The study fell quiet after Jiaming and Bowen left.
For a while, Xue Mingzhan remained where he was, looking absent-mindedly at the closed door before reaching for the cup of tea beside him.
It had long since gone cold.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Butler Hou."
The old butler appeared almost immediately.
"Please ask Guiying to come in."
"Yes, Patriarch."
Outside, Guiying had been waiting in the corridor.
When the study door opened, he instinctively looked up.
Jiaming and Bowen stepped out without saying a word.
The expressions on their faces gave him pause.
He had expected annoyance, perhaps irritation after another lecture from their grandfather.
Instead, there was something unusually subdued about both of them.
Bowen seemed lost in thought, while Jiaming wore an expression Guiying had never seen before, one that looked suspiciously like regret.
For a brief moment, Jiaming looked as though he wanted to say something.
