Rose in No-Man's Land

23 Fall

Changhu Mountain, Hot Spring Villa.

Zhou Xifan held the two crumpled tickets tightly in her hand, letting out a resigned sigh.

Xia Xingmian had broken her promise at the last minute, choosing to go fishing joyfully with her sister instead. Before leaving, she had handed over the ticket to Zhou, asking her to attend Yang Yisan's birthday party in her place and to convey her apologies.

Despite having nothing else to do, Zhou felt a pang of sadness as she realized that Xia Xingmian was becoming increasingly absorbed in her own world, seemingly forgetting her friends.

"Alas, a person who has lived a pure and austere life for half her life has begun to indulge in depravity..."

Before Zhou could dwell on her thoughts any longer, Yang Yishan, dressed to the nines, bounded over with a bright smile. She scanned the area, searching for Xia Xingmian. "Senior Zhou, where is Senior Xia?"

Zhou Xifan shrugged. "Your senior sister Xia is busy and can't come."

"Oh..." Yang Yisan's disappointment was clear.

Yang Yishan's father, Yang Yunhai, approached and greeted Zhou Xifan with customary politeness. "Ms. Zhou, I didn't expect to see you here."

Yang Yunhai had business connections with the Zhou family. During her summer internship at his company, Zhou Xifan interacted frequently with him, making their meeting feel familiar.

"So you are Junior Sister Yang's father. What a coincidence," Zhou Xifan said, shaking Yang Yunhai's hand.

Yang Yunhai then called over another middle-aged man, introducing him to Zhou Xifan. "This is the owner of the hot spring villa, Boss Wang."

Such social gatherings were standard in the business world.

Boss Wang waved dismissively and smiled. "I won't be one for long."

Zhou Xifan raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Yang Yunhai clarified, "The Hot Spring Villa has been bought back by its original owner-the Xia family."

Zhou Xifan furrowed her brow in confusion. "But didn't the Xia family go bankrupt? Isn't Xia Yingbo dead?"

Boss Wang chimed in, "It's the eldest daughter of the Xia family, Xia Huaimeng."

Zhou Xifan felt a jolt of surprise at the mention of Xia Huaimeng.

"I heard you calling my name from a distance." A familiar voice, laced with playful mischief, echoed from behind her. "Were you saying bad things about me?"

"No, no..." both Yang Yunhai and Boss Wang quickly protested, waving their hands in denial.

Zhou Xifan's demeanor darkened, and she turned to leave.

Noticing her departure, Xia Huaimeng quickly excused herself from the two men. "I need to catch up with Ms. Zhou. I'll speak to you both later." Without waiting for any response, she grabbed Zhou Xifan's arm and pulled her into a secluded corner of the villa.

Zhou Xifan shrugged off her grip, visibly annoyed. "Don't touch me!"

Xia Huaimeng replied earnestly, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask you about Mianmian's whereabouts."

Zhou Xifan let out a derisive laugh. "Boss Xia is now rich and powerful enough to buy a villa. Don't you have the means to find your sister?"

"I'm not Mr. Xia. I don't run a company," Xia Huaimeng explained with a frown, softening her tone.

"You know I'm not good at business. I only know how to paint. The money I used to buy the villa comes from selling my artwork abroad over the years. I got the villa to bring Mianmian back home so we could live together like we used to."