Bo Yan listened from the side, astounded. He had no interest in prying into the affairs of the Xi Family, but he knew one or two things about them. He had thought they were just ruthless, but he never expected them to be this filthy.
He looked thoughtfully at Xi Yan and Xi Yang beside him, "And these two, what’s their story?"
Xi Nian explained, "They are the children of my second uncle. My second uncle and my father had a good relationship, neither harbored ambitions to struggle for power, but still, they couldn’t escape the damned shackles of the Xi Family. We three, it’s like we’ve escaped death’s clutches, and finally made our way back to the Xi Family."
Though he spoke lightly, the effort involved was certainly not easy. To return to the Xi Family and even get a share of power beside Xi Gu, the scorned son, Xi Nian’s tactics, experience, and depth of character were certainly formidable.
Yuran felt a slight sense of relief, "If you know the Xi Family is a blazing pit, why jump back into it?"
Xi Nian smiled, "Baby, because without having found you and Beibei, it didn’t matter where we went. If we don’t bring down the Xi Family, how can we ensure your and Beibei’s safety after we find you? Having lost you once was enough, and besides, regarding you...
We’re already too late..."
He had run with all his might, yet still failed to prevent Yuran’s death. No matter how many times he reminisced, it still was too painful for Xi Nian to recall.
When he learned that Fu Yuran might be his sister but had already died, he had nightmares every night. During that month-plus, he nearly went insane.
Became a bona fide madman.
Thankfully, he persevered and received the best answer — his sister was still alive, and he still had a chance to dote on her.
Xi Yan looked at Yuran’s face with a gentle gaze, "Ranran, rest assured, we won’t let you be in danger before the end of the Xi Family."
Yuran was still puzzled, "Why would Xi Gu’s mother want to murder us?"
Xi Yang coldly explained, "The Xi Family operates on a survival of the fittest basis. She knew what kind of person her son was; naturally, she couldn’t let the competition be fair and open. If that was the case, her son would lose very embarrassingly, terribly embarrassingly. Removing all the threats was about cutting them down before their feathers were fully grown, all at once if possible."
Yuran couldn’t refute this viewpoint and laughed bitterly, "But still, she didn’t spare me, did she? Even though she knew I might not become a strong competitor."
Xi Nian smiled ruefully, "It’s our fault when you come down to it. If she had found out that we three were already dead, she wouldn’t have made such a risky move. At that time, we were negligent..."
Running for their lives, focused on survival, they had let down their guard.
Yuran interrupted him, "It’s not your fault. If you keep blaming yourselves, then I am the one who should feel the most remorse."
"Ranran, you are the victim."
"And you are not?" Yuran countered, silencing them. She continued, "These years couldn’t have been easy for you either. Although I can’t say I’ve forgiven you completely, I am willing to accept you."
Xi Nian, along with Xi Yang and Xi Yan, suddenly looked up, incredulously staring at Yuran. Yuran smiled, "I’m not the kind to fuss over ’why didn’t you find me sooner, that put me through so much.’ We, as the children of the Xi Family, all have it tough."
The Xi Family was too disgusting.
So filthy it was suffocating.
Xi Yan wanted to reach out and grab Yuran’s hand, but Bo Yan stopped him, making it clear that words would suffice and there was no need for physical contact, even if he was her brother.
Xi Yan looked at him speechlessly, withdrew his hand, and said to Yuran, "No, it doesn’t matter how much time is spent as long as I can still come to your side. That is the best reward for us. Baby, I’m sorry, and also, thank you."
The conversation was interrupted by Zhizhi’s return. Seeing the somber mood in the room, Zhizhi ran up to Bo Yan and climbed up onto his lap with practiced ease, "Daddy, what are you talking about? Zhizhi wants to listen too."
Zhizhi resembled Bo Yan and Yuran; he looked like he was cast from the same mold as Bo Yan when he smiled, but when he had a stern face, he was the spitting image of Yuran.
The earlier heavy atmosphere relaxed a lot with Zhizhi’s arrival. Knowing that the three men from the Xi Family would be his uncles in the future, he didn’t feel out of place at all. On the contrary, he felt particularly at ease.
In his hand, he held a small set of building blocks he had assembled, showing it to Bo Yan, "Daddy, Zhizhi finished this tyrannosaurus rex."
Bo Yan was never stingy with his praise for Zhizhi. After receiving praise, Zhizhi wouldn’t become arrogant but would just shyly smile, bury his little face in Bo Yan’s chest, and secretly delight in it.
After the meal, Yuran was very quiet on the way back. She truly had selective memory and couldn’t piece together the information she wanted to know. She didn’t doubt Xi Nian’s words, but having to be informed of such matters by someone else wasn’t particularly delightful to her.
Bo Yan noticed her mood and Zhizhi also nestled quietly in her arms without speaking.
Father and son always had an exceptional tacit understanding when it came to sensing Yuran’s mood.
At the red light intersection, Bo Yan glanced sideways at Yuran, "What are you thinking about?"
Yuran raised her eyes, meeting Bo Yan’s gentle gaze and smiled, "Nothing much, just that there are some things I can’t figure out. When I was leaving earlier, my eldest brother told me that my mother left something for me and Beibei. They don’t know exactly what it is. I have no memory of it, so I don’t know if I can recall it. Could this thing be the key to toppling the Xi Family?
I am just a bit anxious, that’s all. I will be fine after a while."
"Baby, as for toppling the Xi Family, let Xi Nian and the others worry about that. What you can do for Xi Nian right now is to hope that ’City of Temptation’ outperforms ’Miss Rose’ at the box office. That way, Xi Nian’s position in Huanya will be secured.
Xi Zhen’s main power lies in London, beyond reach from here. Plus, over the years, Xi Nian has made sufficient arrangements here; Xi Zhen can’t do anything to him. With your other two brothers’ performance in front of Xi Zhen before, I believe the outcome will be better than you expect. Trust me."
Naturally, Yuran trusted him.
"Am I worrying over nothing?"
"Not at all. This grudge, I will remember it for you. If you can’t recall, then don’t. The hatred stays here, but how could I forget? Of course, I can’t.
I admit I’m grateful that the other party brought you to my side through some disreputable means, but that doesn’t mean I can forgive the harm they caused you."
Yuran: "... Is that contradictory?"
Zhizhi suddenly raised his head in Yuran’s arms, looking at her anxiously, "Mommy, is someone going to hurt you? Zhizhi can help beat up the bad person, and so can Daddy."
Yuran laughed, gently stroking Zhizhi’s little head, "No one is hurting Mommy."