Chapter 10: Reveal

It was late at night, neon lights were illusionary, and the lights were dazzling. Cars raced on the road, heading towards their destination. Guan Xi didn’t know where her destination was. After waiting in the car for a long time, she received a call from Guan Xinghao.

“Dad.”

“Xi Xi, where are you playing?” Guan Xinghao’s voice was gentle, very familiar to her.

Guan Xi’s nose felt a bit sour. Thinking about it, she wasn’t unlucky. Even if her father wasn’t her biological father, he treated her so well.

“Today is Song Li’s birthday, and we are celebrating for him.”

“Oh, I see. Are you coming back tonight? If you are, dad will send someone to pick you up.”

Guan Xi leaned on the steering wheel, her voice lowering: “No need, I, we are staying outside tonight.”

Subconsciously, she didn’t want to go home.

Guan Xinghao responded with a “Okay,” then said, “Well, have a good time. Let Sui Zhou take good care of you.”

“… I know.”

There was a moment of silence, and Guan Xi knew he had more to say, so she waited quietly.

As expected, Guan Xinghao hesitated for a moment and said, “Ying Ying has been at our house for many days. Your mom and I haven’t told your grandparents that Ying Ying is still alive. We plan to announce it to everyone now.”

What had to come would eventually come. Perhaps the groundwork had been laid long enough, and Guan Xi felt surprisingly calm at this moment.

“I know. When do you plan to tell them?” 

“Tomorrow, we’ll have a meal together.”

“Okay,” Guan Xi said.

After hearing her quick response, Guan Xinghao felt a bit awkward. He cared deeply for Guan Xi and knew that his daughter, spoiled by him, had a strong and unpredictable temper. Earlier, he had actually prepared for Guan Ying’s appearance to trigger a big scene from Guan Xi. He thought that would be normal.

However, to his surprise, she didn’t make a fuss about anything.

Guan Xinghao: “Xi Xi…”

Guan Xi: “Where is the location?”

They spoke simultaneously.

Guan Xi was puzzled, “What do you want to say?”

Guan Xinghao regained his composure, “Nothing… about the location, it’s at your grandfather’s house. Come around noon for lunch.”

Guan Xi: “Understood.”

“Alright, dad won’t disturb you anymore. I’ll hang up.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up the phone, Guan Xi stared at her phone for a long time. It seemed like during this time, her dad had been the one calling her. Her mom hadn’t called her even once. Guan Xi shook her head, shaking off that sense of loss.

Forget it… She had just met her biological daughter recently, so it’s not surprising that she’s focused on her.

She must have just forgotten about me temporarily.

**

Guan Xi also owned properties under her name, but she had never stayed in those houses, and she had no idea how dusty they were. So, on this night, she went directly to the South Jue Hotel. South Jue Hotel was under the Guan family’s umbrella, belonging to her cousin Guan Yuanbai’s territory. She felt a sense of security here.

After checking into the room, she took a shower again, turned off her phone’s sound, and went to sleep.

The next day, she woke up at noon, and her phone was filled with messages, including one from Jiang Suizhou.

“Did you go to a hotel?”

“Let’s talk.”

Talk about what!

Thinking of their conversation yesterday, Guan Xi felt irritated again. Wait a minute… How did he know she went to a hotel to sleep? Did he put a tracker on her or did someone see her checking into the hotel last night?

Guan Xi was puzzled. When she turned her head, she happened to see the miscellaneous items like car keys and bank cards she casually placed on the bedside table last night.

She picked up the card used to pay for the room last night.

Oh, this one seems to be a supplementary card of Jiang Suizhou’s.

“…………”

Guan Xi rolled her eyes and buried her face in the pillow. But in Jiang Suizhou’s eyes, she never had the concept of “don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” So don’t expect her to feel weaker or angrier when she realizes she used his money.

Guan Xi picked up her phone, ready to respond with sharp words to wake him up, but before she could send the message, the doorbell rang.

She put down her phone, stood up, and walked to the door. Peeking through the peephole, she muttered, “Damn… Jiang Suizhou?”

This guy came too quickly. Guan Xi immediately took a step back, glancing at the full-length mirror near the door. She quickly tidied up her messy hair.

The doorbell rang again.

Guan Xi knew that if she didn’t open the door, he had a hundred ways to make it open. So, without further ado, she opened the door and stood behind the crack, looking at him.

“What do you want?” Her tone was sharp.

Jiang Suizhou was accustomed to her demeanor. Every time she got angry before, it was like this – high-spirited, as if she could dismember someone with her gaze. But today, she probably didn’t realize she wasn’t prepared.

In a bathrobe, slightly disheveled hair, a makeup-free face, and a considerable height difference due to wearing hotel slippers, she lacked any imposing presence.

