Chapter 10

The night was deep, neon lights were illusory, and the city was dazzling with lights.

Cars raced along the road, heading towards their destinations.

Guan Xi didn't know where her destination was. After spending a good half-day in the car, she received a call from Guan Xinghao.

"Dad."

"Xi Xi, where are you playing?" Guan Xinghao's gentle, familiar voice came over.

Guan Xi's nose felt a bit sour.

Thinking about it, she wasn't unlucky at all. Even if her father wasn't biologically related to her, he treated her so well.

"Today is Song Li's birthday, so we're partying with him."

"Oh, I see. Will you come back tonight? If you do, Dad will send someone to pick you up."

Guan Xi leaned on the steering wheel; her voice lowered, "No need, we, we're staying outside tonight."

Subconsciously, she didn't want to go home.

Guan Xinghao responded, "Okay, then have fun. Let Suizhou take good care of you."

"...Got it."

After a brief pause, Guan Xi knew he had more to say, so she waited quietly.

As expected, Guan Xinghao hesitated and said, "Yingying has been at our house for quite a few days. Your mom and I haven't told your grandparents about Yingying's return yet. We plan to inform everyone publicly now."

What should come will come. Perhaps the groundwork had been laid for long enough, so Guan Xi felt quite calm upon hearing this.

"I know. When do you plan to tell them?"

"Tomorrow, let's have a meal together."

"Alright," Guan Xi agreed.

After hearing her agree so readily, Guan Xinghao felt a bit uneasy.

He cared deeply for Guan Xi and knew that his daughter, spoiled as she was, had a fiery temper. Earlier, he had actually prepared for Guan Ying's appearance to trigger a big reaction from Guan Xi. He thought that was a given.

However, he never expected her to remain so calm.

Guan Xinghao: "Xi Xi..."

Guan Xi: "Where will it be?"

Both spoke at the same time.

Guan Xi was stunned, "What were you saying?"

Guan Xinghao regained his composure. "It's nothing... about the location. It's at your grandfather's house. Come over around noon."

Guan Xi: "Understood."

"Alright, I won't bother you two anymore. Hang up."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Guan Xi stared at her phone for a long time. It seemed that during this time, it was always her father who called her. For so long, her mother never called her, not even once.

Guan Xi shook her head, shaking off that feeling of loss.

Oh well... Her mom had just reunited with her biological daughter recently, so it wasn't surprising that she was focused on her biological daughter.

She must have just temporarily forgotten about this other daughter, that's all.

Guan Xi owned real estate, but she had never stayed in those houses and didn't know how much dust had accumulated. So, on this evening, she went straight to the Nan Jue Hotel.

Nan Jue Hotel was under the Guan family, managed by her cousin Guan Yuanbai. She felt a sense of security staying here.

After checking in, she took a shower, muted her phone, and went to sleep.

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

【Did you sleep at the hotel?】

【Let's talk.】

Talk about what!

Guan Xi remembered the conversation they had the day before and felt annoyed.

Wait a minute... How did he know she slept in a hotel?

Did he put a tracker on her, or did someone see her check-in last night?

Guan Xi was puzzled. When she turned her head, she saw her keys and miscellaneous items from last night casually placed on the bedside table.

She paused, picked up the card used to pay for the room, realizing it was a supplementary card belonging to Jiang Suizhou.

"............"

Guan Xi rolled her eyes and buried herself in the pillow.

But with Jiang Suizhou, she had never embraced the concept of biting the hand that feeds you. So, discovering that she had used his money wouldn't weaken her resolve or make her angry.

Guan Xi picked up her phone. She was about to reply with some sharp words to sort him out, but before she could send it, the doorbell rang.

She put down her phone, got up, and walked to the door. Peering through the peephole, she saw... Jiang Suizhou?

He came too quickly.

Guan Xi immediately took a step back. She glanced at the full-length mirror next to the door and 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 open it himself. So, she opened the door and stood in the gap, looking at him.

"What's up?" She asked bluntly.

Jiang Suizhou was used to her being like this. Every time she got angry in the past, she was like this—head held high, as if she could dismember people with her eyes.

But today, she probably didn't realize she wasn't prepared.

In her sleep robe, with slightly messy hair, a bare face without makeup, and a significant height difference due to wearing hotel slippers.

Childish and lacking in momentum.

Jiang Suizhou looked down at her and calmly said, "Let me in first."

Guan Xi didn't move, "If you have something to say, say it here. Why do you have to come in?"

