Chapter 68

The climate in Switzerland varies greatly. The south has a typical Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and warm, humid winters. As you move northward through the Alps, and then west to east, the climate zones become very distinct, ranging from a mild, humid temperate maritime climate to a cold, hot-summer temperate continental climate.

However, in general, it is cool in summer and cold in winter, with not much precipitation. The valleys have better conditions, while the plains or flatter areas receive much less.

Before industrial development, this remote and poor region was known for its mercenaries. Even after industrialization, the rugged terrain made it less appealing for polio patients and the first generation of Nazis to conquer.

But now, with life becoming increasingly convenient, this place has become an ideal spot for seclusion or retirement.

A few historic old buildings, various styles of architecture, vast areas of vegetation, and streets with few pedestrians and vehicles—this is a European town, very fresh, peaceful, and beautiful—at least it looks that way.

"Are... are we almost there? Is it just ahead?" As the car moved forward, Diana, sitting next to Li Xu, became increasingly excited.

"Calm down, dear, stay calm," Li Xu grabbed her hand, which had formed a fist, and said in a soothing tone.

"I... I know," Diana was completely unaware of the implications of his endearment, "I just... I really like Ms. Hepburn. I've watched *Roman Holiday* more than ten times, especially after they told me... Princess Margaret was the prototype."

"So have you ever fantasized about sneaking out one day, going wild for a night, and then being picked up by a gentleman and developing a beautiful romance?" Li Xu leaned in and teased her in a low voice.

"I... I haven't..." Diana immediately blushed, pulling her neck in, feeling very embarrassed, and then glared at Li Xu, "I was just... just encouraged to sneak out and then tricked into... into..."

Her voice grew softer and her face redder as she continued. Li Xu, however, feigned confusion: "Into what?"

"Ed!" Diana bit her lip and glared at him, her bashful appearance particularly charming.

Li Xu wanted to tease her a bit more, but another face, a cold and frosty one, flashed through his mind. Once upon a time, she had been so bright and beautiful, but now it was unlikely to see that again.

Thinking of this, he suddenly lost interest, and the teasing words died on his lips.

"Ed?" Diana, sensing something, blinked and looked at him.

"Nothing," Li Xu sighed, "It's just... someone promised me something, but now they want to back out, which is really disappointing."

Diana immediately blushed again, glaring at him angrily, "Who... who's backing out?!"

"So you're not backing out?" Li Xu immediately followed up, "You said it, Diana!"

"You..." Diana was speechless and pinched his waist in anger.

This move, of course, was something every woman knew well. Li Xu hissed in pain, putting on a pained expression, which startled Diana. She wanted to apologize but didn't know how to start.

It wasn't until he laughed that she realized she had been teased again. She crossed her arms and turned her head to look out the window, pretending to ignore him.

As for Li Xu's brief loss of interest, it lasted only two seconds. So, a mother's intuition is usually reliable.

They soon arrived at their destination, a small estate on the outskirts of the town, with a very quiet environment.

Despite the noise in the car, as soon as they got out, Diana naturally took Li Xu's arm.

Li Xu was dressed in a black suit, looking very sharp, while Diana wore a white long dress and a knee-length pleated skirt, with curly short hair—since he had someone design this hairstyle for her, she always dressed this way.

This black and white combination, along with his handsome appearance and her beauty, made them a perfect couple.

So, when the elegant and serene woman and the elderly Edward hugged, she immediately turned her gaze to them.

"Hey, little one, it's great to see you," she walked over, extending her arms for a light hug with Li Xu.

"Me too, Aunt Audrey," Li Xu kissed her cheek.

Even though wrinkles had crept into the corners of her eyes, even though her cheekbones had become more prominent, even though her once beautiful face was no longer, she was still the eternal Audrey Hepburn.

"This is Diana Spencer, the youngest daughter of Earl Edward Spencer, my girlfriend," Li Xu introduced Diana.

Diana didn't react at all to this title, her eyes fixed on Audrey.

"Hello, Diana," Audrey smiled and extended her hand.

"Y-You... You're really... I'm really..." Despite maintaining a calm face, she became stammering as soon as she held Audrey's hand.

"Don't be nervous, take your time," Audrey smiled kindly, "And call me Audrey."