Jiang Suizhou looked down at her, calmly saying, “Let me in first.”

Guan Xi didn’t move. “If you have something to say, just say it. Why do you have to come in?”

Jiang Suizhou reached out, pressing against the door. “Do I have to force my way in?”

Guan Xi glared at him.

Jiang Suizhou frowned, “Were you so angry yesterday that you had to come stay in a hotel?”

Guan Xi felt the pressure against the door, and she could hardly resist.

To avoid being awkwardly pushed, she finally let go and turned around, walking back. “I just suddenly wanted to stay in a hotel. I’m not angry at all!”

Jiang Suizhou walked in, closing the door behind him.

Guan Xi sat on the edge of the bed, looking at him coldly. “Besides, you never cared where I stayed before. Why do you have an opinion now?”

Jiang Suizhou stood in front of her. “I don’t have an issue with you staying in a hotel. I have an issue with you being angry about Xie Yan.”

“When did I get angry because of Xie Yan—”

“Do you think I was blind yesterday?”

Guan Xi choked up. It wasn’t because of Xie Yan yesterday, but because of what he said. However, she couldn’t admit to being upset about that, or he would wonder why she was angry about it. Guan Xi was momentarily speechless.

“You are my fiancée. It’s not appropriate to cause a scene with another man,” Jiang Suizhou said.

Guan Xi glanced away, refusing to engage.

Jiang Suizhou reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Speak.”

Guan Xi turned her head again, intending not to admit anything. “I didn’t argue with you yesterday. I just had some opinions about what you said. If I have opinions, I should be able to express them. Let’s stick to the facts. At most, it was that my mood wasn’t good, and my tone was a bit harsh.”

Jiang Suizhou frowned.

Guan Xi pulled away from his hand, stood up, and said, “Jiang Suizhou, being an adopted child may not be as good as being a biological one, as you said. However, it doesn’t mean it’s disgraceful or embarrassing!”

Jiang Suizhou said, “I didn’t say it’s embarrassing.”

Guan Xi paused, “Oh, it seems you didn’t say that?”

“Then what did you say about not being presentable!”

Jiang Suizhou thought for a moment. It seemed like he said something like that. However, in reality, he didn’t have any issues with Xie Yan as a person. In fact, he admired Xie Yan’s capabilities. When he made that comment, it seemed he was just unhappy about the scene where Guan Xi approached someone, and he spoke without thinking.

Jiang Suizhou said, “I said it casually.”

Guan Xi muttered, “Shouldn’t I believe your words then? Speaking casually is speaking what’s on your mind!”

“So, were you just debating with me last night?”

Guan Xi replied, “Is that not allowed?”

“Fine. If you were just debating with me because you were in a bad mood and had a bit of an attitude, then let it go,” Jiang Suizhou said. “It’s not because of Xie Yan.”

“…”

Jiang Suizhou seemed satisfied with his own conclusion, and his attitude quickly softened. Familiarly, he reached out, pulled her into his arms, and gently nudged her. “Go freshen up, and let’s go out for a meal.”

Damn it!

Who wants to go eat with you!!

Wait a minute… Go out for a meal?

Guan Xi paused, suddenly remembering something important. “Today, we need to go to Grandpa’s house…”

She quickly checked the time; it was already 11 o’clock. At this time, it was almost lunch, and everyone should be heading to Grandpa’s house. The image of the imminent scene of recognizing her biological family flashed in Guan Xi’s mind, making her scalp tingle.

Alright, let’s go later.

Guan Xi pushed away his hand, “I won’t go out for dinner, I’ll just eat at the hotel.”

Jiang Suizhou had meetings all morning today and finally had a little break at noon, so he decided to deal with Guan Xi. He got up early and was a bit tired. Seeing that Guan Xi wanted to eat at the hotel, he thought it was feasible, so he pulled her to lie down on the bed, “Okay, then order one for me too.”

Guan Xi was suddenly lifted and laid down, caught off guard, looking annoyed, “Hey? I’m not going out to eat, you can go by yourself. Jiang Suizhou, please let go first.”

Jiang Suizhou remained motionless, his grip as firm as a wall. After struggling for a while, Guan Xi had to give up.

Jiang Suizhou then said softly, “Order Chinese food, I don’t want to eat Western food.”

“Order it yourself.”

Jiang Suizhou nodded, “Call for me.”

Guan Xi couldn’t escape from his embrace, so she reluctantly reached out to take the phone from the bedside table and ordered the food. Jiang Suizhou took the phone, skillfully ordered few dishes. Listening to the voice behind her, Guan Xi remembered something from before.

