A Beijing socialite stole my boyfriend; she went crazy after I got married.

On the eve of New Year's Day.

Jiang Chu got into her fiancé's car, and they set off together from the villa on Yunxiang Road.

It was still afternoon when we set off. By the time the car left the last toll station and turned onto an old two-lane highway, the sunlight had already begun to press westward.

She leaned against the rear window, watching the scenery outside change from the dense buildings of the city to the vast expanse of the countryside.

First came the factory and warehouse areas, their corrugated iron roofs gleaming in the sunlight, followed by vast expanses of cleanly harvested farmland, the soil a deep brown.

Winter has drained all the colors from the earth, leaving only a silent, hard color spread across the horizon.

Then there are mountains.

Without vegetation to cover it in winter, the outline of the mountain is revealed with exceptional clarity, a continuous gray-blue stretching across the horizon like an ink line repeatedly drawn by time.

Jiang Chu blinked. "How much further?"

Xie Jing, who was sitting next to him looking at his tablet, glanced out the window upon hearing this. "About ten minutes."

The car drove onto a narrower road, paved with new asphalt, which stretched straight into the mountainside.

Neat rows of birch trees lined both sides, their spacing precise. The trunks were white, and the bare branches drew crisp lines in the sky, creating a rhythmic visual shimmer as the car moved.

It looks like it'll be here soon.

This is the Xie family's year-end banquet.

Although it was called a family banquet, it was actually an annual family summary meeting.

This custom has been passed down for many years and is a rule of the Xie family. Successive leaders have followed it and Xie Jing has not abolished it.

Every year on the eve of New Year's Day, people from all branches of the family gather at this manor on the outskirts of Beijing, ostensibly to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, and to reminisce about family matters, but in reality, it's a year-end accounting session.

The Xie family's businesses are divided into two lines: core and non-core.

Tianyu Group is personally controlled by Xie Jing, and the Xie family also has some board members, but this part is never brought up in this kind of occasion.

What was brought up for discussion were the non-core business segments managed by each branch of the family, as well as the operation of trusts under the family's name.

How much did each person handle throughout the year, how much profit did they make, how much loss did they incur, how were dividends calculated, and were the accounts clean? All of these were checked and settled in these two days before the year was considered over.

Xie Jing did not come in person every year.

Sometimes he would have his assistant, Wang, lead the team over, sit in the main seat, go through the entire process, verify the numbers, sign and seal the documents, and then report back to him for review.

His visit this year was naturally for a reason.

Jiang Chu looked down at the diamond ring on her hand.

...This diamond is really quite big.

She leaned back in her chair and mentally reviewed the information of each member of the Xie family.

—Who is in charge of which business, whose family has a slightly closer relationship with Xie Jing, and whose family is still alive because they didn't have the ability to oppose him back then.

Jiang Chu knew about the banquet arrangements beforehand, so she made some preparations.

Although her fiancé comforted her, saying that it wasn't a big deal and that he was just there to announce his engagement to his family, not to ask for their approval.

But she still wanted to take it seriously.

"……arrive."

Xie Jing put down the tablet, hugged her and kissed her. "Relax, this is our place. If you don't like anyone, just tell them to get lost."

Jiang Chu was amused. "Really?"

Xie Jing pinched her waist. "Someone should have arrived by now. If you run into them, just do what you want. There's no need to hold back."

Jiang Chu nestled in the man's arms, "You said it yourself."

At the end of Baihua Road, a cast iron gate appeared ahead.

The door panels are matte black, giving them a very solid look. The doorposts are made of stone, with a simple stone lion perched on top of each one.

As soon as the car stopped, the gate silently opened inward.

"No security guard?"

"Yes, they're inside," Xie Jing said casually. "The outside is full of sensors, so they don't need to stand outside in the wind and get cold. Nobody comes here usually anyway."

The car drove in.

The main building is a three-story stone building with an extremely long front facade that spreads out horizontally, giving it a heavy and oppressive feel.

The exterior stone is dark gray with white mineral vein patterns, and the walls present a quiet, cool tone in the winter slanting sunlight.

The first floor features continuous arched windows, restrained flat arches, with precise spacing between each window and dark steel frames that are slender and clean.

The second floor features tall, vertical windows with slender proportions, allowing light to filter through and revealing bright interior lights. A warm glow seeps from the glass, creating a particularly cozy atmosphere in the cold winter.

The third floor is set back, forming a large terrace with wrought iron railings in a minimalist design.

Low-rise auxiliary buildings extend from the left and right sides of the main building, with an even lower volume, like two outstretched arms of the main building, semi-encircling the entire front square.

The square is paved with large stone slabs, and green spots dot the gaps between the slabs. These are some kind of cold-resistant moss, which has been frozen and is a deeper color than in summer.

In the very center of the square is a pool, which is emptied in winter, leaving only the stone outline and the bare bottom inside.

When was this manor built?

Jiang Chu got out of the car.

"The original building... existed at the end of the 19th century," Xie Jing walked around the front of the car, "but it wasn't like this. I had it renovated a few years ago."

No sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps sounded behind him.

Assistant Wang walked over from the side door, carrying documents in one hand and a tablet in the other.

"Chairman," he said, nodding to Jiang Chu, "the asset restructuring plan in Singapore has been updated. There are two clauses that need your confirmation. Also, the German side will be holding a video conference tonight at 3 PM there, which translates to 10 PM here. And—"

He paused for a moment, then said, "The group has an internal audit review report that involves a data discrepancy issue with a subsidiary. We need you to take a look at it today."

Xie Jing took the tablet, glanced at it, and said, "Send me those two clauses. The German clause is on time. As for the audit, have the legal department give me a written opinion tonight."

"Yes."

Xie Jing returned the tablet, turned to look at Jiang Chu, and said, "Explore around by yourself. This place is big, don't go into the secluded woods."

He paused, then said in a serious tone, "...and then they'll be carried off by wolves."

Jiang Chu: "..."

Jiang Chu glared at him. "Go back to work, you busy man."