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Chapter 18: No Worries
The café had soft background music, a faint fragrance lingering, some people speaking softly, and others typing on laptops on the tables. Guan Xi hurried away quickly. Jiang Suizhou remained seated, his gaze fixed until she disappeared around the corner.
Just then, his phone rang too – a call from home.
Answering, he said, “Hello.”
“Is it true about the Guan family?” The female voice on the other end sounded somewhat indifferent.
Jiang Suizhou paused for two seconds, “Yes.”
“Come home tonight.”
After saying this, the person on the other end hung up. Jiang Suizhou put down his phone and looked at the ice cream in his hand. The air conditioning in the café was chilly, and the ice cream showed no signs of melting. Jiang Suizhou stared at it for a while. At this moment, he wasn’t thinking about the work in his hand or the person he would face tonight.
He just felt a bit annoyed.
He thought he had spent the whole afternoon dealing with various issues, but a call from the Guan family had reverted everything back to square one. On the other side, Guan Xi got into Guan Xinghao’s car and quickly arrived home. Wei Shaomin and Guan Ying were both at home. After returning, Guan Xi’s first glance was at Guan Ying.
In this house, she was the only one who didn’t know the truth.
“How did this matter leak out?” Guan Xinghao had been furious since he learned about this news. Such a thing, when it hit Guan Xi, was as painful as hitting him.
Wei Shaomin shook his head, “Not many people knew about this in the beginning; how did it end up like this?”
Guan Xinghao couldn’t figure it out either, “And what about that number?”
Wei Shaomin: “After investigating, we found out it’s an overseas number, used and then discarded. There’s simply no way to trace who it belongs to.”
Guan Xinghao clenched his teeth, deeply frustrated. After pacing in place for a while, he looked at Guan Xi again, “Xi Xi, you…”
Guan Xi remembered Wei Zihan, the provocation from her last night still fresh in her mind. She thought that her parents probably knew about last night’s incident, but without evidence, they couldn’t directly accuse their niece.
Guan Xi: “Dad, you handle this matter. I’ll go back to my room first.”
Guan Xinghao: “Xi Xi, don’t be sad. Dad will stand up for you!”
Guan Xi looked at her dad, righteous and indignant. Suddenly, she recalled how every time she got into trouble as a child, he always stood up for her, supporting her regardless of right or wrong. It warmed her heart.
“Although everyone knows the truth now, no one dares to bully me. So, knowing the truth, what does it matter?” Guan Xi hooked her arm around Guan Xinghao’s, trying to sound light-hearted, “Dad, you’re deciding so early to stand up for me. Isn’t that too fierce?”
Guan Xinghao glanced at Guan Xi, his nose a bit sore. He remembered that she hadn’t acted spoiled towards him for a long time, not since Guan Ying came back, “Dad is afraid you feel wronged.”
“Um… I won’t. For you, does it change anything if others know I’m not your biological daughter?” Guan Xi asked.
Guan Xinghao was serious, “Nonsense, you’ve always been dad’s treasure!”
“Then that settles it. Okay, okay, let’s not talk about it anymore.” Guan Xi patted his arm, then turned to Wei Shaomin, “Mom, you don’t need to worry either. That’s it; I’ll go back to my room to freshen up, and I’ll come down later.”
Wei Shaomin nodded, “Alright, go ahead.”
Guan Xi turned and walked towards the stairs. It wasn’t until she went upstairs, out of sight from those below, that her expression cooled down. There would undoubtedly be changes after this incident. At the very least, the group led by Wei Zihan wouldn’t know how to embarrass her anymore. However, how did Wei Zihan find out about this incident in the first place?
Nightfall.
Guan Xi came out of her room, wanting to get something to drink. When she opened the door, Guan Ying also happened to open hers. The relationship between the two on the surface wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t hostile either. After the incident yesterday, Guan Ying knew the truth, and Guan Xi didn’t know what she was thinking.
“My mom already explained everything to me,” Guan Ying spoke first.
Guan Xi nodded, feeling a strange awkwardness, “Well…”
“Did you already know about this matter?”
Guan Xi paused.
“Oh, I didn’t mean anything specific. I just casually asked. Whether you know or not doesn’t seem very important,” Guan Ying smiled, “I just want to say that mom and dad genuinely care about you. Don’t think too much about it. As for what I said before, I genuinely like you as my sister.”
Guan Xi was surprised by Guan Ying’s response, but she also felt relieved in her heart, “Thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for? I should thank you,” Guan Ying’s eyes narrowed, saying, “Thank you for accompanying mom and dad in my place for so many years.”
**
Jiang Suizhou drove back home in the evening. He didn’t often come back; usually, he lived alone in Jialin Jingyuan. When he arrived home, it was already 10 o’clock at night. As he came up from the garage, his mother, Li Yuanying, was already waiting for him in the living room. His family situation was complicated. His mother was his father’s third wife, and there were two elder brothers from the previous marriages, engaged in constant power struggles.
“The matter of Guan Xi being adopted, the Guan family has never informed us about it,” Li Yuanying, dignified and elegant with a slightly cold demeanor, not angry but imposing, went straight to the point.
Jiang Suizhou sat down on the sofa, “Yes.”
