Xia Yan cast a cold sidelong glance at Xia Siyue’s somewhat pale face. “I’ve always known. It’s just…” She paused, then stared at Xia Siyue with a faint, mocking smile, the corner of her mouth curling into a wicked grin as she added, “Mu Chengfeng is probably the kind of guy only you would fall for.”
Mu Chengfeng was in the same year as her at university, and his reputation had never been good—his womanizing was notorious. Back then, her mind was focused on moving out of the Xia family and on her studies, leaving no room for anything else, let alone romance.
The fact that she found out about this was pure coincidence, and sometimes she had to believe in fate. Mu Chengfeng had tried to dig up information on her but ended up finding Xia Siyue instead, and that set everything in motion.
The truth that Mu Chengfeng had initially set his sights on Xia Yan had always been a thorn in Xia Siyue’s side, which was why she rarely let the two of them meet when she was with him.
“Xia Yan, you’re way too arrogant!”
“Arrogant? Isn’t this what you call my ‘behind-the-scenes act’? Now that I’m showing it to you openly, shouldn’t you be jumping for joy?”
“You…”
Xia Yan gave a light smile, the corners of her lips curving slightly, which only made Xia Siyue angrier. Seeing this, Xia Yan paused—she had only raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, but Xia Siyue instinctively reached out to block her.
Xia Yan laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. Xia Siyue hadn’t changed a bit as she grew up; she was still just as foolish.
Pushing aside Xia Siyue’s blocking hand, Xia Yan didn’t know if Xia Minghui was worried she wouldn’t come or what, but he suddenly called. As Xia Yan pulled her phone out of her bag, Xia Siyue spotted it, and out of nowhere, she lunged to snatch it—luckily, Xia Yan was prepared.
Xia Yan sidestepped to dodge, answered the call, and stated her current location. She briefly told Xia Minghui how Xia Siyue was giving her a hard time, then handed the phone to Xia Siyue. Afterward, she saw the hateful glare in Xia Siyue’s eyes and gave her a nonchalant smile.
After a long struggle at the door, Xia Yan finally got inside. As expected, the old Madam Xia was coming down the stairs with her cane, her sharp gaze fixed on Xia Yan. But Xia Yan was used to it; she’d built up an immunity by now.
“So you remember how to come back?” The old Madam Xia had never let go of her grudge over Xia Yan not helping the Xia family, and she blamed Xia Yan for everything the family was facing, so she never gave her a kind look.
Xia Yan expressionlessly glanced at the old Madam Xia. It had been a while since they last met, and the old lady’s spirit was as strong as ever, her attitude toward Xia Yan just as cold.
With that thought, she said bluntly, “Father called me back.”
“Oh, so you still remember you have a father? Where were you when the Xia Corporation was in trouble? Where were you when your sister was in trouble? And you even turned against your own sister. You’re nothing but an ungrateful wolf—even if I raised a dog, it would at least bark a few times at me.”
“Old Madam Xia, I respect you as an elder, so I won’t argue with you. Back then, Xia Siyue tried to strangle me—was I supposed to show mercy to someone who wanted to kill me? As for the Xia Corporation’s troubles, I did choose to stand by, but the day I left this house, I said I’d paid back everything I owed.”
“Hmph, twisting words.”
“Old Madam Xia, who’s really twisting words here? I think you know in your heart. If you insist on pulling rank as an elder, then I have nothing more to say.” As Xia Yan finished, she silently added, “Anyway, that’s your usual move.”
“You, you’re trying to drive me to death!” The old Madam Xia was genuinely furious at Xia Yan’s words. Xia Siyue had canceled her afternoon plans and stayed home just to see what Xia Yan was up to. Seeing her grandmother’s livid face, she immediately stepped forward to comfort her.
It was a stark contrast to Xia Yan’s cold indifference.
As Xia Siyue helped the old lady, she spoke to Xia Yan with a haughty tone, “Is this how you talk to Grandma? She’s right—you’re an ungrateful wolf. I’m just waiting to see you come crawling back crying the day Lu Zhengting dumps you!”
“I don’t think you’ll live to see that.”
“Madam, the master wants the eldest young lady in the study now.”
A servant’s sudden words broke the tense atmosphere around them. Xia Yan glanced indifferently at the servant, who gave her a slight smile, and Xia Yan smiled back.
In her memory, this servant was the only one in the entire Xia household who had ever been kind to her, from the beginning to now.
Xia Yan looked at the two of them as if they were strangers. Facing them now, even a smile felt like a luxury. She turned and went upstairs directly. The Xia family’s staircase was spiral, so when she reached the top, she could glance down and see them still standing at the bottom.
At the study door, Xia Yan curled her fingers and knocked. Hearing Xia Minghui’s voice from inside, she entered.