Once they had booked a room here, and at that time, they also ordered food. When the meal arrived, Jiang Suizhou found it not to his liking and immediately called the hotel’s general manager, her cousin Guan Yuanbai.

Southern Noble’s cuisine had always been praised in the industry, but Jiang Suizhou, with his fault-finding skills, was unparalleled. His calm criticism infuriated Guan Yuanbai, who later scolded him harshly, warning him not to bring his sister to his hotel for a room again.

During the call, Guan Xi couldn’t help but burst into laughter seeing him being scolded.

“Why are you laughing?” Jiang Suizhou hung up the phone.

Guan Xi then realized she had laughed out loud, and quickly composed herself, “Nothing, but didn’t you say the food here was bad before? Why eat here now?”

Jiang Suizhou replied, “It has been improved, don’t you know?”

“What?” Guan Xi was surprised.

Jiang Suizhou explained, “Guan Yuanbai was embarrassed at that time, but later he secretly addressed my criticism and made improvements in the kitchen.”

Guan Xi remained silent for a moment, then turned around. He had been holding her from behind, and when she turned, they were very close, almost forehead to forehead. Jiang Suizhou wasn’t wearing glasses today. In fact, he didn’t wear them often, as he had slight myopia, and it was optional for him.

Without glasses, she could clearly see his long and dense eyelashes. She knew that if he lifted his eyelids, she would see a pair of attractive eyes, clear, cold, and profound. She had talked behind his back about many bad things, but she never attacked his appearance. Otherwise, she would seem blind.

“You must have heard about it. Our family had a child who passed away a long time ago.” Guan Xi spoke directly, thinking that he would know in a few days anyway.

As for what he thought of the adopted son, she didn’t care. He wouldn’t have a chance to know about it in the future.

Thinking about it now, her anger was unreasonable. They both straightforwardly sought what they needed from each other—interests, desires, and nothing more. In the past, they needed each other, used each other. That remained true today. She needed him even more now, and getting too emotional about him was not sensible.

“I’ve heard,” Jiang Suizhou said.

“She’s back,” Guan Xi said.

Jiang Suizhou opened his eyes, “What?”

Guan Xi said, “Actually, she didn’t die. Initially, the nanny casually handed her over to someone else, and later she was sold in secret. Now, she has found her biological parents.”

Jiang Suizhou, a person known for being calm, wasn’t very surprised upon hearing this. He simply asked, “How did she find them?”

“Guan Ying looks very similar to my mom. Oh, Guan Ying is the girl’s name. To what extent do they resemble each other? Well, if she stands next to my mom, you can tell at a glance that she’s my mom’s child. Not long ago, Guan Ying unexpectedly saw my mom in the news. It was during a mall opening, and both my parents were there for the ribbon-cutting.”

“Just because she thought she looked like someone in the news?”

“Not entirely. The most important thing is that she knew from a young age that she was not biologically related. So in such a situation, if she investigates the news about a lost child in our family back then, she would certainly have speculations. Anyway, they got in touch, did a DNA test, and confirmed it,” Guan Xi laughed, “Isn’t it quite magical? Probably, this is fate.”

Jiang Suizhou remained silent for a while and then said, “You are not happy.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

Guan Xi’s smile stiffened, and she slowly said, “My sister has come back to life. What’s there to be unhappy about? I am very happy.”

Jiang Suizhou remarked, “Aren’t you afraid she might compete with you for attention? Or for inheritance?”

Indeed, it was Jiang Suizhou, hitting where it hurts with every sentence.

Guan Xi gave him a glare, reaching out to pinch him. “I don’t. Shut up.”

Jiang Suizhou easily restrained her wrist. “Is that so? Then, this is not the Guan Xi I know.”

“If you don’t speak, Jiang Suizhou, I won’t treat you like a mute—”

She was in a nightgown, struggling with disheveled clothing. The neckline was quite revealing.

Jiang Suizhou’s gaze swept over, but considering the short time and the inappropriate nature of public display, he suppressed the easily hooked thoughts. He reached out, pulled at her, and covered her voluptuous curves.

“I finally understand the meaning behind the twenty-eight gifts you gave me,” he suddenly said after the action.

Guan Xi: “…?”

“So, it was to strengthen our relationship and establish a foundation.”

Guan Xi looked at him without blushing, “What’s the matter? Is it not acceptable? Back then, when your brother married the young lady from the Jiang family, you immediately established a real relationship with me and brought me home for dinner.”

“Why bring up old matters? I didn’t say it’s not acceptable,” Jiang Suizhou continued to keep his eyes closed, speaking softly, “This is fine, consider it a case closed.”

“What case closed?”

“I was originally thinking that you were expecting something significant after doing so much, but now that I know the truth, I can relax.”

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