"But... but..." Diana looked hesitant.

"Call her Aunt Audrey," Li Xu gently squeezed her arm.

"Yes, Aunt Audrey," Diana immediately beamed.

"Alright, come in," Audrey shook her head and led them into the house.

The Peace House wasn't very large, well, the house itself wasn't, but there was a large lawn and forest behind it. The estate was well-lit, and with the strong summer sun but cool temperatures, it was pleasant to have afternoon tea on the lawn with a table and umbrella.

Besides the servants, there were Audrey's mother, Ella van Heemstra, and her younger son, Rupi. Her eldest son, Sean, who was 20, was studying and working in the United States and wasn't there.

"Good job, Rupi, you've only played a few times and already scored 2000 points, that's impressive," as the father and Audrey reminisced at a small round table in the garden, Li Xu was guiding Rupi Dotti on playing the handheld game *Tetris*.

Although this device hadn't been produced yet, Li Xu had spent a bit of money to have a few custom-made by Nintendo, specifically for gifting. The copyright and patents were all in place, and it would be launched by the end of the year, so there was no need to worry about leaks.

"Of course, I can now solve a Rubik's Cube in just five minutes, this is a piece of cake," Rupi waved his arm, looking very proud.

Li Xu smiled. Although the controls of *Tetris* were simple, its stickiness in this era was extraordinary. 2000 points were nothing; the game could be played indefinitely, with no highest score.

"Alright, Rupi, you need to go back and study," Li Xu said, "We had a deal."

"Oh, no!" The 10-year-old's face fell, "You're starting to nag like Mom, Ed."

"There's no way around it, we had a deal, right?" Li Xu shrugged.

Although the boy was very reluctant, he reluctantly put down the handheld, "Alright, when I come back, you have to score over 2000 points, and then I'll beat you!"

He waved his fist seriously, then went to say goodbye to his mother and ran towards the house.

Li Xu smiled, shook his head, picked up the handheld, looked at it, and then put it back.

"Aren't you going to keep your promise?" Diana asked, tilting her head.

"Scoring over 2000 points is easy," Li Xu smiled and pushed the handheld towards her, "Why don't you try?"

"I can only get up to 1000 points," Diana pouted.

"Play more, and you'll naturally get better and score higher," Li Xu coaxed.

Diana immediately became wary, "What are you up to?"

Li Xu looked at her in surprise, "Just playing a game, what could I be up to?"

"Who knows if you're trying to change the subject and trick me?" Diana huffed.

Well, being tricked so often, one naturally builds up resistance.

"I'm not your boyfriend, you... playboy," Diana continued to huff, her tsundere demeanor quite cute.

"But you already admitted it to Aunt Audrey," Li Xu immediately laughed.

"I... I didn't!" Diana immediately became flustered. All afternoon, as long as he teased her with this, she would fall for it.

"I just... just acknowledged it out of politeness!" she added stubbornly.

"Acknowledging it is still admitting it," Li Xu pressed on.

Similarly, whenever this topic came up, Diana couldn't refute it, so after another moment of being stuck, she turned her head again, pretending to be angry.

But it didn't last long. She looked at the elderly Edward and Audrey chatting happily and asked Li Xu in a low voice, "Ed, Uncle and Aunt are so close... are they in a relationship?"

"Hmm... how to put it..." Li Xu rubbed his chin, "They did date and liked each other a lot, but you know, if my father were to get married, it would inevitably... well, you know, so they broke up quickly."

Pausing, he saw Diana listening intently and continued, "Originally, they shouldn't have any interaction, and if they met, they would just nod and occasionally reminisce about the past, but—"

Li Xu drew out his words, putting on a reluctant expression, as if he didn't want to say more. Diana immediately urged him, leaning closer, her gray-blue eyes full of curiosity, "But what?"

"Alright, the key is with me," Li Xu shrugged, "When I was six, in 1968, I went to Los Angeles with my father to attend a Hollywood party. I met Aunt Audrey at the party. I really liked *Roman Holiday* and Princess Ann, so when I was bored, I went over to try to chat with her. At that time, Aunt Audrey hadn't yet recovered from the trauma of a miscarriage..."