Jiang Suizhou reached out and pressed against the door, "Should I force my way in?"

Guan Xi glared at him.

Jiang Suizhou raised an eyebrow, "Were you so angry yesterday? Angry enough to stay in a hotel"

Guan Xi felt the pressure from the door increasing. She could hardly resist.

To avoid being pushed down embarrassingly, she finally let go. She turned around and walked back, "I just suddenly wanted to stay in a hotel. Where did I get angry!"

Jiang Suizhou walked in, closing the door behind him.

Guan Xi sat on the edge of the bed, looking at him coldly, "Moreover, I'm used to living wherever I want to, and you never cared. Why would you have an opinion now?"

Jiang Suizhou stood in front of her. "It's not that I have an opinion about you staying at a hotel. I have an opinion about you being angry with me over Xie Yan."

"When did I get angry because of Xie Yan—"

"Do you think I was blind yesterday?"

Guan Xi choked. She wasn't angry because of Xie Yan yesterday; it was because of what he said. However, she couldn't say she was angry because of those words; otherwise, he would wonder why they bothered her so much.

Guan Xi was momentarily speechless.

"You are my fiancée. It's not appropriate to quarrel with me because of another man."

Guan Xi glanced away, unwilling to engage with him.

Jiang Suizhou reached over and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him, "Speak."

Guan Xi turned her head again, intending to dismiss the matter, "I didn't quarrel with you yesterday. I just have opinions about what you said. Can't I express my opinions? You can be objective, and so can I. Well... maybe my mood wasn't good, so my tone was a bit harsh."

Jiang Suizhou frowned.

Guan Xi pulled away from his hand and stood up. "Jiang Suizhou, being an adopted child may indeed not be as good as being a biological one. You didn't say anything wrong about that. However, it doesn't mean it's beneath one's dignity or embarrassing!"

Jiang Suizhou said, "I didn't say it's embarrassing."

Guan Xi paused. Oh, maybe he didn't say that?

"But you said he can't stand out!"

Jiang Suizhou thought for a moment. It seemed like he said that. However, he didn't really have any opinions about Xie Yan as a person; he even appreciated his capabilities. At that time, he might have spoken... perhaps because he was upset by the scene where Guan Xi approached someone, he spoke without much consideration.

Jiang Suizhou said, "Just a casual remark."

Guan Xi: "......"

I believed your nonsense! A casual remark is still a reflection of your thoughts!

"So, were you just debating with me last night?"

Guan Xi said, "Can't I?"

"Fine. If you were just debating with me because you were in a bad mood and had a bad attitude, then forget it," Jiang Suizhou said. "As long as it isn't because of Xie Yan."

"......."

Jiang Suizhou seemed to get the answer he wanted, so his attitude changed quickly. He familiarly put his arm around her waist, gently pushed her, and said, "Go wash up, let's go out for lunch."

Dog man!

Who wants to have lunch with you!

Wait a minute... lunch?

Guan Xi was stunned, suddenly remembering something important, "Today, I have to go to Grandpa's house..."

She quickly checked the time; it was already 11 o'clock. At this time, everyone should be almost at Grandpa's house for lunch.

Images of the upcoming scene of acknowledging the family flashed in Guan Xi's mind, making her scalp tingle...

Forget it, I'll go later.

Guan Xi pulled away from his hand, "I won't go out to eat. I'll eat in the hotel directly."

Jiang Suizhou had a morning full of meetings, and now, during his limited lunch break, he came to deal with Guan Xi.

Having woken up early, he was a bit tired now. When he heard that Guan Xi wanted to eat at the hotel, he found it satisfactory. So, he directly pulled her to lie down on the bed, "Alright, order something for me too."

Guan Xi, suddenly hugged around her waist, was caught off guard and looked annoyed. "Hey? I said I'm not going out to eat. But you can go out by yourself to eat. President Jiang, please let go first."

Jiang Suizhou remained motionless, as steady as a rock.

Guan Xi struggled for a while but 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, "Give me the phone."

Guan Xi couldn't get out of his arms. She could only extend her hand to grab the phone on the bedside table and dialed for room service. Jiang Suizhou took over and skillfully reported a few dishes.

Listening to the sound behind her, Guan Xi remembered a similar incident from before.

Back then, they had also booked a room here and also ordered room service. When the meal arrived, Jiang Suizhou found it unsatisfactory and immediately called the hotel's general manager. Her cousin, Guan Yuanbai, answered the call.

