After taking a shower, He Xiu came out of the bathroom and found an unanswered call from Tang Zheng on his phone. While wiping his hair with a towel, he called back, "What's up?"

  Tang Zheng gave a sly laugh, "Young Master He, let's go pick strawberries tomorrow."

  He Xiu slightly furrowed his brows and sat down by the bed, "You're becoming more and more like a girl."

  Tang Zheng: "..."

  "I have to go to work tomorrow. You can go pick them by yourself."

  As soon as He Xiu finished speaking, he was about to hang up the phone. Tang Zheng shouted on the other end, "I've also invited two beautiful ladies!"

  "Oh." He Xiu replied indifferently and continued to hang up the phone.

  "It's Lin Zhen and Jian Yan!"

  He Xiu paused in his action, put the phone back to his ear, "When did you get involved with them?"

  Tang Zheng said resentfully, "What do you mean by 'get involved'? I'm... collaborating with Director Lin on a project."

  He Xiu raised his eyebrows, a bit surprised, "What project do you have to collaborate with her on? The theme song of 'Shang Ke'?"

  Tang Zheng snorted, "Do you want to know? I won't tell you. Are you coming tomorrow? If not, I'll invite someone else."

  He Xiu said, "I'll come."

  "Okay, it's settled then. Come to my house by car tomorrow morning, and we'll go together."

  "Okay."

  After hanging up the phone, He Xiu sat by the bed in a daze for a while, then walked to the mirror, picked up the hair dryer, and started drying his hair.

  He had made an appointment with Tang Zheng to meet at Tang Zheng's doorstep at 9:30, so he left later than usual for a change. When he finished packing and came downstairs, He Jinglong, Zhao Yingfang, and He Chen were all sitting there having breakfast.

  When He Jinglong saw him coming, he asked, "Why are you leaving so late today?"

  He Xiu said, "I made an appointment with Tang Zheng today. I'll go to the company in the afternoon."

  He Jinglong nodded, "You're at the company every day. You should take a proper rest. Since you're already down here, have breakfast with us."

  "No, I made an appointment to have breakfast with Tang Zheng." He Xiu walked out without looking back.

  After the door closed behind him, Zhao Yingfang let out a sneer, "What kind of attitude is that? He doesn't even know how to greet us when he sees us."

  He Jinglong was sipping soup and said, "It's not the first day he's had this attitude. I thought you were already used to it."

  Zhao Yingfang was choked by his words. Just as she was about to say something, He Jinglong looked at He Chen, "Did you quarrel with your brother last night?"

  He Chen put down the coffee cup in his hand and smiled at him, "How could that be? We were just strengthening our brotherly bond."

  As soon as he said this, Zhao Yingfang's face turned even uglier, "I've told you so many times, he's not your brother!"

  He Jinglong put down the spoon with a "snap" beside him. It seemed that he was also angry, "You still have the nerve to say that. How well-behaved was He Chen when he was a child? It's because you kept saying in his ear that He Xiu is not his brother and that he's here to snatch the family property that he's become like this now!"

  "Hmph, am I wrong?" Zhao Yingfang looked at him with a cold smile, "If it weren't for He Xiu, Starlight Department Store would belong to our Chen'er. But now?"

  "Mom, Dad, I'm full. I'm going to the company first." He Chen picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of his mouth, stood up, and left the dining room. The sound of He Jinglong and Zhao Yingfang's argument still faintly came from behind. He Chen smiled and carried his briefcase out the door.

  He remembered that his parents used to be very affectionate when he was a child. But ever since He Xiu came, they often quarreled. However, in front of outsiders, they still pretended to be fine. At first, he would cry and ask them to stop quarreling. Gradually, he stopped caring about their affairs.

  When did it start? Probably from the time when He Xiu grabbed his collar and asked him whose mother was the mistress. After that day, he understood that it was his mother who had snatched He Xiu's father. But so what?

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  He was the only son of He Jinglong and Zhao Yingfang. In this family, the one with something to hide was always He Xiu.

  Because she was worried about the manuscript, Jian Yan called Lin Zhen early in the morning and asked her to call the two assistants over. Who would have thought that Lin Zhen hadn't even gotten up yet. Jian Yan looked at the time and asked her, "Director Lin, don't you have to go to work today?"

  "Huh?" This time it was Lin Zhen who was dazed, "What work? Didn't we make an appointment to go pick strawberries today?"

  Jian Yan's brows twitched, "Pick strawberries? What strawberries are we picking?"

  Lin Zhen rubbed her temple and sat up from the quilt, "Ah, I think I forgot to tell you. The strawberry picking garden is open, and we can go pick strawberries now."

  "Oh... But I have to draw today. It's a rare holiday. You can invite someone else."

  "Others also have to draw, and they're all in a hurry more than you!" Lin Zhen stepped on the plush slippers and walked towards the bathroom, "I figure that picking strawberries won't take much time. We should be able to come back in the afternoon. You can draw in the afternoon, and I'll call your assistants for you."

  "The assistants definitely have to be called, but..."

  "Don't 'but' me. Aren't you a strawberry lover? Don't miss this great opportunity." Lin Zhen held the phone between her shoulder and ear, squeezed toothpaste onto the toothbrush, "I'm going to wash up. I won't talk to you anymore. I'll wait for you at your doorstep in an hour. If you don't go, I'll deduct your salary."

