Chapter 57: In My Heart, Fourth Uncle Exists Like a God

Finishing her message, Nan Xing exited the group chat interface.

Just as she was about to take a sip of her porridge, she unexpectedly lifted her gaze and locked eyes with Li Beitian.

Li Beitian’s thin lips parted, his voice carrying a cool, detached edge. "So happy. Who are you chatting with?"

"Oh, just my roommates."

"Roommates?"

"Mm-hm, university classmates, from my dorm," Nan Xing explained with a smile. "They were asking how my job hunt for the internship was going. When I told them I was going to intern at the Li Group, none of them believed me."

Li Beitian raised an eyebrow. "Then do you believe yourself?"

Nan Xing smiled, deflecting the question effortlessly. "Of course I believe in myself. Besides, I believe in Fourth Uncle even more."

Li Beitian asked, "How so?"

"I believe Fourth Uncle is an upright, fair, and impartial person. As long as I get in through my own ability, Fourth Uncle will definitely let me stay."

A faint smile curved the corners of Li Beitian’s lips as he pushed a plate of fried dough sticks closer to Nan Xing. "I'm heading to the company later. If you're bored by yourself, you can watch a movie."

A movie?

Nan Xing paused in surprise.

Ever since she arrived at Cuilin Bay, she had no idea there was even a setup for watching movies here.

After finishing the meal, Li Beitian led Nan Xing up to the third floor.

The entire floor was built with an open-concept design, featuring a living room, sofas, a bar counter, and everything else one might need.

The deeper they walked, the more hidden gems they discovered.

A private theater, a game room, and a constant-temperature wine cellar were neatly laid out, offering a wide array of recreational spaces.

Li Beitian brought Nan Xing to the very last room.

The interior space was not too large, comfortably holding about ten people. Near the entrance was a compact bar counter stocked with various snacks like cola and popcorn.

Nan Xing picked up a bag of popcorn at random and found the expiration date was still fresh.

Seeing this, Li Beitian explained, "A housekeeper comes by regularly to clean, so nothing here ever expires. You can eat without worry."

"If there's anything else you'd like to eat, just let me know, and I'll have someone buy it."

Nan Xing leaned her lower back against the bar, tilting her head up to look at Li Beitian, who towered over her by more than a head. Rubbing her chin, she mused, "Fourth Uncle isn't as aloof as he looks."

Li Beitian quickly caught the drift. "Are you saying I'm normally heartless?"

"Cough, cough," Nan Xing let out a few giggles, shaking her head in denial. "Those are just other people's opinions of Fourth Uncle; I would never think that. In my heart, Fourth Uncle is very gentle and considerate, a truly special presence!"

Even though this was pure flattery, Li Beitian found it remarkably pleasant to hear.

Li Beitian took a few steps closer to Nan Xing, placing both hands on the bar behind her, effectively trapping her within his arms. His dark, luminous eyes bore down on her. "A special presence? What kind of presence?"

His warm breath brushed against Nan Xing’s face, making her cheeks flush slightly.

Up close, Li Beitian’s voice seemed laced with enchantment. Seemingly casual, it effortlessly plucked at her heartstrings, leaving her utterly captivated.

Nan Xing tilted her head, waiting until her breathing steadied somewhat before meeting Li Beitian’s long, pitch-black eyes. "In my heart, Fourth Uncle is a god-like existence."

Looking down from his height, Li Beitian stared at her intently. The girl had red lips and white teeth, and as she spoke, her clear, water-like peach blossom eyes looked like black pearls, calm and undisturbed beneath the surface.

Suddenly, his throat felt dry, and an itch flared up in his vocal cords.

Just as Li Beitian was on the verge of giving in to the impulse to pinch her delicate cheek, his phone rang.

"Fourth Uncle, your phone," Nan Xing reminded him, seizing the opportunity to duck out from under his arm.

She moved with such speed, it was as if she believed he was about to commit some unspeakable act if she didn't escape immediately.

While Li Beitian answered the call, Nan Xing took the initiative to wash the bowls and chopsticks, and finally wiped down the table meticulously.

When Li Beitian came back downstairs, he happened to catch sight of Nan Xing wiping the table vigorously with a rag, and he smiled for no particular reason.

Life alone was always monotonous. If this little creature were to stay here and keep him company from now on, life would surely be filled with much joy.

"Come here," Li Beitian beckoned to Nan Xing once she finished her chores.

Not quite understanding, Nan Xing obediently followed Li Beitian to the entryway.

Only when she arrived did she realize that Li Beitian was going to program her fingerprint into the villa's smart lock.

When the authentication prompt signaled success, Nan Xing smiled knowingly.

It felt as though she had finally found a place to belong, becoming a part of this home.

"This is much more convenient. You can come and go whenever you want now, and you won't end up stranded outside in the cold unable to get through to my phone."

Nan Xing rubbed her nose in slight embarrassment, asking as if in passing, "If I call Fourth Uncle in the future, will Fourth Uncle purposely avoid answering?"

Li Beitian paused, then answered her with utmost seriousness, "Normally, no. But there will always be times when work gets busy."

"Oh," Nan Xing replied flatly. Li Beitian tried to decipher the subtext behind her tone—did the little girl in front of him seem upset?

He couldn't help but be amused, inexplicably recalling a line from a short video app: girls truly were the most incomprehensible creatures in the world, getting angry completely out of context, yet looking utterly adorable when they did.

Right now, wasn't that precisely what Nan Xing was doing?

Her cheeks were puffed out, her gaze cast downward, and the tip of her cute nose was slightly scrunched up, wearing the quintessential expression of a wronged little thing.

"All right, I have to head to the company now. Be a good girl and wait for me to come back."

Li Beitian glanced down at his wristwatch and went upstairs to change his clothes.

Meanwhile, Nan Xing returned to her room, tidied up briefly, and headed back downstairs.

"What, are you going out?"

Seeing that Nan Xing had applied heavy makeup again, Li Beitian frowned slightly.

"I made plans with a friend," Nan Xing explained.

In truth, she wanted to go to Leno's studio. Taking advantage of her free time before the internship officially started, she wanted to see what kind of materials she needed to prepare for restoring his tea set.

"Where to? I'll drive you." As the two walked side by side toward the outside, Li Beitian asked.

"No need to trouble Fourth Uncle," Nan Xing offered him a faint smile. "I've already hailed a cab, and it's not on your way."

Li Beitian’s expression stiffened for a fraction of a second. "Get in the car first. I'll drop you off at the neighborhood gates."

Cuilin Bay was a high-end, highly private residential area where unauthorized private cars were barred from entry, leaving Nan Xing with no choice but to accept a ride from Li Beitian partway.

The taxi driver watched Nan Xing step out of a high-end Maybach and couldn't help muttering internally.

Could this young lady have been quarreling or throwing a tantrum with her boyfriend, which was why she chose to ride in his broken-down old car that had been running for over a decade?

Only after watching Nan Xing get into the taxi and the cab disappear from sight did Li Beitian start his engine and drive away.

Inside the taxi, Nan Xing received a phone call from Nan Weiguo.

Nan Xing glanced at it indifferently and directly hung up.

Barely a few seconds after the screen went dark, the caller dialed again.

Without a second thought, Nan Xing exercised her spine and blocked Nan Weiguo's phone number entirely.

Seeing this on the other end, Nan Weiguo felt the world go dark as he slumped onto the sofa.

Earlier, Old Madam Li had called the Nan family's landline, demanding that Nan Xing answer the phone. Nan Weiguo had stammered and stalled, and with no other choice, he had tried contacting Nan Xing.