After her adoptive parents left, Tang Xiaomin drove back to the villa from the station.
The weather was pouring rain, and she drove slowly. As she approached the villa, she saw a man holding an umbrella in the heavy rain, seemingly waiting for her.
She thought it was Lu Xing again to relay a message, but as she got closer, she realized it wasn't Lu Xing.
This time, it was Yan Jue.
After not seeing him for a few days, he was still as imposing as ever, drawing people's attention.
However, his gaze towards her was noticeably colder than before, as if he were looking at a complete stranger.
Tang Xiaomin stopped beside him, rolled down her car window. The rain was heavy and splashed inside.
Soon, Yan Jue approached, holding his umbrella to shield her from the rain.
The downpour was noisy, but the atmosphere between them was silent and heavy.
A breakup between lovers was always a sad affair.
Tang Xiaomin didn't look at Yan Jue, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.
In her past life, she had sacrificed too much for the Tang family, only to meet a tragic end.
From then on, she had warned herself not to be too eager or enthusiastic with people or things.
In this relationship, Yan Jue had always been the one to take the initiative.
Even though she had feelings for him, she had never been as warm and proactive as he was.
The silence was eerily profound, and she couldn't help but speak first.
"You came to see me. Is there something you need?"
"I bought you a house in the city center. Why won't you accept it?"
Hearing this, Tang Xiaomin was first surprised.
After some thought, she felt he was being too much.
"Is the house in the city center compensation for the breakup?"
"Minmin... I hope you can live a better life in the future."
"Heh..."
Tang Xiaomin gave a bitter smile and looked up at Yan Jue.
"Love disappears, doesn't it?"
She controlled her tone to be calm, trying to convince herself not to act like a shrew, making a scene.
Rationality was one thing, emotions were another.
She really wanted, like most girls who were broken up with, at least a reason, an explanation.
Instead of being inexplicably cheated on and then inexplicably broken up with.
Yan Jue's silence told her the answer she dreaded the most.
"If you can't say it, then don't. It's not like it's something I want to hear anyway. Here are the keys to the villa."
Tang Xiaomin handed a set of keys to Yan Jue. However, Yan Jue didn't reach out to take them for a long time, just looking at her with a complex expression she couldn't decipher.
He seemed to have something to say, but after a long wait, he couldn't bring himself to utter it.
Tang Ye called, urging her to hurry. After handing the keys to Yan Jue, Tang Xiaomin left without further delay, driving away.
She had only lived here for a few months, it was a move-in ready situation, so she didn't have much luggage.
After packing two car trunks, she left the suburbs, braving the torrential rain.
Tang Xiaomin's mood was as gloomy as the weather.
As the car moved away from the suburbs, looking back, dark clouds hung over the sky in that direction.
Tang Xiaomin had no mood to observe any of this. She leaned back in the car seat and closed her eyes to rest.
The car drove into the central garden villa area of Mo, stopping at the entrance of Villa Number Thirty-Nine.
Ye Lingyun had already arrived, with several maids behind him.
As soon as she got out of the car, the maids came forward to help move her luggage inside.
"Ye Lingyun, thank you."
Ye Lingyun smiled.
"No need to thank me. We are friends. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Zhang Meiyu looked at Ye Lingyun, her eyes lighting up.
She had met this young master of the Ye family before, but the current Ye Lingyun was a far cry from his past self.
The former Ye Lingyun was a rebellious, spoiled brat, but now he exuded the demeanor of a graceful nobleman.
From him, one could even glimpse a shadow of Ye Fengxing.
"Young Master Lingyun, you are friends with Xiaomin, and you are so polite. I won't offer mere words of thanks. Please stay and have a simple meal with us."
"Of course, I will stay. Otherwise, you might feel uneasy, and I wouldn't have helped for nothing."
Ye Lingyun's straightforwardness made the atmosphere instantly more familiar and relaxed.
The central garden villas were extremely luxurious. The villa they were in now was on par with the Tang family's previous villa.
Before they even arrived, Ye Lingyun had already arranged for maids to clean the villa.
They put their belongings in their respective rooms and then dived into the kitchen to start cooking.
Zhang Meiyu and Tang Yu prepared six dishes, enough for four people.
Ye Lingyun, being the heir of the Ye Group, naturally held a higher status than the Tang family members.
Therefore, the dinner was a bit formal.
After the meal, before Tang Xiaomin could even speak, Ye Lingyun had someone deliver documents to her.
"These are the villa's transfer documents. They will be effective immediately after you sign."
After this sudden forced move, Tang Xiaomin had learned one thing: no matter what, one must have their own property.
Without a second thought, she signed her name.
"Hey, you're not even looking at the contract, or the price?" Ye Lingyun reminded her.
Tang Xiaomin shook her head.
"I trust you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked for your help."
Villas in the central garden were very difficult to acquire, and with the time constraint, Tang Xiaomin sought Ye Lingyun's help to move in within a single day.
"Right, about the money... if you're short on cash, you can pay me back later. Anyway, we see each other every day, I'm not afraid you'll run off without paying." Ye Lingyun said generously.
Tang Xiaomin refused without hesitation.
"No, I'm not short on cash. Not paying you would make me feel like I'm living under someone else's roof, and I don't like that feeling."
Tang Xiaomin took out her phone and transferred a large sum of money to Ye Lingyun, settling the transaction.
After seeing Ye Lingyun off, the few of them sat in the spacious living room, each lost in their own thoughts.
Zhang Meiyu surveyed the villa and spoke first.
"Xiaomin, Mom still has about twenty million in her account. This villa cost you so much money, I'll give you my card. As for the rest of the money... let Tang Ye handle the rest. He can earn money."
Tang Ye was surprised at first, then gasped.
A villa worth hundreds of millions. At his earning speed, it would take ages.
However, he gritted his teeth and patted his chest, promising.
"Yes, yes. I'll give you the rest of the money. My salary card will be yours from now on. In my lifetime, I'll definitely be able to pay it off. Don't worry."
Tang Yu dared not say a word. He was working at the Tang Corporation for free and didn't receive any salary.
Even his dates were paid for by his girlfriend. As for marriage, it was even more impossible. His father-in-law's requirements of a house, a car, and money, he had none.
He thought Tang Xiaomin would unhesitatingly make Tang Ye write an IOU and force him to stamp it.
However, Tang Xiaomin, with a blank expression, frantically flipped through TV channels, venting her emotions.
"No need for the money. You can do the housework from now on."