Xia Minghui’s study was usually off-limits to them. She’d never had any interest in it before, and she still didn’t now. She walked casually to the desk, where Xia Minghui sat in a black leather chair, his face heavy as he looked at her.
“Father, what did you mean by what you said on the phone?” Xia Yan got straight to the point, voicing her confusion.
“Yan Yan, I’ve been hesitating about whether to tell you about what happened back then. But before Lan Zhi passed away, she repeatedly urged me not to tell you, saying the less you knew, the happier you’d be.” Xia Minghui spoke slowly, as if lost in memory.
Xia Yan was taken aback at first, mulling over his words, then quickly replied, “What exactly don’t I know?”
Xia Minghui looked up at Xia Yan, rubbing the thumb ring on his other hand, hesitating. After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke slowly, “Over a decade ago, Xu Guang and I jointly funded and started this company. Xu Guang was very capable, and within five years, he’d expanded the company’s scale significantly.”
Xia Yan said nothing, listening quietly.
“Later, we each got married and started our own families. When you were six, Lan Zhi complained that Xu Guang was always too busy with work, so he decided to take some time to be with her and you. That’s when Lu Weiyuan—Lu Zhengting’s father—suddenly appeared and offered to buy the company, but your father refused.”
“And then what?”
“We turned down his offer, never expecting it would lead to so much trouble.” Xia Minghui’s tone seemed pained as he said this, as if he hated bringing up the past.
Seeing this, Xia Yan couldn’t help but ask, “What happened after that?”
“After that, not long passed, and Xu Guang suddenly died.”
“Suddenly died? Why do you say ‘suddenly’?” Xia Yan asked.
“Actually, when Xu Guang had his accident, you were right there with him. But you were so young at the time, and after the shock, you woke up and forgot all about it.”
“I remember my dad died in a car accident.”
“It wasn’t a car accident. It was a fire in the warehouse—he was inspecting goods there at the time.” Xia Minghui spoke very slowly. When he finished, he saw Xia Yan’s face suddenly change, a sharp glint flashing in her lowered eyes, and then he deliberately let out a sigh.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Lan Zhi didn’t want you to live unhappily, especially after she saw you and Lu Zhengting together in the hospital room.”
At Xia Minghui’s words, Xia Yan’s mind instantly flashed back to the first time she brought Lu Zhengting to the hospital room, and the look on Xiao Lan Zhi’s face when she saw him—shock, disbelief, and later, she’d even subtly asked about their relationship.
“Father, are you saying Lu Zhengting’s father is the one who killed my dad?”
Xia Minghui gave a firm “mm-hmm” without denying it.
Hearing this, Xia Yan leaned weakly against the edge of the desk, staring at Xia Minghui in disbelief. “Is that really how it is? Do you have any proof?”
“Yan Yan, would I make something like this up? Of course, I only chose to tell you after I had evidence. If it weren’t for…” Xia Minghui trailed off, glancing at the stunned Xia Yan.
“If it weren’t for what?”
“If it weren’t for Lu Zhengting trying to pin the blame on me, I might have chosen to hide it from you forever, following Lan Zhi’s wish to let you live a happy, carefree life.”
“Happy and carefree? Mom…” Xia Yan murmured softly. She took a tightly sealed envelope that Xia Minghui handed her, opened it with trembling hands, and carefully examined the stack of documents. The moment she saw Xu Guang’s body, she felt like her head was about to explode.
Her face was so pale it could stir pity. Xia Yan forced herself to read through everything, tears brimming in her eyes, threatening to spill. She bit her lip hard until it broke and she tasted blood, snapping her back to reality.
Seeing this, Xia Minghui stood up from his chair, walked over to Xia Yan, and gently patted her shoulder a few times. “Yan Yan, the Xia family will always stand by you.”
Xia Yan suppressed the urge to sob, keeping her head down and not looking at Xia Minghui. She let out a hoarse “mm-hmm” with a faint, tearful voice and asked, “Can I take these documents with me?”
“Of course.”
Xia Minghui invited Xia Yan to stay for dinner, but she politely declined. Her mind was a blank now, unsure of what to do or what she could do.
She walked out of the study absentmindedly and stood at the top of the stairs. Xia Siyue, who had been waiting at home for Xia Yan to come out, immediately approached her. “Xia Yan.”
“Get lost.”
“You’re telling me to get lost?” Xia Siyue snapped angrily.
“Is there anyone else here besides you?” Xia Yan replied with icy indifference. She didn’t want to say anything or deal with anyone right now.
“Dare to tell me to get lost?”
Xia Siyue’s eyes widened as she glared at Xia Yan. Seizing the moment when Xia Yan was distracted, remembering what she’d said at the door earlier, she instinctively reached out and shoved Xia Yan from behind.