The cuisine at Nan Jue Hotel was always highly praised in the industry, but Jiang Suizhou was meticulous and had an unparalleled talent for finding faults. His calm criticism infuriated Guan Yuanbai. Later, Guan Yuanbai scolded him harshly, making him eat the food reluctantly. Guan Yuanbai also warned him sternly not to bring his sister to their family's hotel.

During the call, Guan Xi, seeing him being scolded into silence, couldn't help but laugh on the side.

"What are you laughing at?" Jiang Suizhou hung up the phone.

Only then did Guan Xi realize that she had burst into laughter while thinking about the past. She immediately composed herself and said, "Nothing, but didn't you say the food here was bad before? Why did you still order?"

"It has been improved. Don't you know?" replied Jiang Suizhou.

"What?" said Guan Xi.

Jiang Suizhou continued, "Guan Yuanbai was indeed furious at that time, but later, he secretly noted my criticism and had the kitchen improve."

"......."

It indeed seemed like her brother's style.

Jiang Suizhou adjusted his comfortable posture, closed his eyes, and asked again, "So, why were you in a bad mood yesterday?"

What needed to be addressed would eventually be addressed.

Guan Xi fell silent for a moment and turned around.

He had been hugging her from behind, and they were very close. When she turned around, her forehead was almost against his.

Jiang Suizhou wasn't wearing glasses today. In fact, he rarely wore them; with a myopia of just over a hundred degrees, it was optional.

Without glasses, she could see his eyelashes clearly. They were long and dense. She knew that if he lifted his eyelids, she would see a pair of beautiful eyes, clear, cold, and profound.

Although she had spoken ill of him behind his back, she had never attacked his appearance. Otherwise, it would seem like she was blind.

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

As for what he thought of adoptive children, she didn't care. He wouldn't have the chance to know about it later.

Now that she thought about it, her anger was unreasonable. They both straightforwardly expressed what they wanted from each other, be it interests, desires, or just that.

They needed each other before, mutually benefiting each other. That was still the case now, even more so. In fact, she needed him more now. It wasn't wise to be too emotional about him.

"Heard of it," Jiang Suizhou said.

"She's back," Guan Xi said.

"What?" Jiang Suizhou opened his eyes.

Guan Xi continued, "Actually, she didn't die. She was casually given away by that nanny at that time and was later secretly sold. Now, she found her biological parents."

Jiang Suizhou, who was always calm, wasn't very surprised after hearing this. He just asked, "How did she find them?"

"Guan Ying looks a lot like my mom. Oh, Guan Ying is the name of that girl. To what extent? 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 accidentally saw my mom in the news. It was during a mall opening, and both my parents went for the ribbon-cutting."

"She came to find her biological parents just because she thought she looked like the person in the news?"

"Not entirely. The most important thing is that she knew from a young age that she was adopted. So, in a situation like this, if she checked the news about our family losing a child back then, there would definitely be speculation. Anyway, they got in touch later, did a DNA test, and confirmed it," Guan Xi laughed. "Isn't it quite miraculous? Probably, this is fate."

Jiang Suizhou remained silent for a while and said, "You're not happy."

It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

Guan Xi's smile stiffened a bit, and she slowly said, "My sister is alive and fine. Why would I be unhappy? I'm very happy."

Jiang Suizhou: "Aren't you afraid she'll compete with you for affection or divide the property?"

As expected of Jiang Suizhou, each sentence hit home...

Guan Xi gave him a glance and reached out to pinch him, "I'm not, shut up."

Jiang Suizhou easily restrained her wrist, "Is that so? Then, you're not the Guan Xi I know."

"Jiang Suizhou, I won't treat you like a mute if you don't speak—"

She was wearing a nightgown, struggling against him, and the disarrayed neckline revealed a tempting view.

Jiang Suizhou's gaze swept over, but considering that it was still daytime and not suitable for indecent acts, he suppressed the easily hooked thoughts and reached out to cover her ample curves.

"I finally understand the meaning of your twenty-eight gifts." After completing the action, he suddenly said.

Guan Xi: "...?"

"It turns out it was to strengthen our relationship and establish a foundation."

Guan Xi looked at him, unfazed. "So what? Isn't it the same as what you did back then when your brother married the Jiang family's eldest miss? You promptly solidified our relationship and brought me home for dinner."

"Why bring up old matters? I didn't say it's not okay." Jiang Suizhou continued to rest with his eyes closed and said softly, "This is good; consider it a solved case."

"What case?"

"I originally thought you were going to ask for something significant with all those gifts. Now that I know the truth, I can rest assured."