Li Yuanying looked at Jiang Suizhou, with eyes that showed years of calculation and steadiness, “When the two families formed a union, we were supposed to marry into the Guan family.”
“She still is,” Jiang Suizhou replied.
Li Yuanying furrowed her brows, “Are you sure she can still hold her ground?”
Jiang Suizhou, “Mother, what are you worried about? With me by her side, she can naturally hold her ground.”
Li Yuanying sipped her coffee, “Suizhou, your relationship with your future wife is supposed to be mutually beneficial; I don’t need to emphasize that, right?”
“Of course.”
“You know, that’s good enough.” Li Yuanying took a sip of her coffee, “Recently, your elder brother has been whispering in your father’s ear, wanting to take control of the real estate side. But this, we absolutely cannot let him take away.”
“Got it.”
…
The conversation between the two was cold and straightforward, and in a short while, their exchange concluded. The relationship between mother and son had always been distant.
Li Yuanying waved her hand, “Alright, go upstairs and rest. You don’t need to go back to your place tonight, right?”
Jiang Suizhou nodded and stood up.
“To avoid risks, perhaps breaking up with her sooner would be better,” Li Yuanying suddenly said after a few steps. Jiang Suizhou looked back.
Li Yuanying asked casually, “What do you think?”
Jiang Suizhou’s eyes were deep and unreadable, showing no emotion, “I’ll handle it myself.”
That night, Jiang Suizhou didn’t stay at the old house. He went to the garage, got into his car, and prepared to head back. However, he didn’t start the car immediately; instead, he looked at his phone first. Before coming, he had sent a message to Guan Xi, but she still hadn’t replied. Now, when he checked, the conversation was still stuck at his question, “Who leaked the information.”
No reply after so long? Jiang Suizhou didn’t wait any longer; he immediately video called her.
On the other side, at the Guan family —
The mobile phone on the coffee table kept ringing. Guan Ying glanced at the display and saw the three words “Jiang Er Gou.”
Jiang Er Gou… Jiang Suizhou?
Guan Ying bit her lip, forcibly shifting her gaze away from the words “Er Gou,” and looked toward the kitchen.
Guan Xi had just been called in by Aunt Zhen for soup and hadn’t come out yet. But the phone on the coffee table kept ringing persistently; the person on the other end seemed tireless.
“This soup is not good at all, Aunt Zhen. The medicinal taste is too strong,” Guan Xi’s voice came through.
Guan Ying looked at the phone again, then finally called Guan Xi’s name.
Guan Xi hurriedly came out, “What’s wrong?”
“A call.”
Guan Xi: “Oh.”
Guan Xi picked up her phone and sat on the other side of the sofa, directly answering the call. Once connected, the screen displayed a dim image, and the lights on the other side weren’t even turned on.
Guan Xi directly enlarged her own image on the screen, “Jiang Suizhou, why are you calling me on video?”
“To see if you’re still alive,” Jiang Suizhou’s clear and cold voice came through the phone.
“Alive… no, why are you talking like that?” Guan Xi stared at the camera, “Why would I be dead?”
Jiang Suizhou responded with an “Oh,” “Then why didn’t you reply to my messages?”
“You sent me messages? I didn’t notice.”
“You noticed but quickly forgot, right?” Jiang Suizhou ruthlessly exposed her.
Guan Xi refused to admit, “I really didn’t see it. Wait a moment, after hanging up, I’ll reply to you.”
“Heh.”
Guan Xi asked, “?? Heh?”
On Jiang Suizhou’s side, the lighting was very dark, and only a faint outline could be seen. After Guan Xi heard him “heh,” he added, “I’ll be on a business trip tomorrow and will be back in three days.”
Guan Xi was stunned, “Why are you suddenly telling me this?”
He rarely informed her of his schedule, right?
Jiang Suizhou said, “Just letting you know, so you can wait for me at home that day.”
“And then?”
“And why do I need to tell you what to do after that?” Jiang Suizhou’s voice was calm and steady but inexplicably carried a hint of sensuality.
“…………”
Guan Xi quickly glanced at Guan Ying, seeing that she was watching TV and didn’t notice what was happening on her side. She quickly stood up with her phone and went outside the courtyard.
When there was no one around, she said, “Jiang Suizhou, be careful. It’s improper.”
Jiang Suizhou asked, “What?”
Guan Xi: “Just now, I was in the living room!”
Jiang Suizhou: “Someone there?”
“Of course there are people, but fortunately my parents are not around…”
Jiang Suizhou said, “Even when you’re on a video call, you don’t wear headphones. Who can you blame for that?”
“You can’t control your mouth, and now you’re blaming me?” Guan Xi’s temper flared, and it seemed like she was ready for a verbal confrontation.
The garage was empty, and the silence around was unsettling. Jiang Suizhou adjusted his tie, feeling inexplicably annoyed.
“Guan Xi.”
“What?”
“Come to my place tonight.” He suddenly suggested.
Guan Xi was surprised, “It’s so late… Wait, didn’t you just say three days later?”
Jiang Suizhou looked at the person on the screen, who had the best framing and posing, and his mind unexpectedly cleared for a moment.
He did say three days later, but—
“We bought a lot of things today, all sent to my house. Don’t you want to see?” Jiang Suizhou knew her answer just by looking at her expression and lightly smiled. He started the car, “I’ll pick you up.”
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