The sunset had cast a golden afterglow into the silent night sky, and everything was covered in the hue of a warm yellow. A few leaves had fallen quiet, and as the cool breeze howled, a black car zoomed by and stopped in front of a luxury villa at the end of the street.
The gate opened immediately just as the car stopped in front of it. The guard greeted the driver respectfully, “Miss, you’re back!”
His voice sounded joyful. Dongfang Liuyun was a legend and she treated them well, so they really liked her.
Dongfang Liuyun nodded at them and drove the car in.
After she parked the car and walked into the house, she saw the helper, Aunt Wang, welcoming her from afar.
“Miss! You’re back! We’ve been looking forward to this day. Madam ordered us to prepare some of your favorite dishes this morning. We woke up early in the morning, thinking that you were going to be back for lunch! “Aunt Wang said as she reached out to take the black backpack in Dongfang Liuyun’s hand.
“I came back to deal with something. Are my parents around?” Dongfang Liuyun asked while walking to the sofa beside her.
“Something came up at Madam’s office, so she went there. Master Dongfang went out for an afternoon tea session with his friends and he should be back soon. Sis Liu is already preparing dinner. Madam told us to call her when you come back, so she’s on her way back right now. By the way, Miss, this bag—”
“Take it to my study,” Dongfang Liuyun said before reaching out to take the remote control and turning the TV on.
“Yes, Miss,” Aunt Wang responded and brought a cup of warm water for Dongfang Liuyun before taking her belongings upstairs.
Dongfang Liuyun had just sat down when she heard the sound of a car driving in. Shortly after that, she heard the maid, who was cleaning the courtyard outside, greet politely, “Master Dongfang is back!” She could tell that her father had probably returned.
Sure enough, she heard footsteps coming from the door after a while, and before she could turn her head to look, she could already hear an enthusiastic and deep voice calling out, “You’re back!”
When she heard this, her gaze immediately went from the TV screen to a tall and well-built figure.
Dongfang Gan was the father of Dongfang Liuyun. He had a pair of black-framed glasses on his handsome face, and he was wearing a pair of straight black trousers with a white shirt. He looked very smart and gentle like a talented, well-mannered, and polite scholar. It seemed a little unfitting for someone like him who was of noble status.
All the years had not left many marks on him. He still looked the same even though he was already nearly 60.
“Father,” Dongfang Liuyun called out faintly as she scooted over to the side to leave him a seat. Dongfang Gan strode over and sat down beside her.
“I didn’t see anyone at all after waiting all day. It’s good you got back in time for dinner. There’s not much work at the company these days, so you should stay home for a few more days. You seem like you don’t really like living with your mother and me,” Dongfang Gan said calmly, but his deep dark eyes were a little bleak.
Dongfang Liuyun gave him a sidelong glance and replied, “No, I just want to have my own personal space. Mother is by your side, so that’s good enough.”
“I know that you don’t have a good impression of your mother and me. Your mother has a strong personality, and she always strives for the best in everything. Even if you don’t like it, just try your best to deal with it. There’s no need to force yourself into everything that you do. She’s an extremely insecure person. For years, she wished that she could just put us in armor to protect us all. I hope you can understand that eventually, someone needs to take a step back.” While Dongfang Gan’s calm tone was a little serious, it was not difficult to sense love and gentleness from his tone.
“Yes, someone needs to take a step back, but maybe come back and tell me this again when she truly understands the value of relationships. Then, maybe I’ll think about it. I know you care about Mother, but personally, I’m not satisfied with the way she does things.”
“Liuyun, I’m just trying to—”
“I know what you’re trying to say. I don’t want to talk about the past. How’re you feeling?”
Dongfang Liuyun took a sip of tea, and said with concern, “Mother went to my place late last night and told me about your situation. Do you know who did it?”
“I can’t be sure, but it’s nothing serious, just a minor scratch. It could also be due to our competitors over there. You know, the jade industry has been very competitive lately. If it wasn’t for the pressing matter over there, I wouldn’t have gone over,” Dongfang Gan said as he frowned subconsciously.
“Pressing matter? Was it caused by someone else? I’ve been paying attention to the news over there. Hasn’t it been pretty peaceful?” Dongfang Liuyun asked.
“It’s because the jade market hasn’t been steady. In the past few years, our local jewelry businesses haven’t been doing so well. In the past, we’ve always created styles that are revolutionary, but it wasn’t widely accepted by customers. Therefore, we want to expand our customer base since foreign markets have great potential as well. We need to further expand the market while making sure that there are enough high-quality materials. This is our top priority.”
“As far as I remember, hasn’t our mine been supplying the materials as usual?” Dongfang Liuyun asked doubtfully as she raised her eyebrows slightly.
“You haven’t been involved in the company’s matters, so you don’t really know the situation. The mining situation hasn’t been great in the past few years. Even the largest jade field will eventually be emptied, so I’ve been scouting for new locations over the last few years. We also sent our professionals to investigate and survey, hoping to hear some good news. Your uncles spent a lot of time on this matter too, therefore this has surely put a lot of pressure on the company,” Dongfang Gan explained in a heavy tone.
“Not too long ago, I heard that the Jin family seemed to have lucked out, so your uncle planned to—”
Dongfang Liuyun gave him a sharp gaze and interrupted, “I know what they’re thinking about. Anyway, I asked Mother to sort out the company’s information for me yesterday. Is it ready? I’ll meet you when I have a better understanding of what’s going on.”