t you? Well, fine—go ahead and enjoy yourselves for now. I doubt it’ll be this easy once we go inside,” Xiao Tong said thoughtfully. “Kid, haven’t you heard the saying? ‘Everything will work out when the time comes,’” Qi Xin'er said, seemingly offhand, though she was actually trying to comfort Li Xiaowan. “Well, I’ll wish you both good luck, then!” Xiao Tong said, sticking out his tongue at the two of them. “Pfft, kid, get lost!” Qi Xin'er said, raising her hand to deliberately push Xiao Tong aside. “Sister Xin'er, you’re picking on me! I’m going to tell my cousin,” Xiao Tong said, then dashed toward the villa like a bolt of lightning, vanishing into the flowerbeds in the blink of an eye. “Xiaowan, could it be that we’ve run into a ghost in broad daylight?” Qi Xin'er said, looking around nervously while immediately crossing her arms over her chest; you could tell she was genuinely a little scared. “Xin'er, have you lost your mind? There’s no such thing as ghosts in this world. Even if there were, they’d only exist in your mind.” Li Xiaowan shook her head in exasperation; in certain respects, Qi Xin'er was far more timid than she was. She recalled a dream she’d had one night long ago, in which her mom and dad were still waiting for her at the place where they’d passed away. Upon waking—regardless of whether it was the middle of the night—she’d gone alone with a flashlight, jogging all the way to the site of their car accident. She waited and waited, staying there until dawn before leaving. But it wasn’t until after that night that she fully realized her mom and dad were long gone. As she thought about it, a wave of heartache welled up inside her,Li Xiaowan shook her head, forcing back the tears in her eyes and the grief in her heart, and continued walking forward. As if reading her mind, Qi Xin'er clasped Li Xiaowan’s arm tightly. When their eyes met, Li Xiaowan saw nothing but concern in Qi Xin'er’s gaze, while Qi Xin'er saw nothing but sorrow in Li Xiaowan’s. In the end, both chose to remain silent as they walked slowly forward. She had assumed the villa was built amidst a sea of flowers, but upon closer inspection, she realized that the sea of flowers she’d seen earlier was actually quite far from the villa. Instead, the villa was surrounded by expansive lawns, and a massive swimming pool had been built right in the middle of them. The sight of the swimming pool sent a chill down Li Xiaowan’s spine. What if she accidentally provoked that “uncivilized” man? Might he, in a fit of rage, throw her into the pool and stage a drowning? Heaven only knows—she was a complete non-swimmer! Qi Xin'er watched Li Xiaowan staring intently at the pool, completely baffled. Could it be that she wanted to go swimming? Anyone else might, but definitely not her. Sigh! She was probably thinking about some nonsense again. But Xiaowan hadn’t been like this before—it seemed that ever since she’d accompanied her to that cocktail party, she’d been looking distracted from time to time. Hmm! Something’s up. I’ll have to give her a thorough grilling when we get back. “Sister Xiaowan, Sister Xin'er, please follow me.” ” Since both of them were lost in their own thoughts, they hadn’t noticed when or where a petite, lovely young woman had appeared. She looked to be about twenty-one or twenty-two years old and was smiling sweetly at them as she spoke. When she smiled, the dimples on either side of her cheeks were very prominent, adding a touch of cuteness to her already charming appearance—a sight that was truly a delight to behold. Even Qi Xin'er, who usually considered herself a great beauty, couldn’t help but take a second look at the woman before her. “May I ask who you are?” Li Xiaowan tore her gaze away from the young woman and asked. After what had happened earlier, she was no longer the least bit curious as to how these people knew her and Qi Xin'er’s names. “Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Feng Yan—not the ‘Yan’ from ‘a profusion of vibrant colors,’ but the ‘Yan’ from ‘misty rain over Jiangnan’!” Feng Yan’s voice, like a silver bell, was a delight to the ears.