  Jian Yan: "..."

  Lin Zhen hung up the phone as soon as she said so. Jian Yan felt a bit of a headache. She looked at the drawing paper on the computer that still only had a draft, let out a sigh, and exited the drawing software.

  Well, if it's to pick strawberries, then so be it. Maybe she could find some new inspiration.

  Since she was going out, she specially washed her hair again. After coming out, she stood in her large walk-in closet and began to choose the clothes to wear today.

  Hmm... Light and airy clothes can make the mood feel lighter too. She took out a silk floral blouse and sniffed it gently. Florals are not an element exclusive to spring. In winter, they can also be mixed and matched to create a retro look.

  She picked out an extra-long white fur coat and a brown velvet short skirt. Jian Yan walked to her shoe cabinet and took out a pair of red high heels from it.

  Putting on the whole outfit, Jian Yan stood in front of the mirror and nodded in satisfaction. Indeed, she looked better in high heels. After matching the clothes, she started to put on makeup and dry her hair. When everything was ready, Lin Zhen just arrived downstairs at her house.

  She carried a red shoulder bag and went downstairs. Lin Zhen looked at her walking over and widened her eyes, "Holy cow, Goddess Jian, your legs look two meters and eight today!"

  Jian Yan fastened her seat belt and turned her head to smile at her, "Long coats and high-waisted short skirts both have the effect of elongating the legs. You deserve to have legs that look two meters and eight long."

  Lin Zhen said, "You're dressed so beautifully. I really want to go back and change my clothes..."

  Jian Yan sized her up a few times and said, "Your outfit is not bad either. At least you've remembered the key points I usually talk about - the matching principle of different materials, highlighting the layers without looking bulky. I'll give you 80 points."

  "Are the remaining 20 points left for me to improve?"

  "No, they're deducted because of your face."

  Lin Zhen: "..."

  She really wanted to throw Jian Yan out of the car...

  She held back this urge and drove the car towards the strawberry garden. Since it wasn't the weekend today, there weren't that many people coming to pick strawberries, which was exactly what Jian Yan liked. She and Lin Zhen hadn't walked a few steps inside when they saw He Xiu and Tang Zheng waiting there.

  Jian Yan stopped in her tracks and turned her head to ask Lin Zhen, "You invited them?"

  "Yeah." Lin Zhen slapped her palm, "Did I forget to tell you again?"

  Jian Yan: "..."

  When Tang Zheng saw Jian Yan, he almost wanted to whistle, "Jian Yan seems even more beautiful than the last time I saw her! These legs, at least two meters and eight long!"

  He Xiu didn't respond to him. Lin Zhen pulled Jian Yan over and greeted them, "Good morning, Director Tang, Director He."

  "Don't be so formal when we're out having fun. Just call me Tang Zheng." Tang Zheng winked at her, indicating that they still needed to develop their relationship. Lin Zhen understood immediately, "Okay." After she finished speaking, seeing that neither Jian Yan nor He Xiu reacted much, her eyes flickered a few times, and she 试探 ed, "Why do you two seem so strange? Is there something wrong with Jian Yan's performance at work?"

  He Xiu said, "No, she performs very well."

  "Oh..." So what was going on? She looked at Tang Zheng. Tang Zheng also seemed confused. "Then let's go pick strawberries. The No. 3 shed over there has chocolate-flavored strawberries. Let's pick those!"

  Jian Yan, however, was a bit disgusted, "I don't want to eat the mutated ones. I want the original flavor."

  "Oh..." Lin Zhen looked around the garden, "This one here seems to be the original flavor."

  Jian Yan nodded, picked up the basket, and walked over, "Then I'll go pick these first and come to find you later."

  He Xiu pondered for a moment and also walked over, "I'll go with her."

  Lin Zhen and Tang Zheng looked at each other and went to the No. 3 shed together.

  As soon as Jian Yan entered the shed, she started picking strawberries against the clock. He Xiu just stood beside her and watched her. After she picked a bunch, she finally couldn't help but taste one, "So sweet!"

  He Xiu slightly frowned, "Don't you need to wash this strawberry?"

  "Um, it should be okay to taste one or two. Look, others are eating them too." She took out her phone and took a few photos of the strawberries. After thinking about it, she picked one out of the basket and asked He Xiu, "Do you want to try it? It's really sweet."

  He Xiu pursed his lips, squatted down beside her, and casually picked a strawberry and put it in the basket, "I'm sorry these past two days."

  Jian Yan's eyes flickered, and she put the strawberry in her hand into her mouth, "It's me who should be sorry. I said something I shouldn't have..."

  "It's not your fault. It's my problem." He Xiu picked another strawberry and put it in the basket, furrowing his brows slightly, "I didn't sort out my emotions, and I didn't know how to talk to you, so I kept avoiding you. But this really shouldn't be your fault..."

  He Xiu was still organizing his words to continue, Jian Yan nodded and said, "I understand, but I just wanted to say..." She took out a strawberry that He Xiu had just put in and said to him, "For a strawberry like this, not only does it not look very good, but it also has some green parts here. It doesn't look very sweet."

  He Xiu: "..."