Not wanting to lead him on or worse still hurt his feelings, Yun Xi thought long and hard before finally opening her mouth to speak, “Eldest Heir, actually the Young Commander and I…”

“Yun Xi…” Before she could finish her sentence, Chen Yichen had guessed what she was about to say, so he interrupted her before she could say any more. “Whatever there is between you and the Young Commander, I don’t care. I just want you to be safe; the rest is unimportant to me!”

Perhaps he did not have enough power and ability to compete with the Young Commander now, but that might not be the case in the future.

For so many years, she had been the only girl who had made him want to cherish and love another person. Although he was competing against the Young Commander, who was practically an undefeatable opponent, he was still unwilling to admit defeat just yet.

Although he had tried hard to forget her, he had failed in the end. Since he could not let her go, he had decided to let nature run its course and just continue to try and win her over. He was determined to do whatever he should, as a man. As long as it was for her well-being, he considered it important to keep on secretly watching over her.

“The Young Commander is a man surrounded by peril. As a girl, you should be very careful. Don’t go taking unnecessary risks and putting yourself in jeopardy. The Young Commander has gone through many baptisms of fire and has seen hails of bullets and far worse many times. He has the confidence and the ability to do whatever he wants to, but you are different. You’re just an ordinary person. What will you do if you really come face to face with danger and you can’t escape?”

“I understand everything that you’re saying, but I’m already deeply caught in the crossfire now, so I can’t promise you anything. I can only try my best not to put myself in the way of danger and protect myself as well as I can.”

Her stubbornness and persistence were answered by a helpless sigh from Chen Yichen.

“I really don’t know where you get your stubbornness from.” Chen Yichen smiled helplessly and patted her head out of habit, then continued in a worried tone, “Even if the sky comes crashing down, men will be there to help you shoulder the weight. Don’t be so eager to stand on the front lines. If you do everything yourself, what can we men do? A sensible girl like you should be sheltered from harm and not having to face the harsh winds and rains of the outside world.”

Such a pity that God is such a tricky b*stard, she thought.

“Your mother’s case is closed by the way. I happen to have a friend in the prison system. I’ll make sure she stays locked away for a couple more years so that she won’t be back too soon to give you more trouble.”

“You don’t have to bother yourself with her. It’s her own business how long she stays in there. None of it matters to me anymore.”

The interactions between her and Liang Xiuqin were over. The hurdles she had had to deal with in her previous life had been overcome, and everything was going to be smooth sailing for her from here on out. She wasn’t going to continue to go down this path of hatred. After all, it was not worth it to stay unhappy for the rest of her life just because of someone like Liang Xiuqin. Anyone with a brain would know that they should do what was best for themselves.

“Well, it’s good that you can let it go.” Her mother had been as wicked as any mother or stepmother could have been. It was a good thing that she could find it in herself to let go of this grievance. Without holding onto this grudge, she would finally be at ease and be able to live a happier life.

“Where are you headed? I’ll give you a ride.”

“I was hoping to go home. Could you drop me off at the residential compound?”

Chen Yichen informed his driver, and they drove in the direction of the Yun family home. Chen Yichen struck up a conversation with Yun Xi about the upcoming socialite ball.

The heirs of the three noble clans and the big four wealthiest families would be part of the panel of judges for this year’s nomination. Chen Yichen knew that she had recently hired an etiquette teacher to prep herself. He assumed she had probably done so in hopes of participating in the event, but he was not sure which family she would be representing, so he just casually revealed some rules of the ball to her.

The ball was held every three years, and the rules were different each time. This year, the Young Commander had added a lot of new rules and a lot more winning placements as well, which undoubtedly made it a very appealing event for the ladies of Jingdu.

There could only be one winner for the first-class socialite. However, there were four additional places for other classes of socialites. With a total of five places, it had certainly opened up a lot more opportunities for the ladies to compete.

Yun Xi listened with half her mind as the man spoke. After all, she was the one who had proposed to Mu Feichi to increase the number of placements.

A big tree attracts strong winds. The competition for the title was stiff, and it was inevitable that someone would succumb to unethical means to win. For the sake of one’s own safety, one must always plan for a rainy day.