Inside the Jiang Family Villa.
After seeing off the Song couple, Third Aunt Jiang brought up the topic of the dinner party originally scheduled for the following evening.
It was supposed to be a banquet specially prepared for Xuxu's return, intended to formally introduce her to everyone in their social circle. However, now that the guest of honor had run away, no one knew if the event could even proceed.
Everyone turned their eyes toward Old Master Jiang, waiting for him to make the final call.
Old Master Jiang narrowed his eyes slightly before speaking. "The banquet will proceed as scheduled."
He then looked toward Jiang Su and the other younger ones. "The three of you will go in person tomorrow and coax your sister back. If you can't bring Xuxu home, don't bother coming back yourselves."
Jiang Su and the others widened their eyes in unison, unable to believe their grandfather would say such a thing. Was Guan Xuxu a granddaughter he had only met a few times really more important than his three eldest grandsons?
Moreover, Jiang Su aside, Jiang Han was the same age as Guan Xuxu, and Jiang Cheng was older. To ask them to go and apologize to Guan Xuxu did they not have any pride left?
Even now, they didn't feel they had done anything truly wrong. They were family; just because someone said a few sharp words, she had to throw a fit and move out? If that wasn't making a mountain out of a molehill, what was?
Though these thoughts swirled in their heads, they didn't dare show it on their faces. Just as they were about to speak, Jiang Yucheng, who was standing nearby, interjected. "I will go with them to find Xuxu tomorrow."
Jiang Yucheng still remembered the look in Xuxu's eyes when she said she was moving out.
Jiang Huai had specifically reminded him that the room was something he and his wife had prepared for Xuxu, yet he had asked her to give up a room that had finally welcomed its rightful owner. At that moment, Xuxu must have been deeply disappointed in him.
He had focused solely on work all these years. Coupled with the fact that Jiang Huai had been exceptionally brilliant since childhood and rarely required his intervention, Jiang Yucheng hadn't paid much attention to the arrangements for Xuxu's return.
It wasn't until Jiang Huai's reminder that he realized he actually had no idea how to raise a child. This time, he had to make amends.
Fortunately, while Jiang Yucheng appeared stern and cold on the outside, he wasn't plagued by a pedantic sense of machismo. He didn't believe that as an elder, he was above apologizing to a junior.
In his view, if he made a mistake, he should admit it and do his best to fix it. Especially since this was the daughter he had been indebted to for eighteen years.
The next morning, Guan Xuxu had just woken up when she saw four people standing outside her door. They were all tall and imposing, standing there like a mountain blocking her exit.
It was only then that she realized why Jiang Huai had suddenly sent her back to her rental apartment the previous night. He had known they would come.
"Xuxu, you... you live here?" Jiang Yucheng couldn't quite believe it when he got the address from Jiang Huai.
He had assumed that even if Jiang Huai allowed Xuxu to leave, he would have settled her somewhere comfortable. But Xuxu was actually living in a place like this?
Guan Xuxu glanced at Jiang Yucheng and the three boys behind him, whose expressions were a complex mix of emotions. She pursed her lips and silently stepped aside. "Come in."
Guan Xuxu's living room wasn't large. Once the four grown men entered, it felt as though the room was completely stuffed. The expressions on Jiang Su and the other two became even more complicated.
The residential area Guan Xuxu had rented in was a mid-range complex. Most of the tenants were recent graduates or office workers. The environment wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't grand.
In the eyes of a commoner, it was average. But to these young masters who had been pampered since birth, it was as bad as it could possibly get. The living room wasn't even as big as their bedrooms back home.
How could Guan Xuxu live in a place like this?
"Even if you were looking for a temporary place, you didn't have to find somewhere so shabby. It's not like the family is short on money..." Jiang Han frowned, convinced this was just Guan Xuxu's trick. She wanted to guilt-trip them. No way.
Guan Xuxu only gave him a faint glance and ignored him. Before Jiang Han could say anything more, a snow-white fat fox suddenly darted out from a pet house in the corner, scurrying right up to Guan Xuxu.
Only then did the group notice the pet house and the toys in the corner of the living room. Looking at the wear and tear, it was obvious she had lived here for quite some time.
They realized then that this wasn't just some temporary setup. This was Guan Xuxu's actual home.
Jiang Su, being direct by nature, couldn't hold back. "Haven't you been living with the Guan family this whole time? Why were you renting a place here by yourself?! Did they kick you out before?"
There was a clear note of anger in Jiang Su's voice. Even though he had been rejecting this so-called cousin's return, his personal feelings were one thing. At the end of the day, she was the eldest young miss of the Jiang family. No outsider was allowed to trample on a lady of the Jiang family.
Jiang Han and Jiang Cheng also looked quite displeased. They felt that the Guan family's behavior was a direct slap to the Jiang family's face.
Guan Xuxu found the sudden change in the three brothers' attitudes quite baffling. Yesterday, they were looking at her with nothing but disdain, and now they were sounding off as if they were championing her cause?
"The Guan family doesn't allow pets, so I rented this place separately to raise my fox."
Guan Xuxu spoke those last three words slowly, her eyes fixed on the three cousins.
Jiang Su and the others were immediately reminded of yesterday morning when they had pointed at her and forbidden her from keeping the fox at home. For a moment, their expressions were a sight to behold.
Jiang Yucheng had also heard from Jiang Huai about Xuxu wanting to keep a fox. He immediately spoke up. "The pet house Jiang Huai prepared for the fox is already finished. You can raise it directly at home. I guarantee that no one in the house will have any more objections to this."
"No thank you, it's quite happy living here." Guan Xuxu paused for a moment before adding softly, "It's already used to it."
When she said "it," she meant the little fox, but it also felt like she was speaking about herself.
Jiang Yucheng felt an inexplicable ache in his chest. Having seen the true face of Bai Shuqin, he should have guessed long ago that Xuxu's life with the Guan family hadn't been as good as they had imagined.
They had assumed that since the Guan family was wealthy enough, Xuxu must have been raised as a pampered child. They had forgotten that Xuxu wasn't actually their biological child. How could the Guan family truly love and protect a child that wasn't theirs?
Thinking of this, Jiang Yucheng regretted his words from the previous day even more. "Xuxu, about yesterday... I was wrong. I apologize to you. Can you forgive me?"
Guan Xuxu was slightly stunned. She had guessed that Jiang Huai sent them to the apartment because he wanted her to play the pity card, and while she wasn't the type to endure in silence, she hadn't even started acting pathetic yet. Why were they already apologizing?
Seeing a man like Jiang Yucheng, who was so influential and powerful in the outside world, bowing his head to her without hesitation didn't actually make Guan Xuxu feel any better. Everyone thought she had spoken out of anger yesterday, but she knew that leaving was truly what she intended.
Letting out a silent sigh, Guan Xuxu simply said, "I was never angry with you, so there's no need to talk about forgiveness. You don't need to apologize to me."
She paused and added, "I am an adult now and I can live independently. You don't have to worry about me. I moved out simply because I wanted to."
The implication was clear: she wasn't going back.
Jiang Yucheng frowned, about to speak again, when he heard Jiang Han whispering beside him.
"I'm an adult too. Is the reason I don't move out because I don't want to? It's because the family won't let me!"
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